Oliver bonas brief research book

Oliver Bonas Brief Research Book 5503DFT personal and Professional Practice Megan Rue

Oliver Bonas: About the Brand The brand was launched in 1993 with the first shop in Fulham and since then has evolved into a well known brand with 58 stores in major cities such as London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Brighton and many others as well as having an online store. They sell unique and quirky products across a range of markets including homeware, jewellery, accessories, gifts, furniture and fashion.

Marketing Mix – 4P’s Product - Oliver Bonas is a high street brand that sells a wide range of products in homeware, accessories, jewellery, gifts, fashion and furniture. However, for my project I will be focusing on their homeware range, more specifically their kitchenware. The target market for these products is men and women who are middle class homeowners aged between 20 and 40 who look for unique and quirky products for their home. The products are all practical for their use and the wide range of products on offer mean that there is a product for everyone. The unique designs of them offer both functional and aesthetics therefore making them more desirable as they are decorative as well as serving their purpose, this is one of the reasons Oliver Bonas differs from their competitors. The colours used this season are bright and colourful, mixed with marble, prints and rose golds. Their quirky colour scheme and style of products helps them to diversify them from their competitors setting them apart in the market. Most of the kitchenware accessories are made of ceramics, glass or metals and vary in size depending on the type of product.

Place - given that their customers are adult homeowners, they would probably be more likely to look for their products in-store however, Oliver Bonas products can be bought in store or online making their products more easily accessible for their customers, the stores are also located in many locations around the UK therefore it can be accessed by a wider customer range. Their competitors also sell online and in stores, as well as in supermarkets and within big department stores therefore they cannot diversify themselves in this sense. However, the style and design of the products is different from their competitors therefore diversifying them from other homeware brands.

Marketing Mix – 4P’s Promotion - Oliver Bonas use a wide range of methods to market themselves to customers. For example, they use a few social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, twitter and Pinterest to market themselves and the latest in the new seasons products. The use of social media is a very powerful tool as it allows the brand to be promoted to a large number of people both current and potential customers in a short amount of time. The use of visuals through these channels catches the reader's eye and makes them more likely to research and therefore purchase from the brand. They also have their own blog where they interact on a more personal level with the customers offering them discounts, updates on the collections, behind the scenes photos of shoots and designer meetings as well as food, fashion and lifestyle advice and articles. This is an effective form of promotion as it allows the customer to feel as though they are more involved on a personal level and therefore may be more likely to return to the brand for future purchases. The brand has also been featured in magazines such as ‘Hello’ Price - as they are a high street brand, the price of the products sold at Oliver Bonas vary widely with prices with the entry point starting at around £5 for the smaller novelty items, up to over £1000 for the larger or more luxury products such as sofas or gold homeware items such as tables. However, the majority of products are in the middle £40-£70 range for homeware as the products are aimed at the middle class, therefore this is most likely the price point they aim to sell most of their items at in order to target and appeal to their chosen market group, I feel that this is a reasonable and affordable price range for the customers and works well given the quality and design of the materials used the make each product. Compared to competitors the prices are very similar for each product. However, some competitors such as John Lewis sell the same items for slightly cheaper as they are more widely mass produced and aimed at mass market, whereas Oliver Bonas products are more quirky and unique therefore not everyone would want to buy them. This may be why some of the prices are slightly higher than competitors as they are not as mass produced.

SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS • •

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The brand sells both in store and online therefore they are able to make more profit and reach a wider range of people.

They sell a wide and diverse product range covering a variety of marketing including homeware, fashion, gifts, accessories, jewellery and furniture therefore they have a large product range that will appeal to more than one market.

They have a good range of social media platforms that they constantly update to promote their work such as Instagram, their own blog, twitter and Pinterest.

Their quirky designs make them stand out on the market against competition causing more buzz around the brand.

The products are fairly and reasonably priced therefore will be affordable to the mass market.

OPPORTUNITIES •

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Although the brand does have a kitchenware range they do not appear to have any kitchen textiles such as oven gloves or aprons for example, therefore there is a gap in their market for a Kitchen textiles range.

They could consider relocating some stores in the future to cover more of the UK rather than focusing solely on London and a few other areas to widen their customer base.

Try to get more features or small magazine inserts in mainstream fashion and interior home magazines to increase brand awareness.

WEAKNESSES • • •

The brand does not have as many chain stores as competitors therefore they are reaching less potential customers Their designs are often quirky and may not always appeal to the masses therefore they are limiting their customer base.

Although they have heir own catalogue of products, they don’t often get featured in other magazines therefore they lack promotion in mainstream magazines.

THREATS • Competitor department stores such as John Lewis or BHS are more well known by the masses as they are on the high street in the majority of cities and towns whereas the majority of Oliver Bonas stores are in London therefore they may be less well known.

Project Proposal For my self-directed project I have chosen to design and create promotion materials for a new kitchenware range for the Brand Oliver Bonas. I chose this brand as it will allow me to create something unique and different and would take me out of my comfort zone by allowing me to create non-fashion related items. From researching the brands product range online, I have found a gap in the market for textiles kitchen accessories. The concept/theme I will use as inspiration is Elemental as I feel it fits with the brands current aesthetic in terms of the shapes and some of the colour palette. In order to make my products I will look into industry practices of manufacture, marketing and zines. This will allow me to gain a better understanding of how to create professional outcomes.

I have decided to focus my attention more on communication and marketing as this will enhance my current professional practice and will allow me to develop my marketing and media skills through creating promotional material for the new range. This brief will then help me in the future when applying to study fashion marketing and media as it will give me more relevant work to display in my portfolio and also help me with my professional development as I progress with the brief. Therefore, giving me a greater chance of being accepted into university for the marketing course.

The aim of this project will be to create a diffusion line for Oliver Bonas based on my secondary and primary research which I will gather using a variety of resources e.g. online research, primary photographs and experimenting with textiles and printmaking to create my own fabric design for the products. This will allow me to trial different outcomes of designs/ marketing and see which methods will give me the best outcome for my final product and marketing strategy. Looking into competitors to see how they are marketing their products will allow me to identify current and new methods of marketing. After I have completed this research I will present my work in a professional digital and physical research book that will be a compilation of all the research I have collected, as well as design ideas and the promotional work and evaluation of my work. I will produce a zine with a photoshoot of the new range which could go inside popular magazines as an insert to promote the range.

Throughout the project I will be constantly evaluating my work as I make each decision and recording it in my research book to make sure that I stay on track and justify my decisions as the brief takes direction. In addition, in order to review my development over the project I intend to test my ideas of product by designing a range of prints and using a peer review or focus group to pick the final designs to develop. This will allow me to gain feedback on whether the products are suitable and meet the brief. Using this along with my own evaluation will allow me to measure the success of the products. After completing the project I intend to critically analyse and assess how successful the brief was and how I could enhance or improve the work. This will allow me to see how I have improved and developed my personal and professional development and review, to see if the brief has helped me to achieve my aims by creating an idea/product that through the brief will allow me to gain more experience and development to achieve my professional aims as well as personal.

Oliver Bonas Photoshoot Analysis In order to make sure that my photoshoot fits with the general aesthetic of the brand I decided to look at their most recent homeware photoshoot in order to get information on how they style their shoots, the angles they use and any other valid information that will help me when taking the photographs for my zine.

From looking at pictures of their S/S 16 photoshoot I have noticed that all of the photos are taken on bright coloured backgrounds that are not necessarily related to their function. For example, instead of a chopping board being in the kitchen it is placed on a bright background next to a candle and jewellery box. This could be an effective marketing technique as it makes you focus more and think about the photo and it sticks with you as something different and unique that stands out therefore you remember the brand. The photos also use a lot of natural lighting to create shadows in some of their imagery. The majority of photos are very minimal in terms of the number of items and the business of the background therefore this is something I will consider when staging my photoshoot background.

They also use other props in the background such as wall hangings, different coloured papers hung or plants etc. This is something I could try when shooting for my zine to make sure that my photos fit with how the brand markets their products.

Print Analysis After deciding that I wanted to make a kitchen textiles range for the brand, I looked at their existing homeware products to see what styles they offered and analysed the colours/shapes etc.

From looking into this I found that they use a lot of colourful as well as monochrome print in their designs on their homeware items. They also mixed colours and patterns to create interesting visuals. The actual shape of the products were not too out of the ordinary for items such as pillows etc.

Therefore I decided that the unique selling point of my product range would be a distinctive and unique print as this is what the brand currently does therefore allowing the product to fit with the brands current design aesthetics. From this research I will begin to develop prints from my primary images based on the theme ‘elemental’ which fits with their brand as they use a lot of metals and cool colours that would fit with the element of metal and the sea (water).

Print Development To create this print I took this image of a sea plant and embossed it as well as satirising and adjusting the colours. I did play around with other filters and ways of changing the image on Photoshop however, non of them were successful and I found this image hard to develop into a print.

This developed print is very colourful and looks almost psychedelic. This style of print does not fit with Oliver Bonas and would not fit with the range I am aiming to create, nor do I feel like it would appeal to the majority as it is not developed enough nor does it look like a professional or finished print.

Primary Image of a Sun Dial

To create this print I took this image of a sun dal and cut around the middle circle. I then repeated this shape on different layers in Photoshop varying the size each time and overlapping them. I then grouped together the shapes to become one image and change the colour balance and saturation of the image to create the bright colours of the print.

Although I will not be developing this image further I do feel as though overall the colours are bright therefore would fit with the brand in that sense, and the lines and shapes within the print are quirky and different to those seen in prints on the high street.

The colours used in the image are fitting with those of the brand, and the shapes used are interesting due to the varying sizes. However, this design is very busy which is not in keeping with the brand and does not feel like it looks professional enough to be used for this brand as well as the print overall not fitting with the brands aesthetic.

Therefore, I will not be using or developing this print for my final product range.

Primary Image of a sea Plant

Developed Print

Developed image

Print Development To create this print I took this picture of a light and cut around it, I then duplicated it and flipped it so that it was under the original image. After this I changed the colour of the light and created a repeat print, adding a green background. This print was effective and the colours were fitting with the brand however, I felt that it did not look as professional or as finished as the brands prints therefore I developed it further to create a few more versions of the print.

Primary image of a light

Using the same picture as the previous print I made, I decided to create another almost repeat print. For this print I simply cut around the shape of the light, scaled it to the size I wanted and then repeated it multiple times across the whole canvas to give a layered effect. For each light shape, I then changed the colour and opacity to create more depth of the layers and play with adding more colour though mixing the colours of the overlapping shapes.

The colours came out vibrant and the look of the shape its self combined with the layering allows for a 3D effect which stands out. Although this print is quirky and unique, I do not feel as though it fits with the brand as they tend to stick to less busy prints or repeat prints. I feel as though this print is too busy and therefore I will not be using this print in my final designs.

For the second version, I lightened the background and added lines to create a layered look, I feel that this is more visually interesting than the first print as it has more depth, however, I still felt as though it was quite plain and not as quirky as it could be. This lead me to further develop the print.

The final print was embossed to create a layered, almost 3D. This added more tone and colour as well as adding a more quirky feel to the print by clashing colours. The repeat print is fitting with the brand and the print and colours used are quirky and would be suitable for the target market and customers however, I feel as though it may not appeal to all of their target market as the neon looking colours can sometimes be unappealing. For this reason, I will not use this print for my range as I want the print to appeal to both men and women in their main market.

Developed prints

Developed print

Print Development Taking inspiration from the shapes on this Buddha head I decided that they looked like shells and would make a good print if I cropped the image and manipulated it on Photoshop. I then went on to create 3 variations of the image.

The purple print was created by changing the tone and colour of the image. I then applied the wave filter to the image which distorted it, this worked effectively as it made the image look more like a print as you could no longer tell what the image was originally. After making this I felt that the shades created from the wave filter were interesting however the one block colour was not suited to the brand as they tend to mix and match colours in their prints.

To create this print I used the pebble picture. I did not edit this picture much, all I did was emboss the image. I felt that this worked effectively as the image was not over edited However, I feel that although the image is not overly busy even though the image is completely covered with the pebbles, it may not be something the brand would do for a print, however, this may also be a good thing as it will allow them to do something new with their prints.

Primary Image of a Buddha Head

Therefore I chose to develop this print by again adjusting the colours and then adding the emboss filter to the image. This created a colourful print with colours that worked effectively and complimented each other well. The print although busy is not too much for the eye and therefore remains aesthetically pleasing.

After developing this I decided that I wanted to play with making the image monochrome to see the effect. I thought this this version was also an effective print however, If I were to use it as my final print I would need to mix it with a bright block coloured fabric as a piping or on the reverse of the product to match how the brand mixes colour with black and white.

The print mixes the bright colours such as the blues and yellows with monochrome colours which is something the brand currently do however, I feel this print mixes the two in a different way offering something unique. The colours are not so bright that It would put people off buying the product.

Adding a trim or mixing this print with a bright colour would help it to tie in fully with the aesthetic of the brand as well as making it more eye catching and appealing.

Primary Image

Developed Prints

Developed Print

Print Development This image was one that I was excited to develop as I felt that the shimmer of the crystals captured in the image would create interesting colours and effects when I manipulated the image on Photoshop.

I first tried changing the colour to blues and greens as these colours are commonly used for Oliver Bonas, however I do not feel as though this did much to change the image and did not make it into an interesting or unique print that would be professional enough for Oliver Bonas. Therefore I chose to develop this print further.

In order to create these prints, I cut around the crustation on the shell and then repeated the crustarion on Photoshop so that it covered the entire canvas with some overlapping. I then simply changed the colours of the print to blue and a green colour for the second image.

Primary Image of a Crustation Primary Image of Clear Crystals

I then embossed the image which created a diamond looking pattern as all of the colours looked as though they had been hit by light and were refracted. I think that this is very unique and adds a 3D effect to the print.

The colours are quite unisex therefore would appeal to both the men and women in the target market range.

This created interesting colours and textures within the print, personally I feel that the green works better than the blue colour wise as it is more vibrant and less oriented to a male audience therefore it would appeal to more of the target market. I think that although the design is busy it is still appealing. This print would be effective for homeware as it would be a pop of colour and add a quirky detail to otherwise ordinary items.

Again, I feel that adding a trim or mixing this print with a bright colour would help it to tie in fully with the aesthetic of the brand as well as making it more eye catching and appealing.

Developed Prints Developed Prints

Final Prints

Print Peer Review In order to see if my print/product range would be successful I carried out a peer review survey, as well as giving it to men and women outside of school who are in my target market. The peer review was useful as it allowed me to see how many people liked the prints I had picked for my mini range. From the survey I found: • The colourful prints were very popular and that the plainer repeat prints were the least popular.

• The diamond looking print made from crystals was the most popular print of all the prints I had developed.

• The brighter prints were more visually interesting • They all felt that they would buy products with any of these prints on.

However, I feel like this would have been more useful if I had carried it out prior to making my final decision as it would have allowed me to make a better more informed decision bout the print I would choose to use in my final collection. However, the pebble print was the less popular of the two.

Final Prints Justification After critical consideration of the prints in relation to the brand, target market and my theme as well as using the information from the questionnaire that my target market filled in, I have decided that the two prints on the previous page are the prints I will be using for my kitchen textiles range. From my feedback it was clear that that both prints were very popular among all of the prints I had made and developed. I feel that the colours are not bias to one particular sex therefore will work well for both the male and female customers of the store. The prints are quirky and different therefore fit with the overall aesthetic of the store and could also be carried through into other ranges if this kitchenware range was successful.

Final Product Range

This is my final product line up. From left to right, I will be creating a tea cosy, an apron, an oven mitt and a tea towel. I decided to add a teal coloured fabric to use as well as my prints as I feel that this helps to make the designs more colourful which fits with the brand more and also gives another element to the design. I feel as though the overall product range is something that would sell in the stores

Final Products Making the products was not too difficult and I feel as though they look as I wanted them too. However, I did have to change the design of the apron as after I got a focus group of people to look at the line up, it became clear that most of the men and women felt a though the shape of the top half og the apron was quite feminine and therefore it may not appeal to the males within the target market.

Therefore I settled on a more common square shape for the top, keeping the bottom in a pointed shape so that the design was still different to those sold in other high street stores.

Photoshoot Preparation After analysing the photoshoots of Oliver Bonas, my original ideas of how I want to do the shoot have changed. I originally intended to do the shoot In a room against a bright wall background.

However, l am now considering doing the shoot in a photo studio or a place outdoors to take advantage of the lighting. I still intend to use bright or white backgrounds so that the focus is on the products. This would work better for the brand and how they do photoshoots in their catalogues therefore it is something I will do when photographing my final products for my zine. I also intend to use some props within the photographs to make them move visually interesting.

Week 1 Review This week I completed all of my prints and decided on the final two prints I wished to use for my collection.

Following this I then created CAD’s/technical flats for my collection using illustrator and Photoshop in order to have visuals of the product range. I decided that the range would consist of 4 products; a tea towel, an apron, a tea cosy and oven mitts. This allowed me to practice my illustrator skills more as it is a skill that I don’t often use therefore it helped me to better understand how to use the software to create my own designs. I also compiled all of the research I have completed so far into a research book which I will then put on ISSUU at the end of the project. I had hoped to have found a location for my photoshoot by this point however I am still considering which location I feel would be the best fit for the brand and my products therefore this has put me behind as I may not be able to do my photoshoot on week 3 like planned.

Week 2 Review This week I analysed all of the prints I had developed and gave justification for my final print selection following a peer review I had carried out on my target market. This was a useful form of review for me to see if the work was going in the right direction as It allowed me to see if what I was designing would be right for the target market as well as the brand. I also started to create the paper patterns for the products which I will continue to finish this week, allowing me to sew all of the products by the start of next week. I found that this week I managed my time well and was not behind on my work that I had set myself to do however, I had wished to have my products sewn by now, and to have completed the photoshoot, therefore if I can get that finished within the next few days I will be back on track with my action plan.

Week 3 Review This week I sewed the items from the collection, I started with the apron as it was the biggest. Initially this process was fine as I am a confident sewer, however, after starting to sew I found out that the blue linen I originally chose to use as the hem for the items was very hard to work with, although it was linen to match the fabric of the print, it was stretch and therefore I found it harder to work with to sew things like waistbands as the fabric started to go out of shape as I sewed therefore I could not get the clean lines I wanted. After unpicking the linen, I decided that although not ideal.

In order to make my garment look professional and presentable I would have to use ribbon as a binding and hem instead as it was not stretchy and easier to sew given the time pressure i was under this week to do the sewing of all 4 items and the photoshoot. This worked better and was more of the colour I wanted. Overall, I am relatively happy with how the items turned out. Next, I carried out the photoshoot. I originally took all of my photos on a plain background to try and draw all of the eyes attention to the product itself. However after reviewing the images it was clear that this did not work very effectively for the brands aesthetic and the photographs did not look very professional. Therefore, I decided to add props to my images to make them more visually interesting and also tried out different angles to make the images look more professional and appealing. I also decided to take photographs of other objects e.g. jars that I had not created to add to images I will include in my zine as I felt that they added to the zines image range and also were still fitting with the collection and related to the functions of the products I had created.

Overall, I am fairly happy with how this week went, however, re-doing the photoshoot has made me fall behind again with my time schedule.

Week 4 Review I spent this week editing all of the images from the photoshoot that I thought would work well. This did not take too long as the shoot I did the second time worked much better in terms of angles and how the images looked in the photographs therefore it was more just a case of altering the lighting and adding a few filters. I then made my zine. This turned out to be more like a look book or catalogue pages however, this would still be appropriate for the brand as they could have a mini catalogue within magazines to expose themselves to a wider audience. I feel as though this section I did not have very many complications. The development of making the pages look like magazine pages allowed me to use these pages in my portfolio therefore enhancing my portfolio and allowing me to show more of my digital design work. Finally, for this week all that was left to do was go over all of my work and add bits in where some detail was missing as well as put all of the pages in my portfolio. This only took a few hours.

Critical Analysis of Final Product and Outcomes After completing the brief and reflecting upon my work, I feel as thought the photos within the zine were of a good standard that fitted with the brand and their style. The final products I created were fitting for the customer and fulfilled the brief by filling the gap in the market. I do feel as though the actual products themselves could have been produced to a higher standard however, given the amount of time I had left to produce all of the work this unfortunately was not possible.

Completing this brief has helped me to develop my skills personally and professionally as it has allowed me to learn how to write my own briefs and helped me to build and improve upon my skills that I will need for my future career in fashion marketing and communication. I feel as though this has helped me to fill the gaps within my work and portfolio more as it has allowed me to work on a project that was more visual communication based. Looking back over the project I do feel as though I have progressed personally and professionally as I have more experience of what it is like to work to briefs and learned how to manage my time better to get the work done to meet deadlines which will better prepare me for industry pressures. I have also developed my photography skills as I wa able to do a photoshoot using different props as well as photographing objects rather than people in clothing which is slightly different for me.

Overall, I do feel as though the final outcomes were effective in translating my original aims for the brief. The photoshoot worked in the end and I feel as though it has enhanced my portfolio as it is a project that is different to all of my previous work therefore will show that I am capable of being an adaptive designer that can work effectively to incorporate my aesthetic into different briefs for different clients needs.