Reflections

Reflect on what you’ve learned from reading the material and watching the video. Elaborate on the three most important concepts or ideas that you can take forward in your future work.

1. The first concept that I learned is that you need to do comprehensive research on the company that you are designing for. Research-driven design can define the way a problem is solved, and illustrate the value of the solutions. Design needs to be based in informed communication choices rather than aesthetics. Do comprehensive research so that you can understand everything about the company and demonstrate to them that you understand. This makes the client more comfortable with what you are going to present to them.

2. The second concept is that clients need to be able to understand what steps you went through to arrive at the solution that you arrived at so they can understand and repeat it.

“So it was important to us to be able to express to them the process that we go through before we ever get to creative, before we really are able to put anything on paper and make something, we really try to understand what we’re trying to achieve, what the business goal is and really who we’re speaking to…”

Chase, M. (Sept 4, 2008). http://www.lynda.com/Design-Documentaries-tutorials/Branding/685/38838-4.html?w=0

3. The third concept is that there is a new definition of design. To stay innovative today companies need to be designful. “Today we need a broader definition of design in which the key measurement is not styling but performance. (Nuemeier, 32).

“The traditional company is all head and legs. The designful company inserts a third activity: making. You analyze a problem, “make” a new set of options, then execute the solution. By inserting making between knowing and doing, you bring an entirely different way of working to the problem. The head and legs are improved by adding a pair of hands.” (Neumeier 50)

“To be innovative, a company needs not only the head and legs of knowing and doing, but the intuitive hands of making.” (Neumeier 53-54)

Neumeier, Marty. The Designful Company: How to build a culture of nonstop innovation for Full Sail University. Pearson Learning Solutions. VitalBook file.

MDMFA Campaign Project Selection Discussion

Potential ideas for a multi-media campaign project are:

1. Chicken of the Sea

2. Dr. Bonner’s Magic Soaps

3. Hobie

1. Chicken of the Sea

Chicken of the Sea’s history dates back to 1914 when Van Camp Seafood Company was founded in San Diego CA. The name was changed to Chicken of the Sea when they became the first cannery to commercially pack yellow fin tuna. Fishermen referred to the white albacore tuna as “Chicken of the Sea” because the white color and very mild flavor reminded them of chicken. Since 1952, the Chicken of the Sea brand and iconic Mermaid logo has been known worldwide.

Some of their competitors are: Bumble Bee, Crown Prince, Starkist, and Reese Specialty Foods.

The mermaid logo is dated. The packaging blends in with its competitors’ packaging. The challenge is to update the brand to have a more current appearance that is different from its competitors and stands out and to make the company more competitive. Today’s consumer is socially conscious.  The company is committed to operating a socially and environmentally responsible business from when the seafood is caught, to processing, packaging and delivery. They work with industry peers, environmental advocates and scientists to ensure that their suppliers’ fishing practices protect ocean stocks and dolphins. The company’s image needs to make this apparent.

Chicken of the Sea Website (2013) http://chickenofthesea.com/index.aspx

GoodGuide Inc. Website (2013) http://www.goodguide.com/products?brand_id=215069&category_id=255766#!rf%3D%26rf%3D%26rf%3D%26cat%3D255766%26page%3D1%26filter%3D%26sort_by_type%3Drating%26sort_order%3DDESC%26meta_ontology_node_id%3D

Dr. Bonner’s Magic Soaps

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps go back to the family’s German-Jewish soapmaking tradition. The family had been making soap since 1858. In 1929, Emanuel Bronner brought his formulas for liquid and bar soaps to America, starting Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps in 1948 in Escondido CA. Known for their quality, versatility and eco-friendliness, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps had a small but loyal following in the early years. In the late 1960s soap sales started to take off due to the ecological quality combined with Dr. Bronner’s urgent message to “realize our transcendent unity across religious and ethnic divides.” (Bonner, 1960). Word-of-mouth soon made Dr. Bronner’s the iconic soap of that era, and the soaps spread into every health food store in the U.S. and then into the mainstream becoming the number-one-selling natural brand of soap in North America.

Some of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps competitors are: Miracle Soap, SheaMoisture, Pangea Organics, and Nubian Heritage.

The 4th and 5th generations of the Bronner family who run the company today continue to make their soaps with care and integrity. But the image has not changed since the 1960s. The challenge is to keep the iconic history intact and honor their heritage while updating the image and making the company competitive with the many new natural soap companies that have entered the market.

Dr. Bonner’s Magic All-One! Website (2003-2008) http://www.drbronner.com

Today Website NBC.com (2013)

http://www.today.com/id/22651558/#.UpvTuJHfbwI

3. Hobie

Hobie Alter started out shaping surfboards out of balsa wood in his parents’ garage in 1950. Two years later Hobie opened up Southern California’s first surf shop in Dana Point. Then in 1958 Hobie began experimenting with new materials, inventing the polyurethane foam surfboard. The new boards were lighter, faster and easier to ride. Suddenly surfing became very popular. By the mid-1960s, Hobie Surf Team had made the distinctive Hobie diamond logo famous.

In the late 60’s Hobie started making boats. Hobie developed a twin-hulled catamaran. History soon repeated itself. What Hobie’s foam surfboard did for surfing, the Hobie Cat did for sailing, introducing a whole new way to have fun and revolutionizing an industry. Hobie now makes everything for having fun in the sun from surfing and sailing to skateboards, polarized sunglasses and sportswear.

Some of Hobie’s competitors are: Hurley International, Quiksilver, Roxy, Billabong, Rip Curl,  RVCA, Volcom,  Reef,  Sanuk, DaKine,  Patagonia, Rainbow, Morey,  O’Neill, Body Glove,  Destination Surf,  FCS and Future Fins.

Hobie was the revolutionary in the surf industry, but has failed to compete with the legions of new surf companies that have flooded the market in recent years. The challenge is to give the company a new clean logo and image that will make the company more competitive with the new generation of surfers. I would like to take iconic old school image that the company has and combine it with the current trends toward retro that the other companies are going for.

Hobie.com Website (2013) http://www.hobie.com/company/hirtory.aspx

1. In the video, Margo Chase states that the idea of the “black art of creativity” makes marketing people uncomfortable. What does Margo Chase mean by this and what does Chase Design Group do to raise their clients’ comfort level in working through the design process? How does this relate to what Marty Neumeier writes in his book, The Designful Company? Provide direct quotes with in-text APA-style research citations.

Margo Chase realized that the designer has to explain the process before they can get to the creative and make something. Their clients really need to be able to understand why they were making the design recommendations that they were making. The more quantitative, repeatable and mathematical the process could be, more comfortable the clients were with it.

In the video Margo Chase states: “the idea of sort of the black art of creativity makes a lot of marketing people really uncomfortable. And so they like knowing that there is a process that makes sense that they can understand and repeat.”

In his book, The Designful Company, Marty Neumeier talks about how designers in the 20^th century were considered “exotic menials” by the captains of industry. There was the “dominance of spreadsheet thinking” in business.

“Somewhere in the middle of the last century, trained designers began touting various design processes as a way to change their status from “exotic menials” to “serious professionals.” A number of processes appeared, but mostly they were one-way flow charts that guided projects through a series of phases. When you stripped away the trademarked terms and customized embellishments, they came down to four basic phases: 1) discovery, 2) ideation, 3) refinement, and 4) production. This logical sequence gave comfort to business managers, since the designing could then be managed, tracked, compared, and measured like manufacturing.”

There is still a sort of communication gap between designers and business people. Designers need to really connect with their clients on a specific level to make them see that they understand the business problem, the marketing objectives, and all the things that their clients are dealing with.

2. Why is it necessary for Chase Design Group to “stretch” beyond what clients think of as their own business goals, and how does Chase Design Group convince their clients that this is necessary? What did Chase do to “stretch” beyond their client’s expectations for the Chinese Laundry project? Relate your answer to the research part of this assignment by providing direct quotes in your answer from the video and each of the readings, complete with in-text APA-style research citations.

Designers need to be able to convince their clients that they understand the client’s goals as they have stated them. When a big change is needed, it is really hard for business minded people to be able to imagine it. They look at things the way they are, and cannot imagine something completely different working. So the designers use strategies to gradually open their eyes to why a big change is necessary. First they need to show the client that they understand the client and the product.

Margo Chase states “And we have to convince our clients that we can do that because a lot of the time we are walking in with maybe a design solution that is really a stretch for them or it’s really a change from where they were, and we understand that.”

Showing a client research that was done is a convincing way to support a design choice. A Designer’s Research Manual states, “Though the power of design may not always be easily measured, there are many steps that practitioners can undertake to ensure that they are making informed choices, rather than producing artifacts. Research findings can help the designer in a variety of ways. From supporting great concepts to measuring the effectiveness of finished products, a research-driven approach can help define the way problems are solved and illustrate the value of those solutions.”

Designers need to be able to speak in a language that business minded people can understand. Marty Neumeier states, “Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management, has given much thought to the differences between business reasoning and design reasoning. On the business side he puts both inductive reasoning (observing that something works) and deductive reasoning (proving that something is). On the design side he puts “abductive” reasoning (imagining that something could be). “

3. In your own words, explain the project’s return on the investment for Chinese Laundry and how that fulfilled the client’s needs and supported Chase Design Group’s efforts. What is the long-term goal of the redesign effort? Please feel free to contribute outside sources to make a point or substantiate your rationale (be sure to cite your sources).

Chinese Laundry needed a complete rebranding.  The design team started with formative research and a psychographic map. They created a persona and an emotional word that embodies the target consumer. From that they were able to formulate a design theme and create visual boards.  By showing the client all of these steps, they were able to explain the big picture in a way that the client could understand it.

Chinese Laundry got a very nice return on their investment. First they got a beautiful new logo that is clean, simple, and easily reproducible on the insole of a shoe. The logo is all hand lettered and it also has a humming bird icon that helped to unify the system and their other band names.

Next is innovative new packaging. The shoebox is beautifully designed with the company branding and has a handle so consumers can carry it around the mall, providing free advertising. Also, women who buy Chinese Laundry shoes often store their shoes in the shoeboxes at home. The box has a drawer, which makes it great for storage. As Chase says, “So the shoe box was actually living in people’s houses.”

Another nice return is the brand artwork. It is a beautiful illustration that was part of the style guide delivered on discs. The artwork has layers, so they can take it apart, use the background, illustration, logo, and humming bird separately. And they can reorganize and recreate things.

Most importantly, they got a whole new identity that is ownable. As Chris Lowery says  “By proving all the upfront work and the foundation and then all the tools in the brand guide, we really allow them to own it in a larger way and be able to keep living the brand as they go forward even when we are not involved which is really, our goal is to make them self-sufficient in managing their brand and we give them what they need to go forward and really understand it and love it.”

References:

Chase, M. (Designer), & Lowery, C (Designer) (Sept. 4 2008) Margo Chase: Creative Inspiration. Lynda.com. Retrieved from http://www.lynda.com/Design-Documentaries-tutorials/Style-guides/685/38839-4.html

Neumeier, Marty. The Designful Company: How to build a culture of nonstop innovation for Full Sail University. Pearson Learning Solutions. VitalBook file.

Visocky O’Grady, J., and Visocky O’Grady, K. (2006). A Designer’s Research Manual, Gloucester, Massachusetts, Rockport Publishers, Inc.

How can Full Sail help me get there?

For this discussion I have chosen three projects to analyze.

My first choice is the Kai Kanani Sailing project book. I chose this book because I love sailing, I love Hawaii, and I love this book. The designer went to Hawaii and did a wonderful job of researching the company in person to get a feel for it. This is the kind of research that I want to do! The problem statement said that the previous marketing materials blended in with all of the other marketing materials in the tourist montage. There was nothing that stood out to set the sailing company apart from any of the other tourist attractions. This designer presented the company beautifully. His design has an authentic Hawaiian flavor. The photography is beautiful. The font style, and the use of the old style maps with the deckled edge give the feel of old-world sailing. The new brightly colored logo design is elegant in its simplicity, and it stands out. Kai Kanani Sailing Charters is a small, high end snorkeling and sailing company in Makena Hawaii. The target audience is upper middle class - adventurous families, retirees, and honeymooners. His use of organic textures and white space as well as the elegance of the design is effective in giving company the look of class.

Sugarsled, D (n.d.) http://issuu.com/mdmfa_dsr/docs/dtaylor_projectbook?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

Secondly, I selected the Worrell Brand Book because of the visually appealing cover. The goal of the project was to present the beautiful artwork of Bill Worrell in a style that is representational and complementary of his stunning work. The designer created a clean bold design using brilliant combination of jewel tone and earth tone colors with beautiful photographs of the artists work. The target audience is affluent, educated, refined, creative world travelers aged 35-55. This demographic will be attracted to the interesting imagery and bold colors. Mr. Worrell’s work is effectively allowed to speak for itself.

Jimenez, G (n.d.) http://issuu.com/mdmfa_dsr/docs/jimenezg_11.4.3_8?e=1552580/2907869

My final selection is the Abode project book. I chose it initially because I liked the cover. I also like the concept of “the beauty of sustainability. “Abode is a spin-off company of Gensler & Associates. The company has a vast network of designers within a large range of industries and design practices. The biggest challenge for branding was to find a way to bring focus and visibility to the new line of earth friendly interior design products. There are two target audiences that need to be reached: to the trade, and retail. The brand is designed to appeal to both. The brand design is clean and high tech with a friendly vibe.  The designer used a nice combination of a high tech looking fonts and graphics with warm photography of do-it-yourselfers and natural elements. The color palette is effectively green.

Morrow, S (n.d.) http://issuu.com/mdmfa_dsr/docs/morrows_projectbook_1003?e=1552580/2641374

"Birds of a Feather"

I was touched by the videos on the Often Awesome web site. I had heard of the disease referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, but I didn’t really know what it was.  It’s a very informative site. Tim LaFottette was an awesome individual who made a difference and left behind a wonderful legacy.

The love story video “Birds of a Feather” about Tim and Kayla was especially moving and inspirational. It explains the swallows tattoo that was inspired by a bookplate in a song book that was in tribute to Tim’s mom, who had died of the disease.

Swallows symbolize freedom, hope and fertility. They also represent the renewal of life. Some say the swallow means you are a good fighter. It may also symbolize a safe return and has been associated with sailors. So I decided that I wanted to use a swallow in my poster. My poster is an advertisement for a fundraiser 5 or 10K walk/run that I imagine taking place around San Diego Bay. The walk/run is called “Walk This Way”.

My fictional event for my ALS fundraiser event poster design is a fun run around San Diego Bay. The demographic targeted for this event is health conscious people of both sexes, ages 20s through 50s.

I have never used Adobe InDesign, or Illustrator before, so I took a lot of time learning my way around as I worked. I enjoyed French’s tutorials. I plan on taking all of his tutorials when I have the time to do so. I also found the search function very helpful. I had so much fun working in these two programs that I decided to work through two of my thumbnail designs just for the practice. I couldn’t decide which of the two I liked better, so I’ve included both of them.

The other types of media that would be used to promote for my ALS fundraiser event would be a web site with links in Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites. There would be radio ads, TV ads, and a billboard version of the poster design.

I started by drawing the sparrows on Adobe Illustrator. I then went to InDesign to create the layout.

LaFollette, T. (2010-2012) Often Awesome http://oftenawesome.org

Allow me to introduce myself.

The history of design

The history of design is the study man’s attempts to create objects and environments that are aesthetically pleasing and functional in historical and stylistic contexts. It is shaped by aesthetic, social, cultural, economic, political, and technical influences. The history of design covers everything that is designed including art, fashioin, architecture, interiors, textiles, graphics, industrial and product design. There are many heroes who have had a profound influence on design.

Gustav Klimt was one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession founded in 1898. The secession artists explored the possibilities of art outside of tradition. The group provided exhibitions for unconventional young artists, and published its own magazine to showcase the work of members. Klimt was known for transforming traditional symbolism into a new language that was very sexual and disturbing to some.

Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect, interior designer, writer and educator who believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture. He played a major role in the creation and popularization of the Prairie Style of architecture, which owed its design influence to the landscape and plant life of the Midwest prairies. His designs gave the impression of blending into the environment.

The Great Depression of the 1930′s reduced the buying power in America, so companies turned to industrial designers to sell more. Raymond Loewy designed an aerodynamic pencil sharpener that was heavily stylized. The Dieter Rams design of the Braun razor in 1955 is an example of the mass production trend in the 1950s – 1960s when industrial designers started to design products that were not only stylized, but conveyed something about the company as well. Paul Rand was an innovative symbol designer of the Modernist period in the mid to late 20th century. He was known for simplicity, neutrality, and clarity.  He also incorporated a blend of playfulness and illustrationthat made his work unique. As technology products became widely available, design worked to make these products attractive to everyone. Steve Jobs was a revolutionary with the design, marketing and distribution of Apple Computer.

David Carson is my design hero. His widely imitated style defined the “grunge typography” era. He is known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography. He attended San Diego State University (my alma mater) graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. From 1982 to 1987 he worked as a teacher here in San Diego. During that time, he was also a professional surfer, and in 1989 he was ranked as the 9th best surfer in the world. In 1983, Carson started to experiment with graphic design and was attracted to the artistic and bohemian culture of Southern California. The publishers of Surfer magazine hired Carson to design a publication that allowed Carson to make his first significant impact on the world of graphic design and typography with ideas that were called innovative even by those that didn’t like his work.

I am drawn to the playfulness, and humor in Carson’s work. His passion for doing what you love to do is inspirational to me. Carson said, “You have to utilize who you are in your work. Nobody else can do that: nobody else can pull from your background, from your parents, your upbringing, your whole life experience.” He was successful in incorporating the summation of all of his life experiences into his work in an innovative, courageous and fun way.

Design for technology is what’s important now. Design today is about user experiences. My goal is to incorporate all of my life’s experiences into my work on good, fun design for human-computer interaction. I want to create designs that evoke an emotional response and deepen relationships. I will work with a holistic approach to design that encompasses information architecture, visual design, interaction design, and industrial design to communicate in an intuitive way.

David Carson’s web site http://www.davidcarsondesign.com/t/