Practical proposal (OUGD401)

''Overall because branding is about creating and sustaining trust it means delivering on promises. The best and most successful brands are completely coherent. Every aspect of what they do and what they are reinforces everything else'' - pg 171 - On Brand - W.Ollins

Taking the above quote into consideration I have written a proposal for my practical.

Consumerism- What is the relationship between branding and the consumer self?

I want to communicate the message that the way a product is branded and designed can have an effect on how much people are willing to pay for it and will change peoples opinions on its quality/value and class. Ways I could do this...

• Create a rebrand of a value product making it look more expensive and more 'high class'
• Create an adbusters style mockery of consumerism
• Create a consumer friendly, cheap and environmentally friendly design

Sources of primary research could include...

• Questionnaires of peoples opinions of certain already existing products
• Buying products and looking at the branding/advertising/production

Sources of secondary research could include...

• Reading books and articles on consumerism and branding

The practical will relate to the essay by further showing how branding affects the consumer self, I will attempt to completely change everything about an already existing brand. Using questionnaires to show how peoples opinions of the product change with certain design decisions.

For research I will mainly refer back to books and online texts for ideas and facts on the effect of branding on consumerism. I will develop my ideas by including the opinions of others and making decisions informed by my research. I will create my design most probably digitally and hopefully create a final mock up of the product using digital print. I will lastly test my work by creating a comparison quiz on the original product and my re-design.

The brief/module deadline is 05/05/15 (14:00) which gives me around 10 weeks to complete it. 

Week one- Decide on a direction to take the outcome (increasing class, Adbusters style mocking or consumer friendly)

Week two- Decide on a product to re-brand and collect information and opinions on it 

Week three- Read about how brands are successful and the ways they gain trust with consumers and appeal. (colour theory, font decision etc.)

Week four- Begin to research similar products to the aim of the final outcome.

Week five- Begin to sketching ideas for designs

Week six- Digitalise designs

Week seven- Get opinions from peers and make improvements to digital designs

Week eight- Look into producing the final product and get it made!

Week nine- Create and carry out a survey to see how successful the re-brand has been

Week ten- Gather all the information together and hand in!