little london visit.

Recently the university took us first years on a trip to London overnight to visit the Tate Modern and also the National Brand Museum. The trip was a great insight into how brands have developed over the years and also introduced us to a few photographers/artists relevant to the to visual side of the course.

The Museum of Brands in Notting Hill was fantastic, I didn't realise how established some brands were and the journey which they had taken to get where they are today. What I found really interesting was the way certain brands had a sell by date, it seemed that after a some time they slowly faded out of the market. This made me think about why this happens, after some consideration I decided that brands must keep on top of their game and their market- they have to think about new ways to ensure that they remain current and modern.

Museum of Brands Notting Hill

We also visited the William Klein exhibition at the Tate Modern. I was very impressed by the work on show; Klein is an American Photographer, painter, film-maker, documentation and graphic designer. His work has a urban edge and airs an combative energy experimenting in the worlds of fashion, boxing and politics. Klein was born in New York in 1928 and grew up in the city but spent 60 years of his life living in Paris.

His work relates strongly to our Visual and Cultural module where we are focusing on glamour: some of the images we found at the Tate exhibition display sixties silver screen glamour and Klein is becoming a great artistic influence to the work we are developing.

Glamour and Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is a style of Art, Architecture and Applied Art, especially focusing on the decorative arts, most popular between 1890-1910. Art Nouveau literally means 'new art'.  A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants but also in curved lines. Architects tried to harmonize with the natural environment. It is also considered a philosophy of design of furniture, which was designed according to the whole building and made part of ordinary life.

Art Nouveau was particularly popular in Europe, but it's influence global. Magazines such as Jugend helped to publise the style in Germany, especially as a graphic form. Art Nouveau was also a style of distinct individuals such as Gustav Klimt, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Alphonse Mucha, René Lalique, Antoni Gaudí and Louis Comfort Tiffany, each of whom interpreted it in their own manner.

When art nouveau was showcased first in Paris and then in London, there was outrage; people either loved it or loathed it. Within the style itself there are two distinct looks: curvy lines and the more austere, linear look of artists such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Some aspects of art nouveau were revived again in the 1960s.

Style
Sinuous, elongated, curvey lines
the whiplash line
vertical lines and height
stylised flowers, leaves, roots buds and seedpods
the female form- in a pre- Raphaelite pose with long, flowing hair
exotic woods, marquetry, iridescent glass, silver and semi precious stones

Audrey Beardsley

Audrey Beardsley was born in England in 1872 and from a young age his illustrations and drawings were published in school newspapers, after advice from several he decided to take it up as a career and attended classes at the Westminster school of art.

He travelled around Europe for inspiration. In Paris he discovered poster art of Henride de Toulouse Lautrec and the Parisian fashion for Japanese prints, both of which are major influences on his work. He co-founded the magazine The Yellow Book with American writer Henry Harland and he served as art editor for several renditions and designed the cover illustrations. Most of his images are in ink and feature large dark areas contrasted with large blank ones and areas of fine details, contrasted with none at all.

He was most controversial artist of the Art Nouveau area, renowned for his dark ad perverse images. His art work has erotic connotations. He produced extensive illustrations for books and magazines such as The studio and Savoy (which he was co-founder).

Beardsley was a public as well as private eccentric. He said, "I have one aim—the grotesque. If I am not grotesque I am nothing." Wilde said he had "a face like a silver hatchet, and grass green hair." Beardsley was meticulous about his attire: dove-grey suits, hats, ties; yellow gloves. He would appear at his publisher's in a morning coat and patent leather pumps.

Colour Samples

Example of colour sampling from S/S13 Ready To Wear Collection.

Mood Board S/S13 Glamour Inspired

S/S 13 inspired Mood Board, focusing on modern glamour, textures and colours.

Here is my second attempt at creating a mood board, images are from the Ready To Wear shows at the S/S 13 London Fashion Week. Images were taken from Style.com, and the designers featured include: Bottega Veneta, Valentino and Louis Vuitton. These styles particularly caught my attention due to the careful embellishing, sheer flowing gowns, draped materials and flawless shapes. I chose colours which are neutral and simple. However I think they link to the glamour theme in a contemporary and refreshing way, putting a new spin on the classic regal colour palette, but also in keeping with the traditional Hollywood silver screen styling of the 30's and 40's. 

What makes a brand?

On Friday we were lucky enough to have guest lecturer Joe Baker come in and spend a couple of hours with us, the basis of the lecture was to talk about what makes a brand. It was so helpful to have Joe talking to us about the industry which he has and works in today.

The main points that he mentioned were:
Logo- Levi, individual
Ownership- No other brands or name similar.. Apple Mac/ Mackintosh rain coats
Colour- Heinz, teal colour is identifyed with Heinz, stands out on the shelf
Graphic Style- Font, Coca Cola is very recognisable just be the font
Shape- Cars: Audi, BMW- what defines it?
Smell- Abercrombie & Fitch, Starbucks. Tailoring for the customers needs
Touch- Materials used, quality,
Taste- Food, better quality?
Sound
Location- Where is it on the high street?
Association
Look- Dyson, different, innovative design
Uniqueness- What makes it stand out?

We were also asked to look at brand which we feel represents itself well, I chose to look at Levi Strauss & Co. The key brand characteristic's which stood out for me were:

Levi Logo- Recognisable, red square is it's identity:

Vintage Clothing- Rise in popularity, accessible in vintage stores such as COW, or online on sites such as eBay.
International Brand- Recognised in many countries, Founded 1853, with 16200 staff employed worldwide in 470 stores.
Eco Friendly- promotion of Levis being eco friendly is huge, 'Wash Cold, Line Dry', they also have launched the Water Less range which is extremely environmentally friendly.

Accessible/Interactive- Online store which has a section called curve ID, which lets you try on jeans interactively and find the 'perfect' fit without having to go into a store.
Online Store- Expanding this point e-commerce, well designed website.
Strong Advertising- Go Forth campaign, TV ads and magazine ads

Collaborations- Levi have recently teamed up with Nike to create a skateboarding range
Durable- Renown for their quality and value

I'm pleased that I picked up on several of the same/similar points which Joe has identified, I've realised that I I am able to analyse and recognise good points about the brand and which maintain and show that they can deliver to their consumers. Looking at faults of a brand and instances where they have not performed as well definitely increases my knowledge on analysing key characteristics of brands.

First SWOT Analysis

Last week our group completed a SWOT analysis on the brand Maybelline, we will be working very closely with this brand over the next couple of months and decided to find out what basic information we already had. To our surprise we had various points which we thought we could analyse to kick start the research on what it represents and it's products.

signature brand identity

Strengths
It's reliable
It is in all retailers- Superdrug, Boots
International
Catchy Slogan: 'maybe she's born with it, maybe it's maybelline'
Strong advertising and celeb endorsement with catwalk models
Established
Offers on products

Weaknesses
Brand positioning
It has so much competition- Rimmel, Borjouis, L'Oreal
Doesn't stand out
Lack of advertising at the correct market?
Packaging- Mascaras pre-packaged. Consumers then can't touch the products
Lack of retail presence
No consumer experience
Confusion as to who it is marketed at
E Commerce, Online presence?

Opportunities
Make it accessible
Stand out: re brand packaging
Blogging, testers and online market
Engage teenage girls
Lowering price to suit target audience?
Focus on a signature product
Skincare range to stretch out to new audiences
Free gifts?

Threats
Environmentally friendly?
Not having a strong online presence
The danger of not doing anything to resolve it's issues

Next stages for us to continue research: Look to America, is it successful there? Compare sales.

Visual & Cultural Influences: Mood boards

In my seminar today we were introduced to Photoshop, I have previously used it before and therefore had some background knowledge on the programme. Our seminar tutor, Millie, wanted us to begin to understand how to layer, merge, shape, re-size and crop a collection of images to form simple but graphically effective mood boards. I learnt how to use rulers and grid lines to set a series of structures to help place images in an appealing way.

Below is my first attempt, the images were provided by Millie.

Mood board, Seminar 2: Visual & Cultural Influences

MARKS & SPENCER

Marketing Mix- The Four P's

Price, Product, Promotion and Place.

In a recent seminar for an introduction task we were asked to analyse Marks and Spencer in relation to the marketing mix.

Mission Statement: "We offer stylish, high quality, great value clothing and home products, as well as outstanding quality foods, responsibly sourced from around 2,000 suppliers globally. We employ over 78,000 people in the UK and abroad, and have over 700 UK stores, plus an expanding international business."

Promotion: Marks and Spencer use celebrity endorsement very well. Rosie Huntingdon Whitely has recently launched a luxurious lingerie range. Take That, Lily Cole and Twiggy have also been featured in TV and magazine ads. Marks & Spencer advertising is well constructed and the consumer instantly knows it's related to the brand, they use promotion and the reliability of their brand to deliver a strong marketing promise.

Product: M&S offer many products, almost like a department store- they have thousands of lines covering children's wear to home wear. It's a fundamentally reliable, trustworthy, good value product. In our group we discussed that although the brand tries to cover all age ranges they seem to distinctively lack a range for young women, this is something that they could possibly try to improve by focusing on introducing something new for younger adults.

Price: The product is marketed at a mid-price range. Its re known for it's high quality and reliability. They could maybe consider introducing student discounts or offers to entice a new type of consumer to shop in store. They pride themselves for being the number one provider of womenswear and lingerie in the UK, offering stylish alternatives to the majority of the high street.

Place: Marks & Spencer's stores are usually found on the High Street however they also have super stores outside of city centres and outlets to match this. It is an international brand with stores in over thirty different countries and 703 stores on the High Street and UK retail parks. They have a vast online presence with an easy-to-use website and an app so you can shop on the go and allows them to market themselves to a wider market.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH..

Boots have several make up brands which they launched within the company. No7 is their deluxe make up range which originally began as skin care products in the 20's, but has evolved into an extensive array of quality cosmetics. Recently No7 have re branded, concentrating on ensuring the range meets the needs of the consumer.

The cosmetic industry is very competitive and No7 have listened to their consumers by re launching a new slicker, stylish and luxurious variety of products. They have identified a common issue which occurs when women purchase make-up; trying to match a foundation with your skin tone is a very tedious task. They have listened to their market and understood what they want from a product- it's revolutionary, innovative and contemporary.

No7 and Lisa Eldridge have spent three years researching, they asked around 2000 different women across the UK to find out about developing a foundation that works. Lisa Eldridge is a top make-up artist and now Global Creative Director for No7 at Boots, she focused her time working and reconstructing the existing range and updated the key brands messages. After two years of continuous hard work, the new range has been launched.

Lisa Eldridge Boots No7 Consultancy

WATT'S UP?!

After re-vamping my cosmetic bag I decided that I need to take more care with my make up products and begin to invest in some high quality pieces. I am sucker for sticking to certain brands that suit me well and not experimenting. However, I have promised myself that every month from now on I plan to indulge in a new fresh piece. This months buy is Benefits new Watt's Up Highlighter cream stick.

The product- notice the soft tones

I have been searching for a while for a highlighter which is versatile enough to suit my everyday regime, but also to be used into the evening or for a night out. Primarily I wanted something which is simple to apply- I tried to steer away from a liquid  (as I am pretty bad with blending evenly) , so when I discovered benefit's new product I was delighted. The champagne tones compliment my ivory skin tone, but adapts well with tanned/golden skin (as I tend to get a tad 'fake tan' happy sometimes).  The soft focus highlighter is so easy to apply because its basically just a stick that smooths over the areas where you want a luminous glow- usually below the brow, on the tip of the nose and above the cheek bones.- there is also a soft sponge blender to make sure it is evenly distributed on the skin. The great thing is that it is really durable, unlike other highlighters I have used, it stays all day!

Watt's Up retails at £24.50 for 9.4g, but it's totally worth it to achieve that dewy, healthy glow! Check out Benefit Cosmetics site to read more reviews on the product or to make a cheeky purchase... You won't regret it!!

 Wearing Watt's Up

NOTHING TO REPORT

Nothing to report today apart from I have just finished a ten and a half hour shift and I am very tired. I now plan to get into bed and not wake up until tomorrow morning. zzz.

GRADUATION TIMES TWO

Today I ventured out to Lincoln with my family, for my sisters graduation. Although she is only two years older than me she has managed to complete a degree in primary education and finish her PGCE whilst I am still deciding what to do.  The ceremony was beautiful, it is held at Lincoln Cathedral. I couldn't help thinking about how much it reminded me of Hogwarts, as all the deans, tutors and graduates wondering around the grounds in their brightly coloured robes and hats. During the ceremony the principal of the university spoke and mentioned a quote which I really found inspiring- it went something like this: 'we are not human beings leading a spiritual life, we are spiritual beings experiencing a human life'.  I love this perspective on humanity and thought I'd share...

However, on a lighter note, below a couple of photos from the day. I decided on wearing a classic Topshop dress in beige with pleated detail, teamed with a 3/4 sleeved fitted black blazer, tights and lace up pumps. I added a skinny black patent belt and an over sized bag to add a slightly more casual feel to the outfit. Dominique wore a black skater dress and her robes and still managed to look as gorgeous as usual!

lincoln cathedral

me & dominique

PRETTY AND EMBELLISHED

I wear a lot of plain tees and I wanted a simple way to enhance my everyday causal look . Whilst sale shopping the other day I came across this fantastic embellished collar for only £4.60 (I used my student discount). As I am pretty poor this month I grabbed it and took it to the nearest checkout to claim it as mine- the detail in the peter pan style collar is exceptionally good for the price tag.

I have styled it with a simple black tee from topshop, it instantly adds glamour. I've got to say I'm pretty impressed with my bargain buy, buy yours too from http://www.missselfridge.com. I know I'll definitely be looking out for similar styles in the future.

GETTING STARTED IS MUCH HARDER THAN IT SEEMS

I have been meaning to begin my blog for several weeks now but have been actively putting it to the bottom of my 'to do list'. However on this very rainy, typically British summers evening I have decided to start. I find it awkward at first knowing how to fill this very large box with something unique and interesting to say about myself, but I guess the point is that I am quite ordinary. I'm currently working full time, saving for the year ahead back at university (which is one of my favourite places in the UK) where I know I will spend half of the money I save on alcohol and food, and the other half shopping. In June after I got back from an amazing holiday in Egypt, I was poorly and feeling sorry myself- in this time I began to think about what I wanted to progress to be after uni. This is when I started to get very anxious about the upcoming year back at Trent, I had a very forboding sense that Multimedia was not for me, from here I thought long and hard (for days on end) and discussed with my family what my options could be. I know I am a creative person, I adore colour and anything visual. Undoubtely my passion is fashion- (excuse the pun), anything to do with the design, to merchandising to the history behind a brand, and I knew I should do my best to follow this urge to achieve in this area. I have switched to Fashion Marketing and Branding, which has a balance of academic writing, business strategy's behind fashion companies and visuals. Over the next three years my blog will be a journal of my thoughts and depict a reflection of my time studying.. Although it seems as though I have taken a step back, I feel that in fact I have taken two leaps forward in the right direction... and I guess there is nothing wrong with becoming a fresher again.