Inspiration - Perfume Ads + Packaging

For my research on bottles and perfume ads, I wanted to not use the internet therefore I flicked through Stylist and Vogue magazines. The reason as to why I chose these particular magazines is because their readers fits the target market for my perfume being young and fashion conscious. The ones I had picked out were very interesting as they all varied in terms of their shape, colour and size. It was interesting and gave me brief ideas to have in mind when I design my bottlefor e.g. have small details like engravings on bottle etc.

However, in terms of the packaging, I found my research to be extremely useful. This was because I was unaware of the content that is required or usually on packages and the layout especially. It gave a clear ideas on how I wanted my package to be. I know that I want my pattern incorporated into the bottle and package therefore I looked into packages that are heavily patterned and just see how the layout, content, size and colour is etc. The Flora Gucci bottle gave me the idea of adding a border which I am currently thinking about.

H&M current sprays (Research)

Now that I am sure of what I hope to achieve as my final outcome, I can research things that are relevant to my final piece. However, before I research into perfumes and their advertisemnents I feel its important to research how H&M have designed their current sprays and perfumes. This is so when it comes to designing the perfume, it fits rights with the brand. What I have come to learn about their perfume designs is that the bottle shape is pretty simple and can include some pattern. At this point, I am thinking of including the patterns I designed at the beginning of this project as I feel it would suit. This is definately something I will consider when designing the bottle etc.

Mindmap - New Product Launch

Before I go any further with the project, I need my ideas down on paper. The best way to do this was through a mindmap. I wanted to go through the 4p's. Product, Place, Promotion and Price. This was so I have a clear idea on the product before I go on to how I will promote it.

H&M

Having researched a number of eco friendly brands I have come across H&M and decided that I want to choose it as the brand I work with. This was mostly because having researched them thoroughly, I realised I like their business ethics and their morals etc. For e.g. they've set themselves the challenge of making fashion sustainable and sustainability fashionable. They have a collection called Conscious Collection that includes pieces made from organic cotton and leather. They have also not used fur in their products for years and do not test on animals. Moreover, they try to incorporate Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in every way that they can. I do feel like I made the right choice when it comes to choosing a brand and would not choose another if I were to do it again. Initially, I had the idea of designing a perfume and at this point I am excited for this collaboration with H&M however, I feel I need to do more research on H&M before I think of the final outcome.

Conscious Collection 2014

More Research..Different Sources

I've come to the point in the project where I feel like I need more research to get a better understanding of my project. Therefore, I went to the Rave Library and looked into a few books and in particular:


Black, Sandy (2012) The Sustainable Fashion Handbook, Thames & Hudson.
 &

Fletcher, Kate (2008) Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys, Earthscan.

 
These books have proven to be invaulabe as they gave me a greater insight to sustainable fashion. It even included a number of artists that are environemntally friendly and it gave me a brief idea of which brand I want to work with. Examples of artists were Vivienne Westwood, EDUN, Stella Mccartney and Christopher Raeburn etc. I've learnt that each artist is environmentally friendly through their brand for e.g. Christopher Raeburn is known for his re-appropriation of military fabrics and in particular for iconic outerwear created from de-commissioned PARACHUTES. So, he uses old clothes to create something new like Gary Harvey. Moreover, I learnt that artists like Stella Mccartney does not use real leather or furs in any of her products and even EDUN who produces all his clothes in Africa to provide the local people with jobs. I have come to the conclusion that sustainable fashion is not just about using faux fur, or recycled clothes but it can also be that workers in developing countries have a job and a fair income.

Designs I could potentially use

Before I go off to do more research, I wanted to complete what I was doing prior to my group interview which was getting all the designs and shapes I had extracted from my research and making patterns out of them. I was really excited to do this as it meant using Photoshop again and I had not used it for a while. Before I started this course I rarely used Photoshop and disliked it as I thought it was confusing but now that I have used it several times over this course, I have learnt that I do like it and learnt quite a few techniques that can be used to produce a strong image. So, to create these designs I played around with the contrast settings, invert the colours, added textured backgrounds played around with scale, colour and also the curve settings. I feel like I did create some really strong images that can potentially be used in my work later on. However, if I were to do it again I probably would play around with the scale and colour a bit more.

Group Tutorial with Andrea

So today I had my group tutorial with Andrea and a few of my peers. I thought it would be useful to go as I am still unsure with my project. I briefly explained my project idea to the group and realised I needed to do a LOT more reasearch before I could even think of my final outcome. The idea that I spoke of was 'creating a brand, then introducing a product launch and doing an editorial for it'. However, the feedback that I got from Andrea was that the idea of just creating a brand would be a project itself. She then gave me the advice of maybe choosing an estabilished brand and then doing a product launch etc. At first I was in two minds with this idea as I wanted to create a newer brand but having come home and thought about it in detail I realised her advice was a good idea. Now, I just need to do more research and especially into brands that are environmentally aware. I hope to find out how brands promote their environmentally friendly products.

Natural History Museum...My Responses

Extracting shapes was what I wanted to do as a response to the pictures I took at the Natural History Museum. Extracting shapes was something I learnt during the Fashion Meets Product project. It was a very useful technique that I learnt as it helps in order to develop designs. I ended up producing a number of designs that I could potentially use later on in my work. At this point I have an idea to maybe scan these designs in later and play around with it in photoshop to create something else.

A Trip to The Natural History Museum

Today, I went and visited the Natural History Museum and saw the Volcanoes and Earthquake exhibition. It was interesting to see all the natural disasters that occur in the world, what effects it has on surroundings and what is left behind. What I particulary enjoyed looking at was the crystals and diamond formations that occur after volcanoes have erupted. I definitely took pictures of these rocks as I instantly knew they were going to be useful and relevant to my work. These rocks were extremely stunning and I think this was because each rock had a unique and extraordinary silhouette. Straight away I knew I wanted to use these pictures that I took to extract shapes and use them later on in my work. Below are a few pictures that I took:

Epping Forest...My Responses

I really enjoyed analysing the pictures I took of Epping Forest. I feel I was able to gain a few patterns that can be potential prints that I can use later on in my work. However, I feel like it is not enough and may need other research sources to respond to to gain prints. Below are a couple sketchbook responses:
I did some drawings that were detailled and ones that wernt so detailled but liked the variation. for e.g. drawing thats were done with my left hand or even really quick 1 minute drawings with my eyes shut. At first this was a bit daunting but I liked the outcome. What I really enjoyed doing was my wire response. Although it took me a while to do it looked really good once it was dry and stuck onto paper.

 

A Trip to Epping Forest

Today I went to Epping Forest to take photos and get inspiration for my FMP. I very much enjoyed this trip as its always more fun to do primary research and see it upfront rather than search online. What appealed to me was the silhouette of the branches and the detailling of the leaves. I also liked how everything had different textures. I hope to do a couple responses for my sketchbook which will include drawings, experimenting with different materials. I may use things like old paper, wire etc as I prefer to work with material rather than just drawing it. Hopefully, I can get fun prints to use at the end of my responses as I want to use them for my outcome.

Mindmap

So, usually what I do when I feel undecided with an idea is draw a mindmap. This activity helps me with my starting point and gives me ideas of what to research. Some of the words I came up with were helpful and in particular; recycling, materials, old, rocks etc. I also came up with a list of places to visit that were inspired by the words from my mindmap for e.g. epping forest, history museum. I hope that these places will also give me ideas about what to do next.

FMP Pitch

Having presented the pitch in front of my peers and tutors, I am slightly unsure with how I feel about my idea and what I want to do. The feedback I got was that the project I plan on doing would be too predictable which can limit my final grade. I do understand this as nature can be seen as just 'trees and leaves' etc However, I am adamant on sticking with my theme as I want to look into in great depth. Looking into nature and the relationship between nature and humans can be a starting point in terms of research and will have to look at it from various perspectives. This will require me to research extensivley by visiting museums, locations, looking at magazines and researching online. I have a rough idea of what I hope to achieve. It is to create a environmentally friendly brand, Plan a product launch and do an editorial for my finals. However, I am still in two minds about this idea and will discuss before and during research with tutor to ensure its a good idea.