PROCESS BOOK for the Strategic Brand Development for Audrey by Amanda Keenan
Contents RESEARCH Initial Search & Considerations Good Materials Competition Target Market VERBAL VOICE Mind map Words Brand Persona Brand Essence: Brand Purpose Brand Values Brand Promise Brand Story Development VISUAL VOICE Initial Type Exploration & Typographic Treatment of the Visual Identity Sketches Mid-Stage Development of Visual Identity More Sketches Late-Stage Development of Visual Identity Tweaks & Final Visual Identity Secondary Graphical Element Initial Image World Photoshoot of Image World Colour Palette Development Brand Typography Brand book Layout Decisions of Applications of Brand Stationery Development
RESEARCH Initial Search & Considerations Good Materials Competition Target Market
Initial Search: Audrey is a company that is considerate of the planet in the design and creation of unique fashions. It is sustainable and fair to both the people that make the products and to the materials. This is still something that I will work out in fine detail, however for now I believe that it is a company that is good to the planet and promotes good style in a sustainable way. I started my research by finding what it out there at the moment in regards to environmentally cautious fashion. I learned that there are lots of companies out there at the moment that are jumping on the sustainability band wagon.
INITIAL WEB RESOURCES: eco-fashion companies: www.kuyichi.com www.sweetgrassfibers.com www. btcelements.com www.ethicsgirls.co.uk www.edunonline.com www.saltsorganic.com www.greenisblack.ca materials & practices resources: www.sustainablecotton.org www.ecofashionworld.com www.kuyichi.com
INITIAL BOOK RESOURCES: identity inspiration: 1000 garment graphics logo lounge 4 the best of letterhead & logo design
Considerations: What materials are sustainable? What materials use fair trade practices? What shipping methods do they have? What are the workers treated like? Who is the competition? Who is the world leader in sustainable fashion? What makes them successful? Who is the target market? Where is sustainable fashion currently sold? Why? Who is there? Is there a slow (fashion) design movement?
Good Materials: I consider good materials to be materials that come from places in the world where the workers can afford the clothing that they are making, that they can feed their families, and have shelter. I believe that good materials comes from workers that are treated the way I want to be treated – fairly with respect and a good wage. Good materials do not put toxins in our water supply or in our soil and they are not a source of massive greenhouse gas emissions.
Organic Cotton 25% of all insecticides used globally are used for growing cotton. These chemicals pollute soil and water and thereby killing wildlife and being harmful to the people that work on the land. Organic cotton is not chemically dependent, and uses natural approaches for growing that are both sustainable for the planet and the framers and their communities.
Upcycled Upcycled materials are materials that have been used before – with a previous life. Things like car tires are now seen are shoe soles.
Hemp Hemp is one of the strongest and most durable natural fibres on the planet! It grows quickly without the need for much water, and produces is more sustainable to grow than cotton.
Linen Made from the fibre of the flax plant, it is 2 to 3 times stronger than cotton. The cultivating process is much like that of cotton but uses less water. Linen and cotton is often mixed to create a great product that has a luxurious and rich.
Bamboo Bamboo does not need pesticides or fertilizers, and it’s roots retain water, thus sustaining the riverbanks and reducing water pollution. It grows quickly and is extremely sustainable. The fabrics are very soft, and drape like silk – beautiful alternative to cotton.
These images are from the Kuyichi website – the rigid and natural look is what I envision for Audrey
The Competition: There is definitely a differentiation between what is out there currently and Audrey. Here is a list of similar companies I have found that would pose as competition in the market. People Tree Nau Sweetgrass BTC Elements EG Kuyichi
www.peopletree.co.uk www.nau.com www.sweetgrassfibers.com www.btcelements.com www.ethicsgirls.co.uk www.kuyichi.com
Target Market
Target Market My primary target group is women, aged 25 – 40 year, who are style conscious and care for the impact of their consumer choices. They shop locally when they can, they buy their groceries at farmer’s markets and grow their own vegetable gardens. They use public transit or a bicycle as transportation, yet they remain stylish and unique. They have an artsy side; either by photography, film, or even decorating their home. They blog – people value their opinions, whether they know them or not, they are trusted. THEY WANT: • style for everyday wear, both day & night • unique clothing that will make them feel like they are making a statement with what they wear. • customizable. • comfort • low environmental impact • friendly to the workers that make their clothing • they would rather shop locally My secondary target group is young women, aged 15 – 25, who are just starting to be conscious of their environmental impact through their clothing. I want to target this group with a message that being green in style doesn’t mean you need to walk around in rags. Above all this group wants a unique style that they can personalize.
VERBAL VOICE Mind map Words Brand Persona Brand Essence: Brand Purpose Brand Values Brand Promise Brand Story Development
Mind map of what I believe Audrey, as a brand is.
One thing is for sure that is that Audrey is about style – it has a sense in fashion which has both a feminine and masculine feel – the ripped, handmade aspect of the brand is the more masculine side, while the twirly, scriptiness relates to the feminine side of the brand.
Words In order to figure out if I should change the name, I am creating a list of words that I believe relate to what I envision this brand to be. ADJECTIVES Thoughtful Peace Love Happiness Slow Appreciative Caring Futuristic Knowledge Style Trendsetter Hip Feminine Masculine? Rigid Unique Custom Personal style Meta messaging Flow Energy Rhythm One Indie Vintage History Story Time Handmade Good Freedom Organic Decor
Distressed City Blooms Precious Rare Cherish New Fact Art Cozy Chic Liberation Beautiful Conscience Passion Warm Zero footprint Fashion Romantic Influence Admired Elegant Icon Sleek Simple Neat Timeless Hybrid Old & new Confident Fancy Classy Hand written
VERBS Sustain Educate Movement Grow Create Pairing Re-purpose
NOUNS Planet Guerilla Hippie Garden Plant Tree Roots Earth Urban Country Grass Outfits Ruffles Generation Artifact Sweatshop free Hollywood Star
If Audrey was a room it would look like the room on the top left. Elegant, cherished with a touch of personal style.
Brand Persona: Urban, Romantic, Stylish, Natural, Planet-Friendly, Real
Brand Essence: Unique style for the planet friendly fashionista.
Brand Purpose:
To provide unique style through fashionable, environmentally & socially friendly clothing.
Brand Values: Environmentally Conscious Socially considerate Stylish Unique Kind
Brand Promise: Timeless style with a conscious.
Brand Story Development: Audrey is considerate of the planet in the design and creation of unique fashions for women. They recognize that the planet is fragile, and also that women need to feel good about themselves, with a knowledge that they are making the right decisions regarding their style and the planet. Audrey designs clothing for women in a method that is sustainable and fair to both the people that make the products and to the materials. The are good to the planet and promote good style in a sustainable way. Audrey recognizes that women need to express themselves with the styles they wear – it conveys their personality and their sense of value. Audrey is a fashion line that is not just dressing women in unique and beautiful styles, but they do it with a conscious. Audrey recognizes that the planet is in trouble, and that every action big and small has an impact on a global scale. By using organic and fair trade materials they are reducing the amount of chemicals from pesticides that are ending up in water systems – chemicals that are killing wildlife and are harmful to humans. By being good to the people who farm the materials, Audrey is also being good for the planet. They use fair trade suppliers as a way to not support poor labour wages or slave labour, and to respect the source of the beautiful materials for their garments.
who they are.
what they do.
why they do it.
By respecting the environment and the people who grow the materials, they are respecting their products and also the women who need a source of good style and fashions with the worry of guilt for their choices. It makes a difference emotionally to both Audrey and the consumers of their garments. It also makes a difference environmentally and socially.
what difference it makes.
Audrey is connecting with villages in rural areas around the world and developing a relationship with the workers that is sustainable to both the workers and the environment. As Audrey grows, more relationships will be made with a goal to support and fund education in these rural communities.
what is their future, and the inspirational and aspirational aspects that will drive them there.
Final Brand Story:
We are kind to the planet and to ourselves. We believe that style should be kind to the environment and to the people of the planet, while tailoring to the need for elegant style for thoughtful urban women. From the considerations we take when we buy our materials to the programs we offer for the people living in communities who carefully craft the elegant fabric, we are constantly monitoring our sustainability practices and social responsibilities we have in those communities. The elegance lies in the organic fabrics that are durable, lovely, stylish, and above all ethically traded with sustainable growing practices. The fashions are as timeless as the name, and as elegant as women want to feel day and night. By respecting the environment and the people of the planet we create unique fashions for women that make a positive difference environmentally, socially and also personally for the unique and kind women.
I decided that the best way to tell the story of Audrey was to include the readers as part of the brand, after all it is their brand and they are part of it.
VISUAL VOICE Initial Type Exploration & Typographic Treatment of the Visual Identity Sketches Mid-Stage Development of Visual Identity More Sketches Late-Stage Development of Visual Identity Tweaks & Final Visual Identity Secondary Graphical Element Initial Image World Photoshoot of Image World Colour Palette Development Brand Typography Brand book Layout Decisions of Applications of Brand Stationery Development Website & Ads All other applications
Type exploration The next step for me was to choose a direction, and by that I thought to explore my font library.
After looking through some signatures and script fonts, I decided to take it a step further. With choosing the beautiful elegant Burgues Script, I decided that roughing it up a bit to create a more ‘stamp’ like feel would add to the uniqueness to the brand. It has the elegant turns and twirls of loose threads and offers a quality that appears hand rendered. I read recently in the book Fingerprint by the Chen Design Associates, that handmade design is considered by the public as being more authentic, more real, and that way it is valued for it’s uniqueness. A brand that has this appearance would not just be valued more, but would be trusted... as though a friend made the clothing.
Sketches:
These are a few of the sketches that were originally spawned from my type exploration. At that point I decided that a good direction for the logo would be to have a handmade, scripty undertone to reflect the uniqueness of the brand... And so this is what I sketched:
Visual Identity Development:
These are my initial concepts for the visual identity for Audrey.
More Sketches:
The following few pages showcase my many, many sketches.
...And then, there it was, and I knew in my gut it was the right direction. The curves were perfect, so elegant and stylish. I knew it was time to stop the madness of writing Audrey over and over again in a multitude of writing instruments. I finally had a direction to go with this visual identity.
Visual Identity: Once I made the perfect signature for Audrey, it was time to put it into action, so I explored the overlapping light signatures in the background, and at the moment I’m not sure which is the best direction, but all 3 versions of this concept seem to work for me.
Tweaks With some tweaks here and there, I'm hoping that the logo is near competition. I took out some of the natural flaws – like the bump from the A that was in the U. I also added a counter to the E and spaced out the last couple letters so that the E wasn't so squished.
Secondary Graphical Elements This scripty element came from my sketches and idea that the logo should have multiple layers of scripts. After much deliberation I decided that the background signatures will be better suited as a secondary design element, used with out without the logo depending on application. This gave me the freedom to use this textural graphical element throughout the brand book and applications.
Photography In order to get the exact look I wanted for the Audrey brand, I needed to do it myself – Plus I figured this would be a good use of showing my photography skills. So I got a friend that was in my target market – young professional who is style conscious... and we headed to the Distillery District in Toronto for a photoshoot. I had together a number of different outfits that I thought represented Audrey, and I shot in a few different locations in the Distillery. The brick background really conveyed the edge and rough aspects of Audrey. The image world that I originally put together was nice, however I felt that it was a bit too light and airy and there wasn't enough of that urban, edgy quality to them. This photoshoot was a huge success for me – with 500+ photos to choose from, I ended up with quite a few beautiful shots.
Colour Exploration: Once I made the perfect signature for Audrey, it was time to put it into action, so I explored the overlapping light signatures in the background, and at the moment I’m not sure which is the best direction, but all 3 versions of this concept seem to work for me.
Colours Well I narrowed down the colours and chose PMS 309M mixed with PMS 7547 M for the visual identity of Audrey, however the secondary colours I grabbed from the photos I took. These colours repeat quite often in the photography. PANTONE 309 M 100% C 100 R 0 M 0 G 74 Y 9 B 97 K 72 PANTONE 309 M 75% C 75 R 0 M 0 G 107 Y 7 B 131 K 54 PANTONE 309 M 50% C 50 R 128 M 0 G 164 Y 5 B 176 K 36 PANTONE 309 M 25% C 25 R 173 M 0 G 197 Y 2 B 210 K 18 PANTONE 7547 M C 82 M 66 Y 65 K 79
R 10 G 18 B 19
Colour Palette B Primary Colour Palette
Secondary Colour Palette B
The primary colour palette for the Audrey consists of a cool blue, mixed with a slightly cool black.
These colours also appear often in the photography and so I thought it would be good idea to use this palette as well. So in the end I used both palettes, A & B.
PANTONE 309 M 100% C K 72 100 R 0 M 0 G 74 Y 9 B 97 PANTONE 309 M 75% C 75 R 0 M 0 G 107 Y 7 B 131 K 54 PANTONE 309 M 50% C 50 R 128 M 0 G 164 Y 5 B 176 K 36 PANTONE 309 M 25% C 25 R 173 M 0 G 197 Y 2 B 210 K 18 PANTONE 7547 M C 82 M 66 Y 65 K 79
R 10 G 18 B 19
Typography I am exploring, heading, subheading and body copy fonts that would work well the Audrey brand. These fonts will be use in the brand manual and as part of the visual identity in such things as garment tags and signage.
neutraface 2 text: demi neutraface 2 text: book italic neutraface 2 text: book
scala sans : bold scala : regular scala sans : light
HEADING
A Subheading with Meaning Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris rhoncus rutrum mi, sed rutrum erat laoreet id. Aenean euismod, dolor vitae suscipit pharetra, diam orci congue velit, vitae blandit nunc ipsum eget neque. Aenean id turpis quis diam viverra hendrerit vel sed neque. Suspendisse elementum, quam quis sagittis porttitor, augue leo porttitor nibh, sed fringilla dui turpis.
HEADING
A Subheading with Meaning Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris rhoncus rutrum mi, sed rutrum erat laoreet id. Aenean euismod, dolor vitae suscipit pharetra, diam orci congue velit, vitae blandit nunc ipsum eget neque. Aenean id turpis quis diam viverra hendrerit vel sed neque. Suspendisse elementum, quam quis sagittis porttitor, augue leo porttitor nibh, sed fringilla dui turpis.
archer: extra light archer: light italic archer: book
din : black din cond : regular din : light
HEADING
A Subheading with Meaning Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris rhoncus rutrum mi, sed rutrum erat laoreet id. Aenean euismod, dolor vitae suscipit pharetra, diam orci congue velit, vitae blandit nunc ipsum eget neque. Aenean id turpis quis diam viverra hendrerit vel sed neque. Suspendisse elementum, quam quis sagittis porttitor, augue leo porttitor nibh, sed fringilla dui turpis.
HEADING A Subheading with Meaning
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris rhoncus rutrum mi, sed rutrum erat laoreet id. Aenean euismod, dolor vitae suscipit pharetra, diam orci congue velit, vitae blandit nunc ipsum eget neque. Aenean id turpis quis diam viverra hendrerit vel sed neque. Suspendisse elementum, quam quis sagittis porttitor, augue leo porttitor nibh, sed fringilla dui.
Brand Book Here I am exploring the layout of the brand book for Audrey. The book will be the same size as this one; 8 X 10. I find that this is a nice and manageable size. The paper will be an uncoated 100% recycled stock, so something like Enviro100 from Cascades or Rollands. There will be no bleach used in the process of making the paper, and ideally the paper company will have used renewable energy in their paper making process. (I believe Enviro100 does). If the budget allows for it, the book will be printed using vegetable based inks. The book will not be very bright, considering the stock, however I don't think that it needs to be for this brand and actually says something deeper about the brand – that they actually care for more than just their pocketbook.
Image
Inside Front Cover Intro slogan
Brand Story
Image
Persona
Persona cont.
5 column grid, 3/4" gutter, 3/4" top margin, 1/2" outer and bottom margins
Front Cover Logo
Brand Story
Brand Essence
Brand Values
Brand Promise
Image World
Colors
Secondary Colours
Wordmark & Slogan
Fonts
Brand Book Continued exploration of layout and flow of the brand book.
Secondary Design Element
Home (lots of images)
Shown in Use
Shop & store locations
Online Ad
About Audrey & Learn
Magazine Ad
Blog
Website
Website
Business Stationery
Architectural Signagematerials & usage
Car or Bike
Shown in Use
Alternative Audrey Concepts
Alternative Audrey Concepts
This Make 42 Pages Back Cover
Clothing Tag
Gift Card / Membership card
Applications: As for applications of the brand, some ideas that I have are: • website • clothing tag • price tag • store signage • blog • stationery • advertisement... like maybe in a newspaper or magazine • web ad • blog ad (also web, but maybe smaller) • newsletter (online) • vehicle (a cute one, like the Nissan Figaro)
These are the 6 applications I will be focusing on.
Stationery Development This is the initial concept for the business card and letterhead.
I'm kind of thinking that it's a bit dark for the brand, although the layout works well. I ended up going lighter, with the contact information on the reverse side. I concentrated on the paper stock as the element that provides an additional element that links this card to the Audrey brand – ReviveŽ is the paper stock that I would choose for the stationery package because it is made from 100% PWC Recycled paper, and produced at a plant that used wind energy in the manufacturing of the paper.
Eva Smith Brand Manager Call: 416 278 1234 Email: eva@audreyelegance.com Postage: 215 Queen St East Suite 38, Toronto Ontario M4M 3J7 www.audreyelegance.com
Dear Mrs Ipsum: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum neque urna, aliquam ut consequat ut, gravida nec augue. Vivamus egestas consequat neque, eu eleifend sapien gravida sit amet. Mauris lobortis porttitor mauris, ac fermentum orci luctus condimentum. Proin blandit tincidunt rhoncus. Se sem erat, hendrerit non aliquet ac, semper ut leo. Maecenas ornare velit tortor, eu pulvinar quam. Jilo Nullam posuere vehicula ipsum semper cursus. Proin eu tellus ante, in consectetur urna. Vivamus se eros mauris. Cras at mauris id augue lobortis consequat vel eget dolor. Nunc gravida volutpat ieujojl eleifend. Pellentesque dignissim purus ut nibh dignissim tristique. Pellentesque purus ante, lobortis ut tristique sit amet, porttitor sit amet tortor. Morbi eros mauris, viverra placerat dapibus sit amet, commodo vitae metus. Ut mauris felis, odo non lobortis nec, vulputate sed tortor. Mauris posuere convallis ante vitae rhoncus. Maecenas lobortis et turpis in massa posuere placerat. Mauris commodo tempus risus, a lacinia diam facilisis eget. Nunc nec odio quis ipsum imperdiet posuere vitae quis lectus. Morbi eu tristique leo. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Vestibulum ut metus aliquet eti diam tempor porttitor quis non odio. Etiam urna nulla, dapibus non porta et, consequat vel ligulaolp. Suspendisse potenti. Curabitur iaculis velit sit amet urna lacinia dapibus. Phasellus condimentum, ei tellus in vestibulum fermentum, massa est porttitor mi, sed scelerisque eros est a nisl. Quisque facilisis hendrerit lacus, ut ultricies purus convallis nec. Proin eget est nunc. Pellentesque habitant morbi oiy tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Integer sed justo a metus vestibu solum interdum vel a est. Praesent ipsum magna, condimentum eu sagittis quis, feugiat sit amet mi. Kind Regards, Audrey
Call 416 278 1234 Email hello@audreyelegance.com Postage 215 Queen St East Suite 38, Toronto Ontario M4M 3J7
www.audreyelegance.com
Website & Ads I decided to take 2 approaches to the visual advertisements. The first is entirely based an introduction to the brand – it is simplistic and doesn't go into long paragraphs of copy. It is an introduction that gets people intrigued and leads them to the Audrey website for more info. The second advertisement display the clothing over an introduction. It specifically says what the clothing is made from and a small call to action that leads people to the website. The website I decided to keep is the warm, brown colour palette. I kept it looking natural with plenty of texture. I decided to show 2 pages, the home page and also the Outfits page under the heading; 'Clothes'. All outfits have been named after words associated with the distillery district in Toronto – this gives it the urban style that I was after – urban and elegant style for the planet conscious fashionista.
Smile shorts from strong & durable hemp
Pure caridigan from ultra soft organic bamboo
Mindful Elegance for the planet conscious fashionista
Urbanist boots from upcycled leather and used vehicle tires for the soles
To find a store location near you or to shop online visit www.audreyelegance.com
Find a location near you or shop online at www.audreyelegance.com
Process Book Amanda Keenan hello@amandakeenan.com CopyrightŠ Amanda Keenan 2010 Strategic Brand Development One Prof. Frederick Burbach Ontario College of Art & Design