SilverSages_Process book_EliseFang

PROCESS BOOK

TIMELESS CHIC

JI N G FA N G ( E L I S E ) GR620 VISUAL THINKING A C A D E M Y O F A RT U N I V E R S I T Y SUMMER 2016 I N S T R U C T O R : D AV I D H A K E

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YOUR AGING AS OF THE ELEGANCE.

AND FURTHERMORE IT HEIGHTENS

YOU DANCE AS YOU SAIL THROUGH LIFE,

G R A C E , I S W H AT I T I S ,

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To pi c I n ve st i g a t i o n

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Br a i n st o r m i n g

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Thr e e I d e a s F r o m O n e To p i c

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Fi na l To p i c

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BRAND RESEARCH

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Ba c k g r o u n d

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Fr a m e w o r k

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Audi en c e P e r so n a

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Br a nd C o m p e t i t i o n

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BRAND DEVELOPMENT

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I ni t i a l Vi su a l I d e n t i t y

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Lo g o D e ve l o p m e n t

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Fi na l S o l u t i o n

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To ne & K e y w o r d s

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Moodboard

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M e s sa g e & D r i ve r s

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DELIVERABLES

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Po s t e r S e r i e s

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Na r r a t i ve / L o o k b o o k

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Ev e nt / Wi n e Ta st i n g + F a sh i o n

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Env i r o n m e n t

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We bs i t e

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CONCLUSION

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Co ncl u si o n

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TOPIC DEVELOPMENT

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C ON T E N T S

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Topic I nv es t igat ion Br ains t or m ing Thr ee I deas Fr om One To pic

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Final Topic

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TOPIC DEVELOPMENT

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TOPIC DEVELOPMENT

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TOPIC INVESTIGATION

The initial stage of choosing a topic started with writing down a list of things that I like and things that I would like to change. Based on this list, five things were further identified. I then narrowed down possible topics to five specific problems, and also stated how I would like to see this problem changed. Afterwards, I stated outcomes that I hope to achieve with further investigation.

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SUSTAINABLE DINING / FARM-TO-TABLE 02.

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LOCAL STORIES 04.

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PREMIUM RECYCLING

SLOW LIFESTYLE 05.

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FASHION FOR OLDER PEOPLE

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BRAINSTORMING

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A poster with refined ideas from brainstorming.

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THREE IDEAS FROM ONE TOPIC

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AGING IS THE NEW FASHION How young people can learn from older people? How can I raise people’s attention on older people’s positive lifestyles through their daily activities?

Older people are often treated as degraded and isolated.

I want to erase stereotypes about older people.

NO LABELS, YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE How can I change the traditional way of labeling older people, and how can I promote the idea of looking at older people from a new perspective?

Nobody wants to be labeled, neither do older people.

Whether it is elderly, seniors, baby boomers, or anything else, the label itself is a way of degrading aging. Older people are a group of people who are mature, who have an inherent sense of confidence, who are a variety of independent individuals. They have their own ways to express and define themselves. I hope to shed light on a positive way of looking at older people.

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Older people are always treated as individuals who are powerless and desperately need help. I hope to empower older people, emphasize their ability to live the way they want, to express themselves fearlessly and freely, and to help others if they are capable.

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EMPOWERING IS THE POWER How can I empower older people through supporting their positive lifestyles, and through showing they are capable of helping not only themselves but also other people?

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FINAL IDEA

AGING IS THE NEW FASHION Question How can I raise people’s attentions on older people’s positive lifestyles through showing older people’s everyday outfits and daily activities? How young people can be inspired by older people’s confidence and life wisdom?

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Summary “Old” is often associated with negative impressions, such as bad heath, bad appearance, dependency, disability, irrelevance, etc. Older people are often treated as degraded and isolated. I don’t want to reinforce any stereotypes about older people. I hope to show people the positive image of older people and encourage younger generations to learn life wisdom from them.

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AGING IS THE NEW FASHION

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Fr am ewor k Audience Per s ona

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Br and Com pet it ion

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Backgr ound

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BACKGROUND

“Old� is often associated with negative impressions, such as bad health, bad appearance, disability, etc. Older people are often treated as degraded and isolated. The media either tends to ignore older people or casts aging in a negative way. Their voice and image are seldom heard or seen in fashion industry.

STRENGTH It is a local-based fashion boutique, thus it involves local communities and creates interactions between real people.

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Silver Sages is a fashion brand that promotes positive images of older people through their everyday outfits and lifestyles. Older people are a group of mature, unique individuals who have an inherent sense of confidence, who have their own sense of style and their own ways of defining and expressing themselves. Silver Sages individuals are sophisticated, independent, fearless, elegant, and above all, classic.

WEAKNESS It is a local brand so it is limited within the local area.

THREATS Older people are always ignored in fashion industry. Thus this brand may be hard to promote the idea of embracing aging in a new way.

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OPPORTUNITIES It is a local brand so it is limited within the local area. San Francisco is a vibrant city that embraces different cultures and various styles, and the acceptance is high. Additionally, the opportunity of partnering with other senior support programs is an advantage.

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FRAMEWORK

INITIAL NAMES Silver Sages Silver __ Timeless A.I.B (Aging is Beautiful)

CATEGORY Commercial (primary) Experiential (secondary)

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LOCATION San Francisco (Fashion Boutique)

PURPOSE To promote the idea of no labeling for older people. Older people are a group pf independent unique individuals who have their own beliefs and values, they define themselves through their everyday outfit and activities. This fashion brand servers oloder people who define themselves.

SCOPE This fashion brand is a local brand.

COMPETITION & INSPIRATION

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Minimal design styles combine with high-quality products give me inspirations. Fashion brands such as Everlane, Theory, Acne Studio, Madewell, etc can serve as competitors as well as inspirations.

GENERAL INFORMATION This fashion brand focuses on promoting the positive side of older people through showing their outfits and daily activities. Older people could be caring, independent, fearless, elegant, stylish, effortless chic,etc. They can not only take care of themselves, but also help who are in need.

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Silver symbolizes the hair color of older people, and also has a feeling of timeless quality.

Sage refers to an aromatic plant with silvery-gray leaves that are used as a culinary herb. It can also refer to people with wisdom. Additionally, It relates to the symbolic plants I use in

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my branding.

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AUDIENCE PERSONA

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My main audience is people over 60-year-old. My secondary audience members are people who have passion for supporting older people, people who care about positive lifestyles, and people who are interested in fashion.

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01.

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NANCY 72-YEAR-OLD GRANDMA

Used to teach art classes in a local middle school Loves art, painting, and is especially fascinated by colors Active member of a local craft workshop

Teaching children and seniors at a local workshop Likes to keep diet, stay in shape, be stylish

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Interested in dressing in colors

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Always busy visiting different galleries

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JENNIFER 28-YEAR-OLD NGO DIRECTOR

Raised by her grandparents back in Vietnam Has close relationship with her grandparents Majored in Hospitality Used to be a social worker at a local organization for seniors Always looking for opportunities to make the society better

Volunteered in several NGOs

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Has close connections with local senior support programs

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Likes to help people especially those who are underserved

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ANTOINE 20-YEAR-OLD UNDERGRADUATE IN FASHION DESIGN

Always fascinated by people who have a style Always looking for inspirations on street Likes to explore unconventional ideas

Wish to make positive influence through fashion design Volunteers at local organizations that support senior citizens

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Always looking for opportunities and challenges

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Hardworking and has strong curiosity

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BRAND COMPETITION

My main competitors are those high-end luxury brands who have well-established reputations and long history in fashion industry. Those fashion brands have tremendous resources, social networks and connections. They are extremely competitive.

Additionally, those fashion brands embrace quality over quantity, and have a minimal design style. Three highlight competitors are Anthropologie, Celine, and Theory.

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Changing the negative way of viewing aging makes my brand different from other fashion brands. Additionally, this fashion brand will involve local residents, such as choosing models from local community, etc.

COMPETITIORS

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STAKEHOLDERS

Institute on Aging (IOA) It is a local NGO that believes the future should be something to look forward to at every age. They may be interested in finding opportunities to make growing older better for Bay Area seniors and their families.

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Academy of Art University It is a San Francisco-based art and design school. It may be interested in this brand because it contributes not only to fashion industry but also to local community. There is also room for cooperation and partnership.

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Local Residents Local residents are a diverse group with people from different cultural, ethnic and age backgrounds. It may include not only older people, but also older people’s relatives, friends, etc. They may be interested in this brand because it is located locally, and it also contributes to local economy.

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BRAND DEVELOPMENT

I nit ial Vis ual I dent i t y Logo Dev elopm ent Final Solut ion Tone & Key Wor ds M oodboar d M es s age & Dr iv er s

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INITIAL VISUAL IDENTITY

The initial stage of developing visual identity consists of several sketches for typographic solutions and iconographic solutions. After sketching, three sketches of each solution were chosen for refinement.

My sketching process focused on the initials of my brand name “Silver Sages”. During the process, I was exploring a variety of ways to combine two “s” together either only use types or icons.

SILVER SAGES Iconographic Solutions

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SILVER SAGES

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Typographic Solutions

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LOGO DEVELOPMENT

MORE REFINED VERSION

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FINAL SOLUTION

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In order to embrace Silver Sages’ modern and elegant essence, I chose the typographic solution. The final logo uses two different weights of the same sans-serif typeface—Avenir Next, along with lines as graphic elements.

TY P E FAC E S Avenir Next Regular

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Avenir Next Bold

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TONE & KEY WORDS

TONE Silver Sages is a sensation for showcasing one of fashion’s most unjustly overlooked demographics: women over 60.

It offers proof from the wise and silver-haired set that personal style advances with age.

Silver Sages is fearless, elegant, high-end, sensational, has a tangible link to longevity, outlandish, timeless chic, and classic.

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The subtleness in color palette shows a touch of delicacy.

Graphically give the brand a real room to grow, the choice for the combined elements communicates the brand as a variable allowing everyone to be whoever they want.

KEY WORDS Timeless Embrace every stage of life. Beauty and style can grow with time—they are timeless. So do Silvers Sages.

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Positive Positive can refer to both the physical and emotional condition of older people. In order to stay healthy and stylish, older people should first have positive attitudes.

Unique It is a part of one’s identity and characteristics. It is also a significant symbol of self-expression. Every one is allowed to define and express him/herself in the way he/she wants.

Fearless, free, unconventional, sophisticated, and adventurous best describe Silver Sages.

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MOODBOARD

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The visuals give a feeling of elegance and simplicity. Simple here refers to clean, minimal, and classic. The transparency layering is sensual and soft, the color palette also gives a touch of softness. White, black, gray and a combination of green, light pink, and gold reflect timeless beauty. Sans serif typeface reinforces the image of clean and modern. All together they best represent Silver Sages.

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Silver Sages communicates and promotes the idea of aging gracefully and stylishly. It focuses on showing the positive side of aging—healthy diet, regular exercise, good relationships, etc.

Main Message

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MESSAGE & DRIVERS

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Sub Messages 01.

Positive side of older people can be shown in the everyday outfits they wear.

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Empowering older people is another way of showing the positive way of their life. Older people can not only take care of themselves, but also help those who are in need.

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Aging also means wiser and more experienced. Learn from older people can be another way to promote the idea that aging can be graceful and style can be timeless.

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DELIVERABLES

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Pos t er Ser ies Nar r at iv e / Lookboo k Ev ent / Wine Tas t ing + Fa s hio n Env ir onm ent

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Webs it e

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POSTER SE R IE S

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Cover

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NARRATIVE / LOOKBOOK

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The second deliverable is a magazine that showcases the fashion beliefs and positive lifestyle of older people. This magazine includes images of older people’s everyday outfits in different occasions, such as relaxing in countryside, having fun at beach, enjoying at home, etc. It is a showcase of timeless and graceful lifestyles.

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Interior Spreads

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EVENT / WINE TASTING + FASHION

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A fashion show for older people that invites local community to participate can best involve local residents and promote this fashion brand.

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Invitation

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I designed a welcome package for my event (wine tasting + fashion show). The package includes an invitation with a signature envelope, an event brochure with detailed event information, a business card, a series of signature shopping totes, and a pack of postcards.

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Welcome Package

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Postcards

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Event Brochure

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Backstage

Showroom

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EN VIR O N ME NT

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WE B S ITE

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Silver Sages focuses on the bright and positive side of aging—it can be graceful and stylish. This project also casts a positive light on fashion’s most unjustly overlooked demographics: women over 60. Additionally, it advocates the idea of embracing life at every stage. It also connects to local community and makes positive impact on society— not only showcasing the positive image of older people, but also empowering them.

S I LV E R S A G E S

This project is a fashion brand for older people, its name is Silver Sages. “Silver” symbolizes the hair color of older people, “sages” here means a group of older people with wisdom and experience. Together, they gives a feeling of grace and respect.

A fashion magazine, a fashion show for older people combined with a local fashion boutique present a full image of this fashion brand. They also creates tremendous opportunities to involve more interested parties.

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CONCLUSION

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D E S I G N E D B Y J I N G FA N G ( E L I S E ) T Y P E FA C E S AV E N I R N E X T / T R A D E G O T H I C

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