A cure for curiosity by Harriet Drohan

a cure for curious minds

HARRIET DROHAN FASH30002 WORD COUNT:5137

CONTENTS methodology introduction

2 4

THE CURIOUS CONCEPT an idea 5 mass intelligence 6 the wonders of wikipedia 6 the philosophy game 8 what is real anyway? 10

THE BRAND: MAVEN a gap in the market 11 maven 12 logo 13 colours & fonts 14 The zine 16 the website 18

THE CONSUMER JOURNEY 21 the consumer 22 the maven, the connectors & the salesmen 23 consumer profiles 24 discovering maven 26 engaging with maven 28 recieving maven

THE CONCLUSION AND WHATS TO COME 29 what is next? 30 conclusion

references bibliography illustrations appendix

METHODOLOGY WHAT? WHEN?

Contacted Alex Zamora and Steve Watson This was the first thing I did when I had decided upon my idea as I wanted insight from them as to where I should go next. WHY? I wanted to do this because I felt I wanted industry insight into where I should go next and any advice on the consumer within the zine industry. HOW? I e-mailed them both and also contacted Alex through facebook on his Fever Zine page. PROBLEMS? I felt like the industry insight they would have given me would have been helpful when deciding appropriate routes to the consumer and also brand visuals.

WHAT? WHEN?

Online Survey I launched the survey after deciding how the concept of my idea would work. WHY? I wanted to see how many people use Wikipedia and travel the web and whether or not they like it and why as this would enforce that the idea behind my zine and wesbite linking up would be a good one. HOW? I launched the survey on Facebook, and emailed the link to my mum to send around her friends to try and get some older consumers opinons. PROBLEMS? I feel that perhaps the way in which i distributed my survey, limited the answers as they clearly already used the internet to some extent to have Facebook and see it on there. It is also hard to distinguish who is a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and how best to access these people, as it was these people I was most interested in their web habits. But it was important to get a broader spectrum too.

WHAT? WHEN?

Focus Group I did this quite late on in my research stage, after I have fully developed my idea. WHY? I decided that I wanted there to be a customisable aspect to the zine, so I felt I needed conumer input and views on this. HOW? I created a group skype convosation with the 5 people I felt were the closest to my consumer group so I could get a more appropriate opinion of my developing idea. PROBLEMS? It was difficult doing a focus group over skype as the signal wasnt great and that got in the way of answering questions or them hearing what I was saying, this shortened the focus group considerably because it was very stop start. It wasnt a flowing conversation as it would be in person but I felt it was necessary that I spoke to people who were appropriate for the brands consumer group.

WHAT? WHEN? WHY?

Post-It Note Survey I did this towards the end of my researching stage. I wanted to find out what how many people actually had a subscription to see if my idea of having it as a subscribe online zine would work. I also wanted to know how much people currently pay, or would pay for a subscription. HOW? I went into Nottingham and asked 30 people on the street two questions; Do you currently subscribe to a Newspaper or Magazine? and How much do you pay or would you pay? PROBLEMS? I didn’t really encounter many problems when undertaking the research, it was only when I was collating it all that I realised the second question I asked ‘How much do you or would you pay?’ gave different answers from different people. For example some people said they paid £15 for a monthly subscription and some people said they pay £3 per issue in the subscription. This didn’t determine how much they paid per issue in some cases and unfortuately, may not have been a completely true reflection of what the consumer paid. Secondary Research I tried to get the widest selection of secondary research sources available. This was to ensure I had plenty of different opinions, spanning a varient of years, to fully understand the concepts I talk about and that have influenced my idea. The idea I came up with stems from several fundamental underlying concepts. It was important to understand, in detail, how these concepts have changed over time to fully understand and predict the outcomes of my idea. Clearly, my idea is influenced by Gladwells concept ‘The Law of The Few’ and this, along with the other concepts I researched have greatly helped in developing my idea.

There’s a real hunger in the world for meaning, for knowledge, for inspiration. June Cohan in Kessler, 2011

introduction They say that curiosity killed the cat but, satisfaction brought it back. It is basic human nature to be curious and we’re all born with it, but for many people it is lost in the monotony of the daily grind (Kapur, 2012). I think that it’s sad to imagine that so many people are spoon fed a particular way of thinking and they feel no desire to challenge what they are told or to question what they know. However, it is evident from the way that we experience such authentic innovation that there are many who are driven by curiosity and a will to learn and try new things. Almost as a by-product, society reaps the rewards of their satisfaction. In ‘The Tipping Point’ (2013), Malcolm Gladwell describes a type of person, a Maven; An information bank, supplying the message to start social trends. They are at the foot of the curve of innovation and humbly pave the way for those who follow (Thirnbeck, 2009). There is a gap in the market for a creative and innovative product that provides the consumer with a source of authentic and genuine intelligence. A way of sharing information that is carefully selected in order to appeal to a like-minded audience who appreciate, not just surface value, but the deeper meanings and bigger picture.

the curious concept

AN IDEA I frequently find myself reaching for my smart phone whenever I overhear a conversation about a film, historical event… or just about anything that grabs my attention. When I find out something new and interesting, I can’t wait to tell people about it. This sometimes leaves me in an awkward situation when the person I tell isn’t as excited about it as I am. This is what makes me think that it is a certain type of person to really appreciate genuine intrigue. I want to create a web of knowledge, untainted by warped interpretation and second hand ideas, so that people like me can experience the true origin and authenticity of facts or ideas. This is what I want to capture with ‘Maven’. With the internet providing instant connections across the world, the world itself has become like a digital web of knowledge. Instant access to everyone else’s ideas, thoughts, insights and experience creates the impression of a global brain (Rvkin, 2012). The idea that knowledge can be shared in such a way with such intricacy fascinates me.

MASS INTELLIGENCE The internet is a relatively new tool in collating human knowledge. Without it there would be no platform big enough to showcase it all. Effectively, Google is a large database of collective human knowledge. Every time you Google search something, other people’s knowledge is displayed before you conveniently and in order of relevance (Surowiecki, 2004). Studies carried out by The Centre for Collective Intelligence have shown that a group of people having a ‘turn taking’ conversation has a far more intelligent tone then one where just one or two are talking and others listening (Malone, 2012). This really highlights the power of collective information. Databases like Google and Wikipedia, over all, have a far wider topic range and far deeper article depth than any one person could ever have (Surowiecki, 2004; Anderson 2009).

THE WONDERS OF WIKIPEDIA Wikipedia is arguably the world’s greatest cultural achievement and the biggest collection of shared human knowledge (Wales, 2012). As a non-profit organisation, Wikipedia is left completely down to the public to edit, write and monitor and because of this, it is constantly changing, evolving and never fossilizing (Anderson, 2009). However, it can be argued that what you are reading is not always reliable as fact and could possibly be in favour of a differing opinion or belief (Moran, 2011). Astonishingly, when left to a world with such differing social beliefs, Wikipedia has not descended into anarchy but has become the most comprehensive encyclopaedia in history (Surowiecki, 2004). However my research has suggested that many people do not think it is visual enough, often putting them off using it as a source for inspiration or for something more than just checking that they were right (Appendix 5).

The obvious choice for comparison is the Encyclopaedia Britannica. It has been going since 1768, so it has a long heritage and a trusting and dedicated following (Thelwell, 2011). However, when researching a specific topic or ‘thing’, if the Encyclopaedia Britannica doesn’t have an article on it, you’re left no better off and filled with resentment. If you are searching for something specific on Wikipedia and you don’t find an article about your topic, although probably still feeling sour, you can enter your own article, actively contributing to the sea of existing articles (Anderson, 2009). But, it is highly unlikely that you wouldn’t find something relating to your subject, as Wikipedia has an existing 24 Million articles, 4 Million of which are in English (Lara, 2013). That’s enough to fill over 900 volumes of Britannica (O’Neill, 2012)! Over all, Wikipedia has far more articles and is better at creating a macro scale picture, whereas Encyclopaedia Britannica has fewer articles that are more in-depth (Terdiman, 2005). When using Wikipedia, the same as blogs, news articles and other non-authoritative sources, you should consider it for what it is (Moran, 2011). ...And of course it uses less paper.

We're likely to see lots more examples of Internet-enabled collective intelligence, and other kinds of collective intelligence as well, over the coming decades. Thomas Malone, 2012

Philosophy begins in wonder. Plato

THE PHILOSOPHY GAME Arguably, the most exciting aspect of Wikipedia is its ability to take you from reading about Bob Dylan to haberdashery. Essentially, the encyclopaedia is an alphabetized list of selected facts whereas Wikipedia utilises the functionality of the internet to link every article to a hundred more and has the capacity to include everything and anything. It is the linking nature of websites like this that enables curious minds to wander (Xefer, 2011). There was an idea floating around that every article on Wikipedia can be directly linked back to philosophy (Yau, 2011) by simply following the first non-italicised link on any given page. This caught my attention as it really portrays the journey a curious mind can take from their favourite chat show host to something as fundamental as philosophy. I took it upon myself to investigate, research and test the theoryâ&#x20AC;Ś

Figure 1, Philosophy Game Diagram

After all of this and finding the theory was true 94.5% of the time (Lee, 2011) and for every word I tried, I found a really handy website http://www.xefer.com/wikipedia that did it for youâ&#x20AC;Ś

Business today (…) is all about being real. Original. Genuine. Sincere. Authentic. Gilmore and Pine, 2007: 1

W HAT I S R EAL? With more information available to them via the internet and shared intelligence, people are making more informed choices on what they buy (Grant, 2000). A saturated market in nearly every sector of consumer purchases has meant that the only thing left to compare products, services or brands by is whether or not they are ‘authentic’ (Barnes, 2013). People are increasingly evaluating what is ‘real’ and what is ‘fake’ based on what they deem to be authentic and what conforms to their self-image (Gilmore and Pine, 2007; Lindholm, 2008). The internet and a rise in faceless technology, such as self-service checkouts and e-commerce, have let companies create whatever identity they see fit, whether or not it is authentic and real (Gilmore and Pine, 2007). This blurs the line between simulated authenticity and reality, making us cling more tightly on to what is real (Boyle, 2004). This is why I think it is important for Maven to have an original and authentic nature to it, so the consumer can see that it is honest and real. I want the reputation of Maven to be prestigious and influential and to be considered the best source for innovative and interesting articles, knowledge and people. If the consumer can see the genuine nature of the brand then they are more likely to trust anything that is shared and it will be considered credible and well sourced (Rosenbloom, 2011).

the brand: maven

A GAP IN MARKET From my research, I have established that there is a gap in the market for a product that embodies the themes and ideas that I have discussedmass intelligence, connecting information and the law of the few. Maven will be the cure for curious minds. The main routes to the consumer will be through a zine released monthly and an interactive website.

MAVEN A common theme throughout my research has been that it’s all fact and no bullshit. When deciding upon a name, I felt that there was no need to complicate the idea seeing as the target consumer is so defined. The brand is for a maven so it is called Maven. I figured that it is unlikely that someone who is not a maven would even know the words meaning and this would deter them from making a purchase. This strengthens the integrity of the brand. Furthermore, if someone came across the brand, without knowing what it meant and they had the intrigue to investigate, then they have shown themselves to share the attitude of a maven so are more likely to appreciate the brand. The font selected for the name Maven is clean cut and bold. There were several fonts that I had in mind when making this decision but I found that some of them were similar to those used by existing brands. After receiving feedback, the decision was made that I would use an altered version of ‘Roboto’ as it was more unique. Similarly for the main text font, I wanted to use a simple san serif font, so I chose ‘Helvetica’ due to its positive associations.

Figure 2, Maven Name

MAVEN

Figure 3, Maven Logo

LOGO When designing the logo, I knew I wanted it to stand alone from the name. I wanted something, like the name, that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give much away so that the nature of the brand wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be recognisable from the logo alone. The logo is based on the shape of an arrowhead as I wanted it to represent the journey that the consumer will take. This design also ties in well with the animation of the website as the logo appears as a starting point and leads you to the unfolding web of articles that proceeds.

COLOURS & fONTS The colour scheme I chose is minimal as to not subtract from the featured articles as they are what Maven is about and they are what the consumer is there for. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want the colour palette to be similar to any of the images that may feature in articles on the website or in the magazine as I wanted these to draw the eye more than the page itself. I wanted there to be two main colours throughout both the website and the magazine- white and a grey.

Figure 4, Brand Colours

Usually, I expect to see black and white together and I find that the harshness of the black deters me from the other visuals. Research has suggested that black can be seen to be authoritative, overwhelming, strong and often depicts emptiness or negative emotions. The softer grey tone that I selected complements the other imagery on the page and people associate grey with wisdom and intellect. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleek and timeless so adds to the longevity of the brand (Smith, 2013). It reminds me of the colour of a chalk board and the fact that ultimately, this is another learning platform. This colour also works well with the accent colours that I have used as highlights to emphasise different aspects of the articles and to add visual stimuli. When I read through magazines, I appreciate the use of different paper weights and textures. Therefore, I wanted to include this in my zine to engage the consumer and to provide another way to differentiate between sections. The tracing paper I have used does this well as it allows for curiosity when reading the article, as you can see some of what the next article is about, which makes you want to know how they are linked.

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the zine The zine will feature articles that should challenge what the consumer knows, provide genuine interest and impart knowledge on a variety of subjects. The zine will not have a contents page or page numbers, as one article will link to the next in the same way that articles may link on Wikipedia or videos on Youtube. The way in which the link is made will depend on the nature of the article, but the link in itself will be of great interest to a maven and will take the reader on a journey from one article to the next with a clearly defined explanatory bridge between each article. The zine will begin on a topic and end on another that may at first appear unrelated to the initial article, in the same way that you could look up an article on Wikipedia and end up reading about something completely different… Or follow suggestions from a YouTube video and end up at ‘the weird part of YouTube’ that users describe in their comments. The tone of the articles in the zine are informative and factual to the extent that they let the subject of the article take the spotlight and let the facts speak for themselves. However, it is important that the consumer isn’t always just reading a list of facts and that there is a personable and humble tone to the articles. Maven shouldn’t be opinionated or subjective but where possible will make fair suggestions after weighing up the facts and will ultimately let the reader decide what to make of the content.

Figure 7, Zine Front Cover

MAVEN

Daft Punk are a French electronic music producing duo, famous for their innovative house and synthpop fusions. Since their formation in 1993, Daft Punk have been regarded as essential in the French house scene and their global success speaks for itself. Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter met during secondary school in Paris. In 1992 they formed a band with friend Laurent Brancowitz called Darlin’, after a song by the Beach Boys. Bangalter described the band as a “teenage thing” and in light of this, the band was short lived. A review by British magazine Melody Maker, dubbed the music: “A daft punky thrash”…A phrase that would later give the electro duo a name that would be recognisable worldwide.

The cover of the zine will be a photo of one of the subscribers’ chosen article topics, featuring the Maven title and logo layed over on a sheet of acetate. There will be a line used to demonstrate the connections between the articles (on the tracing paper) it will be the same accent colour as the corresponding dot on the website. On the article page, there will be a block of colour where the page number would usually be, in the same colour as to match with the general colour scheme of the brand, to create a recognisable aesthetic. It is also convienient for the reader when navigating between the website and the zine. Articles will typically be a maximum of 4 pages, with some shorter articles to create variation. The shorter articles are more likely to cover interesting facts or answer commonly pondered topics or even topics that you wouldn’t think to ask, i.e. the origin of the idiom ‘Gordon Bennett’. The longer articles would be about an interesting and appropriate aspect of a current topic as opposed to an overview that you may get in a generic magazine. It will feature up and coming people, issues or topics but also perhaps a new twist on something you already knew. Each article will be simple and easy to navigate through, with strong emphasis on visual stimuli to add to the impact of the article and to help impart visual knowledge as well as written fact. From my survey results (Appendix 5), many people said that they felt Wikipedia, and other sources of information, weren’t visual enough and in some cases it put them off reading about certain topics.

Figure 8, Zine Article

“We did not choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 am on September 9, 1999, it exploded. When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots.”

Inspired by acid house in the UK during the 90s, Daft Punk experimented with drum machines and synthesisers to create original and critically acclaimed sounds. They are well known for their live shows with emphasis on visual and story components. Daft Punk are well respected for their professionalism and dedication to their music as reflected by their views that they share openly. Bangalter often forefronts interviews and shares the opinions of the duo: “Many record companies offered us deals. They came from everywhere, but we decided

to wait—partly because we didn’t want to lose control of what we had created. We turned down many record companies. We weren’t interested in the money, so we turned down labels that were looking for more control than we were willing to give up.”

Daft Punk have said that they don’t believe in the star system and that they want to focus on the music. If they have to create an image, it must be an artificial image. One that represents the music they create and one that hides their physicality as to show their views on the star system.

Daft Punk have said that they donned their robot masks to easily merge the characteristics of humans and machines. Admittedly, partly due to shyness, the duo adopted these looks as an exciting stage visual that would enable them to remain private and keep Daft Punk about the music. “People understand that you don’t need to be on the covers of magazines with your face to make good music. Painters or other artists, you don’t know them but you know what they are doing. We are very happy that the concept in itself is becoming famous.” “We don’t want to run into people who are

the same age as us, shaking our hand and saying, ‘Can I have your autograph?’ because we think we’re exactly like them. You don’t always have to compromise yourself to be successful.”

The last two articles in the zine will always be two that the subscriber has selected online from a list of 14 as their current topics of interest. These will still be linked with the rest of the zine and will appear on the website as part of the connecting web along with the 5 main articles. This will give the reader the feeling that they have a personalised zine printed especially for them.

It is apparent that Daft Punk are unwilling to compromise on their beliefs and values and they take these ideas to extreme lengths. During the filming and promotion of Daft Punk’s ‘Electroma’, the duo chose to be interviewed with their backs turned and went as far as to wear black cloth over their heads during a televised interview.

People questioned in my focus group (Appendix 4) said that they would expect something tailored specifically to each subscriber, to be more expensive than a magazine from the shelf. From this, I felt that Maven should be £4 per issue (monthly) including postage. Based on the frequency, postage costs and amount of content per issue, I felt it would be unfair to charge more than £5, as some magazines or fanzines at this price contain a larger volume of articles. However, I didn’t want to put the price to low, as to create the correct impression, that Maven is a high end and respectable product. Equally, pricing it this way will enforce the ethos of quality over quantity and with the customisable aspect; it is giving the consumer something much more personal so they feel they are getting their moneys worth. 17

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THE WEBSITE It will become apparent to the consumer, that the zine they are reading is forming part of a bigger picture, available to them on the website. As each issue is released, the chain of related articles will be added to the website and displayed as branches of the web. Issues themselves will interlink and will form a mass of information. As the web builds, the map will look almost like the brain of a Maven with the points and links representing neurons and synapses. This will become an interesting and exciting resource for seeing how information links and for feeding a curious mind.

Figure 10, Website Examples

Following the same theme throughout, I wanted to introduce curiosity and intrigue into the website, so the initial page that the consumer begins on is minimal showing just the logo and the name, without giving anything else away. It is only when the logo is clicked that the consumer is let into the main site map and left to journey through the articles themselves. Once past the initial start page, the rest of the navigation is all within the same window. The articles will be set out as a connecting web of relating articles, depicting the entirety of the Maven brand. By setting the website out in this way, the site can grow as more issues are released and emphasise the interconnections between issues all in one place. This creates an enjoyable playing field for a curious mind. It was important to me that the consumer didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to leave the map, as this is the heart of the concept and disturbing this would weaken the impact of the webs evolving intricacy. An important aspect was making it as easy as possible for the consumer to navigate through articles as to avoid confusion. So a simple layout was key.

Figure 11, Website Examples

To leave the page uncluttered, the article names remain hidden until its corresponding dot is clicked. This was important for the integrity of the layout and also inspires intrigue in the consumer so it takes out the element of subjectivity of their interests on their approach to journeying through the site. The decision left for the consumer is which linking chain to follow. It felt right that the connections and dots that make up the map of articles would take on the appearance of the neurons and synapses of a brain. This reflects the fact that one of the purposes of the site is to guide a maven through their own mind and help it to become alike with that of Maven.

the consumer journey

THE CONSUMER The Tipping Point is the point at which a trend tips over the balance of being underground and spreads like wildfire and The Law of the Few refers to the social aspects that drive it over the edge. There are three important parts to this; the Mavens, the Connectors and the Salesmen.

Figure 12, The Law of The Few

THE MAVENS, THE CONNECTORS & THE SALESMEN

Maven

Mavens are socially motivated experts, sharing and trading the information they have collected, they are the only people who read junk emails. They provide the message to...

Connector

Connectors are social people who have a nack for making freinds - weak ties are more important than strong ties as there is more chance to find out new information to pass on to...

Salesman

These people are persuasive by nature, they have incredible skills in body language and verbal expression that influence the rest of us.

The Mavens are the consumer group I want my brand to focus on. A Maven is someone who always feels like they need to learn more and know more about everything and anything. They are the purveyors of the interesting. The important role of Mavens in ‘The Law of the Few’ is that they are not only pupils but teachers. They instinctively teach those around them, ‘the connectors’, about good deals at the local supermarket, where a good place to go on holiday is or just something of genuine intrigue. They are curious and excited by knowledge and its opportunities. However only someone who is a Maven will understand the true value of what the brand is trying to do as the message is a subtle one. To anyone else it would just look like a collection of, perhaps cool and interesting, but seemingly valueless facts. Someone who is not a maven may not appreciate the benefit of knowing about such topics but nevertheless, may find it an interesting read.

Figure 13, Consumer Profiles

CONSUMER PROFILES

TED

29 / NOTTINGHAM JUNIOR ENERGY CONSULTANT FAVOURITE THINGS; Looking out of the window to a nice or interesting view and thinking, listening to music and playing the piano, nice trees, watching random things on YouTube, learning about science and philosophy and travelling.

MADELEINE

21 / BRISTOL DESIGN STUDENT FAVOURITE THINGS; Watching films and tv. seriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and knitting while watching them, travelling, cooking, listening to music, nice spaces, learning about new and interesting things, anything arty/ deisgn based and animals especially birds.

If a product manages to gather a hint of the underground, it seems more real. Boyle, 2004:107

DISCOVERING MAVEN An A5 leaflet will be given out for free in specialist book and magazine shops; for example; Artwords, Magma and Camden Lock Books in London, Bloom and Curll in Bristol and Moss Books in Cheltenham. The leaflet will be unrevealing and mysterious as to draw the attention of a curious mind. The leaflet unfolds to an A3 sized poster with details about how to subscribe, a web address and an enticing slogan: A cure for curious minds. The cryptic nature of the exterior of the leaflet would go unnoticed by a consumer without the traits of a maven, almost as a deterrent to those who are not the target consumer. The store owner may also offer the leaflet to consumers who may be interested in articles featured in Maven (depending on their purchases). The curious consumer would then visit the website to find out more about Maven.

Figure 14, A3 Poster

MAVEN

www.mavenmagazine.co.uk

A cure for curiosity A place for curious minds to thrive. Find out more at mavenmagazine.com

ENGAGING WITH MAVEN When the consumer visits the Maven website, they will see the map of articles and the way they link. If the consumer shares the maven desire to learn and they are interested in the way Maven organises and shares articles, then they will want to sign up for more. Upon subscribing to the service, the consumer will be able to tailor and customise a section of the zine by selecting topic categories that they find interesting and want to know about. Customisation and the experience economy is a concept that has proved successful for engaging a consumer into the brand and product more, so than when something is less personable (Anderson, 2009). Graze, the healthy snacking food company, exemplify the link between customisation and success (Appendix 3). My focus group showed that customisation is important for consumer engagment and makes a brand seem more personable (Appendix 4). It gives the consumer the impression that they matter and are a part of the brand rather than just an observer (Lanxon, 2012). Something that is important to someone who is more likely to buy into something that comes across as real and genuine (Gilmore and Pine, 2007). There will be 14 categories, of which the consumer can pick as many or as few as they want. This then changes the topic of the last two articles in the zine to something they perhaps have a passionate interest about or maybe just want to learn about this time and will change them for the next issue.

When the tools of production become available to everyone, everyone becomes a producer... Anderson, 2009:73

Figure 15, Website Customisation Page

Mr. J Bloggs 45 Waterloo Road Nottingham NG7 1NZ U.K.

Figure 16, Brand Envelope

receiving MAVEN They will receive a zine, in the post, featuring Mavens monthly articles with the inclusion of those that they specified. They will also be able to re-visit the website and see the progression of the map alongside the new issue. The growing map will provide a visual storage space displaying all that they have learnt from Maven and the way articles link together. The map will seem like a visualisation and a guide to the brain and mind of a Maven to help them to organise their interests. It was important that the brand ethos was considered through every aspect of the process, which is why it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem appropriate to have hundreds of issues of Maven, sat around in bookshops waiting to be bought. It is important, especially as people are becoming more aware of it (Barnes, 2013), that Mavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecological impact is small, using recycled and responsibly sourced papers and only printing for the allotted amount of subscribers. This ensures that the reputation of Maven is held in high regard consistently throughout every aspect of the brand.

the conclusion and whats to come

Inventing a social network idea like these, that is part of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives and relationships with people, is another way of creating a community Grant, 1999: 143

w hat i s n e xt? The future for Maven is open to many options. With it having a strong online focus, it would be easy and consistent with the brand to incorporate a forum into the website that allows subscribers to suggest article topics that they feel the community would find interesting. They could also talk to other users about current articles and provide feedback. This would again strengthen Maven as a community by increasing user involvement. It would be a good place for like-minded people to meet. This in itself would facilitate further social development in that it would create a network of mavens with similar intellectual ideals. I find the prospect of this group of similar personalities to be interesting as it may open up avenues within employment and business networking. Organisations who share a similar ethos with Maven may be interested in advertising jobs to the sort of person who would subscribe. Being pro-active, curious and having a thirst for knowledge are all attributes that an employer of an innovative organisation may desire. The addition of an employment page on the website would create the opportunity for Maven to essentially become a middle man and common ground between employers and potential employees. When the brand has been widely established as a reputable and authentic tool for a growing community of followers, Maven could expand consumer engagement even further by creating an annual event for its subscribers to attend. The event could be held in London over a weekend and brands that share Mavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideas would be invited to display exhibitions, sell products and advertise/demonstrate new products. There could be numerous talks and lectures from industry professionals and inspiring or innovative figures throughout the weekend. Maven subscribers would pay a small entry fee and would be granted access to all aspects of the event.

CONCLUSION As more and more people fall into the routine of living to work rather than working to live, it is important that those who do ask questions and are observant of the world around them are able to explore their curiosity. This is made possible by growing technology and the internet, where everything can be shared and connected on a global scale. Knowledge and information is at our fingertips, but it can be difficult to determine the fact from the falsehood, the original from the copy and the objective from the subjective. The concept of Maven is to connect together curiosity and interest with authentic information. My research found that people did not feel that there are currently any creative or innovative sources for doing so in a visual and interesting way. Maven provides a customisable platform for someone to explore their inquisitive nature with assurance that everything that the brand presents to them is genuine, carefully considered and appropriate. This allows the consumer to engage, on a personal level, with the brand. It is a place for the consumer to visualise a map of connections between subjects that they would never expect to relate. The zine and the website will provide a real embodiment for all that it means to be a maven, in that they will guide their thoughts and answer questions that they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realise they wanted to know the answer to.

REFERENCES ANDERSON, C., 2009. The Longer Tail. 2nd ed. London, United Kingdom: Random House Books. BARNES, H., 2013. Authenticity in Marketing is not Optional [online]. Gartner. Available at: http://blogs.gartner.com/hank-barnes/2013/03/28/authenticity-in-marketing-is-not-optional/ [Accessed 05/02 2013]. BOYLE, D., 2004. Authenticity. Brands, Fakes, Spin and the Lust for Real Life. 2nd ed. London, United Kingdom: Harper Perennial. GILMORE, J., and PINE, J., 2007. Authenticity. What Consumers Really Want. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press. GLADWELL, M., 2013. The Tipping Point. 3rd ed. London, United Kingdom: Abacus. GRANT, J., 2000. The New Marking Manifesto. 2nd ed. London, United Kingdom: Texere. KAPUR, S., 2012. Curiosity Killed The Cat But Satisfaction Brought It Back [online]. Learn In Town. Available at: http://www.learnintown.com/blog/curiosity-killed-the-cat-but-satisfactionbrought-it-back/ [Accessed 05/04 2013]. LANXON, N., 2012. Graze Anatomy [online]. Wired. Available at: http://www.wired.co.uk/ magazine/archive/2012/06/start/graze-anatomy [Accessed 04/05 2013]. LARA, G., 2013. Wikipedia, Facts and Figures [online]. Pintrest. Available at: http://pinterest. com/pin/313140980310736698/ [Accessed 05/02 2013]. LEE, A., 2011. All Wikipedia Ends In Philosophy, Literally [online]. Huffington Post. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/wikipedia-philosophy_n_1093460.html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. LINDHOLM, C., 2008. Culture and Authenticity. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing. MORAN, M., 2011. The Top 10 Reasons Why Students Cannot Cite or Rely on Wikipedia. [online]. Finding Dulcinea. Available at: http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/ education/2010/march/The-Top-10-Reasons-Students-Cannot-Cite-or-Rely-on-Wikipedia. html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NEILL, M., 2012. Wikipedia - Redefining Research. [online]. Make Use Of. Available at: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/infographic-wikipedia-redefining-research/ [Accessed 05/01 2013]. PENTLAND, A., 2006. Collective Intelligence. Computational Intelligence Magazine, 1 (3), 9-12. REVKIN, A., 2012. Exploring Humanitys Evolving Global Brain [online]. The New York Times. Available at: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/exploring-humanitysevolving-global-brain/ [Accessed 05/04 2013].

ROSENBLOOM, S., 2011. Authentic? Get Real. [online]. New York Times. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/fashion/for-only-the-authentic-cultural-studies. html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 [Accessed 03/16 2013]. RUSSO, A., 2013. Website offers healthy snacks by mail [online]. Times Union. Available at: http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Website-offers-healthy-snacks-by-mail-4403965.php [Accessed 05/06 2013]. SMITH, D., 2008. Proof! Just six degrees of separation between us [online]. The Guardian. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/03/internet.email [Accessed 04/30 2013]. SUROWIECKI, J., 2004. Mass Intelligence [online]. Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes. com/global/2004/0524/019.html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. TERDIMAN, D., 2005. Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica [online]. Cnet. Available at: http://news.cnet.com/2100-1038_3-5997332.html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. THELWELL, E., 2012. FactCheck: Is Wikipedia a reliable source? [online]. Channel 4. Available at: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-is-wikipedia-a-reliablesource/9112 [Accessed 05/01 2013]. THIRNBECK, S., 2009. The Law of The Few [online]. Blogspot. Available at: http:// dailybreakthrough.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/law-of-few.html [Accessed 05/04 2013]. XEFER., 2011. All Roads Lead to “Philosophy” [online]. Xefer. Available at: http://www.xefer. com/2011/05/wikipedia [Accessed 05/01 2013]. YAU, N., 2011. All Roads Lead to Philosophy - on Wikipedia. [online]. Flowing Data. Available at: http://flowingdata.com/2011/06/08/all-roads-lead-to-philosophy-on-wikipedia/ [Accessed 05/02 2013].

BIBLIOGRAPHY What Makes People Follow Brands?2011. [online]. Get Satisfaction. Available at: http:// blog.getsatisfaction.com/2011/06/29/what-makes-people-follow-brands/?view=socialstudies [Accessed 4/30 2013]. ANDERSON, C., 2009. The Longer Tail. 2nd ed. London, United Kingdom: Random House Books. BARNES, H., 2013. Authenticity in Marketing is not Optional [online]. Gartner. Available at: http://blogs.gartner.com/hank-barnes/2013/03/28/authenticity-in-marketing-is-not-optional/ [Accessed 05/02 2013]. BARNETT, E., 2011. Facebook cuts six degrees of separation to four [online]. The Telegraph. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/8906693/Facebookcuts-six-degrees-of-separation-to-four.html [Accessed 04/30 2013]. BBC, 2011. Facebook users average 3.74 degrees of separation [online]. British Broadcasting Corporation. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15844230 [Accessed 04/30 2013]. BEVERLAND, M., 2009. Building Brand Authenticity: 7 Habits of Iconic Brands. London, England.: Palgrave MacMillan. BOYLE, D., 2004. Authenticity. Brands, Fakes, Spin and the Lust for Real Life. 2nd ed. London, United Kingdom: Harper Perennial. C2162, 2007. Why People Choose Brands Instead of Anonymous Products [online]. Word Press. Available at: http://c2162.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/why-people-choose-brandsinstead-of-anonymous-products/ [Accessed 05/01 2013]. GILMORE, J., and PINE, J., 2007. Authenticity. What Consumers Really Want. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press. GLADWELL, M., 2013. The Tipping Point. 3rd ed. London, United Kingdom: Abacus. GRANT, J., 2000. The New Marking Manifesto. 2nd ed. London, United Kingdom: Texere. GRAZE., 2013. Graze Homepage [online]. Graze. Available at: http://www.graze.com/ [Accessed 05/06 2013]. JANISZEWSKI, C., KUO, A. and TAVASSOL, N., 2012. Value or Attention: Why Do Consumers Prefer Familiar Products? [online]. Chicago Press. Available at: http://www. press.uchicago.edu/pressReleases/2012/December/jcr1212Janiszewski.html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. KAPUR, S., 2012. Curiosity Killed The Cat But Satisfaction Brought It Back [online]. Learn In Town. Available at: http://www.learnintown.com/blog/curiosity-killed-the-cat-but-satisfactionbrought-it-back/ [Accessed 05/04 2013]. KESSLER, S., 2011. With 500 Million Views, TED Talks Provide Hope for Intelligent Internet Video [online]. Mashable. Available at: http://mashable.com/2011/06/27/ted-anniversary/ [Accessed 05/01 2013].

LANXON, N., 2012. Graze Anatomy [online]. Wired. Available at: http://www.wired.co.uk/ magazine/archive/2012/06/start/graze-anatomy [Accessed 04/05 2013]. LARA, G., 2013. Wikipedia, Facts and Figures [online]. Pintrest. Available at: http://pinterest. com/pin/313140980310736698/ [Accessed 05/02 2013]. LEE, A., 2011. All Wikipedia Ends In Philosophy, Literally [online]. Huffington Post. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/wikipedia-philosophy_n_1093460.html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. LINDHOLM, C., 2008. Culture and Authenticity. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing. MORAN, M., 2011. The Top 10 Reasons Why Students Cannot Cite or Rely on Wikipedia. [online]. Finding Dulcinea. Available at: http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/ education/2010/march/The-Top-10-Reasons-Students-Cannot-Cite-or-Rely-on-Wikipedia. html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NEILL, M., 2012. Wikipedia - Redefining Research. [online]. Make Use Of. Available at: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/infographic-wikipedia-redefining-research/ [Accessed 05/01 2013]. PANDA SECURITY, 2013. Panda Security Homepage [online]. Panda Security. Available at: http://www.pandasecurity.com/uk/ [Accessed 05/01 2013]. PENTLAND, A., 2006. Collective Intelligence. Computational Intelligence Magazine, 1 (3), 9-12. QUINTAL, V., and PHAU, I., 2013. Brand Leaders and Me-too Alternatives - How do Consumers Choose? Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 31 (4). REVKIN, A., 2012. Exploring Humanitys Evolving Global Brain [online]. The New York Times. Available at: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/exploring-humanitysevolving-global-brain/ [Accessed 05/04 2013]. ROSENBLOOM, S., 2011. Authentic? Get Real. [online]. New York Times. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/fashion/for-only-the-authentic-cultural-studies. html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 [Accessed 03/16 2013]. ROUSE, M., 2006. What is Six Degrees of Separation? [online]. What Is?. Available at: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/six-degrees-of-separation [Accessed 05/02 2013]. RUSSO, A., 2013. Website offers healthy snacks by mail [online]. Times Union. Available at: http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Website-offers-healthy-snacks-by-mail-4403965.php [Accessed 05/06 2013]. SMITH, D., 2008. Proof! Just six degrees of separation between us [online]. The Guardian. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/03/internet.email [Accessed 04/30 2013].

SUROWIECKI, J., 2004. Mass Intelligence [online]. Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes. com/global/2004/0524/019.html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. TERDIMAN, D., 2005. Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica [online]. Cnet. Available at: http://news.cnet.com/2100-1038_3-5997332.html [Accessed 05/01 2013]. THELWELL, E., 2012. FactCheck: Is Wikipedia a reliable source? [online]. Channel 4. Available at: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-is-wikipedia-a-reliablesource/9112 [Accessed 05/01 2013]. THIRNBECK, S., 2009. The Law of The Few [online]. Blogspot. Available at: http:// dailybreakthrough.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/law-of-few.html [Accessed 05/04 2013]. XEFER., 2011. All Roads Lead to “Philosophy” [online]. Xefer. Available at: http://www.xefer. com/2011/05/wikipedia [Accessed 05/01 2013]. YAU, N., 2011. All Roads Lead to Philosophy - on Wikipedia. [online]. Flowing Data. Available at: http://flowingdata.com/2011/06/08/all-roads-lead-to-philosophy-on-wikipedia/ [Accessed 05/02 2013].

I LLU STRATI O N S Fig 1, Drohan, H.; 2013. Philosophy Game Diagram [digital image] 13 May. Fig 2, Drohan, H.; 2013. Maven Name [digital image] 30 April. Fig 3, Drohan, H.; 2013. Maven Logo [digital image] 30 April. Fig 4, Drohan, H.; 2013. Brand Colours [digital image] 16 May. Fig 5, Drohan, H.; 2013. Colour Inspiration Moodboard [digital image] 2 May. Fig 6, Drohan, H.; 2013. Zine Inspiration Moodbaord [digital image] 12 May. Fig 7, Drohan, H.; 2013. Zine Front Cover [digital image] 12 May. Fig 8, Drohan, H.; 2013. Zine Article [digital image] 12 May. Fig 9, Drohan, H.; 2013. Website Inspiration Moodboard [digital image] 5 May. Fig 10, Drohan, H.; 2013. Website Examples [digital image] 5 May. Fig 11, Drohan, H.; 2013. Website Examples [digital image] 5 May. Fig 12, Drohan, H.; 2013. The Law of The Few [digital image] 12 May. Fig 13, Drohan, H.; 2013. Consumer Profiles [digital image] 14 May. Fig 14, Drohan, H.; 2013. Website Cusomisation Page [digital image] 5 May. Fig 15, Drohan, H.; 2013. Brand Envelope [digital image] 15 May.

APPENDIX 38

Declaration Forms

Post- It Note Results

Case Studies

Focus Group

46 Survey 48 E-mails 50

Critical Path

Ethical Forms

Tutorial Record Forms

D E C LARAT I O N F O R M S

POST-IT

NOTE RESULTS

CASE STUDY:GRAZE Founded in 2007, Graze is a London based company that offers healthy snacking through the post at a reasonably affordable price (Lanxon, 2012), to your office or home. Helpfully linked with your online account, you can rate the products you like or dislike or really want to try or absolutely hate or are allergic to and Graze will send you the right ones accordingly. There are 4.9 Million different combinations of snacks you can receive (Russo, 2013). They are incredibly environmentally friendly and use responsibly sourced or recycled materials, encouraging you to do the same (Graze, 2013). The idea that you can customise snacks to your preference, not just like or dislike, leaves you feeling excited to get your next box as there’s so many new things you want to try! I recently order my own, after tailoring my preferences online, and everything I received was fresh, something I wouldn’t buy in the shops usually and most importantly they all tasted amazing –far better than I thought they would considering they had been posted to me. If I could afford £4 a week I would definitely continue getting the boxes, but as a student this seems a long way off. Over all, the company give of a personable and friendly approach to something that is, at the end of the day, only a snack. Their brand ethos of health, helping the environment and positive consumer choice makes it only more tempting to fork out the weekly cost especially as it is so convenient and includes delivery! Graze won New Product of the Year at the Growing Business Awards in 2009 and was voted Venture Candy’s Best Food and Drink Company 2010 by Metro readers.

FOCUS GROUP Rosie Gilbert – 29 Bertrand Dark – 23 Tara Cochrane – 26

Edward Pugh – 21 Lauren Eyers – 20

HD: Do you prefer products or services that are customisable and tailored to you, according to your preferences? RG: Yeah I suppose it’s always better if its customised, why wouldn’t anyone want that?! It’s only going to make it better suited to what you want; it’s something that I’d pay more money for. EP: Yeah I really like being able to customise what I buy, it adds another side to it. If there’s an option I usually pay more to have something made to my specifications, it can make all the difference. BD: I think when you have something customised to you, it makes it feel more ‘yours’ and more unique, definitely a good thing, I hate having the same stuff as everyone on the street. LE: I wouldn’t necessarily pay more for it, it’s not something that bothers me particularly, but if it’s free, at the end of the day it’s only going to make what you’re paying for worth more to you. TC: I don’t know about anybody else, but I get a Graze box every week and I love it! It’s so exciting seeing what you’ve got this time around and I love that everything in it is something I will like – or will want to try. HD: (Describes concept of Maven) If there was a zine of about 8 articles, where some articles were tailored to your preferences, how much would you expect to pay for a monthly issue to be delivered to your door? RG: I would probably pay around £3, if it was longer I would pay more but the shortness of it puts me off, I might buy the first one and see though as it sounds interesting and might entice me to pay for the next few months! EP: I really like the concept Maven, it’s definitely something I could see myself buying if I was going to read more zine’s or magazines. I think you’d probably get away with charging quite a lot for it because it sounds like quite a niche market and usually that kind of thing is expensive. I think people would definitely pay more to be able to customise it, maybe like £6? BD: Yeah, it’s not really something I would buy, but I can imagine that certain people would. I’d say £4 or £5 because I think customising puts the price up. LE: I think it’s a really cool idea, as a student I don’t have much money so would prefer it to be cheap but I don’t think it should be as it would open it up to too many people. As Ed said, its quite a niche market and it sounds like you don’t want just anyone to buy it. I’d say £4.50. TC: I really like it, I think it’s a cute idea, I can imagine me and my boyfriend buying it. I’d say £4, the personalisation is a nice touch and so is the delivery, it makes the price seem way fairer as delivery costs can sometimes be more than the product!

HD: RG: EP: BD: LE: TC:

Do you like it when magazines have numerous covers so you can choose which one you like the best/collect, or isnt it something you think about? I want to do this with my magazine and have the issue covers tailored to the articles they have picked Yeah I really like it, I remember when I was younger, I used to love 5ive and smash hits did and issue with each one of the cover and I went out and bought all 5 so I could have them all! It isnt something I think about really, but it seems like a good idea. I don’t really buy magazines so it isnt something I think about, but its happened a few times with me and CD’s and I’ve wanted all the covers, but unlike Rosie I haven’t actually bough them all! I like anything I can collect, I’m such a hoarder, so yeah I guess if it was offered to me I’d like it, but the magazines I buy never do it! Definately, I really love that idea, especially as its something you want people to keep, if its got something on that they like then I would definately keep it on my shelf!

SURVEY ETHICS CLAUSE My Name is Harriet Drohan, I am a third year, Fashion Communication and Promotion student and Nottingham Trent University. I am currently researching how consumers travel the web and what about it they like and want to ask some questions about your browsing habits. You will not be identified and your answers will reviewed in the strictest of confidence and kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project.

1. Do you use Wikipedia? Yes No I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what it is 2. How many times a week? 1-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41+ 3. Why? Education Interest To add/edit articles To cheat on a quiz/test To check if I am right 4. After successfully finding the article you initially searched for, do you find yourself going on to browse seemingly unrelated articles just out of interest? Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never

5. Do you enjoy the way in which sites like Wikipedia, IMDB and YouTube allow you to move from your search topic on a journey through to something completely unexpected? (Clicking through links/ suggestions) Yes No 6. Why? I think its fun, especially on YouTube, I love seeing what random things it will take me to!

E-MAILS Unfortunately, niether Steve nor Alex replied. I was really hoping for some industry insight into the zine market and price points, routes to the consumer and what types of consumer buy zines.

Hi Steve, I’m currently a 3rd year FCP student at Nottingham Trent. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions with regards to my new project? I am looking into the idea of authenticity and consumer choice, and the idea that ‘everybody wants to be a maven’. The main idea is to have a zine focusing loosely around brands or things of interest within the categories of; Fashion, Food, Hobbies, Travel & Media. Each of these would have an in depth article about the brand or ‘thing’ and all the articles would link up in some way to lead to the next article. There will then be an online platform that would display a large ‘map’ or web of connecting articles to create a bigger picture so the consumer can visualise these ideas further. I was massively inspired by Wikipedia and the amount of time people spend trawling through random information - but how much fun I have doing it and can’t seem to stop myself! If you are interested in helping me, I would be interested in hearing your views on this topic/magazine idea and asking a few questions about the magazine industry to get a wider knowledge of my consumer base etc. Thanks for your time! Harriet Drohan

Hi Alex, I’m currently a 3rd year FCP student at Trent, you might remember my zine project from last year called 0115 a skateboarding zine looking at the skateboarding culture within Nottingham. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions with regards to my new project? I am looking into the idea of authenticity and consumer choice, and the idea that ‘everybody wants to be a maven’. The main idea is to have a zine focusing around brands or things of interest within the categories of; Fashion, Food, Hobbies, Travel & Media. Each of these would have an in depth article about the brand or ‘thing’ and all the articles would link up in some way to lead to the next article. There will then be an online platform that would display a large ‘map’ or web of connecting articles to create a bigger picture so the consumer can visualise these ideas further. I was massively inspired by Wikipedia and the amount of time people spend trawling through random information - but how much fun I have doing it and can’t seem to stop myself! If you are interested in helping me, I would be interested in hearing your views on this topic/zine idea and asking a few questions about the ‘zine scene’ to get a wider knowledge of my consumer base etc. Thanks for your time! Harriet Drohan

C R ITI CAL PATH

Critical Path Authenticity. Look at existing magazines/articles for inspiration – start a pin board for images. Research consumers’ views of authenticity of products and services; Focus Group, Questionnaire. Carry out case studies on Brands who have successfully kept their ‘authentic’ appeal and those who haven’t, decide brands based on previous consumer research from questionnaires etc. Write case studies. Contact Alex Zamora at Fever Zine to ask about zines and the interest around zines, consumer response etc. Choose brands/article content and begin writing articles for zine. Put into InDesign and create zine and any other media needed. Print Zine. Write report about the ideas behind the zine from research into Authenticity of Brands, write commentary of zine contents and visuals. Create report in InDesign and send to print: LATEST PRINT DATE 17th MAY.

18/03

25/03

01/04

08/04

15/04

22/04

29/04

06/05

13/05

20/05

CONSENT FORMS

TUTORIAL RECORD FORMS

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Live Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: 15th March Name : Harriet Drohan

Learning outcomes  Produce a self determined body of work that demonstrates cultural and global discourses around theories and ideas in relation to fashion, communication and promotion  Use appropriate levels of research and methods of analysis relevant to the production of your proposal  Make informed selections and develop appropriate and creative solutions in relation to the application of visual communication  Question assumptions within the area of study through the ability to formulate independent judgment, contribute to discussions and articulate reasoned arguments

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: DID NOT ATTEND

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor)

Signed (student)

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: 9/4/2013 Name : Harriet Drohan

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: -Any work completed over easter -Research so far -Critical path -Thoughts about primary research/e-mail to Adam Thompson. -Visual inspiration, pintrest boards

Learning issues to discuss in session: -Should the name stay as just ‘Maven’? -How much should be research/visuals? -Stuck on primary research, ask for ideas. -Chapter Plan

Feedback from session: -The name sounds good as Maven, easy to understand and may detract people who don’t know what it means (not the consumer the brand aims towards) -Research should make up for roughly 2000 words. -E-mail Alex Zamora, Steve Watson and hold a focus group.

Tasks for next session: -Presentation

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: 23/04/2013 Name : Harriet Drohan

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: -Logo/decide which is best -Chapter Plan and any writing done -No reply for Steve or Alex – something else for Primary research?

Learning issues to discuss in session: -Any ideas for Primary Resarch? -Is the report structure okay? Anything Missing? -Visual Outcomes, the website – is a video okay?

Feedback from session: -Need to think about the consumer journey -Future recommendations -Good, but needs something more to push the brand further – USP? -Chapter plan needs work -Video for website is okay

Tasks for next session: -More branding and visuals -Primary Research – Survey and Post it note street survey. -Website

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: 30/04/2013 Name : Harriet Drohan

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: -Chapter plan -Website Video so far -Branding

Learning issues to discuss in session: -Does the chapter plan work? -Peer feedback

Feedback from session: -Like the video and visuals so far -Group liked the concept of Maven -Chapter Plan reads well

Tasks for next session: -Some writing to show -Moodboards

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: 07/05/2013 Name : Harriet Drohan

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: -Some writing -Ask about A1 Poster

Learning issues to discuss in session: -Writing and confused about chapter plan – should I integrate research or have a clear section for it? -Print deadline is Friday 17th May

Feedback from session: -Either is fine, carry on the way I am doing it, remember to include a consumer journey.

Tasks for next session: -Finished writing -Carry on with visuals and typing up Appendix.

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) 62

Signed (student)