BRAND EXPERIENCE
INTRODUCTION
09.02.15 13.03.15
OUTLINE length: 4 weeks type: individual A 4 week project in which you will be working on a brief from a live client.
SYNOPSIS Chandon is a sparkling wine which sits within the folio of brands owned by LVMH. In this project we are challenged to build on the brand’s values to design a new drinking experience for Chandon Sparkling Wine. We are asked to explore the intersection between the Chandon brand and its existing (and desired) customers in order to reveal new, relevant and compelling design opportunities that will add value to the Chandon brand story. The outcome will be a proposal that can be seen as a credible extension for the Chandon brand.
ADDITIONAL / sketchbook research / video prototype
Mil Stricevic Kirsty Ross
01 - 06
INITIAL RESEARCH
07 - 10
FOCUSED RESEARCH
11 - 14
DESIGN DIRECTION
15 - 18
DESIGN IDEAS & PROPOSAL
19 - 26
THINKING THROUGH MAKING
27 - 30
MODELING & FEEDBACK
31 - 43
OUTCOME & USER TESTING
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SELF-REFLECTION
ABOUT CHANDON: ORIGIN & BRAND HISTORY “Chandon Argentina was born of the visionary approach of Jean de Vogué, the Chairman of the House in the 1950s. Realizing that wine-growing regions other than Champagne were able to produce quality sparkling wines, he asked winemaker Renaud Poirier to travel the world in search of terroirs with the best potential. His journeys took him to Mendoza, a renowned wine-growing region in western Argentina. Its chalky soils, large day-to-night temperature variations and semi-desert climate provided optimum conditions to make wines with remarkable concentration, structure and balance. That is how Chandon Argentina began life in 1959. Benefiting from 270 years of Moët & Chandon experience, the estate combines traditional French savoirfaire with the excellence and diversity of Argentine soil: by blending a wide variety of grapes from terroirs in the region, Chandon Argentina produces wines that are internationally-renowned for their harmony.” “Today, Chandon blends centuries of OldWorld winemaking expertise with the exciting
potential of exceptional New-World terroirs to craft sparkling wines of uncompromising excellence.” Chandon has recently been introduced into the UK, where the sparkling wine market is booming, and Moet Hennessey’s UK managing director Jo Thornton has identified a “sweet spot” between Prosecco and cavas up to around £12 and the entry point Champagnes.“We see a large opportunity in premium sparkling wine in the UK, in particularly around the £15 price point, where we have a wonderfully strong proposition with Chandon,” he said. “We see that people are trading up and down this category more than in the past.” “The growth in Argentine still wine in the past five years has been extremely strong, and there is an interest in that. This helps us to build the lifestyle elements of the brand, possibly more than the other countries. We like to think that the brand has a French heritage with a fantastic Latin heart.”
sourced from LVMH http://www.lvmh.com
INITIAL RESEARCH: MARKETPLACE RESEARCH
To launch the project, as a group, we performed research into the marketplace for sparkling wine. Focusing on off-trade and on-trade retailers, we made observations, spoke to people and documented our research findings.
In order to understand how Chandon views itself as a brand, we analysed each pillar and identified their interests in order to appropriately connect their ambitions to our research.
Starting with off-trade retailers, we observed the environment, the people and the types of sparkling wine sold within these premises. We also asked the retailers and customers questions, documenting our findings with photographs, recorded audio and notes. We then analysed this information in our sketchbook research.
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After an introductory presentation by Chandon, we assembled ourselves into groups and each focused on a different brand pillar in order to collect a bank of shareable research findings. In our group, we focused on the ‘attitude’ pillar, and related this to the marketplace for Chandon and sparkling wine in general. We immediately decided the best way to collect this information was to go out and observe
the marketplace in action, researching both on-trade and off-trade retailers. Our field research focused on the competition, the people involved with sparkling wine and similar beverages, and the environment in which it is sold and consumed. From this research we could then analyse our data for interesting findings as a group which could lead towards potential design opportunities.
“I would buy Chandon as a gift for someone” “The Chandon bottle looks like what you would get on a business class flight” People go to wine merchants for an expert opinion & hand sold wine
“We sell prosecco by the bucketload”
One wine merchant displayed their wines on the original shipping boxes
“I’ve never heard of Chandon on it’s own, only Moët & Chandon”
OFF-TRADE key findings
The best sellers are sold in one place
“People usually buy our cheaper sparkling wine for nights out”
Pink chrome bottles are largely bought for Valentine’s Day
“The usual buyers are people in their late 20’s and early 30’s”
Mainly females drink sparkling wine, whilst males prefer champagne
“Everyone is going cheap for cocktails now”
“People thrive off the idea of the high life image”
“It’s the playboys with lots of money that buy the expensive champagne”
Krug and Moët & Chandon are the bestsellers, purely based on taste
ON-TRADE key findings
Interior design and decoration appears to influence the drinks people buy “Moët will always be at the top of our scene”
“Sparkling wine is more image than taste” People drink sparkling wine with company and dress for the occasion
People seem to embrace the lifestyle of drinking sparkling wine
Environment: We discovered that the environment can influence the type of drinks people choose to buy. In the more elegant bars, people would choose more expensive drinks, whilst in a more fun and quirky environment, they would choose cheaper drinks. The appeal of sparkling wine appeared to sit well in the more luxurious yet spontaneous atmospheres.
lights resemble the opening of bubbly
golds reflect colour of champagne
many young professionals
People: We noted that people tend to drink sparkling wine in pairs or groups, and their ages varied between 20-40. There were also more females drinking sparkling wine, whilst the males tended to drink champagne instead. Everyone drinking sparkling wine appeared to be professional and dressed well for the occasion.
dressed for the occasion
mainly women in pairs/groups
bottle aesthetics, attention to detail and overall quality play a large role in consumer choice
Competition: The potential competition for Chandon varies. Chandon would find itself somewhere between prosecco and cheap champagne. However, the perceived lifestyle of a certain brand and the design of the bottle can play a large role in consumer choice.
hand painted bottle and matching champagne flute
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INITIAL RESEARCH: COLLABORATIVE AFFINITY MAPPING With a vast amount of research collected, we then assembled back into groups to share and analyse our findings. Through affinity mapping and studying other groups’ brand pillar research, we could then identify an area we are most interested in.
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1. Sharing findings: By categorising our research, our main discovery showed that there isn’t a strong place for Chandon within off-trade and on-trade retailers, with consumers choosing prosecco or cava as it’s cheaper and more popular. Sparkling wine is also tied between celebratory and non-celebratory, and so the moment of choosing to buy Chandon was a key area for my research.
2.
VS
Data analysis: Through studying our research, I became interested in the environment and how this links to sales and consumption of sparkling wine. I also became intrigued by the gender bias within market, and wanted to look further into sparkling wine as a feminine drink.
3. Individual interests: As people associate drinks with different occasions, I began to think about Chandon having an occasion of its own, with the desire to create the moment for someone to say “let’s get some Chandon”.
sparkling wine
romantic evening
business lunch
guy’s night out
office party
champagne
bachelor party
wedding night
first date
birthday celebration
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FOCUSED RESEARCH: SOCIAL MEDIA BRANDING
With an aim to explore how Chandon is currently branded across the world, I researched into their social media marketing campaigns in order to observe their desired image, consumers, and to identify what works successfully.
Argentina Instagram: Argentina being the home of Chandon, this account is branded as quirky sparkling wine with a strong heritage, yet has a slightly generic overall brand image, nothing different to the standard bottle of sparkly.
USA Instagram: With successful marketing as a glamorous girly drink on the Chandon USA Instagram account, I decided I wanted to research further into this style of branding as the USA and UK are quite culturally similar.
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As Chandon are now aiming for a universal image, I decided to observe its successes through their marketing campaigns. An interesting finding here is that Chandon appear to have a quirky and fun image on all of their Instagram accounts apart from their USA account. The Chandon USA account (@chandonusa) is completely branded with a feminine style
and is in first place for total number of followers. Uploads include images of the bottle with makeup and jewelery, shots of well dressed woman socialising over a glass of Chandon and an overall colour scheme of golds, whites and pinks. Being the bestselling sparkling wine in the USA, I believe that a similar style of branding in the newly introduced UK market might work successfully.
“you can never have too much glitter”
“when it comes to throwing a mega-fun party, don’t be afraid to go over the top with your décor”
“just add sparkle”
glamour
spontaneous dinner parties
casual chic
“create parties that take a step away from the ordinary”
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GLITTER GUIDE Chandon USA collaborated with Glitter Guide, a women’s lifestyle company which aims to make people to “shine bright”.
wine-inspired soirée which was overflowing with disco balls, piñatas, fresh flowers and gold touches galore.
Their aim was to style a party for Chandon which ‘poured on the fun’ for their limited edition bottle. There outcome was a sparkling
This was a highly successful marketing campaign that pushed Chandon ever more towards a ‘girly’ drink.
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Would a similar style of branding work well in the UK?
“Yes, but only because I’ve seen more women drink it”
“Anytime!”
When do you like to drink sparkling wine?
“Yes, I guess more girls like it because it is delicate and sparkly”
“I’ll only drink sparkling wine with company”
Would you consider sparkling wine to be a girly drink?
“At parties and with the occasional meal”
“Yes, because it’s light and bubbly it is considered equal to a cocktail”
Do you often give sparkling wine as a gift? If so, what characteristics would you consider?
“Appearance, price and reputation”
“Yes, because it’s bubbly!”
“Yes, flavour, aroma and bottle design”
“Yes, smart packaging and quality contents”
“Wine, chocolate, flowers and maybe even some party compliments”
If you have been invited to a party, what gift/s would you consider getting the host(ess) and why? “Champagne with nice packaging”
“Champagne, because it stands out and looks the best”
ONLINE SURVEY In order to gain more of an insight into when, how and where sparkling wine is consumed off-trade, I decided to create a online survey for frequent & non-frequent consumers. I also asked questions about the element of gifting and gender as I became interested in this as a potential design opportunity.
From the questionnaire, it came to my attention that sparkling wine is seen as a feminine drink as it is bubbly, and people often gift it as it as it’s stereotyped as a ‘special occasion’ drink and the bubbles suggest celebratory. The bottle and packaging is also a big consideration in the element of gifting.
...social?
...girly
?
u rio ...luxu
ica
ted ?
s?
hi
st
...elegant?
p ...so
..
.p la
yful?
. .. b o a
...personal?
ul stf ?
s ...mysteriou
?
IF ONLY CHANDON WAS A LITTLE MORE... tic ...artis ?
Based on the competition within off-trade and on-trade retailers, I began to consider what characteristics Chandon could have, but doesn’t have, that would push it towards becoming the perfect drink for the perfect moment. By studying what Chandon is missing, I could then identify a moment to work with & consider potential design opportunities.
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DESIGN DIRECTION: THE GIFTING OF SPARKLING WINE
Based on my research, I became interested in the element of gifting sparkling wine and how Chandon might become the perfect gift for a certain moment. To research this, I mapped & explored different gifting moments.
Dinner parties: At dinner parties, guests usually bring a gift for the host or hostess to show their appreciation. This could be the perfect opportunity for someone to choose Chandon, and so I started to explore this as my chosen moment.
Gender approach: As Chandon is successfully branded as a feminine drink in the USA, I began to consider how this success could be brought to the UK market. This inspired me to consider ‘girly dinner parties’, and so I began to research into potential user scenarios by considering an experience journey.
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From my overall research, I learnt that sparkling wine and other wines are often gifted for multiple occasions. Within my questionnaire, people stated that the bottle design and the quality of the wine are a big factor in their choice of gift selection. As the Chandon bottle is very generic and does not stand out aesthetically amongst other wines, it created an opportunity for me to design the moment for
someone to say “let’s get a bottle of Chandon!”. Inspired by Glitter Guide, I became interested in the idea of a limited or special edition gift set for Chandon. Linking this back to my research, this could be something out of the ordinary; something playful, elegant and exciting. To explore this, I considered all the moments of gifting and what might offer the best scope for design.
DINNER PARTIES
choosing a gift making it personal presenting the gift
opening the gift the surprise consumption
keepsake memories the documented experience the next time
PRE-USE
IN-USE
AFTER-USE
anticipation
spectacle
collected memory
the surprise of gifting
the opening & sharing
(in)tangible memories
DESIGN DIRECTION: DINNER PARTY RESEARCH
With my chosen moment of dinner parties, I now began to research the different user scenarios & processes in order to identify potential design opportunities. I also began to consider what attributes make a dinner party successful.
Exploring scenarios: Key moments within the dinner party were the welcoming, the opening of the bubbly, the toasting, chatting over dinner and saying thank-yous before leaving. These moments inspired me towards considering how Chandon can amplify these interactions and the dinner party as a whole.
Lifestyle & theming: Researching into parties and special occasions, I produced multiple storyboards of themed dinner parties and the different components within, such as decorations, cakes, gifts, flowers, centrepieces and outfits. I also contrasted mixed gender dinner parties with feminine dinner parties, learning that females enjoy hosting and attending dinner parties much more than males do.
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In order to develop design opportunities, I first needed to understand what happens within dinner parties and the social aspects. To do this, I observed a dinner party in action and sketched the key stages, annotating with notes of interesting moments. By doing this, it allowed me to identify which moments offer a scope to augment through the gifting of Chandon.
By researching into different dinner parties, I became more interested in the feminine aspects as females enjoy hosting the perfect dinner party, considering quirky themes, down to the decorations and gifts. I felt this offered more scope for design, and as Chandon is successful in the USA as the leading feminine sparkly, I believe a special edition gift aimed towards ‘girly’ dinner parties will be something unique amongst Chandon’s competitors.
the outfit
the table a bottle of sparkling flowers in unexpected places
a playful centrepiece quirky party favours
connecting colours
conversation starters
adding sparkle
THE “PERFECT” DINNER PARTY I discovered that there are numerous factors to consider that lead towards a successful dinner party. The four components that interested me the most were conversation starters, playful centrepieces, party favours and the dinner table and how people interact with it.
With these in mind, I began thinking about a Chandon gift set which could focus on these key moments and how it could be something for everyone to enjoy, even the person who is gifting it. The aim was to create something completely different to Chandon’s competitors.
DESIGN IDEAS: A SPECIAL EDITION DINNER PARTY GIFT With my moment and design opportunity in mind, I now began to explore design ideas to create the perfect dinner party gift, considering everything from the bottle design, down to the packaging, contents and the experience behind it.
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Keeping and reuse: A big part of dinner parties and parties in general are the memories that are taken away from them. Some people keep bottles from corks if they believe the attached memory is significant. Some people just keep bottles for their appeal too, and so I began to consider how I could amplify the reuse value, perhaps by making it more personal or aesthetic.
Interactive elements: Perhaps a more far-fetched but interactive idea is the use of technology to augment dinner parties. LED’s in wine flutes could be responsive to actions such as toasting, pouring, talking and even to the clothes the user is wearing. This would, however, require a much higher cost, and so I believe this might not be an achievable approach to amplifying the Chandon brand.
Opening experience: An interesting idea, I believe, is to create a new opening experience for Chandon. This could be something that also amplifies the brand, something that becomes a shared experience, is exciting and creates interesting memories.
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INITIAL DESIGN PROPOSAL: AN INTERACTIVE CENTREPIECE
Becoming interested in the opening experience, I began to explore how I could create a gift set which opens in a new way, then becoming a centrepiece for the table, and a gift which keeps on giving throughout the party.
Based on the quick ideas I had considered so far, I began to think about how these could be combined together in order to create a new experience behind drinking and gifting Chandon. As a playful centrepiece is in the check-list for the “perfect” dinner party, I felt this should be the main focus point for my concept. Other components, such as a conversation piece, the table and party favours could
become a part of the centrepiece & opening. As a gift set, I started to think about what party favours and other contents could be included, again linking this back to achieving the aims on the “perfect” dinner party list. I began researching into party favours and thought about what might be included, such as games to get people chatting & decorations which transform the table.
Creative packaging: To think about a new opening experience, I began researching into creative packaging designs. Linking to the centrepiece idea, I considered how the packaging could be aesthetically appealing when displayed on the table. As dinner parties are social events, I also felt it should have a shared opening experience. a shared opening experience
A GIFT WHICH CREATES
the gift that keeps on giving
surprise & excitement tangible & intangible memories
Design proposal: In order to start thinking through making, I produced a list of features, ideas & experiences I intended the concept to achieve. By doing this, I could then set myself clear goals and work towards these appropriately.
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a centrepiece for the table
& BECOMES
a conversation piece
& IS
something different
the perfect gift for any party
With an idea of the concept I wanted to create, I produced a storyboard illustrating the key moments of the experience, demonstrating how the idea might work, and the possible areas for improvement.
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THINKING THROUGH MAKING: CREATIVE PACKAGING At this stage, I felt the best method to explore creative packaging was to challenge thinking through making. By doing this, I could also discover new ideas and insights into how things might work, appeal, the possible limitations and also the overall user experience.
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By thinking through making, I began to explore with paper models, producing interesting forms that appeal as a centrepiece and by considering the different ways the packaging could reveal the contents.
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1. Based on the previous experimentations, I began to produce similar models inspired by the opening of flowers as a centrepiece, adapting each to fit a bottle of Chandon inside
2. Exploring with a number of different models and testing new things, I then reflected on my ideas by documenting what I had achieved and what the next steps were.
3. After multiple experimentations, and with an archetype form now created, I then considered how multiple people could open the packaging, how the party favours might be stored and the overall interior and exterior semantics.
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4. Using my sketchbook, I documented every modification and any potential issues that had arose, reflecting on my design proposal in order to think through making. This hands-on approach was very useful in testing new ideas and problem solving to achieve multiple desired outcomes.
exterior doesn’t give anything away?
5. By thinking through making, new ideas emerged. I became interested in making the exterior minimal, so that when opening the packaging, the users are surprised. With a visually beautiful interior, the packaging and contents would become a non-literal centrepiece. The opening experience should be something exciting, and the highlight should be the displayed contents.
minimal vs. extraordinary
creates a “pop” when opening?
pockets for party favours
6. Once the packaging has been opened, the Chandon would be displayed as the centrepiece, with party favours contained inside pockets that are accessible by everyone around the table. This would be the moment of excitement when the users are intrigued with the design and contents.
lid adds to the “flower” effect
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SKETCH PLANNING I decided to sketch out my current ideas in order to illustrate the concept and to discover the next steps. Through this sketching, new ideas emerged, one being a customisable cork which will add a personal touch for the person receiving the gift. This could become a keepsake as a tangible memory, and by using the Chandon logo, popping the bubbly will form a shooting star.
A Chandon cork: Reflecting back to my initial ideas, a unique cork could amplify the Chandon brand and make it stand out amongst competitors. By using the Chandon logo, the cork can become a visual metaphor of a shooting star when the bubbly is popped. This can also be a special touch for a gift message, and perhaps amplifies the keepsake value.
For
Suxsie x
The surprise contents: By researching into dinner parties and party favours, I began to consider a number of surprises which could be unveiled upon opening. These gifts could include mini decorations, challenges, drink markers, games, and key rings. The aim is to amplify the atmosphere and create tangible and intangible memories from the experience.
Creating awareness: In order to provide information to potential buyers, I considered how the experience of the gift could be conveyed through visuals, but reserve most of the surprise. As I desired to keep the exterior packaging minimal, I decided this could be a tag which could be removed before the gift is handed over.
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DESIGN EXPLORATION: THE VISUAL LANGUAGE
With an interest in making the exterior minimal and the interior vibrant, I considered how the packaging semantics could surprise the users upon opening. To do this, I explored colour schemes discovered within my initial research.
Colour schemes: Considering what colours might work best for the design, I first decided to go back to my research and extract swatches of colours. Dominant colours from on-trade environments included purples, greys and golds, and so I tested how these might look using illustrations.
Testing colours: I decided to collect an array of material swatches to test potential colour schemes. My favourite sample was gold mirror card, which reflected surroundings, and contrasting with the white, became very eye-catching. This lead me towards considering an all white exterior, and all gold interior, something that might be a little unexpected upon opening.
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As the semantics of my idea will contribute to a considerable amount of the experience, it was important for me research and test different visuals. As I was inspired by off-trade retailers during the research stage, I felt it was appropriate to consider what colour swatches and themes could be extracted from these particular environments. A common colour, which portrayed elegance with a quirky
edge, was purple. Testing this on my illustrations, however, proved it might be unsuitable as it didn’t reflect the contents. Gold was also another common colour, and so I tested this on illustrations and with a variety of material swatches. This colour worked much better, especially against pure white. Gold can also be found on the Chandon label, and so the colours can be appropriately connected.
delicate appearing, yet durable, card material, becoming a metaphor for flowers and origami
white gloss cork to allow the user to write a message accents of black on the interior to contrast with the gold mirror
gold mirrored interior to create an elegant surprise when opening the packaging
silk white ribbon
subtle exterior accents of gold to hint what might be on the inside
white gloss exterior reflects soundings to respond the environment
#POPTHEPARTY Chandon star logo ribbon tabs
the party only begins when the packaging has been “popped�
MODELING & DESIGNING THE EXPERIENCE After sampling a variety of different materials and experimenting with making techniques, I produced a model which communicated the aesthetic and the experience I intended to achieve with Chandon #PoptheParty.
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The opening experience: The opening of the packaging together with friends is a new experience that attempts to augment the party and become an exciting shared moment. The ‘flower’ like blooming of the packaging is also a subtle metaphor for a table centrepiece.
The surprise: The gold mirrored interior becomes an unexpected surprise alongside the reveal of the party favours and the bottle of Chandon. The minimal white exterior doesn’t give any clues as to what’s inside, making it a big part of the surprise, along with the unique opening. This process transforms the overall design from subtle, to elegant and playful.
The contents: The contents attempt to become conversation pieces and tangible memories for everyone to remember the occasion. The charms can become a fashion statement, the drink markers can make Chandon more personal & the coasters and table decorations can bring character to the table.
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The bottle: As the packaging has a very clear theme, I felt the bottle should reflect these aesthetics. To experiment, I began to play around with the bottle design, taking inspiration from previous limited edition Chandon bottles. I also considered how the bottle could be surprising just like the packaging, with an unexpected hashtag on the base, promoting sharing of the moment on social media.
The table: A new idea that I discovered from modeling the experience is how the table could be transformed with Chandon #PoptheParty. Once the bottles and contents are removed, the table begins to gain character. Here I began to consider how the table could reflect the Chandon branding with a quirky and elegant touch.
The user awareness: The awareness tag provides information to the customer buying the gift. It supplies enough information for them to understand the basic idea of the concept, but not too much to give away the whole experience. The intention is to also make it surprising for them to open along with everyone else at the party.
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Could the packaging have a cracker snap to add the element of sound?
What’s the realistic cost of manufacture? How much would customers be willing to pay?
How could the party favours be less “tacky” and instead something to get people talking? What if there is a male at the party? How might they be included?
MOVING FORWARD Could there be a visual experience to carrying the packaging? Could the cork be a handle?
After presenting my current progress through the project, I gained a number of insights to move forward. Two points that stood out to me the most were the party favours and the cork design. For the party favours, it came to my attention that they might to too
generic and “tacky”. To improve this, I could make them more exclusive to Chandon and focus them into conversation starters. The cork could also be multi-functional, as the semantic language suggests it could also be a handle. At this stage, I began to develop my ideas and think through making once again.
The holding ritual...
The positioning of the star creates a unique holding ritual that allows the user to elegantly present the gift, inspired by the presentation of wines and champagnes in restaurants.
e h t p # Po Party `f Katie
The carrying ritual...
A creative yet comfortable way of holding the packaging by the cork. This also emphasises the logo & creates a sense of elegancy.
The cork....
By having a slightly larger cork, the user has more space to write a message. This design also makes use of the official Chandon “skewed� star logo.
SKETCH DEVELOPMENTS Reflecting on my feedback, I began to sketch out ideas for potential improvement. I also personally reflected on what I had done so far, thinking about where I would like to take my concept next. One improvement I wanted to make was to produce a more visually appealing and higher resolution bottle design, creating something which people will might want to keep after consumption.
create rored interior... es ip r st glittererns on the mir patt The bottle: As the previous bottle model wasn’t the exact representation I wanted, I redesigned it with the intention of making a high resolution appearance model. By having stripes and a subtle glitter background, my intention was to create exciting visual patterns on the gold mirrored interior of the packaging, adding yet more to the element of surprise.
ase... b ag t h as h
ics... p o t on ti conversa
games?
Conversation starters: Thinking about what might get people talking, I tested possible party games, question cards and even cootie catchers. From this, I decided question cards with Chandon branding might be a compatible addition to the gift set. By keeping these paper based (yet reusable), the cost of manufacture could also be kept to a minimum.
brand way? e h t g in er discovin an intriguing Brand amplifiers: I decided to map out ideas for party favours which might amplify the Chandon brand, thinking back to the brand pillar ‘Reason to believe’. An interesting idea, I felt, was to create something which made it intriguing and interesting to discover the heritage and history of Chandon, which might even get people talking.
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e h t p o y P t # Par with
To
a N a t txhx
The awareness: The awareness tag is designed to be minimal but informative. This communicates the idea of the concept to potential buyers but reserves most of the surprise, since this is an experience design for everyone to enjoy.
The intrigue: Unopened and on the table, the packaging is designed to fit into any environment with its minimal interface. The packaging, although minimal, looks different to standard wine packaging, and so creates a sense of intrigue amongst guests and the host. This creates a moment of excitement that builds up towards opening the packaging together.
The aesthetic: After the surprise of the opening, the design of the packaging becomes a nonliteral centrepiece inspired by the bloom of flowers. It is designed to present the Chandon bottle and the party favours beautifully, whilst becoming a conversation piece that sets a lively mood.
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6 To ha Natasxx S m i t hily fam
The cork adds a personal touch to the gifting experience, and becomes a keepsake to remember the occasion. It can also be used for labeling tables for occasions such as weddings.
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The presentation: Each pocket in the packaging contains a variety of party favours that kick start conversation and bring Chandon to the table. They are designed to be accessible by everyone, and can be shared amongst each other.
The conversation The Chandon branded question cards bring an element of fun to the table. These spontaneous questions attempt to get people talking, laughing, and sharing.
The story: The drink markers don’t just add a personal touch to each wine flute, but they contain information about Chandon’s history and heritage. After their use in a wine glass, they can be opened up to build the story of Chandon, encouraging people to match up the text.
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The flavour: To make things personal, the Chandon star stickers can be used to label drinks, decorate the bottle or to add character to anything else fitting the moment.
The message: These quirky wine coasters fit the theme of the moment and the overall aesthetic of the concept; another party favour that brings a touch of Chandon to the table.
The memories: These tags can add a personal touch to wine flutes, can be personalised into a memento, or can be used by the guests to write a personal thank you message to the host or hostess.
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The bottle is designed to be just as elegant and surprising as the packaging, and with the #WePoppedtheParty base, promotes the moment towards being shared on social media.
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USER TESTING & FEEDBACK: EXPERIENCING #POPTHEPARTY
In order to effectively test my product in context, I gave my design to a lady who had been invited to a dinner party with friends. She took my concept as a gift for the hostess, and I was able to record and document the experience.
Not only were the guests intrigued by the shared opening experience, but everyone was also surprised and excited by the moment when the packaging “bloomed”. This was assuring to witness as my intention for this moment had been fully achieved.
Throughout the evening, the packaging sat as a centrepiece for the table and all the party favours had been taken out and used. By far the most successful were the question cards, which triggered many conversations and led guests off-topic and onto other stories.
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Having been lucky enough to attend a dinner party, I observed my concept in real action and recored this experience. Following the story of my proposal, I gave the product to a guest for them to give to the hostess. Reading the awareness tag, she understood how to operate the design, and upon the shared opening, everyone was awed by the “popping” mechanism, the gold
and contents. Throughout the evening, everyone was lively and talkative, triggered initially by the question cards. Wine flutes were customised, the Chandon story was assembled and as for the tags, some guests kept them, whilst others wrote messages for each other. An interesting observation was that everyone took the party favours out before the bottle of Chandon.
Sandra, 40 “It was a personal and unique way to celebrate in style. I’ll certainly remember the Chandon name from this experience!”
Kimberley, 43 “Starting with the smooth opening of the box to the dialogue provoking questions, Chandon #PoptheParty is a fantastic piece of table artistry.”
Pete, 33 “I love the way the white box hides the golden surprise inside that makes all the room go “wow” in amazement, to create this brilliant centrepiece that sets the mood.”
Stacey, 31 “I was amazed at the intricate detail that went into the design!”
SUMMARY & VIDEO PROTOTYPE Sarah, 27 “Stunning design! I would definitely buy one!”
I was extremely pleased with the overall outcome of my user testing as I was able to meet my objects for the concept: to create a shared opening experience, create intrigue, to surprise, and finally to result in a centrepiece gift that
creates tangible and intangible memories for the occasion. As I documented this experience, I also compiled the footage into a video prototype that communicates the concept with genuine responses.
1) Intro title screen with Chandon logo and branding.
2) Sandra has bought Chandon #PoptheParty for her friend who is hosting a dinner party.
3) She decided to buy Chandon #PoptheParty as a last minute spontaneous gift.
4) Reading the tag, she becomes fully aware of what Chandon #PoptheParty is.
5) She writes a personal message on the cork for the hostess of the dinner party.
6) Arriving at her friends house for the party, she is ready to present the surprise of #PoptheParty.
7) She surprises her friend with the gift and tells her it’s something for everyone to open together later.
8) The hostess places Chandon #PoptheParty on the table as the centrepiece.
9) Once everyone has arrived, they all gather around the table ready to eat.
10) Sandra explains how to open the gift after becoming aware of the surprise from the tag.
11) Everyone grabs a ribbon and pull together to open the packaging and to “pop the party”.
12) Everyone becomes surprised and intrigued with the design and to what’s inside.
A storyboard of images with annotation showing key scenes in the video prototype.
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13) All the guests and the hostess begin to reveal the contents inside the pockets.
14) Each person discovers a different party favour which become talking points for conversation.
15) With different question cards in each pocket, everyone becomes excited to converse.
16) The party favours keep the conversation flowing and become intangible memories for the evening.
17) The hostess takes out the special edition Chandon Brut bottle.
18) After popping the bubbly, she decides to keep the cork as a memento for the occasion.
Later that day...
19) With personalised wine flutes, everyone toasts to celebrate.
20) Discovering the tag on the base of the bottle, everyone begins to take selfies with it.
21) The party ends and fades into the next scene.
22) After getting home, Sandra decides to upload her selfie with the #WePoppedtheParty tag.
23) She then receives a text off the hostess showing how she is reusing the packaging to display flowers.
24) The credits begin to roll.
Video prototype https://youtu.be/Q97jpVB62cQ
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As Chandon also offer a sparkling Rose wine, perhaps this variety could make use of pink, replacing the gold found on the Brut packaging. This results in a more feminine design, perhaps balancing the Brut as more of a mixed gender gift.
SELF-REFLECTION Overall, I felt this was a very interesting, yet challenging, project as brand experience was something completely new to me. Throughout the project, I have developed a number of skills in understanding and mapping brand values, correlating these with consumer trends and behaviours. Through our collective group research at the launch of the project, I was also able to reveal interesting insights into the sparkling wine market in the UK, and later appropriately connect these to my design ideas. With the vast amount of research collected and the very broad client brief, the initial step towards design ideas was quite tricky. However, through researching the existing Chandon market across the globe, my interests developed quickly. As Chandon has only just entered the UK market, the challenge of pinpointing where it belongs amongst consumers was something we had to consider. I believe that my chosen market of females was appropriate for a special edition Chandon gift due to the success of sparkling wine in the USA, and is also supported within my field research. However, my outcome, despite my initial thinking, is suitable
for mixed gender parties as there as no prominent “feminine” characteristics. Once I had my concept, I thrived off thinking through making, and felt this was a critical component that lead towards my final outcome. Although being an expensive process, I felt exploring the semantic values and modeling experiences lead to the success of my final outcome, whilst also teaching my a variety of new techniques ans skills. In terms of my final outcome, I am more than pleased with the aesthetics, contents and the overall experience it creates. Testing this in a genuine environment with potential users revealed the excitement and surprise I intended to create through my concept. #PoptheParty created a lively atmosphere in my live testing, and I came to learn that it doesn’t have to be exclusive to dinner parties; it is also suitable for weddings, celebrations and even for nights-in according to user feedback. Due to the materials and manufacture involved, the cost of #PoptheParty could be around £25-£30, but I believe this is justifiable based on the experience it creates, the content, and the overall idea of this being something special as a surprising gift.
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JAKE COHEN PRODUCT DESIGN THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART