WFAH - Waiting For A Hill - Longboard Manufacturer by benjamin siero

process journal for waiting for a hill design brief

Graphic design 372 project 1

Mandatory brief 1b Design a corporate identity and annual report...

Benjamin Siero 13968890

Choose one of the following companies and invent a name for it: • Local budget airline • Mining company • Motorcycle retailer • Music store chain • Security company • Skateboard manufacturer • Toy manufacturer • Investment company Write a brief outlining the task at hand specific to your chosen company with attention to the target audience. Design a corporate identity and produce a presentation visual of an annual report that includes: • Cover • Contents page • Chairman of the Board letter page/s • Description of the company spread • Accomplishments for the year spread • Marketing spread/s (services, products, benefits, etc) • Page/s of statistical information that includes a designed graph or chart. • Balance sheet • Profit and loss sheet • Future growth page • Board of directors listing • Back cover Design a minimum of 20 pages. This includes the cover and back cover.

Mandatory requirements • The corporate identity and the year need to be on the cover of the annual report. • Contact details need to be on the back cover. • Full colour printing and one special technique is in the budget. • All your own images must be produced for this project. • A bound and ordered process journal showing all research notes, ideation, development and refinement for the project in chronological order. • A grid system. • A graph or chart thematically designed to suit the personality of the company.

Audience

Considerations Look at other annual reports. Work out the types of information required for each of the sections. Write mock headings, captions, drop quotes and source text for the body copy – referenced. Think a little bit more metaphorically when it comes to visually representing themes and concepts.

Deliverables Present as spreads in a portfolio a presentation visual of the annual report. (Minimum 20 pages). Present corporate identity on A3 sheets in a portfolio including colour and black and white usage of the identity. Include a bound research, ideation and development file, a rationale and a rewritten brief.

Dependent on company selected. Include who you believe it could be based on your research and summarise it for your inclusion in your problem statement.

which Company should I go with?

Skateboard ManufactuRer Why? I decided to go with the Skateboard manufacturer as it’s a style or a category of design that i havn’t exposed myself to. Usually my work is more corporate and aimed towards a older target audience. So by doing this brief I will be able to extend my scope and add some diversity within my portfolio. Plus in the end I think you’d rather see something like this then another corportate annual report.

what name should i use? The name needs to be short or provide a good acronym. It should either fall back on a name, as in the business creator, or perhaps someone who played an important role in skate history. The name could then also be something entirely random that in the end just sounds cool or perhaps is funny.

what are the choices?

mono music is very important die hipsters die! waiting for a hill Why these names? Mono has been derived from the skateboard or longboard being a solo sport, you are an individual. Mono was then just a simple way to put it that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as blunt and boring as alone or single. Music is very important is simply derived from a search i did into how to be an indie person, and one part says that music is very important, so it seems a suitable name. Die Hipsters Die, originates from Indie peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hate of hipsters, as they are classed as fakes and all that jazz. Lastly waiting for a hill came from my sunnies which are called waiting for the sun, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a change to make it suitable for this assignment.

decision?

mono waiting for a hill Why these names, and why both? Okay so i know this makes me seem like i canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make decisions. But i have, i have deciced to work with Waiting for a Hill although i can presume their may be problems with creating a logo for it, and in this case i will fall back onto Mono. As for the others i decided not to go with Die Hipsters Die as it could be a bit too forward as well as hipsters could be a part of the desired audience. Then Music is very Important didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really attach itself to skateboarding enoughmand was a little vague.

BUSINESS SUMMARY Waiting for a Hill was established in 2008 by Daniel Jeffery, at the time a University student in Melbourne who noticed the growing demand within the longbaord category of skateboarding. Waiting for a Hill is all about longboards and produces a number of varying board styles along with special editions and custom boards. With emphasis upon design, Waiting for a Hill boards stand out amoungst the competition and have becomes slow and steadily a leader within their category.

CURRENT SITUATION

OBJECTIVES

Waiting for a Hill has never had a proper corporate identity, its become the time that this was established. Along with this the 2011 Annual Report is also being released. In this case the Annual Report will act as the release of their new identity to the businesses shareholders.

To Better unite and strengthen Waiting for a Hill’s Brand identity, through consistent application and a solid branding solution which reflects Waiting for a Hill’s values and aligns with the taste, style and interest of their audience.

MARKET POSITION

Mandatory requirements

Waiting for a Hill has been establishing itself well within the market in Melbourne, they don't necesserilly feel the need to grow into a multinational company, though would rather serve those true to longboard skateboaring and the culture involved. At the moment their capacity is limited, and by having a limited stock the product becomes more valuable. Similar to a special edition run of a product.

TARGET AUDIENCE University Students are a good place to start. We are looking at a young audience ranging from approximately 17-30, the reason Waiting for a Hill try and avoid the age group of bellow 17 is they don’t to be classified as a kids toy. By aiming at uni students they can prevent this. Skateboards are commonly these days more associated with males, and hence their will be a larger lean towards male design

• The corporate identity and the year need to be on the cover of the annual report. • Contact details need to be on the back cover. • Full colour printing and one special technique is in the budget. • All your own images must be produced for this project. • A bound and ordered process journal showing all research notes, ideation, development and refinement for the project in chronological order. • A grid system. • A graph or chart thematically designed to suit the personality of the company.

COMPE

TITORS

Who are they? Loaded, Carving Systems.

How do they characterise their customers? According to their website they seem to be targeting both Male and Females. Through their images a age range of 16-30 can be seen. These people are also usually depicted in skate shoes or sneakers - like the varying nike sneakers skinny leg pants or baggy shorts, T-shirts with individual prints and crosshatched shirts. They are also usually depicted as outside and active.

What does their brand stand for? Extreme sport, Excitement, Thrill, Adrelaline, Fun, Hobby, Solo, Active, Safety, Having a good time, Common interest, Humour (subtle)...Quality, honour, belief, devotion...

What is their financial condition?

What strengths do they have?

Apparently quite strong, they seem to have a well adapted identity. They also have a blog and news feed within their website which suggests they would have followers. They also have a large range of skateboards which suggests they produce for a large boards for a broad audience. Not to mention their boards are sold all over the world... so thats always a good hint.

Big Name and Well known. They have been around Since 1995, and researching the technology of the boards the whole time. Creators have studied within materials and composites. They also have adapted a strong design to the image of their boards which is also very important. They also service a broad market in skateboarding.

What are their key messages? “We’ve experienced the soulful beauty of riding and want to pass on the stoke. To that end we are dedicated to putting out the best possible rides we can and we stand behind every board we build.” www.loadedboards.com/newsite_v1/vision.html

What markets do they serve & How much market share do they hold? They are primarily America, but they sell around the world to Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Easter Island, Equador, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Phillipines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uk, Uruguay, Venezuela...

What weaknesses do they have? They service a broad market which doesn’t allow them to find an exact niche, and best suit that niche. Rather they must use a generalised image and boards. They must also be aware of international response to their design and products.

What do they look and feel like? Their logo communicates something different from what their website feels like, as their logo is quite edgy and focused on a extreme nature, where as the website is a bit more relaxed and is more about the individual rider and the tech of the board. Lastly they are quite modern, contempory and young (not child like though).

Who are they? Land Yatch, Longboards

How do they characterise their customers? More so male over female, but also if i were to say more so guys youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d get a better idea of their audience. The age group appears to be approximately 20-35, and this can be seen within the young staff working there. Their audience from what i can tell would be more so into this as a love rather than just doing it because others are, these guys live to work on these boards. The common saying they breath and live it would be apparent i think.

What does their brand stand for? Larger play on Humour, Fun, Extreme-ish, Excitement, family, Community, Active, Having a good time, Relaxing, Common interest, Innovation, Quality, Devotion...Sustainable

What is their financial condition?

What strengths do they have?

They are a small company, in terms of they aren’t quite a worldwide business. However they have about 20 or so staff and to support that many they must do alright for themselves. I would presume they only have the one location and then their boards are sold both in retail and on their website. Their boards are also sold on a middle to high range price so this would also suggest that their financial condition is strong for the size of their business.

They seem more individual, as the staff seem young and as if they are doing it for the love of it. This kind of promotes a strength within the whole smaller business, and the whole emotional side of helping the smaller guy, becoming a part of something - as in becoming part of the community, which you wouldn’t get when joining a massive brand.

What are their key messages? “At Landyachtz our mission is to make innovative and durable products to improve quality of life.” http://www.landyachtz.com/D63.cfm

What markets do they serve & How much market share do they hold? It’s hard to say exactly how large they are, they have distributors around the world but these are distributors rather than them having their own stores. But the distributors list is also quite large and does house many of the countries that loaded had stores in.

What weaknesses do they have? There design itself isn’t fantastic, it seems like they haven’t been able to decide on an exact style, as there are a few mixes within the website. Other wise not too much else is letting them down.

What do they look and feel like? Their logo doesn’t exactly portrey a skateboard brand, especially as they have yachtz which when you look at it quickly you get yatch. Otherwise the feel is relatively relaxed, humourous in areas and has a fun aspect.

Who are they? Rayne Longboards.

How do they characterise their customers? They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to go for any particular skateboarder, many of the images they have within the website seems to involve steep hills though. So i can presume that there is a primary audience of downhill riders. The audience also seems to be both male and female with more push towards male, and this can be seen within the visuals of the website. Lastly we can once again presume a young age group of approx 17-35/40. Though these guys seem to hit a little bit higher in their age break, and that can be seen within the team of riders they have.

What does their brand stand for? Extreme sport, Excitement, Thrill, Adrelaline, Fun, Hobby, Active, Safety, Having a good time, Common Interest, Quality, Progression, Authenticity, Young, Modern, Contempory, Cheeky

What are their key messages?

What do they look and feel like?

“based on cornerstones of Quality, Progression & Authenticity.” www.raynelongboards.com/about-us

They feel like they are a part of the action due to the large scale images of the skaters in the background, they also feel somewhat specialised with the use of the black throughout the website. which is quite nice, not sure if it would be perfect for Waiting for a Hill’s audience but we’ll just have to see how we go with it.

What strengths do they have? Strong design solution, with nice photgraphy, so automatically they have a credible appearance. They also have this feel of special edition due to the use of black, which the boards look really great on, so thats something to take note of... note taken... otherwise strengths seem to be that they have a limited selection of boards which shows they are specialising within one area, which then means they can be seen as the leader within this category a lot easier.

What weaknesses do they have? Can’t really get too many weaknesses out of this one, perhaps a little hard to get around the website with the about section. But in terms of design it is quite strong, all i would watch was that the photographs used were higher resolution and then it just wasn’t suited to a more indie style of audience.

Who are they? Sector 9 Longboards.

How do they characterise their customers? Young 17-30, They seem to have a lot of fun with their design and they are all quite yound and modern and usually play on something, which aligns well with most peoples mindset, especially when something is having the shit taken out of it. For this brand it seems to be more male focused with little images of women, except for the by this top which is advertised with a hottie. Although when you look at their apparel they have a mens, women and child section so perhaps they do aim for a larger audience.

What does their brand stand for? Fun, Hobby, Active, Safety, Having a good time, Common Interest, Young, Modern, Contempory, Cheeky, Humour, the culture behind skating...

What are their key messages?

What do they look and feel like?

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re are just a bunch of guys that enjoy what they do and have somehow managaed to make a living out of it.

They have the whole feeling of the cool guy that pretty much lives the relaxed life of being near the beach with both surf board and skateboard in hand. They feel like they are just a bunch of blokes doing what they love, which gives them that small local feel to themselves, even though they do sell around the place. Now i presume this is due to the many photos of people and groups of people, such as the photo i have on the left from the website where there are a bunch of guys casually going down the hill.

What strengths do they have? Very strong design solutions within application, quite generalised so they would hit a broad audience, but this also means they dont hit the niche industry. What they really do well in is seeming like the small place still, especially if you read the history about them. In terms of other things they just seem more credible because they have a solid design identity, as well the identity has a story behind it.

In summary these are the guys about the lifestyle of having the board, rather than the guys that are all about the board.

What weaknesses do they have? Weaknesses fall back onto the niche industry as they arnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really hitting it by being relatively general within their board designs (shape and visuals)...

Who are they? Sayshun, Live before you die.

How do they characterise their customers? Much more of a greater range within the age of their customers, looking at the section that highlights some of their riders they have people from 20 to about 40 something. So very broad in this manner, they also have one female rider on their site so i would presume they have both audiences of male and female, although that would never come to mind with the design they have. The design of the website also suggests that their customers are those that are really into the sport of fast downhill racing, rather than something more leisurely and relaxed.

What does their brand stand for? Extreme sport, Excitement, Thrill, Adrelaline, Fun, Hobby, Active, Safety, Having a good time, raw, Dangerous, Rebel, Bloody/Evil/Dark, Individual, Independant, Fun...

What are their key messages?

What do they look and feel like?

“We want you to live and live big in every moment of your life. “Live before you die” is not a phrase, but a way to meet the world with everything that you do.” www.sayshun.com/?page_id=2

Well as somewhat already discussed they look and feel like a zombie movie or something similar, perhaps one of those japanese movies where there is some crazed guy with a samuri sword who is slicign everyone up... thats probably a good way to put it... as it does really come across like this, i think they just need to introduce more images throughout the website to bring it back to we are extreme but we are also friendly and not out to kill you.

What strengths do they have? I guess these guys have found a particular niche within the whole adreline and thrilling audience, as their design could easily be placed along a zombie movie. But in their case that works as their strength, they have also adapted this within other areas of thier design, such as having two wheel types which are named after blood types with a O+ and a A+... which is nice to see a concept brought out throughout the business.

What weaknesses do they have? As for weaknesses i can’t necessarily think of too many, perhaps with the board designs they could just introduce a few different designs as they are all very similar in visuals.

Who are they? Goldcoast.

How do they characterise their customers? This brand seems to target much more of a Indie culture, you can see within these screen shots that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken that they are just as much about the Culture as the boards themselves. Throughtout the website they only portrey males and the four staff directors shown on the site are also male, this would suggest a more male focused audience. The age of their customers seems to range from 16-30, which can be seen by the more contempory and young design visuals on the boards.

What does their brand stand for? Fun, Design, Culture, Music, Art, Photography, Hobby, Active, Having a good time, Beach, Relax, Surfing, Casual, individual, Solo...

What are their key messages?

What weaknesses do they have?

“We love the fact that skateboards come in all shapes and sizes. Our approach to our products, whether it is a longboard, wheels, even a t-shirt is to convey a sense of fun with quality design and materials.” http://goldcoastlongboards.com/

Not really too many here as well, and i realise i keep saying that with all of them, but each competitor is different in it’s own way... as for these guys perhaps they could show more images of the people involved as well as the culture stuff. or if they are quite into the cultural stuff they could start producing shoes and other stuff that aligns with the brand and what they are all about.

What strengths do they have? The Design is very well structured, they have become not just involved within boards but have become part of the culture that buys the boards. In eseence they have joined their buyers and would be seen as one of them, and hence the best place to go to. The design originates from their creative director who pretty much owened the design for this business. Their other strength is only being in longbaord production which allows them to accuratly act within the longboard scene.

What do they look and feel like? They feel kinda vintage, like some of those music clips where a bunch of people are zig zagging down a hill on longboards to some happy style song... i think there was one released a few years ago. Anyway they feel very cultural, as in when you buy a board you’re buying into the culture and everything else involved within it. In essence you get more than just a board... other than that id say relaxed and chilled out, these arn’t extreme guys or anything but rather guys that just like cool stuff, and like getting around on a board.

what did i get from the competitors? Become part of the culture, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just be about the board. Be relaxed and chilled. Show the people involved. Black paneling works well over photographs, something different from most of the other competors. Aussies are about a bit of humour, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be stupid. Consider the application of the brand/logo to all areas of the board, it should be seen even on a wheel or on the truck. Even though we are focusing on a annual report we need to consider the more important things like the board and other accessories.

Age Waiting for a Hill has a very precise age range of 17 to 30. The reason it starts at 17 is that it doesn’t want to be seen as a toy provider for ‘kiddies’, and no 25year old wants to see some little kid with the same board as him... that’s just embarressing. Then we raise up to 30 and no higher as this person would probably no longer be at uni, and probably not to interested in uni life and the culture that Waiting for a Hill are involving themselves in.

gender

social class

Waiting for a Hill is more primarily male focused, this is more so due to the simple fact that more males are interested in skateboarding/ longboarding than females, though this doesn’t mean that Waiting for a Hill is masculine like Jim Beam or a Drag Racing event, it’s just not pink, with a pony or a unicorn.

Now social class shouldn’t matter to much either, though we can make steriotypes that someone of higher class will be likely to get around in a nice car rather than by physical exhaustion, can’t be ruining their nice pants and shirt now can they... so in this case we can assume a low to mid social class for Waiting for a Hill.

Primary Geographical location

education

Waiting for a Hill began in Melbourne, so Melbourne has a large pull on the location for the primary audience. However Waiting for a Hill still exports all over Australia through the use of their website, they also have dealers within each capital city.

Well one of the majorities is University students so that’s a pretty big area of education, however that doesn’t mean we won’t get those that are going under apprentiships and those that have gone straight into work. In the end we are talking about people that are active enough that they either use the board to get around or use the board in social occassions with their mates.

Economic status/Income Well these guys need a bit of money, well at least enough to maintain their boards. Which techniqually isn’t all that much, so this is really something quite accessable, especially considering a majority of University students who are renouned for being light in the pockets...

What we value, our culture We value Design, We value Music, We value expression, We value Mateship & Friendship, We value a couple of drinks, We value a relaxing sunday, We value a sleep in, We value the beach, We value a good hill, We value a long ride, We value a clear day, We value the wind through our hair, We value going out, We value staying in, We value a old record player, We value Photography, We value Triple J, We value Live Music, We value a laugh, We value Sarcasm, We value Community, We Value Australian Music, We value Art, We value a sweet set of trucks, We value a sweet deck, We value a recycled recreation, We value skateboarding...obviously.

what is the culture? Our culture is living our normal lives but just with a board in hand, we get around on our boards, it’s easy. We relax, we find good hills and enjoy getting the wind in our face, we arn’t about death defying speeds or crazy jumps. In our culture we value a whole lot, we’re just normal Aussies doing what we love, or more so just bringing what we love into our daily lives. Plus in cities like Melbourne and Sydney it’s so much easier to get around, especially if you’re going inbetween buses and trains. One side of what we love is customizing our boards, you always want the design that will suit you, who you are and not some other random. We enjoy being individuals and all having our own special board rather than having one commercialised skateboard that you have to pay another $100 on top essentially just for the sticker they add, and sometimes a crapper product.

Sneakers graffiti skinny legs singlets summer hoodies beanies surfing drinks triple j

Some aspects that would come along with us are things such as:

swot

analysis

strengths Beacuse Waiting for a Hill have a specific audience the design can be quite specific in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity. This also means that Waiting for a Hill can better position itself within that specific market. Waiting for a Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s audience also allows for a lot of creativity within the board visuals but also the identity of it. As for the business itself the business has positioned itself to become a specialised store within longborads, because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all that they do they can excel within it. They are also well located in Melbourne, which is known as one of the cultural hubs within Australia. Melbourne is also more appreciative of design and creative works than other Australian cities such as Perth. In reference to the Annual report, Waiting for a Hill is able to produce something a lot more interesting for the readers, rather than something with boring information. The business structure allows for the design to avoid being boring and rather be cutting edge, and maybe even quirky.

weaknesses

threats

In terms of a business point of view the business could be seen as unprofessional, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure this is expected. Also considering things like organisation of the business could be questioned, but that would matter if the owners happened to be riders as well. One weakness could be trying to adapt with the culture as the culture changes over time, and this would be almost unpredictable without a good research team on board. This in fact would probably be the biggest weakness of the business, the fact that it is built upon what could just be a fad at the current moment.

Well as said as the weakness it could be the culture changing on the business, but as long as the business is aware of whats going on then they should be okay. Then lastly there could be an uprising of many other stores, whether they have the strengths and expertise as Waiting for a Hill does is another thing though.

opportunities Waiting for a Hill has plenty to work for, skateboarding will always continue to exist. Though where Waitng for a Hill can really grow could be within those interests of the riders such as sneakers, surfboards and other apparel.

pest

analysis

political Political factors include the safety of the boards made, as well as aspects of warrenty. When dealing with onjects like these they need to be made well and tested two. Especially if they are custom makes. They also need to suggest things like wearing protection, whether they necessarily believe in it or not. They also need to avoid aspects of the culture such as illegal graffiti and drugs. As these may have serious ramifications.

economic Aspects such as costs of the boards and that items are appropriately priced. Not only should the buyer be recieving a goof price but those involved within production too. Often people underpay for design work. Other aspects are considering the audience and how they are dealing with money, perhaps there are certain packs or deals on larger purchases.

social Social may involve the communication of the business and the audience. This could be done through a website blog, perhaps a newsletter or e-newsletter, or cough cough a annual report. Through social networking Waiting for a Hill can push itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precense within the audience and becomes more apart of the culture. The social networking can also be a good place to learn and recieve information and feedback on products and service that they or others have provided.

technology Lastly we have technology, as a specialist, Waiting for a Hill wants to be on top of their game, and should be. If they want to be the best, then they need to work hard to be. They need to have the best specs and the best compositions. They need to have a focused team and a great design solution.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been watching a few videos on Skate Blogs and also through various links, from these videos i can game a better idea into skaters behaviour, what they like and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like, what they find funny and then what boards they have and what they wear and dress like. Stills are from http://vimeo.com/21776351 & http://vimeo.com/24195442

ERIC TEARLE & HABITAT HOUSE - http://www. goldcoastlongboards.com/blog/page/3/

Elvis presley’s glasses bob dylan’s harmonica the gun that killed john lennon john lennon’s sun glasses jimi hendrix’s guitar andy warhol’s paintbrush

http://www.behance.net/gallery/PhotographicSession-Vintage-Marco-Carreira/829572 http://www.behance.net/gallery/Sony-Lyrics-on-aThing-Shirt-Designs/274738 http://www.behance.net/gallery/You-IdeasSuck/685174

http://www.behance.net/gallery/ENGRAVED-BOARDSFOR-AGAINST-THE-GRAIN-SHOW/1325429

Self Produced Photos.

YOUTUBE

Longboarding: Of Troglodytes and Men http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AvNxl-SCTw

Longboarding NYC: Broadway Bomb Race 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnfg7VywUjU

Go Longboard 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rXwBmGyMRo

Longboarding: Let Go

http://www.youtube.com/user/LoadedNewsletter#p/a/C9FA9C82873067BD/1/kkviQ41u0eQ

My Audience are very much into Music, but what music?

Laneway festival

If you know of the laneway festival, then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know a lot of indie style people go there, you would also realise that these people are pretty much the exact audience of Waiting for a Hill, or at least most of them. So what bands go to laneway?

!!! (chk chk chk BEACH HOUSE/ B Blud/ BOOM! BA CONTROL/ CUT C FOALS/ Gareth Injured Ninja/ Singers/ LES SA PVT/ Ruby Boot San Cisco/ Seam THE ANTLERS Th Kings/ TWO DOO WARPAINT/ WOR

k)/ ARIEL PINK’s HAUNTED GRAFFITI/ BEAR IN HEAVEN/ BLONDE / REDHEAD/ AP! POW!/ Canyons/ Carl Fox/ CLOUD COPY/ DEERHUNTER/ Felicity Groom/ Liddiard/ GOTYE/ HOLY F@#K/ / JENNY AND JOHNNY/ John Steel AVY FAV/ LOCAL NATIVES/ MENOMENA/ oots/ Sam Perry- Path To Laneway/ Seams/ Split Seconds/ STORNOWAY/ he Growl/ THE HOLIDAYS/ The Joe OR CINEMA CLUB/ VIOLENT SOHO/ RLD’S END PRESS/ YEASAYER

WFAH

WFAH 59

These are the numerous options for the logo, each has their own strength, one side is hand crafted & another computer based

WA I T I N G FO R A H I L L

the dilemma These logos work well together, they all communicate a similar feel, but each is different in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own way. This could be a strong branding to have a diverse image of your brand, perhaps the identity is always changing in some way but always along the same style of lettering. This way the brand can be altered for each person, each to their own, and each may make their own. But, there always needs to be a over arching logo for a company. So if this was to used, there still needs to be one primary logo that all others are based off. It needs to be the cleanest, it needs to allow for stencils, it needs to work nicely on more professional work too.

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WA I T I N G FO R

HILL

WA I T I N G FO R

HILL

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WA I T I N G FO R

WAITING FOR A HILL

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HILL

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For the overarching logo i felt this one was the most appropriate as most of the others were based off it, however working through it and refining it i feel it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t towards the audiences likes.Other problems are the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; being too angular compared to the other letters. In this case i think one of the drawing versions would be better suited, as we know that that is part of their style. and they value the whole hand made theme of design, furniture and so on... Out of the drawn versions that i have vectorised these two stand the strongest. So lets try them out in a few applications...

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applications 75

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applications

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This logo is more appropriate compared to the previous hand drawn, as it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as heavy, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more reminisent of the other versions and it has the extra element of a three dimensional look. Also having asked around people prefer this version over the other.

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The main consideration of this brand is that there needs to be a semi- professional application and also a more expressive applications. So the primary logo should be quite simple, then the others can break the rules.

WA I T I N G FO R A H I L L

WA I T I N G

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WAI T ING

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WAITING

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WA I T I N G FOR A HILL WA I T I N G

bottom left

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possible subheading positions, experiments. bottom left seems most appropriate for professional material.

b. primary logo + colour versions

w. primary logo + colour versions

various logos for board applications and other means note that all are based off the main logos shape.

more can be created over time

professional sub-heading applied & unprofessional sub-heading applied This is not always needed though, the wFAH initials will become established over time, and the connection will be made.

WA I T I N G

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WA I T I N G FO R A H I L L

ANNUAL report research

a few graphs from nikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online annual report use of colour reflective and continuous throughout report, graphs are clean and simple, but doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really do anything interesting. I would be board reading it.

a few page layouts from nike’s 2005 annual report This seems a lot nicer than the previous graphs, still not overly interesting but at least you could read through this with clarity and without getting too bored. The photograph is quite strong and effective on the front, though a bit confusing as you wouldn’t usually associate Nike with cycling, but perhaps thats why they did it. As for the graphs they just chucked them all onto one page which was effective in a way because you hit it and go okay get this page done and then there are no more. Although i would question how strong that would be on the eye with the strong background to it.

The other aspect is that the annual portreys the technological aspect of the brand, it is contempory yet strong and bold. What they havn’t done is made it younger based, so they seem to aim this at a new audience. As if you think about it the audience that are shareholders are obviously going to be different than the audience their product or services are for.

So this raises the question, should we analyse which audience we would have for the annual report?

As for the type it’s a simple clear sans serif, left justified. Approx 8pt with almost a 1.5 leading. The quotes are then just a larger point size, italics and then between two red lines which highlight it out of the text.

screen shots from harley davidson 2010 annual report I was surprised at Harley Davidsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual report, it was so much cleaner than what i had expected. It also used a serif typeface as its body copy and quotes. The Headlines and treatment on the graphs was what i had expected; the rustic scratched feel over the italic bold upper case text. As for layout they are well focused on photography, i think here they are trying to capture that feeling of riding the bike, and how much enjoyment you get from it. The document also harnesses a lot of white space which gives it plenty of space to breath. This also makes it more professional. With the photography they also run full spread photographs and also page photographs.

They have also used the same colour system throughout it with body copy in a grey, questions and quotes in black and other little additions in an orange. (colours of the logo). They have also pulled out little bits of information that essentially says how amazing and good they are at something. For Harley Davidson they have also just chucked all the graphs onto one spread, and put them at the back. They also never copy the same layout on previous pages, they are usually similar but reversed or something to make it different. This brings in some difference within the report and at least keeps it a bit more mixed up rather than same, same, same and now im asleep...zzzzzzzzzzzz

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Images of SUROFI 2008 annual report I think this is a good example of how an annual report can be really brand orientated but also very professional. This Surofi Annual report has essentially harnessed a specific application throughout the whole report with the information just being applied over the top. The material itself that the book arrives in also stays true to this. It seems like a moleskin styled book, with a matt finish, which brings back that too professional appearance.

is is quite repetative and quite clean. There isn’t anything too special here. But it mixes with the overall style so that’s whats important. So what can i gain from this? having a particular colour scheme throughout can really bring the whole thing together, the stock can play an important role, you can have a concept go throughout the whole report, it doesn’t have to be boring.

Another nice touch is the application of the staff within the company, the ones that are doing the hard yards. Tbis i would assume would really make the shareholder feel more a part of the business or ‘family’. As for the general layout

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I have picked this one out more so to show how much the data can be pushed, especially in the bottom right with the triangles. Much more visually aesthetic and so much quicker to gain percentages.

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This annual report was interesting due to the detail of the type, which is read more so like a magazine. Which is what i plan to do with my annual report. The other interesting element was the addition of another stock within the annual report, and this paper stock kind of resembles that graph/information stock that you may recieve with a government letter or census etc... as long as that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a negative impact on the reader. The ones bellow touch on that idea of a consistent type application and also having visual diagrams. Though i think this one would get a little boring after page after page.

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People wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t become a shareholder unless they understood the business, so we can assume they know about the business, at least a summary of it. now we also know that these shareholders are not the audience that buy the product, so they value different things and they need other aspects met. Of course some may be involved within the company but it is unlikely that a 17-30 year old skater is involved within shares of companies.

What are these people like? These people would probably range from 2555. This age group is more appropriate as they have the excess funds to be a shareholder of a company, plus have the know-how or interest in doing so. As with this case we are WFAH is was established within Melbourne, so shareholders could be assumed to be primarily from Melbourne and Australia in general. Obviously these people are also financially secure otherwise they wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have their money in the company.

What we can discern We can also assume that although this is an Annual Report which is normally boring and dull and all graph like, Waiting for a HIll’s doesn’t have to be like this. The basic rule of thumb is that it needs to be clear and corporate but it still needs to echo the brand and what the brand is all about. So be creative and exciting, not boring but also clear and perhaps clever even.

Contents should roughly include • Cover • Contents page • Chairman of the Board letter page/s • Description of the company spread • Accomplishments for the year spread • Marketing spread/s (services, products, benefits, etc) • Page/s of statistical information that includes a designed graph or chart. • Balance sheet • Profit and loss sheet • Future growth page • Board of directors listing • Back cover

Mandatory requirements • COVER The corporate identity and the year need to be on the cover of the annual report. • BACK Contact details need to be on the back cover. • A grid system. • A graph or chart thematically designed to suit the personality of the company. • & no less than 20pages

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Keith E. Wandell

President & Chief Executive Officer

2011 Annual Report

Now, individuals can be responsible for more than one task on more than one style of bike. And the assembly line is being redesigned so that every part has a consistent place in the line— wheels, handlebars, powertrain, tank and the rest, all assembled in the same familiar sequence. There was a lot of anxiety over the change, but employees there will tell you they absolutely feel a new sense of freedom, initiative and accountability. Some of the obvious benefits of commonality are cost savings and efficiency—there’s simpler management of spare parts, for example, as well as standardized training of maintenance people, engineers and technicians across the factories so that, as we move people and share knowledge across the factories, they see the same process they did in the other factory. It’s an advantage in product development, too, because our engineers know they can design fenders and gas tanks that will be made the same way at any two factories. What do the results look like? Matt When we get there—and we’re still a couple of years away from having the new processes and systems fully up and running in all of our plants—we’ll be able to shift production between lines, change the level of output and change our product mix in response to changes in customer buying patterns and preferences. We’ll have a more refined view of our production planning, rather than having to make product supply predictions months ahead like we do now. That’s the most important point from a customer perspective—the opportunity that we have to supply motorcycles closer to when people want to buy them. Karl Bottom line, we need to be able to make any product on any line on any day. So we’re structuring our capital investments to enable our manufacturing to be a lot more flexible—and making sure our employees have broad expertise and diverse capabilities, too, so that they can perform a much wider range of functions.

What’s an example of that? Karl Our best-practice circles. They’re a huge part of bringing the art and science of motorcycle manufacturing together in a consistent way. These are groups of hourly and salaried employees from multiple locations, as well as outside suppliers, sharing specialized knowledge around a common process. We have many best-practice circles, in areas like safety, fabrication and machining. Our best-practice circle in paint, for instance, has delivered some unique combinations of paint and graphics that create incredible finishes. In collaboration with suppliers, they engineered a unique automated washing system that ensures parts are contaminate free prior to painting. And they have developed multiple ways to reduce paint waste by 25 percent. Matt I’d add continuous improvement. For us, it’s a cultural movement to get every employee involved in improving everything about us, from marketing to product development to working closely with our dealers. Continuous improvement drives consistency and efficiency in how we do our work. It adds value to our products and services by making us more flexible and responsive to customers. And it’s real—we’re teaching it in all of our plants, in exactly the same way, so that everyone there works to make the operating floor better. What differences are customers going to see? Matt We’re lucky enough to be in the business of manufacturing dreams. And now, we have much better insight into those dreams and much better processes to tie that in to manufacturing. So they’ll see more relevant innovation, better inventory availability, more customization of motorcycles—like the factory custom concept in H-D1—and more “wow” in styling and features, because we’re listening in product development and responding in our manufacturing. Consumers today want what they want, how they want it, when they want it. “Customer-led” is about making the right products—more-focused products—more responsively.

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Keith E. Wandell

President & Chief Executive Officer

2011 Annual Report

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2011 Annual Report

Keith E. Wandell

President & Chief Executive Officer

planning, rather than having to make product supply predictions months ahead like we do now. That’s the most important point from a customer perspective—the opportunity that we have to supply motorcycles closer to when people want to buy them. Karl Bottom line, we need to be able to make any product on any line on any day. So we’re structuring our capital investments to enable our manufacturing to be a lot more flexible—and making sure our employees have broad expertise and diverse capabilities, too, so that they can perform a much wider range of functions. What’s an example of that? Karl Our best-practice circles. They’re a huge part of bringing the art and science of motorcycle manufacturing together in a consistent way. These are groups of hourly and salaried employees from multiple locations, as well as outside suppliers, sharing specialized knowledge around a common process. We have many best-practice circles, in areas like safety, fabrication and machining. Our best-practice circle in paint, for instance, has delivered some unique combinations of paint and graphics that create incredible finishes. In collaboration with suppliers, they engineered a unique automated washing system that ensures parts are contaminate free prior to painting. And they have developed multiple ways to reduce paint waste by 25 percent. Matt I’d add continuous improvement. For us, it’s a cultural movement to get every employee involved in improving everything about us, from marketing to product development to working

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l l e d n a W . E Keith

Presid

hief E C & t n

ffic O e v i t cu

2011 Annual Report

other factory. It’s an advantage in product development, too, because our engineers know they can design fenders and gas tanks that will be made the same way at any two factories. What do the results look like? Matt When we get there—and we’re still a couple of years away from having the new processes and systems fully up and running in all of our plants—we’ll be able to shift production between lines, change the level of output and change our product mix in response to changes in customer buying patterns and preferences. We’ll have a more refined view of our production planning, rather than having to make product supply predictions months ahead like we do now. That’s the most important point from a customer perspective—the opportunity that we have to supply motorcycles closer to when people want to buy them.

Karl Bottom line, we need to be able to make any product on any line on any day. So we’re structuring our capital investments to enable our manufacturing to be a lot more flexible—and making sure our employees have broad expertise and diverse capabilities, too, so that they can perform a much wider range of functions. What’s an example of that? Karl Our best-practice circles. They’re a huge part of bringing the art and science of motorcycle manufacturing together in a consistent way. These are groups of hourly and salaried employees from multiple locations, as well as outside suppliers, sharing specialized knowledge around a common process. We have many best-practice circles, in areas like safety, fabrication and machining. Our bestpractice circle in paint, for instance, has delivered some unique combinations of paint and graphics that create incredible

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remember to

Bring the culture into the report bring the hand drawn style into the report keep it professional, clean and readable 131

The cover will be made out of the black sandpaper that goes on top of boards, this will then we die cut to show the inside of the cover. The idea of this die cut is to bring in the culture of the audience where they use stencils to graffiti. In this case the text on the front needed to be refined so that it would work as a stencil.

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Considering whether i should use the pattern on the inside to strengthen the brand, or whether i should use a wood texture that would give the feeling of stenciling onto the board... or perhaps as if you were about to spray paint your board with the stencil... I guess it would make more sense to have the wood texture, but ill have to find another one as this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the right type of wood, i need a bamboo style... as for finding this wood texture ill try and find something similar to my boards grain.

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Page setup Page set up is consisent throughout the document. The page number and section of annual report is in the top left. Then the business name and the year of annual report are centered down the bottom of the right and left page. These are set in baskerville and Interstate. Page numbering also includes the cover, as i noticed in the annual reports and magazines that they kept the page numbering to this, rather than starting at page one for the first body copy page. I was thinking that for the annual reports it would be better to have the title/heading on the previous page so that it acted more like a section. But as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure this will probably be pdfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d then it would be wise that it works better as spreads, meaning headings should be on the left with the start of that copy on the right.

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Section of Annual Report

Waiting For A Hill

2011 Annual Report

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Manufacturing

Custom-led

Waiting For A Hill

2011 Annual Report

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contents refinement spread 1 The First Spread is the Contents page, obviously. But before i do this page Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to work on all the other spreads as then i will know what is where and have a better style to work the contents to. Better that way than make the spreads align to the contents. So ill come back to this. Okay so back to this, due to the ink throughout the report i felt i needed to do a proper introduction of it and the contents seemed the best suited. The type is then clean and professional.

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letter to shareholders spread 2 With these refinements I wont go into all the details or ill bore you. So in summary what i was refining through this first spread was getting the jist of the whole annual. Trying to get that hand-drawn style within the report as well as the clean type. In this case i also played around with various colour combinations and through refinement found that a simple red, pale aqua and black was the best combination. This combo was mainly chosen as the mized colours made it a bit too tryhard and also removed the more masculine feel from it. Type was also cleaned up here with kerning, force enteres and adjustments to the ratio of the quote and body copy.

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letter to shareholders spread 3 Refinements to second spread of the letter were relatively small except for the changes to the graphs. These were the first tryouts with the graphs so it was interesting determining the style of them. later on in refinement the secondary red was also brought in to create some varience. The triangles or A from the WFAH logo was also an interesting approach for one of the pie graphs which shows the difference in this business to others. This is where the hand-drawn style really started to show its application, other than heading application. As for type refinements, there were forced line breaks, then also the adjustments of the â&#x20AC;&#x153; for the quotes so that the text still lines up within its area.

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yearly report spread 4 This fourth spread was more the setting for the treatment of the rest of the headings, so it was important that i got the right feel for it. The ink work also really helped push the cultural side of the brand into the report as well. The type treatment was very clean in contrast to the heading and as a result the spread works well together. Other refinements were the usual kerning and forced line breaks as well as quote formatting.

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break page & quote spread 5 In the refinement of this layout i was trying to push the headings even further by starting the next pages on the edge of the right page here, in a way to have it wrap around. The ink work then also comes into this spread to keep the continuation of it going. As for other refinement there was the same old kerning and forced enters. Some of these were also just for better reading such as in the last line of the quote.

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accomplishments winning...spread 6 Much more prominently in this spread was the colour experimentation I went through to get it right. There was also the experimentation with the addition of a background or not, which was a not in the end as it was already strong enough as just the type itself. Otherwise its just overload. The type in this layout actually didnt need all that much work, as it flowed pretty well. The clean up was more for little widows or odd litte â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and other little sticky out short words: but, and, for....

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marketing/ products-q&A spread 7 This is where we really see the tag style of ink work coming through. This isnt my normal style so what I found best was to just place something randomly and then avoid editing it too much, as then this really shows the carelessness of the tagger. A gradient is also added to this inkwork to try and replicate the changing strength within a stroke, and im hoping that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t print as an obvious gradient, but rather a subtle difference. To contrast the heading and tag the body copy is very plain and clean, these contrasts between the two opposites seem to work the best. Lastly of course the usual refinements to the type so that everything aligns nicely.

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Q&a continued spread 8 This pages aim was to be a bit plain compared to the others so that it could act as a rest page. The ink then just got placed towards one side. I originally had it horizontal but it make more sense to have it on itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side when considering someone doing a sribble to see if the ink was going. The type was then just cleaned up with alignment, forced enters and removing widows. Then the quotes were just altered in colour and forced entered so that they could be read better.

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spread 9, Financial performance summary

finance spread 9 The real fun stuff, but seriously why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it be a little fun?... so in first applications that was me more so trying to just get it all down together. We then see the introduction of the Be Warned page which brings in the true opinion of the tagger. This also plays on that fact that no one ever likes graphs all that much. The next page was then joined with the balance table, which eventually became one colour with the ink pasted background. This was then dulled down to just the edge being ink style.

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finance Future growth spread I0 This idea was already strong so I knew that it would work out in the end. The real experiment was to dwell with the application of colour to it. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it should be plain so the addition of the colours for the three previous years was applied and the red for the current year. This also supplied some variety within the layout, not to mention introducing the heirarchy of the years. The other addition was then the ink work tag to it, as this is the response i was getting from everyone who saw it i figured why not add the actual comment, and to show that the tagger likes it he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done it over the area. The rest was just some alignment within the graphs, and giving them enough space on either side. The type in this is then just based off the first set of graphs we saw earlier.

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board of directors & company inf0 spread II I knew when i started this layout that i wanted to re-use the triangles to represent each person on the board, and luckily i had enough triangles for each person (with one to spair actually)... the application for the type was then the same as all other layouts, simple and clean, and for these a little thinner. In refinements the type just received some forced enters then the second page was spread into three columns to balance the spread.

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rationale The aim was to be Bring the culture into the report, bring the hand drawn style into the report, keep it professional, clean and readable. This has most definitely been accomplished and accomplished in a really strong contrast to one another. The Body copy is very clear and consisent allowing for strong readability and the flow of information. The headlines and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;taggedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; visuals then really bring the brand into the layout, they are expressive as to what the audinece and business is all about. The colours then work in a similar way by the contrast of red and the pale aqua, to the white and black. The Layouts of the report follow a consistency but not so much that they become boring to look at, as thats one of the last things we want for an annual report. The idea of the report is to provide the right information but also to keep the viewer actually interested, even if the copy is boring as shit. The whole cultural side of this report has really been pushed and the branding, in terms of the vairent logo applications, to the headlines, graphs and ink work together to really hit on

the audiences connection to expression through raw materials and drawing. The roughness of this work also expresses this the best, as when we are most expressive we are commenly messy as a result. Getting into some of the details, The cover being made firstly out of the sand paper that goes on the top of the board to the die cut to the wood, to the fact that the report is a square immedietly stands itself apart from any normal report. Instantly the reader knows they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in for a normal ride. This obviously also has direct connections with the boards and materials that are involved within the brand. Stuff like this really pushes the idea of the experience we as designers are creating for the user. The body copy and type used within sub headings are Helvetica Neue & Baskerville. Helvetica to allow for clear readable type but also to allow the type to be smaller than other typefaces allow. The sub headings then create a professional contrast to the body, these also as a serif stand

out against the clean sans serif and hence become stronger in the heirarchal system adopted. The ink work application is attempting to be visably uncontrolled, and believe this is achieved through the very fact it overlaps items of text and headings, as well as running off the page. These were an item within the design that needed to be uncontrolled otherwise they would look to placed and hence would detach themselves from what they are: Tags. This was a true playon the layouts, and its the difference where in most layouts the ink work ignores the layout alignment and content, but say on the bar graph page it avoids the content and lies nicely above as it is complementing the work, and if its a compliment then obviously the tagger wouldn’t put it over the work/content. In terms of other items we have the headline “Winning on Familiar Turf” which is carried over two pages. This really pushes the idea of the content of the report and shows that it is moveable and not controlled and goverened by rules. Other tools are the break page of

‘BE WARNED’ which preaches a bit of the language and attitude of the brand which just adds that extra element of who the brand is rather than just visually who they are. Lastly the stock of the document is produced in a matt stock which aligns with the magazine style that the audience usually read. This provides the document with a more hardy feel, this also keeps it away from feeling too commercial. It also gives it a more masculine image which the brand aligns to, not as in a bogan way though. Waiting For A Hill has aligned itself not only as a longbaording business but has become part of the culture itself. It is expressive but still consistent, it is adaptable to many styles, it is bold and recognisable. The Annual Report is then clean, professional and readable whist aligning with the brand through the colour, texture, type, materials, graphs, hand-drawn style, ink work and headlines.

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