PORTFOLIO
INTRO I was born and raised in Dallas, TX, a cultural hub for great cuisine, art, and events. While growing up my parents noticed I had a very creative side at a young age, and placed me in several different creative outlets such as dancing, ice skating, art class, and more in order to shape and enhance my creativity. After experimenting with different avenues in the arts, I found interest in fashion which led me to Savannah College of Art & Design. From there I gained knowledge about all the different fields that fashion has to offer from fashion design, to public relations, forecasting, and more. After four years of study, I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Marketing & Management. I am eager to bring my skill set in brand management and development, layout design, and visual merchandising to add to the success of a company in the industry.
INDEX OVERVIEW
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CAPSTONE Description Collateral Website Report
8 10 12 14
ECOLOGY Description Products Brand Identity
16 18 20
GAIA Description Flats Report
22 24 28
GRDN Description Interior Inspiration Store Design
30 32 34
LUSH Description Floor Plan Layout
36 38 40
RED CLOVER Description Flats Layout
42 44 46
THE ORDINARY Description Wine Bottle Print Ad Coaster
48 50 51 51
TREND BOOK Description Layout
52 54
UNIQLO Description Infographics Report
56 58 60
URBAN UNDERGROUND Description 62 Website 64 CONTACT
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OVERVIEW BRAND
LAYOUT
RETAIL
BRAND This portfolio includes several projects that consist of me either developing a brand or updating a current brand in the industry in order to improve the company’s brand identity. My process often starts by determining the customer and then ideas branch out from there. With the customer as the starting point, I believe the rest of the brand development comes naturally.
LAYOUT Creating a visually pleasing report is just as important as the content in it. This is done by including infographics, charts, and other key visuals. Layout design deals with the arrangement and style treatment of elements on a page, This concept involves using intelligence, creativity, and sentinence. Creating an effective page layout includes combining the right type, the right images, and the right placement of each of these.
RETAIL With the growing popularity of e-commerce and m-commerce shopping, I believe building an effective in-store experience is more important than ever. Brands are beginning to see a decline in in-store traffic, while online traffic is on the rise. In this portfolio I have included floor plan layouts and concept stores that provide an inviting environment for customers to enjoy.
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CAPSTONE For my Capstone project I wanted to display my skills in brand management in order to apply for a brand specialist position at the renowned fashion retailer, Gap Inc. After much research I was able to provide a company overview, financial analysis, SWOT analysis, as well as identify Gap’s top competitors. I also performed a full analysis of the brand where I identified the advantages and disadvantages that Gap currently suffers from and how they can be improved. I found that the area that needed the most improvement was Gap’s brand image. I decided on updating their logo to have a more modern, fashion-forward aesthetic, along with their website, and branding collateral.
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COLLATERAL
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WEBSITE
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REPORT
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ECOLOGY I worked with a team in order to develop a brand that could be a possible vendor for Working Class Studio, a product development venture for Savannah College of Art & Design. Choosing to focus on eco-friendly travel accessories, I came up with the name Ecology which is defined as the science of studying the earth, and environment. With this name we hope to encourage consumers and others to make environmentally responsible purchasing decisions. Not only did we work to develop a brand, but we also performed intensive market research on the travel accessories industry, as well as analyzing consumer demographics and psychographics. This project also included the development of a press kit, advertising campaign, tech packs, and cost sheets.
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PRODUCTS
Attachable Passport Holder
Out of Shape Luggage Tag
Asymmetrical Toiletry Bag
Get A Head Neck Pillow
Asymmetrical Laundry Bag
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BRAND IDENTITY
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GAIA For this project I worked with a team in order to develop a line of fashion-forward sustainable sportswear. The bulk of this project consists of a sustainability report covering the mission of our brand along with thorough research on the sportswear industry, and sourcing sustainable materials to use in the production of our line. We came up with the name Gaia which derives from the ancient Greek goddess who was mother of all, creator and giver of birth as well as the entire universe. In addition to the logo and layout, I designed a preview of the garments that would be included in the Gaia collection.
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FLATS Adorea Asymmetrical Blouse
Canova Draped Cardigan
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Marsa Tank
Keva Slouch Jacket
Eucharis Dolman Top
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FLATS Ruima Skort
Neone Legging
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Vrba Vest Dress
Zreda Jumpsuit
Sirra High Waist Pant
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REPORT
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GRDN My inspiration for this project derived from observing the many luscious gardens found in Savannah, Georgia. After seeing the variety of plants that inhabit the city I developed a concept brand called GRDN, for which I decided to develop a store for. I wanted the mood in the store to combine a rustic yet urban environment inviting city dwellers to come in and experience the wonders that plants have to offer. Although the exterior has exposed concrete walls, the plants hanging from the terrace above soften the exterior. The interior features the same theme with distressed concrete floors recycled wood lined walls contrasted with the lush surroundings of the decor and products.
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INTERIOR INSPIRATION
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STORE DESIGN
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SHELF DISPLAY
VERTICAL GARDEN
TREE TRUNK TABLES
LAPTOP/REGISTER
PLANTS
PLANTS
WORKSHOP TABLE
RUG
SINK TREE TRUNK TABLES
DISPLAY TABLE FLOATING CANDLES
SHELF DISPLAY
SHELF DISPLAY
SHELF DISPLAY
LUSH A team and I worked together to develop a pop-up shop for an established brand of our choice. After intensive brainstorming, we chose the natural cosmetics brand, Lush. While Lush has had success in a variety of markets worldwide, it has yet to create a pop-up shop. As a group we decided to create a traveling shop in the form of a double-decker bus that will travel across the country, starting in Manhattan, New York and ending in the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco, California. For this project I designed the layout of the presentation as well as researching market information and developing consumer profiles. In addition I also designed the floor plan of the shop to create an inviting place for customers.
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FLOOR PLAN
Zone 1: Entry/Welcome area Zone 2: Product display area, equipped with iPads for checkout Zone 3: Make-up bar & consultation
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Zone 1: Seating area, Product videos Zone 2: Product display area, Equipped with iPads for checkout Zone 3: Demonstration center
LAYOUT
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RED CLOVER For this project I worked as Director of this project with a team of people in order to create a style guide for Red Clover. Red Clover, a local boutique in Savannah, Georgia, was kind enough to lend us merchandise from their store in order to create this book. After looking through the products offered at Red Clover, I noticed that the overall style of the clothing and accessories had a southern charm to them. Thus, providing the inspiration for the style guide by creating a story of a typical day in Savannah. I chose popular locations in Savannah where city dwellers often spend their time. The book starts out with a trend forecast and mood board, along with showing a typical day in Savannah.
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FLATS Robin Print Blouse
Scalloped To the Finish Shorts
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Printed Shorts
Coral Reef Dress
Peplum Tank
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LAYOUT
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THE ORDINARY This was an another personal project of mine, where I chose to develop branding material for The Ordinary. The Ordinary is a Southern seafood restaurant, located in Charleston, South Carolina. The restaurant is known for its famous oyster bar along with other prime dishes. Their aesthetic is very clean and minimal yet they use a cursive script like font for their logo. For this project I decided to strengthen their identity by creating branded coasters and wine bottles. In addition, I also created a print newspaper ad for the restaurant as well.
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BRANDING
TREND In the development of this project I worked with a team in order to predict upcoming lounge wear trends for the spring/summer 2015 season. We chose to focus on lounge wear for our forecast since we noticed a shift in lounge wear becoming more wearable outside the house as well. For this trend forecast we chose to predict prints which include: minerals, Geo-graphics, and maps. In addition we also anticipated an influx of volume and texture for the upcoming season. This trend book was created in order to show my abilities to work with a group and develop trends for upcoming fashion seasons through research and analysis. My responsibilities also included designing the layout for the book as well.
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LAYOUT
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UNIQLO This report discussed how the global fashion retailer, UNIQLO can take the strategic initiative to use Affdex technology in order to improve their marketing strategies and thus their return on investment. Affdex software uses web-cam devices such as computers, mobile phones, and tablets in order to measure the viewers emotional interest in the video content being displayed. With the use of this technology UNIQLO can also create a better omni-channel experience for their customers as well. This project displays my ability to design Infographics, charts, and other data as well as my skill set in designing reports.
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INFOGRAPHICS
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REPORT
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URBAN UNDERGROUND Urban Underground is a concept brand I developed with a team that combines vintage aesthetics with a modern edge. For this brand we developed mood boards and examples of products of what the brand would sell. In addition, I designed an concept ecommerce site where customers would be able to go and shop for products offered by Urban Underground as well as learn more about the brand itself. I included an “About Us” page, “Home” page, and”Look book” page as to what the viewer would see if the website was real. I also designed the logo for Urban Underground as well.
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WEBSITE
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CONTACT EMAIL: ndrain92@gmail.com PHONE: 469.223.2931
LET’S CONNECT! behance.net/ndrainportfolio
linkedin.com/in/nicoledrain
issuu.com/nicoledrain/docs/
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