Project 04: ByAlex

Brief Working alongside designer Alex Swain in order to build an experimental yet, evolving brand identity for the ByAlex furniture range.

My visual promotion will encapsulate the company's existing values of purity and playfulness, whilst projecting a communicational versitility to a range of global audiences.

The series of formats will be catered toward the showcasing of ByAlex furniture at a leading Interior Design fair. The aim is to raise audience awareness of the young and expanding brand.

Christos Kyraicou

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KYR11325896

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FdA DGC Yr02

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Project 04

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Company Brief

Purity & Playfulness: Initial Thoughts

When being introduced to the ByAlex values of purity and playfulness, Dan Tobin Smith’s work for Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 album immediately sprung to mind. Amongst the vastness of my research, I believe that this piece best encapsulates playfulness by constructing an overwhelming

complexity with a variation of items, whilst outlining a simple focus, ‘E’.

Equally, it is pure in contrast and colour, cloaking the clutter in white and decontaminating the unnaturally white objects.

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Out & About

When being immersed in graffitilittered Shoreditch, I discovered the local imagination being poured onto the city walls. In particular, this bold stencil piece conveyed a strong use of dark ink, against the ice white figure of Michelangelo’s ‘David’.

A sculptural treasure, upheld as the icon for male perfection throughout Western Europe.

I intended to translate this artistic approach into the promotional material, in order to build a playful experience for the consumer.

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Existing Brand

During weeks one and two, Alex provided us with a digital brand package, accompanied by information booklets and existing display locations. In order to gain a further understanding of existing promotional tactics,

we visited John Lewis to analyse the display composition.

I found their method particularly cluttered and static. My aim therefore, was to expand the passive space into an interactive arena in order to emphasize the stool’s multi-functional purpose.

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Unto This Last: Behind the Scenes

Whilst in Shoreditch, we visited the Unto This Last workshop with the intention of documenting furniture forms, materials, brand graphics and colour. To our surprise, we were spontaneously inducted into the workshop process behind the store.

As one of By Alex’s competitors, this company upholds a similar brand image and process for exploration. In particular, the compression of quality plight wood sheets within modernist geometric patterns is common

within the furniture design.

This first-hand experience aided my graphical approach to promotion whilst highlighting the possibility of using threedimensional objects.

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Creating an Experience

When searching for purity, I visited Lom Bok (top) and Story Delhi (bottom). Bok’s represents purity through its hand-carved wooden products whilst Delhi creates a relaxing atmosphere whereby kitchen and diner are merged into a casual experience for both chef and

customer. In relation to Tobin Smith’s overwhelming use of white, both venues actualize a similar experience, which I sought to portray within an exhibition space. An almost cloudlike bubble whereby customers are transported into a heavenly environment.

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Case Studies

When dissecting successful brands, I reviewed the balance of playfulness and purity within each, identifying which components signify this.

For instance, Innocent (top) smoothies represent purity by producing freshly squeezed fruit juice, and playfulness by name and angelic logo.

This ‘child-like’ image attracts consumers. Similarly, Dreams (bottom) use pure negative space with minimal colour, to highlight the product, whilst re-creating a naturalistic living space with few clothing items.

I intended to apply this casual relationship between objects within my exhibition.

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Structure & Geometry

I then began observing cocoon-like shapes, coupled with geometric forms. Anish Kapoor’s industrial structures (bottom) are mainly cast from one or two materials to give a naturalistic impression, whilst platonic prisms epitomize mathematical perfection with consistent shape.

These beautiful and exciting structures leave viewers in awe of simplistic yet, complex form. This evokes temptation to interact with an object.

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If ByAlex was...

VW Golf

Guardian

Apple Mac

Country Life

Edwardian Flat

BOSE

uni qlo

Minimal Tech

Fulham F.C.

As this was my first branding project, I struggled to envisage ByAlex’s existing target Double Income No Kids audience. During my first session with Paul Jackson, I was provided with an imaginative grid system, which creates a persona by placing the brand in relation to alternative

purpose brands, which the individual may consume. This gradually builds a mental image via a domino effect. In addition, constantly drafting these grids were challenging and enjoyable.

I related ByAlex to other brands through the colour ‘white’, DINKY price range, and style.

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Analysis & Review

During our third session, the group gathered inspiration from in and around the university, accompanied by accumulated imagery since the beginning. This visual dialogue of multiple perspectives allowed me to select relevant information and creative commonalities before

initiating tangible ideas.

In particular, I planned on maintaining the effectivness of white within the brand, whilst experimenting with angular structures and complimentary colour.

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Initital Ideas

I began by exploring the stool in a serene and naturalistic way. My intention was to portray the object as an animal born within an organic shell structure, transparent for the viewer to observe.

This however seemed to distance the consumer from the product via a barrier of pretentiousness. I then began to experiment with function over form.

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Geocydic Dome

After our review session with Alex, he mentioned the growing demand for miniature versions of a purchased product. Along with geometric experimentation, I created a system whereby the enclosed dome became a furniture-picking tree for customers to select their own colour and type (stool, table, stand).

This would then be handed over to a staff member, who charges the customer, handing over the product, allowing them to keep a model version too.

After presenting my shapes to Tara Hanrahan, I discovered the geometric shape was without purpose.

I then began to consider an improved method, which utilized the threedimensional angular object as a playful ball for consumers to possibly throw or roll.

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Dodecahedron & Isocahedron Experiments

At this point I began to focus on particular geometric shapes. The Great Dodecahedron was the more complex option whilst the Isocahedron was the visualy simplified alternative. Using both shapes, I created several domes in order to calculate size, scale and customer

entry into an experience. I found it particularly enlightening to play with objects as I learnt how each shape works in relation to the net, and how I may utilize these shapes inside. I re-connected this back to the cocoon concept.

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The Play Dome

I then proceeded to develop my ‘game’ idea. The process would involve a triptych series of sports activities on a rotational platform.

The purpose is to metaphorically showcase the multi-functionality of each stool within the home by encouraging participants to interact by throwing, golfing and kicking an

unpredictable prism into a personally arranged A-stool furniture obstacle. Alongside this, I created staff uniforms, lunchbox goodies and special edition trophies to expand the image. This was fully presented to both Alex and the ByAlex

marketing manager.

Upon my feedback, Alex urged me to build an architectural model in order to define the game in detail, coin a tag line, and create a promotional poster.

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Final Promotional Material

play geometry.

After a second session with Tara, I decided to choose the Icosahedron.

The dodecahedron was an overcomplicated object, which was aesthetically most pleasing however; the simpler created a more functional interior for my ‘game’ idea. I have displayed an initial draft of the

Dodecahedron at the top of the previous page, and found that the three-quarter shape was disproportionate to the surface area therefore, creating an odd life-size scale. I created a simple blue graphic, which represents ‘Play Dome’. The central shape

is the ball and the circles represent each mystery game. I applied this to the poster, packaging and special edition chair.

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Final Modelling

I arrived at this final paper model through a series of trial and error.

I decided to convert the closed dome into an open space. This exposed the game idea as a more inviting activity as opposed to an elitist secrecy.

Additionally, I most enjoyed calculating all complications within a

three-dimensional space, as it was a new challenge for me.

I considered other materials such as wood or card however, it was fairly expensive to laser cut and card was not a flexible material which could easily be available in white.

Conclusively, I chose a flexible, yet efficient three hindered ml paper, which reflected my learning process.

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