Lecture 1 - Research and Analysis

Design for Production

Sangeeta Jain

Lecture 1:

Before we start designing, let us understand what

is a design? What is designing all about? And for

whom do we design?

And also let us get to know the team! What is

team work? What is a team project?

Also not to forget…lets plan our plan today!

What is Designing?

Designing is the process and art of combining text and graphics and communicating a message effectively through any type of visual communication.

The Process of Designing

Problem Statement

Research

Analyzing

Planning

Execution

Evaluation/Testing

No hurdle, no problem just a goal!

Problem Statement:

The problem statement need not be seen as a

hurdle but also an opportunity and/or vision for

growth or expansion of the scale or scope of

business.

It is a concise description of the issues that need

to be addressed by a problem solving team

before they try to solve the (design) problem.

Problem Statement:

The Problem Statement helps to clarify the current situation and its severity.

When problem statements are well written, people readily grasp and understand what you’re trying to accomplish.

The problem is a paragraph or more in length. It describes the problem you are aiming to solve.

Examples:

A company designing and manufacturing educational games have recently found that sales of its games have fallen.

A bank has been successful in reaching their targets for savings accounts and now want to extend their range of services to customers.

A local supermarket has recently been getting complaints about the packaging of shampoos.

Research:

Research:

Ernst Keller (1891-1968) was a titan in the pantheon

of great Swiss graphic designers. According to

Keller, the solution to a design problem should

emerge from its content.

This is where research steps in…Advertising

research is the process of systematically gathering,

analyzing and interpreting data pertaining to a

company's market, customers and competitors.

Research includes…

Information Gathering about the company and

the product(s)/service(s)

Target Audience

Competitors

Target Audience:

A target audience is a section of the population

that is identified as likely to be most interested in

buying or being associated with a product. The

characteristics that identify a particular group are

called Demographics.

Demographics include age, education level,

family size, household income, etc.

Existing Competitors:

Competitor is the one who competes with

another, as in sports or business; a rival.

Competitiveness is the inclination to compete.

New Competitors:

The most common sources of new competitors are:

Companies competing in a related product/market

Companies using related technologies

Companies already targeting your prime market segment but with unrelated products

Companies from other geographical areas and with similar products

New Competitors:

The entrance of new competitors is likely when:

There are high profit margins in the industry

There is unmet demand in the industry

There are no major barriers to entry

There is future growth potential

Competitive rivalry is not intense

Analysis

Analysis:

Analysis is a systematic examination and evaluation of data or information, by breaking it into its component parts to uncover their interrelationships.

It helps to uncover and understand cause-effect relationships, thus providing basis for problem solving and decision making.

The insights gained from the analysis can lead to design concepts too!

Analysis:

The target audience analysis can help understand existing customers and also identify potential customers.

Analysis helps to set realistic targets and develop effective design strategies.

Competitor analysis is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors.

Target Audience Analysis:

Age

Gender

Education

Job function

Skills

Language

Culture

Background knowledge

Needs and interests

Competitor Analysis:

Define your industry - scope and nature of the industry

Determine who your competitors are

Determine who your customers are and what benefits they expect

Determine what the key success factors are in your industry

Rate each competitor on each of the key success factors

Sum up overall strength of each competitor relative to each other and to your brand

Planning:

Planning:

An advertising plan is a detailed outline that

directs a company's advertising effort.

It includes planning the following:

Creative Strategy

Media Strategy

The Budget

The Action Plan

Planning:

Creative Strategy: A creative strategy is an

outline of the message to be communicated by an

advertising campaign, the audience and the tone.

Media Strategy: Media strategy is a plan by an

advertiser for bringing advertising messages to

the attention of consumers through the use of

appropriate media. In this class, you may choose

to design for the print or the electronic media.

The Mediums include:

Advertising in magazines

Advertising in national newspapers

Advertising on television

Poster advertising

Direct mail

Exhibitions

Merchandising and point of sale

Advertising through the Internet

Mobile Communications

Planning:

The Budget: A budget is the money a company sets

aside to pay for designing and advertising.

The Action Plan: An action plan/Gantt chart is a

graphic representation of a project’s schedule,

showing the sequence of tasks, which tasks can be

performed simultaneously and the most critical tasks

to monitor. The plan/chart can be used for an entire

project or for a key phase of a project.

Execution:

Execution:

Execution is the actual implementation of all the above mentioned steps. No execution, no result!

The process of designing is a vicious circle. After implementation of design, there is the testing/evaluation phase in which clients and designers both can determine/measure the success of the design and/or advertising campaign.

For whom do we design?

Brand and Brand Name:

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any

other feature that identifies one seller's good or

service as distinct from those of other sellers.

A brand name is a name or symbol that identifies

a seller's goods or services and differentiates

them from the products of competitors.

Teamwork

Teamwork:

Teamwork is "work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole" .

Almost all the designs that we see around us are a effort of team work. So it is important to know what skills are needed to work competently in a team and how to interact with clients.

By working in groups you gain experience and understanding about how tasks are often undertaken in the workplace. The successful completion of a group assignment usually means that you have acquired many very important skills, particularly communication, analytical and interpersonal skills, which are highly valued in the industry. The capacity to listen, question, persuade, respect the opinions of others, help, share and participate is of lifelong value.

Benefits of Teamwork:

Problems solving: A single brain can’t bounce different ideas off of each other but in a team that can be done.

Accomplish tasks faster: When people work together they can complete tasks faster by dividing the work to people of different abilities and knowledge.

Everyone has unique qualities: Every team member can offer their unique knowledge and ability to help improve other team members.

Healthy competition: A healthy competition in groups can be used to motivate individuals and help the team excel.

Basic Elements of effective team work:

Get to know your team/group

Establish guidelines

Clarify assignment requirements

Identify skills

Implement the plan

Assessment Task 1:

Your first task is for the two of you to form into a working group. Next jointly select a product from mashable.com

Research both the product and the company, target audience, existing and potential competitors as discussed above.

Analyze your findings and prepare a design proposal that will meet the client’s requirements.

Develop a schedule for the implementation of the proposed plans.

Assessment Task 1:

The assessment task will be submitted in the

form of a project proposal written as a word

document. It will include proposed concepts

(with a rationale), tentative visual style,

description of print/online media to be

considered.

Weight: 25%

Due Date: Week 4