Progress Crit 29/04/09

This afternoon I had a group crit to discuss the latest, and final brief we want to do as part of our FMP. We were to go along with a written brief, which didn't have to be final, and initial ideas with a clear direction of where we might want to go with it.

The brief I've decided I want to do is the one I discusses with Justin just before the Easter break. To produce an identity and appropriate promotional material for a confectioners. A confectioners completely made up, in a location of my choice etc. It's not a rebranding brief.

I want to come up with a name, create an identity, and from there create the shop signage, a business card, letterhead, promotional leaflet or postcard, a carrier bag, a design for the receipts, a proposal for a webpage, point of sale/shelf labels, an idea for the uniform and then proposals for some packaging. For example, sweets jars, the paper bags you put sweets in.
Not 100% what I'll be producing for the packaging, as I want to do a bit more research, both looking in books, but also visiting existing confectioners. Especially in York down the Shambles and one I've come across in Pateley Bridge (North Yorks).

I would like to focus mainly on the old traditional confectioners as part of my research. Looking at how typography was composed, the colours they used and other old trends that were functional but are now forgotten about.

The other side to this brief, that I'm not focussing on too much, but is there in the design process when it comes to it, is sustainability. So that it links with my SOI proposal along with working with type, layout and print. But this isn't going to play a huge role, I'm going to go as far as 'Unpackaged' (see previous post), it's just going to play a part when it comes to printing onto recycled paper and limiting the amount of packaging I decide to work with.

Anyways, the crit went well. Took a while to get going and for people to understand where I was coming from, but that was probably down to me not explaining it as well as I could have.

Some feedback I got was..
- have a look at retrosweetshop.com
- as well as having an organic feel to the print stuff, also consider organic produce as a selling point
- Keep it simple, don't over complicate it!
- Look back at how confectioners used to function. Mimic it. i.e sweets covered in flour, the ways in which it was measured etc.
- Consider a floor plan, have different sections for different kinds of products.
- Look at the market now, in competition with posh chocolate shops or somewhere like Woolies. Woolies shutting has made a huge gap in the market.
-Play around with different ideas.

So the next step for me is researching. Visiting some confectioners, in York, Leeds, Harrogate etc. Find old traditional ones, try and get photos and samples to bring home.
Alongside that, look in retail books, see what's going on already in the industry.

I'd better crack on with it then...