Study Task 06 - Establishing the Requirements of Practical Investigation

What is practice-based research?

Practice-based research is a form of research methodology that uses "practice," alongside other forms, as a means of discovering or generating knowledge. While the emphasis is still very much on establishing a critical understanding of the issue, practice-based research acknowledges the role of making and visual communication in establishing this understanding

Selected essay/research question:

“What is the relationship between branding and The Consumer Self?"

Approach to Practical Investigation 

Techniques: Branding / Visual Identity production.

Content: Identified brand strategies put into practice via branding.

Communication / Message: Identifying the brand strategies of a successful brand can assist the creation and success of a new brand or re-brand of an established identity.

Research/Analysis: Primary research via critiques and questioning // Secondary research to inform and proving understanding of project being undertaken.

Exploration / Evaluation: Critiques, self evaluation and analysis of design decisions.


Rationale 

The question I am looking to provide an answer(s) to via practical investigation is “What is the relationship between branding and The Consumer Self?" It is my aim to identify the dynamic of this relationship and its complexity, defining the dynamic between brands and the consumer to detail the contributing factors that keep the relationship at a perpetual state of to and fro between both parties involved (marketers and consumers). The contexts of my research will focus primarily on brand strategy and perception, as well as elements of consumerism and lifestyle. I plan to use books, reputable internet sources and opportunities to receive feedback to inform and progress the work being untaken/practically investigated. The  practical work will aim to demonstrate the strategies and notions detailed in the essay through putting them into practice to design a new visual identity/change an existing identity.

Study Task 05 - Planning and Structuring an Essay

Below is a preliminary plan documenting my initial thoughts for the essay structure and content:

Question:

• “What is the relationship between branding and The Consumer Self?"

Sources:

• Olins, W. (2003) Wally Olins: On Brand. London: Thames and Hudson.
• Miles, S. (1998) Consumerism: As a way of life. New York: Sage.
• Millman, D. (2011) Brand Thinking And Other Noble Pursuits. New York. Sky horse Publishing.
• Holt, D. B. (2004) How Brands Become Icons. Boston, Mass. Harvard Business School Press.

Potential Work for Analysis: 

My proposed work for analysis in the essay comes from Adidas. One of the most famous sports brands and visual identities thanks to its distinct three-stripe brand-mark, this brand has a copious amount of characteristics and strategies to be identified and analysed. 

Essay Structure

Introduction - 200 words - Establishing thesis.

Posing the question as to what brands are to be considered in the present and in contemporary design practices and how they are to be potentially interpreted regarding their relationship with the consumer. What are brands capable of and why?

Point One - 400 words - Brands Represent Identity.

Exploration and analysis of the notion that the consumer uses brands as a utility to self-define and project to others. 

Point Two - 400 words - Consumers decide which brands will succeed.

Exploration and analysis of the viewpoint that consumers decide which brands will succeed rather than the designers manipulation of their knowledge of the consumer and associated habitual traits.

Point Three - 400 words - The key to a successful brand is emotion and social content.

Exploration and analysis of the effect of social and emotional contexts placed within brands and how this affects the consumer. 

Point Four - 400 words - The future of brands.

Exploration and analysis of the predictions and forecasts of the future of branding and the relationship  between designers and the consumer. 

Brand Analysis - 700 words - Adidas

Exploration and analysis of identified characteristics and strategies of the brand and how they have resulted in the sport retailer's success.

Conclusion - 300 words -  Answering the question.

Concluding the points made throughout the essay to define the relationship between branding and the consumer. 

Peer Feedback:

Explore each of the adidas logo/identity variations and what each of them mean in relation to the brand and its strategies.