Week 1 – w/c 03/12/18

Introduction to Field

This morning we had a lecture on what our next project is, here we will work with two other disciplines: Fashion Design and Textiles, to develop a product and learn a new set of skills from each course.  It was in this talk where we were briefly informed on what we needed to complete in order to submit for this brief, a sketchbook, a set of developed models and a group presentation.  We were also made aware of what the other disciplines would be completing, allowing us to see how we could utilise different parts of the other subjects.

Ice Breaker

After the talk had finished we then got into our field groups, consisting of roughly 6 people.  Here we got to know the other students that we would be working with on this project and got to know them.  After this me and the other product designers in my group gave a tour of the facilities which we were able to use and explained how to use some of the machines.  The other students then did the same, showing us their own studio spaces as well as some of their work and the machines which we could use.

Style/Brand Discussion

After having a tour of the facilitates which we would be able to make use of later in the project, we started to talk about our brand Supreme.  We discussed the brands style and features.

Understanding the Brand and its Identity

Metaphor Gestalt

After briefly looking at some of the products which Supreme market and sell, me and the other product design students in my group, as well as the textiles student completed a metaphor Gestalt.  Here we were given 12 categories, such as colour, fruit and hairstyle, which we had to think of what our brand (Supreme) would be if it was one of these.  This got us to develop more of an understanding of what Supreme is as a brand, in relation to its aesthetic, form and influences.  For example, if Supreme was a building or piece of architecture it would be industrial New York brick apartment, as it is an urban and streetwear brand, which expensive to obtain.

Song Choice

We also had to come up with a song with represented Supreme, and so we chose ‘Boom! Shake the room’ by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.  We picked this song as it is an old-school hip-hop track, which would have been the type of music those who made Supreme what is today would have listened to.  It also had a rebellious aspect which is a trait typically associated with the skater community, as skating often involves breaking rules in order to skate in certain places.

Persona

To focus ourselves on a set target market we went about filling in a target market persona.  As Supreme’s main demographic is skaters and hip-hop heads, which is stated on their website, we decided for our target market persona to be a skater, named Adam Williams.  He lives in the centre of a city, has a keen interest in his own appeal, works as a shop assistant and has support from his parents to afford/sustain his hobby of buying expensive clothes.  To accompany this, we drew an image to give a rough idea of what he might look like.

Word Association

We then had to come up with multiple adjectives that described Supreme’s identity and style, first the whole class come up with some based on their perceptions of the brand, and then our group who were specifically designing for Supreme added to these.