lecture 1 - research and analysis
TRANSCRIPT
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.
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.
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 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.