My practical project is successful in taking a relevant topic developed and discussed as part of my research essay and exploring this in a practical concept. Taking the concept of the self and how the consumer brand relationship works to exploit users into the ideology that if they buy certain products then these product qualities will be transferred onto their individual sense of self therefore attributing the lifestyle associated of the product to represent themselves to the world. Identifying water as the most appropriate product to brand as it is widely available for free yet we pay for bottled water. There is little alteration that can be done to water to make it superior except filtration therefore a large part of the success of luxury water brands comes from its identity and social connotations. This ensured a viable direction to explore the role of a brand within the a product field. My aim was to produce a luxury water brand that would appeal to a status-orientated target audience to attribute the connotations of the brand onto their individual sense of self.
The process of research and development greatly informed my final outcome, basing the source of the water from Austria, a country synonymous with mountainous lakes and skiing (a middle class activity) created instant luxurious connotations of purity and travel. The name of the brand was cleverly developed using the german word for pure 'REIN' as this is the native language of Austria. This is a homophone of 'rain' creating natural and humous connotation with the sound of the word as when ordering at a restaurant etc the customer will as for 'rein water' sounding like 'rain water'.
I have embedded the Austrian heritage within the aesthetic of my design taking inspiration from vintage travel posters from Austria using the similar woodblock type within my branding. This is further extended using body copy developed from an Austrian type foundry creating more contextual links back to the origins of the brand. Developing the logo it was suggested to create custom logotype therefor making it unique to the brand and easily identifiable, which will appeal to the status oriented target audience. I elongated the typeface to complement the form of the bottle used within the packaging, extended the tracking to present a less condensed aesthetic and thinned the weight of the original typeface to make the logotype feel more airy and natural.
From this I then created a small introduction to the brand guidelines, critically aware this would be far more extensive if used commercially, I created a simple variation acting as a brand guideline overview poster that would be placed on the wall of the design studio for quick reference, which they would then be directed to the ore detailed multipage document where appropriate. The use of brand guidelines ensures consistency across the product suit and builds a strong brand reputation that will become easily identifiable to its audience through the use of the established generic conventions developed through the consistency of the brand guidelines.
The bottle is the single most important aspect of the practical project as it acts as the tangible object discussed in my research essay that will connect the user to the brand. It will be the bottle that provides the audience with the means to transfer the connotations of the brand onto their individual sense of self my being associated with the product. I was extremely happy with the outcome of the bottle using a range of different college resources and processes that required efficient time management skills in order for these elements to succinctly come together. The use of high quality materials such as glass and aluminium immediately suggest a high quality and exclusive brand that justifies a higher price point as opposed to its plastic bottle competitors. The design of the bottle works particularly well with the type accentuating the large x-height and thin weight. The wrap around logo appeals to the status orientated audience as it can be seen from all angles making it easy to attribute the user with the connotations of the brand. Sandblasting the text into the glass makes it re-usalbe and a significantly higher quality than a vinyl sticker appealing to the brands luxury nature.
Following the production of the bottle I considered its marketing and advertising structures. Placing the product in luxurious hotel mini-bars such as Sandy Lane, Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton creates a sense of instant luxury and travel, extending upon this allowing the product to be sold in only exclusive stores such as Harvey Nichols, John Lewis and Harrods further extends these luxurious connotations reinforcing the brand as prestigious. Creating a marketing buzz around the product could come from sponsoring appropriate events such as Wimbledon as this is a pinnacle sporting competition that would work well with the brands ethos. Spooning the VIP hospitality tent would attribute the product to celebrities through the use of posed pictures and red carpet backdrops that would create an air of exclusivity around the product.
Finally taking inspiration from apples adverting strategies to promote a lifestyle as opposed to a product, I referenced their minimal aesthetic which also reinforces the form and aesthetic of the bottle, the minimal design translated across the branding, bottle and adverting allows the individual user to place their own interpretations on the brand making it more of a individual consumer-brand relationship.
Overall I am happy with my practical response to the brief, I feel I have created a substantial body of practical work that effectively communicates and understands the concepts discussed within my research essay. My response is appropriate in terms of its concept and execution utilising high quality materials and complex design processes to create a luxury prototype that rivals professional production methods and encompasses the understanding of the consumer brand relationship and practically implements this into a specific marketplace.
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