Research + Updated Brief
What makes a good charity rebrand?
Kate Plummer: What makes a successful rebrand? (civilsociety.co.uk)
Once a charity has decided to rebrand, the process is important. Frontline AIDS conceptualised the rebrand in two phases: development and implementation. In the development phase, the charity interviewed 280 stakeholders, including donors and target donors to measure external perceptions of the brand, and to source ideas about what needed to change. Kelly says the quality of this initial research was “absolutely crucial”.
So, what makes a successful rebrand? The charities are united on it being about strategy. Lawson says: “A good brand should be a reflection of and tool to achieve a charity’s mission. In that way it’s vital – but not for its own sake, and not without the strategy and action to give it substance.”
Kelly agrees. “Too often brands are just about logos and colours and this is where they fail to reap rewards,” he said.
REFLECTION
> This is an interesting brief I've made for myself as it made the new target audience of young people the central focus rather than the charity itself and its goals
> It instead uses the foundation of the charity shop with its outdated aesthetic as a way to learn how to rebrand for my target audience and to learn how to transform the identity of somewhere related to furniture
> Is this the right course or should I be looking to rebrand it for the charity?
> There are many other furniture warehouses that are not necessarily charities that perform the same function in that mostly young people go there but they have had no design made, perhaps it is worth changing to one of these so that the charity aspect is not overseen?
REBRANDS
SUSHI SNOB
Ryan’s initial instinct was to create a branding around the interior design of Kim and Kanye’s family home. “For everyone that’s unaware,” Ryan informs us, “it’s just a pretentious all white home with like zero furniture (goals).” But after looking closer at their home for further inspiration, he became “bored out of [his] mind” and consequently, went with a concept in the exact opposite direction: “loud, obnoxious, playful and borderline annoying.” Collage-heavy and crowded with sushi, ultimately, Ryan’s branding is intended to just make people happy. “I think designers have a tendency to take themselves and their work way too seriously and $U$HI $NOB’s branding is purely meant to make everyone smile,” he finally goes on to say, “And I think it’s working.”
LOFTYS FURNITURE
The shop now stocks the best of Made.com, Swoon editions and John Lewis, amongst others. Innovatively, their stock comes from returns, cancelled orders, overruns and end of range products. These are bought directly from the suppliers and can be purchased in Lofty’s at a sizeable discount.
New stock comes in all the time, and to keep up, people often browse for their next purchases on Lofty’s Facebook and Instagram. Individual customer service is a key part of Lofty’s business model, and Wong is in almost constant communication with his customers over Whatsapp, Instagram and Messenger.
On dry days, the stock is neatly lined up outside in the street, and the pink, blue and mustard velvet sofas and chairs bring an array of colour to Roman Road. When it rains, the stock stays inside the shop and customers can search through the towering piles of carefully balanced furniture to find their next piece.
Wong, who lives in Stepney, has worked at Lofty’s for eight years (the shop has been here for ten), and has very much become integral to the running of the business. ‘We’re thinking about trialling Sunday openings, but I think my partner will kill me! I already work six days a week’ he jokes.
Wong’s sunny attitude must be at least partly to do with why there are so many returning customers. Often, customers buy one thing and then will return the next day or week and buy a whole load more, he explains. Why wouldn’t you? These are high-end products at a high-street price. The only downside is that when something is gone, it is very often gone for good.
Roman Road Market is the perfect location for a shop like this. Wong thinks this is largely because of the huge diversity present in the area. ‘You have all different kinds of people, with all different tastes that congregate in this one area’ he explains.
There is also such a sense of community in the area, and this is something that Wong plays an active part in. ‘Whenever I fancy a cuppa, I just pop next door to Mono cafe, and Adam will bring one straight over to me in the shop.’
> diversity and large audience that comes to this shop: do I follow the facts given about the place and create a better brand for specifically them? Or do I continue with original plan and use it as a foundation for creating a rebrand targeted towards young trendy people
> The latter is a large part of the audience to this shop anyway (pictures of young people at this shop on insta etc.) and so continuing with original plan wouldn't be completely off the mark
> Complete disconnect between the feel of the shop, its audience and the owner with the branding it has
> Tacky, silver faux luxury aesthetic visuals and cursive logo appropriate for older target audiences or younger people who would find this appealing
> Bright colourful furniture pieces in store and what it's known for doesn't reflect this aesthetic or target audience
> Needs to be bright, colourful, bold, contemporary, sleek but full of character and playfulness
> Audience seen in videos on Insta on Highlights very much within the bracket targeted originally
20 to 35 year olds, 'trendy', middle and working class
UPDATED BRIEF
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BA (Hons.) Graphic Design |
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6 |
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STUDIO BRIEF |
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Lofty’s Rebrand |
Module Brief |
OUGD603 Extended Practice |
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Semester |
3 |
Outcomes Assessed |
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Module Tutors |
Amber Smith |
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Brief |
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Rebrand Lofty’s visual identity to be a true reflection of the
warehouse and what it sells and its young adult target audience. |
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Background/Considerations |
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Content Considerations The general target audiences of furniture companies/shops are middle
aged to older individuals who can afford to invest in furniture for their
home. People younger than this age range tend to rent shared properties and
therefore are less likely to buy furniture as furniture is typically
included, and self-bought items are difficult to move between properties.
There are affordable furniture companies that young people do engage with,
such as IKEA, however few furniture companies direct their aesthetic to specifically
appeal to this audience. Research should be done into examples of rebranding and both primary
and secondary research into aesthetics that appeal to the target audience
that are relevant for the subjects of interior design and furniture. The direction
could be experimental, but the products must be coherent and clear within the
visuals. The name of the shop should be kept the same to ensure it can be found
on the map by new customers. Visual identity choices should result from
strong primary research into the target audience and what appeals to them. Alongside
the branding of this company, outcomes should be made to create traction for
Lofty’s rebrand and to expand its presence and therefore consumers. Deliverables include but are not limited to: A Logo An Instagram (min. 6 posts) A Facebook (profile picture + cover picture) 3x Posters/Billboards Website (mock-up) Flyer All printed outcomes should be designed with a low price point in mind
to ensure they could be mass produced by the company. Background Considerations The target audience of this rebrand are young adults, age ranging from 25
to 35 years old, who have an interest in interior design and/or investing in
their space and environment. This includes individuals who are both creative
and academic. This group are predominantly young professionals, living in
rented properties which are commonly partly furnished (just beds and sofas
provided). This group have less money and space to spend on furniture and as
a result look for cheaper, second-hand pieces. This audience are of a range
of ethnicities and backgrounds. |
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Mandatory Requirements |
Deliverables |
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1 OUGD603 blogs documenting development 2 Design Boards 3 Final outcomes 4 Brief evaluation 5 Timetable |
1 Logo, typeface (made or chosen), colour choices, general visual
identity 2 Printed publication (flyer) 3 3x A1 Posters pasted up in student area 4 Brand Guidelines |
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Studio Deadline |
Module Deadline |
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05/04/2021 - 16/04/2021 |
05/05/2021 |
LEAFLET FORMAT POSSIBILITIES
> Also means more designing however and need for more information
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