ISTD - 10 things you should know about...

Re-writing the brief 

The brief
You need to produce an outcome that covers the title '10 things you should know about artists'. This category should look into 10 separate areas that cover the topic of fashion designers.

Background
You need to look into current trends as well as Autumn/Winter shows for 2012, gathering a collection of reports, as well as research specific just to that designer (biography). A selection of ten designers will need to be made, keeping in mind that your target audience will probably know a lot about particular designers already. You will therefore need to consider looking into emerging designers, as well as graduates, and how they will inform your audience.

Considerations
Format and size need to be considered, including print and web-based outcomes.
If the audience has an interest in fashion, or are currently studying the subject, then they may know quite a bit about designers that are evidently 'big' in the fashion industry. You must therefore consider looking into emerging designers, as well as graduates, and how these could inform their work much more than 'the usual suspect' would.
Where will you gather your information from? What types of websites and magazines are you wanting to look into? Do you need to talk to fashion students in order to find out more?

Target audience
Predominantly female audience as you will be looking into womenswear, however, this doesn't mean men won't be interested
18 - 30 year olds
Those with an interest or current study in fashion, looking for reference

Tone of voice
Tone of voice may be dependent on particular designer. Should be able to make connection with audience on a personal level whilst still staying professional.

Mandatory requirements
Research and development on appropriate blog
Strategy
Specifications
Prototypes
Presentation
Boards

Deliverables
Print and web - collection of lookbooks and web based outcome

Individual feedback

- In terms of the final outcome, will there be a history of the designer? Where and how does this fit into a lookbook?
- Good idea of creating a lookbook but you van put your own spin on it and make it slightly different to normal
- Good idea - like the restrictions of the brief, will be good to see final outcome
- Good specific age range, think about 30+
- What is the intention of the brief? To persuade people to buy from a designer or to educate about them?
- Will you take a laid back approach or do you want it to be a formal end result?
- Where will the product be sold, how does this relate to the target audience?
- Will the images be photography based or illustrative?
- What are you thinking the web-based product could be? A website, mobile phone app, video or internet?
- Consider how you will connect with the audience, maybe research how products similar to this appeal to your target audience: what is popular? what is unsuccessful?

Presentation feedback

1.
- Good to highlight emerging designers - would benefit fashion students
- Research the target audience
- Good restrictions
- What format? 10 whole books? How many pages?

2.
- Although you've said you hadn't thought about it for too long, you didn't have to worry, it was really good!
- It was clear, well thought out and will have a definite contextual purpose
- Especially because target audience is clearly specified idea, it's perfectly tailored towards them
- Clear categories
- Tone of voice is appropriate
- Considered format

3.
- Target audience is specific but still broad - an 18 year old be interested in different style to 30 year old
- Appeal to all styles?

4.
- 10 lookbooks is a nice idea
- Maybe used a range of well known and up and coming designers
- Why just women's wear? Cuts out a lot of your audience but this may be appropriate
- Nice interpretation of the brief
- More research needed and applied to a specific audience
- Format already decided and considered tone

Five things you still don't know
1. Where the product will be distributed
2. Whether or not the content will focus on illustrative or photographical/digital images
3. The chosen designers - will there be sub divisions in these sub divisions?
4. Specific target audience? Should it be broken down even further?
5. Need to find out who people would like to see as part of this project - graduates, currents students, established designers

Five ways audience may come into contact with your work
1. At fashion events/shows
2. Through university
3. As a reference book
4. As part of a zine
5. Online community
6. Social networking/word of mouth
7. Clothing stores

Five problems to be solved/why
1. Who is your target audience? Who needs to know this information? - needs to be defined, determines content, aesthetics, distribution
2. What is it's purpose? To inform? Educate? Entertain? - no purpose, no point
3. What designers will you pick? Where do people's interests lie? Fashion students already know the ins and outs of main labels - how could you inform their work depending on who you pick?
4. Where will your research come from? - info needs to be current, on-trend, talk to fashion students, see what they want, make it well-informed
5. Will each category have a further ten sub divisions e.g. 10 facts, 10 images - keep continuity and categorisation, keep it organised