Studio Brief 02 - Study Task 05 - Practical Research

Contextual Research - 

Coffee Shop North 

Stories Leeds, coffee shop (branding)

The Barn Berlin, coffee shop (branding)

The third wave coffee movement 
http://achillescoffeeroasters.com/what-is-the-third-wave-coffee-movement/

How Starbucks became what it is today 
https://www.fastcompany.com/1777409/how-starbucks-transformed-coffee-commodity-4-splurge


Target Audience Research - 

The geographic location of my target audience is named in my question for my essay, as I am focusing on Leeds so this means will be looking at attracting the creative scene within Leeds. However this does not mean that this is the only sort of people that I am trying to attract, I believe that the sort of person that I am targeting are very prominent in the north of England and people would come from all over to appreciate. The demographic of the audience is wide from about the age of 18 and up to around 60 but that does mean it has to stop there, as the creative industry is the biggest part of the audience and this has people of all ages that have just come to indulge. The interests of the audience also would link nicely into arts, design, fashion, music, food and culture. Most if not all would share the same values of life and even when it comes to subjective topics like politics most can agree. The audience all have appreciation for quality as they like to think about the little things and the value that comes with that.

Name: Hakim Melon 
Gender: Male
Nationality: German
Location: Leeds
Age: 24
Occupation: DJ/Producer
Interests: Music, design, food, coffee, travel

Name: Luke O'Neill
Gender: Male
Nationality: British
Location: Leeds
Age: 45
Occupation: Graphic Designer 
Interests: Design, coffee, music, fashion, film

Name: Jess Walsh
Gender: Female
Nationality: British
Location: Manchester
Age: 21
Occupation: Fashion student
Interests: Music, fashion, art, photography, food

Relevant and related visual research - 

Designing for restaurant/cafe/coffee shop

Design and branding are power tools that brands can use to attract the desired audience that they are looking for. In many cases the better designed places will all attract a similar audience in this case I am referring to like minded creatives. I have found a number of eateries and food companies that use good design to get their desired clientele. 

Dark Woods Coffee roasters (branding)

Dark Woods Coffee is an independent speciality coffee roasters. Dark Woods wanted a brand that would be inclusive rather than exclusive. Roasting coffee that would be loved by the coffee specialist, but also appreciated by the general public. The branding has a good concept which helps to link to it immediate target audience, but it is also appealing to a new comer. All the packing has been designed in a similar way so the brand will become familiar to the consumer, they now sell their products in many independent shops/cafes around Leeds which is helping to grow the awareness of good quality well design products to the area.    

GRIND Coffee London (interior design)

Grind is one of the first independent coffee shops that has shown how it can be done. They have gone from being one shop to now having a small chain that covers most of London, they have been able to build the brand into the chain it has become now. Each shop has similar interior but all suit the target audience but this also means that loyal customers will return to the different branches across the London as they are familiar with the concept and the product. 

Department of Coffee and Social Affairs (branding/merch)

They now have 9 locations in and close to London making them a very recognisable brand for any coffee enthusiast. The branding is seamless throughout the shops, a chain like this is much different to Starbucks and Costa as they are attracting the third wave coffee lover and offering a lot more. For example on their online store they offer coffee lessons as well as this they have merchandise which has been target at the audience (tote bags, t-shirts, mugs and own brand coffee) which all helps the costumer feel part of the brand. 

 

Stories Leeds (Print collateral) 

Stories is a new, independent café in Oakwood, near Leeds which boasts artisan coffee, cold-pressed juice and a locally sourced menu all served in a beautiful, Scandinavian-inspired space. I looked at this as a case study for my essay, but what I can take from this is the use of print collateral, they have used interesting and conceptual ways of using paper from menus, information for food, business cards etc...

Marmadukes cafe Sheffield (using design)

Marmadukes cafe is an independent coffee shop in Sheffield, it inspired by nordic design and way of life, which also helps to attract a particular target audience. Recently they installed a infographic blackboard showing the specialty that they sell this is a great way to interact with with the customers as they know exactly what they are getting and it is also a great way into integrate design into the shop. 

Studio Brief 01 - Essay Research - Dan Saul-Pilgrim Interview

To get a better understanding of the coffee culture in the Leeds area I researched out to Dan Saul-Pilgrim who is the curator of the publication/book Coffee Shop North. 

"The book features photographs by JUSTIN SLEE taken between October 29, 2015 and April 4, 2016, focused on twenty-three coffee shops and roasters across eight northern cities. The book also features essays from twelve contributors, both personal and informative, exploring themes related to coffee and the north."

It was very useful being able to talk to someone with a lot of knowledge about the coffee culture and the way in which they may use design to help benefit the business. I had many questions based on my research question and I was able to chat to Dan about what he thought and he gave me some great answers which I will be able to use to back points that I have made in my essay. 

Notes - 

Subcultures, people who are part of the sub cultures want to be seen in these places so the design influences their choice of coffee shop if you’re attracted to the Kinfolk lifestyle people have certain places that suit them and there opinion of these places is very much supported by the design and the community that comes with each cafe.  

Characteristics, if a place doesn’t have the right character it can feel empty and the business may become unsuccessful as they can’t keep a loyal costumer base. A place could be done up in a certain style but it if it hasn’t got the community and appeal to keep an audience to succeed. 

Budget, its what you can do with your budget a place that has a small budget would have to make the most of what they have available to them to create the best environment for the costumer, and place with a larger budget should use that to to a massive advantage as it will bring them the flexibility to create something new and special that can really make an impact on people. 

Quality over quaintly, its more about the quality of the design that will add value to a cafe if it new and original it will entice people to visit and also come back. 

Trends, does it look cool on social media, are people seeing that I’m going to these places - the design is a massive part of the trends because without it they won’t get the word of mouth that it deserves 

Visual appreciation/aesthetic value 

Purpose, the soul purpose of a coffee shop has changed its not just about the coffee anymore its about the completive market and the way people perceive the place, does it look cool on social media etc. When a place is designed people are thinking more about the community that they will be supporting and but at the end of the day it does boil down to the coffee 

Starbucks are to thank for introduction coffee to a wider audience, a lot of people that are going to independent coffee shops probably started going to Starbucks but soon learnt that places like Laynes existed and it was more appealing to go to a place where you would feel more at home with the style, music, people, food etc… (subcucltures) 

Local business are supporting each other this creates a community - this adds value to the character of a place, places like Starbucks and Costa all have the same interior and design but a small independent place will have quirks that make it more appealing to the right audience (the people who appreciate the better things in life)

Coffee shops in Leeds have to try harder than London. This is because places in London are easy to fill with the amount of people that are there (trendy) but a place like Leeds where there are less trendy around so the coffee shops have to have the visual presence to get not just coffee enthusiasts to visit. So these places have to be welcoming to everyone and you can do this by creating a community and not letting a snobby place, as it is a lot to do with image. 

Balance between aesthetic and quality, to make sure the business can succeed there needs to be a balance between the two otherwise you will loose the costumers either because the coffee is bad or because people might find the place to run down and could be put off by the bad interior/aesthetic 

Integral design from the beginning, bring something new to the scene, location is massively important, different to what people have seen before, budget, first impressions count without these you wouldn’t be able to have a successful business and this would be the downfall of a coffee shop this is why you need to have that balance with everything. 

Studio Brief 01 - Essay Planning/Structure

Introduction - 

- Address the question 
- Why is the question important 
- How will I answer it 
- How is the question relevant to current design trends in the UK

Paragraph 1 - What is design value? 

- What is design?
- The value of design? 
- Why design is used as a business tool? 

Paragraph 2 - How design has added value to ... company? 

- Use quotes to back up why design has been used by large companies
- Evidence how design has been used as a business tool by big brands 
- Use this part of the essay to express the importance of design for businesses

Paragraph 3 -  Leeds

- Why Leeds? 
- Leeds vs London 
- Facts and figures that help explain why Leeds has become the place it is now for design

Paragraph 4 - Laynes Espresso Leeds 

- How have they achieved good design?
- Compare this to larger companies (triangulation) 
- Primary evidence

Paragraph 5 - Stories Leeds 

- How they use design?
- How has it benefited the business?
- Relate back to key texts that will help explain my theory

Conclusion -  

- Review what the points I have made 
- Bring the question to a close 

Studio Brief 01 - Study Task 03 - Define the brief

1. Research question 

For my research question, I will be looking at how graphic design impacts small businesses; but to make it more relevant to me I my research question will be focused on the coffee scene around Yorkshire. This question will allow me to explore a range of disciplines within graphic design for example branding and advertising but not only will it do this it will allow me to evaluate the design scene that I am currently emerging into, which will benefit my personal practice. 

1a. Is it viable 

Yes, there is much to research and I believe that it is a subject that is very relevant to a lot of designers out there. But the way that i am thinking about writing this essay suggests that the theories aren't only relevant to coffee within the north of England it can be applied to any business, but using coffee shops is a good way to contextualise the question.  

2. Defining the design problem

I believe that there is enough scope for me to develop a design problem from the question, the possibilities are varied. Whether it means that I re-brand a coffee shop that has inadequate branding to show the power of design or take elements of a re-brand I will be able to show how powerful design is as a business tool.

3.  Client needs or requirements 

I believe that there are many opportunities to take small coffee shops that have bad design and show how they can use design to better their business, but I would also be able to show any brand real or not can use design to help a business. 

4. Audience 

Through thinking about my research question I believe that my audience for both the essay and the design response would be designers and coffee lovers. As these sort of people will be able to understand the points I am trying to put across.

5. Mandatory requirements

The physical piece of graphic design should be influenced and informed by my essay question and research. There should be a clear correlation between the two.