Colour Research for 2015

Colour in Trend Research

So right now I am researching the colours that will be 'in season' in 2015, I am researching 2015 because I would rather be ahead of my time than current and I believe it could give my concept a longer life in the limelight by grabbing attention for longer. 

According to the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, 

The spring of 2015 will move towards the cooler and softer side of the colour spectrum. 

'An ethereal mix of understated brights, pale pastels and nature-like neutrals take centre stage as designers draw from daydreams of simpler times. Remembrances of retro delights, folkloric and floral art, and the magical worlds of tropical landscapes restore a sense of well-being as we head into warmer months.' -from the web page.. 

  

http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/?season=spring&year=2015&pid=11

The top 10 colours listed are;

*Aquamarine

cool, calming, ethereal, watery feeling, makes us feel rested, stress reducer

*Scuba Blue

cool, more playful, vibrancy, exotic paradise, escape

*Lucite Green

has not been around recently, but is creeping its way back in, retro feeling, minty glow, light in weight, transparent feel

*Classic Blue

anchor colour in spring, faithful, strong, dependable, reliable colour that is eternal and enduring, creates background for all other colours

*Toasted Almond

suntanned neutral, comforting, warm, timeless, versatile, organic, natural feeling, authenticity, toes in sand kind of shade

*Strawberry Ice

warming, healing, charming, also cooling, pinks throw a wonderful on skin in spring and summer

*Tangerine

oranges have been around in the last few seasons, spontaneous, softer, cooler, playful and tangy

*Custard

sweet, sunny, cheerful, pleasant, relaxing, good feeling, subtle, easy disposition

*Marsala

one of the foundation colours like classic blue, strength, confidence, stability, natural earthiness, excitement of wine.

*Glacier Gray

cooling, neutral colour, unobtrusive, contrasts and yet enhances all other colours, truly natures most perfect neutral colour. grey makes us think of rock, sediment and things that are dependable, strong, confident, relaxing and constant and peaceful.

And the rest are;

*Dusk Blue 

*Treetop

*Woodbine

*Sandstone

*Titanium

*Lavender Herb

I am going to take these colours and try not to stray from them for a while.. I think that if I stick to these colours, it will not only give me a decent colour pallet to try working with (something I haven't done yet), but also.. I'll be in fashion in spring 2015 lol. 

Video Research

What I've Been Watchin'..

So while I'm researching for my brief, any spare time I get I'll watch a documentary, short clip, interview etc.. to gain even more knowledge of the blues and Robert Johnson. I'm also doing this to gain a better understanding of how things were around the time that Johnson was alive, and to feed details and information into my brain so that I can better establish a more detailed and convincing concept for my work. 

Heres a song to enjoy if you fancy it... 

Mississippi Shakes - Sittin' On Top Of The World.

List of things I have been Watching;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYtyNHyzRCY&list=PLCJ2kGrkFDZutXue4k9ubbKRMjnTbHgJN

(Martin Scorsese - The Blues. Documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of the blues. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1gVtKIxRew

(Peter Mayor - Can't You Hear The Wind Howl, The Life and Music of Robert Johnson, A film starring Keb Mo as Johnson, documentary film about the life of Robert Johnson.)

(Chris Hunt - The Search for Robert Johnson, hosted by John Hammond, is a 1991 UK documentary providing an amazing insight into the life of Robert Johnson, showing interviews with people that new him.) I can't find a link online for this but I watched it at home and its excellent. 

(Son House, a renowned blues musician that had the pleasure of knowing Johnson, talks about some experiences he had with him.)

( Eric Clapton - The Robert Johnson Sessions, how could someone better express the influence Robert J has had on modern musicians... a full album dedicated to Johnson's music, played by the one and only Eric Clapton.)...love it, like I love it. 

Music Demographics Research

Music Demographic Research

I have been reading and researching the statistics etc of musical demographics.

What type of people like what type of music essentially, and what to take into account when tackling the challenge of my brief.

Demographics for music are normally placed into subsections;

Gender

Overall, gender plays a small role in explaining who listens to what type of music. According to statistics, men are more likely to prefer blues, r&b, rock/heavy metal and jazz etc. Whereas females are more likely to enjoy dance/electronica, hymns/gospel, easy listening, musicals etc..

  Although of course this does not always apply. 

Race

Statistically white people are more likely than all other races to enjoy every type of music except blues, r&b, ethnic, gospel, jazz, hip-hop and reggae.. funnily enough basically the only musical genres that I (white) listen to.

 Apparently whites are four times more likely to enjoy country/western music. All races are equally as likely to enjoy dance/electronica, latin, easy listening and opera etc.

Age

Age relates directly to musical preference, older generations are more likely to prefer big band, classical hymns/gospel, easy listening, musicals, opera etc whereas the younger generations are more likely to enjoy dance/electronica, hip hop, rock/heavy metal etc. 

 

Income

Once other demographic factors have been taken into consideration, income is rarely of statistical value. However, in the cases of country music, blues, gospel/hymns, hip-hop have often been associated with the lower and middle income classes. 

Soooo, taken from this research.. my Blues demographic statistically is more likely to be;

*Male

*Black

*Older

*Of low or middle income

However of course this is not always the case, especially now in this modern world the younger generations of both sex's, all incomes and races have incredibly varied musical tastes that span way out of there stereotypes. So Although my concept will be aimed mainly at an older, low income, male demographic.. I will keep elements in my theme that communicate to all types of people. 

Demographic Research, Relating to My Brief.

So now I'm researching my specific demographic, which is the blues music audience, and fans of Robert Johnson and the legend that surrounds him.
 I believe I can try to tackle more than one demographic with this challenge, blues fans, people that are interested in folklore and demonology etc, and maybe attack the people today that have not heard of Johnson, and give there ears a good rattling!
 I have just sent a message to The Blues Foundation, The international home of blues music, to see if they could share there extensive knowledge of the blues scene and shed some light on the cultural personalities of blues listeners.

Hopefully hear back off them soon enough.

Introduction to Branding Research

Introduction to Branding Research

I have been researching into branding techniques, I looked into it myself a few years ago when starting a t-shirt and apparel company with friends, (didn't work out because one of the friends was not quite a team player). 

My understanding of branding is so;

  The most important thing to consider when starting a brand is the consumer, I believe it is best to look at the consumer from a cultural point of view rather than a marketing point of view... Who the consumer is, not 'what' the consumer is. 

   All people make their decisions based on their cultural context, so when taking a cultural approach to branding things to consider would be,

  *Traditions

  *Beliefs

  *Experiences

  *Ideas. 

  Brands, instead of just selling us products, sell us ideas and lifestyles.

Take for example brands like Apple, Starbucks, Harley Davidson and Nike..

 none of the ideas that these companies are known for are inherent to the products they sell, but are the result of the social meaning that these brands have attained in our society. This social meaning can be attained in culture through;

  *Narratives

  *Social Activities

  *Rituals

  *Symbols

  

Apple, for example have created a potent symbol in its logo.

Harley Davidson's anniversary celebrations are powerful rituals that draw in millions of followers from all over the world.

I believe it is these cultural components that help a brand convey a sense of meaning that provides fulfilment and self affirmation and belonging to consumers that receive these ideas.

Who the consumer is, not 'what'.

-Demographic

-Behavior

-Preferences

-Purchasing

-Psychology

-Sociology

-Social outlets

This type of approach, gives brands the level of understanding that they need to help build productive and lasting relationships with the consumer. Take the market research and marketing data and develop a set of characteristics that will resonate with the brands followers. 

 Creating messages and marketing strategies that will strengthen brand culture, allowing a brand to be more influential in the lives of its consumers by giving them WHAT THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR. Which is not just a product, but a sense of fulfilment and belonging that comes with being part of a great culture. 

 Ofcourse the goal of all this is to maximise return on your marketing investments, and while this approach is more theoretical than the more traditional approaches, I believe it would be more effective in this modern world than approaches of the past. 

Professional Studies, health and safety.

Find and put on your blog CCAD H&S policy
Research what tools, processes and environments could put yourself and others at risk
research what could be implemented to mitigate risk
research the correct way to dispose of these materials
research what insurance policies can be put in place to mitigate risk and what these risks are

So, here is the first page of the policy to show that i have found it.

Title:	Health & Safety Policy
Version number:	2011.v3
Author:	David Giles, Health & Safety Advisor David Lawton, Director of Estates
Consultation taken place with:	H&S Committee Quality Manager		Dates:	10.11.2011 01.11.2011
Approved by:	H&S Committee Finance & Resources Committee		Date:	10.11.2011 09.03.2012
Approved by:	Corporation Board		Date:
Date to be reviewed:	November 2013
Minor amendments:	Date:	14.03.2012
	Nature of:	Removal of CCAD Board Champion
Equality & Diversity Impact Assessment Screening completed (date):				09.11.11
Equality & Diversity Impact Full Assessment completed (date):				N/A

 The header says CCAD  I swear!

These are the policies I have found that should be put in place for someone in the creative industries

• Public Liability - the risk to public health from the activity
• Professional Indemnity – the risk of financial loss on poor advice
• Product Liability – the risk of the product failing or breaking down
• Employers Liability – the risk to employed sub-contractors by the artist

There are many many tools, processes and environments in the creative industries that can cause risk, some examples may be:

Inks, paints and fluid materials that may cause people to slip, be harmful to consume etc. So to mitigate this great care should be taken when working with 'said' materials, paper towels should be readily available along with mop and bucket and just like.. try not to drink them, I mean c'maaaan.

Sharp objects maybe used, so a first aid box and room should be close to the working area in case of injuries.

Flammable fluids and materials are likely to be used by artists, and so fire extinguishers should be at hand and appropriate to the type of fires that could occur, for example dry extinguishers and wet extinguishers. 

Professional Studies

Task, research and put on your blog other post graduate courses that your BA(hons) Degree can lead you into...

Personally, if possible I want to do a Masters Degree in Creative Business or something similar as the business side of things is something I will definitely try to get involved with during the course of my future career.

http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creative-cultural-entrepreneurship/

http://www.findamasters.com/search/masters-degree.aspx?course=13832

http://www.findamasters.com/search/masters-degree.aspx?course=25026

Looking online it is easy to find many courses world wide that I would be interested in doing, preferably I would like to do my masters outside of the UK but with the short length of the majority of them I would settle for doing it in England.

Professional studies

Task, research and put on your blog other career opportunities that your BA(Hons) Degree can lead you into...

The skills we should develop during our course of study will be transferable. These are some skills I expect to gain. (listed on the CCAD website)

• Drawing techniques and media applications
• Digital illustration
• Printmaking
• Materials and equipment
• Composition and layout
• Contemporary trends
• Narrative illustration
• Decorative illustration
• Problem-solving
• Concept development
• Research skills
• Presentation and communication skills
• Professional practice
• Planning and organisation – meeting deadlines
• Working with clients
• Promoting and marketing your work
• Working in industry or self-employment

These Skills will be transferable across a wide range of careers and jobs some of which are listed below, observe...(also listed on the CCAD website)

• Freelance illustrator or studio illustrator

• Book illustrator, including children’s books
• Fashion illustrator
• Greetings card illustrator/designer
• Illustration for magazines, editorials and advertising
• Illustration for products, eg. homeware, fashion accessories, stationery
• Working in publishing
• Printmaker
• Styling
• Project management and community arts
• Postgraduate study, eg. MA Illustration
• Postgraduate teaching qualifications
• Teaching and lecturing