Here are the shops the target audience go too:
Topman/shop
River Island
H&M
House of Fraser
John Lewis
Replublic
JD Sports
ASOS.com
Zara
Blue Inc
Primark
Then there are the branded Shops
Choice
Cecil Gee
Friday 14 May 2010
Friday 7 May 2010
Designing the Logo and tagline
When designing the logo I had to keep the product we wished to sell in mind. The logo itself had to be related and memorable to the consumer. The logo itself had to be a symbol that would provoke a memory and an emotional response that would encourage a consumer to by the product.
Because we wanted to create a T-shirt that changes colour regardless of what kind of substance we used I felt that the Chameleon was the best creature to describe the product and its role. The Chameleon is a unique creature that has the ability to voluntarily change colour due to its surroundings and possible predators. Because it can change colour it has a huge advantage over its competitors and makes it vastly superior to other wildlife. Why not use the chameleon to sell the product.
I tried many variations and designs using photoshop. I looked at contemporary logos with the same sort of visual message. I eventually came to the conclusion that the chameleon would be the best way of creating a visual image that would be memorable in peoples' minds. The symbol itself was a straight forward blacked out logo depicting the silhouette of a chameleon. Now to come up with a brand name that offered the same sort of message and related itself to the logo.
I came up with several alternatives all of which described the product in some way. However, not all the names related themselves to the logo and some were boring in contrast to the logo itself. I tried names that described the temperature change as well as the element of camouflage. However, they never really seemed to best describe the product and were not striking enough to really sell the product as a whole. Then a break through. Looking in the dictionary I found a word that best described the product and was catchy enough to spark an emotional response. The name was Crypsis. This word is used to describe any animal that has the ability to voluntarily change colour. It seemed to be the best choice and was a word that best described the product as well as the audience it was aimed at.
As a group we decided that for the logo to work it needed to be constant, ie the logo itself must not change colour otherwise it would get lost in the T-Shirts change in colour. Instead we proposed that the logo remain constant with small sections of colour surrounding it would in fact change colour.
Here are the logos and brand names that I came up with using photoshop.
Brand Management
Brand management is the implementation of marketing techniques to a specific product or brand. It seeks to increase a product's perceived value to the customer and increase brand franchise and brand equity. The brand should be seen in a way that convinces customers and promises them quality and consistency. This may increase sales by making a comparison with competing products more favorable. This can be done by making the product look more appealing to the eye as well as ensuring product quality. It may also enable the manufacturer to charge more for its product. The value of the brand is determined by the amount of profit it generates for the manufacturer. This may give rise to increased prices or reduced cost of goods sold. All these augmentations may improve the profitability of a certain brand. Brand management is often perceived in companies and organizations as a broader and more strategic role than Marketing on its own.
Research by McKinsey and Company suggested that," strong, well-leveraged brands produce higher returns to shareholders than weaker, narrower brands." Taken together, this means that brands seriously impact shareholder value, which makes branding a CEO responsibility.
T-Shirt Ordering Tips
Found this site which could prove useful when buying T-shirts in bulk.
http://www.joestees.com/index.php
Leuco Dye colour ranges and temperature levels
I have included a link to colourchange.com that has a comprehensive list of all the available dyes as well as the temperatures in which they change colour. This site will be usefull if we decide to use these dyes as the primary product for colour change.
http://www.colorchange.com.tw/english/index.php/thermochromic-material.html
Scientific Stuff concerning Leuco Dyes
Here is a link to an article on wikipedia that describes how leuco dyes work when they are exposed to heat. It also gives some diagrams that clearly show a structural deformation within the leuco dyes which enable a colour change. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuco_dye
UV reactive pigments
As a group we have discussed other possibilities and technologies to best suite the product we wish to sell. UV reactive pigments could be a more modern alternative to leuco pigments and may be more appetizing to the consumer. The UV reactive pigments are colourless indoors but when exposed to the UV light emitted by the sun turn bright colours. This is a much different phenomenon than that of fluorescence, in which a dye or pigment absorbs one wavelength of light, usually invisible ultraviolet light and then emits that same energy as another wavelenght.
UV pigments actually change their structure to a coloured form, under direct contact with ultraviolet light, after which the additional visible light which reaches the pigment is reflected as colour.
Using Leuco Dyes
When using the dyes themselves they need to be contained within a binder that attaches to the fabrics, preferably cotton. This is of course, one of many directions we will take in producing a garment that changes colour. We have discussed using UV technology as well as materials which change colour due to temperature change. All options are open at this present time.
In order to use the leuco form it will need to be contained within capsules which then bind the chemicals to the clothing. Without these binding molecules the dyes would simply fall off or be washed away.
The biggest issue when using these dyes is the problem of washing the garments. Washing the garment at high temperatures may distort or even destroy the leuco molecules to the point no visible change in colour would be visible. Labels will need to be made to highlight what extent these t-shirts may be heated when washed as some of the dyes have different activation levels.
One problem is that the dyes themselves only change colour for short periods of time. This may be a turn off for customers who prefer prolonged changes in colour, however there is a range of colours that offer different temperature levels.
Thermochromism
Here is some background and scientific information about the way in which Thermochromism works. Thermochromism is the ability of a substance to change colour due to temperature change. A mood ring for example is an example of materials that change colour to the rise and fall of the temperature around it.
The two main products that posses this unique quality to change colour are liquid crystals and leuco dyes. Liquid crystals are used in precision application, as their reaction can be engineered to accurate temperatures, however their colour range is limited and would not be hugely beneficial when applied to clothing. Leuco dyes however, allow a wider range of colours to be applied to certain fabrics.
Some liquid crystals are capable of emitting different colours at different temperature levels.
This change is dependent on selective reflection of certain wavelengths by the crystallic structure of the material, as it changes between the low temperature crystallic phase.
When heated the compounds that form the base colour of the crystal open up and create new compounds that reflect a different colour range which is visable.
Liquid crystals are used in applications where the colour change has to be accurately defined. They find applications in thermometers for room, refrigerator, aquarium, and medical use, and in indicators of level of propane in tanks. Liquid crystals are usually in a state of suspension usually in some sort of liquid or solution.
Liquid crystals are difficult to work with and require specialized printing equipment. The material itself is also typically more expensive than alternative technologies. High temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, some chemicals and or solvents have a negative impact on their lifespan. We as a group propose to use leuco dyes as they are more user friendly especially when applied to clothing.
Thermochromic dyes are based on mixtures of leuco dyes with suitable other chemicals, displaying a colour change usually between the colourless leuco compound and the coloured form. The dyes are rarely applied directly and are usually in the form of microcapsules with the mixture sealed inside.
Hypercolour is the most prominent example of a clothing company exploiting the rare properties of the chemicals. Leuco dyes have less accurate temperature response than liquid crystals, and are used in applications where accuracy is not required. The dyes are usually used in combination with some sort of pigment , producing a colour change between the colour base pigment and the colour of the pigment combined with the colour of the non leuco form of the leuco dye.
An interesting application of leuco dyes is in the Duracell battery state indicators that inform the user of the current battery levels. The use of leuco dyes is broad and different companies have utilized their qualities to best suite their product roles.
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation, solvents and very high temperatures reduce the lifespan of the compounds as their molecular structure is broken or deformed. Temperatures above 200-230 degrees C typically cause irreversible damage. Leuco dyes may be exposed to high temperatures of around 250 degrees C for limited duratiions during the manufacturing process.
Here are some images of mood rings as well as Hypercolour T shirts that change colour due to temperature change.
Minutes for meeting 06/05
Today Alex, Leonard, Dalj, Wilson, Mashood and myself met together to discuss the feedback from the formative and to work out our next step;
-Research into our rival companies - what their products do, how much they charge and if possible, how much money they make
-We need to work out what our salaries would be if we were working on making this product for real
-Try and look into why Hypercolor failed
-Create some more t-shirt designs, and experiment with different kinds of t-shirts like v-necks, polo shirts etc.
-Look into whether we can make a proto-type in time for the summative
-Do a few more designs for the t-shirt..
-Research and discover whether UV lighting is a better route to follow in terms of originality and our target market.
-We wondered about selling our product outside of clubs so that the colours on the t-shirt change when people are inside the club dancing
-Customisable patterns?
-Thinking about adverts - Costs and where we would advertise
We have a lot to do but we've split the jobs evenly and plan to meet again at some point next week with more work done.
-Research into our rival companies - what their products do, how much they charge and if possible, how much money they make
-We need to work out what our salaries would be if we were working on making this product for real
-Try and look into why Hypercolor failed
-Create some more t-shirt designs, and experiment with different kinds of t-shirts like v-necks, polo shirts etc.
-Look into whether we can make a proto-type in time for the summative
-Do a few more designs for the t-shirt..
-Research and discover whether UV lighting is a better route to follow in terms of originality and our target market.
-We wondered about selling our product outside of clubs so that the colours on the t-shirt change when people are inside the club dancing
-Customisable patterns?
-Thinking about adverts - Costs and where we would advertise
We have a lot to do but we've split the jobs evenly and plan to meet again at some point next week with more work done.
Tuesday 4 May 2010
Formative
Last Thursday we had our formative presentation.
"Overall comment including strengths and areas for improvement
Interesting idea but has, in some form, been tried and failed before and there are alternatives (e.g. http://www.reflexstudios.com/). More background research is necessary. Direct and systematic comparison of the competitive environment will help your cause (detailed SWOT) and for highlighting any USPs. Need to provide evidence and justification for your claims. Unclear whether the available technology can overcome problems. Could consider changing the target audience to children that are more easily impressed and less likely to be bothered if their t-shirt unexpectedly changes colour from, say, sweat. Perhaps you could direct your business model towards producing cool designs? Good if you break down costs further and produce a justified cash flow graph. Good work with your logo but more thought into branding and how this can be applied in all areas of your business, as a way of supporting business sustainability. Some thought behind promotional marketing. Good visuals in the presentation, and good job defending your position."
As a group we now need to meet and decide what direction to go in. Are we going to change our target audience? Or adjust the product so that it appeals more to our existing market. We also need to look into t-shirt designs, where we can get ahold of the dye and shirts and buy in batch and how much to charge. A little more research into our competitors is also a smart idea so I will bring these issues up during our next meeting this Thursday lunchtime.
"Overall comment including strengths and areas for improvement
Interesting idea but has, in some form, been tried and failed before and there are alternatives (e.g. http://www.reflexstudios.com/). More background research is necessary. Direct and systematic comparison of the competitive environment will help your cause (detailed SWOT) and for highlighting any USPs. Need to provide evidence and justification for your claims. Unclear whether the available technology can overcome problems. Could consider changing the target audience to children that are more easily impressed and less likely to be bothered if their t-shirt unexpectedly changes colour from, say, sweat. Perhaps you could direct your business model towards producing cool designs? Good if you break down costs further and produce a justified cash flow graph. Good work with your logo but more thought into branding and how this can be applied in all areas of your business, as a way of supporting business sustainability. Some thought behind promotional marketing. Good visuals in the presentation, and good job defending your position."
As a group we now need to meet and decide what direction to go in. Are we going to change our target audience? Or adjust the product so that it appeals more to our existing market. We also need to look into t-shirt designs, where we can get ahold of the dye and shirts and buy in batch and how much to charge. A little more research into our competitors is also a smart idea so I will bring these issues up during our next meeting this Thursday lunchtime.
Research
Did a little bit of Market Research for our project via facebook. Sent the following email to an equal number of guys and girls and here are the email and replies;
"Hey, need a little bit of feedback for my E&E group project, it would really help me out if you guys could quickly answer these two questions! Thanks in advance ^^
1) Would you be interested in purchasing a t-shirt that can change colour with the temperature?
2) What shops do you normally buy your t-shirts at? .
--
REPLIES
Emma Lulu Wyton 20 April at 14:48
oh rly? wellity woo, i shall assist :B
1) Maybe, I guess it would depend on the design. I think if it were aimed for the summer season, that would be cool.
2) I am liking the following stores atm:
http://www.threadless.com/catalog/type,girly
http://www.snorgtees.com
New Look
H&M
that kinda thing. :D .
Laura Panda Haile 20 April at 14:50
1) That would be awesome. Like, red for warm, and blue for cold? :D
2) Mine usually come from (or I would like them to) Uniqlo and New Look. Or, from concerts! 8D .
YuKi Chung 20 April at 14:59
Heyyy, thats a kwl idea!!
1) But.. for a WHOLE Tshirt to change colour all the time.. you might look a bit silly.... Like some giant MOOD RING..xD so like a DESIGN that changes colour thats a different case =D
2)Espirit
UniQlo
Izzue (Japanese brand) www.izzue.com
Giodano
BSX
and..yeah.. the rest are from small asian designers... xD
ooOO!!! n i get a few from www.yesstyle.com =O
hope this helps^^
Jasmine Lilly 20 April at 15:00
1) Maybe not for myself but as a present for my sister, definitely!
2) Concerts (at the Carling academy in Islington OTL) and at convention stalls. (sorry that's probably not too helpful :( ) .
Charlie Vinall 20 April at 16:03 Reply1) Hell to the yes! Sounds like something I would buy haha! As long as they're nice colours and aren't faded.
2) Um I like band tshirts so on their respective websites. Also lazy oaf, primark (cringe), debenhams, etc :) .
Ryan Cook 20 April at 16:38
1) Probably not, but i'd no doubt own one eventually
2) Band t-shirts from their sites, play.com, topman, anywhere i see i cool tshirt really :) .
Clym Smith 20 April at 18:25
1) YEH that sounds awesome, though easy to buy and quite cheap is a definate requirement
2) topman, H&M, Burtons, .
Jeff Tong 21 April at 01:03
1) I agree with Yuki, maybe a section of the t-shirt, say, a word or a shape (crazy lines or even a regular slim rectangle) could change colour instead of the whole t-shirt. It could be niche targeted, such as for young girls there would be an illustration of a trendy girl and only her necklace or shoes or nail varnish would change.
But yes I would buy such a t-shirt but only if it's reasonably priced and looks "unique".
2) Usually market stalls abroad, find some crazy things around! That or next, uniqlo, or anywhere with a sale on.
Good luck! ^__^ .
Nagelfar Satansownself 21 April at 22:49
1) yer i probebly would depending on the coulors it changed and the design... but probebly just for the novelt.... but wouldnt your body temprature affect what coulor the shirt turned ratehr than the external temprature... i would prefer if it was the external temp that effected it :D
2) internet :D http://www.spiraldirect.com/ when thay have good things in the sale :D:D
Jonathan Blake 22 April at 09:07
1. Nah, not if the whole thing changed colour but if it was text or illustration then I would buy one.
2. Camden
--------------
This shows there is a market for our product, and that a lot of our customers would be interested in online purchase.
"Hey, need a little bit of feedback for my E&E group project, it would really help me out if you guys could quickly answer these two questions! Thanks in advance ^^
1) Would you be interested in purchasing a t-shirt that can change colour with the temperature?
2) What shops do you normally buy your t-shirts at? .
--
REPLIES
Emma Lulu Wyton 20 April at 14:48
oh rly? wellity woo, i shall assist :B
1) Maybe, I guess it would depend on the design. I think if it were aimed for the summer season, that would be cool.
2) I am liking the following stores atm:
http://www.threadless.com/catalog/type,girly
http://www.snorgtees.com
New Look
H&M
that kinda thing. :D .
Laura Panda Haile 20 April at 14:50
1) That would be awesome. Like, red for warm, and blue for cold? :D
2) Mine usually come from (or I would like them to) Uniqlo and New Look. Or, from concerts! 8D .
YuKi Chung 20 April at 14:59
Heyyy, thats a kwl idea!!
1) But.. for a WHOLE Tshirt to change colour all the time.. you might look a bit silly.... Like some giant MOOD RING..xD so like a DESIGN that changes colour thats a different case =D
2)Espirit
UniQlo
Izzue (Japanese brand) www.izzue.com
Giodano
BSX
and..yeah.. the rest are from small asian designers... xD
ooOO!!! n i get a few from www.yesstyle.com =O
hope this helps^^
Jasmine Lilly 20 April at 15:00
1) Maybe not for myself but as a present for my sister, definitely!
2) Concerts (at the Carling academy in Islington OTL) and at convention stalls. (sorry that's probably not too helpful :( ) .
Charlie Vinall 20 April at 16:03 Reply1) Hell to the yes! Sounds like something I would buy haha! As long as they're nice colours and aren't faded.
2) Um I like band tshirts so on their respective websites. Also lazy oaf, primark (cringe), debenhams, etc :) .
Ryan Cook 20 April at 16:38
1) Probably not, but i'd no doubt own one eventually
2) Band t-shirts from their sites, play.com, topman, anywhere i see i cool tshirt really :) .
Clym Smith 20 April at 18:25
1) YEH that sounds awesome, though easy to buy and quite cheap is a definate requirement
2) topman, H&M, Burtons, .
Jeff Tong 21 April at 01:03
1) I agree with Yuki, maybe a section of the t-shirt, say, a word or a shape (crazy lines or even a regular slim rectangle) could change colour instead of the whole t-shirt. It could be niche targeted, such as for young girls there would be an illustration of a trendy girl and only her necklace or shoes or nail varnish would change.
But yes I would buy such a t-shirt but only if it's reasonably priced and looks "unique".
2) Usually market stalls abroad, find some crazy things around! That or next, uniqlo, or anywhere with a sale on.
Good luck! ^__^ .
Nagelfar Satansownself 21 April at 22:49
1) yer i probebly would depending on the coulors it changed and the design... but probebly just for the novelt.... but wouldnt your body temprature affect what coulor the shirt turned ratehr than the external temprature... i would prefer if it was the external temp that effected it :D
2) internet :D http://www.spiraldirect.com/ when thay have good things in the sale :D:D
Jonathan Blake 22 April at 09:07
1. Nah, not if the whole thing changed colour but if it was text or illustration then I would buy one.
2. Camden
--------------
This shows there is a market for our product, and that a lot of our customers would be interested in online purchase.
Friday 16 April 2010
Minutes for Meeting (16/04)
Today we met as a group for the second time to discuss our ideas and directions with them. Here is a brief summary of the meeting for those that missed it;
-Alex had begun research into projects that changed colour with temperature and found a company that specialised in it called 'Hypercolour'. He discovered that the products could change into nearly any colour via a difference of 5/10 degrees and we would have to research into how these clothes needed to be washed so as to prevent being damaged.
-Our products name is 'Chameleon'.
-The products mainly available similar to ours were t-shirts.
-Raja suggested an interesting marketing strategy - begin by selling our product as a jacket, then think about expanding into other clothing accessories like hats and scarves. There is a strong possibility in our product for future value depending on how well they sell.
-Alex suggested they could also be 'double-layered' (you can wear them inside out which would feature a different colour and could compensate for a change in season and therefore fashion).
-The types of shops we want to target are ones in the main market - NEXT, debenhams, top man... since there aren't any products similar to ours out there at the moment. We could be the company to drive this fashion forwards.
-Another marketing strategy by Raja; begin sales with introductory offers in late summer/autumn. Sales will hopefully pick up for Christmas and then we can generate a steady income from them. We could even have deals such as buy one get one free or buy a tee-shirt and get a hat half price... It won't be too hot by then but the weather will be changing and can show off what our product does.
-We thought a little about the faults of our product;
how would sweat and other liquid spillages affect sales? Temperature-changing clothes make body moisture more noticeable!
where should the logo go?
how much would the material cost and how much should they then be sold for?
and what should it look like - plain and simple seems to be the way to go as its already quite complicated.
We have arranged for another meeting next Wednesday after we have all gone away and done further research... 1pm at the entrance to the Broadcast area!
For then here is the 'homework';
Alex - come up with logo designs for the product
Leonard - design the look of the product
Raja - research how to initially make and sell the product within the first quater of the year (could have a 3-year plan overall?)
Michelle - do some market research - who would buy it and for how much?
Daljeet - research what the most popular shops our target audience goes to are (teenagers to mid-twenty year olds)
Mantas - research into how much the product would cost to create
Luke - research ways of advertising it e.g. billboards, newspaper ads etc. and how much that could cost
Wilson - further research into similar products out there and how well they did
Dismissed!
-Alex had begun research into projects that changed colour with temperature and found a company that specialised in it called 'Hypercolour'. He discovered that the products could change into nearly any colour via a difference of 5/10 degrees and we would have to research into how these clothes needed to be washed so as to prevent being damaged.
-Our products name is 'Chameleon'.
-The products mainly available similar to ours were t-shirts.
-Raja suggested an interesting marketing strategy - begin by selling our product as a jacket, then think about expanding into other clothing accessories like hats and scarves. There is a strong possibility in our product for future value depending on how well they sell.
-Alex suggested they could also be 'double-layered' (you can wear them inside out which would feature a different colour and could compensate for a change in season and therefore fashion).
-The types of shops we want to target are ones in the main market - NEXT, debenhams, top man... since there aren't any products similar to ours out there at the moment. We could be the company to drive this fashion forwards.
-Another marketing strategy by Raja; begin sales with introductory offers in late summer/autumn. Sales will hopefully pick up for Christmas and then we can generate a steady income from them. We could even have deals such as buy one get one free or buy a tee-shirt and get a hat half price... It won't be too hot by then but the weather will be changing and can show off what our product does.
-We thought a little about the faults of our product;
how would sweat and other liquid spillages affect sales? Temperature-changing clothes make body moisture more noticeable!
where should the logo go?
how much would the material cost and how much should they then be sold for?
and what should it look like - plain and simple seems to be the way to go as its already quite complicated.
We have arranged for another meeting next Wednesday after we have all gone away and done further research... 1pm at the entrance to the Broadcast area!
For then here is the 'homework';
Alex - come up with logo designs for the product
Leonard - design the look of the product
Raja - research how to initially make and sell the product within the first quater of the year (could have a 3-year plan overall?)
Michelle - do some market research - who would buy it and for how much?
Daljeet - research what the most popular shops our target audience goes to are (teenagers to mid-twenty year olds)
Mantas - research into how much the product would cost to create
Luke - research ways of advertising it e.g. billboards, newspaper ads etc. and how much that could cost
Wilson - further research into similar products out there and how well they did
Dismissed!
Introduction
INFORMATION ON GROUP K MEMBERS
Alex Caldow (Animation) - Brand Manager
Daljeet Gill (Animation) - Market Research
Leonard Onikoyi (Animation) - Brand Manager
Michelle Vinall (Animation) - Project Manager and Market Research
Mantas Vasiliauskas (Broadcasting) - Finance Manager
Luke Henderson (Post Production) - Marketing Manager
Wilson Otika (Post Production) - Marketing Manager
Raja Ahmed (Broadcast Media Technologies) - Finance Manager
Although we intend to help each other out in our respective areas, this is the basic structure of our roles!
8th April 2009
The date of our first meeting, after a brainstorming session involving pairing together the trends and fads we liked with those we didn't we came up with a variety of cool ideas;
(will scan and post the brainstorm here shortly)
The most prominant two were 3D glasses you could wear as a fashion accessory and a car that could run on garbage and other expendable items like old CDs and books...
In the end however, we pitched our idea to one of the tutors, recieved feedback and due to the difficultly and unpracticality of the products changed our ideas entirely and decided to go with Leonard's suggestion of an article of clothing that could change colour with the temperature and be used for both summer and winter.
This was how we ended our meeting but we are already beginning research into this idea further
(will scan the customer and evidence sheets to post shortly...)
Alex Caldow (Animation) - Brand Manager
Daljeet Gill (Animation) - Market Research
Leonard Onikoyi (Animation) - Brand Manager
Michelle Vinall (Animation) - Project Manager and Market Research
Mantas Vasiliauskas (Broadcasting) - Finance Manager
Luke Henderson (Post Production) - Marketing Manager
Wilson Otika (Post Production) - Marketing Manager
Raja Ahmed (Broadcast Media Technologies) - Finance Manager
Although we intend to help each other out in our respective areas, this is the basic structure of our roles!
8th April 2009
The date of our first meeting, after a brainstorming session involving pairing together the trends and fads we liked with those we didn't we came up with a variety of cool ideas;
(will scan and post the brainstorm here shortly)
The most prominant two were 3D glasses you could wear as a fashion accessory and a car that could run on garbage and other expendable items like old CDs and books...
In the end however, we pitched our idea to one of the tutors, recieved feedback and due to the difficultly and unpracticality of the products changed our ideas entirely and decided to go with Leonard's suggestion of an article of clothing that could change colour with the temperature and be used for both summer and winter.
This was how we ended our meeting but we are already beginning research into this idea further
(will scan the customer and evidence sheets to post shortly...)
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