Week 11

This week I aim to complete the dissertation writing, complete the aspects of my promotion for the dissertation and begin the layout. The new deadline is to get it all completed by the end of the weekend giving me four days to print and make sure it is perfect before hand in. Ideally I would of liked to of been in this position last week but in all honestly my time management got way-laid slightly given that it was my birthday. Up until then I feel pleased with my weekly progression and time management skills.

I am on track with the completion of my writing with very little left to do, in addition, I also have little promotional  content for the dissertation yet to complete, so the only area that will take up a lot of my time will be the layout of the writing, however I feel comfortable that I know what I am doing for this.

Week 10 update

My aim of finishing the writing side of my dissertation as well as the promotion and layout did not come to fruition. Instead I still have a lot more to complete therefore it seems unlikely I will be sending if off to print early next week. However, after researching into the ways my dissertation can be printed i.e. on Bob's books and blurb, I want to get my copy printed in a different manner that doesn't necessarily require 10 days to be printed and returned to me. Thus I feel a lot less stressed about the situation and know I can spend a lot more time and consideration over layout and finishing promotional aspects instead of rushing it to achieve a deadline.

Social Media Promotion

I had a lot of fun creating the social media promotion of the Stylist Edit app, although it was difficult to think of different adverts for each different platform. The Facebook page will be the main source of promotion as they have the most outreach visually via this method. In addition, they have the most followers on Facebook hence a bigger reach to different audiences. I drew out all aspects of the Facebook and Twitter Page but simply used a pre made vector for the Instagram feed and added my images into them. I took inspiration for all the posts and captions from Company's current feeds to maintain their style of writing and keeping continuity. 

Promotional Magazine Planning

After deciding to create a promotional magazine to help advertise the Stylist Edit app, I need to include relevant content. Looking through other promotional magazines and general magazines helped me come up with the following list of content going into the magazine I create.

• An article on the app, its features and how to use it.
• The use of bloggers with the app. As there will be three promotional magazines, there will be three different blogger features in each different magazine.
• A focus on the latest trends. Either two trends or four.
• One item styled 5 different ways (to show what the app can produce in terms of outfit styling)
• An editorial shoot done with Missguided clothing as they are in association with Missguided.
• A feature on outfit suggestions for different occasions, e.g. Christmas, New Year, Valentine's.
• Beauty features.

There will be three editions of the magazine with the first three months of the launch. These magazines will be provided with Company magazine as well as in Missguided orders, as the magazine works in association with the Missguided brand.

Customer Profile Board Inspiration

(All Images from Pinterest)

The following images are of customer profile board ideas. I wanted to keep the customer profile board in keeping with the rest of my dissertation layout to maintain continuity so some of the more busier and collage like designs are not as applicable to the sleeker dissertation layout I have gone for, however I do still really like the designs of them. I love the more linear moodboards and use of squares and rectangles over-lapping. What makes the majority of these moodboards striking is the colour palette used within them, as all the pictures derive from a certain colour. Finding relevant customer profile images that are all within one colour scheme may be difficult, however this is what makes the boards look really good. I really like the idea of taking a picture of a picture, e.g. taking pictures of all the customer profile information and then taking a picture of that all together like the 7th image above. However, I don't know if I will have the time to produce that now. I think the style I like most is the 10th image whereby there are coloured lines to break things up; this could work well in terms of keeping a colour scheme, plus I like how the images are laid out randomly not made into a box shape.

Dissertation Printing & Binding

After having a look on Bob's Books and Blurb websites, I have decided to get my dissertation printed at the library. Firstly, I am worried about my time management and not being able to have my creative copy ready in term and I don't want to rush it, plus both of these websites focus more on photobooks rather than actual written copies, therefore I feel they won't be able to create my dissertation to its fullest potential. I don't think a 'book' type binding really fits with my brand as it's quite a formal look, therefore I am going to opt for 'perfect binding' done at the library which looks more like a magazine as this is the look I am going for. This also gives me the opportunity for some more time to really perfect my dissertation layout.

Clueless

In the film Clueless, the main character, Cher Horowitz, has a computer that suggests outfits for her to wear every day. I realised that this is basically the premise for my app, and thus I intend to use this within my promotion. Most girls (within the target demographic) have seen or at least heard of the film Clueless and are aware of her computer outfit generator, therefore it makes sense to link the app and the film together within the promotion to appeal to girls who have always wished for their own outfit generator. In addition, with there currently being a 90's revival and the film Clueless being in the spotlight again it means more consumers will be aware of the concept and can now have their own version through Stylist Edit!

People- Uniform

Although there isn't necessarily people involved in the promotion of the Stylist Edit app, there will be an instance where uniform is needed. At events such as Graduate Fashion week and the Clothes Show Live there will Company magazine stands promoting their brand. Here, staff will have the above t-shirts on in order to promote the use of Stylist Edit. They will advertise the app by targeting consumers and showing them how the app works on an iPad to persuade them into downloading. The uniform is very plain and simple and merely lets customers understand who can help them with any Stylist Edit or Company magazine questions. Even the logo on the t-shirt will get consumers wondering what 'Stylist Edit' is, therefore getting people interested in the app.

Campaign & Media Plan

The Campaign & Media plan can be found above. The first two images are the Campaign plan listing everything that will be done in order to produce not only the app but also the entire promotional campaign behind it.

The Media plan outlines the cost for my promotion. Most of the promotional techniques are free of charge. This is because the app costs so much to make that it leaves little expenditure left for a large media promotion campaign. Luckily, most of the promotion required is free anyway. However, once the app makes a profit, Company can look into more expensive promotional methods however this isn't really what the company does already, so may not even be something done by the brand. The media costs were found on the following websites

• Emails- http://mailchimp.com/
• Flyers- http://www.vistaprint.co.uk/flyers

Week 10

This week my aim is to completely finish my dissertation writing, begin the layout of my dissertation and have most, if not all of my promotion completed. By next Monday I would ideally like everything ready to be sent off to print.

I am feeling confident that my dissertation will be written and completed as I'm making good progress with that and enjoy writing it. My layout should also be quite easy as I know what I'm doing and its simply a case of doing it on Illustrator. It's just my promotion that is causing me concern as I cannot complete my advertisments until amendments are made to my app; however I need Paz's help with this which isn't until the middle of the week so I can't complete my app until then. Until then I am going to continue laying out the advertisements so it is simply a case of inserting my app visual into the space.

Photoshoot Results

Today I had another photoshoot with Dave. I changed my concept last minute as previously mentioned,  so I felt a bit stressed about it as it seemed slightly slap-dash. However, I went through with it and tried to get the best out of my photos. 

In my head the images of the model throwing the clothes in the air were meant to work better, as well as the ones of her sat in among all the clothes although with a bit of editing these may end up working quite well. The still life images have come out much better, so hopefully I will be able to use them in some way. However, if I don't end up using these images at least I attempted the concept and I will have to look at a different way of approaching the idea. 

Week 9 Update

Although I was very productive in the week creating all my app visuals and beginning the social media promotion, since my Interim Crit I've slowed the pace on my visuals. I have tried to make the amendments to my app based on the feedback given to me however I haven't been as successful as I would of liked, therefore I have booked a tutorial with Paz to gain help with this. As my app still needs changes to it I cannot complete the adverts as they need images of the app visuals so advert production has ground to a halt. Instead I have laid out more Facebook and Twitter pages, laid out the editor's letter page, laid out the Company magazine website and begun production of creating the Stylist Edit website.

I have, however, been really productive in terms of writing my dissertation. Before this weekend I had only written the introduction and made a detailed plan of the content. As of tonight I have written over 5,000 words completing the product and place P, starting the promotion P and beginning the people and persuasion P. I am hoping by the middle of next week to have all the p's completed as well as the market segmentation and conclusion so it is simply little bits left to change and write. I am so pleased with my progress and have found writing the dissertation fairly easy as it is my product I am talking about.

Lookbook/Inspiration Idea

It was also suggested at the Interim Crit that there be an inspiration section within the app. At first, I didn't know how this would be implemented within the current app design, but after being told to make changes to it, I can add more features. This also works nicely with the interactive magazine content as now consumers have a space to 'store' their inspiration. Within the tab there will be a Pinterest/Tumblr style feature whereby consumers can build up their own moodboards of inspiration that they like. This will also help the app to build up a better idea of what the consumer's style is like to help outfit recommendations. Users will be able to upload their own images as well as scan them from the magazine. In addition, any photoshoots from the magazine will also be able to be viewed under the Lookbook section, plus new shoots exclusive to the app will be produced every time the new magazine is out showcasing the different trends and different ways to wear them.  This links the magazine and the app together even more so the brand really ties in all it's extensions.

Competitions

A promotional idea for my campaign is to include competitions. When the app is first launched, consumers can be in with a chance to win an iPad simply by using the app on their phones and showing their outfit suggestions. For those who don't have access to the app, they can also create outfit ideas through other means like Polyvore and the best one (chosen at random) will win an iPad. This competition generates buzz around the app and gets consumers using it in order to win a prize. Moreover, following the initial launch and competition, there will be other competitions to win high street shop vouchers by using the app and showing off the outfit suggestions via social media. This thus engages the use of social media spreading the outreach of the app to a wider audience plus gets the users involved within the use of the app. All competitions will be advertised through social media and the iPad competition will be promoted also via the magazine and Weekly Edit app.

Collaboration/Magazine Supplment Idea

It was suggested at my Interim Crit that for promotional purposes it may be an idea to create a collaborative magazine, similar to that of which Vogue does. At first I didn't think the idea would work with Company as a brand, however they often do collaborations with brands when it comes to their Style Blogger awards, therefore creating a magazine in association with a fashion house does have the potential to work, plus it helps advertise what the app can do nicely.

The magazine will be created as part of promotional techniques and will be in association with Missguided given that they are currently working alongside them with their Style Blogger awards. There will only be three versions of the magazine produced within the first three main months of promotion. They will be given out with Company magazine issues as well as distributed within Missguided orders. This helps to promote the app to a wider audience who may not read Company. As the app is so versatile and a clever idea it doesn't restrict itself to one type of user so everybody is eligible to use it. The use of collaborating with Missguided also brings revenue to both companies; Company is promoted to more people as is Missguided, plus their clothes are getting more exposure to them. The magazine itself will feature other items from different stores but an editorial shoot or any adverts will use all Missguided stock.

Completed Final App Visuals

After making some important changes to my app, these are the finished results. After speaking with my tutor, he gave me some ideas that were needed to make the app itself look a lot more realistic. For example, I added on the status bar at the top (e.g. time/ battery etc) which instantly made the app look a lot more realistic. In addition, I added the new font logo and made the symbols and icons a lot more sleeker, more iOS7 style too. The fonts remained the same to maintain continuity with the other brand extensions. Also, a side menu bar was added to make navigation easier and to stop it looking so cluttered and messy at the bottom. The same changes were applied to the iPhone edition. I am pleased with the results as in hindsight, the previous design looked a lot more drawn out and unprofessional compared to the new sleeker version. 

Photoshoot Change of Direction

The following images are from the Stylebook website and the new direction I am taking my photo-shoot in. I had my reservations about the previous idea, as I didn't think it would work as well as possible. After my interim crit, I was recommended doing a shoot more like this to visually show the consumer how the app will work. These images can also be used within promotion as well as on the microsite website I am now creating. They will be slightly more informal than the images above and obviously have a more Company based feel. However, still life images like this are the new direction of my photoshoot. 

Changes To The Logo

ORIGINAL DESIGN

FINAL DESIGN

All in all the logo design has barely changed. I purchased the correct font that Company use called Graphique AR and simply created the text in the appropriate typeface. The ombre background remained the same. The original logo design was never going to remain the same simply due to the fact the font wasn't correct. The logo was made temporarily until the font was found and bought.

Interim Crit Feedback

The following is the feedback received off my three tutors after showing them my app visuals, social media content, assets pages and logo as well as taking into consideration the idea in general.

• Regarding the app's concept perhaps consider a collaboration with the a brand e.g. ASOS or the Arcadia group. The app would then just focus on using their products which makes it more exclusive to the brand and also increases the awareness by being promoted by another brand. However, Company magazine doesn't limit itself to just one brand within the magazine so this concept wouldn't be strong and would alienate other companies and probably consumers. 
• Instead it may be an idea to create a supplement magazine promoting the app that could be in association with a brand e.g. ASOS/ Topshop. This idea stems from the supplements in Vogue magazines, which advertise clothes from all brands but have a editorial shoot focusing on just that brand's items. The magazine intended for the app would show it works as well as have a lookbook feature or editorial shoot within it. 
• In terms of my app, change the iPad to an iPad Air outline as this is the most current. Also change the iPhone to the most current. Change the writing on the Welcome Page to columns and experiment with the white space more. Change the size of the bottom icons, maybe put them in squares and box them off. Also try to find more iOS7 like logos to make the app look more realistic. 
• It was suggested that an idea for the calendar feature could be to send push notifications to remind users what they're wearing that day or to remind them an event is coming up that they should plan an outfit for. 
• The aforementioned magazine idea could also be made a feature on the app. There would be a lookbook/inspiration feed whereby users could view outfits and editorial spreads from the magazine to create their own moodboards of outfit inspiration.
• In terms of promotion, consider doing a photoshoot like the images on the Stylebook website which visually shows users how they can use the app and what it does. These images should go on a new website- make a microsite for the service.
• On the logo, consider making the Company logo smaller so it stands out as well as downloading the correct font for the 'Stylist Edit' text. This way the title 'stylist edit' will stand out more than the word Company.

The feedback also communicated by my tutor is as follows;

Actions / Elements carried out

• Identity has been carried forward - has identified and provided the rationale for moving away from the illustrated icons for the clothes
• Basic concept has been communicated - concept is easy enough to follow
• Idea of app embeded scanner works well, this provides good USP
• A board range of visual work communicated with a clear understanding of what else is yet to complete.

Things to do 

• Research if the magazine needs to use another brand, if so why and see which you would align a brand that encompasses multiple brands (justify the reason) - example Vogue supplemented magazines (research could justify) 
• Content needs to be confirmed (shoot yes or no?)
• Need to update the look app to be much more in line with current UI's
• Evaluate the look and layout - use more uptodate hardware
• Include more features within the app, look book, brand own shoots - how will the features be communicated?

Final App Visuals

The images above are the finals of my app design and drawing. Overall it took me two days to complete it and I'm really pleased with the results. Although, to me they don't look realistic but I think that's because I've seen them so much and obviously I know I've drawn them out.

I decided to keep the menu bar at the bottom rather than at the side because I felt this would make navigation easier given that Instagram is so popular primarily due to its easy layout. The options along the bottom are as follows; Home, Wardrobe, Outfits, Outfit Suggestions, Calendar and Wishlist.  I have drawn out every version of the page for the iPad version and the main pages for the iPhone version. All elements have been drawn out.

I've decided to add a sign up feature so each user has a profile. This will gain them access to vouchers and exclusive features on the website. In addition, having a profile will also mean Company can gather data. Having a profile also means that users can access their wardrobe and outfits from any device or on the website.

On the wardrobe page the boxes will be different sizes depending on the amount of clothing the users uploads. For example, if the consumer has more tops than dresses then the top box will be bigger. This provides the consumer with a visual representation of the amount of clothing in their wardrobe.

I think the app is very self explanatory from the visuals above, however upon opening the app the consumer will be greeted with help tips explaining what all the features do to help users navigate the app on their first use.

Week 9

This week will be concentrating on creating the visual promotion intended for my dissertation as well as starting and getting half way with the main body of my dissertation. I spent all of Monday in the library trying to create my app, however I barely progressed because I didn't have a proper design which frustrated me. Therefore I designed the app out on paper and today completed the design. I am really pleased with how it looks and just hope it suffices within the interim crit. Paz has also found the exact font used within Company magazine that I'm using for the app, however, it costs $35 and I can't find a free download anywhere else, so I'm unsure what to do here.

I am hoping to complete social media and magazine adverts by my interim crit and focus the rest of the week finishing all other promotion, whilst at night writing the body of text. I want everything finished (promotion, dissertation and dissertation layout) done by the 30th March so that it can be sent off to be printed on 31st March leaving me with two weeks before the hand in.

Celebrity Endorsements

A form of promotion I am going to use within my campaign is the use of celebrity endorsements. However, instead of using regular celebrities as such I am going to use bloggers and YouTube vloggers as Company works a lot alongside these types of people. In January 2013 they released their Bloggers issue whereby the content was focused heavily on fashion and beauty bloggers. Also, they have featured frequent articles and features on the rise of YouTube vloggers and successful bloggers, not to mention their put Zoe Sugg (a YouTube blogger) on the front of their April edition. They also have their own Style Blogger awards supporting this generation. Company understand the rise, power and influence of bloggers and vloggers, and know how to use it to their advantage (see image about), therefore it makes sense to use their connections to their advantage, getting bloggers to endorse the use of Stylist Edit. Bloggers will include the likes of Zoe Sugg, Lily Melrose, and Lucy Rance. They will feature the use of the app on their website, as well as feature in the magazine, website and Weekly Edit app. Their influence and recommendation of the app will persuade more consumers to purchase it, especially the influence of Zoe Sugg who has a broad outreach of a range of ages. She will primarily encourage the secondary consumer.

Week 8 Update

I've spent all weekend in the library starting to produce my visuals. I had a really productive day on Friday creating the logo and different variations of it as well as creating an assets page for both Company magazine and my own app. I am really pleased with my logo designs as they definitely stay true to the brand and their current icons and logos. I am still undecided which to take forward so all my promotion so will have to have two versions with the different logos. I am leaning more towards the logo design with the clothing on, but I want to get some more feedback here.

It took a lot longer to edit my images than I first expected. I removed all the dirty grey backgrounds on Saturday, only to find I hadn't cleaned them up as well as I thought because the computer screens in the library were dirty themselves. Hence I spent more time on Sunday cleaning them up completely on a clearer screen. This thus meant I haven't got round to creating the app visuals which is annoying as it's put me behind schedule. Instead I have laid out the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages out ready for me to simply place in my adverts once I have created the app visuals.

Monday will be spent creating the app so I can concentrate on creating the adverts and following promotion.

Editing Photos

Although all the images were taken on a white background they have turned out quite grey. Therefore it was needed that the backgrounds were cleaned up as the items will be placed on a white background on the app. I did this by roughly drawing around the items, adding two new layers one of a white background and one for pasting the cut out item on. From here the grey background left showed up on the new white background and it was simply a case of using the eraser tool to rub away the grey marks. I've done this on all the items of clothing as seen on the top image.

During the photoshoot I took images of the outfit suggestions together. I did attempt to remove the backgrounds from these images but it proved to be very time consuming and I found it was easier to manually make up the outfits using the cut out items. This way I could also mix and match the items I think may look better. I am really pleased with how the images look now they've been cleaned and it will make placing them on a white background on the app visuals a lot easier!

Final App Icon Designs

I had a lot of experimentation with the colour as there are quite a few in my palette. I can't decide which colour works best as a simple background; the blue and lilac stand out as their very appealing colours plus known to be pleasing to the senses according to colour psychology. I am also really drawn to the pink and blue dip-dye background as it's something a little bit more interesting than simply a plain block colour. Of course, not every consumer is into 'ombre' however, so a block colour may be better. 

At first I didn't know if I would like the design with all the clothing in but I think it makes the app seem more fun and friendly, but it's growing on me as it's something a bit different. It retains the font that Company use to consumers know it's part of the brand but then the illustrations differentiate the app from the magazine side. In addition, Company often use illustrations within the magazine, however they are more 'sketchy' rather cartoon like, however I'm not good at sketchy drawings. I'm going to get more feedback on my icon as I won't be able to make the decision by myself.