Building a brand has been my main focus for the last few weeks. Taking all the research, information and inspiration and bringing it together to come up with ‘AXIS Skincare’. As a team we have come up with a portable skincare product for men on the go, pocket size. We had the task of creating a brand name, logo, strapline, product and packaging design, advertisement and a presentation that demonstrates our concept successfully. This has meant a huge amount of planning, time management and commitment. I have really enjoyed this task as it has allowed a lot more creativity to come into the mix and freedom to explore different methods of communication and promotion.
My scrapbook, Pinterest and magazines played a large part in my creativity and inspiration for this project. By looking at images and drawing sketches into my scrapbook, this has helped me learn the importance of not taking ideas literally but taking a concept and playing around with how I can use It to suit my subject. The photo shoot was a big part of the project, we had to come very prepared with mood boards, timelines and storyboards so the photographer knew exactly what we were looking to create. I got a feel of styling for a photo shoot and the importance of portraying the right image for our brand. Also, we were only giving 45 minutes to get all the images we needed, by having a limited time limit we had to plan out our sessions precisely.
Our presentation was on brand, we had a constant colour palette and imagery that reflected our brand essence. We were clear with what our product was and why we stood out from other competitors. We really tried to channel the fact that men live very busy lifestyles and our product was personal to their quick paced day. As a brand, AXIS Skincare works around your lifestyle, it does not hold you down to a morning or evening routine, its there for when you need it. We focused on organic ingredients that catered to the sensitivity of men’s skin, which is more sensitive than women’s. We learnt through feedback to really push our idea through promotion as much as possible. If advertising in the underground, use the concept than men will see the advert in the morning and again on the way home, by bus stops and then on the bus. Use the idea of movement and time passing as an idea for slogans and constant promotional opportunity for example.
By completing this part of the module I will take forward skills of team work, creativity, pushing the boundaries for ideas and using every opportunity to find and use inspiration by storing ideas and imagery in scrapbooks and online, for future reference. I feel this brief has helped me really understand every component that is required to build a brand and pitch an idea, very helpful in future tasks at university and in a job.
