a fashion student's journey

I have a progress critique on my bicyclette brand book tomorrow at 8am (ugh), so I’m working away on that,  but wanted to quickly share something that serves as both eye candy and words of encouragement. I feel like I need both right now.

Images: Decor8blog

I love the bold but friendly type, bright colours, retro style and make-you-smile messages. And the distressing on the letters is something I may have to play around with for bicyclette, as I like the vintage quality it adds.

These remind me of those motivational posters that teachers had in their class rooms, with kittens reminding you to “Hold on!” or whatnot. Except way cooler and for the design-minded.

Now, back to work! And yes, I will keep calm and rock on…

I’ve been a little obsessed with brand graphics as of late, due to the fact that I’m taking on the task of branding bicyclette, and so I’m constantly looking for new sources of inspiration. I recently picked up the oh-so-beautiful coffee table book Fashion Brand Graphics, which shares some of the best examples of graphic design in the fashion world and is a great visual resource to see how certain labels and stores share their brand identity through various mediums, keeping it consistent but never boring.

I must say, the whole process of creating an entire brand book for bicyclette is indeed a daunting one, but nonetheless, I’m excited to begin. Here are a few brand graphics that are inspiring me. If you want to take a closer look, click on the photos and they’ll get bigger. A lot bigger…

Giraffe is a specialist tie brand developed on the concept of “Dont let people tie you up around the neck. Let’s tighten up our own necks nice and tight and stare into the distance from on high like a giraffe”. Interesting. I love the simple photos, fold-out product cards and quirky tag line.

Mezzanine is a small boutique that delivers fresh style that intermingles two elements of avant garde and basic. The collage-like layout of their print materials and the sketches mixed with photographs really appeal to me, as does the catalogue, which has each item printed on a separate card.

Selframe boasts military-look casual wear for women who want a feminine, delicate silhouette. The design of the materials is consolidated by graphics overflowing with a classic taste. Simple, consistent and clean, enough said.

L’Appartment was developed from 25 keywords including art, night, vintage and rock, and offers selective items for female fashionistas with the concept of “my grown-up closet.” The graphics allude to a Parisian atmosphere, with a certain elegance. The whole concept behind this store, and the eclectic graphic style is very much in line with where I see bicyclette.

Milk Fed’s brand concept is California Cool and features simple clothing for girls without relying on fads. The branding materials are kept extremely clean and simple and the brand is not afraid to flaunt it’s girly roots.

I know I’m a sucker for good branding, and have often been swayed by the strength of good design and overall brand image. I’m curious how important this is to everyone, and if there are any brands (fashion or otherwise) that stand out as exceptionally good or bad?

As most of you probably know by now, as part of my fourth year capstone/thesis project at school, I’m building bicyclette’s identity throughout this year, and attempting to use social networking to aid in this process. Crowdsourcing, if you will. Last semester was all about exploration: a series of t-shirt designs that explored where some of my inspiration came from (here) and a series of posters featuring a photo shoot I did in order to promote the brand and blog (here). The semester also involved researching and writing a literature review about retail conception and development using social media and constantly exploring my concept creatively, primarily on the blog. Now, this semester, it’s all about putting it all together and working towards one larger creative capstone project for the final exhibition. Here’s my proposal:

My aim this semester is to focus on creating a brand book for bicyclette, my retail concept, exploring and determining the visual standards for the company and developing the brand identity further. This will be done by crowdsourcing ideas through social media as well as using my exploration from the bicyclette blog to guide the direction of the brand. Components of the brand book will include, but are not limited to: logo design, wordmark and branded font, business documentation such as cards, letterheads and envelopes, advertising, presentation materials, shopping bags, hang tags, and the website. Another integral part of this will be the way in which the brand book is presented for the final exhibition, as I want to go about it in an alternative way, and create an environment and experience at the exhibit that is in line with the store image and overall feel of the brand. I would like to create a retail simulation, so that people are able to interact with the various elements of the brand book as they would in the physical store environment.

So, as part of this, and since I need them to take with me to the trade shows in Vegas (yay!), I’ve starting working on some business card designs. I thought I would share them with you, see if anyone has any feedback for me, etc. These are all fairly rough, as is most of my work at this stage in the design process, but it gives you an idea of where I’m going with it.

I was going for something that successfully communicates the bicyclette brand, and is a little more eclectic and less corporate. Right now, it’s looking like the last design is what I’m going to work with, but I would love to hear your thoughts. These are all designed as one-sided, but I think when I actually get them printed, I’ll do double-sided, as I think they’re more professional and less cluttered.

One more quick thing I just have to share, especially seeing as it is Interior Monday, is this AMAZING vintage Arthur Umanoff Swivel Chair that I came across in The Sunday Times Market’s Etsy shop today. If the price tag wasn’t quite so high (especially with the shipping to Canada), it would be mine in a snap, and eventually bicyclette’s. Le sigh. I definitely have to keep my eyes out for vintage floral print furniture such as this, so much personality.

We’re all aware of my love for jewelry, vintage trinkets and one-of-a-kind pieces, and so when I stumbled upon Les Jumelles Boutique, it was as though I had found my own personal treasure chest.

Coup de Couer Bracelet

Le Carousel Pendant Necklace

Mes Reves Locket Necklace

Alice in Wonderland Inspired Necklace

Promesse Necklace

Fleur de Lys Perfume Bottle Necklace

Mes Souvenirs de Woodstock Necklace

I love the stories and personality that go along with each of these pieces, and the vintage pendants and antique chains add whimsical touches. I picture these layered together and with other necklaces, creating a story and adding a unique, personal touch to any ensemble, an idea that is at the core of what bicyclette stands for. And the Parisian themes are simply perfect.

Curious, which pieces speak to you?

And if you have any other jewelry line recommendations that have a similar feel, I would love to hear about them…

I would like to share some good news:

SECOND PLACE IN THE ENTERPRIZE REGIONAL BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION!!!

This is also my excuse for why I haven’t been particularly active on here recently. Preparing. Practicing. Panicking. You know the drill. But apparently it paid off, and here I am.

It was a great experience. I presented bicyclette twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, for two different panels of three judges, all industry professionals and successful business people. Ten minute presentation and five minute question and answer period. Lots of nerves involved. Stood out in a sea of black suits in my ivory tux jacket.

I thought that since I couldn’t share the presentation itself I would at least share the slides that I put together for it. Visuals are always an important aspect of any project for me, and so I put a strong emphasis on these, knowing that I wanted them to successfully represent the bicyclette brand and communicate my ideas.

So this gives you more of a sense of the business side of things. Obviously these highlight only a very small portion of my 30 page business plan. If you’re curious about anything, feel free to ask!

For those of you who are inquiring as to the prize for this… unfortunately there is none… yet. Getting through this round enables me to go on to the national competition level in Vancouver in a few weeks. Whether I actually make it there or not is another question, as I still don’t know the details, including whether or not flight and accommodation are covered.

I’m on a bit of an emotional roller coaster right now, having put so much time and effort into working on this and then the shock of securing second place followed by today’s feelings of being over tired, over worked and overwhelmed. You know when all of a sudden you seem to lose control of the composure that you’ve been so successful in keeping? That’s me.

With that being said, it’s time for me to curl up and allow my mind to wander…

xoxo.

the little bicyclette that could.