On Sunday morning we had a little meeting at the shop, brainstorming for a few upcoming, currently-top-secret projects and starting to get serious about planning for 2012. An abundance of post-it notes and cupcakes were involved, and I think it’s safe to say we all left excited and inspired for what’s to come. We’ll be sharing bits and pieces over the next couple months as things unfold, but for now, here’s a little peek at what we were doing.
Also, a huge thanks to everyone who voted for Bicyclette in BlogTO’s ’Best New Fashion Stores in Toronto’ list for 2011. We made it onto the list (at #2!) and couldn’t have done it without you.
So I need to ask for your help. We’re currently in the process of re-writing the Bicyclette business plan and we’re doing a little market research. We’ve put together a quick survey that we’d love for you to answer. It will only take about 5 minutes, and once you’ve answered it, you’ll be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to the online store. Not bad, if you ask me. The more feedback the better, so we’d love your help and ask that you pass it on to friends or anyone you think might be interested. In fact, if you post it on Twitter, Facebook or your blog , we’ll give you another entry to win, just like to the post in the comments below.
We’re opening it up for two weeks, until midnight on Sunday, Feb 27 2011.
Ready, set, survey!
I think most of us take advantage of a New Year by making positive changes and starting afresh, which is part of the reason why I figured there’s no time better than the present to give the online shop a bit of a facelift. With the last minute pop-up shops and a slew of events that demanded my immediate attention, the online portion took a backseat for a period of time.
So I’m making a few minor changes and updates to make the shopping experience even better and I would love your feedback. I’ll be adding a working lookbook (finally!) that will be updated monthly, an option to sign up for the newsletter (which is also going to be a new focus), and category headers to the pages, as well as sprucing up images and the overall look of the site.
But I’m curious: Do you have any feedback for me? Any changes you would like to see made or additions to the shop? Now’s your chance.
I picked up my new business cards today, which is always a somewhat daunting experience. I’ve dealt with printers enough times to know that you never really know what to expect and there are always surprises, often unwelcome. It doesn’t help that I still haven’t found a printer with whom I’m ready to enter into a monogamous relationship with. I wanted to try something new with this batch, and decided to print on vellum, which is a semi-transparent material that would allow me to play around with dimension a little by printing on both sides.
I’m still not sure how I feel about the final product. I’m really happy with the overall design, but I was expecting the vellum to be more transparent, and so the text that is printed on the back side is hard to read unless the card is held up to the light. Part of me thinks that it adds something and makes it more interesting and “interactive”, but I also know that it’s not the most legible design and will probably not go over well with everyone.
Thoughts?
I’ve been in full studio pre-planning mode, as my brother’s completed the first phase of moving out, so the second room in our apartment is almost free. Yesterday I set up a very temporary studio space in the half-empty room so that I could display all the merchandise I have so far for a few friends who wanted to come over and take a peek, and it got me even more excited to start setting up the actual studio.
Scouring the internet for inspiration and ideas has become my latest hobby, and most recently, after being asked by a few different people how I plan to display and organize the jewelry, I’ve been on the hunt for creative ways to do so. We all know about my love for vintage luggage, so when I found this photo, which marries that and my current need for displays, it was perfect.
I’d obviously have to get creative with how I actually get it to function for what I need it to do, and keep my eyes out for a few more pieces, but I love the concept.
What do you think? Any other creative jewelry display ideas?
As you all know (especially if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook), I’ve been busy putting together the various props and pieces for the school exhibition that opens tomorrow. Having gone through about 8 cans of spray paint and countless hours fiddling around with various ideas and whatnot, it’s finally starting to come together and look like a cohesive collection.
And breathe. Seeing as I’ve already been marked on my capstone and the whole exhibition portion is more for myself and exposure, I’ve had a few “why am I doing this?” moments, wondering why I’m putting so much time and effort into this. But I think it will be worth it, to get that greater sense of bicyclette through the exhibition set-up and have a space that truly represents the brand. Ask me tomorrow and we’ll see what I say then … !
So, without further ado, allow me to show you a few sneak peaks of the progress I’ve made …
Thrifted, repainted frames showcasing various brand elements
Laser cut book cover. Look closely for the etched bike in the corner ...
Repainted vanity drawer, Eiffel tower sculpture and the brand book itself
Dolce Vita dress from the new shipment (that perfectly matches the branding...)
I decided to include the last photo because I’m thinking I might buy/wear the Dolce Vita dress for the exhibition one of the nights, as it perfectly matches the colour scheme and, well, I kind of love it. Plus, I’ve been promising some snaps of the new shipment, but haven’t had the time to organize it, so this was a good excuse!
Hoping to see some of you at the exhibition tomorrow or Thursday!
Today’s brand spotlight is on … well, bicyclette. As you all know, I’ve been working on the brand book for awhile now, and I thought I would share the progress I’ve made thus far. Still have minor details to update and a few additions, but … this is the essence of it, through a few of my favourite spreads.
I would love to know any thoughts or feedback you might have before I get it printed and bound for the exhibition. Like I said, these only represent a selection of the layouts I’ve done… a teaser, if you will.
The idea is that I’ll have the bound book to share with attendees, which will be displayed on the vanity that I found and am repainting in one of bicyclette‘s branding colours (thoughts? Aqua or blue-purple?), and I’ll also print off the individual pages and frame them, displaying them in a more gallery-worthy setting and adding an extra element of bicyclette. That’s one of the techniques I want to use in the merchandising of the store, so I thought this would be a good chance to execute the idea and create a portion of the store environment at the exhibition. That’s where the thrifted frames I’ve been collecting come in. Next step is spray paint, silver leaf and sand paper … craft day, anyone?
It’s been one of those weeks. Started it off with a couple of way-too-late-nights and have been trying to play catch-up ever since. Work was busy, school was busy, and thus I am exhausted and the blog has been overlooked for an entire week. I’m sorry!
I did an interview on Wednesday with someone from the Ryerson school paper about boredom, or in my case, lack thereof, and ended up on Ryerson’s Job Spot blog as a “Student Entrepreneur Extraordinaire”. Woohoo! After a lot of stress and craziness lately, it feels nice to be acknowledged and recognized for all of the hard work I’ve been putting into school, work and all of my personal projects. Merci! The article goes over a little bit of my history, plans for bicyclette and a typical day in my life. These are a few of the photos from the interview, but I encourage you to take a look at the full interview here.
I’ve been at my parents place in Guelph this weekend, working on the next version of my business plan for the next (and final) business plan competition and doing some antique shopping for my bicyclette-related thesis exhibition. Guelph has a couple of gems in its’ downtown with the prices significantly lower than Toronto, and I walked away with a small mirrored vanity that is begging for a coat of fresh paint, a few vintage frames that are perfect for a wall vignette, and a tabletop Eiffel tower sculpture. Now I just need to get through this next week so I can start repurposing them … photos to follow!
I’ve spent the majority of this weekend working on the bicyclette brand book and the storyboards for an interactive Flash interface that has a paper-doll-meets-collage feel to it. Many hours on the computer, but I think I’ve finally grasped the look and feeling of what I want bicyclette‘s brand to be. Not saying that I’m close to being finished, but I;m happy to be able to move past the creative block I had.
Thought I would share some sneak peeks at what I’m working on. These aren’t full screen shots or fully finished, but they give you an idea of where I’m headed with it.
FLASH INTERFACE:
BRAND BOOK:
Note: The images used in these mock-ups are not all my own, nor am I taking credit for them
I’ve been working on the biyclette brand book for awhile, and recently have found myself lacking in inspiration. My daily blog roll is a constant source of new ideas and visuals, and it is through this that I came across Promise Tangeman, a graphic designer and photographer whose talent and vision is undeniable as evident through both her blog and website. I think one of the challenges I’m finding with the branding is coming up with a cohesive visual identity that can be applied in multiple situations, without being locked into something too corporate and repetitive. I want the essence of bicyclette to come through.
Promise’s style is evident in all of her work, and her use of colour, layering, textures and collage-like elements is impressive. I love the look and feel of it. She does a lot of work on weddings, and the personality really comes through there, as she is able to capture the essence of each individual couple, and create a brand for them.
Enjoy…
… And various branding concepts for Matilda Jane, a children’s clothing line. I love her use of colour, type and textures, and how she is able to create such a strong identity for the line. Inspirational, most definitely.
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