Evaluation for rebranded logo and website design. (Republic)

1. Explain exactly what and how you did each stage of the process?
For my logo, I started to begin sketching ideas. I drew some shapes and used different colors to fill them in and get some understanding of what I'd like my logo to look like. After sketching out ideas I realised I'd rather use an image. I then opened google and searched for 'urban images' as the shop itself is quite urban. I found a good one of a decaying door, zoomed in on the decay and began cropping to the image I wanted it.
I then decided I'd like it to be a circle with my decaying background and a capital 'R' for Republic in the middle. I then began checking the colors and deciding what ones matched, etc.
I used Photoshop to create the entire logo, and after sketching out ideas and messing around with it I found a design I quite liked.
This is what my final Logo design looked like:

I edited the contrast and changed the effects around to make it seem more mysterious and even more urban. I think it looks good and will be appealing to potential customers. The bright 'R' really stands out and will hopefully make the shop and logo more memorable and appealing to people. I think this logo is attractive considering the shop is quite grunge and it is like a little taster of the sort of clothes that would be sold inside the shop.

For my website design I started by printing a numerable amount of photographs, texts and ideas. I cut them out and stuck them all down differently until I figured out where I wanted them to go for definite. I then came up with a final design idea planned out on paper:

From this I could get some idea of where everything would go and an outline of how it would look, I then went onto photoshop.
I got a turquoise ombre background for effect, I then began uploading every photo and piece of text I had on the final design sheet. I took the magnetic lasso tool and cropped the models out of their white backgrounds. I brought the logo through using a mask layer that creates a composite image, this looked good and effective. The final product of the design was used entirely on photoshop and looked something like this:

2. List all the strengths and weaknesses of all aspects of the production.
My weaknesses for the production of the logo were definitely the design aspect. I found it hard coming up with different ideas and being creative and individual. It was a long process of thinking of different things to do, different shapes, colors, etc. Despite my weaknesses for creativity I still managed to come up with various ideas and decided to spend a little time messing around with the design until I found an interesting and different one to use. This was a good use of time as it helped me to find out what design aspects I liked, what I didn't like and what I wanted to use.
My strengths for the design of the website were very limited. Although I managed to get the final product done it still wasn't what I wanted it to be. I feel like my weaknesses were mainly based around my knowledge on using photoshop and my creativity. I was strong and efficient at working fast but had difficulties in choosing things such as color scheme, placement and models to use. I feel the final outcome was good but I could have done better.

My Final Logo

When creating my logo, it took me MANY attempts.
I first tried my initial design and decided I didn't like it.
This is what it looked like:

It was boring, unappealing and generally dull.
I then tried something else.
I took an urban background of a decayed wall and cut it into a circle before bringing it through on photoshop.
I then made a 'R' on the text tool and colored it blue. I placed this in the middle of the circle.
(All done using photoshop)
I then edited the coloring of the photo to make it seem a bit more 'exciting'.
I also darkened the corners of the image.
This is what it looks like:

I'm really pleased with my final logo. I think it is eye catching and different and would definitely attract customers. I'm happy with the coloring too, I think the dark blue compliments the neutral background. The decayed wall in the background almost looks like a floral pattern, too.

I think this logo represents the shop well and shows exactly what the shop sells and represents.

I like my logo and am happy with how it turned out although I wish I'd made the 'R' less vibrant and made it blend in slightly more.

Although this doesn't look like any of my initial designs, I'm very happy with how it turned out after playing around with my first design. I decided to keep the circle theme as I rather liked it, but changed the word 'republic' to just one letter as it makes it more appealing and there is less to read.

I'm very happy with the coloring and am glad I chose the neutral colored background to show the decay but the brighter lettering so people will remember the shop.

Republics Re-branded Logo Ideas

 This is Republic's original logo. This one is plain, dull and simply uncreative. It's standard text and regular colors don't suggest anything in the shop would be attractive. It is not a logo that would draw any attention or attract any customers.  I personally wouldn't enter the shop as the logo doesn't appear to indicate that any of the products will be attractive either. It is not something you are immediately drawn to.

This is my final logo design idea. It is a circle with the world 'republic' rotating around it. It has an arrow that joins the C to the R, which is supposed to show the entrance and exit of the shop. The blue text represents attractiveness or the ability to appeal. The red arrow shows security, this will ensure there is a bond of trust between the customers and the company. The purple outline of the arrow shows guidance. The customer is being guided into the store. 

This is my explanation as to why I chose the initial ideas that I did. Here I have included reasons, color scheme, marketing ploy, etc.

These are my initial ideas for the logo. I have included the old logo, my logo ideas, the meaning of different colors and the colors I'm going to use. These are just very quick sketches and aren't developed much.

Here I have moved onto to an explanation of my final idea and design. I have developed it slightly further by mucking around with the colors and positioning, I have then explained my thoughts and ideas and why I have chosen the things that I did. I am happy with my final logo design and will begin to take it onto photoshop to develop it further.

Changing Republic's brand identity.

Why has republic shut down?

• Expanded rapidly about 10 years ago but sales failed to keep up
• Its target youth market has been the hardest hit demographic of the recession, plus it has faced increasing competition from online stores.
• High prices and low quality cause marketing sales to plummet.
• 150 staff were made redundant when stores shut down, they hoped this would improve the overall business but it has only made it worse as there were not enough employees to serve and this caused customers to complain and therefore rapidly decrease.
• Republic is owned by private equity firm TPG, which bought the company in 2010 in a deal thought to be worth about £300m, and now stands to lose much, if not all, of its investment.

Here is a BBC news article with more of a detailed insight on the situation.

Why have I chosen Republic?

I have chosen Republic because it has potential to be a successful business but lacks the required qualities in order to make it successful. It has no creativity and is very plain, the marketing ploy is dull and lifeless. I feel that with hard work I could create a brand new identity for the business that would be interesting, eye catching and popular.

Re-creating Republic.

In order to re-create or re-brand Republic, I'm going to be changing some vital things about the business; 

I'm going to make Republic a new logo and a new webpage design.

The first steps I'm going to take are for the logo.

I'm going to re-search different logos and get an idea of what kind of design I would like to do. I'm going to re-search different colors and their meanings so I can accurately use them. I'm then going to do a few different sketches of various designs and then come to my final design idea and start to create it on photoshop.

To create my webpage, I'm going to look at the original website and see what I dislike most about it. From there I'm going to see how I can change the things I dislike about it and how I can improve it for potential customers. I'm going to do some initial idea sketches for the layout of my webpage, then my final idea and then make the final product on illustrator.

After doing both of these tasks I can then write up about how I did them, what I did, why I did it, etc. 

Unsuccessful Brand Identity

I have chosen to do Republic as my unsuccessful brand identity.

It may look like a popular shop, but this photo is years old. Recently, it has gone into the dumps. Due to its pricing issues and lack of variety, no one is interested in shopping here anymore. Infact, within a week a total of 8 shops had already shut down.

Originally, Republic started in 1985 as Just Jeans, but after 1995 it changed it's name to BestJeanswear,  Republic was launched in 1998. It was a private, limited company and in 2005 Change Capital invested in the company to finance expansion plans. May 2011 the company was bought buy the privacy equity firm. 

In February 2013 over 150 head staff were immediately made redundant due to the recession and also company finances were having trouble. A total of 8 stores then closed and many are still going today. 

3 British Advertising Companies

Research three British Advertising and Marketing companies who have rebranded companies focusing on Brand Identity.

Firedog:
Firedog have rebranded Assam Place, London.
WHAT IS IT? Assam place is a development which features both premium student accommodation and contemporary student accommodation. It also provides a variety of studios for students or even teachers to live.

WHAT WAS THE INITIAL BRIEF? Firedog’s brief was to create a strong brand that communicates the unique benefits of the development, creating the perception that this development is more premium and desirable than the product offered by competitors. It was originally to design an appropriate but high standard building that can accommodate a variety of people.

THE RESULTS:

The Assam Studio offer has already been fully leased off plan and the bookings are rolling in for the LIVE1 tower. Assam Place opens fully for business in September 2013. We continue to support the brand family, developing events collateral, digital media, social publicity, integrated communications and advertising. 

Not only has the building changed- for the better, but so has the website. It has gone from being plain, boring and hard to use to sophisticated, fun, easy and helpful.

The website is very modern. It not only provides information (price, place, photos) about Assam but it also creates a fun atmosphere- which will help to attract potential renters. It has a virtual tour that will guide you around and will show you what the building looks like. The website theme is a simple black and white, which is good as the photos exhibit vibrant colours- if the website was bright too then it would potentially lose customers as it is too much.

All in all, the building is attractive and so is the website and logo. The rebranding was good for Assam Place as it will attract many more students and will be successful. 

United Colors of Benetton. 

WHAT IS BENETTON? Benetton is known for their flashy campaigns, but not for their clothing. Their fashions have lost relevance over the past two decades because they look no different from any other European designer. We created this presentation as a complete overhaul of their business model to make their business model a living, breathing example of the diversity that their name was founded upon. 

WHATS BEEN REBRANDED? HOW? Benetton established a worldwide network of Benetton Foundries: design schools around the world that train up and coming designers. These students attend a two year program, culminating in a collection that showcases the color of their region in the stores worldwide.
The rebranding included a new brand identity, website, store design, and a 360° campaign to launch the first collection.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW? The company has fully been rebranded and for the better. It's now on top of the global market for clothing and is one of the most iconic companies.  

CoreBrand.

WHAT IS COREBRAND? CoreBrand has been studying brands for decades and can quantify and optimize your brand opportunities. 

Their global qualitative and quantitative research capabilities include:

• Market researchReputation, perceptions, attributes, gap analysis, perceptual mapping and audience segmentation
• Brand engagementCustomer, employee and stakeholder satisfaction
• Brand validationEvaluation and assessment of preferences, believability, relevance and semiotics
• Brand valuationBrand equity evaluation, market share analysis, media mix modeling, and understanding the brand’s influence on market cap and revenue.
• Brand projectionForecasting, long and short-term budgeting, time value of money
• Brand trackingBenchmarking and ongoing scorecard updates

HOW/WHAT DO THEY DO? 

They help to change companies (for the better) so that they can attract more customers. They focus on the actual campaign and include all elements to make the company succeed (EG website, advertisements, etc)

Failing Brands Mindmap