Managing my time

This is an overview on how I am planning on managing my time for the remainder of my classes

Week 5

• Work on final logo
• Determine colors and flavors of drinks
• Develop 3 roughs for packaging
• Research potential packages
• Write rough of paper
• 1-3 case studies

Week 6

• Write rough of paper
• Pick official package
• Produce 2 of the 7 sins packages
• 1-3 case studies

Week 7

• Produce 3 of the 7 sins packages
• 1-3 case studies
• Refine paper

Week 8

• Produce the final 2 of the 7 sins packages
• Refine Paper
• 1-3 case studies

Week 9

• Refine designs
• Refine paper

Week 10

• Print and assemble packages

Week 11

• Celebrate 
• Prepare to graduate next quarter

Paper Outline Update

I have finally thought about everything and have developed an official outline for my paper. it is as follows...

Topic: Energy Drink Analysis  (Working Label, not official title.)

Intro: 
Discuss what will be included in the paper. Will also include thesis statement.


Thesis Statement: 
Energy drinks have become a popular go-to drink for many people due to their appeal, their overall use, and society's influence. 



Point 1: 
Reasons for energy drinks/ uses
Minimum of 3 explanations supported by facts.
1) Tired
2) Enhance Performance
3) Society/ Peer Pressure

Point 2: 
Negative things about energy drinks
Minimum of 3 explanations supported by facts.
1) Health Concerns
2) Questionable ingredients
3) Caffeine


Point 3: 
Energy Drink Trends/ Marketing & Statistics
Minimum of 3 explanations supported by facts.
1) Natural Energy Drinks
2) Target Markets
3) Making a product better

Point 4: 
My final analysis of my project. (What I did and why I did it)
An explanation of what I did for my project and why I chose to do things the way that I did them.


Conclusion: 
Sum up paper/ prove thesis right or wrong.

Creating a Brand: Research and Ideas

After coming up with the logo for my product line, I am now able to move forward to thinking about what I want the overall appeal of my brand to be. Before I dive into creating package design, I need to sit down an think about what I want to include in my designs as well as develop an overall style. 

To do this, I start by creating an image board. This is done by searching the internet for images that relate to my project. After I have found things that I'd like to use, I put them all together in one place. The picture below is my image board for my product line known as "Sin". 

After creating an image board, I have a better idea of what I want the style of my product line to be. Since I have a better idea, I can move on to a style sheet which is about the same as an image board except this board showcases my ideas of what the style of the product should be. It can include typefaces, imagery that should be included, and color palettes. Below is my style sheet. 

Now that I have compiled both an image board and a style sheet, I can start designing.

Creative Brief

Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since I posted anything. Don't fear though, I'm back. 

I have completed a creative brief for Sin and I figured I would share it. 

Client Company:

Sin Energy

Project Description:

A logo and packaging for Sin Energy.

Background on Client/ Brand Image (How this new image assist them):

A logo will help in marketing Sin Energy as well as helping them to develop their brand. Packaging will also help their brand image by making them stand out from their competition.  

Client Materials: Request logo, promotional material, advertising, collateral material, etc.

Logo and packaging.

 What is the service the client’s organization provides to the company?

The client makes energy drinks. The overall image that they want to project is wicked and dark. They have also themed their drinks around the seven deadly sins. The client feels that their selection of energy drinks are a safer alternative to what is currently on the market. They believe this because they make their drinks with all natural ingredients. Since the company is new, they haven’t released any of their drinks to the public yet but they have secured places to sell their product in a major chain of convenience stores.

Who is the primary target market?

Their primary target market are people within the 15-25 age range that drink energy drinks frequently.  (Mainly Males)

What is the nature of the problem(s) to be solved or need to be met/ company needs?

The company doesn’t have an official logo. Sin Energy needs both a logo and a package design to help build their brand.

How has the problem been solved or need been met in the past?

Since Sin Energy is a budding company, they are starting with a clean slate.  Therefore, the problem has yet to be solved.

Describe the competition. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your organization as compared to similar organizations?

The competition would be other energy drink companies such as:

·      Monster

·      Red Bull

·      Rockstar

·      Nos

·      Scheckter’s (organic)

·      Hype (organic)

·      Opta Energy (organic)

Strengths:

·      Unique

·      Dark

·      Quality Product

·      Different flavors for every taste bud.

Weaknesses:

·      No official logo

·      No official packaging

·      Brand new

       How are the organization’s services different from what the competition offers?

The client’s product offers a better alternative to normal energy drinks that is safer due to the use of all natural ingredients. Only natural sources of energy are used to create the product. They also offer many different varieties of their energy drinks that will suit every customer.

      What is the single most important message that you wish the reader to remember about this service or program?

People should be able to recognize Sin Energy by its package as soon as they see it. They should also be able to easily identify Sin Energy’s logo. Both of these things should bring out the best of the company and should help Sin Energy expand their business through branding.

     What is the key appeal of the message (emotional, narrative, endorsement, recognition, or lifestyle)?

The key appeal is mainly recognition. As stated before, people need to recognize Sin Energy as a brand. People need to understand who they are, what they offer and what they stand for.

      Why are people interested in the service or program offered?

·      Quality product

·      Unique to the market

·      Healthier alternative

       Are there additional key points to be included in the message? (Also intended mark design direction.)

·      Sin (Energy)

·      Dark Colors

·      Seven Deadly Sins (drink is based upon this)

·      Unique package

       Are there special things to keep in mind, such as legal requirements, technical, or graphic requirements (specific colors, size, quantity, logos to be included, etc.)?

Stick with a dark and wicked theme as well as dark colors. Package must stand out from the crowd.

Evolution of a Logo: Step 2 - Digital Roughs

After going over my sketches with my instructor, I was able to progress further and finally develop some digital roughs taken from the thumbnail sketches I created. I did run into a bit of an issue which was having to change the name of the product from "Seven" to "Sin". Even though this proved to be a minor issue, I didn't let it affect my inspiration much. I was still able to keep my "S" idea but after taking it to a digital format, I'm not sure that I like it as much. I think I may be leaning more towards a word mark rather than a monogram due to the overall appeal of the design that's in my head.

Below are my digital roughs for my product line's logo. I tried to keep some variation between them. Once I show these to my instructor to get a second opinion of them, I will finally be able to develop a final version of the logo and switch gears to designing the labels for the energy drinks!

Rough 1 - "S"

Above is the "S" that I had mentioned before. It has some demon horns and a swirly body that forms into a demon tail. Honestly, I think it looked better on paper. If I choose to go with this logo then I'm going to have to tweak it a lot. I think it's just too cutesy for the product and doesn't support the overall design that is in my head. If I could make this logo look a little more sinister by creating some dynamic angles with the "S", it may be salvageable.

Rough 2 - Nail

Above is the Nail variation of my word mark logo. I am calling it a nail because the "i" in sin resembles one. I have produced three concepts for this logo. The first one has a pitchfork as the "i", the second one has a pitchfork going through the word mark, and the third one has pitchforks framing the word mark. Overall, this is a little better than the "S" described earlier but I still feel that this logo isn't quite up to par with what I want to do. 

Rough 3 - Swoop

Above is the third concept in my series of logos. This one is called "Swoop" due to the "S"'s characteristics. I think that this word mark is the strongest of the three logos that I have created. Again, the "i" is a pitchfork to keep with the overall theme of sins. I think that I like the second variation of this logo with the elongated "i". I think that it will work well with the concept that's in my head.


That's all I have so far. Feedback is appreciated, so feel free to comment on which logo is your favorite of the three concepts that are shown. After I get some feedback from my instructor I will be moving on to the label design for the product which means that it's time to do some research on potential containers. I'm thinking about going with a classic bottle of flask. I will also need to draft out a creative brief as well as a style sheet and inspiration board which will be seen in my blog as soon as it's finished. So that's something you guys can look forward to.

One last thing, I may have more digital roughs of the logo depending on what my instructor says.

Until next time...

Energy Drink Trends

As I stated in a previous post, I am switching gears and focusing on energy drink trends for the topic of my paper. The following are a few sites that may help build my paper.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/energy-drinks-shots-u-market-163000627.html

This article was about marketing trends for energy drinks for the span of about 2006 to 2012. There were a lot of statistics pertaining to the non-alcoholic beverage industry as well as Ready To Drink (RTD) beverages. The article stated that the key energy drinks were Red Bull, Monster Energy, 5-Hour Energy, and Rockstar Energy. They also stated that the market is highly dependent of these brands.  Another thing that I discovered was that a majority of the target market for consumers are 18- 34 year old men. I kind of thought that the main target market would be comprised of men so this didn't surprise me. Overall, this article may be beneficial if I decide to include an analytical point in my paper.


http://mydrinkbeverages.com/natural-energy-drinks-trend-is-emerging-in-2013.html

This article discussed the thought that natural energy drinks are on the rise for 2013. These new energy drinks are all natural and don't contain nearly as many harmful ingredients that normal energy drinks do. In some cases, the drinks don't include any of the main ingredients found in normal energy drinks. The focus on blending both juices and natural sources of caffeine together in harmony that create drinks that people won't be afraid to consume. This article proves to be helpful because if natural energy drinks will indeed become all the rage then maybe I should frame my project around this one trend. My product could be all natural if I wanted it to be. I'll have to think about it.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/energy_drink_trends

This article was a prediction of things to come in the energy drink field. The article talked about the new natural energy drinks and how it may be appealing to women because it's safe.  Another thing that they discussed was the fact that the main energy drinks taste terrible and are too high in calories. When speaking about this, the article recommended that the companies need to develop energy drinks that both taste good and are low in calories. The next thing that the article discussed was that there may be a project in the works to develop a can that stays cold because the majority of consumers enjoy a cold beverage. Another thing that was discussed was the demographic for energy drink consumers. It was a bit different from the first article that I discussed. This article states that the primary market for energy drinks are teens, Hispanics and African Americans aged 18 to 34 and that Asians drink more energy drinks than any other race. It also stated that the African American community drinks the highest quantity of energy drinks. This was a little off to me, I didn't quite expect it. It makes me wonder why Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans are contained in the main demographic. This may need further investigation.

http://www.liefinternational.com/blog/market-research/consumer-trends/world/energy-drink-market-world-outlook-for-2013/

This was an article that discussed predicted trends and gave some feedback on how to adapt to them. This may prove beneficial when trying to develop my own energy drink line.

A New Direction

After speaking with my instructor, we have determined a few things. He thinks that I should focus my paper around energy drink trends perticularly taste trends. I thought that this would be a better route to take seeing as I am doing a product line. I will still include some facts about both the negative and postitive things surrounding energy drinks but these may be condenced into one point. I will still also include reasons for energy drinks because I think it will help me better develop my brand.

On the topic of my brand, my instructor also recommended that I change the name of my energy drink because people might associate it to the movie seven which is something that I would like to avoid. The new name that I have come up with is "Sin."

This means that I might need to create another set of thumbnails that relate to the name "Sin". This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I do have some ideas brewing. 

So in conclusion, this is a little progress update to let you all know what has been going on.

Re-Branding Red Bull - Case Study # 3

In an attempt to expand my horizons I found yet another case study. This study appears to be done by a student that has chosen to re-brand Red Bull. His process was well thought out. He created a new logo, packaging, marketing strategies  and an interactive campaign that would help reestablish the brand as well as get consumers excited about the product.

Were all of these things good? Yes I believe they were. Was it executed properly? Sure... Were the designs reflective of the brand's past? No, not by a long shot.

I can understand wanting to re-brand Red Bull but I think that this student could have done a better job of keeping his design relevant to what Red Bull has already established. If he had done this, consumers would still be able to recognize the same product that they know and love. This could be done by sticking to the same primary color palette  Another thing to do is don't go too crazy with the logo. If you're re-branding, as I stated before, the product still needs to be somewhat recognizable  Don't get me wrong, his logo was clever, I just think that it wasn't the best choice from the ones that he did as roughs. He had a really stunning one where he had the word mark wrapped inside of bull horns which I thought would have been better than what he chose.

The next thing to tackle was the package design. He had chosen to re-design the can with arrows which I think was a good idea but he made them green. Again, I feel that he should have stuck with the red, blue, and yellow color palette. One thing that I have noticed about Red Bull is the fact that they are known for this color palette. It's what helps them stand out from the rest of the energy drinks on the market. If it's not broken don't fix it, make it better but use what you already know to enhance it.

As you can probably tell, I didn't really enjoy the decisions that were made within this case study. This is a prime example of something that probably wouldn't work if it were actually implemented in the real world. In my opinion, consumers aren't quick to change and if they can't recognize the product then they will move on to something else.

If you are interested in seeing this case study, you can access it here.

Let's get CRUNK!!!! - Case Study # 2

I came across another study that happened to be for the energy drink Crunk. This case study wasn't nearly as extesive as Monster's but it still offered some insight.

This case study was all about the marketing of Crunk in the Los Angeles area. The branding company (Attack) devised a plan that involved taking their product to the street and doing a massive tasting and free sampling. They hit up college campuses as well as music concerts and festivals in a modified el camino that was dressed up in Crunk stickers and had a truck bed filled with the energy drink. By doing this type of marketing they were able to make a name for themselves and as a result, over 800 purchases were made as a direct result of the sampling. This was all done over an eight week period.

After reading this case study I have come to the conclusion that Attack's marketing idea proved to be successful. This type of marketing helped spread the word about Crunk. I was however displeased that the case study wasn't very extensive. That may have been the point though.

If you're interested in this case study, you can find it here. There is an attachment that you will have to click on to be able to see the full report. it is located at the bottom of the article.

Creating a Monster - Case Study # 1

I managed to find a pretty extensive case study focusing on the energy drink known as Monster. This case study covered everything from potential names, building the brand, and having a brand go from zero to the top of the energy drink market, (or at least to the second leading brand.) They had a strategy that they stuck with and it prevailed. It took them about seven years to reach their goal but they managed to create something that consumers recognize and know by name.

After reading this case study, I feel as though I should reconsider my general idea concerning my product line. As I was going through this case study I noticed that a lot of my ideas where similar to what Monster did. My overall design that was in my head also kind of resembles Monster as well. I guess I need to rethink a few things but I'm glad I took the time to look at this.

If you are interested, you can find the case study here.

Evolution of a Logo: Step 1 - Mind Map & Sketches

Creating a logo can be hard. It's even harder when you're in a creative rut. I have found myself in the latter of the situations. I don't know what's going on, but I have been in a creative rut for a few months now. It's hard to describe it but if you're in any art field I'm sure you can relate. So how do I get myself out of this rut? I have all these awesome ideas for different things that I would love to do but I have no idea how to execute them. What I like to do is get away from designing for a little bit. This time frame can be anywhere from a short 15 minute break to a few days. If I don't have a few days then I have to force myself to get something done which isn't the best thing to do if you're in a creative rut, but it's just something that has to be done. Here is what I like to do if I am on a deadline. 

If I can't think of anything to do for the current project I am working on, I like to start by creating a mind map. A mind map is created by taking a topic and listing different topics that can relate to the original topic. The awesome thing about using a mind map is that nothing is off limits, you can let your ideas flow and go completely off the original topic. Doing this allows me to develop a direction to take with my project. Below is my mind map that I created to give me an idea about what to do for a logo regarding my product line. As I have stated in previous posts, I am doing a series of energy drinks that are based off of the seven deadly sins. Therefore, my main topic in the center of the page is "Seven Deadly Sins".

After doing the mind map, I have a better idea about what I want to do for a logo. To move forward, I created some thumbnail sketches of potential logos. Thumbnails are usually small and offer different variations and concepts to help a designer explore their options. I like to do a minimum of ten thumbnails so I have a variety of things to choose from. This is also a good thing to do so a client can see the different directions that the design can take as well as allow the client to choose what will best reflect the company. The following image contains my thumbnails for the logo that will be used for my energy drink line. I have decided to call the drink "Seven". 

These are the first two steps in creating a logo. From here, I will get some opinions from my peers to see what logo out of the thumbnails they like best. After that, I will take the top three logos and present them in digital format. The digital format will be done in a later post. 

This is what marks the start of my project. 

Anyone who reads please feel free to comment on which thumbnail you like most. 

A Rough Outline

The following is a rough outline of how I plan to structure my paper. This will help me define my thesis as well as help me draw conclusions about proving it right or wrong.
(This may be updated as I dive further into my investigation or I may refine this outline in a later post.)

Topic: Energy Drink Analysis (Working label, not official title.)

Intro: Discuss what will be included in the paper. Will also include thesis statement.

Thesis Statement: Energy drinks have become a popular go-to drink for many people due to their appeal, their overall use, and society's influence. (This is only a working thesis that may need to be tweaked later on.)

Point 1: Reasons for energy drink/ uses
Minimum of 3 explanations supported by facts.
1)
2)
3)

Point 2: Positive things about energy drinks
Minimum of 3 explanations supported by facts.
1)
2)
3)

Point 3: Negative things about energy drinks.
Minimum of 3 explanations supported by facts.
1)
2)
3)

Point 4: Marketing/ Statistics of energy drinks
Minimum of 3 explanations supported by facts.
1)
2)
3)

Point 5: My final analysis of my project. (What I did and why I did it)
An explanation of what I did for my project and why I chose to do things the way that I did them.

Conclusion: Sum up paper/ prove thesis right or wrong.

Energy Drinks: A Lethal Concoction?

This marks the beginning of my research  I decided to start of with the "ugly" side of energy drinks. I have found a few articles that discuss the health risks and factors surrounding energy drinks. My finding weren't that far off from what I imagined them to be but I still found some of the issues surprising.

http://www.energyfiend.com/energy-drink-side-effects

This article focuses on the ingredients of energy drinks. From this page, I have discovered that the majority of the ingredients in one way or another can make a person feel sick. Everything from nausea to insomnia is described. The problem with energy drinks is that they contain so many different ingredients that it's hard to pinpoint what ingredient makes a person sick. Things like ginseng, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sugars, and Ginkgo Biloba all have adverse side effects when consumed. Caffeine has proven to be the worst of these ingredients. All of the things that I have listed are popular ingredients that are used in energy drinks. I don't think people realize how bad these ingredients are for you.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/15/1194451/energy-drinks-dangerous/?mobile=nc

This article discusses the fact that energy drink companies do not specify how much caffeine is contained within their products. Displaying the caffeine levels on a product is actually not a requirement and many companies choose to forgo it. In some cases however, a few companies do display the caffeine amount on their product but it is not the actual value that is contained. This seems to be a big issue and it's not being regulated by the FDA. They state that they currently do not have enough scientific information to regulate the industry. This seems a little fishy because there have been actual accounts of people dying due to consuming energy drinks. According to the article, the federal agency has received reports of 13 deaths over the past four years that claim that 5-Hour Energy is the possible cause. Even Monster Energy drinks have caused a stir in other reports claiming that the product has caused five deaths over the past three years. Why aren't people paying attention to this?

http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/stories/5-health-problems-linked-to-energy-drinks

This article provides a list of health concerns that are related to energy drink consumption. The article discusses five health risks. These risks are, heart problems, risks of miscarriage, increased risk of alcohol injury and dependence, risk of drug abuse, and impaired cognition. 

The scope of my project

This blog is going to be a tool that will help me organize my thoughts and research pertaining to both my senior project and graphic design capstone classes. These classes go hand in hand. Their purpose is to help me create an awesome project for my portfolio that will blow people out of the water.

My idea is to go in depth about energy drinks. I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly things of this topic. In able to do so, I will conduct research on energy drinks. I want to know things like target markets, how much sugar is in each drink, why people drink them, and if there are any health concerns surrounded by the products. The research will be seen through this blog as well as in a 20 page paper. For the paper, I plan on keeping an open mind so I can cover multiple angles. Therefore the paper will be informative rather than argumentative.

After the research phase is completed with an extensive paper, I will create a product line of energy drinks that will be showcased in my portfolio. My overall idea for this is to create an energy drink for each of the seven deadly sins. These include: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

My theory is that everyone turns to drinking energy drinks for a certain reason whether it be that they're tired, that their friends drink them, or that they are thirsty. I think all of these reasons can relate to one of the seven deadly sins. Therefore, each sin will have it's own flavor and each one will "satisfy" the sin that is haunting the person. An example would be that the sloth flavor would help you stay awake.

This is the beginning of my idea and I am excited to run with it to see where it goes. I'm hoping that the end result of this process will leave me with an amazing portfolio piece that will help people remember me.