Study Task Five - Who am I? Who are they?

Write a list of all the possible client groups that use graphic design in the development, production, distribution, promotion and/or communication of their products or services.

• Fashion
• Music
• Retail
• Education
• Health
• Transport
• Food
• Charity
• Government
• Agriculture
• Entertainment
• Finance
• Law

Identify one client group that reflects your current ambitions within the graphic design area (music industry, retail, publishing, education etc.) and focus on identifying:-

• What skills / interests you have and how they relate to the needs of your client group?
• What skills are needed and what skills do you want to develop?
• What are your professional/creative aims and how do they relate to the needs of the client group? 

Retail

I have chosen retail as the area that interests me as it is an area that I have really focussed on so far in my personal practice, especially within the 503 module. The skills I have relating to his area is the ability to create realistic mockups, I feel that this is a necessary skill as it gives the client something to visually relate to without the product having to be fully constructed. It gives a clear impression of the product to the customer to be able to see if it satisfies their need. I also have personal interest within retail and visual shelf appeal is something that really intrigues me. Being a visual person myself, what I buy will depend quite highly on what it looks like, this is a trait that I think relates to a majority of the public, highlighting the importance of a products visual appeal.

I think a skill that I need to develop for my work to be more successful in this area is audience consideration. When I'm designing I need to consider more the needs and opinions of the customer rather than what I personally like. This is a very important aspect to develop as ultimately it will determine the success of the design. Being able to attract the correct consumers to create interest around an item and have something desirable that they will want to buy. I would also like to learn more about the cost of products and how much it is to produce certain things, this also links with the audience and would they be willing to pay a higher price for a better quality item.

My professional and creative aims going forward link very strongly with the skills I want to develop, relating to gaining knowledge on how to appeal to different audiences. This also goes into the placements of products within a shop and where in context will the item be most successful. I would also like to cover a larger range of aspects regarding the retail sector, for example packaging, point of sale, promotion and the design of the product itself. I think by increasing this range will create a stronger body of work.


Examples of Retail design:

Gabe

Packaging and advertising

Firmalt

Carte

Branding and packaging

Firmalt

Pact

Branding, advertising, packaging