DISCUSSIONS EVERYDAY

FASHION MILESTONE

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DESIGN THINKING

What is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown.

Why Is Design Thinking so Important?

Design teams use design thinking to tackle ill-defined/unknown problems (aka) because they can reframe these inhuman-centricways and focus on what’s most important for users. Of all, design thinking is almost certainly the best for “thinking outside the box”. With it, teams can do better,andto uncover new ways to meet users’ needs.

The Five Stages of Design Thinking

Stage 1: —Research Your Users' Needs

Here, you should gain an empathetic understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve, typically through user research. Empathy is crucial to a human-centered design process such as design thinking because it allows you to set aside your own assumptions about the world and gain real insight into users and their needs.

Stage 2: Define—State Your Users' Needs and Problems

It’s time to accumulate the information gathered during the Empathize stage. You then analyze your observations and synthesize them to define the core problems you and your team have identified. These definitions are called . You can create to help keep your efforts human-centered before proceeding to .

Stage 3: Ideate—Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas

Now, you’re ready to generate ideas. The solid background of knowledge from the first two phases means you can start to “think outside the box”, look for alternative ways to view the problem and identify innovative solutions to the problem statement you’ve created. is particularly useful here..

Stage 4: Prototype—Start to Create Solutions

This is an experimental phase. The aim is to identify the best possible solution for each problem found. Your team should produce some inexpensive, scaled-down versions of the product (or specific features found within the product) to investigate the ideas you’ve generated. This could involve simply .

Stage 5: Test—Try Your Solutions Out

Evaluators rigorously test the prototypes. Although this is the final phase, design thinking is iterative: Teams often use the results toredefine one or more further problems. So, you can return to previous stages to make further iterations, alterations and refinements – to find or rule out alternative solutions.

Overall, you should understand that these stages are different modes which contribute to the entire design project, rather than sequential steps. Your goal throughout is to gain the deepest understanding of the users and what their ideal solution/product would be.

REFFERENCING: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking

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MARKETING AND ITS 4 P'S:

Definition: The marketing mix refers to the set of actions, or tactics, that a company uses to promote its brand or product in the market. The 4Ps make up a typical marketing mix - Price, Product, Promotion and Place. However, nowadays, the marketing mix increasingly includes several other Ps like Packaging, Positioning, People and even Politics as vital mix elements.

Price: refers to the value that is put for a product. It depends on costs of production, segment targeted, ability of the market to pay, supply - demand and a host of other direct and indirect factors. There can be several types of pricing strategies, each tied in with an overall business plan. Pricing can also be used a demarcation, to differentiate and enhance the image of a product.

Product: refers to the item actually being sold. The product must deliver a minimum level of performance; otherwise even the best work on the other elements of the marketing mix won't do any good.

Place: refers to the point of sale. In every industry, catching the eye of the consumer and making it easy for her to buy it is the main aim of a good distribution or 'place' strategy. Retailers pay a premium for the right location. In fact, the mantra of a successful retail business is 'location, location, location'.

Promotion: this refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or service known to the user and trade. This can include advertising, word of mouth, press reports, incentives, commissions and awards to the trade. It can also include consumer schemes, direct marketing, contests and prizes.

REFFERENCING: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/marketing-mix

UNDERSTANDING A CLIENT : THE BRAND THAT CHOSE FOR MY INVESTIGATION WAS NIKE AND ALSO HOW IS IT A CONSCIOUS AND SUSTAINABLE BRAND!

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EXAMPLE: GUCCI

Everyone has heard of Gucci.

Despite the brand’s exclusivity and unattainability for most consumers, it’s always been popular. Gucci’s fame can be attributed to its appeal to rich public figures.

Celebrities and elites wear Gucci all the time. As a result, it’s always been the talk of the fashion industry. In fact, Gucci gained a massive $4.4 billion on revenue last 2016.

How does Gucci stay on top? In part through marketing strategies that focuses on creating an immersive ecommerce experience and online awareness.

1. Gucci Website Redesign and Relaunch – transformed the  ecommerce experience

Most luxury brands are defined by the luxurious shopping experience they offer.

Shopping in Gucci’s majestic stores is a unique experience. But how does a luxury brand recreate the same experience online?

Gucci’s online store features ready-to-wear collections that are curated as they appear on the runway.

“They have brought to life their world — it’s curated in a way that it represents the life of the Gucci woman in a very smart and subtle way, while still making the consumer feel that they want to live in this world.” said Schatzberg, president of digital agency Wednesday, in an interview.

Buying a $10,000 Gucci handbag or a $100 nail polish is fairly easy. The site offers free returns, find-in-store options, product information and gift wrapping.

Gucci also places customer services options on each product page, so that  customers can easily get in touch with salespersons.

2. Gucci Publishes Image-Driven Content

Gucci has always projected an aura of elitism and luxury. And, it has a collection of visually rich imagery to thank for it.

Its website features a plethora of visual content featuring the brand’s collections and campaigns.

The product pages are filled with high-quality images of its products. Additionally, these images can be viewed in multiple angles and consumers can zoom in on the photos.

Gucci’s high-quality images and attention to detail prove that it’s a luxury brand, that’s a cut above the rest.

3. Brand Visibility and Popular Culture

Gucci has been worn by a number of highly successful artists in their most successful performances.

Some examples of such performances include Lady Gaga’s rendition of the the National Anthem at the 2016 Super Bowl. During her performance,  she wore glittery red Gucci suit pants and white and blue platforms, designed by Alessandro Michele.

Gucci had another noteworthy collaboration with Beyonce in her famous video “Formation.” The video featured Beyonce with an array of female dancers clad in similar custom-made Gucci crop tops, leggings and high-waist booty shorts.

Fast forward to her groundbreaking album “Lemonade,” she wore a Gold Gucci suitfrom the Spring 2016 collection.

These celebrity collaborations show Gucci’s dedication to be a part of popular culture.

4. That Feeling When Gucci: uses memes to sell wristwatches

Memes—images or animated gifs paired with clever text—are always hot in social media. Millennials love to like and share them with their friends either because they’re witty or funny.

Guuci took advantage of this trend when they launched the new Le Marche des Merveilles collection of watches.  The brand commissioned a handful of famous Internet artists such as designer @williamcult (William Ndatila), documentarian @littlebrownmushroom (Alec Soth) and photography team  @meatwreck to create a curated collection of memes that online consumers can relate to.

The campaign, called—That Feeling When Gucci or #TFWGucci— was adapted from a popular meme.

“When he gets mad a at you for being 3 hours late but you’re too fire to deal with that kind of attitude,” reads one caption on a photo featuring the hands of a mysterious fashionista who carries a burning rose as she glances at her new Gucci wristwatch.

“When the only face that that they’ll be looking at all night is on your watch.” reads a second, featuring an individual cloaked in a Gucci bag and wearing three Gucci wristwatches.

These pieces are just a few of the photos released by Gucci in their irresistible online campaign.

REFFERENCING: https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/gucci-marketing-strategy/

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WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A DESIGNER?

Designers are like Problem solving machines!

Going forward, creative work is sure to become more common place. Today, despite the many professions available, creative work seems to be on the rise. Just outside the boundaries of the system, risks are being taken in new ventures. In a creative enterprise, the most important factor is to give life to innovation.

The job of the designer when creating new products is to clearly relay the benefits of a product to the layman and lead them to a proper understanding. There are also cases where a supervisor makes a judgment without the presence of the designer, and this is part of the difficulty of the profession.

Despite putting in thousands of hours into one project, most are sure to end in failure. Nevertheless, in order to create an impact on the world, it is necessary to continue on. The designer, even when not actually designing, must be continually sharpening their insight so that they may regularly contribute fresh ideas.

In that sense, our work can’t be clocked in the normal way. But there are many things only a designer is capable of bringing about and that thought alone is truly exciting. That’s why I believe it is a noble profession.

HOW IS A DESIGNER DIFFERENT FROM A SCIENTIST AND ENGINEER?

Comparing Objectives

In a design project, the objective is to design (to find, invent, or improve) a product, strategy, activity, or theory.

The essential objective of science is to improve our understanding of nature by designing experiments (in special activities that increase our knowledge about “what happens”) and designing theories (to explain “how-and-why things happen”), so science is a special type of design.

We can distinguish between two types of main objectives within design, in our designing of a product, strategy, or activity (in general design) or an experiment and/or theory (in science):

Here is another way to view these objectives, by describing their similarities and differences:

In both types of problem-solving design you Recognize an Opportunity because "a problem is any situation where you have an opportunity to make things better."

In general design you try to solve problems — you want to make things better, to meet human needs & wants — by defining problems and seeking solutions.

In science you try to solve a special type of problem — you want to make your knowledge better, to understand more thoroughly-and-accurately — by asking questions and seeking answers.

Comparing Process

similarities:  Despite these differences in objectives, general design and science are just different types of design, so both use the same basic process of design* — in goal-directed thinking that uses a creative generation of ideas and critical evaluation of ideas — which in Design Process is described three ways, as a Two-Step Cycle of Design, and also 3 Elements (Goals, Predictions, Observations) in the 3 Comparisons (two Quality Checks, one Reality Check) that you see below, and 10 Modes of Thinking-and-Action (to Define, Generate, Evaluate, Coordinate).

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WHAT IS A GOOD DESIGN?

Dieter Rams is a German industrial designer who was responsible for the design of Braun’s consumer products for many years. About 50 years ago, in his quest to answer the question “Is my design a good design?”, he developed the 10 principles of, sometimes also known as 10 commandments. It’s amazing to see how valid these principles are today, so much that we might feel than even more than back then, when Rams actually wrote them!

According to Dieter Rams, good design:

1. Is innovative

2. Makes a product useful

3. Is aesthetic

4. Makes a product understandable

5. Is unobtrusive

6. Is honest

7. Is long-lasting

8. Is thorough down to the last detail

9. Is environmentally friendly

10. Involves as little design as possible

• Good design is innovative. The possibilities for are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

• Good design makes a product useful. A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

• Good design is aesthetic. The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

• Good design makes a product understandable. It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

• Good design is unobtrusive. Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

• Good design is honest. It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

• Good design is long-lasting. It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

• Good design is thorough down to the last detail. Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the show respect towards the user.

• Good design is environmental-friendly. Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

• Good design is as little design as possible. Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to .

REFFERENCING: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/dieter-rams-10-timeless-commandments-for-good-design

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WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

Sustainabilityis the ability to exist constantly. In the21st century, it refers generally to the capacity for thebiosphereand humancivilizationto coexist. It is also defined as the process of people maintaining change in a homeostasis balanced environment, in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations. For many in the field, sustainability is defined through the following interconnected domains or pillars: environment, economic and social,which according toFritjof Capra is based on the principles of Systems Thinking. Sub-domains of sustainable development have been considered also: cultural, technological and political.

Sustainability is a lot about being Economical, Social and Environmental!

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars: economic, environmental, and social—also known informally as profits, planet, and people

Environmental Sustainability Ecological integrity is maintained, all of earth’s environmentalsystems are kept in balance while natural resources withinthem are consumed by humans at a rate where they are able to replenish themselves. Economic Sustainability Human communities across the globe are able to maintain their independence and have access to the resources that theyrequire, nancial and other, to meet their needs. Economicsystems are intact and activities are available to everyone, such as secure sources of livelihood. Social Sustainability Universal human rights and basic necessities are a ainableby all people, who have access to enough resources in orderto keep their families and communities healthy and secure.Healthy communities have just leaders who ensure personal, labour and cultural rights are respected and all people are protected from discrimination.

Why sustainability? The motivations behind sustainability are often complex, personal and diverse. It is unrealistic to create a list of reasonswhy so many individuals, groups and communities are workingtowards this goal. Yet, for most people, sustainability comesdown to the kind of future we are leaving for the next generation. Sustainability as a value is shared by many individuals and organizations who demonstrate this value in their policies, everyday activities and behaviours. Individuals have played a major role in developing our current environmental and social circumstances. The people of today along with future generations must create solutions and adapt.

REFFERENCING: https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/what-is-sustainability.pdf

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COTTON V/S POLYESTER

What is Cotton? Cotton has been around for hundreds of years and it’s popularity in the apparel industry is not waning. Not only is it naturally occurring, it is also a softer option than polyester garments. What’s more, ringspun VS conventional cotton is the softest option of all and is wildly popular among screenprinters and decorators. Additional pros for opting for cotton is that it’s breathable (not to be confused with moisture wicking), comfortable, and is currently the more affordable option (for now). Cotton is a commodity and can fluctuate in price, but it currently beats polyester in price. Cotton is also a great option for those with sensitive skin, as organic cotton is made without the use of insecticides, pesticides, and chemicals. For many, the upsides to using cotton far outweigh the downsides. What is Polyester? Having been created in the 1940’s, polyester has been around for more than half a century. Like cotton, it is an increasingly popular option in the apparel industry. Polyester apparel is more wrinkle resistant than cotton, fades less, and is long lasting and durable. It is a great option for a restaurant worker who needs a tough shirt to withstand lots of wearing and washing, and because polyester is less absorbent than cotton, it is more stain resistant too. There are multiple moisture wicking options available for performance and athletic wear, that simply aren’t available in 100% cotton. On the flipside, polyester is more likely to have runs and pulls, but in terms of durability, it is optimal. Which is Best: Cotton VS Polyester Some say the best of both worlds is a blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester. These 50/50 blend shirts are generally less expensive than 100% cotton, yet still have the softness that you find in 100% cotton apparel. Even better, because these shirts are 50% polyester, you will find increased durability and a longer lasting garment. If you’ll be selecting apparel for your screen printing needs, one thing to keep in mind is what type of ink will be used. Not all inks are created equal, and as such, you need to determine whether your ink is compatible with your apparel. A good rule of thumb is that 100% cotton shirts can be printed using most textile inks (ie., waterbased and plastisol). But, if you’ll be printing on polyester or polyester blends you will need to check with the manufacturer of your ink or your screen print supplier to make sure you’re good to go in the ink department.

In the End, Is it Cotton vs Polyester? Ultimately, there is not one right answer when it comes to what is the “best” material for apparel. There are multiple pros and cons to each type of garment, so it’s a matter of weighing what’s most important to you and going from there. Make a note of what you like and dislike about a particular garment and brand to keep track of what works and what doesn’t! In the world of blank apparel and it’s infinite options, having a general understanding of the differences between cotton and polyester will save you many headaches in the future.

REFFERENCING: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&channel=mac_bm&ei=KppMX-a9B4WGmgeq84mwDw&q=cotton+versus+polyester&oq=COTTON+VERSUS&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyBAgAEAoyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAOgQIABBDOgUIABCxAzoICAAQsQMQgwE6CAguELEDEIMBOgcIABCxAxBDOgUILhCxAzoKCC4QxwEQowIQQ1D0GljTRWDDU2gBcAB4AIABhgKIAYwPkgEGMC4xMi4xmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdperABAMABAQ&sclient=psy-ab

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