WEEK ELEVEN

Revealing Gaps, Targets and Audiences for a New Product or Service Idea.

CHALLENGE

How can you ensure a business / creative idea is targeted and researched to maximise potential?

• Select one of your ideas from the previous week and develop a clear business outline of your intended audience outlets for distribution or purchase.

• You may need to evolve aspects of the proposition, and ensure there is a clear objective for the next stages of development.

• Your output will include product development, research insights and production challenges; all of which will come together in the final week of this module.

• Upload the artefact and evidence of any development undertaken (this might also include brand names and approach to the product’s story), and include a one page report outlining research, insights and development challenges.

My initial idea for an artefact was in addition to the online evolving resource SPARK.

The idea is to translate a collection of the short projects into a pack of cards. The cards will be circular to reflect the term holistic and also the Bauhaus curriculum model.

The facing side would be a detail from an artists work including connection details and a short biography.

The reverse will be a short creative challenge taken from a SPARK contributor.

The phrase 'pick a card, any card' reflects the magic and spontaneity of creativity - 'life is a box of chocolates. You don't know what you're going to get' quote from Forrest Gump springs to mind.

Ten years ago I developed another entrepreneurial initiative under my own business name - MAIDINDEVON. The products I developed used phrases from the local Devon dialect inspired by the hilariously funny Jan Stewer books. These books my father had and he remembered Jan Stewer Readings in the village hall as part of the communities entertainment. Having been brought up with this language I am also fluent in what is commonly known as the purest form of English - by some.

Having taken Jan Stewer stories as initial inspiration, my idea, in an effort to keep this gentle, funny dialect in circulation, was to write content for a collection of products to include greetings cards and then on to a range of porcelain tableware. Having created mock ups and sent them around to influential local business people I was approached by the Chairman of The Devon County Show. I was asked to continue to the point of production. The committee wanted to sell and distribute a range of MAIDINDEVON products via the annual county show. As this is a large event with many spin off possibilities I took the idea further.

This involved product design development and mock ups to include all aspects of taking a product to market - production costs, further distribution possibilities, storage, business plans, marketing strategy, sourcing investment possibilities etc.

All designs and written content were my own origination. The business development, production and distribution elements were also undertaken by myself. The time invested ran in to months and the costs just in terms of production mock-ups was hundreds of pounds. The passion and drive for the idea was there, as were the distribution and sales opportunities. Significant people loved the idea and wanted the product. It was the lack of business acumen, time and financial resources that meant the project had to fold.

A huge disappointment but the stress levels and financial drain were not worth it. I absolutely love the design development process, and still think the overall brand image works. But - I have learned through several design entrepreneurial projects to ensure all the business and investment aspects are fully in place before investing too much time and emotional energy in developing an idea.

A mug design.

Gift box for a series of mugs.

Design for one of the tableware sets all named after Devon towns and villages.

One of the series of six greetings cards all with a collection of Devon words and their meanings on the reverse.

However, the idea I will submit for this project is UCAN. as introduced in the blog

for week 8.

I have chosen to submit UCAN. as it is still relevant to the times we are living in - even more so than when I first thought it through post brexit. It is inclusive in its subjects and potential reach and the idea ties in much closer to my ethos as outlined in the blog for week one.

As I started to develop this brand I wrote a short paper on the importance of naming your brand. Attached here as reference;

NAME and why it matters.pdf

Download PDF • 342KB

I would like to develop this project further in a later module.

The idea was triggered initially by connecting the thought process surrounding the particular and the universal. An every day occurrence or experience which connects to a universal phenomenon.

This is because of that.