OUGD502: Personal and Professional Practice 2 - Studio Brief 3: Life's A Pitch Research and Development

For our third and final studio brief of the Personal and Professional Practice 2 module we are required, in groups of four or five to construct a business plan / proposal for a creative design studio which we will ultimately present to our peers in a formally assessed presentation.

When devising our proposal we will need to consider the following;

• What skills and services do you have to offer?
• Who is your target audience?
• Who is your competition and how will you compete?
• What are your costs, charges and financial considerations?
• How will you structure your studio?
• Who will be responsible for what?
• How will you promote your services? To who? Using what media?

Our group, which includes myself, Charlie, Emily, Grace and Caitlin have decided we will be a design company that specialises in the food and drink sector. Initial research jobs were then given to each member of the group which we would discuss when we next met on 13th March. Unfortunately I was not present for the first session of the brief due to illness however I was asked by the group to research into possible locations for our company in Manchester looking specifically at location and logistics as well as any accountants in that area.

POSSIBLE LOCATIONS

Piccadilly

• Home to the busiest station in the Manchester station group
• Has the Arndale shopping centre
• Centre of Manchester

Pricing 

Oxford Road

• A popular drinking area focussed around the two mile long road that runs from St Peter's Square in the city centre all the way down to the curry mile in Rusholme
• Popular with students
• Bars and pubs near Th Palace theatre, Manchester Academy, RNCM, Dancehouse theatre, Green Room, Corner House, BBC studios and Contact theatre
• Located in the city centre 

Pricing

Portland Street

• Runs from Piccadilly at it's junction with Newton Street southwards to Oxford Street at it's junction with chepstow street
• Major buildings of Portland Street include the largest former warehouse in the city centre
• Number of pubs and bars around Manchester Piccadilly station, Piccadilly gardens and Portland Street

Pricing

The Hacienda

• Was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester 
• Most famous during the "Madchester" years of the late 80s and 90s 
• Whitworth Street west on the south side of the Rochdale camel
• Original was demolished in 2002 and built into flats etc.

ACCOUNTANTS IN MANCHESTER (M1)

• Lloyd Piggott Chartered Accountants - www.lloydpiggott.co.uk
• Sedulo Group Limited - www.sedulo.co.uk
• Brody Lee Kershaw - www.brodyleekershawandco.co.uk
• CK Wong & Co Chartered Accountant - www.ckwca.co.uk

As we specialised in the food and drink sector Charlie began creating a list of possible food-related names using puns to highlight the friendly and approachable nature, as a group we decided on 'Good Egg'. Once we had decided upon the name of our design agency we then each individually design possible logos which we would then post to Facebook group to receive feedback and ultimately decide upon our final logo.

I created some very initial designs using Adobe illustrator to give the group and idea of the possible direction for our logo and branding. In order to demonstrate the 'fun' aspect of our design agency I decided to include both type and image into my logo designs instead of creating a purely typographic solution which would be perhaps more high-end. It was important to us as a group that out design agency was seen as friendly and approachable and therefore I felt the lowercase type was more appropriate.