Thesis Proposal/abstract

My thesis will be, “Contemporary Re-branding of Traditional Markets.” This paper intends to explore the challenges of rebranding traditional products to expanded demographics. It hopes to determine strategies to expand demographics without alienating a base market. It will also look at multipurpose campaigns that seek micro demographics and non traditional approaches to this challenge.

To illustrate this point I will focus on both successful and failed re-branding efforts as my case studies. Furthermore I will look into the recent phenomena of the “generous” brand and the effect that it has on the market in general. This includes the goodwill and sense of pride it creates in its consumers, to the less talked about, potential socioeconomic pitfalls the world may face if too many brands focus on the “generous” marketing approach.  By looking at recent rebranding strategies and the basic intention of marketing to new demographics (and keeping brands current) the paper also hopes to ascertain how a brand may be launched from scratch in the same saturated market.

Cook, Kevin. The Golf Book. New York, NY: Sports Illustrated, 2009. Print.

"JCPenney Rebrand Begs for Mercy." DAAKE. N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 31 July 2013.

Kapferer, Jean-Noël. The New Strategic Brand Management: Advanced Insights and Strategic Thinking. London: Kogan Page, 2012. Print.

Linden, David J. "The Compass of Pleasure." This Is Your Brain on Charitable Giving. N.p., 31 Aug. 2011. Web. 31 July 2013.

Marhamat, Bobby. "Dos Equis – Great Branding Ideas." Bobby Marhamat. N.p., 23 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 July 2013.

Mitchell, Alan. "Have Marketers Missed the Point of Marketing." Marketing Jobs & Marketing News. N.p., 27 Sept. 2001. Web. 31 July 2013.

Mullman, Jeremy. "Dos Equis' 'Most Interesting Man' Is an Even Greater Beer Salesman." Advertising Age News RSS. N.p., 15 July 2009. Web. 31 July 2013.

Poulos, James. "How Names And Dreams Can Rebrand And Revitalize Moribund Companies, From Radio Shack To JC Penney." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 July 2013. Web. 31 July 2013.

Pro Audio Visual Rentals. "JCP - JCPenny Rebrand Launch - Full Presentation." YouTube. YouTube, 05 June 2012. Web. 31 July 2013.

Rowley, Greg. Golf, Naked: The Bare Essentials Revealed. Coeur D'Alene, ID: Pick It up Pub., 2009. Print.

Wheeler, Alina. Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2013. Print.

Unit 5: How people focus their attention

A quote my speech and debate teacher in high school was fond of saying was " The brain can only learn what the ass can endure." Meaning, you can only reach someone as long as they are comfortable and the information you are giving them is interesting. For the purposes of speech and debate we were told that every speech we gave needed to be under the 10 minute mark or we were gonna lose our audience. Dr. Weinschenk upped that anti a bit saying that at most you get 7 minutes to get your message across before your audience loses interest.

This is key when you sit down to design something that may go passed the 10 minute mark. In that instance the secret is to gather similar information together and parse it out in sections. Between the sections give the brain places to relax. Through imagery, stories whatever.

Along with that comes the realization that the ability to multi-task is a complete falicy.

Unit 4

This unit breaks down how we think and process information. These mental loads include cognitive, visual and motor. Anything we can do to reduce or ease the burden of these loads will help our user comprehend our work much easier. Therefor as designers we should always be looking to reduce mental loads by supplementing the visual and motor loads. 

The other point is something that has stuck with me since I was a kid but was never better demonstrated then throughout the Kevin Smith movie "Dogma." What I'm referring to is the difference between beliefs and ideas, and how steadfast people are in their beliefs. Dr. Weinschenk hits on this as well in this unit. While trying to change someone's beliefs can lead to confrontation, if you can find a way to condition your message to go along with elements of their beliefs you may be able to sway their current way of thinking. 

The last thing I wanted to call out was the understanding of the mental model. The basic notion is that every user comes into an experience with certain expectations and understanding based on their past experiences how your design should work. They know where to look for the on button, they understand the function of the enter key, a headline is at the top of the page etc. Designing with this in mind will allow for a lot easier load on your users as it is part of what their are pre conditioned to understand and accept.

Unit 3 How we Remember

Unit 3 was a breakdown of how memory works. The chapter covered various types of memory and how we make use of both our short and long-term memories. The biggest thing I took away from the chapter was the notion that, no matter how hard we try, we will always only remember a small portion of what we try ti input into our long term memory. That's where being a good designer is crucial, since it is our job to manipulate the process of memory in order to make sure a consumer takes away what we need them to from out work.

Possible Thesis Idea

As of right now I'm feeling pretty passionately about doing a complete rebrand for the Seattle Supersonics for their return to Seattle for my senior project. This includes everything from the logo and jerseys, to the ad campaigns  merch, cheerleader uniforms, etc. With that in mind this is what I'm thinking for my thesis:

"The connection and impact sports branding has on a community. This includes people's cultural association with a logo, the comradery  felt, and how changes in logos effect those groups. "

Theses Responses Round 2

The first thesis I looked at belonged to Adam Argyle and was titled "Hand and Finger Gesture Interfaces: An Exploration of Global Practicality and Plausibility. " My first thought after reading this thesis is that it's hands down the best thesis I've read by an AI student. It was interesting, incredibly well thought out and organized, thoroughly researched and written in a very professional tone. More than all of that, I learned a great deal about something that you would think would be common sense; that being, we gesture while we talk. And while obviously sign language proves it can be a valid form of communication, it was the translation of that to technological devices that I found interesting. The possibilities of gestural interfaces allowing you to live and function in foreign countries as well as the natives who live there is a fascinating concept.

If I had to say anything against the paper it's that I would have loved to seen some illustrations or a visual guide to accompany it. So much of the piece was spent describing various gestures and swipes and with each one it pulled me away momentarily from what he was saying as my brain was trying to construct the movement he was describing. Quick, clean illustrations would have helped me avoid that.

Project Proposal #2

What I'm doing:
For the second project in this class I will be rebranding the Seattle Supersonics for their return to Seattle (which could be as soon as next year.) This will include a new logo, as well as jersey design and possibly other merch as well.

Who will be paying for this?
The Seattle Sonics themselves are the obvious answer, but if you want me to be more specific it would be members of the Chris Hansen group that would pay for a rebrand.

The Solution:
I want to create a design that reflects both the history of the franchise prior to it's move to Seattle but also demonstrate something that will usher in the new era of Seattle basketball.