OUGD602: Topshop Student Shop

Working in Topman part time over summer I was commissioned to design a flyer for the stores Student Shop, in which the individual store is given a small budget to organise a lock in that encourages students with exclusive discounts and late night offers. Working with the Store Manager to design the flyer was challenging in complementing an appropriate design direction with the clients needs. Creating a range of initial design concepts allowed me to explore different directions in which this medium could be used to engage with the target audience. This required a clear and concise hierarchy of information which was negotiated as: Event, Date, Place and Time and equally required an aesthetic that would allow this information to be clearly legible at a glance ensuring maximum audience retention. 

Gathering feedback from the client they suggested the middle concept worked most effectively allowing simple high impact design that worked for both brands as other designs used Topshop imagery which wasn't representative of Topman. Developing this direction further the client required the stores phone number and address for university students new to the city as well as the shopping centres logo for a further reference point. The final design takes reference from the in store experience taking from pastel colours of the SS16 trends and marble accents used within the mannequin stands and store graphics to ensure the aesthetic is representative of the store. The hierarchy of the information flows appropriately identifying the date in prominent marbled type as a focal point of the design supported by more detailed information to balance the flyers composition. 

To further promote the event I simplified the design to fit within a 3x3 grid, optimising the design to be used with Instagram as a means of promoting the event to a larger audience inviting staff members to post through their personal accounts to reach a high percentage of students within the local area. The results of this minimal campaign saw a significant increase in awareness for the event making it the most successful the store has had being the first time they have produced tangible advertising as opposed to purely word of mouth. This process allowed me to work with a client, consider the importance of hierarchy, negotiate with printers, sourcing pricing, and generating invoices, all of which aid the professionalism of my practice and develop a better insight into the commercial interests of design.