The ‘Backwards Brief’

http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2009/06/kenzo-ryoko.html

1) Background - What do you think is the background, which has informed this work? (Market, Competition etc)

Kenzo is a very well established international brand. As a brand, they have always used very nature-inspired designs and colours. Most of their design uses a very abstract nature element in them. Kenzo is an internationally marketed brand and can be found in retail shops, designer boutiques etc.

2) Audience and context - Who do you believe is the target audience? What is the context for this piece of communication?

Kenzo Ryoko is targeted at young, hip, urban men and women. From the name of the perfume, ‘ryoko’ which translates as trip or ‘go on a trip’ I assume that this perfume is targeted at those people who love to carry their favourite fragrance with them wherever they go.

3) Executional guidelines – Describe the key words (mood, personality or visual qualities etc) that has informed this work? What are the materials, techniques and processes used to create this piece of communication?

The designer (Karim Rashid) has created this perfume to be “airport-friendly”, hence, the perfume is a pocketsize stone that easily fit in the palm of your hand. This perfume as other perfumes by Kenzo uses bright, vibrant and energetic colours and is nature-inspired. The combination of shapes of the outer cover and the perfume is contrasting and is very interesting. The designer, Karim Rashid has used pebbles as an inspiration to create this range of packaging designs.

The 2009 Ryoko Collection is saturated in high-gloss color. Fragrance pebbles are suspended in a see-through box, signifying one of the ironies of modern travel -motion without movement. This range of perfumes is a part of the summer collection and hence the bright colours.

http://talkingmakeup.com/celebrity-beauty-style/beauty-news/kenzo-ryoko-summer-collection/

4) If you were commissioned to design this work yourself – what are the stages in the research and design process you would use? List as bullet points:

Research processes

• To study the history and background of the company- what it stands for, what are the previous methods/tools used in creating packaging, what message they want to convey through this product etc.

• To study the target audience through focus groups, surveys etc.- learn what their needs are, what is their buying power, the demographics and psychographics.

• Observe the competitors and methods used by them to promote their product, current trends and styles etc. (market research)

• To conclude on what ‘problem’ needs to be solved.

Design processes

• To create a basic sketch of how the package is going to be.

• To develop a colour palette based on the mood/message that needs to be conveyed. As in this case, develop a colour palette for the package that is nature-inspired, connotes summer, vibrancy and energy.

• Create a few mock-ups.

• Present these mock-ups to a section of the audience and get their feedback.

• Make changes based on the feedback received.

• Experiment with textures/materials that can be used to create the package.

• Choose the best-suiting one that is economical and practical.

• Create 3D rendered images of the final image to present to the client.

5) How might these processes relate to your own research?

My aim for the MA project is to create packaging designs for international luxury brands and these processes will be very helpful in conducting my own research. Observing how the designer Karim Rashid has developed these designs is very inspiring. These processes are very similar to what I will be using in developing my project, as the target audience etc. are similar.