STUDY TASK 6 - what do 'they' do?

Based on the principles that have been introduced in the PPP2 sessions so far and your responses to the previous tasks, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of three practitioners or design agencies as objectively as you can. You should aim to identify a large, medium and small company from a sector or service that reflects your interests within the creative industries.

What opportunities for their practice have revealed themselves to you as a result of this research, analysis and evaluation?

Do not use subjective language or make unfounded comments about other people’s businesses. It is essential that you make references to SWOT and PEST analysis and evaluate their usefulness as an analysis or evaluation tool. In responding to this task you will need to consider the following questions:

• Who am I competing against?
• What do they offer?
• What makes me better?
• What makes me different?

PEST - political, economical, social, technological

SWOT - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats

Small company - Brave the Woods

Who are they?

Brad Woodard is a graphic designer and illustrator raised in the Great Northwest, now living in Boston with his wife and little boy. He started his career as a designer for Column Five Media, where he also contributed to their offshoot blog, Visual News. Currently, he works as a designer during the day at Arnold Worldwide, and by night he runs Brave the Woods.

Strengths

One of the main strengths of Brave the Woods as a design studio is the website itself. It is an extremely interesting, interactive and effective experience. It gives a clear sense of the type of designer that Brad Woodward is, really reflecting his visual approach, personality and image based design. The overall appearance is fun and friendly, and it becomes a website you want to stay on and explore, rather than one that is corporate and boring. 

Their is also an extensive list of featured projects, that show a broad range of print based illustration and design. It is clear that Woodard has a contemporary approach to design, with a great use of colour and shape. This will therefore appeal to the individuals within the design industry today. His site featured both 'work' and 'play', and this therefore shows that Woodard still produces self initiated work, and is still motivated and inspired by what he does. 

Weaknesses

Although Brave the Woods has an extensive client list, being freelance, it means that the studio is made up of only one individuals. This means that Woodard has to be everything and everyone. He is therefore limited in terms of how much he can get done, how much he can specialise in and what he can offer to companies. For Woodward, however, this is evidently not a weakness, as he has chosen this type of business for himself. 

Opportunities

As Woodard specialises in design and illustration, he could possibly consider the new medias, in terms of web design. This is something he could really capitalise on. His own site is visually appealing and well laid out, therefore this is something to be considered. 

He also has an online shop, therefore he has allowed himself the opportunity of making sales online to the general public, as well as creating work for a list of clients. This allows the everyday individual to buy into Brave the Woods. 

Threats

Woodard may have threats from larger studios who have a wider set of skills due to the amount of people working for them. This may lead to loss of money or loss of work. 

Medium company - Studio MIKMIK

Who are they?

Studio MIKMIK is a graphic design and illustration studio established in 2006 by Michael Lewis. They claim to create well crafted solutions for print, identity, illustration and online projects. By working with Studio MIKMIK, they state that you'll receive a friendly design service where every project is handled with care and attention to detail is paramount. From first meeting to final delivery, no matter how small or large a project, you can be assured that every question will be answered and cups of tea will never be far away.

Strengths

Straight away, just from reading their about me and info pages, it is easy to see that Studio MIKMIK are an extremely friendly and hard working company. They portray themselves in a way that would make a client willing to get in touch, without having to worry about receiving an uninterested or negative response. Studio MIKMIK come across as extremely approachable, which is something that really stands out in the design industry, as it can initially seem quite intimidating and daunting. This is something that definitely reflects my interests in terms of the design industry. Obviously not in terms of actual visual approach, but approach in general, as I feel that it is a much needed quality in a design studio. 

Another strength this studio has is to do with their ethos. Studio MIKMIK states that they have a love for the environment and all things green. They therefore believe in sourcing high quality recycled paper and board. This is done by selecting like-minding print houses to work with that consider environmental impact in order to reduce waste and emissions without impacting quality. 

Studio MIKMIK also works across a range of different formats and mediums, including print, publication, packaging and even architecture. A lot of this work has been done for local companies and clients, allowing them to create a name for themselves within the surrounding area. 

Weaknesses

Although the fact Studio MIKMIK only work with recycled products and materials is an extremely positive factor in terms of environmental impact, this can also be seen as a weakness. Some of the methods and means used in order to reduce impacts of print projects can affect the budget. Although this can obviously be negotiated, it may pigeon hole clients, and also make them lose out on custom. It may also be quite an expensive process for the studio itself, having to source and buy environmentally friendly papers. 

The layout of Studio MIKMIK's website doesn't make their work stand out all that make, or make it appear really fresh and exciting. Final images could have been formatted in a more appropriate manner so that they're easier to view, and easier for the viewer to flick through. They also claim to produce 'graphic design, illustration and such', which is quite brief. It isn't too obvious what area of these disciplines they specialise in in terms of branding, identity, web etc. 

Opportunities

Studio MIKMIK clearly have a lot of opportunities for themselves within the surrounding area of the company. They have evidently built up a local client base, which has then led on to future opportunities. 

There are clear opportunities in different areas of the design industry. For example, they do not seem to have work with any form of web based outcomes and everything appears to be print based. It is possible that they could look into new medias, and become more experienced in terms of this. Web is constantly growing, and this is something that they could capitalise on. Their own website is well designed, has a number of different features are clearly communicates them as a brand, therefore they should consider this as a route to go down. 

Threats

Studio MIKMIK may lose business in terms of their environmental concerns. As this isn't the concern of all clients, it could mean that they have pigeon holed their customers, which can either be a positive or negative thing. If their ethos is going to affect budget, then clients may consider looking elsewhere for something cheaper. 

What makes me different?

Although concerns for the environment are occasionally in the back of my mind, this is not something that has affected my practice as of yet. As I am only working on a small scale, impact on the environment is not something I have considered and therefore in terms of cost and time my work is a lot different. 

Large company - Pearlfisher

Who are they?

Pearlfisher is an independent design company, founded in London by three hands-on partners in 1992. A second New York studio was then set up in 2003. They claim to aim to create a better future by design by connecting truth and desire. They believe that desire has the pure power to solve problems, connect, seduce and transform with maximum impact.

Strengths

As a company, Pearlfisher are clearly extremely passionate about the power of design and the important role that this design plays in a brand's commercial success. They always make sure to develop and retain long term relationships with the brands that they work with, which means that they continue to come back to this company when more work is needed. They have won the Design Effectiveness awards for the last 13 years consecutively and have even won over 25 DE awards for brands such as Green & Blacks, Waitrose and Moma. This type of success creates reliability, trust and connection between designer and client, and it also evidently shows that what they are producing for these brands is extremely effective and SELLS.

Weaknesses

Although not necessarily a weakness it terms of overall success and effective design, some of the content on the Pearlfisher website can come across as slightly intimidating and arrogant, for lack of a better word. Although this can sometimes be needed, it makes the company seem almost less approachable, and because of their extremely high qualities and standards, this can seem slightly daunting to the average individual. 

The website for Pearlfisher is also quite confusing. A lot of content has been packed into the site, and sometimes it is quite difficult to navigate yourself around, as well as get back to the desired page. Although overall visuals are clean and simple. there is actually quite a lot going on in terms of displaying work, clients, information about the studio and so on. A lot of the titles are also brief and confusing, such as 'today' and 'words'.

Opportunities

Pearlfisher seems to only target their services at a lot of big brands and names, with an extremely extensive list of past, present and future work. This may mean that other smaller business or less known businesses may be reluctant to get in touch, or may instantly feel they will not be able to afford their services. Pearlfisher also doesn't seem to specialise in web design. Occasionally, they do work with web, however this isn't a main feature of their work on their site. This may possibly be a missed opportunity for them, as they work a lot with branding, packaging and innovation. They even work with architecture, therefore web is something that could be considered. 

Threats

Although Pearlfisher clearly have a big name in the design industry, they may receive compeition or threat from other agencies that offer a lot more in terms of web design. As web can usually be part of branding, identity and print based design, a strong digital element may be quite important to some companies. 

Despite this, Pearlfisher have worked with some really big name brands, and have rallied a large number of awards for themselves. They are clearly an extremely capable and successful design agency, and therefore it is quite difficult to note any threats. As I am unaware of costings, it would be wrong to assume that Pearlfisher charge extortionate amounts based purely on the fact that the work with well known clients. 

What makes me different?

My abilities tend not to lean towards branding and identity. Although I have a keen interest in packaging, a lot of my work tends to be image based, which can be seen through the use of illustration and pattern application. Pearlfisher also works quite closely with food and drinks companies, which is not something I have focused on, however it is something I am interseted in in terms of packaging design and the creation of patterns. I looked at the branding for two different drinks companies in the responsive module, and I am keen to work in this sector of design in the future.