OUGD603: Smart Grid Consultancy- Evaluation

This isn't the type of brief that I thought I would enjoy. Corporate branding always seemed so dull to me and yet here I am finishing a brief which is very corporate, in a sector I would've never considered interesting and yet I found this brief really fascinating. In terms of branding I think it's one of the first times I have tried to present all the company values through the logo and brand application and this came about from a good solid understanding of the company. When I was approached about rebranding the company I felt incredibly daunted but once I understood what SGC does and where they fit in the energy market translating their company values into design became easier. 

Throughout this brief I also made conceptual decisions- there was very little I did without having a reason behind it. For most of my time at LCA I have been an aesthetic decision maker, doing something because it looks good. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and sometimes can be the right response to a design challenge, however, in this case, thinking conceptually really helped my sell my ideas back to the client. He had very little issue with what I was producing once I explained what it all meant and why I had done it, in fact he seemed more interested in my ideas because they were all justified. I think this is a lesson I will use when dealing with clients from now on, especially when someone has built their own company from the ground up, it puts them more at ease making them believe you've really thought about and considered what you are trying to say rather than slapping a lot of design features together just because they look good. 

I would've liked to have done more- perhaps translate the brand onto more things, pens, vehicles, email footers etc. Though due to time constraints I stuck to the basic stationary, which is a shame I really feel this brand can be more with a bit more continue the brief in a more professional context.

I think the main thing I can take away from this brief is that I shouldn't turn down work I perceive as boring because it might be a great opportunity to grow and that I should work conceptually as much as possible, selling the client a story about their brand rather than just a bunch of pretty designs.