Studio Brief 2: Defining the brief

Research focus:

The project will be based on the quote ‘Many studies have found that both women and men do not believe that their current body form is attractive... Research has repeatedly found that physically attractive individuals are perceived by most to be socially more desirable than those that are perceived as being unattractive, something that is likely to have been reinforced by consumer societies...’ by Jansson-Boyd. Focusing on the theme of society and the presentation of women in advertising, the realities of the female body image will be explored and the impacts that advertising false images can have on society. Advertising will be the graphic design discipline to focus on, looking at ways to take the negative stigma associated with fashion advertising and develop positive messages.

Defining the design problem:

Due to the recent negative comments about Topshop’s choice to use ‘anorexic’ models and mannequins in advertisement, the brand requires a new advertising strategy to show the positivity that fashion should provide to the audience. 

“Client needs or requirements”:

The client would be the company Topshop and as it is a well-known brand, the logotype would need to be present on the advertising prints. The brand manager of Topshop (Jane Shepherdson)

Audience:

An advertising campaign for a fashion company would usually focus on pleasing the target audience to the shop, but this advertising campaign needs to focus on those who were offended by the previous choices that Topshop have made in regards to the promotion of their products. The audience will need to see that Topshop has made the effort to try to advertise the clothes in a way that promotes positive body image messages, removing the negative stigma associated with Topshop after this media uproar.