OUGD601 — Primary Research Planning

To develop a foundation of understanding of what things catch people's eyes when they are choosing a beer at a bar I will give out mini power surveys in craft beer bars in Leeds, Friends of Ham, Bundobust & North Bar.

These won't be as big as the ones I made for the beer festivals in Summer but will give a much more concise set of answers that will show the most effective forms of catching a consumer's eye from behind a bar-fridge or on a pump clip.

These questions have been designed to prompt quick thinking and clear responses in a social environment, this will stop me from bothering people too much when they are out to enjoy themselves.

1 — What drink have you got in your hand?

2 — In reference to visuals/packaging, what caught your eye about this drink?

3 — Would you buy this drink again?

4 — Would you try more from the brewery that made it?

These questions will show the entire drink experience and what bounces from it. The consumer would first name the beer so it can then be identified. The consumer is then asked what triggered them to choose it visually, could be bright colours, interesting illustration, bold typography, etc. The two final questions relate directly to the bounce effect of the consumer experiencing it visually and then drinking it. Some may really like the beer they just drank and would want to try it again as well as other drinks the brewery make. Some might not like that particular drink but would still try another from that brewery because they appreciated something about it before the taste was concerned such as the branding or visuals.

The results from this survey would deliver a series of data which could help show a link between the drink's branding & experience.

I designed an A5 printout which can be given to consumers after they have bought their drink. This explains why I am doing it as well as a clear format to answer within. The use of Yes/No boxes stops people writing anything irrelevant in those boxes to make my life easier too.

I showed Simon this survey plan in my tutorial and the feedback I received was very helpful. He recommended to change my wording in my second question as it wasn't asking what I wanted to find out and also recommended doing a second page to see if people could recognise craft brewery's with blurred out or cropped parts of their logos or packaging. This would further define the recognition that people have of brewery's branding and back up the argument of craft beer branding reflecting the growth in popularity.

I chose two UK based breweries and two US based. I didn't want to choose any that were too small or no one would know who they were, so I chose moderately known companies and removed the colour and cropped into them so they were not obvious.

I thought this was a great idea because it hit two birds with one stone and would stop me from needing to return and pester the bar's clients at the same time as doubling my data.

I sent the final version of the survey to Simon before sending them off to the bars and requesting permission to conduct them in their establishments.

Once I had finished emailing Friends of Ham, Bundobust & North Bar, I did some test prints on cheap off grey sugar paper to give it a raw and artisan feel relating directly with the subject. I believe more people will engage with the survey if it looks and feels nice.

I then tested it on Jasper to make sure I was collecting the right information which I was happy to find I was.

If Jasper was in a bar and had just bought an Odell IPA, I would of gathered the following data.

Odell IPA

Caught consumer's eye because he didn't like the design.

Would buy it again.

Would try more from that brewery.

Recognised 2/4 of brands.

This would be an interesting set of data because the label design stood out to the consumer because he didn't like it, however he still enjoyed the product and would try the brewery's other products.

OUGD601 — Lecture

Introduction should underline the objective of the study and maybe explain the methodology involved.

Academic conventions are like an institutional framework for your work. These can be challenged and manipulated to present ideas and research.

At this level you are expected to:

Demonstrate a critical knowledge of practice.
Apply theory to practice.
Analyse relevant material.
Evaluate theory and evidence within the context of study.
Reflect — critiquing and critically reflecting on your learning and using this to improve practice.

Building through the bloom's triangle effectively presents the guiding process in COP3. This must be shown within the writing and practice. *Synthesis*

Avoid a surface approach to the module such as:

Concentration on learning outcomes.
Passive acceptance of ideas.
Routine memorisation of facts.
Sees small chunks.
Ignore guiding patterns and principles.
Lack of reflection about, or ignorance of, underlying patterns and theories.
Little attempt to understand.
Minimal preparation and research.

Challenge sources and ideas, develop an obvious understanding and show this.

Deep approach:

Independent engagement with material.
Critical and thoughtful about idea and information.
Relates ideas to own previous experience and knowledge.
Sees the big picture.
Relates evidence to conclusions.
Examines logic and arguments.
Interested in wider reading and thinking.
Ongoing preparation and reflection.

How is the deep approach shown?

Academic writing is formal and follows some standard conventions.
Each academic discipline has its own specialist vocabulary which you will be expected to learn and use in your own writing.
The substance of academic writing must be based on slid evidence and logical analysis, and presented as a concise, accurate argument.
Academic writing can allow you to present your argument and analysis accurately and concisely.

Never use the first person. Be direct and make statements with reasons to back it up.

I have considered — Consideration has been given to.

Aim for precision  Don't use unnecessary words or waffle. Get straight to the point. Make every word count.

Avoid any abbreviations and contractions.
Avoid slang words and phrases.
Avoid conversational terms.
Avoid vague terms.

Dissertations Structure:

Preliminaries — Title / Acknowledgements / Contents / List of Illustrations.

Introduction — The abstract / Statement of the problem / Methodological approach.

Main body — Review of the literature / Logically developed argument / Chapters / Results of Investigation / Case Study.

Conclusion — Discussion and conclusion / Summary of conclusions

Extras — Bibliography / Appendices.

Do not prioritise the written element or the practical, both must be synthesised.

Harvard Referencing.

Author (date) Title Place Publisher

Miles, R. (2013) Why Referencing?, Leeds, LCA Publishing

"I have no idea how to reference" (Miles, 2013, p.7)

OUGD601 — Practical Planning

The first brewery I got in contact with was Sunbeam Ales, when I first e-mailed Nigel he seemed quite interested in what I had to offer and we arranged to meet for a beer. Once I arrived and explained what I was doing and what I'd hope to do in the project he went on to tell me how he has a background in textile design and knows what is good. After that, the conversation veered to him telling me that he really likes his branding and he thinks it's the best out there.

A very confusing evening ended abruptly when I realised it wasn't going anywhere and he only wanted me to redesign his website.

My next contact was Mallinsons Brewing Company, an independent brewery in Huddersfield. After a few days of hearing no reply, I decided to give them a ring in hope to speak to someone. I was happy to hear that I wasn't being ignored but as an independent brewery they are massively busy and simply forgot to email back.

After a quick chat explaining what I was doing, the lady I spoke to Elaine said she was more than happy to work with me as long as they didn't have to spend much time doing anything because of their intense brewing hours. We agreed to meet at the brewery on Monday morning to discuss the project and what I could do with them.

Mallinsons would be a much better brewery to work with as their production is a lot higher along with their packaging and marketing budgets. This would give more flexibility in design but also a wider scope of work to complete.

OUGD601 — Tutorial 2

In the second tutorial with Simon, we discussed what I'd been doing since the last one and my plans for the next two weeks before the next tutorial.

I told Simon about my struggles of finding factual numbers and figures but he reassured me what I had was plenty and that I had to start concentrating on the branding research as that was my focus. It appears I spent a bit too long trying to find proof that the craft beer market has grown.

We agreed on a selection of different primary research methods such as talking to the owner of Bundobust and speaking to people in the craft beer bars of Leeds.

For my practical element I need to find a brewery or individual in need of branding themselves or a specific product.

OUGD601 — Sales & Distribution Research

For my critical writing, I had to prove that the craft beer industry has shot up in popularity with accurate facts and figures.

I found a website named SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers). After scowling the site I realised they had no official numbers or statements on the amount of members year on year so I decided to e-mail them in hope for the information to be sent to me.

I was happy to receive a reply on Monday morning with a couple of links to the information I was after.

I also called up Companies House to see if they had information I could use. The man I spoke to said that the information I am looking for might not come down as narrow as "independent breweries" but I should be able to find something there.

He directed me to the SIC code list where I could look for the subject field I needed and then how to order data files for £30, the only problem was there is a notice saying they aren't compatible with Apple Mac computers.

I sent over an email asking if this data would help me with what I was looking for as well as how I would access it considering my computer operating system.

On European Beer Guide I found a table splitting off the brewery figures between 1985 - 1999 but nothing closer than that.

I spent a while going over the CAMRA website and found a small table hidden in the FAQ section with some info on amount of breweries over a series of years. This was so close to what I was after, having it go back to 2000 would of been perfect because I would of then had the data from 1985 to now.

I found this pdf on SIDA that goes into depth of the rise in sales of cask ales which are related directly to craft beers. This will help define the rise in popularity of this choice in drink.

OUGD601 — Focusing my Research + Question

— Write down all questions that I want to investigate.

— Consider each on their merits and focus on two (primary & secondary)

— Write an A4 ‘first thoughts’ sheet for each of those questions.

— What is the purpose of the study? Is the question researchable?

This study is to research, critically analyse and understand the extent that the branding design involved in craft beer culture has reflected the rise in popularity in the UK.

This will develop my understanding of the values attached to different design & packaging approaches in the craft beer industry and give me an insight to the development of an independent brand through the formats delivered in design.

— Create a critical plan on where to fit things in and when.

Research:

Sales & Distribution — Statistics of the amount of craft beer bars in the UK, how many breweries have opened recently, sales and distribution figures, import records, supermarket stock.

Case Studies — Brewdog, Stone Brewing Co, Northern Monk.

Interviews/discussions — Designers in the craft beer industry, breweries, shop owners, members of the public.

Critical Writing — 6000-9000 word essay.

Practical — Branding & Identity + Extensions of packaging, marketing, print and web design for a craft beer brewery (fiction or non-fiction?)

— Plan out sections of the essay and practical body of work into chunks.

Critical Writing Chapters and word estimates:

1 — Craft Beer:  A Modern Definition.

1000 words.

2 — The Rise in Popularity.

1500 words.

3 — The Visual Culture.

2000 words.

4 — Case Study.

1500 words.

5 — Conclusion.

1000 words.

OUGD601 — Tutorial 1

In the tutorial, Simon and I discussed the two questions I had looked over and decided the most interesting one was "To what extent has the branding & packaging of craft beer supported it's growth & popularity in the UK?" however we decided to reduce it down to branding as that spans over everything else including packaging. The question then became:

"To what extent has the branding reflected the rise in popularity of craft beer in the UK?"

This question was focused, clear and easily broken down and answered.

We discussed how to investigate this question in the boundaries of secs nary and primary research.

Secondary — Statistics of the amount of craft beer bars in the UK, how many breweries have opened recently, sales and distribution figures, import records and supermarket stock too.

Primary — Speak with designers who work with craft breweries, breweries, shops and members of the public.

Case studies — Brewdog? Stone Brewing Co?

Practical — Brand a brewery. Who?