Research and Progress Tutorial

Admittedly, I have not progressed much since the last peer review we had for this module because I have been focussing a lot on the context of practice module which has a deadline very soon. 

I did some research into product ranges that already exist around the theme that I am working with. I have made notes on these in my sketchbook but here are a few points to summarise. 

• Yorkshire Soap Company have some relevant themes and search terms which would be useful to help me find colours which fit to a certain mood. Scent might also help me to figure out what is relevant or not. 
• Paperchase have some really strong examples of patterns and imagery applied to product ranges. Their 'get organised' range technically fits with my natural theme but I know that using these colours and textures is not what I want. Noticing things that I don't like and don't want to exist in my product range is making me realise that I have a clearer idea about my outcomes than I thought. 
• John Lewis' coastal themed products has made me realise that a lot of the focus is on sailing and nautical pattern rather than the actual beach itself. I know that I want to move away from the nautical themes and 'reinvent' a coastal range which is based on the natural features of the coast. 
• Urban Outfitters Bathroom - some of these products had a subtle neutrality to them and they felt calming to look at. The paler colours, especially the blues work really well. 
• Anthropologie have a lot of natural themes products which is why I thought my range would fit well here, however the price range is too hight for the kind of products I would want to be distributing. Also, the colours used are actually brighter than I had thought they would be. It is a bit too energetic, although the painterly style of some of the designs could be extracted from this and used in a more subtle manner. 

I had a progress tutorial with Teresa. The main feedback I got was just to continue with what I am doing. At the moment, I feel like things are under control and I can just be getting on with things. It is only really the COP deadline that is holding me back from running with this project. We spoke briefly about book bindings because I had mentioned I want to make some notebooks and Teresa suggested going to the library and looking at proper binders. However, on reflection, I want to bind them by hand with thread - I feel this would relate more to the natural and subtle vibes of my products and would also make it feel like some care has gone in to the making of it.