In my semester project I chose to make a visual profile and some print material for my business, Hoser og bånd, and applying this in a pamphlet for selected products sold in online store. The project period is from medio February 2021 until the delivery date in April 2021.
Name of customer
Hoser & Bånd (VAT number 825 496 572)
Business / Concept
Hoser & Bånd is a small business located in Elverum, run by me. In this business, I produce items related to the Norwegian national costume, bunad – particularly the bands that the men have around their knees to keep their stockings in place. These are called “hosebånd” or “sock band” (directly translated). I also knit stockings for various types of bunads and weave bunad related bands such as belts, suspenders, and hair bands.
Figure 1 Examples of products sold at hoserogband.no
Profile
Hoser & Bånd has existed since 1996, with an online presence since 2018: a website, a Facebook Page and an Instagram profile. The products are available for purchase on all three platforms. Despite being present on several digital medias, the business has no coherent visual profile. The existing website is developed by the incident method. The business has no logo, no visual identity, a random colour palette that has changed several times during the last 2 years, and no templates for printed materials. The business has no clear brand message and no recognizable visual appearance. The brand identity is totally missing.
Vision
The aim of this business is not to make money. Performing crafts of this kind is time consuming and the willingness to pay is low among customers. However, Hoser & Bånd wishes to be an actor within the arts and crafts community and a go-to business in matters related to the products I sell in the webshop. To do so, Hoser & Bånd must have a strong brand value in the marked, and a coherent visual identity may contribute.
Audience
The target audience for Hoser & Bånd is everyone interested in our national costumes, either because they are sewing their own, need a gift for someone who is getting a bunad or runs a store that sews and/or sells bunads. The age range is wide, and the majority of the customers are age 30+. Based on order history from 1996 until 2021, most of the customers are females who are buying for their male partners, relatives or friends. A few are businesses that are sewing bunads for the same target group.
The markedplace is primarily based in Norway. During my years of making these products, I have had 1 sale outside Norway. It is not a priority to expand the marked to outside of Norway.
Justification for the choice of customer
To develop a logo for Hoser & Bånd has been in my mind for several years, but it has always been postponed due to more important or interesting projects. This may be the opportunity I need. However, I can see some challenges of designing to my own business: inside knowledge and inside biases may hinder me to see the bigger picture. My assumptions may also get in the way of creating quality user insights.
Troubleshooting (Products)
The logo will be either a word mark or a combination mark. The visual identity profile manual will describe the logo with variations, typography, colour palette, guidelines for product and environmental photography and apparel with the visual identity applied. The product description will be gathered in a pamphlet in size 210x210mm that describes the business and products. This pamphlet is for print and distribution on paper. The thank-you note is intended to be shipped with the product.
Brief style statement
Hoser & Bånd is a small business, with a close relation with tradition and culture. It is important to emphasize the handmade aspect of the products, the local focus and the personal touch the clients experience when they are interacting with me before, during and after purchase.
Date of completion / submission
23.04.21, 16.00
Project schedule
The projects schedule is not specified at a daily basis. Project work has to fit in to my other tasks, and some days I may work full days and some days not at all. However, the activities must be finished by the end of the scheduled week in order to keep the progress towards the due date.
This project is also scheduled in parallel with other assignments in the course and must be aligned with the schedule for these projects.
| Week | Date | Hours | Activity | Activity description |
| 7-8 | 15-28.Feb | 20 | Research | Business values, objectives, needs Target audience analysis. Online research. Inspiration |
| 9 | 1-7.March | 8 | Moodboard | |
| 10 | 8-14.March | 12 | Sketching | |
| 11 | 15-21.March | 12 | Visual identity development | Logo |
| 12 | 22.-28.March | 14 | Visual identity development | Brand manual |
| 13 | 29.March-4.april | 8 | Templates for products | Applied to 3 products and gathered in a phamphlet |
| 14 | 5.-11.April | 6 | Template for thank-you-note | Single sheet A5 |
| 15-16 | 12-23.April | 20 | Project report | Due April 23rd 16.00 |
| Total hours | 100h |
