OUGD403// Studio Brief 01- Logotype (01)

For this Studio Brief we have been tasked with choosing a international store, with an outlet in Leeds for a typographic rebrand. I have chosen to look into Officers Club, a mens high street fashion store who has taken on a "budget" aspect in later years. In my home town I remember seeing an Officers Club but it was always deserted, possibly because it was in a less known shopping mall (meaning customers have to actively look for it), and its lack of atmosphere. I feel this will be a huge challenge as menswear isn't actually an interest of mine, but I am looking forward to trying things out of my comfort zone.
https://www.officersclub.com

After conducting research from the company and going into the store to absorb the atmosphere, it was apparent that the current branding and stylisation was doing little to grab the attention of potential customers. From an observers point of view (and not a shopper), it seemed they are floating along souly on the premise of being cheap and always having a sale on- not for the "quality" as stated in their mission statement. The website is very clear with what they sell, yet not so clear on the fact they do military discount. From a graphical point of view, current trends may mean ambiguity may be a positive aspect for a company such as this. These military routes may also be the inspiration for the name, especially as they cater for men ONLY aged 12-24. They state "we pride ourselves on appearance and do all we can to make our product and stores looks the best on the high street" however this fact is they do not. Other companies such as Topman and even Burton undertake Visual Merchandising every 2/3 days to enhance the shop floor or even adjust window/ front displays and mannequins a minimum of every week. From close observation over the past week the Officers Club shop floor/ windows have not been changed, suggesting they are not doing all they can to fulfil their mission statement.

The above four images have been taken on three different days at the peak time of 4pm. Each time there has been hundreds of students (fitting the age demographic) walking past, yet very very few has gone in. The attention is drawn to the unstylized plastic mannequins and store layout, typically related to sports shops such as Sports Direct with the clustered use of space where the garments lie on the wall. In addition, the use of primary colours (the red within the full stop) and the yellow of the "50% off offers" type gives an immature ascetic.
Furthering this, the website showcases a host of "boys" and "mens" fashion. The mens is composed in a conventional way with crisp photography that is evidently posed with models. However, the boys section personifies this immature style (relating to the age group), of digitally cut out garments apposed to photographs. In addition, the use of vector clouds give a innocent approach to the brand with realistically is aimed at 'students' wanting to look good for less.

After visiting the store several times and observing the website, I have set myself some aims I hope to achieve to evaluate wether my new rebrand is a success/ failure.