Before the start of the day we were each told to bring in an unwanted gift, or alternatively buy a cheap horrific item from a charity shop. As I don’t live at home, I had to go to a charity shop and I bought a hideously unfashionable purple t-shirt that looked like something a relative would’ve given to me for Christmas and I would never have worn it ever.
When we came into college the first thing we were told to do was to wrap our unwanted items in brown packaging and then exchange our unwanted gift with someone else’s unwanted gift. The gift I got landed with was a revolting, cheap-look, surfer necklace that probably would’ve been fashionable when I was 5.
The next task was to put all of our new gifts in order of value as a whole class, one end being the cheapest looking items, and the other end the more expensive looking items.
These items were placed in order of value judged by their first appearance. Our project brief for the rest of the day was simply ‘to give your object added or increased value.’
Back in the studios as a whole class we created a mind map of all the ways we could increase the value of our object. Here is a list of what we came up with:
· Make it CURRENT
· Make it fashionable
· Make it beautiful
· Make it personal
· Simplify it
· Improve the design
· Wrap it up in expensive looking wrapping, nice gift bag
· Value by association - Forge a celebrities signature on it
· Take a photograph of it with a celebrity – photoshop?
· Put in in a lucky dip?
· Make it unique
· Change the size
· Give it an idea- call it art, give it a name – personalisation branding
· Make it part of a set- becomes desirable
· Make a collection
· Put a PRICE TAG on it
· Make it an EPHEMERAL – limited edition, one of a kind
· Make it disposable – your one chance to have it
· Break it down and remake it
· Reproduce it
· Give it a history
My unwanted gift started off as an unfashionable and cheap necklace, but by the end of the day it was high-class valuable necklace that had been advertised with a well-known celebrity wearing it. I simply used photoshop to make Kiera Knightley look like she was wearing it. This association with the celebrity increased the value because they have taste, and if they wear this item, it clearly must be current and fashionable.
At the end of the day as a whole group we re-assembled all of our items and put them in order of value again. Pretty much all the items had completely moved place because they now had increased value. However some of the unlucky people that were given the worst items like a snotty tissue and some orange peelings, struggled to increase the value of their object.
The discussion and mind mapping with the whole class was my favourite part of the day because I felt like I had learnt so much about techniques we can do as graphic designers, but also a lot about the psychology of why people are attracted to buying things, which is something I have never considered before.
We also spoke about the genius of the Cadbury’s advert with the Gorilla on the drums. I’ve always thought it was a very clever advert because its peculiarity, individuality and ability to catch the viewer’s attention and provoke discussion. However now I’ve learnt that when you are watching the advert you solve the problem and associate the purple background with the Cadbury’s purple theme, therefore when you get to the end you congratulate yourself because you are intelligent enough to understand it and make that link. This information astounded me, and it made me laugh about how clever it is.
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