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The base of my thesis

I have been researching information about my thesis, looking further into topics that will affect my outcome.  I started out my looking at the title itself; the title at the moment is “Logos and their effect on their target market and vice versa”. The research I’ve decided to go with for now is the base of my thesis. The things that I looked into were Logos in general, segmentation and target markets. In order for me to continue advancing on my thesis I have to get familiar with the basics.

What I learnt about logos and logo design is very different to what I expected to find out. I knew certain things such as when it comes to logo design one has to keep in mind the visual elements, that is must be memorable and its ability to stand out. The things that I learned were that logos should evoke positive feelings of familiarity and affinity. I also learned that logo design on its own is not enough, branding and marketing is also necessary. Logos are also a form of non - verbal communication and this reflects the character of the organisation for better or for worse.

Another important aspect to my thesis is segmentation, which will eventually result into target markets. As I studied marketing before I was familiar with segmentation but I had to brush up on the information.  Segmentation is divided into four main segments – Demographics, psychographics, geographic and behavioural segments. All of these go into more detail and more subdivisions.

Segmentation is important for organisations to know what audience they are going to focus on, this audience will be called the target market. I learned that before the target audience is decided the organisation has to determine its strengths and weaknesses, as this will show it whether or not it is possible to enter that same market. The segments which have been evaluated will then be offered a marketing mix. Also this helps them communicate with the audience having a better understanding on what they want.

References of research that I’ve done and also for future further reading and reference:

Zeda(2016).Never North. Available at: http://nevernorth.com/ultimate-guide-to-logo-design/ [Accessed on: 18/01/2017].

 Bhasin(2016). Marketing91.com. Available at: http://www.marketing91.com/behavioral-segmentation/ / [Accessed on: 18/01/2017].

 Rafaeli, A.R,  Sagy Y.S, and  Derfler-Rozin R.DR.(2008) ‘Logos and Initial Compliance: A Strong Case of Mindless Trust.’ Organization Science pp. 845-859. [Accessed on:18/01/2017].

 Hutton, J.G.H. (1997) ‘The influence of brand and corporate-identity programmes on consumer behaviour: A conceptual framework’, Journal of Brand Management (2), Pp120-135. [Accessed on:18/01/2017].

 Blythe, J.B. (2012) Essentials of Marketing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

 Goyat, S.G. (2011) ‘The basis of market segmentation: a critical review of literature’, European Journal of Business and Management ,(9), pp46-55. Availableat: http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/EJBM/article/view/647[Accessed on:18/01/2017].

 Boohene, R.B, Agyapong, D.A, and Asomaning, R.A. (2012) ‘A Micro Level Analysis of the Market Orientation – Small Business Financial Performance Nexus’, American International Journal of Contemporary Research, (1), pp 31-43. Available at: http://www.aijcrnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_1_January_2012/4.pdf [Accessed on: 18/01/2017].

 Alter, S.K.A. (2000) ‘chapter 3’, Target Market, (1)  pp63-77. Available at: http://www.virtueventures.com/files/mdbl-chapter3.pdf [Accessed on: 16801/2017].

[critstudandreseach]

Research methods

I started to look into some research methods I can use to generate my information for my thesis. I intend to use both primary and secondary research.  The bulk of the information I will gather is going to be from secondary sources while referencing to previous studies. When it comes to primary I intend to use various different methods. The most practical being online methods, as it is the cheapest alternative, but I found out that responses can be low. If that is the case and I cannot generate enough information I will probably conduct focus groups and face to face individual interviews.

I also intend to use both qualitative and quantitative research. When it comes to companies were I need to gather in depth information I will use qualitative research. When gathering information from the general public and audiences I will use quantitative research methods.

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Future reference:

I cam across some books, booklets and case studies form previous years studies which might help me in the future:

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Further looking into my title

Nowadays everywhere you look you can see a logo, they represent anything from products companies, campaigns and other concepts, and they are intelligent graphic images that are designed to impact their audience, both consciously and sub-consciously, for immediate recognition.

My thesis will address an aspect of this topic, it Is divided into two main sectors, logos which relate to graphic design and target audiences which concern the marketing aspect. I think these two subjects intertwine, they go hand in hand and one is necessary for the other to be effective.

I decided on this topic due to my previous studies which involved marketing, it is a very vast topic and I decided to focus on audience and target markets. My interest in logos started when at school we watched a documentary about Coca-Cola and how it became a house hold name.  What really interested me was when the company changed the formula and logo of coke, the public didn’t like the changes. Coca-Cola’s management was unprepared for the public’s nostalgia for the old drink. This change didn’t last long as the company was going to fail and therefore they reverted back to their old ways using a similar logo style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToYfRlEDY_E  - not the original documentary but it is an interesting watch

Wherever we look we see logos, and therefore they must have an effect on the general public, but in this case of Coca-Cola the public affected the logo. This is what got me thinking and I decided to focus on the impact logos/audiences have on each other. What I plan to find out is which truly in today’s market has the most effect, as we are in a consumer’s market. So the consumers have the upper hand or do still logos control buying trends? This is the question I am hoping to answer through my theses.

I am researching household names when it comes to logos, looking into various segments to see if there are any patterns. For example what I noticed that there are many popular brands that use the colour red in their logos and I want to look into that.

I am planning to look into some other companies, mostly local ones which have had market improvements with changes to their logos and I will also look into the reasoning of the changes.

I hope my study will be beneficial for other designers as well as marketers when it comes to creating a brand identity, helping them obtain the competitive edge in today’s competitive scene.

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Bibliography :

Some early references that helped me generate my ideas, while helping me further develop my title.

J.Eskilson, S.J.E. (2012) Graphic Design A History. Second edition. Laurence King Publishing. 

Fiel, F. and Fiel, F. (2007) Contemporary Graphic Design. Taschen. Guitton, G. (2007) Logo. Index Book SL. 

W.White, W.W. (2002) The Elements of Graphic Design. Allworth Press. 

Fishel, F. and Gardner, G. (2007)  LogoLounge. Second edition. Rockport Publishers. 

Fishel, F. and Gardner, G. (2008)  LogoLounge. Third edition. Rockport Publishers. 

Fishel, F. and Gardner, G. (2009)  LogoLounge. Fourth edition. Rockport Publishers. 

Fishel, F. and Gardner, G.(2009) LogoLounge. Fifth edition. Rockport Publishers. 

Fishel, F. and Gardner, G. (2011)  LogoLounge. Sixth edition. Rockport Publishers. 

Thomas, T.(2000) How to Design Logos, Symbols & Icons. How Design Books.

  Fishel, F. and Gardner, G. (2010)  LogoLounge Master Library. First edition. Rockport Publishers. 

Wiedeman, W.(2011)Logo Design. Third edition. Taschen. 

Nagasawa, N. (2007) Logo Mondo. Graphic-sha Publishingxo., Ltd. 

Eckert,E. , Zúniga, Z. and Freixas, F.(2011) Green Graphics. Sylvie Estrada.

  Visocky O'Grady, V.O.G and Visocky O'Grady V.O.G. (2006) A Designer's 

Research Manual: Succeed In Design By Knowing Your Clients And What They Really Need. Rockport Publishers. 

Kim, K. , Budelmann, B. and Wozniak, W.(2010)Essential Elements for Brand Identity. Rockport Publishers. 

Stones, S. (2009) No Rules Logos: Radical Design Solution that Break the Rules. Rocket Publishers.

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Coming up with a title

I am going to be reflecting on how I came up with the idea for my thesis and my on-going changes to the title. When I first was presented with the idea of me having to come up with a thesis title, I had no clue were to start.

What I knew for sure that graphic design had to be included, I had an initial idea on what to base my thesis. This is when I gave myself some time to think to not rush into things, as this is an important and lengthy decision to make.

To make help with my decision I looked into my graphic design strong points. I then listed down my options, most of the options I came up with revolved around the branding of products and organisations with a specific interest in logos. Another subject I’m truly passionate about is marketing, as I studied it in previous years and therefore I knew I had to include it in my thesis. I think it’s necessary that your area of research is of interest to you for, to archived the best results.

Now this is when I had an idea on what I wanted to base my thesis on, I decided on logos and their target markets. I still had to come up with the title itself, I therefore asked for some opinions. Criticism is important as it might help you improve on your ideas. The first title I came up with was “The evolution of logos and their effect of their target market and the target market’s effect on logos”.

Upon further understanding of the thesis outcome I decided to change the title as it was too broad of a topic and the evolution of logos is not as relevant to my chosen area.  The new title that I will present will be “Logos and their effect on (mass communication/ target markets) and (mass communication/ target markets) effect on logos”.  The brackets are two options I still have to decide on, for me to make a definite decision further research and reflection has to be done.

With our thesis we also have to present a project related to the chosen area of research. I am not sure about what I want my project to be, but my idea was to create effective logos as a proposal for Maltese businesses/ organizations or else I was thinking that with my findings I could present a guide to create effective logos. I plan to make a decision depending on the feedback I get from my classmates and teacher respectively when I present the idea.

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Background Research

Everyone has the ability to critique, but if it’s not done properly is might be biased, therefore it might be misleading and not totally correct. That is why critical thinking is important, as one can skilfully analyse their taught/ ideas to improve that same quality. It can also be described as one’s ability to think clearly and rationally (While seeking for relevant sources of information ones taught and beliefs can lead to skills such as problem solving and one can learn to deduct consequences).

Critical studies can also help gain knowledge, improve their own theories and strengthen arguments which may also help enhance work processes and also improve our social institutions.

Therefore I think that such a topic will be vital for my studies as it will help me develop my ideas further, while keeping me on a clear path on my chosen area of study. This scholastic year seems to require much more research then the previous years’ modules therefore knowing how to better process information and ideas will help. Also keeping track of what I have been learning and researching will be beneficial throughout the upcoming couple of years. Gathering the information necessary a bit by bit will help make the situation less stressful at the end. This is a skill that will not only help with school related work but also in my everyday life.

This scholastic year has started in a full swing therefore I took it into my hands to start thinking about my dissertation. I have taught how I can implement topics that interest me and that I have previous knowledge about which might help make the process easier and more enjoyable.