OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Defining The Brief

In my essay exploring the question 'What Are the Influences of Parody and Pastiche Within Graphic Design?', the ideas concluded that parody and pastiche reappear time and time again naturally within Graphic Design, and will continue to do so as the field develops alongside technological advances and increased forms of communication within society. Both can produce an array of positive and negative effects within design but generally speaking the re-use of design as a form of progression can be viewed as a positive influence on the future of the Graphic Design industry.

Pastiche within branding specifically has become a recent trend, with large and iconic companies such as the Co-Op, Natwest and Kodak all undertaking a rebrand in 2016 alone. All three chose to re-hash their old logos from the 1960's to rejuvenate the face of the company in the 21st century, with great success.

Co-Op, 2016

NatWest, 2016

Kodak, 2016

Focusing on this particular occurrence within the branding sphere of Graphic Design would provide an interesting response as to the success rate of this pastiche technique, and whether target markets would respond positively to a increased nostalgic trend in every day consumable Graphic Design. 

This process would involve selecting and researching a company, it's brand and the history of design throughout the company. Successful elements of past designs would then be reused to create a modern and contemporary logo that is rooted in heritage and social values while still appearing appropriate for the company and its target market. The appropriate client and target audience would be realised after selecting an appropriate company to rebrand.

This concept for the body of work will sufficiently demonstrate the ideas of successful pastiche within branding while also creating an effective solution to a real-world problem.