OUGD502- Trip to London

As this is my first solo trip to London, project management and organisation needs to be working at top functionality, informing uni of any absences, organising trains/accommodation and organising studio visits. This is an exciting opportunity for me as I have always been drawn to London, so feel that Level 5 is a great opportunity to be more proactive in going to the capital.

As part of the COP research I am doing into how consumers perceive Type and Visual Merchandising, I am heading down to London to check out the christmas window displays. Naturally this is also a great opportunity also for me to connect with people of interest.

In the PPP session today I identified a range of studio's in London and Leeds, quite accessible to contact. One studio in particular is Harlequin Design, based at Coldbath Square, central London. Their work spans the fashion industry and explores companies i've always visually and conceptually admired. Its interesting to see the scope of work they do and what the components are to making it. I would love to gain feedback on the process and possible outcomes when retail spaces are unavailable. Through their work, Harlequinn have developed a reputation as a specialist of Retail Windows, with over 20 years experience making connections with the likes of Chloe, John Lewis, Karl Lagerfeld & Hackett. To make the connection prior to the London trip, I will handwrite a letter and attach something cool- a postcard perhaps ?, as well as phoning on the day if no reply.

Who I need to contact:

There seems to be many sectors of the studio environment, allowing freedom between design and accounts. With this in mind I want to research into each person and try and utilise their knowledge while I can, not just focusing on the top level either.

Alongside Harlequinn, I plan on contacting PLANarama, the creative design team behind the VM & Display award winning Debenham's window collection.

After doing further reading on Retail Focus about Award Winning and exceptional work throughout the year, it was interesting to find out even Topshop/Topman outsource visual merchandising help at the flagship store during peaks. In the past it has generally been refined to high end stores, as these are the ones with the budget. This suggests that high-street shoppers are responding well the projection of art onto the street, possibly foreshadowing a rise of high street artistic visual communication- narrating a story to each subject featured.

It would be interesting to see how a collection of christmas window photographs would translate as editorial content.

I emailed Dereck, figuring I may swell start at the top and work my way down to get in contact with Harlequinn, hopefully to interview as part of Studio Brief 02!.