Week 15

My portfolio is now complete, after much deliberation on what recommendations to suggest for my boutiques. I have referenced my development and research sketchbooks continuously throughout the portfolio and am satisfied that I have selected the correct implementations for each shop. I am ready to compile my PowerPoint presentation and will be working on the presentation until the final submission date.

Week 14

I am now finished the first half of my portfolio sketchbook and I am happy with the way I have laid each recommendation out. I have used photos of the current boutique along with images of my recommendations to give a before/after effect to the client. I think that in a real life situation, a client would be more apt to hire me for my services if I gave clear and concise reasons for the recommendation, along with a visual. The most time-consuming part of this book so far has been doing the window and shop layout visuals in Photoshop. My research and development portfolios have made the final recommendations very easy to compile.

Week 13

I have begun to work on the final portfolio and have decided to present it as a series of recommendations for each boutique. Although there are a lot of similarities in both boutiques, there will be many recommendations that are quite different for each one.

Week 12

For the final part of my research sketchbook I focused on fashion trends, product range ideas and visual merchandising trends. Combined with my SWOT analyses and case studies, I feel like I have a wealth of information to base my final recommendations on. For both boutiques, my main focus is narrowing the target market and defining the overall brand.

Week 11

I am working on my retail case studies now and have chosen Diane Von Furstenburg and Blue Button UK—two very different brands using social media on different levels. I want to incorporate strategies from each to create a happy medium for my clients.

Week 10

I am now working on the development sketchbook for my two chosen boutiques. I have chosen these boutiques because they cater to the same market but have taken two different approaches and need two different solutions. The first part of my sketchbook will feature the introduction as well as SWOT analysis’s of each boutique to identify the main areas I need to work on. Through my discussions with the managers and staff, I have a good idea of the current state of the boutiques and what areas need help. The next part of my sketchbook is focussing on case studies. The first study is on the retail consultant Mary Portas, as she is an expert in retailing and is an advocate for supporting small businesses like my clients. I am going to incorporate her values and strategies wherever I can in my proposal for each client. I am going to do two more case studies on retailers who are using social media to propel their businesses, as this is a key area for my clients.

Week 9

After completing the interiors section I notice that alot of the consumer trends are reflected in interior design. For example- the global marketplace is apparent in both areas, along with a desire to get back-to-basics while remaining innovative. I will use these observations when I am creating the marketing plan for my boutiques. I have added a window design section and well as exteriors for a full analysis on retail shops. Along the way I spotted some interesting concepts which I have dedicated a page to. During my research I also found a great website from a retail consultancy that had the keys to successful retail planning which I have featured in my sketchbook. To finish it off, I am focusing on what’s happening in fashion via social media, as this is another key area that my consultancy will focus on.