Study Skills and IT Assignments
Aims and Requirements
Project Aims

You will examine activities that aid the management of effective learning.

To understand the principles and practice of referencing with a particular focus on
Harvard Referencing.

To understand information technology and its use in obtaining and disseminating
information, including graphics, digital media and general desk top publishing.
Project Requirements

1 x story board (formative) term 1

1 x team presentation in which you have fully participated in all the aspects of team
work (formative)

1 x 1,500 word individual written assignment (50%)

1 x brand/product information booklet (50%)
Assessment Criteria

The assignment shows a good understanding of the subject matter and the main
points are clearly explained and referenced.

The assignment is well researched, it is logical and cohesive and shows
understanding of team working and making a group presentation

The assessment evidence should be organised and demonstrate understanding and
the use of IT.

Effective and appropriate use of digital imagery in the promotion of a design
concept.
Submission Date for Written Assignment: Monday 16th April 2012
Design Department Office (CAA3/04) by 1pm
You should also submit an electronic copy of your written assignment via the
TFD1128 UniLearn module
Submission Date for Digital (IT) assignment : Friday 27th April 2012
Design Department Office (CAA3/04) by 1pm, together with an accompanying
CD containing digital backup copies of final work
Project Brief
Background
You are part of a high street retail team for a fashion branded multiple retailer, who is
currently experiencing poor sales. Your senior management team are keen to ensure that
the different departments (Buying, Design, Visual Merchandising, and Marketing Manager)
understand what makes the brand successful so that they can move the company forward
again.
Following a high-level business strategy meeting, the senior executives of the company
have asked each department for a representative to work together to conduct detailed
research on the brand. In particular, how the brand relates to competitors on the high street,
in order to identify examples of success in brand identity and presentation.
Points to consider:
What distinguishes a retailer from its competitors? Creating an identifiable retail brand is a
key element in attracting and encouraging the consumer to buy. The brand identity is
integral to the retailer’s position in the marketplace. What mix of different elements makes
up the brand that the customer sees on the ‘high street’?
Part A (See Separate IT Project Brief for Specific Details)
Story board presenting improved brand identity and a new collection for
Spring/Summer or Autumn/Winter 2012.
on the roles of buyer, designer, visual merchandiser, marketing manager
Part B
Team Presentation – Case study of retailer branding and market positioning
Project Outline
In your teams, research and give a 15 minute presentation on your allocated retail brand.
As a team investigate and analyse how your company’s brand identity is created and
presented on the ‘high street’. Consider which categories/elements (e.g. brand identity,
target market/consumer, product ranges, trends, price points and range,
advertising/promotion, styling, visual merchandising, web etc.) need to be investigated, and
specify how these categories influence your retailer’s market positioning at either a mass or
middle market level. Your research should also determine who your company’s competitors
are and how your company relates to these.
Conducting the Research
To collect your research efficiently and effectively, each team member will act as a
representative from different departments in the company. In your role as buyer, designer,
visual merchandiser, or Marketing manager, you will share responsibilities amongst the
team. Each member will research particular categories appropriate to their professional role
and within their allocated retail brand. The whole team will combine their research findings
to produce a cohesive and coordinated team presentation.
Teams should consider the following points:
 As part of working as a team, you will need to arrange meetings and make full use of
your PBworks Wiki to decide what you are going to do as a team and as individual
team members.
 As a team, agree team roles and branding categories for research within these roles
- the aim is to act as a team and share responsibilities concerned with research and
information gathering. You should use your team roles as a ‘vehicle’ for delegating
tasks and collecting relevant information about your retail brand; you are not
researching the roles themselves.
 Research methods/information gathering should include both primary and secondary
sources based on:
o High street/Shop visits: Cameras/video/sound/notebooks (see ethical
guidelines before comp shopping on UniLearn)
o Use of the library (journals, books) and electronic databases (via MetaLib)
o Use of the Internet (WGSN, Style.com, print screen, downloads, movies,
etc.)
As a team, you can choose the format of the presentation (printouts, handouts, slides,
PowerPoint etc) and how all the tasks are divided up in order to develop a strong and
professional end product (the presentation). You must ensure that you utilise all the skills
you have learnt from both computer graphics and academic skills.
You will receive formative feedback on your group presentation
Part C (See Separate IT Project Brief for Specific Details)
1. A brand/product information booklet (a minimum of 12 pages)

Front Cover, Introduction page, fabric swatches section, product images and product
specification drawings, Summary and appendices – can include graphics, tables and
relevant informative text.
You will be marked on your individual product booklet – 50%
Part D
Individual Written Assignment
This assessment will contain three parts of 500 words each. Firstly, documenting the
findings of your research and, secondly, reflecting on the personal experience of team
working and making a presentation as part of a group, thirdly, reflecting on your individual
product information booklet.
Part 1 (500 words) will be a report of your own findings (branding category) for the team
presentation – this may also include information that you investigated that was not
ultimately included in the verbal presentation as well as the information that was included.
Include information from a range of information sources (which should be fully Harvard
referenced, both in-text and as a list of References at the end of your assignment) and
visual images that utilise some of the techniques learned in computer graphics. You should
aim to write this part of the assignment in an academic writing style.
Part 2 (500 words) will be an analytical, written critique and appraisal of the team project
you presented, cross-referenced to appropriate supporting evidence from your PBworks
Wiki and (with screen shots included as an appendix at the end of your report). This is a
reflective piece and will include discussing how the team worked together, your own role as
buyer, designer, merchandiser or marketing manager within the team, how the research
process and presentation was both successful and unsuccessful, what your strengths were
within the team and then how both you and your team could have improved. You should
also explain how you used the PBworks Wiki, evaluating how useful you found this as a
team communication tool and highlighting your own contribution.
Part 3 (500 words) will include 4 x Reflective Learning blog entries (2 from term 1 and 2
from term 2) that give ‘evidence’ of the IT skills you have developed over the year (sourcing
and digitally recording fabrics from pattern books, image editing in Photoshop, collection
editing in illustrator and page layout in Adobe In Design). Reflect on how you have used
these skills to develop your product information booklet (the structure sections, brand
identity, page layout considerations, and general styling). The blog entries are not included
in the 500 word count for part 3.
Report Presentation
You should submit a professionally produced report, which will be produced using software
used in the Computer Graphics classes: MSOffice-word/excel/powerpoint, Adobe
Creative Suite : Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design and Premier.
The report should be clearly organised into three parts (as detailed above) and sub-sections
within these, as appropriate. You should include a title page and contents page.
At the end of your report, following your list of References, you should include an Appendix
containing selected evidence of your teamwork process from your PBworks wiki (e.g.
screen shots of your team plan/Gantt chart, team meeting notes, ground rules etc.) You
should cross-reference to this at relevant points in the main body of your part 2 reflective
discussion.
You should also submit 1 x copy of your group PowerPoint presentation in handout format
and 1 x copy of your product information booklet.
You will be marked on your individual written assignment – 50%
Remember to submit one print copy to the Design Office and one digital copy via the
UniLearn module.