In one of my first few blog posts, I mentioned a collaboration with Maxi-Cash, one of Singapore’s biggest pawnbrokers. Raffles students (including me) were presented an opportunity to present them with a jewelry collection designed for the mass market, with the chance of it actually being developed if they saw potential in it. As a marketing major, I was paired up with one of my classmates and a jewelry design student to work on the project. My role was to support the designer with research (market trends, trend research, etc.) and help in idea development. 

 

The theme we came up with was called “Garden Party” which was inspired by a WGSN report. We developed the idea of a multi-species mindset and eternity for flowers, expanding to a wider theme of caring for the environment. The idea encapsulates plants having the same needs as people, and wanting to encourage the idea of taking care of plants the way we prioritize ourselves as humans. The theme centers around plants having a garden party between themselves. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Figure 1: Moodboard. Keywords: Elegant Allure, Magical Fantasy, Natural Vitality,Playfulness |Source: Pinterest

 

A lot of the group work I have done was very centered on marketing, but for a design proposal, the majority of my work was supportive, which was a different experience for me. Not having hands-on work in the creative process was a little strange, but it served as a reminder of my role as a marketer which was to work with the designer and not as one. Not to say that I could replace a designer, but I was too used to having to design my own products for assignments so this project helped put things a little more into perspective. Experiencing how people within the industry present their briefs definitely gave me a better understanding of the industry standard for this sort of thing.

 

At first, discussions were a little awkward as none of us knew each other so we were all a little shy sharing our ideas. I had to learn how to be a little shameless in putting across anything I came up with even if it was ridiculous (which ended up being a sort of ice breaker anyway). We did have some communication issues as one of my teammates did not speak English that well. This was overcome by following up on anything not understood and seeking clarification on anything related to the issue. This meant much longer discussions, but everyone was left with a better understanding of what was going on at the end of the day, which was worth the trouble. 

 

As it was my first experience pitching to industry people, I was really nervous about the presentation, and I think in the future I would definitely have to prepare for longer. I don’t mind feeling fidgety, but after observing the other groups, I think that confidence (or the perception of it anyway) is key in a good presentation. Another thing I would think we had space to improve on was definitely the moodboard. To be fair, we were all swarmed with work that week, so it’s understandable the moodboard wasn’t in its best state. Luckily, it wasn’t commented on, but given the opportunity to improve on it, I would make the moodboard like this:

 

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Figure 2: Revised Moodboard. Notes: Neater, better capturing magical fantasy and whimsy | Source: Pinterest

 

Overall, the feedback given was generally positive. They commented that competitor research was done well and for the jewelry designs and were concerned with the manufacturing aspect of the detail it entailed. I was presenting online so I only heard about half the feedback, but after following through with the group member who had been there physically, it turns out they had also liked the concept we presented. They liked the “Garden Party” concept, and said it seemed feasible and had a mass-market appeal. 

 

In this whole experience, I really saw how much space I had to improve in terms of presentation skills, being part of a team and nailing down a good flow in my presentation. These are all things built on experience, which I’m planning to use to my fullest advantage, given the numerous presentations and assignments I have left.