Concept
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Main Entry: con.cept
Pronunciation: 'kän-"sept
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin conceptum, neuter of conceptus, past participle of concipere to conceive -- more at CONCEIVE
Date: 1556
1 : something conceived in the mind : THOUGHT, NOTION
2 : an abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances
synonym see IDEA
Successful concepts are innovative and creative, not ordinary or cliche.
There is not one way to formulate a creative concept.
It is a very individual process.
Developing concepts can be a difficult task.
Two-bit Campaign of the Week. No, this moue cow doesn't mean Elsie got a makeover show on Bravo. It's an effort by Cleveland's Melamed Riley Advertising to promote a recent Chili Pepper Festival without showing the star attraction — which, after all, doesn't look like much, even in makeup and pearls.
CD Rick Riley, acknowledging his shoestring budget, feels the posters are "perfectly in keeping with the pain and pleasure that comes with eating hot chilies." Well, mostly the pain, but they sure can't be missed.
Develop the Concept
Your point of departure when developing the concept should be the
objectives and strategy.
You must know your subject and do your research.
Then you think. Feel. Listen. Ruminate.
Here are some ways to help you develop a concept.
• Define your problem in your own words. Ask yourself:
What do I have to do? How can I communicate visually or verbally?
• Know the message. What do you have to communicate? Do you have to persuade people to buy something or give them information?
• Think. Use your intelligence. Your genius. Think it all the way through.
• Make a list of anything and everything related to your subject.
• Talk to people. Ask what they think about your product or company. Do a little homespun market research.
• Brainstorm. Take your list and think of anything analogous to it. Don’t judge during brainstorming. Just keep thinking.
• Use a good dictionary. From your brainstorminglist, choose words and look up it's synonym. Expand on it. Understand it fully.
• Look at visuals. Paintings. Book covers. Photographs. Wood type. Ephemera. Old toys. Anything.
• Fool around. Find some visuals related to your subject. Crop them. Chop them up and reconfigure them. Feed them through a fax or copier. Change textures. Explore.
• Ruminate. Go away and do something else. Put your project on the back burner. Relax.
• Take notes. Always have a pad and pen handy. (Don’t trust your memory; you may forget. Besides, writing it down may lead to something else.) Write down everything you think of. It may be something you can use.
• Change directions. Maybe you can’t think of anything because you’re headed down the wrong path. Try another way.
• Analyze great movies or books, or other great designs or ads. Figure out how other people came up with concepts. Trust your intuition, if you have an idea, run with it. See where it goes. But… know the difference between a cliché and a fresh idea.
There's Hope for Jennifer Lopez! We hadn't considered the possibility that in the future robots will wear pants (see the PDF), but Publicis Conseil brings this and several other arresting jeans concepts to light in a new European campaign for Lee Cooper.
If this seems like the kind of crazy work that would come from a left-field upstart, the agency informs us the brand is a big player overseas, running #2 overall in the Euro jeans market, #2 in France and #3 in the U.K. As for the origins of this absolute eye-stopper of an idea, "The jeans are cut to fit anyone, whatever your shape," explains writer Guilhem Arnal. "Be it large, small, flat, whoever you are, male or female, even animal. When we say 'cut to compliment,' the message is simply everything wearing Lee Cooper jeans gets a beautiful shape. Even if you're not sexy, you become sexy the minute you put the jeans on." Yeah? We can't imagine how this can be true, but we have to admit, that is one hot ape.
Public service announcement (PSA) Promotional material for a non-profit cause, usually prepared at no cost to the service advertised, and carried by stations at no cost.
For example, a utility company might do a series of PSA’s on the subject of saving energy in the home. Each one would feature the company’s name.
Remember to think METAPHORICALY
With your partners, choose one of the following and develop a PSA concept.
Develop a minimum of FIVE different concepts.
Appoint a recorder and be sure your names are on the paper to hand in at the end of class.
1. Develop a slogan and concept for local police department to help promote safe driving.
2. Develop a slogan and concept for the Food and Drug Association to convince the consumer that eating foods with high fat content is good for you.
3. Develop a concept to sell a new cream which disolves wrinkles immediately.
4. Develop a slogan and concept for american Health Association to convince young adults that walking to work/school is healthier than driving.