OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Name Generation

As part of the development process, it was decided that out student guide needed a catchy and humorous name in order to go with the themes and content of the guide. It was initially decided to name it "The Very Hungry Student's Guide To Shopping" based on the children's story 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' in order to present additional links between the 'childish' aesthetics and inspirations behind the final design of the guide. However, as designs developed, the guide became increasingly about shopping in general and not just food items. For this reason, it was felt that the word 'hungry' within this initial name was no longer relevant to all the content.

Further options were then explored, becoming particularly interested in the use of alliteration to produce a catchy title. For instance, 'sociable shopping' and 'bag buddies'. However, after deliberation it was found that not many of these options reflected the themes of the guide as well as we would have liked.

Our final name came from the idea that the advice given within this guide is based on real life experiences of current students on this course. This was linked with the illustrative style in that the shopping items within the guide were personified, and so given characteristics and personalities of humans. The name 'chums', meaning 'friends' relates to these ideas in that the personified shopping items are based on the stories of real-life people, and it is as if these people themselves are giving the advice. This one-liner meant the title remained short and punchy, also enabling room on the front cover for the tote bag design to also be personified itself through the use of googly eyes, keeping consistency with the illustrations within the guide, and making the cover slightly more engaging and interactive.