#fcnu

[k1rby-sucks]

So Netflix going around inventing all these monarchies and placing them in the same universe, huh?

[joypearson-fcnu-blog]

Shaun Ross

Shaun Ross is a professional fashion model, actor and dancer who is mostly known for being an albino male model. He was discovered at the age of 16 from YouTube videos and was signed by Djamee Models and AMCK Models London.   

As we all know the fashion industry is mostly dominated by women, becoming a strong male model is hard. in most fashion photos, the male is seen as a prop to make the women stand out more and seem more powerful. Shaun Ross is not only unique in being such a successful male model but by becoming the first male albino model. This makes him an icon and inspiration for people who are a little bit diverse looking. 

Shaun was bullied at school from a young age by his peer’s they would call him names like “powder” and “white-out”. Younger people can look up to him and aspire to be like him in the future.

   I think he has changed things in the fashion world and more and more designers are wanting their models to stand out and be different from the typical “girl next door” look.

Shaun Ross fits the themes of body image and sexuality and starting changing the view and idea of models since the young of of 16. 

[katiewallace-fcnu-blog]

PREFAB77 – Target Audience Persona

Jason is a 32-year-old graphic designer. He lives with his girlfriend in a mid-sized apartment in the city. He enjoys living in an urban area and often goes to the locally owned coffee shop to work on his freelance projects. He likes to spend his Friday nights in the pub with his friends and their partners.

Jason’s sense of style is quite rugged, he has facial hair and some tattoos. He feels most comfortable in t-shirts and baggy checked shirts. His jeans look worn and slightly ripped on the knees as if he has been doing work in them. He is into classic rock and enjoys listening to his old vinyl’s that he collects from vintage stores. Jason also loves visiting his parents who live outside of the city in the countryside. When he goes to see them he gets to visit his family dog, a German Sheppard named Duke.

[katiewallace-fcnu-blog]

PREFAB77 - Values & Mission

Brand Values

When viewing Prefab77 work it is obvious that there is a strong sense of rebellion, this shines through with the use of punk rock imagery. They also tend to make use of political and social figures in their work which helps to express the brands clear passion for politics and social justice.

Mission Promise

The brands mission is to challenge current social and political issues through their art. The work will also have a strong passion for music and culture running throughout. Prefab77 promises to create quality, hand crafted pieces of work that will satisfy consumers with the same values and beliefs that align with the brand.

[kirstenchalland-fcnu-blog]

Inspiration from Prefab77 work collaged in a mood board by me, representing layers of multi-styled artwork

[katiewallace-fcnu-blog]

PREFAB77 - Brand history

After living in multiple cities across America for 12 years, including San Francisco, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles and New York, Peter Manning moved back to the UK with ideas of starting his own design company. After travelling and arriving back from Japan, Manning met Marc Ross who was still at University. This was around 2004 when Manning formed and began working as creative director at Reluctant Hero. They began collaborating together and worked with many brands including Nike 6.0, Hurley and Calvin Klein. Manning then opened a street wear shop in Newcastle called Electrik Sheep where they stocked different street wear brands. After this they even opened a gallery and showcased work by Pictures On Walls artists such as Banksy and Eine.

It isn't clear when they started Prefab77; however, it seems to be around 2008. The number 77 in the name is referring to the year 1977 which was a very successful year in the history of British rock and roll, this is a huge part of the culture behind their work. Along with music being an inspiration; fashion, politics, and history are also hugely important to them both and make up the meaning and stories behind their work. Although they are based in Newcastle, UK, they often spend a lot of time working in the US and exhibiting work there.

Currently, 10 years on from starting Prefab77, Marc Ross has left the duo and Peter Manning is working as a solo artist. There isn’t much mention of this online at all apart from on the websites about page which refers to him as a singular artist. The Facebook page however, still refers to the brand as a ‘collective of artists’. This is quite confusing for a lot of customers who might want to know more about the people behind the artwork. There also isn't a lot of information on projects and exhibitions he has coming up this year apart from his current collaboration with Jonathan LeVine Projects.

Photos taken from: https://news.1xrun.com/prefab77s-unmasked-one-night-only-inner-state-gallery-oct-16th/

[katiewallace-fcnu-blog]

Street art at Hoults Yard, Newcastle. Photos taken by myself.

[katiewallace-fcnu-blog]

PREFAB77 - 4 C’s of digital content

Creating

With them being a creative brand, this is quite clearly expressed through their Instagram account. They post many pictures of current work and projects. Along with this, they often post short videos showing the process of some of the pieces.

Culture

They definitely have a clear style about their work which incorporates a lot of pop culture and political references; however, this could definitely be strengthened. They to have a running style through their work and social media that makes it clear that people are looking at something by Prefab77. I think they have began to do this, but it could be defined a bit more.

Curating

I think that they could be more selective with their social media posts. Although there is a lot of great content, it can seem a bit jumbled. If they worked on this, they could make their branding a lot clearer.

Connection

As I have mentioned before, their strongest social media outlet connecting them to potential customers is Instagram. However, this is still something they could work on. They could engage their customers a lot more with competitions, brands often do this in order to get their posts shared and expand their audience. It would also be good for them to get a better understanding of their target audience, allowing them to be more direct with who they are talking to. They could use more affective language in their posts, touching on what their customers care about. When people feel an emotional connection to a brand they are much more likely to purchase because the sentimental value is there.