Ethical fashion brands : promotion approach or a real value

Ethical fashion appears as a conscious consumption movement in the 90’s. It covers product offers and styles increasingly diverse. This movement has become a sustainable brand strategy, and so the number of ethical brands grew significantly in recent years, as well as their turnover. Consumers find in ethical brands a set of values that fulfill not only their need for style but also give the opportunity, through consumption, to contribute to environmental preservation, to the improvement of working conditions and better of quality of life in their countries and in less developed countries. Alternative marketing plays a key role in creating the market image of ethical fashion brands, by assuring transparency and clarity of messages, credibility and continuity, so that their differentiation factors can be step by step assimilated and understood by consumers. The study of a set of ethical fashion brands allowed to observe that these usually at the stage of market entry tend towards opting to offer a specific value, communicated clearly. Progressively, the elements of brand differentiation evolve into integrated value systems, which involve the development of complex organizational models. The market growing demand for ethical fashion brands and products suggests that ethics in fashion have a tendency to be a requirement in a near future for most brands. We argue that the market trends within a relatively short time point towards the adoption of ethical principles by the fashion brands and towards the adoption of social responsibility by companies that manage these brands. These two aspects will be an essential condition for competitiveness in order to survive in the global market. This trend could be considered similar to those that have determined the emergency requirement of other competitive factors such as quality. While the competitive material or technological may be spread at a relatively rapid rate and with similar characteristics across the value chain; the strategies focused on values such as ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, however, are substantially more complex and can vary according to nature and depth. Thus, it may be considered that instead of tackling the fashion brands in terms of their competitiveness restrictions, these values appear as an extension of their normal elements of differentiation as style and fashion image.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

A methodological approach to design an inclusive interior children’s play space: from observation to interview

The research presented in this article is part of a PhD project, whose objective was to identify a set of characteristics to be implemented while creating an inclusive indoor children's play space. This article aims to create an interview guide directed at children, inquiring their preferences regarding the possible characteristics of a play space for them. In order to do that it was necessary to first understand the main existing characteristics of children's play spaces, in order to verify those thare are transversal to them. For the first stage, observation, an auxiliary grid was structured to ensure that the same characteristics were observed across spaces. The analysis of this data created the content for the questions belonging to the script (second stage). It was thus concluded that the script should be composed of eight thematic groups: decoration, furniture, architecture, play activities, communication, accessibility and constraints. In these groups, each question is presented to the child with the specific purpose of identifying the aspects needed to implement an interior and inclusive children's play space. The results are fundamental for the creation of new areas for children, seen as through the new script it becomes possible to inquire any population, thus learning the preferences of the children all over the world. In this sense, designers who want to know their users would only have to apply the script in their interviews.This research project is funded by FCT’s scholarship nº SFRH/BD/84124/2012. This work is financed by FEDER funds through the Competitivity Factors Operational Programme - COMPETE and by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Color identifying system for color blind people

In the most developed States colorblindness affects 10% of the male population. This handicap incurs limitations as well as uncomfortable personal and social situations for those afflicted that depend on others to choose products in which color is a predominant factor, such as pieces of apparel and decoration. A sample group of colorblind people showed in a recent study found relevant the development of a system which would allow them to identify colors. The development of a graphic color identification system was the answer to this need, its concept and structure make it universal, easy to communicate and memorize. This system can be used in a variety of products and allow the colorblind to reduce or even eliminate their dependence on others

Perceção infantil dos logótipos: formas

This paper presents a study conducted to determine what are the preferences of children between 3 and 6 years old in regard to shape. There are many factors which influence and support the child's recognition and memory of a particular brand. In addition to the name, a brand is identified by visual elements such as the logo. The constituent aspects of the logo, such as shape, can determine the success or failure of the brand. The study was supported on a questionnaire applied by the researcher, and designed as a visual game of cards. The chosen group was composed by children between 3 and 6 years of age, resident in Braga. The sample included 305 children. After collecting and analyzing data, it was found that young children prefer irregular shapes such as heart, a star, a lightning and a cloud. Shape choices are also influenced by children’s’ age and gender

Perceção infantil dos logótipos: cores

This paper presents a study conducted to determine what are the preferences of children between 3 and 6 years old in regard to color. There are many factors which influence and support the child's recognition and memory of a particular brand. In addition to the name, a brand is identified by visual elements such as the logo. The constituent aspects of the logo, such as color, can determine the success or failure of the brand. The study was supported on a questionnaire applied by the researcher, and designed as a visual game of cards. The chosen group was composed by children between 3 and 6 years of age, resident in Braga and the sample included 305 children. After collecting and analyzing data, it was found that young children prefer red and red-violet, and dark tones over light ones. Color choices are also influenced by childrens’ age and gender

A inclusividade dos espaços de lazer infantil

Cada vez mais as ruas são vistas como lugares com perigos desconhecidos e com influências desagradáveis fazendo com que os adultos temam deixar os seus filhos brincarem nas mesmas. Neste sentido, a existência de espaços de lazer infantis torna-se cada vez mais importante. Este trabalho tem como objetivo descrever a fase empírica inicial realizada no âmbito de um projeto de doutoramento. Procura-se fazer uma primeira observação e reflexão, não sistemática, sobre a forma como um conjunto diverso de espaços (localizados em aeroportos, hospitais, escolas, centro comerciais e espaços independentes) satisfazem ou não os sete princípios de um parque infantil inclusivo (Christensen, 2010). A observação e a análise tiveram como principal preocupação olhar atentamente as questões comunicacionais uma vez que é um ponto fulcral para a continuidade do projeto. Isto é, compreender a importância das questões comunicacionais e a inclusividade dos espaços. Este processo foi realizado através do método observacional auxiliado por uma grelha estruturada consoante as categorias definidas por Mazzilli (2007): a afetiva, a funcional/atividades e a perceptiva/espaço visual

Sustainability as a key asset in establishing differentiation strategies for fashion brands

In referring to the fashion system or business, we can address to a wide variety of approaches. On an economical and business analysis, fashion can be defined as a cycle that allows to some mature industries, such as clothing, footwear or even cars, to be dynamic and maintain certain profitability over the time. While our attention tends to focus solely on the finished products, we must understand that these are the result of a long chain of stages, activities and technologies whose interaction is largely responsible for the product’s success on the market. Sustainability arises as a main vector of differentiation for fashion brands in today’s world context. In a fast moving industry such as fashion, sustainability is a concept for designers to explore, breaking the grounds for the environmental impact of the production supply, considerations of end uses or the lifecycle of the product. One of the challenges that we can present to fashion brands nowadays is to deliver a blend of both sustainability and elegance in fashion. In an era dominated by economic and financial crises, how can fashion brands coop with this new reality and enhance their differentiation vectors in order to succeed? This paper intends to explore the sustainable business model and strategy for fashion brands towards a more responsible branding, facing the challenges that the new world places upon them.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

The colour in children's playful spaces

Given the high significance of playing on achildren's life, the existence of spaces for the same becomes essential. However, there are elements that should not be overlooked during its conception. In order for the space to become of the child, he must establish with it three relationships: with the space, with the objects in the room and with the other children. This article describes a part of the first empirical phase of an investigation. This phase of the project observed 14 children's play areas inserted in different environments, from the point of view of one of the main visual elements of design: colour. The aim is to understand which colours are the most used in the spaces and how the colour combination is performed. Thus, by crossing the observed colours and their meaning it is possible to determine what kind of space environments are intended to be created.Pesquisa financiada pela Bolsa da FCT nº SFRH/BD/84124 / 201

Utilização do Facebook como meio de comunicação eficiente com autistas

The article aims at presenting a complete study on the use of Internet, namely the social network "Facebook”, as an effective communication means and as a link of social interactions with knowledge society on Asperger Syndrome patients.The adopted methodology was the content analysis of the network profiles, concerning the ommunicational character which relates to the term “social interaction”. Following the data analysis, it has been verified that this type of communication may be inclusive but not efficient. It is important to mention that this study did not provide answers or present a concise solution for a given problem. However, the authors aimed at presenting a reflection on the theme and point out that there are issues to be thoroughly considered.It is through these interrogations that other studies may be developed and the quality of social life, particularly that of individuals with some kind of Autism Spectrum Disorder, may be increased

Communication strategies and processes within fashion brands : Nordic brands as case studies for successful communicationstrategies

The study conducted intends to demonstrate to what extent Nordic fashion brands are positioning themselves in the market and the way they are assuming a leading position in a globalized market through the adoption of personalized communication strategies. Through the analyses of the differentiation concepts and the “country of origin” effect we have conducted an empiric study of these brands, whose market recognition has been crescent in recent years. We intend to show that these brands are differentiation themselves from the competitors by the adoption of well integrated communication strategies reinforce by the promotion of a Scandinavian heritage. Through successful communication languages, clear positioning and international expansion, these brands are transforming the “Nordic” term into a major key asset, due to its favourable perceived brand attributes and region’s strength. Studied brands were: Acne, By Malege Birger and Designers Remix Collection. The gathered data allowed us to develop a data base of brand analyses, one that is built upon 3 main directions: brand character, emotional territory and communication registry.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT