You followed us along our 10 week German excursion, so I thought it would only be fair to do a little recap of the project and what we learned. Unfortunately, as is the case with most sponsored projects, we have a 90-day grace period where we can’t show anything we made. So, for now all I can let you see is our well-decorated studio door (complete with an inward-facing peep hole that we modified to show the Berlin skyline),

and the mess we made outside. (Okay, I think some of the Transportation guys may have contributed to that pile too…)
Hopefully in a few months we’ll be able to share our Piz Buin rebrand, but in the mean time words will have to suffice.

As a recap for anyone not familiar with what the heck we were doing in Germany, Brand Lab Berlin was a studio abroad dedicated to rebranding the Johnson & Johnson-owned Piz Buin (a premium sunscreen brand) to target Millennial Berliners. Fifteen students from the Graphic Design, Environmental, Product and Transportation departments were selected, and we were put into teams of three, then assigned a filter through which to approach the project. These filters were Health & Wellness, Mobility, Sports, Fashion, and Music. We spent 10 weeks in Berlin, researching the city’s culture through our filter, and analyzing the data we collected. Then we all made our way back to Art Center, finishing the term with the tools and resources that being on campus provides. Our final deliverables varied depending on the team, but most consisted of a line of products and packaging, branded environments, and experiences designed to interact with the brand throughout the city.

And now for my own assessment:
If the opportunity ever arises, please, please do a study abroad. In addition to getting to live and work in an AMAZING city, I learned things about my own work habits and design strengths and limitations in a way that simply couldn’t have happened in a regular classroom. Being able to dedicate all of your time to one assignment is something that we don’t usually get to do while at Art Center, and it resulted in a much better researched, analyzed, conceptualized, and executed project. Researching a brand and its audience for 10 weeks before designing anything changes the way you approach an assignment; never again will a google session suffice, because once you have taken the time to fully understand all the pieces of the puzzle, the design falls into place in a much more logical and informed way than the on-screen method could ever rival. At the end of the day, some of the most important lessons I learned personally, came out of not being able to run away from the project, or let it slide in favor of something I liked more—as can sometimes be the case when we get into difficult classroom situations. Working in teams as students is notoriously difficult, but being able to do it in such an open and dedicated environment made it extremely gratifying.

Berlin itself was one of the most amazing places I have ever been. Referred to as “poor but sexy,” there is a resourcefulness to the city that is truly inspiring. It is bustling, but rarely overwhelming. The public transportation works perfectly, and is conducted largely on the honor system. Art openings and music events happened every night of the week, and the unpretentious and spontaneous crowd moves fluidly between venue scales with an almost undetectable distinction between high and low culture. People stay out into the morning (and sometimes even until the next morning after that), and it isn’t scary or dangerous or the least bit uptight.

Whenever the opportunity to learn and work outside of the black box presents itself, I urge you to take it. Art Center is an amazing place to study, and our teachers, facilities, and rigor is unparalleled. But sometimes, every once in a while, it’s important to get some inspiration—and ultimately perspective—from a change of scenery.

(If you haven’t seen photos of our trip, please visit the Brand Lab Berlin section)

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