The Round Table.

This Monday we had the pleasure of presenting our work to four design professionals from different backgrounds and hear their advice and thoughts about our projects. I was particularly excited to meet Jim Hamilton who works for my favourite design company Graven Images. The night before I was extremely nervous but the day went smoothly and I was pleased with the way I presented my project.

The work I presented was a smaller version of the work I produced for the Christmas show with a few changes, one of which being the project name and logo. Below I'll post the boards I used and the description I gave along with them.

1. My project is based on fish & chips. Fish & chips can save the planet! The main inspiration for my project came from my family my dad owns a fish and chip shop and I've worked there for the past ten years. Over the years I've noticed changes and more recently I've noticed that people are falling out of love with fish and chips.

People's perceptions of fish and chips needs to change, fish and chips is thought to be dull and boring as it's not changed with the times finding new ways to present it and get people interested could help us celebrate fish and chips again. 

Health is a big issue linked to fish and chips. Fish and chips is seen as the unhealthiest take away option and the battered Mars bar has turned it into a bit of a joke. More people are becoming health conscious as 65% of adults in Scotland are overweight. The chip shop can help this problem and peoples' eating habits by offering healthier options such as baked fish. 

Fish and chip babies are babies born in Africa into extreme poverty they are wrapped in newspaper this is where they get their nickname. This is just an example of a global issue that I'd like to inform customers about and get them involved in.

Fishing sustainability is probably the biggest issue linked with fish and chips. Watching Hugh's Fish Fight recently Hugh identified the chip shop as the biggest problem behind British fish culture. As the chip shop only offers two types of fish Cod or Haddock it has made the British public reluctant to try anything new which has resulted in Cod and Haddock being safeguarded. The fish and chip shop could offer a variety of under utilised species to get people eating a variety of fish. 

At the bottom of the page are a few of my regular customer the people at the heart of the business and the people I need to affect.

2. The site chosen is the fish market in Pittenweem; it is one of the few remaining active fish markets in the U.K. Not only is the site picturesque, ideal for eating fish and chips at the sea front but there is also a daily catch of langoustine, lobster and crab landed here which could be used in the shop to diversify the menu. I've identified other sites for potential expansion which are also active fish markets.

3. I've added an extension to the existing fish market for extra space. This will be a gold scaly building that will slightly over lap the existing building. The gold is to represent the ultimate prize, fish and chips. While the overlapping represents the power fish and chips can have.

Along the bottom of the page are a few inspirational images of existing fish and chip shops and sea side cafes. I particularly like the design in 'Kershiber & Malt' is a fresh, modern fun take on the fish and chip shop. 

4. Lastly I want to split the market into five sections; headquarters for staff offices, the fish market for the daily goings on of the fisherman, a fish counter, a restaurant and the takeaway. In the centre of the page is a collage of inspirational images that will influence my design. I want the interior to have an industrial design linking with the fish markets roots, the interior will also incorporate the issues discussed earlier. Hopefully this new take on the fish and chip shop will educate customers, get them involved with issues to save the planet and in turn the chip shop will save itself and preserve a part of British culture.

I found the day valuable and it was great to hear advice from four completely different people. There are a few things now that I may have to reconsider, for example the gold extension was not to everyone’s taste and the reasons for choosing my site might need to be more persuasive. From their suggestions I now want to start looking into the theatre of food/dining, restaurant designs and overall dining experiences. I also feel I need to start moving on with drawing up floor plans and designing, the more I do now the more feedback and advice I can get from my tutor so I better get cracking!