Designing Outside of the Classroom: Branding Design for Thai Traditional Pottery

This research aims to develop branding for pottery products in Maha Sarakham, Thailand and to generate the collaboration between the local community and university. Ban Mo village, which is the community dedicated to pottery making, is used as the case study. This local wisdom has been inherited from ancestors for over 200 years, yet there is no definitive brand for Ban Mo Pottery products. To achieve this, 22 third-year students in Graphic Design at the Faculty of Architecture Urban Design and Creative Arts, Mahasarakham University were invited to work with Ban Mo community to help develop branding strategies that promote the sales and marketing of their products. 22 logo models were designed by 22 students. The research tool was a questionnaire examining key factors of branding development and rating the 22 logo designs. The target samples were collected from 40 members of Ban Mo Community. The results showed that Logo 9 was the most preferable logo for the Community’s members. The illustration and product identity of Ban Mo Community were the key factors that the members used to select as their preferable logos. This suggested that the members preferred a simple logo with having the graphic design of local product identity on. In addition, the collaboration between local community and students creates a symbiotic condition, where the community benefits from the creativity offered by the students, while the students gain real-world experience working with clients to understand their process, goals, and needs. Also, placing students in these situations can help them better understand about their work, roles, and impacts on the business world as graphic designers.