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Def. CSR [Report] (short for Corporate Social Responsibility) refers to the management concept where companies take responsibility for their impact on society, by integrating social and environmental concerns into their business operations. CSR goes beyond what is required of companies in terms of laws, regulations and trade rules. Companies hold a lot of power in the community and economy, because they have the assets and money to make positive social and environmental changes.

While an investment in upholding CSR does not provide direct financial benefits, companies (in recent times) are leaning more towards this initiative for its other benefits. A properly implemented CSR concept holds many benefits for companies, giving them a competitive advantage over other companies. These include: • Better access to capital and markets • Increased sales and profits • Savings in operational costs • Improved productivity and quality • Efficient human resource base • Improved brand image and reputation • Enhanced customer loyalty • Better decision making and risk management processes CSR can be undertaken by companies by doing things such as… • Taking steps to operate in environmental and ecologically sustainable environments • Provide employees with social and ethical education programs • Charity endeavours and community involvement

References: http://www.unido.org/en/what-we-do/trade/csr/what-is-csr.html http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-social-responsibility.asp http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sustainable-business/corporate-social-responsibility/index_en.htm

BMW CSR can also be referred to as Corporate Citizenship, and this is something that is an integral part of the identity of the BMW Group. Dedicating a full section on their corporate website to responsibility, the BMW Group shows it take CSR seriously and does so in areas where it is able to apply its expertise and knowledge in innovation, social inclusion and responsible use of resources.

Picked up my book this morning. Louise from The Book Binding Studio did an awesome job, and it turned out amazing. Decided to stick the badge in the lower corner. I did a bit of research into car manuals. Didn’t turn up with much, but the few I did find with a leather look/black cover often had the logo in the corner (rather than the centre). I was conflicted about which positioning to choose, and in hindsight, I would have liked to discuss this further with the class in a critique. From this I learnt it is better to finish things early and get feedback on the finished product before hand-in, not just in the semi-final stages. Because the actual finished product often has things that you don’t think of or miss out (small details) until it gets to that stage. I think it would look better if the badge were smaller, but I couldn’t source a smaller badge with decent quality. Overall, really happy with how it turned out. The padded cover really makes it feel like a manual, rather than just a simple hard cover book, so I’m pleased and glad I went ahead with that decision.

The printing also turned out really nice — thanks to my mum who had a contact with Hummingbird Print, who did an amazing and super fast job. Some of the images didn’t turn out as well, but I think that’s more to do with the quality of the images and it would be something I’d need to keep an eye out for in future design work. The images I got from the BMW website turned out really nice — just goes to show how important photography is.

REFLECTION

Since sending it off for printing, I’ve thought a lot about things I should have, could have, would have liked to add to the book. While I learnt heaps about the BMW brand, and the basic ins and outs of an iconic brand, I do think there is still so much I could have covered and talked about the brand. BMW is such a rich, deep brand, with a lot of history and achievements behind it. This just goes to show all the hard work generations of engineers, directors and employees have poured into the brand to make it the iconic brand it is today. I don’t think you can really capture a brand in its entirety within a small book. But with this publication, I hope to have tried to brush the surface of what I believe is something much deeper and bigger. Many factors play into the brand, and it would take ages to uncover and discover them all. It has after all been around for nearly a century.

I really enjoyed the whole process of researching, designing, critiquing and creating the final product. The research was informative, and it helped that I got well engaged with my brand. The design was fun and a big learning curve as always. I really enjoyed the critiques this time round — maybe its a sign I’m getting used to them more? I do think it helped to openly talk to my classmates about my work and theirs. To learn off each other and use this to improve our own work. The advice and guidance of both my tutors/lecturers, Gjoko and Eden, really helped to bring the quality and standard up, and I feel there’s so much more to be learnt from these two. The final product at the end was a good way to have accomplished something from it all. And at a high standard. So overall, I felt this was a well-rounded, and definitely the best assignment I’ve ever done thus far. I look forward to many more assignments like this.

To test my publication, its structure and layout, I made this mini mock up book by printing out thumbnails and sticking them back to back. Aside from being adorably cute, it was also very useful to get a feeling of how the reader would browse through the book. I decided to make a small gif out of it and display it here.

Since 1975 BMW has positioned itself as the ‘best-in-class global automotive brand’, home to “The Ultimate Driving Machine” – a slogan they’ve consistently used for over 40 years when it was created by Martin Puris. The brand is well known for being what everyone dreams of owning, but something only a few can really attain. It’s the brand for those who have achieved great success in life they can afford a luxury automobile, but feels no need to show it off in a Mercedes. The brand’s point of difference is in the performance and experience of their products. High performance, engineering excellence and innovation across all its products (automotive and motorcycle) contribute to the brand’s core mission to deliver the ‘Ultimate Driving Experience’.

RESEARCH

BMW positions itself as a ‘best-in-class global automotive brand’, renowned for being what everyone dreams of, but something only a few can attain. It’s point of difference is its high performance, engineering excellence and innovation not only in the car sector, but also the motorcycle sector.

Brand Slogan/Statement: ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ – USA, Australia, UK ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’ – International website and other countries

Performance and luxury vehicles Global leader in premium car sales High quality, high price, high class What everyone dreams of but only some can attain. Sexy and luxurious, yet fierce and powerful Also strong in the motorcycle sector High performance, engineering excellence and innovation

BMW’s Brand Promise (found in BMW Museum, Munich)

“BMW’s brand identity is perceived and experienced above all through design. The unceasing fascination of BMW vehicles lies in a unique interaction of dynamic proportions, taut surfaces and affectionate attention to detail. Every BMW design communicates the brand values: dynamism, sports character and elegance. BMW models have always possessed a personality of their own arising form the deep seated relationship between driver, vehicle and road. This approach has a long tradition, and has inspired BMW Design’s work as well as influencing others. BMW’s design authority derives from its role as a pioneer and from its courage to questions and redefine existing concepts.”