Graduate Thesis

MDMFA                                     

For the thesis project, I was tasked with branding a profile brief all the way to ready to roll-out phase. This is the process and the steps that were taken to initiate it.

*These toys have been shown to 

increase imaginative play in children 

between the ages of 2-6.

*These toys allow for truly genuine 

quality time spent between the

generations 

*Grandparents can share their history

with their grandchildren. 

Children will actually put down the screens, and spend time doing something developing their hand-eye coordination in a different and fun way.

Finally, the Grandkids are going to have something to do while they're at their grandparents' house. 

It's a really engaging way for

children to learn American history from the people who lived it. 

The benefits and features acknowledge the educational and gross motor skills that are potentially heightened using these toys according to the quoted studies in the client brief (Full Sail, 2022). While the features quoted in the brand are important to acknowledge, it is the benefits that will reel them in (Carmichael, 2021). The features were selected exactly from individual passages of the client brief. While the benefits were mentioned either in the client brief or were the most obvious conclusion to the feature. 

*Only images showing wholesome,

but understated forms of the American dream should be used

There should not be images of active war, shooting, or injured soldiers.

Images of any airplane must

ONLY EVER be facing to the right or to the

East.

The Greener Day Toys icon is the Jenny in honor of the Brand Persona

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The brand’s core values are in line with the brand persona and story. The primary core value is Country, which is in line with the overall brand theme of Americana.  Good Works lines up with the persona’s younger years, after leaving Madison’s “hustle and bustle”. The signature toy of a truck was designed after the Woody Truck of that era (ModelTech, 2023). This truck lines up with the Onlyness statement which acknowledges the importance of the use of sustainable resources. This is an important statement to acknowledge because Jacobs quotes a 2007 Johnson and Schwadel study by saying "Older respondents are, on average, significantly and substantively less supportive than the young on spending on environmental protection." On the other hand, knowing this, there will be those that are. This is to appeal to them, as well as the parents.

The black t-shirts for purchase, show the original flight scene of the JN Jennys in flight layered with both the signature toy and the icon. 

The collateral available for purchase at the launch of the Greener Day Toy website are vehicles, which according to the Atlantic Journal article by Elizabeth Sweet, over at least the past fifty years, has been a male target market. This is not to say that the women of this same demographic will not purchase for grandsons and granddaughters.

Technology: The brand is offering a landline phone number to be publicized in all advertising in a text hierarchy of no less than H2. There is an important focus on technology and user experience (Brightedge,2023).  The research has shown that there is still a 35% market share completely untapped by internet technology (Zickuhr, K& Madden, M 2012). There is a separate strategy for that demographic. For them, we offer the phone and an annual catalog release one time a year in early October, in the same style that Sear began in 1933 (Garrity, 2019). Not only is that catalog an excellent sense of nostalgia, it speaks to the reference of Americana and a bygone era. 

Not only is that catalog an excellent sense of nostalgia, but it also speaks to the reference to Americana and a bygone era.   The text Retro Grunge West was selected for its similarity to the cut in a wooden block. It also strongly resembles the style of signage similar to that seen in the “Wild West” as portrayed by Hollywood (Woodcutterillustration. 2021). Both of these ideas conjure images of playing cowboys as kids and watching John Wayne with Dear Ol’ Dad. The text font is Type Machine which will be used for subheadings or body copy (Felton, 2013). 

Color: This transfers into the next decisions. 

Color and Text were hand in hand then crucial to the creation of the brand logo. While the logo’s typography is only inspired by the selected headline font of the brand, it is similar enough to see the resemblance. The color pallet was selected from the Decorview Patriotic Americana collection (Janice, 2017). It had the deeper, richer color that the brand wanted to emphasize the older days in a nostalgic era. The light blue is the blue of the sky (Gremillion, 2019). This is the clear skies ahead. The final sepia tone is selected to match the color of aged paper. In order to reference this color pallet, boxes of old family photos ranging in age from the late 19th century to the mid to late mid twentieth century were studied for the various stages of yellowing, decay, and aging. 

The slab-serif compliments the Retro Grunge West. Finally, this font is out of character with the other two. This is the kindergarten font. While most of the voice, tone, look, feel and theme of the brand have been designed to intrigue the target audience as an adult, there is research to show that there has been some benefit to market to that inner child (Wolfe, 2022). That has been reflected in the nostalgia but it is also represented in the kindergarten font. This font is a rare use. When used, it is often used for the Tagline; Bringing America together, one toy at a time. 

What is the best media to use for marketing to Seniors age 65+? There is a website and a phone number currently available for consumers. However, there will be a need to break into new advertising media very soon. What media would be the best? The following process was used to research, target, decide, and then proceed to launch the brand.

based on the revised Target Audience

Once the target market has been narrowed into a specific group, a new SWOT was conducted. The new information that was uncovered: 

S: New strength is involving the WWI pilot in the Brand Persona, it provides a little more “action” to a normally static toy, in the same method that the Little Green Army Men had found success (Strong Museum, 2014). This design decision serves as a reminder to the target audience of spending time listening to the stories from their childhood. 

W: The older ideals of using the first American fighter pilots and World War I to market toys could be considered offensive (Oldenburg, 1995).  

O: Everything is grown, sourced, and manufactured right here on the family farm on the outskirts of Madison, WI. 

This is an unusual niche market that is not generally a target market for a company to start as the audience.

There is research that shows that grandparents are extremely likely to spend their disposable income on their grandchildren (O’Brien, 2019). Targeting this marketing makes certain that no money is being left on the table.

T: The two immediate threats to Greener Day Toys are most obviously electronics, but also the competitive edge of PolyBlox Toys (Full Sail, 2022)

Once an updated SWOT is composed, the demographic of the competitor is evaluated. The data is used to determine the differentiation which will lead to their onlyness. 

Bodolo:          Ages 25 - 40 

        

                               41 - 65

These age groups understand and appeal to the Montessori Education (Full Sail, 2022)is more environmentally conscious (Jacobs, 2018) 

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PolyBlox:      Ages 25 - 40

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                              41 - 65

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                              66+

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PolyBlox will be appealing to all age groups as they are designed for inclusivity. These blocks incorporate braille and ASL which immediately shouts out their differentiation. 

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Oompa:         Ages 25 - 40

                             

                               41 - 65

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                               66+

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These toys are very sturdy. (Full Sail, 2022). That would appeal to the grandparents and great-grandparents. The ethical sourcing will appeal to the 25-40 demographic. 

Once the metrics were evaluated, the competitors were considering this market as an afterthought. 

Media outlets presently used by the competitors 

This information was compiled through research on the Internet, and social media sources, and they will inform the client where their competition is advertising.  Allowing the opportunity to make an educated decision as to which media outlet(s) will give them the best return on investment.  

Website, Phoneline, eBay, Pinterest   Printed collateral, 

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Website, Facebook, Instagram, eBay Pinterest, Phone, printed collateral,

Website, Facebook, Instagram, eBay Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, printed collateral

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Grimm’s, Haba, Plan Toys websites, Website, Facebook, Instagram, eBay

Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, printed collateral, billboards,

bus, and subway

stations               

     
   Media Options Available:
Finally, the various media outlets are presented to the client. The example, pros, and cons are all listed in their descriptions again for the most educated selections. 

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn Twitter et. al. are the social media outlets readily available to companies. Studies have shown that there are more seniors online and using social media than ever (Morrison, 2023). Furthermore, there is no charge for basic social media use. This is a huge check in the Pro column for many.

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As far as advertising, this is not the best bang for the buck. Again, many seniors are turning to the internet as well. However, the largest television demographic is still the males ages 50 + and their peak time is over the weekend (Reid, 2023). The next most popular time in the evening is after 6 pm. This gives an especially narrow time frame for the company to know how to market to its preferred audience. 

Print is a cost variable based on the amount of print being created and the elements presented. This would have to be determined by research and metrics as to the average return on investment that companies have had using print. They can range from something as simple as a t-shirt and range to an element as large as a billboard. The feature to print is that it is available to be seen at any time throughout the day. 

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The foremost concern of the brand is the cost of advertising. Once again, the cost of running an ad on the radio depends on the length of the ad and when the ad will be released. If it is during prime-time rush hour, it is significantly more expensive than running at 11:30 pm. Further to this point, there are not any competitors on this platform. Satellite radio is taking over the local. 

Onlyness: The Onlyness statement differentiates the company by stating that everything is grown and manufactured locally and sustainably. This practice is becoming an ever-growing concern among consumers (Businesswire, 2021). This would be a factor to consider when selecting an advertising medium. ​​​​​​​

Using the information gleaned from the SWOT analysis, the voice and tone are determined, and a persona was created. The company decided upon a story, a tagline, and the values.  Then using the information of the voice and tone, the look and feel can fall into place. If the brand has taken on a manly, post-World War pilot, Grandfatherly appeal, there is a specific target in mind, the look and feel should also represent that voice. The voice and tone will be imperative to know the advertising medium. For example, a serious and somber voice would not want to run a bubbly social media campaign. 

Once the voice and tone were established and finalized, the logo came into focus. The process went from ideations that were silly and childlike to ideas that would incorporate the maple tree. These ideas did not translate the Americana aspect of the brand. It was further decided that the icon, in one case a bouncing block, and in another the tree, would be better served to be removed from the logo and created into an icon. In establishing any visual media advertising, the logo must be readable and legible at any size. 

Vision Board: The Vision Board also experienced quite an evolution from a light-hearted to a more serious voice and tone. The ideas expressed in the vision board to the left are almost exactly the same as the final vision board, yet the graphics brought together are set more in reality.

The ideas expressed in the vision board to the left are almost exactly the same as the final vision board, yet the graphics brought together are set more in reality. As a designer, the vision board is important to allow the client to visualize the voice and tone that is being described. This visual aid allows the client to make a decision.

Problem: For this next section, the blue text is the feedback that I received from professors over the course of my Master's degree. The regular text was the response to that feedback.

FOCUS is key to telling a successful story and becoming a recognized brand MDM650 1.6
The original ideas and information that initially impact a designer after reading a client brief are overwhelming. The difference between a designer and a master is to be able to cherry-pick the few that have possibilities and leave the rest behind. In the infancy of the design, even going from twenty-five to ten, then ten to five, it gets more and more challenging. Laser the focus as the selections get fewer. 

The PLO critique on this was that it was a vague statement. Other than the context in which the information was given, that is the extent of the feedback provided. The 

This ideation for the logo was a combination of the “The World is Yours” statue associated with the film Scarface or the Universal Studios icon. According to a lawyer who specializes in copyright laws explained in his article with Gerben Intellectual Property, many designers and artists believe in the 30% rule, meaning as long as 30% is altered, then the design does not run the risk of infringement. He also states that this rule is a myth, completely false (Perrott, 2023). The reality is that if the design is recognizable enough to immediately see what is being represented, then a certain amount of copyright infringement is involved. Therefore, ideas were removed from consideration to avoid any unpleasantness with either design. The copyright law encourages artists to create new material instead of reproducing the same work over and over. 

The event of multiple themes was reevaluated.  It was discovered that what was originally being considered themes, were the voice and tone of the brand. It mirrored the keywords that were instrumental in the creation of the onlyness statement, the brand story, and the company’s values.​​​​​​​

This was a very easy fix. It required additional learning of these programs and a level of comfort that had not yet been attained. Fortunately, while far from perfect, there will still be time to exercise and work on the elements that are used to work through these elements, as additional practice and continued learning are examples of good designers.

The letters of the logo are a slightly more elaborate design of the Retro Grunge West. This choice was selected based on the Western American Rococo Typography. They’re very elaborate and very individual. This is reminiscent of shipping labels or branding monograms popular in the late 19th and early 20th or what is now considered the “Wild West”. Wild West genre was incredibly popular during the target market time. As Bethany Mosher (2016) of The Strong Museum of Play recounts:

“Although children are the key demographic for most toys, adults often make the purchasing decisions. So toys must also appeal to the grownups. And toy companies have learned that there is no better way to market to parents (or grandparents) than to produce toys that evoke nostalgic emotions and make them remember their own childhoods.” 

To further this point, the Wild West is another perfect representation of the Americana theme, that time and place was exclusively American!

Previewing the various pieces of collateral that were made for each week there were various shapes and edges everywhere. Now in true reflection, there was no place for the hard edges of stars and boxes. The logo draws reference from 2 places.  It reflects a banner that flies out behind a plane as well as the feelings of a festival or processional banner. 

Adjust the biplane silhouette to be more recognizable (detailed) for audiences. The original design of the biplane was based on an old biplane wooden toy.

On the rework of the theme and target market, it seemed appropriate to also rework Jenny from the child’s toy to becoming an icon of the brand persona. The brand persona is “every man” or every man’s father or grandfather. Jenny had to reflect a stronger and more masculine tone to market to their audience.

Original Mood Board: The design started, as a plucky little brand designed to catch the eye of the child and completely miss the point of Americana. The idea of Americana was only expressed in Red and Blue, and a Sepia-toned paper. After reimagining the look and feel, voice and tone, and reconsidering the target market, the entire tone of the brand shifted. The brand was able to connect to the heartstrings of the target by appealing to their nostalgic side. 

Revised Mood Board: This led to a reimagining of everything. Typeface was changed to reflect and compliment not only the logo but also each other. However, as stated by Eshley Jackson, (2018) “A handwritten typeface will indicate that the company delivers products or services to children.”.  And so, the Kindergarten typeface, used for the tagline Bringing America together; one toy at a time. was held over from the initial iteration.

The poster and the Jenny buck were released after the revamp of the idea. The little boy, who was going to initially be the brand persona, was not the right move for this brand or the audience that was selected. However, the sky blue that was used in the previous campaign was carried over. This color is used as uniquely as the Kindergarten typeface. It exists only to make the brand collateral have a vibrant touch.

Are any pictures squished? Does the crease between pages cut through the head of any of the pictures? Will the crease cut off any of your text? Look at every picture for distortion, then how does it lay out against the columns of text? Look at each column for how it lines up against the page, and check for accuracy.

This next section shows the top or most complex or most enjoyed competencies synthesized over the course of the Master's program

I am a studio artist. We are a little odd, and reclusive, the process, OUR process is in our heads. I don’t want to share that. I had a long way to from artist to designer. I really HAD to practice learning this one and I still don’t feel like I look at them completely as a designer, but more as a 2D layout.

In the case of writing copy and even more importantly in writing tags, less is more. This is a skill I will be struggling with my entire life. More than one person has called me verbose. On the plus side, I am keenly aware of it. 

Do not add any fluff. Fluff can be misinterpreted. It can become gossip; it can become wrong information. Say only what must be said. This will be a must in the online review-loving world. I always refer to the example of nuance based on one comma and the effect it has on the sentence. “Let’s eat Grandma!” or “Let’s eat, Grandma!” Say exactly what you mean.

Typography: There is a right way and a wrong way! Learning that there was an actual reason to the way that they put them together. The combinations of families and types that go together are very fascinating. This will help prevent a lot of bad branding in the future. ​​​​​​​

The way that color and shape have a psychological impact on people is very interesting. The idea of having a focus group reacting to a product or brand based on the color of, or shape of a brand is very interesting.   ​​​​​​​

Of course, this appealed to the most basic artist in me sitting there making a collage. I could see this being something that I could do on a consultant or part-time basis because I live close enough to Pittsburgh to make that happen. ​​​​​​​

Target Audience Appeal: It is something that as a consumer you are aware of because in customer surveys you check a box that keeps creeping up and up and up. 

Demographics: However, learning the other side, how the demographics are used? Why? All of these were super interesting to learn. Again, I could see these being ideas for future consulting or part time visits to Pittsburgh. ​​​​​​​

NEEDS vs. BENEFITS: It is something that you knew but didn’t realize that you knew it. It was something that, you just could not quite put a finger on. So, that was nice to have a name for it. It has changed the way I look at things not only in this program. As a consumer and as a designer, I can see how this would help in every aspect of life moving forward. ​​​​​​​

PSYCHOGRAPHICS: Who knew??? I had no idea that these were additional bits of information that brands used towards planning brands. ​​​​​​​

The brand creates a person based on the “average us” that buys their specific product. 

The appeal to that Us. Then, if they must rebrand or decide to remarket themselves can reconsider the brand persona of the new psychographics. 

Voice & Tone Look & Feel Style Elements: Learning the practical applications of the study of voice, tone, look, feel, and how it applies to the copywriting and tagline of branding.​​​​​​​

Like the example above, this was also something that I was going to be interested in seeing in practice. However, it is something that I will continue to work on, as well. This is also going to be a huge factor in the upcoming freelance branding for small groups and small businesses.

No long endless columns of text. This has made me notice websites. I have been trying to use them to bring ideas and inspiration for it. Humor is a good one. I could see why you would do it. 

Textual Hierarchy: While I felt I was making significant differences in my text up close, once published, the hierarchy is practically non-existent. ​​​​​​​

That and grammar errors will be the beginning of the revisions to work on the thesis. This is something that I will be working on in the future and with logo and collateral needs for local businesses this will play well for those purposes. 

Adobe: What can I say about my dear friend Adobe. To say that I have completely learned Adobe would be incorrect. We are a work in progress.

This was the only adobe that I used to know.

Now I know 2 Adobes.

I would say, I survived Adobe and I will continue to work with it because I am going to continue a subscription of the creative cloud in order to learn so many things that I can at the pace that I need to and without looming deadlines.