PRE-THESIS PROJECT 2019 PROJECT TITLE
Brands of Meaning STUDENT:
RIA SHAH
PROJECT:
Steer
SPONSOR:
Self initiated
PROGRAM:
Undergraduate Professional Programme
AWARD:
Visual Communication and Strategic Branding
GUIDES:
John Ganta
Copyrights 2019-2020 Student Document Publication (for private circulation only) All Rights Reserved Pre-Thesis Project (Undergraduate Professional Programme) Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology Bangalore - 560064 Karnataka No part of this document will be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, scanning, photography and video recording without written permission from the publishers namely Ria Shah and Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. Written, edited and designed by Ria Shah, Printed at xyz, Bangalore
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PLAGIARISM STATEMENT I, RIA SHAH, hereby declare that the content of this student documentation and final design/artwork submission is my own original work and has not been plagiarised in full or part from previously published/designed/manufactured material or does not even contain substantial propositions of content which have been accepted for an award of any other degree or diploma of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in this thesis project. I also declare that the intellectual content of this Thesis Project is my own original work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style and presentation is acknowledged and that this thesis project (or part of it) will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course.
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT I, RIA SHAH, hereby grant Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology the right to archive and to make available my Pre- Thesis Project in whole or in part in the institute’s databank and website, and for non-commercial use in all forms of media, now and hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act.
Name: Signature: Date:
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Acknowledgment. Without whom this project would not have been possible. I would like to thank, John Ganta for his support, motivation, ideas and lessons at every stage of the project. All the sufferers of mental health who shared their stories without hesitation. Hank Nunn Institue for welcoming me in to their facility and talking to me with complete freedom and answering all my queries about Mental Health. Dr. Alok Deodhar, Dr. Manjari Singh, for teaching me about the methods of therapy. Dr. Uttara Vidyasagar at Viveka Center for giving me knwoledge about the organization and how people think and feel. Mrs. Rajeshwari Vaddiparthi for talking and discussing her experiences of counselling and sharing my survey with all kinds of people. The 140 people who participated in my survey. Mrs.
Sapna Sanghvi, Mrs. Vaishali Shah, Mr. Yogesh Shah, Mr. Sharad Shah and Dr. Deodhar for discussing their point of view on donating to organizations and what it is like to run an organization. My parents and my sister for being my constant pillar and help through the project. Krishna Pranav for the technical help on sound and laser cutting. All my classmates for their ideas, feedback love and support.
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Contents.
P R O P O S A L 05
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P R O J EC T B R I E F
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C O N T E X T 11 Building a StoryBrand Meaning Crisis
V I S UA L I D E N T I T Y 43 Moodboard Brand name Logo Typography Color Illustration
R E S E A R C H 17
M A P 57
Offline Research Field Visits Survey Observations Insights
Ideation Categories Journey Map Bengaluru Outline Structure Icon Design Cover About Page Promotions Business Model Canvas S.W.O.T
D E V E LO P I N G B R A N D 29 Key Features Competitor Moodboard Target Audience Empathy Map Archetype Brand Values and Voice
W E B S I T E 75 F I N A L O U T P U T 77 Map Brand Manual Website Bookmarks Poster postcards Notebooks
R E F E L EC T I O N 89
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Proposal. The understanding of meaning crisis lead to an idea of dissatisfaction amongst people and the need to fix that. Abstract In this present generation, there is an increase in the amount of individuals facing mental health disorders, and there are numerous causes for them that differ from violence, marriage, work, social pressure, etc. The number of people who actually know how to deal with this are very few and hence the need to make the available resources more accessible is important to bridge the gap between them and their true self. In addition, current organizations that provide these services need more volunteers and funders to continue providing these resources, and therefore it is essential to spread the word and collect more individuals who are prepared to assist. Thereby creating a viable strategy that integrates both the consumer and the donor, at the same time provides a larger solution to the increasing spread of mental health disorders. 5
Research Statement Mental health is defined as the emotional, psychological and social well being of a person is classified as mental health. According to Statistics by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015, every one in five Indians face depression in their lifetime and only 10-12% of these seeks help.
Project Brief Incase of mental health, there is a stigma surrounding it, which creates a lack of discussion and recognition among individuals, owing to which very few individuals genuinely seek assistance, while most end up neglecting the topic. There are individuals around us who are suffering from some kind of mental disease and need assistance to improve themselves. In an interview with the Hank Nunn Institute in Bengaluru , they disclosed to me various elements of mental health disorders and how they, as an organization support people navigate their mental health problems, by using therapeutic community strategies, operating as a safe space for people to visit, have discussions, indulge in engaging activities and other methodologies that widens the individuals scope of understanding about themselves. They also pointed out that the leading administrative issue that they face as an organization is funding, according to one of the founders Mr. Anando Chatterji, to receive funding from national clinical organizations they need to provide larger numbers in the
context of “patients” helped, and also need to term themselves as a “mental health clinic” etc. which runs counter to their philosophies and hence creates a requirement to draw on external sources of funding. This can be done by developing a strategy that outlines a plan framed around a narrative structure, that gives the investors clarity on how their resource is impacting the audience and also helps in eliminating the fear of misuse of capital, and making an incorrect judgment that dwells in the minds of the financers. Everyone is afraid of the unknown and need an efficient call for action or motivation to take a step out of the ordinary world into the unknown as proposed by Joseph Campbell in “The hero with a thousand faces.” In both the target audience groups stated earlier the fear of unknown is identical, Donald Miller in his book “Building a StoryBrand” mentions the need for a guide, someone who can assist their audience to move beyond this fear by offering a plan of action, clarity, and a sense of risk reduction.
Objective I want this project to give me the capacity to become a guide as proposed by Donald Miller in “Building a StoryBrand” by creating a compelling narrative that helps both the target audience groups I’m concentrating on to take the call to action, and embark on a journey to accomplish something greater than they knew was possible. They key goal in the project is to be a brand strategist by offering the route to both the target audience, the individuals
suffering from mental health disorders to achieve a better state of mind and creating a strategy that brings together the financers and mental health organizations alike The Hank Nunn Institute. 1. Provide existing resources and a new plan for consumers who are unaware about the process to begin taking action. 2. Find the funders who want to help, but don’t want to take a risk of loss of capital due to unclear representation of impact by organizations, by giving them a clear strategy. 3. To create awareness about the illnesses, and moving closer to eradicating the stigma.
Literature Review Culture is a narrative that we have been provided with, around which we build our lives and find a direction to move forward, it is the sense of belonging that each individual is born with. There has been an outbreak of rules in the postmodern age that we are currently existing in, along with that it is also the age of information which means an overload of content that adds confusion and chaos in the minds of the consumer, therefore they are seeking for meaning and individuality on their own rather than holding on to the existing societal and cultural norms. People are confronted with a sense of disconnection from each other and the future; this phenomenon has been defined as the “meaning crisis.” 6
This is not only because of social, cultural and political problems, but also because of a much greater historical, philosophical and cultural past and gives us an indication as to why we are experiencing the mental health crisis of today. As a designer and a brand, we need to know the culture and myths that have created the framework for us to navigate through complexities that we can use to formulate a meaningful narrative for the customer to follow. This enables the brand to take the client on a journey that helps them discover their individuality, provides them the understanding to overcome difficult circumstances, and makes them feel like they belong somewhere, due to conversion that provides them with a sense of self-actualization. This journey that we take the customer on is similar to Campbell’s has been described as the Hero’s Journey in which he talks about the transformation the hero (customer) goes through, as they move from their known world and cross the threshold into the unknown, face ordeals and challenges and return back transformed. A person’s personal bliss could be seen as their aspirational identity, or the position where they would like to be after they go through this journey. Over a period of time psychologists like Carl Jung and Erich Neumann have understood these myths and symbols to create structures called the archetypes.
“By developing an archetypal brand story around the name, logo symbol, product categories, packaging etc. we consequently help marketers create enduring brand identities that establish market dominance, evoke and deliver meaning to customers, and inspire customer loyalty” An archetype is defined as: “A primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and supposed to be present in the collective unconscious.” –– Carl Jung, Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. “The new breed of consumer is not as trusting, as loyal, or as malleable as those of the past.” –– Margaret Mark, The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes
Research Questions 1) What are the challenges people face in approaching the idea of mental health? 2) What age group is suffering the most from mental health disorders and what are the different contexts that they belong to (Work, school, Marriage, Divorce, PTSD etc.) 3) What are the existing methods and resources available and which are efficient amongst them?
4) What factors will urge the user to go on this journey of self-actualization? 5) Who are the contributors/donors for these organizations? 6) What are the reasons that could make people donate and support the cause?
Primary:
Interview psychologists, and existing institutes such as the Hank Nunn. Attend the training sessions available at one of the schools. Study the people and their emotions through observation and interviews.
Secondary: Study the existing techniques. Understand the causes and effect of mental health through readings.
Approach Discover • The target audience and the leading causes of mental health disorders. • Solutions and methods that are pre-existing. • Insights and concepts of mental health disorders. • The multiple contexts in which mental health illnesses are born from. (Work, Marriage etc.) 7
• Psychiatrists who have worked with multiple age groups and provided therapy.
Aspects and stakeholders of mental health solutions
Define • The archetype that the brand will be based on. • The journey that the consumer will take to achieve self-actualization. • Interaction with people suffering through a disorder. • Aspects of human psychology.
4) Research products built by “School of life”
Develop • A brand strategy to integrates the consumers and the financers in their own ways. • Facilitate plans and blue prints that guide the user through the journey. • A pool of techniques and resources.
Materials and Resources: The initial research resources that would be used are field visits to: 1) Hank Nunn Institute to observe the various training sessions and methodologies that are used by them for helping their patients. 2) A visit to “The creative school” to understand their philosophies’ and how this affects children later on in life. 3) Personal interviews with different kinds of people who experience mental health disorders in other institutes.
5) Trips to other organizations around Bengaluru and Pune.
Bibliography: 1. Hari, Johann. 2018. Lost connections: uncovering the real causes of depression-- and the unexpected solutions. 2. Henriques, Gregg. “Understanding Emotions and How to Process Them.” Psychology today. January 28, 2017. https://www.psychologytoday. com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201701/ understanding-emotions-andhowprocess-them. 3. Institute, Hank Nunn. “Mental Health Service Focused On Personality Disorders.” Hank Nunn Institute. Accessed August 10, 2019. http://hanknunninstitute. com. 4. Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (United states: New World Library, 2008) 5. Jung, Carl. “Carl Jung On Overcoming Anxiety Disorders.” Lecture, https://academyofideas. com/2019/02/carljungovercoming-anxiety-disorders/ 6. Jung, Carl. Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. 3rd ed. United states: Princeton University Press, 1959. 7. Jung, Carl, Marie-Louise von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Jolande Jacobi, and Aniela Jaffé
Man and His Symbols. New York: Dell Publishing, 1968. 8. Miller, Donald. Building a Storybrand. United Staters of America: HarperCollins Leadership, 2017 9. Mark, Margaret, and Carol S. Pearson. The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands through the Power of Archetypes. United States: McGraw Hill Professional, 2001. 10. Vogler, Christopher. The Writers Journey. 3rd ed. United states: Michael Weise Productions, 2007 – For the structure of the narrative and use of archetypes. 11. Vincent Peale, Norman. The Power of Positive Thinking for Young People. 16th ed. Mumbai, India: Better yourself books, 2008. 12. Vervaeke, John. “Awakening from the Meaning.” Lecture
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Project brief. The challenge we have for ourselves is how can we as design-thinkers develop a meaningful brand which cuts through the noise and competition of the attention economy and has a lasting positive impact in our society and on the individual rather than perpetuating a state of meaninglessness.
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BACKGROUND Consumerism can in a sense be seen as a new religion. People gravitate towards brands they like, the symbolic relevance, the ritual, the persona. And whether they are consciously aware of it or not, people look to brands for systems of value, identity, and direction like we do with any ideological system of belief. T Here we will look at depth and behavioural psychology and the study of human emotion and motivational factors, as understood through stories which shape our identity and culture. We will apply these timeless principles to our design thinking process in our brand development to create symbolically rich and meaningful brands of value.
SCOPE As an alternative to deconstructing brands
strictly from its social science perspective, we will apply the psychoanalytic approach to move the scale of discussion to consumers’ unconscious behavioural and instinctual responses to a brand identity that acknowledges subconscious influences, and factors that affect the behavioural dimensions shared by consumers in the unconscious realms in their choice of, and engagement with, brands. The project proposes the use of brand archetype methodologies such as symbolic construction of brand associations, narrative stories, myths and emotional advertising to discover a product’s brand meanings. We will further tap this methodology of attitudinal research in order to develop and enhance creative customisation of brand archetypes that result in deeply resonant, trustworthy, intuitively universal and meaningful products which deeply connects with the customer but also affects positive change and guides the customer to higher levels of
OUTCOME The practitioner will understand the relevance of that grammar for the interpretation and creation of humancentered brands of meaning and value for the consumer; cohesive brand identities which resonates with the consumer on a deep and intrinsic level, along with providing a guiding narrative for the brand to follow in its implementation.
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Context. To understand the abstract we started deconstructing books, concepts and methodologies such as “The writers journey” by Christopher Vogler, Joseph Campbell’s “Hero with a thousand faces”, “The Hero and the Outlaw” by Mark and Pearson, “Building a Storybrand” by Donald Miller.
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Understanding archetype Characteristics
The archetypal narrative structure: Christopher Volger Act One: 1. The Ordinary World: It is the baseline of the character, which is contrasting to the special world through which the character goes on the journey. It is the background of the hero. In comparison to the special world the ordinary world might seem dull/boring. This is also the stage where the hero is posed with questions of what, why, if etc.
Identifying a Hero Brand ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
There are inventions or innovations that will have a major impact on the world It helps people be all they can be It can solve a major social problem or encourage others to do so It has a clear opponent you want to beat It is the underdog or a challenger brand It is strong and helps people do tough jobs exceptionally well It needs to be differentiated from competitors that have problems following through or keeping their promises Their customers see themselves as good, upstanding citizens It makes a positive mark on the world, solves major problems or enables/inspires others to do so.
Finding Nemo: Marlin and Nemo live at the Great Barrier Reef, which is beautiful but scary (Nemo’s mother died In the attack)
Paytm and Hero
Whiplash: Andrew played attends a prestigious music academy Shaffer Conservatory of Music. 2. Call to adventure: The problem, adventure, or challenge that the hero is presented with, which forces the hero out of the comfort zone/ ordinary world. It makes the hero’s goal visible, and often describes what’s at stake. Finding Nemo: When the scuba divers trap catches nemo after multiple warnings and Marlin is helplessly watching. Whiplash:
Paytm is a brand that follows the hero archetype strongly due to the characteristics of its brand strategy as well as brand positioning. Types of hero archetype Unsung hero - reserved, hides in the shadow, allows others to credits for the job. ● Paytm came into India and flourished when cashless economy was still a new concept to the consumers, which suggests their drive to change an existing system and encourage the audience as well just like a Hero would. ●
When the consumers were looking for alternatives during demonetization Paytm came in as a savior, motivating people to take a brave step and trust the new way of payment.
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The identifying qualities of hero which collide with paytm are : achievement orientated with high standards and goal focused. fast paced, proud and motivating encouraging, competitive and achievement orientated
Andrew gets picked to play the drums under fletcher, after hearing him play at a slow jazz band.
Deconstructing narratives into Hero’s Journey
Finding brands that fit archetypes
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Building a storybrand. By Donald Miller. PA R T 1
PA R T 2
W H Y B R A N D S FA I L ?
BUILD A STORY
Fail to focus on key brand factors DONT MAKE IT COMPLEX
Fail to focus on key brand fac-
Character
Needs something
Success
CONTENT>DESIGN
Avoids Failure
Encounters Problem
Call of action
Meets guide
Finds a plan
PA R T 3 I M P O R TA N T Q U E S T I O N S
What do you offer?
How will it make my life better?
How do I buy it?
REMOVE UNNECESSARY INFO.
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PRINCIPLE 1 YOUR CUSTOMER IS THE HERO Understand your target audience Find the story gap (What customer wants)
PRINCIPLE 4 GIVE THEM A PLAN Customer trusts the guide Lay a trustworthy plan for your customer
PRINCIPLE 2 THEY HAVE A PROBLEM
PRINCIPLE 5 CALL TO ACTION
External Internal Phisolophical
Challenge them to take an action Be clear and repetitive Direct/Transitional
Solve beyond external problems.
PRINCIPLE 3 THEY NEED A GUIDE
PRINCIPLE 6 H E L P T H E M AVO I D FA I LU R E
Provide wisdom Gain authority and empathy
Remind them there is no risk in being with you.
PRINCIPLE 7 END IN SUCCESS Remind them you can change their life. Give them status.
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Meaning crisis . A sense of disconnect that people feel towards themselves, others and the future, this not only due to social and political problems but also historical, philosophical and cultural past. - John Vervaeke
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Why is the meaning crisis occurring? Culture is a narrative we have been provided with, it gives a sense of belonging and a certain direction to follow, the disregard of the myths and culture is the primary causes of meaning crisis. We are in the age of information where there is chaos everywhere we see lack of individuality and people who are in search for it.
How do we use myths to provide a solution? As a designer or a brand, we need to update this culture, make it more relevant to the existing generations. This provides the customer greater understanding about themselves and provides a sense of meaning.
What is an archetypal brand? By developing an archetypal brand around the name, logo, product categories, packaging etc. we help marketers create enduring brand identities that establish market dominance, evoke and deliver meaning to the customer and inspire customer loyalty. -Mark and Pearson in, Hero and the Outlaw. This brings the culture and myth into relevance.
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Research. For understanding mental health and its solutions I began looking at 3 aspects: 1. People who have suffered through a mental disorder. 2. People who provide help/Run organization 3. People who donate to these organizations Beyond this I conducted a survey to gather basic understanding of the topic and awareness of mental health amongst general public.
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Voice Recordings. Mental Health Sufferers
“My mother was surpised because it didn’t seem like I was ging through anything, you seem so happy”
To understand what mental illness feels like I had informal conversations with those who’ve experienced it. What are the symptoms you recognized? How did you accept that you are facing mental health disorder? How did you find help? What techniques did your therapist/psychiatrist use? Did you use medicines? What struggles did you face? How did your family react? What would happen if you didn’t seek help? All Recordings: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UlVZWaOuHTVvxfRWrr QZz36ydp-3M81s?usp=sharing
“She has issues with medication and needed convincing.”
“My family and work environment had to change”
“I could talk about it and thats when I knew I I was feeling better” “My parents were very shocked”
“I needed a younger therapist who I could relate to, and was close by to home.” “Finding happiness in anything has been hard”
“I saw the red flags when I started pondering about selfharm” “I lost relations because I went into a shell”
“If you are living in the same house how could I not see it. - Dad”
“When you are going through somthing, you don’t see beyond” Hence you need clarity and should seek help.
“I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know what was happening”
“Conversation, tips, tricks, eating better, exercises, journalling”
“Accepting wasn’t the problem, taking action was”
*All these responses have been kept anonymous as per the wish of the audience. *All insights gained from here are simply based off conversation.
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Voice Recordings. Therapist, Counselors, Organizations The next set of people I spoke to were people who provide help to mental health sufferers. What techniques do you use to help? How do you treat people? Do most people come in on their own or are brought in? What symptoms do they complain of? • Philosophies • Beliefs • Values What are the administrative struggles?
“Client oriented, not directional”- Carl Rogers philosophy.
“Housewives talk about things they can’t with their partners”
“Core: To respond to someone with emotional distress.” “People are referred by teachers, psychaitrists, schools.” “We do not have enough volunteers and as an organization we need more”
“Couples bring in each other generally”
Benefited people like to give back and they donate or volunteer”
“They come in saying they dont have a problem, just felt like talking”
Sometimes we refer people to psychiatry if needed
“You can give back to the society by volunteering too”
“Warm, caring, non-judmental, safe space”
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Voice Recordings. Financiers of Organizations I spoke to people who donate to different kinds of organizations in order to understand why and what they expect back? What is the reason you make a donation? Do you like seeing how your money is impacting people? How do you pick an organization to donate? How often? What benefits do you get?
A feedback is always good for us to donate another time. Well known organizations are more trusted.
I get a receipt to see the confirmation everytime I donate.
“Finding happiness in anything has been hard”
It is mandatory by the government for all companies to donate to fullfill their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in order to receive tax benefits.
“When we are celebrating we wish for others to be happy too and hence donate on occassions, such as birthdays, anniversaries etc.”
Clear details are required.
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Field research. Hank Nunn Institute Hank Nunn Institiue situated in Indiranagar, I was welcomed for a session where I got to speak to their entire crew of people who run the place. They spoke to me about their philosophies, techniques, programs they run, the kind of services they provide etc. The key take aways were they environment of the place and the emotion of being safe. Community therapy and its technicalities. Risk aversion systems.
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Online Research. Google Survey A google survey was conducted and I collected 140 responses with varied age groups and backgrounds. This survey was to gather an analyze the basic understanding about mental health in the society. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13AuqSdtKpOnTVeQaK3F NpzqQgV0HmhtofGxRg3lkqZ8/edit
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Observations.
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organizations
Conversations
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Insights. Mental Health Sufferers After the research process, and observations were made a set of key insights were devloped which are then taken forth to create the brand.
1. People are not ready to accept that they have a problem even though they face the symptoms .
2. Distance and cost are key factors that people take into consideration.
3. If the solution is not given to them handy they are not ready to take the call of action.
4. People are not ready to accept that they have a problem even though they face the symptoms.
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Insights. Organizations After the research process, and observations were made a set of key insights were developed which are then taken forth to create the brand.
1. Government 2. Not enough regulations funds or are tough to volunteers. maneuver around.
3. Being a part of a community or doing a hobby is of a lot of help for those suffering from mild disorders.
4. Patients are get sent to them via doctors or colleges also.
5. Having a healthy diet can have a mental impact.
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Insights. Donors After the research process, and observations were made a set of key insights were devloped which are then taken forth to create the brand.
1. Most people donate on occasions birthdays etc.
2. People like seeing how their money Is impacting the society.
3. Corporate companies get tax benefits. CSR - Corporate Social Responsibility
4. Trust in the organization is of utmost importance
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Developing the brand Key Features Designing a brand that makes mental health solutions accessible, available to audiences and introduces solutions beyond psychiatry and therapy.
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Understanding the competitors for their values, imagery, tone of voice, impact.
Break free from this
Most mental health brands are in shades of blue. Their core values are about achieving freedom and health Support, escape, sympathetic, caring are some of their tone of voices
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Target audience. User profiles were created to get a sense of the kind of audience, their frustrations, goals and demographics.
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Archetype. The right archetype for a brand depends on its qualities and its values, To decide which archetype I did “Why” and “Why not” by listing down the qualities of each possible options.
Use of archetype in the brand
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Characterstics of explorer
Comparison between sage and ruler.
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Sage Archetype. Core desire: the discovery of truth Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world Greatest fear: being duped, misled; ignorance Strategy: seek out information and knowledge; become self-reflective and understand thinking processes Trap: can study issues forever and never act Gift: wisdom, intelligence 39
The archetype designs the brand and is key to develop its tones, values colors, communication etc.
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Brand Values & Voice. Inspired by the archetype multiple key words were jotted down to finalize brand values and tone of voice.
Identifying key words
This helped me develop the Brand Mission, Brand Vision, & position. Final Tone of voice: Empathical Relatable Genuine Unique and collaborated leaderships Consumer Empathy / Being Involved Exceptional Quality
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Visual Identity. 1. Creating a moodboard which differs from the competitor. 2. Keeping the target audience in mind design name, logo, tagline.
Happy, Refreshing, Escape, New, Journey. The moodboard I created keeping in mind the audience.
3. Find a fitting color palette and typeface.
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Brand Name. Steer came about, after creating a cob web and linking all the overlapping terms together in order to find a common link.
STEER: Strength to empower emotions and recover
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Logo.
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Ideation 1: A compass is a symbol of direction, lines symbolize unity, by bringing the two together and adding dynamics, we can suggest flow, motion and support.
Use of topographic lines and logo.
STEER S TTEE ER R
STEER
STEER symbols, meanings, elements
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Ideation 3
Ideation 2
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Ideation 2: Fish symbolizes flow, and in Japanese culture the origami fish has a deep sense of understanding. Using that to create a static but dynamic effect.
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Typography & Layout. To arrive at the typography for the logo, there was a process of trial and error to understand which type fits the brand values right. Something that was modern yet comforting.
steer
Steer
Towards you, for you.
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Why this typeface? The rounded edges are inviting, the unfinished edges add an essence of the brand. Why not? The broad structure of the alphabets make it wide and give it a sense of openness and childlike.
Why this typeface? The structure gives a sense of confidence and support, something honest. Why not? Could be intimidating for those who are trying to just explore.
steer
STEER
Towards you,for you.
Why this typeface? It is a modern structured typeface with rounded edges, giving it the sense of new, trustworthy and welcoming. The “x� height of the small caps being the same makes it less intimidating.
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Color. The colors needed to be warm, transformation, and positive, I did multiple iterations and finally chose the color palette through images that spoke about the emotions.
Towards you, for you.
Towards you, for you.
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Pallets against background Why? Comforting Peaceful Why not? Feels more like a mother-care brand. Not transformation
Why? Aligns with archetype Is transforming Reminds of fresh air Why not? Feels like a adventure brand.
Why? Brings together happiness, peaceful, transfomation and freshness throught the mutiframed palette, inspired from images. Why not? Too many shades.
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Illustration. To begin with creating the images, I collected a bunch of pictures that reminded me of a happy place, so that I had references, from there on I decided on a style.
Step 1.
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Finding references
Creating iterations
Drawing elements
Developing color pallet 55
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The map. What is the map? Problem: They need it to be out there. They need more solutions. Distance is a problem.
Original Ideation of what goes on the map
To make mental health accessible I decide to create my final output as a map that creates awareness, brings the existing as well as new solutions to the audience, through which they can find the nearest best option for themselves. This map can be available at all kinds of places. To create that I needed awareness content, enough number of solutions, the map of bengaluru, places that support the idea of the map.
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Categories. Each category is based off the research, to find these I researched locations, timings, cost, quality of service or product.
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Journey Map. It is the journey of a persona who is affected by a mental health disorder and needs help, this allows me to find the loop holes and fix them.
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Yelahanka
Bengaluru.
Jalahalli
Baiyappanahalli
Banasawadi Yeswanthpur
Malleshwaram
Outline maps of bengaluru to understand sections .
Kamanahalli Frazer Town
Hoodi
ST. Marks Road
Indiranagar
Bengaluru
Domlur
LalBagh Botanical Garden
The process was done to make it simpler than the existing outline of the map.
Koramangla Jayanagar
HSR Layout Therapy and Counseling Addiction and Hospital Centers
Banerghatta
Communities Nutrition Electronic City
Activity
Yelahanka
Baiyappanahalli Jalahalli Malleshwaram
Yeswanthpur
Kamanahalli
Malleshwaram
Frazer Town
Hoodi Bengaluru
Jayanagar
Indiranagar
Kotamangla
HSR Layout Banerghatta
Kodathi
Electronic City
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Structure. To make the map handy at the same time big enough, I had to ideate on structures to achieve the same.
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Final layout
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Icon Design. The development of icons was in order to simplify and unify.
Color Gradient
Icons based on action
Hobbies and Activities
Hobbies and Activities
Nutrition
Nutrition
Communities for you
Communities for you
Therapy and Counseling
Therapy and Counseling
Hospitals and Addiction
Hospitals and Addiction
Hobbies and Activities
Hobbies and Activities Nutrition
Nutrition Communities for you Therapy and Counseling
Including navigation and simplify
Hospitals and Addiction
Communities for you Therapy and Counseling Hospitals and Addiction Help and Volunteering
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Cover. The cover needs to be: Catchy Comforting Simple For the final cover for this edition I chose a thematic cover to introduce Cubbon Park which is close to the audience and also is good place to clear your mind.
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About Mental Health. This page needed to be designed for the awareness part of the map and needs to be : Clear Concise Direct
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Map Categories Page The page needed to be designed with simplicity and cleanliness.
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Promotions. The promotions are done to earn revenue.
Including navigation and simplify 71
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Business Model.
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S.W.O.T. Strength More options along with therapy and Psychiatry.
Weakness Due to the lack of brand loyalty it is tougher to get enough people to trust the brand.
First of its kind, where mental health comes into Print media and in public spaces.
To find trustworthy collaborators who are honest with the service they provide.
Opportunities
Threat
To have new issues regularly that introduces more places.
Plagiarizing of the map by other brands or organizations
To create awareness that goes beyond digital media. Creating a social media movement to plant a seed of thought.
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Website. To undertand the website structure I created a flow of pages and wireframes.
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Final Output. The final output consists of: 1. Map 2. Brand Manual 3. Website 4. Journals 5. Postcards 7. Bookmarks 8. Posters
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Map Holder
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Brand Manual: https://issuu.com/riashah1298/docs/brand_book_v2_pages
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Visit The website at : www.steer.org.in
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Reflection. As the project comes to an end the learning continue to stay.
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As the long 4 months come to an end there is so much to reflect back on this very prethesis project which became my baby by the end of it. Right from the moment when I received the topic “Brands of meaning” I knew I wanted to create something that makes a change in the society and is not just another brand adding to the mindless consumerism, with this I started channeling my thought process. Learning the working of brand, the archetypes and the importance of storytelling through a narrative was the most crucial part of creating a brand and wouldn’t have been possible without John and all the resources he shared with us, and the techniques he taught us over the course. When I chose mental health as my topic I already knew it would be challenging but with the taboo around it, and actually getting mentally disturbed people to share
their stories was a greater level of obstacle that I had to overcome in order to gain enough insights to actually make something that people can put to use. Finding places across Bangalore that were honest through numerous phone calls and rejections was the second stage which taught me to be patient and persuasive because more than me, I knew at the back of my mind that if I could pull this project off I could actually be helping a lot of people.
While designing the brand, I had started to get pulled into it due to the constant reading about symptoms and listening to mentally disturbed stories, the challenge was to keep myself away from it and concentrate on the project aspect.
My main pain points through the creation of the brand was to make something people don’t associate with Mental Health but is all connected to it indirectly, to do this I gathered smaller insights such as the happy place or details like fear of medication, which helped me develop a wholesome brand that didn’t focus on just a part of the problem. I learnt how important it is to see things closely and not just find the obvious problems but dig deeper to find things that really affect the psychology of the brand.
All in all my experience was very important to my entire 4 years in Srishti because I saw everything I’ve learnt until now come together bit by bit to create a whole project that I hope I can take forward.
It was my first time making a website so that was an interesting process for me to learn something new and the struggle with understanding the interface.
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PRE- THESIS PROJECT 2019
Examiner 1 (name and signature):
PROJECT TITLE
Examiner 2 (name and signature):
BRANDS OF MEANING STUDENT: RIA SHAH PROJECT: STEER
Examiner 3 (name and signature): Date: Academic Dean:
SPONSOR: Self initiated PROGRAM: Undergraduate Professional Programme AWARD:
Visual Communication and Strategic Branding
Final Examination Panel COMMENTS:
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Ria Shah Pre-Thesis Project 2019 (Undergraduate Professional Programme) Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology Bangalore - 560064 Karnataka
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