Grid Identity Manual by Celeste Carroll

plan your day Identity Manual

Table of Contents 04 05 06 08 12 14 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 38

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Project Brief Project Statement Competing Products Semiotic Research Notebook Processes Iterations & Evaluations Black & White Version Color Version Typeface Selection Color Selection Proper Mark Usage Improper Mark Usage Application of Mark Publication Information

Design a brand for an object you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t be without.

Problem Statement

A daily planner is something I use every day; it allows me to write down my school assignments, doodle in my freetime, and to generally reflect on my day through the form of a notebook. I have found that I am picky with my the planners I use, because I want the perfect design that allows this space for words, lists, drawings, and personal reflection, in a way that accounts for my busy day. A daily assignment notebook, in my opinion, should facilitate this self reflection by allowing space for organization with words and creativity, but with a structure that guides this. On top of this, the notebook should be aesthetically pleasing, sturdy, and flexible, and act as a platform for me to insert my own valuable information, quickly. Many daily planners in the market do not embody this combination of organization, aesthetics, and sturdiness that I aspire to have as a creative but busy person, and as a person that uses notebooks to organize my entire life. The perfect planner has a variety of columns, rows, and boxes; the perfect grid structure. The planner essentially is a grid that organizes your days, and your general life. I wanted to create a brand for a planner that allows me to reflect on my daily schedule, easily. Grid takes the traditional planner and reinvents it.

Competing Products Calendar apps, such as those on the popular iPhone apple product, appeal to busy people on the go who prefer to have a planner in their pocket. Older models of iPhones can cost around $200, while newer models can cost hundreds of dollars more, and specialized calendar apps may cost extra.

AnyDo Calendar App Free

The target consumers for this product are tech saavy millenials or professionals who use their phone to organize many aspects of their professional and personal lives. The pros to this product are the portability, the simplicity, and the quick color coordination. The cons to this product are the high price and potential inaccessibility for some people. Further, the small screen doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow for easy readibility for people with vision problems, or space for doodling and hand written lists for those who want to infuse creativity into their agendas.

Standard spiral-bound planners often appeal to the student, the digital immigrant, and the business owner, because of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no nonsense grid and general layout that allows for handwritten notes. This planner specifically is marketed to be bought in bulk. At $1.00 a piece, it is certainly economical, but only if you want a group of people to have the exact same notebook.

Value Calendar Brand Academic Planner $100 for 100 planners

The pros of this product are its portability; it can slip right into a backpack with other schoolwork. It also caters to a consumer that prefers to handwrite their schedule, and see their plans laid out in front of them for comparison. Cons are that it is easy to misplace it, it may become damaged in a school bag, and its structured interior leaves very little room for creativity, drawing, and decoration. Plastic covers and weak papers are subject to rip, and the metal spirals may catch and bend. With its printed grids, some consumers may like the organization, but some may feel limited by its rigid and boring structure.

7 To Do List notepads are useful for teachers, future-focused planners, and those who easily make mistakes. Each page may be ripped out of the pad when tasks are accomplished, and the notepad lacks a cover, making the cost to buy and produce quite cheap and accessible.

Rifle Paper Co. Notepad $9

The pros of this product are that the individual pages are disposable, which leaves room for mistakes and accidents such as drink spillage and grammatical error. The products are highly recyclable, but lack the durability of a daily planner needed for a person, especially a student, on the go. These notepads also have almost too much decoration, limiting space for writing and other additions. Because each day gets thrown into the recycling bin, it is hard to recall past events, which many consumers may find frustrating and annoying.

A fully laid out agenda with a sturdy fabric cover is strong, but has a strict outline to follow. With its cheap paper, coordinated grid structures, tough exterior, this is a good option for those on the go who want strength in their written plans in entirety. These are often used by those on the go who may have careers that require moving around or travelling, or perhaps unorganized professionals who need to make sure their important information is protected.

6â&#x20AC;? Mead Pocket Planner $6

This planner is cost effective, but, at only 6 inches big, there is not much space for anything other than the basics. Futher, if you have many plans to document, there is not much space on a sqaure of a single page to write. If you have large handwriting or poor eyesight, this calendar could be difficult to use and read; this limits who may be a consumer for this object. Very little room is also left for creativity, and for those who may want to doodle in their planner, decorate it with stickers, or use highlighters, this pocket planner may be too restrictive for this.

Semiotic Research In the process of creating my mark for a personal scheduling planner, semiotic research, on the basis of semantic, pragmatic, and syntactic characteristics, was conducted. This was an effort to break down, analyze, and rebuild aspects of a product, such as the planner, to produce mark concepts. Words on the following pages that led directly to further mark development are bolded. From this research, concepts can be built in the form of preliminary sketches and illustrations. This takes place in the sketchbook, and then moves to the computer for further digital development. Semantic characteristics are adjectives and adverbs that break apart an object and its ideas. Pragmatic characteristics are verbs that break apart an object and its ideas. Syntactics characteristics are nouns that break apart an object and its ideas. The Icon is the big picture. What am I seeing? What is the whole picture from what I see? The Index documents the components of the icon. What makes up the icon? The Symbol documents the single detail from the index. What detail do I remember most?

Semantic Icon

Index

Symbol

.............................................................................................................................. bright filled with color Colorful bright, rainbow, energy, joy, scattered, expressive, many .............................................................................................................................. inventive infused with creativity Creative innovative, flexible, to create, new, thoughtful, inventive .............................................................................................................................. system to be ordered Organized order, objects, system, useful, functional, pieces .............................................................................................................................. parallel marked with parallel Lined order, parallel, extending lines balanced, straight, symmetrical .............................................................................................................................. balanced pleasing to the eye, Aesthetic pretty, artful, colorful, beautiful cute, balanced, creative, nice .............................................................................................................................. separated to be split apart Divided segregated, un-unified, separated, not together, apart .............................................................................................................................. edges can be felt, different Textured patterned, feelable, surfaces terrain, edges, touchable, not smooth

Pragamatic Icon

Index

Symbol

.............................................................................................................................. To write

To mark upon

pen, pencil, ink, mark, line line, voice, text, paper, intention .............................................................................................................................. To plan To organize time to compare, contrast, to consider see ahead, ccount for, consider .............................................................................................................................. To coordinate to compare and plan, juxtapose, place, juxtapose contrast time and plans apart, together, see space, view .............................................................................................................................. mirror To reflect to look back upon; show mirror, look back, past, back the same thoughtful, mind, eyes, brain .............................................................................................................................. imagine To doodle to carelessly draw imagine, playful, pens, paper, color, daydream, sketch .............................................................................................................................. pressure To mark to create an pen, pencil, utensil, impression on pressure, placement, a surface intentional, cross .............................................................................................................................. focus To highlight to bring focus to with to focus, attentive, a utensil stand out, neon, task, hierarchy, utensil

Syntactic Icon

Index

Symbol

.............................................................................................................................. Paper flat sheet of fibrous holes, lines, creases, lines material square, fibers, spaces, transparent .............................................................................................................................. Spiral repeating curvular curve, hard, sharp, rounded pattern shiny, rounded, flexible, metallic .............................................................................................................................. Marks impressions upon indented, textured, texture something edges, rough, transparent, ghost .............................................................................................................................. Tape sticky adhesive tool sticky, transparent, pieced pieced, strips, flat, attached together .............................................................................................................................. Smooth Paper smooth fibrous sheet flat, fibrous, cream, flexible soft, smooth, slippery, flexible .............................................................................................................................. Pens a writing utensil with ink plastic, hook, ink ink cartridge, nib, metal, colorful, clicker .............................................................................................................................. Holes circular shapes cut round, uniform, uniform from an object punched, repetitive, paper, small

Notebook processes Preliminary sketches took data from semiotic research to produce potential mark forms. Using a notebook and pen is always a process step I take to deconstruct ideas on paper. Most often the final mark pulls from one of my preliminary sketches., and it is a great way to get away from the screen during the design process.Left: sketches for Reflect Easy, Schedule Snap, Grid, and Petite Planner. Below & Right: sketches for Reflect Easy and Schedule Snap at the early stages.

Iterations & Evaluations

g r i d

This iteration features the brand name “grid,” an idea pulled from semiotic research. With a physical grid behind a large sans serif “g,” as well as the word “grid” in the background, the mark included layers. Deemed by a focus group too complicated and redundant, the brand name, mark and idea was scratched in favor of other ideas. It was also said that the graphic looked too much like a crossword puzzle, which didn’t align with my brand goals. The mark also wouldn’t scale well, especially the grid itself.

After the grid brand name was changed, I pulled another idea from my semiotic research. Focus groups liked the “catchiness” of the name “reflect easy.” I sought to depict a boxy, notebook like structure with three dimensional initials to resemble a notebook with a hole punch in it. Boxy hand-drawn fonts were made to resemble the structured nature of daily agendas, with a shadow to give it dimension. A person’s face also appears in the mark.

Reflect Easy

From the last mark, focus groups found the boxy shadow to be too dense. Instead, I swapped this element for linework, to represent the pages of a notebook. Groups found this mark to be more clear once the brand name logo “reflect easy” was added. However, the group later came to the consensus that the brand name “reflect easy” was too long and didn’t remind people of a daily agenda enough. They also thought the font of choice for the logo did not match the three dimensional element of the mark linework itself.

Focus groups really liked the boxy, 80s inspired energy of the last “reflect easy” mark, so I settled on a new name, also drawn from semiotic research. “Schedule Snap” is supposed to reference the idea of agendas allowing one to schedule their day, in the “snap” of their fingers. However, it was found that the whole word “Schedule snap” was a bit long and confusing, so “schedule” was dropped from the brand name.

e l u d sche ap sn

Iterations & Evaluations This iteration worked off the idea of the “Schedule Snap” brand name, but scrapped the Schedule part for simplicity and better visibility upon scaling the mark. Just “Snap,” according to focus groups, was short, one syllable, and “snappy.” The three dimensional form of the “S” illustration is expanded upon in this iteration, but given a different point of perspective to better mesh with linear typefaces. Now, the “S” blends better with the logo typefaces.

snap Focus groups suggest getting rid of the large “S” as well as the word “snap,” as together they seem redundant. Instead, the entire mark is crafted to spell “Snap,” suggesting the concept of building blocks or bitmap, three dimensional structures. Focus groups were asked in what order they could most easily read the word “snap:” reading from left to right, top to bottom, etcetera. This iteration was scrapped, as the group read “Sanp.”

17 your agenda in a

This iteration establishes the order of easiest legibility, according to focus groups, who said that reading the standard left to right, then top to bottom was easiest to see and understand. This version of the “Snap” mark coupled with a new slogan serves to maintain the blocky theme, while also providing some context for the brand name and word“Snap.” However, legibility of this orientation in the mark was still an issue.

your planner in a

‘Snap” placed in a square format was found to be too confusing legibility wise; some focus group members found the previous mark to be a bit more confusing. A simple, one line mark was selected for its legibility. The slogan was an experiment in typography pairing, and it was found in this case to not match the bitmap energy of the mark itself. The cursive typeface was scrapped in favor of a typeface that would better fit the bitmap feel.

Iterations & Evaluations It was concluded that the brand name “Snap” provided too many challenges. Readers did not see enough of a connection between the brand name and the daily planner, and “snap” reminded some of breakage, which would not pair well with a planner brand that suggests stability. Therefore, I returned back to semiotic research, and realized that “grid” was still short and simple, but also had more of a clear message. This was a preliminary stage of the new mark.

In this mark, I reintroduced the pencil element to the design, placing it atop the logo. This “grid” logo was also rendered to be three dimensional in appearance, giving it that boxy, layered look once again. However, some focus group interviewees said that the pencil illustration may not scale well, and said to use the pencil as a complimentary illustration instead.

plan your day

This is another iteration of the “grid” logo and pencil combination, with the addition of the brand’s slogan for context. In this iteration, it could be read as “grid pencil plan your day” which is not effective in communication. The placement of the pencil illustration with the mark and logo were not effective in this instance, so its location had to be reconsidered. The pencil also was found to not scale so well at smaller sizes, which caused problems in legibility.

The final mark arrived at a state free of additional illustrations. Sometimes simpler is better, and the message is clearer and more legible with less content. The final “grid” mark can be coupled with or without the slogan. It scales well at both large and small sizes, is concise with only four letters to interpret, and maintains the boxy, dimensional integrity.

Black & White Version

7 inches

5 inches

2 inches

Color Version

plan your day 7 inches

plan your day 5 inches

plan your day 2 inches

typeface selection The typeface “Upheaval IT BRK” was selected for its boxy, bitmap tone, and early digital/tech influence. Ultimately, the energy chosen to represent the daily planner was organized, technical, contained, and boxy. A bitmap font used in the context of “Grid” serves to depict the gridded infrastructure of a daily agenda itself, in the way that a calendar or to do list is broken down into gridded forms. The logo for the Grid mark itself is handrawn, but derived originally from the upheaval typeface. This typeface must be carefully used, as extremley small scalings may be more difficult to read. At large scales, it pops in a way that draws attention. Left: Upheaval at 100 points in size, and 50 points. Below: Upheaval at 25 points in size.

AB CD AB CD

Upheaval tt (BRK) abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 [ ]\`~-_|/{ } !@#$%^&*() <>,.?!:;”’+=

color selection C:0 M:100 Y:20 K:0 R:255 G:0 B:204 Pantone: 807 C HEX #ff00cc

C:76 M:20 Y:0 K:0 R:0 G:204 B:255 Pantone: 306 C HEX: #00ccff

C:34 M:0 Y:100 K:0 R:204 G:255 B:0 Pantone: 381 C HEX: #ccff00

C:0 M:60 Y:100 K:0 R:255 G:102 B:0 Pantone: 138 C HEX: #ff6600

The selection of fluorescent colors are meant to evoke the bright, attentive nature of the hightlighter markers one might use to organize text in their personal planner. Pink, Blue, Orange, and Green are some of the most common colors used in highlighters in the United States, and they draw readers in to a specific focal point on a page. In a similar way, this color selection was chosen to draw consumers in to the product. They also reflect the fun, gender neutral neons of the 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, from which the boxy mark inspration is drawn. The orange color is specifically used for marketing and mark application purposes, not for the mark itself.

Proper usage Alteration

Explanation

............................................................................................................................. original mark in color original mark with selected color palette; slogan must be in black and with Upheaval font, letter; outlines of letters must be in black ............................................................................................................................. original mark in black mark can be used and white without color or with; this can save money during printing, though color mark should be used whenever possible .............................................................................................................................. original mark without mark can be used with slogan attached or without the slogan on marketing materials and products; slogan should be used on introductory business materials .............................................................................................................................. original mark with alternative color choice different use of colors must be within the within selected palette selected color palette; consistent colors to show mark dimensionality must be maintained .............................................................................................................................. original mark with no be sure that cushion slogan, & geometric of space around mark form as frame is equal to or half mark height; contrasting color must be within palette, form must be geometric

plan your day

imProper usage Alteration

Explanation

............................................................................................................................. do not change color changing the colors palette dramatically alters the tone of the mark, and may result in lack of brand recognition from viewers ............................................................................................................................. do not move slogan to a this reduces the visibility different location around of the entire mark at the mark small scales; it places plan your day too much emphasis on the horizontal axis of the mark and slogan .............................................................................................................................. do not place original organic forms with mark with organic forms bitmap font result in unpleasant contrasts and open spaces around mark; only use geometric forms to frame mark .............................................................................................................................. do not place mark on there is too little background that is the contrast; this results in same color or similar a lack of visibility of the color to primary color mark itself; instead use used on mark contrasting colors in brand color palette .............................................................................................................................. do not rearrange letters focus groups have said of original mark this mark orientation leads to lack of legibility; mark reads as something other than simply â&#x20AC;&#x153;grid;â&#x20AC;? maintain horizontality

plan your day

Application of mark

Business Letter front 8.5 x 11 inches

plan your day michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s craft store 1234 west craft road 556.123.4567 michaels@craft.com

Business Letter back 8.5 x 11 inches

grid corporate offices 1234 west agenda lane 555.123.4567 grid@planner.com

12.12.19

to whom it may concern:

On top of this, the notebook should be aesthetically pleasing, sturdy, and flexible, and act as a platform for me to insert my own valuable information, quickly. Many daily planners for sale do not embody this combination of organization, aesthetics, and sturdiness that I aspire to have as a creative but busy college student, and as a person that uses notebooks to organize my entire life. The perfect planner has a variety of columns, rows, and boxes; the perfect grid structure. The planner essentially is a grid that organizes your days, and your general life. I wanted to create a brand for a planner that allows me to reflect on my daily schedule, easily. Grid may just be that planner brand to embody all these wants.

sincerely,

27 Business Card front & back 3.5 x 2 inches

plan your day

grid corporate offices 1234 west agenda lane 555.123.4567 grid@planner.com

Application of mark Monarch Envelope 3.875 x 7.5 inches

USA

plan your day

grid corporate offices 1234 west agenda lane 555.123.4567 grid@planner.com

29 Mailing Label 4 x 5 inches

plan your day

Postage Stamps 0.87 x 0.979 inches

grid corporate offices 1234 west agenda lane 555.123.4567 grid@planner.com

USA

Application of mark Folder front & back 17 x 11 inches

plan your day

grid corporate offices 1234 west agenda lane 555.123.4567 grid@planner.com

31 Sticky Notes 3 x 3 inches

Notecard front & back 3.5 x 7 inches

plan your day

Application of mark Bound Notebook 8.5 x 11 inches

plan your day

33 Pencil 7.5 inches

Ruler 12 inches

Eraser 1.8 x 0.7 inches

34 Stickers 1 x 3 inches

Application of mark Sticker Sheet 3 x 3.5 inches

35 Card Holder for IPhone 3 inches

plan your day

Phone Case 4.7 inches

Application of mark Buttons 2 inches & 1 inch

Key Chain 1 x 2 inches

Celeste carroll 2019