Lantana Publishing Report by clenagomez

Professional Practice Assignment Client Directed: Lantana

Christen Lena Gomez MA Information Design 2019-20 Department of Typography & Graphic Communication University of Reading 1

Table of Contents Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Discover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Transform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Make. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Brief THE CLIENT I decided to undertake a client directed project for the professional practice assignment. Lantana, the assigned client, is an independent childrens’ book publisher that is committed to creating inclusive books and working with a diverse group of authors and illustrators. Lantana is currently broadening their mission to include three main pillars: 1. Diversity and Inclusion 2. Social Equality 3. Environmental Sustainability In addition to broadening their mission, Lantana would also like to branch out in terms of partnerships with editors and organizations.

THE OBJECTIVES • To understand the needs and priorities of the client • Gain an understanding of marketing and communication in the publishing industry • Help Lantana to communicate their broadened mission to customers and potential partners • Find solutions that are easy to implement and do not require significant resources

RESTATED BRIEF My first meeting with Alice, the owner of Lantana, took place on December 6th, 2019 . The purpose of this initial meeting was to gain a better understanding of the company as well as discuss the needs and expectations of the client. After this initial meeting, I created a restated brief that looks more closely at the challenges and objectives of the project.

Design Brief: Lantana Publishing Client Overview Lantana publishing is a young, award-winning publishing house with a mission to publish inclusive books that celebrate people’s differences. Their slogan is “Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read.” Lantana is preparing to launch a new and improved way of publishing - developments include the following: ● ● ● ●

Incorporation of The Editor’s Collective as part of Lantana Creative - a group of editors who work with Lantana, but have the freedom to choose the authors they work with Expanding beyond race to include themes of diversity in other capacities and social responsibility Expand age range Broaden mission to include social equality, environmental sustainability, and overall inclusivity

Introduction to Problem Area Lantana recognizes that there is a great need for children’s books that feature minority characters. However, the publishing industry as a whole is also beginning to recognize this need. For this reason, it is important that Lantana communicates its value beyond publishing books that feature underrepresented minorities.

Objectives The goal of this project is to create and design a communications strategy for the “new and improved” Lantana. Objectives include: ● ●

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Communicate that Lantana is new and improved, but still maintains the same original values Educate users about Lantana’s new venture - Lantana Creative (with The Editor’s Collective as Lantana Creative’s first venture) Reinforce the brand identity of Lantana

Scope and Deliverables Deliverables include: ●

A comprehensive communication strategy ○ Situation analysis ○ User segmentation ○ Communication objectives ○ Message and approach ○ Design deliverables - to be determined 1

Restated brief: page 1

During the initial meeting, I learned that the principal objective for Lantana was to be seen as an authentically inclusive publisher. With more publishers jumping on the “diversity bandwagon”, Lantana recognizes the need to differentiate themselves in order to compete with larger publishers.

Process Discover ● ●

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Research other publishing houses and how they have handled expansion, rebranding, and/or restructuring Research and compare campaigns designed for the different audiences that publishing houses market to: b2b, suppliers, and end consumers Research digital marketing strategies within the publishing industry Look at Lantana’s user analytics on their website and social media channels Explore possible approaches to reach, expand, and engage Lantana’s customers Develop user personas

Transform ● ● ● ●

Make ● ● ● ● ●

Using research from the discover phase, develop 3 possible approaches to the “relaunch” of Lantana and the introduction of Lantana Creative The client will choose their preferred approach - develop the chosen approach Determine a timeframe for rolling out the re-launch of Lantana publishing (will it be done all at once or in stages?) Create layouts and sketches for the deliverables outlined in the communication strategy Develop a Lantana style guide that will inform the client about color, typography, and brand identity Develop a consistent system based on the needs of the user(s) Designs should be consistent, legible, and aesthetically pleasing Designs should reinforce Lantana’s brand identity and mission Designs should differentiate Lantana from other publishing houses

Reflect ● ●

Reflection will be done throughout the design process, especially after client meetings Guiding reflective questions: ○ Are the client’s needs being met? ○ Do my strategic/design decisions make sense and are they based on research?

Assessment ● ● ●

Brief: Develop or restate a brief that shows clear analysis and evaluation of the problem(s) and opportunities posed by the brief Discovery: conduct, reference and evaluate research relevant to the brief as part of an embedded reflective design process Transformation:

Restated brief: page 2

I also learned through my first meeting with Alice that many executive decisions had yet to be made regarding the restructuring of Lantana. For this reason, the outcomes for this project were left open ended. The emphasis of this project was on research and process so that I could make informed decisions for the recommendations that I made to my client regarding marketing and graphic communication.

Show independent initiative and explore alternative approaches to the brief/a problem ○ Demonstrate working methods appropriate to task and resources ○ Demonstrate your design process through creative thinking in response to the task ○ Demonstrate attention to detail in layout, typography and (where relevant) the presentation of images or dynamic attributes ○ Show evidence of sensitivity to the needs of users and readers, with an ability to utilise genre attributes MAKING ○ demonstrate craft skills and technical competence and an understanding of technical issues for production ○ present all project work (including your report) effectively, supported by evidence of the development of your design thinking and appropriate, reflective research ○

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Restated brief: page 3

TIMELINE As part of the restated brief, I created a timeline to manage tasks and plan meetings with the client. I scheduled four meetings in the timeline, but because of the open-ended nature of the project, I anticipated communicating more often. I also included guiding questions in order guide my research and decision making.

Timeline Jan. 20

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Final Brief Due

Jan. 21

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Begin Discover Phase Research campaigns and websites of publishing houses Guiding questions: How have other publishing houses handled marketing during a restructuring/relaunch/rebranding of the business? How do the websites and social media channels of other publishing houses look and feel - who are their audiences? What could Lantana do the same, and what could they do differently?

Jan. 28

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Identify all possible audiences Look at Lantana’s user analytics - website and social media channels Begin putting together possible user personas Guiding questions: Who is Lantana’s audience? How are users finding out about Lantana?

● ● Feb. 3

● ● ● ● ●

Feb. 11

Finalize user personas Brainstorm possible approaches to the communication strategy Guiding questions: What is the best way to target Lantana’s audiences? What is the most effective way to communicate the changes within Lantana without losing too much of its original identity? Begin building report - introduction and brief

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Choose three approaches to develop and present to the client Guiding questions: Which approaches will have the largest reach? Which approach will help to differentiate the client? What will the deliverables be for each approach? Report - discover section

Wed. Feb 19

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Client meeting Present the three possible approaches to the client

March 3

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Begin to develop chosen communication strategy in more detail Develop timeline for chosen strategy Guiding questions: Should the communication strategy be rolled out in stages or all at once? Which timeline will make the most sense to the user? What actions will be taken at each point in the timeline?

March 10

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Continue to develop the strategy Prepare for presentation of the strategy Guiding questions: Is the strategy working toward a goal? How will the strategy be implemented?

● ●

Timeline: page 1

Originally, scheduled meetings were meant to be held in the Lantana office in Oxford. However, the lockdown restricted us to electronic communication only. The unexpected challenge caused by COVID-19 meant that my client and I both needed to adapt to the unique situation. Because of the impact of the crisis on businesses and the economy, I needed to be especially mindful of the feasability of my recommendations.

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Report - transform section

Week of March 16

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Client meeting

March 24

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Continue working on strategy based on client feedback Begin sketching Guiding questions: How does Lantana want to be perceived? What should the design materials look and feel like? How will the user interact with the design?

March 31

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Choose 2 to 3 design concepts to develop further Report - continue transform section

April 13

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Client meeting Present final communication strategy and design concepts

April 21

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Refine one of the design concepts based on client feedback

April 28

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Begin prototyping Report - Make

May 5

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Client meeting (final feedback) Present all completed materials Report - Add reflection and refine

May 26

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Submit for final assessment

Timeline: page 2

Discover The discover phase of the project was focused on research and working with the client to decide on a set of deliverables that would be most beneficial for communicating the “new and improved” Lantana to customers.

THE OBJECTIVES • Do an analysis of Lantana’s current website and social media channels • Gain an understanding of who Lantana’s customers are • Carry out customer segmentation and create user personas • Learn about current trends in publishing and conduct a competitive analysis • Explore possible approaches to the brief • Work with the client to finalize a set of deliverables

A LOOK AT MARKETING IN THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY To gain an overall understanding of marketing in the publishing industry, I read “How Contemporary Publishers Reach out to Their Customers” by Kim Maya Sutton. Sutton explains how the publishing industry is moving from traditional business to business (B2B) marketing to business to consumer (B2C) marketing. The move to B2C marketing has benefits such as greater price transparency, improved availability, lower marketing costs, and a larger marketplace (Sutton, 13-14). For this reason, a B2C marketing approach with the incorporation of e-marketing is most beneficial for my client. My client agreed that marketing efforts should be aimed toward consumers. However, many of the marketing materials aimed toward consumers, such as the Lantana website, would also be used as a reference for B2B customers.

WHO ARE THE COMPETITORS? Through speaking with Katrina, the Chief of Communications, I learned that Lantana has three types of competitors: 1. Online shops such as Amazon and the Book Depository 2. Large publishers who are moving into diverse representation 3. Other independent publishers — however, Lantana tends to work with these publishers rather than against them

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS - THE BOOK DEPOSITORY

The homepage of the Book Depository, an online book shop

Strengths

Weaknesses

• Wide range of languages and worldwide shipping allow for global customer base • Owned by Amazon, a company with ample resources • Convenience • Strong social media presence with an emphasis on author read alongs

• No content marketing on the website (articles, blog, podcasts etc.) • Feels like a big company, which may drive away consumers who are looking to be socially responsible • Impersonal brand • Owned by Amazon, a company that has faced controversy

The Book Depository Instagram page, a verified account with over 133,000 followers

Free worldwide shipping is an incentive for customers all across the globe — not just a particular region Fast and easy checkout process

The unique “watch people shop” feature allows shoppers to see what others in their region are purchasing

The Book Depository places an emphasis on sales and bargain shopping which suggests that their customer base is comprised of bookworms on a budget Very large inventory for a wide variety of interests and age groups

Emphasis on quickly and conveniently selling books

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS - PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE Penguin UK has a large social media following. On Instagram, they create engaging content with the use of highlights where they â&#x20AC;&#x153;prescribeâ&#x20AC;? books in the clinic and post weekly quizzes. They use YouTube to create fun and engaging videos featuring authors and celebrities. They also post frequently on Twitter and Facebook. The homepage of Penguin Random House UK

Compared to the Book Depository, the Penguin UK website has a cleaner layout with ample white space and consistent graphic styles and typography. The homepage of Penguin Random House UK

Strengths

Weaknesses

• World’s leading trade publisher • Engages customers through creative content creation • Sells online and through retailers • Publishes fiction, non fiction, childrens’ books, e-books, and audio books, so there is a penguin book for everyone • Global company • Works with well known authors • Brand recognition • Content is consistent and engaging across platforms

• Does not sell individual books directly from their website, making the purchasing process long and inconvenient because the user is taken to a third-party website • The website includes statements about commitment to sustainability and inclusion, but these commitments seem like an afterthought and not at the core of the company

Placement of “features” on the navigation suggests that the Penguin Random House website focuses on engaging customers through content rather than selling books

Much of the homepage is taken up by content marketing. Penguin creates engaging content rather than explicitly trying to sell books through bargains and quick buy options. Readers must scroll considerably past features, news, and blogs before reaching books and other content

Customers cannot buy individual books directly from the Penguin website. Instead, they are given the option of being taken to a third party website to purchase the book.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS - BOOK ISLAND

The homepage of Book Island, an independent publisher

Book Island uses their social media presence to promote their books. All publishers use social media for this purpose, but Book Island seems to lose their own identity in the process.

They capitalize on their beautiful illustrations by selling prints It is unusual to see “about us” as the first navigation item. This placement indicates that the publisher wants readers to learn about Book Island and their mission. Perhaps the mission could have been integrated in the home page if it is of importance. Picture books take up the entire homepage, suggesting that the main purpose of the site is to drive sales. If the main purpose is to drive sales, then a quick buy option could be useful for users who would like to make a quick and convenient purchase.

The dark green and grey colors do not reflect the brand as a childrens’ book publisher with a mission to inspire and build bridges across cultures

Pages are easily accessible through the main navigation and the footer menu

Strengths

Weaknesses

• Clear navigation and layout • Books are easy to find and filter through • Engages users who are teachers with an teacher’s notes page • Prints are an easy way to use existing resources to generate additional revenue • Social media feels personal/like a small community

• The mission/values of the company are easily overlooked • Branding does not reflect the company • Social media is inconsistent • The navigation items may not be put in order of importance

SWOT ANALYSIS - LANTANA

Eight items in the navigation bar is excessive. Reorganization of the navigation would allow for an improved experience. The logo and color scheme do not reflect a fun and innovative childrens’ book publisher.

The placement of books as the first thing users see after the hero reflects Lantana’s desire to generate sales Mission is stated on homepage. This is a good starting point, but the mission can be further incorporated into the site

The use of a decorative typeface with a slab-serif as body text is visually overwhelming. It does not fit the clean look that Katrina mentioned as the desired look for the Lantana website

Lantana’s current homepage

Strengths

Weaknesses

• The maket for Lantana’s books is apparent • Diversity and inclusion are trending topics • Shopify website makes updates and analytics easy • Lantana’s products are unique and excellently made • Well managed social media accounts • Small company size means less red tape when implementing changes • Move to e-books

• Branding is not reflective of a childrens’ book publisher • All pillars (environmental sustainability, inclusion & diversity, and social equality) are not communicated through the website • Potential partners cannot easily find information on the website • Current shopify theme is restricting

Opportunities

Threats

• Content marketing • Partnerships

• Other publishers making the move to more inclusive and diverse books

• Creation of books that fall under the umbrella of inclusion — not just diversity • Expanded age ranges

• world-wide pandemic

While Lantana does not have a large social media following, their voice is consistent and they make efforts to engage their audience through a weekly book club. They make good use of hashtags and keep up with current events like national share a story month.

Lantana has begun communicating their commitment to environmental sustainability, one of their three pillars, through social media channels.

MARKET SEGMENTATION - A LOOK AT USER ANALYTICS To gain an understanding of Lantana’s customer base, I spoke to Alice and Katrina about who their customers are. I also looked at Google analytics, Shopify analytics, and Instagram analytics. I used this information to create several user personas that would guide graphic communication.

Google Analytics Google Analytics were run from Feb 1 to Feb 29. Lantana has site visitors from all over the world, but most are concentrated in the UK and the US.

Lantana’s conversion rates are relatively low. By designing for a clearly defined user group, ecommerce conversion rates may improve. About 40% of Lantana’s users find the website through an organic search. For this reason, it is important for Lantana to consider search engine optimization. The use of alt-tags, regularly updating content, linking to relevant websites, and the use of keywords can positively impact ranking.

Google Analytics lists the interests of visitors to the website. Lantana’s users are largely interested in media, books, lifestyle, green living, health, fitness, shopping, and cooking. These interests align with my client’s description of their average user being a socially conscious middle class female in the UK or US.

Shopify Analytics Shopify analytics were run from February 1 to February 29. These analytics revealed that most users use a desktop to look at the Lantana website. Less use a mobile device or a tablet, but the number is significant enough to make responsive design a priority for the website.

Instagram Analytics The top locations for Lantana’s followers are London (10% of followers) and New York City (2% of followers). Alice confirmed that most of Lantana’s buyers are from urban areas.

The demographics of Lantana’s Instagram followers are similar to that of their site visitors. However, they have slightly more followers from the US than in the UK. The diverse population and increading awareness of minority issues makes the US a promising market for Lantana.

74% of Lantana’s Instagram followers are between the ages of 25 and 44. This means that a majority of followers are millennials. This is a group of adults who are socially conscious, value experiences, and may be parents of young children.

Lantana’s followers are overwhelmingly female. This information, combined with the other demographics, helped me to understanding Lantana’s average customer.

MARKET SEGMENTATION - WHO ARE LANTANA’S CUSTOMERS? After looking at the analytics and speaking to Alice and Katrina, it was clear that Lantana’s market is well defined based on age, gender, location, and interests. Here is a look at what the “average” Lantana cutomer is like: • Female between the ages of 25 and 44 • Possibly a mother or knows someone with young children • Interested in books, movies, media, and lifestyle • Socially conscious • Likely white and middle class • Has a formal education • Lives in an urban or suburban area • Did not vote for Brexit or Trump • Lives in the UK or the US While this information is useful to gain a general understanding of the average user, this does not mean that other users should be excluded. It is also important to consider authors seeking more information, potential partners, and diverse audiences. Only considering the needs of the average user would contradict Lantana’s core mission, so I’ve created user personas that reflect a spectrum of possible users.

USER PERSONAS - A QUICK LOOK There is a total of six personas. Three are potential customers and the other three might like to work with Lantana. The full persona profiles can be found in Appendix A.

Sara Patel - Consumer

Oliver Williams - Consumer

Tech savvy 39 year old mother of two who is looking for inclusive books to read to her children at night

Ambitious 29 year old teacher living in New York City looking for books to use in his diverse classroom

Lauren Crawford - Consumer

Jade Cox - Author

Lantana’s “average” customer — Socially

32 year old self-published children’s book

and environmentally conscious 45 year old professional in Brighton on the lookout for books to gift to her neices

author who is passionate about social issues and is skeptical about working with large corporate publishers

Lisa Kim - Editor

Samantha Flynn - Partner

26 year old editor who decided that working at a large publishing house where she is restricted creatively is not the environment that she wants to be in

Founder of a non-profit organization that promotes education surrounding mental health

PROPOSED APPROACHES My second meeting with Alice took place on February 19, 2020. At this meeting, I proposed three different approaches to the brief.

Approach #1 - All digital focus • Revamp of the website through changes in structure (site map), content, and design (typography, hierarchy, and color) • Reinforce brand and brand values through social media • Creating a brand for Lantana Creative* • Reinforce the three pillars (diversity & inclusion, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability) on online platforms Additional possibilities include a digital holiday campaign, an infographic series, a campaign for teachers, and content marketing

Approach #2 - Some digital focus • Increase sharability of the brand through unique packaging • Highlight and spread the word about being an environmentally responsible company through sustainable packaging • Focus specifically on teachers/educators who have the power of word of mouth Additional possibilities include thank you cards from the author or illustrator, surprise signed copies of book orders, and influencer unboxing

Approach #3 - Least digital focus • Materials for events such as fairs (London Book Fair) and school visits • Planning interactive elements for events (crafts using characters from Lantana’s books) • Selling direct to consumer at events to increase loyalty and brand memorability Additional possibilities include take away materials for community events and an informative sign up page on the website

*Lantana Creative was the idea of a venture that focused on partnerships. It would have been a branch of Lantana that required separate branding. The idea of Lantana Creative was later discarded.

FINAL LIST OF DELIVERABLES After discussing the three approaches with the client, we decided on a final list of deliverables. Alice chose to follow approach #1 with some adjustments. A mostly digital approach was chosen becuase it would require the least amount of resources. During the restructuring, it is also more beneficial to consider the more basic components of business such as communication through branding and the website rather than details such as packaging design. The final list of deliverables includes: • Website - design and information architecture with the incorporation of partnerships pages • Logo - updated Lantana logo (scrap “publishing” from it, make it more child friendly, and keep the metaphor of the Lantana flower) • Infographic series (To be posted on social media and the blog to reflect Lantana’s values in an engaging and visually interesting way) • Compliment card - to be included in packages

Transform At this point in the project, I moved on to developing the project deliverables. This required additional research into branding and the e-commerce platform, Shopify.

THE OBJECTIVES • Reorganize the site map based on the needs of users • Become familiar with Shopify and assess the current theme as well as other themes on the market • Develop logo concepts • Gather content and begin ideation for the infographic series • Develop ideas on how to make an impression on the buyer through a compliment card

SITE MAP A logically organized site map is imperative to a positive user experience. For this reason, a reorganization of the site map was at the top of my task list. In addition to reorganizing the current pages, I had to consider the addition of partnership pages.

Home

Books

Bundles & Subscriptions

All Books

Bundles

All Collections

Subscriptions

Donate a Book

Authors & Illustrators

Submissions

3-6

7-9

10 - 12

Lantanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current site map

Different users need to access different pages

The document above was provided by the client. It explains the division of site users â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the first user group is looking for books and the second user group is looking to work with Lantana. While discussing this document with the client, we decided to move authors to the second user group. Moving all the partnerships pages to a separate landing page was also considered, but was decided against to avoid confusion.

Blog

About Us

Subnavigation

Because of the large number of pages, a subnavigation is necessary. At this point, I began to organize pages based on importance. Although partnership pages need to be easily accessible, the first priority of the site is e-commerce. I removed some pages (such as the books by age group) because they could be replaced by a filter option.

Home

Books

Authors & Illustrators

Blog

About

Work with Us

Shop All Books

Authors

Mission

Submissions

Bundles

Illustrators

Our Team

Become an Editor

Subscriptions

Become a Partner

Final client-approved site map

A LOOK AT SHOPIFY With content management systems such as Shopify, the designer is limited by the functionality of the installed theme. The limits of the theme can be pushed by editing the code, but it is important to consider that the client will need to make regular updates to the webpage without the hassle of dealing with code.

The current theme - Debut Debut is the name of the theme currently being used on the Lantana website. The pros of this theme are: • It is free • It is familiar to the Lantana team, so there will not be a learning curve • It is meant for small inventories • The limitations of the theme make design inconsistencies unlikely However, this theme is not without cons: • It is the default Shopify theme, so many other e-commerce sites have a similar look • The limitations of the theme leave little room for creativity in terms of layout • May prove to be problematic as inventory grows

Potential theme - Wokiee When researching themes, Wokiee stood out the most for its customizability and great reviews. The pros of Wokiee are: • Relatively low cost — a one time fee of $89 • Unlimited layout possibilites due to the cusomizability • Can handle large inventories • Claims to improve SEO The cons of this theme include: • There may be a learning curve when navigating this new theme, especially because it has more options than the current theme • More room for design mistakes and inconsistencies as the website gets updated

To get familiar with Shopify, I created an unpublished copy of the Lantana website. This is the customization page for the theme Debut.

Both Wokiee and Debut create automatically responsive layouts. This is the cusomization page for the theme Wokiee.

Because of the easy implementation, Debut was the decided theme. However, after further consideration, the client decided to commit to Wokiee because of its customization and ability to grow with the company.

LOGO - RESEARCH One of my tasks was to redesign the Lantana logo to be more reflective of the company. Before sketching, I gathered some research.

Current Logo The current flowers do not clearly reflect a lantana flower

The word “publishing” needs to be removed

Typeface and colors are too serious for a childrens’ book publisher

Image does not translate well to black and white or solid color — this is important for a publisher’s logo because the mark will need to be placed on many different backgrounds

Publishing Industry Logos The logos to the left all belong to publishing companies. Here are some initial observations of these logos: • Most use minimal colors • Most can be used as a mark alone or in conjunction with text • All of these logos could translate well in black and white or single color • All are recognizable at small sizes When re-creating the Lantana logo, I tried to stick to the criteria above to create a professional looking logo that can be easily recognized in all circumstances

Image credit: affino.com

The Lantana flower Lantana was named after the lantana flower (shown on the left). This flower is the chosen symbol of the company because its many petals share one stem; a metaphor for children of all backgrounds reading together. For this reason, it was important to the client that the symbol of the Lantana flower was carried over to the logo.

LOGO - CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT After researching, I began to loosely sketch ideas for the new Lantana logo.

Smiley face to depict friendliness

Incorporation of the earth to underline Lantanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to diversity and environmental sustainability Book/leaf symbol

Three flowers to represent three pillars

After sketching, I drew the most promising ideas in Illustrator. I developed three concepts to show to the client.

Concept #1

lantana lantana

lantana

Concept #1 was inspired by a boho, hand drawn style. This was not the strongest concept because the details could easily be lost at small sizes, and it did not communicate â&#x20AC;&#x153;childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publisherâ&#x20AC;? as well as it needed to.

Concept #2

Lantana lantana

Lantana

lantana

Concept #2 incorporates the book/ leaf symbolism. This concept has room for additional exploration in terms of typefaces, color, and spacing.

Concept #3

Lantana Lantana

lantana

Lantana

After presenting the three concepts to my client, she felt that the second concept best represented Lantana. I moved on to do further exploration of the second concept, which will be shown in the make section of this report.

Concept #3 aspired to be very child friendly. Unfortunately, this concept came out looking too clean and corporate. The spacing is also awkward. It does not speak to the personality of Lantana.

INFOGRAPHICS - RESEARCH When researching content marketing, I learned that companies have created infographics, or even a series of infographics to engage potential customers. Unline ads, users are more likely to share infographics and engage with them more deeply. The infographic series for Lantana is tied to their three pillars â&#x20AC;&#x201D; diversity & inclusion, environmental sustainability, and social equality. This series doubles as a means of communicating their values while also provinding engaging content for their blog and social media channels.

Existing Infographics I began my infographic research by looking at existing infographics. I chose to look at infographics geared towards parents because the the content is for an adult audience, but the content is about children. Both the infographic above and the one to the left were created by the diaper company, Huggies. These infographics incorporate illustration rather than numbers or graphs. There is clear visual hierarchy, and the the text is short and easy to read. The infographics do not feel like ads â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the only way to know that these infographics were created by Huggies is by scrolling to the very bottom where the logo is placed.

Top half of a Huggies infographic

The bottom of a huggies infographicâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the only portion of the infographic where the logo is found

It is unclear what this infographic is about by reading the title

Unlike the Huggies infographic, this one includes more data visualization

It is easy to determine what the infographic is about based on the title The intent of this infographic is clear without being explicitly stated

Sketches and content gathering

Exploration of potential titles based on the three pillars

Determining what kind of content will be in each infographic

Gathered information about diversity on credible government and non-profit websites

The content for the infographics with be organized by pillar: 1. Diversity and Inclusion - statistics about growing diversity in our communities and the lack of representation in childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books. This will cover represenation of people with disabilities, BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic), and people in the LGBTQ+ community. 2. Social Equality - lack of authors from working class backgrounds and the lack of represenation of people in the working class in books 3. Environmental Responsibility - the need for environmentally responsible practices and environmentally friendly printing information

Consistency between the infographics is important because they they belong to the series. And while they should not be branded per-se, the style and color scheme of the infographic should not clash with Lantanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand.

Planning the illustrations so that the style is consistent between infographics

Large illustration to grab attention and draw the reader in

Each piece of information with either be visualized in the form of a chart or accompanied by an illustration

COMPLIMENT CARD The compliment card is meant to be placed in order packages. These cards are often tossed away, so I tried to think of ways to engage the receiver of the card.

Concept #1 - Color-in compliment card This concept would make additional use of the beautiful illustrations in Lantanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books. One side of the card would hold the text content, and the other side could be used as a mini coloring page. This will reduce the likelihood of the compliment card being tossed away. If the card gets colored in, then it may even be hung up in the house which may act as a reminder of Lantana.

Concept #2 - Seed paper My second concept consists of printing the compliment card design onto plantable seed paper. This would reinforce Lantanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image as an environmentally responsible company as well as differentiate them from competitors. Personalized A6 sized seed paper printing is available from leoprinting.co.uk from ÂŁ0.23 per sheet. This per-sheet figure is likely to be higher unless a very large order is placed.

Seed paper purchase options from leoprinting.co.uk

Make I have completed my research at this stage of the project. Tasks for the make portion of this project include creating layouts, adjusting color schemes, illustrating, making stylistic choices, and updating the designs based on the client’s needs.

THE OBJECTIVES • Communicate with the client to ensure that materials are up to standard and ready for implementation • Explore variations and fine tune the designs of the compliment card, logo, etc. • Create mockups that are implementable using the chosen Shopify theme

LOGO VARIATIONS The client chose to develop the second logo concept. From this concept, I explored additional color schemes, typefaces, and spacing. Some of the variations can be seen on this page, and the complete collection of logo variations can be seen in appendix B.

lantana

Lantana

Final logo design

Lantana Logo chosen by client

Alternate format

Lantana

Black and white versions of the logo mark

INFOGRAPHIC - DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Readers should know what the infographic is about based on the title

is important

There is still a gap between who lives in our communities and who is being represented in children’s books. Our communities are becoming increasingly diverse, so why isn’t there more diversity in books?

WHY IS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IMPORTANT? The UK is becoming more ethnically diverse

Our children are ethnically diverse

Growth of non-white population in England & Wales 1991-2011

1991

2001

2011

14%

white

non-white

Content is broken up into three easy to digest sections Illustrations show the data

In 2018, about one third of pupils of school age were of minority ethnic origins

LGBTQ+ representation matters

Disability is under-represented

In 2017, there were an estimated 1.1 million people aged 16 years and over who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual

1 in 5 people in the UK have a disability - those disabilities could be cognitive, physical, hearing, visual, or a combination of them

THE NEED FOR INCLUSION IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Colors do not clash with Lantana brand

There is more diversity in children’s books than in the past, but there is still a long way to go! We still see the following in children’s books:

• Misrepresentation • Lack of representation • Inauthenticity • Stereotyping

But how do we ensure authentic portrayals of diverse communities? By publishing work from a diverse group of authors and illustrators!

Lack of diversity among authors and illustrators

Did you know?

Creators of colour have fewer books published with an average of two published in comparison to 4 for white creators Only 4% of unique titles were written and/or illustrated by people of colour in 2017 British book creators of colour are three times more likely to self-publish or use a hybrid book publisher than white book creators

44 CAN THINGS CHANGE?

In 2017, Only 1% of children’s books published in the UK had a Black, Asian or minority ethnic main character

Avoids long text

But how do we ensure authentic portrayals of diverse communities? By publishing work from a diverse group of authors and illustrators!

Lack of diversity among authors and illustrators

Did you know?

In 2017, Only 1% of childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books published in the UK had a Black, Asian or minority ethnic main character

CAN THINGS CHANGE?

YES!

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book publishing is already on its way to becoming more inclusive, but more can be done. There are three simple things that can be done to ensure that all children see themselves in the books they read.

Support creators

Support inclusive publishers

Support inclusive content

Inclusive stories start with the creators! Support a diverse group of authors and illustrators

Support the people who publish authentic, inclusive books

Want to see more inclusive content? Support existing inclusive books

Sources: http://hummedia.manchester.ac.uk/institutes/code/briefings/dynamicsofdiversity/how-has-ethnic-diversity-grown-1991-2001-2011.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/719226/Schools_Pupils_and_their_Characteristics_2018_Main_Text.pdf https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/sexuality/bulletins/sexualidentityuk/2017 https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/helping-people-to-use-your-service/making-your-service-accessible-an-introduction

Lantana

Offers solutions/call to action

Logo placed at the bottom of the infographic, but is still clearly visible

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/represents/booktrust-represents-diversity-childrens-authors-illustrators-report.pdf https://clpe.org.uk/sites/default/files/CLPE%20Reflecting%20Realities%20Report%20July%202018.pdf

COMPLIMENT CARDS This is a one sided design intended to be printed on seed paper. When designing this, I had to be mindful that the seed paper does not allow for a bleed.

Lantana diversity • social equality • environmental sustainability

Thank you for shopping with us Your purchase makes a difference! For every book you purchase from Lantana's website, we donate one of our books to our charity partner, Read for Good.

/lantanapublishing

Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read

@lantanapub @lantana_publishing

No waste! Please plant this seed paper

Place paper on top of soil

Cover paper with 1/8” soil

Give plenty of sun and water

Watch your daisies grow!

Version 1 - one sided

Each of the cards has instructions on how to plant the seed paper. I created one sided and two sided options. The two sided option makes for a less busy design, but the one sided option is less expensive.

Lantana

Thank You for shopping with us!

Your purchase makes a difference! For every book you purchase from Lantana's website, we donate one of our books to our charity partner, Read for Good. No waste! Please plant this seed paper

Place paper on top of soil

Cover paper with 1/8” soil

Give plenty of sun and water

Watch your daisies grow!

/lantanapublishing

@lantana_publishing

@lantanapub

diversity • social equality • environmental sustainability

Version 2 - one sided

Lantana diversity • social equality • environmental sustainability

Thank you for shopping with us! Your purchase makes a difference! For every book you purchase from Lantana's website, we donate one of our books to our charity partner, Read for Good.

No waste! Please plant this seed paper

Place paper on top of soil

Cover paper with 1/8” soil

Provide plenty of water and sun

Watch your daisies grow!

Version 3 - one sided

Working towards zero waste! Please plant this seed paper

Lantana

diversity • social equality • environmental sustainability

Thank You

for shopping with us! Your purchase makes a difference! For every book you purchase from Lantana's website, we donate one of our books to our charity partner, Read for Good.

1 Place paper on top of soil

2 Cover paper with 1/8” soil

3 Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read

Connect with us:

Provide plenty of sun and water

/lantanapublishing @lantanapub @lantana_publishing

4 Watch your daisies grow!

Version 4 - two sided

Lantana diversity • social equality • environmental sustainability

Thank you for shopping with us! Your purchase makes a difference! For every book you purchase from Lantana's website, we donate one of our books to our charity partner, Read for Good.

Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read!

/lantanapublishing @lantanapub @lantana_publishing

Working towards zero waste! Please plant this seed paper

Place paper on top of soil

Cover paper with 1/8” soil

Give plenty of sun and water

Watch your daisies grow!

Version 5 - two sided

Because of the cost, the client decided against the seed paper. She also needed the compliment card to be more versatile — the card needs to be used for both agents and online customers. So, I rethought the design and created several more versions.

Lantana

WITH COMPLIMENTS 15% off your next purchase with coupon code: THANKYOU15 Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read!

lantanapublishing.com

info@lantanapublishing.com

The dimensions were changed to a more traditional compliment card size. There was also the addition of a coupon code with the next purchase.

The Oxford Foundry 3-5 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

Version 6 - one sided

Lantana

with compliments

15% off your next purchase with coupon code: THANKYOU15

lantanapublishing.com • info@lantanapublishing.com • The Oxford Foundry3-5 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

Version 7 - one sided

Lantana

with compliments! 15% off your next purchase with coupon code: THANKYOU15 Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read!

lantanapublishing.com • info@lantanapublishing.com • The Oxford Foundry3-5 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

Version 8 - one sided

with compliments

Lantana

15% off your next purchase with coupon code: THANKYOU15 Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read!

lantanapublishing.com • info@lantanapublishing.com • The Oxford Foundry3-5 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

Version 9 - two sided

Lantana Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read!

Lantana

With Compliments 15% off your next purchase with coupon code: THANKYOU15

lantanapublishing.com • info@lantanapublishing.com • The Oxford Foundry3-5 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

Version 10 - two sided

Final version The client chose this two sided design. They liked how the simple front invoked feelings of receiving a boquet of flowers.

15% off with code: THANKYOU15

Lantana

Because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read

lantanapublishing.com

info@lantanapublishing.com

The Oxford Foundry 3-5 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

The coupon code is small and inconspicuous because flashy advertisement would not be appropriate for the agents who recieve this card. Blank space is left in the middle of the card for personal messages.

Lantana Publishing Report

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