Żyrafa: Stakeholder and Competitors

My brand, tentatively named Żyrafa Learning Co., is a company that provides materials to engage students in the learning process while maintaining affordability. It provides students with the necessary materials to learn and retain otherwise difficult or "boring" information and terminology.

The brand will compete in the market space by offering something that is non-existent (or at least, very hard to find). The brand offers interactive books and solutions where students can practice their skills within the pages of the book itself. The brand is dependent on this touchpoint and it's unique niche in the market.

Stakeholders
Primary
College-level Graphic Design Students

Secondary
 Professors
 Schools & Universities
 Design Professionals
 Student Parent

Competitors: Brand
Rockport Publishers One of the largest publishers of design and art books. This is the biggest competitor for my brand (tentatively named Blankbooks) because they have the same audience. The touchpoints for my brand could easily be created under the umbrella of Rockport.

Peachpit Publishing Publishes art, technology books, eBooks and videos. Competitor in the publishing market as well.

Tuts+ Tuts+ may not seem initially to be a competitor, but it is in the sense that it provides students with a quick way to Google what they want to do, find a tutorial, and do it. This leads a lot of students to believe they can achieve great design without learning the fundamentals or applying their knowledge to create something new.

Competitors: Major Touchpoint

The Design Student's Handbook A handbook that teaches students about graphic design
The Online Graphic Design Workbook An online solution to learning as a graphic designer.
The Design Student Handbook by Computer Arts
Student Workbook at the University of North Texas

POV: Żyrafa Learning Co.

A college-level graphic design student 

needs a way to learn complicated design ideas or “boring” terminology quickly, easily, and in a fun and memorable way 

because graphic design and technology is a world of terminology, systems, and structures that a designer or design student must learn to recognize and utilize. A company that provides materials to engage students in the learning process while maintaining affordability would be hot in the market and provide students with the necessary materials to learn and retain otherwise difficult or "boring" information and terminology.


(Touchpoint: A workbook that is cost-effective and professor- and student-friendly would provide a fun, creative and stimulating environment for the student to learn and practice. The key to learning is repetition and engaging the student visually, verbally and physically. Having a book that not only explains the subjects but asks students to actively participate in them will create a much more solid learning environment. After a student completes a workbook, it can also serve as a reference for each year of the design student’s education and beyond.)

Brand Identity: Boy Scouts of America

Core Values: Annie Lynne Kominek

The tenets of my brand are being friendly, fun, unique, and beautiful.

I want to have an approachable feel to my website and brand that people feel comfortable viewing it or reaching out to me. I never wanted a corporate look and I love negative space, so using minimal colors, deep gray sans-serif, semi-rounded type and rounded photo corners, I feel I have created a soft environment that is also beautiful and well-crafted.

My business cards were printed vertical because I always enjoyed vertical cards. They seem more unique and fun to me, not to mention more fun to design. I also continued the theme of rounded corners for them, as it softens the geometric shapes within my colorful brand design, and creates a more approachable feel overall.

My leave-behinds are circular pins with my mantra "Create. Design. Live." This is, in essence, what I do every day of my life. I am always creating, I am always designing, and in return it breathes life into me and gives me purpose. I wanted to share this with everyone, as well as carry over my branded geometric design and colors. I do want to redesign these in the near future.

My resume/CV was a challenge, as adding the multiple colored bar at the bottom seemed out of place. I do want to add a section that gauges my skills as opposed to just listing them, as well as updating my experience and my overall look. When I print them professionally, I will consider adding a rounded corner (or four).

My portfolio and website is annielynne.com.