SOLVING PROBLEMS
Greener Day Toys design problems stretch out throughout the entire design process. An article on the website Medium talks about “In design, it is usual to run into non-completely defined problems, even some that are not articulated yet.” (Zamarron 2015) This means that in design, the problems are usually simple to notice and sometimes the problem is not understood. For Greener Day Toys the design problems surround the Onlyness Statement, voice, and tone, look, and feel, the vision board, development of the logo, and marketing assets.
Onlyness Statement
The problem with the Onlyness Statement for Greener Day Toys was keeping the focus on the mission. The focus would veer off from the message of greener learning and strictly talk about the quality of the product. In order to fix the problem Greener Day Toys needed to go back and refocus the attention on the message. Letting those who read the Onlyness Statement know that Greener Day Toys was in fact a company that promoted greener learning by taking away the noise and clutter. Selling products that are eco-friendly and beneficial to both the parents and the children. Sending a clear message to the audience that Greener Day Toys does support greener learning and they do this by selling eco-friendly toys. According to an article on the Forbes website “When asking further, it often turns out that not a mission or a vision, but a clearer understanding of how to align their products and services with their capabilities and with their markets the actual problem—and the solution.” (Kraaijenbrink 2021). Once Greener Day Toys figured out the problem for the Onlyness Statement they were able to refocus and have a clear understanding for their audience on what their message was and how they can connect their message with the product.
Voice & Tone
The problem with the tone and voice of Greener Day Toys was finding the right voice and tone to fit the brand. Greener Day Toys started off with a very structured tone of voice. Making the brand come off as strictly business. Which for a toy company is not the case at all. Greener Day Toys then got to work to find the right fit for them. Toy companies should be playful, not strict. So instead of the company coming off as a businessman in a suit, the tone changed to a child in overalls with a yellow crayon. Making Greener Day Toys come off as playful, fun, and exciting. When customers go to search for fun and playful toy companies, they will match with Greener Day Toys because the tone of voice fits the customer’s needs. In an article on Medium “Tone of voice has a significant impact on user perception of a brand.” (Lipner 2019). This means that the tone of voice can have an impact on the customer's view of the company. Greener Day Toys wanted their customers to know they are exactly what they say they are in their name. Now Greener Day Toys is known as a fun and playful toy company because they went back and changed their tone of voice from strictly business to playful and exciting.
Look & Feel
The original look and feel for Greener Day Toys had pastel colors, seemingly playful font choices, and abstract patterns. Greener Day Toys felt like these choices didn’t fit the brand. They got together with their designer and began putting new ideas up in the air. As soon as Greener Day Toys said the words up in the air the new look and 'feel came to life. Kids tend to notice primary colors. In an article on County Place “That’s because these colours are more stimulating as they are more noticeable, so children can better interact in a brightly coloured environment.” (County Place 2020). With this research Greener Day Toys decided to change their Color palette to look more appealing to the children who would be playing with their toys. The choice changed just a little from a more creative style of typography to a bolder yet still fun typeface. The images stayed the same, depicting children playing with a variety of wooden toys. The shapes were also changed from lines and squares to more circle-like shapes. Circles combined to create the clouds in the sky. A circle was created to make the sun in the sky as well.
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Vision Board
The original vision board for Greener Day Toys showed text with a white box behind it. There was also a child with colorful hair and a color palette made to look like a children’s toy. The message that Greener Day Toys wanted their brand to send was playful and fun. Their vision board did not fit the message. In an article on Medium, the author writes “Only after discovering the true desires of your heart can you begin to bring your vision board to life.” (Cognito 2019).
The new vision board has a blue sky and a sun shining in the sky. The new design has clouds moving out of the way to show a greener day. The logo sitting at the top of the board. Showing dominance over the brand's design. The text boxes were removed. The changed color palette goes across the board like a rainbow. Vectored images were added to the new vision board instead of a toy created out of design elements. The end result for the Greener Day Toys vision board is that it now fits the entire brand that Greener Day Toys had in mind originally.
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Logo Development
The logo for Greener Day Toys began with a few selections of sketches. The problem was finding the right one to fit the Greener Day Toys brand. In an article on Forbes about how to choose the right logo the author writes, “At the end of the day, think about what your company stands for and who your audience is when you are designing your logo because remember: The blue that you choose means more than you think.” (Harrington 2017). The top two sketches both had images that fit the idea Greener Day Toys had in mind. One design was a single cloud and a rainbow above the company name. The next sketch was of a kite that had a sun poking out from behind it sitting next to the company name. The problem that Greener Day Toys faced with these choices was when placing the logos on different assets which one fit the message. The rainbow design was originally the favorite of the two sketches. However, the idea that kids have their imaginations in the clouds fits perfectly with the kite flying through the sky. Greener Day Toys wanted their entire brand to be cohesive. The logo design was not finished. The kite design had a few little design flaws. The lines in the kite when the image was sized down would be blown out. So, the lines were removed. The next decision was to either keep the sun or remove the sun. Greener Day Toys thought that having two suns in the design would be confusing to the customers. Once the symbol for Greener Day Toys was made the logo finally was finished. The company name is written in a bold font and the symbol sits next to the company name and a catchphrase just below.
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Brand Assets
The biggest problem for Greener Day Toys assets was having too much clutter within the design. Though a small problem it was still a mistake for the brand. In an article on Medium, the author wrote: “Still, mistakes can happen even to the best, and in a competitive arena that is today’s marketplace, every misstep can turn a potential customer away and send them straight into the hands of the competition that’s ready and waiting.” (Studio 2019). Greener Day Toys made corrections to their brand assets. Removing multiple suns in the patterns to make it look like the rest of the brand's design. The removal of the sun cleaned the pattern for Greener Day Toys. One asset had a 3D image of a heart on a little girl’s shirt. The 3D design was not used before and Greener Day Toys wanted to make sure that all design assets stayed true to the brand, so the 3D image was removed, and an image of a sky was put in its place. Making every child who wore the design feel like they were flying. Just like the kite next to the Greener Day Toys company name.
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Reference:
Zamarron, A. (2015). The Problem of Identifying design with Problem solving. Medium. Article. https://uxdesign.cc/the-problem-of-identifying-design-with-problem-solving-e5fb88d7d640
Kraaijenbrink, J. (2021). Why Your Mission and Vision Statements Don’t Work (and What To Do About It). Forbes. Article. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2021/04/13/why-your-mission-and-vision-statements-dont-work-and-what-to-do-about-it/?sh=177b112f34e2
Lipner, A. (2019). 5 brand voice mistakes that are costing you customers (& the easy ways to fix ‘em). Medium. Article. https://medium.com/@amylipner/5-brand-voice-mistakes-that-are-costing-you-customers-the-easy-ways-to-fix-em-fc665355fcc
County Place. (2020). Bright Colours and Child Development. County place Early Learning & Day Care. Article. https://countyplace.ca/bright-colours-and-child-development/
Cognito, J. (2019). The Problems with Vision Boards. Medium. Article. https://medium.com/@julianovacognito/the-problem-with-vision-boards-6c217cf09ae8
Harrington, S. (2017). How To Choose The Right Logo For Your Business. Forbes. Article. https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthaharrington/2017/01/31/how-to-choose-the-right-logo-for-your-business/?sh=1fd10f02fe42
Studio, A. (2019). Design Mistakes Can Wreck a Brand’s Image. Here’s Why. Medium. Article. https://medium.com/@AprilHQ/design-mistakes-can-wreck-a-brands-image-here-s-why-e11256d3f74a