Visual Language: SoyJoy Process Post

So the final critique for the modes of appeal project starts tomorrow. This post will show some of my process throughout the project and explain some of my concepts and reasonings.

To start out the project, we learned about the 3 modes of appeal, and how to use those effectively to persuade an audience. The project was to redesign a products packaging using the 2 modes of appeal that it isn't currently using, and to make it look better of course.

For my packages, I chose Mrs. Meyers basil liquid hand soap, SoyJoy fruit and nutrient bars, and Nescafe instant coffee. The 3 backages were different materials and had considerably different forms. Mrs. Meyers was using Ethos, SoyJoy was using Logos, and Nescafe was using Pathos.

After passing our package choices by Jamie, we started doing thumbnail sketches for each product, attempting to create concepts for the 2 modes of appeal that each product was not utilizing.

My best sketches seemed to be SoyJoy's. I think I might have been biased toward SoyJoy from the beginning, but the relation between fruit and the human body was an interesting concept. After deciding on which package we wanted (SoyJoy), then we began a round of digital iterations. I also couldn't find an online eps of SoyJoy's logo, so I had to vectorize it myself.

The Berry direction worked best for Pathos. The bright colorful and fresh fruit helps to pull at the consumers hunger and healthy habits, while the words represent the benefit of each berry eaten. For Ethos, I liked the direction using a SoyJoy bar in place of a fitness aid. This created an interesting dialogue between the importance of SoyJoy's nutrients, and the activities of reliable and consistent athletes. They create a sense of trust in the consumer that SoyJoy is a necessity to their diet/ work out routine.

The Berry direction however was too crowded, and very illegible. The full bleed imagery also didn't work well with SoyJoy's persona. The bike direction also didn't hit it off to well with my peers, and while working, the idea of being 100% U.S. grown popped into my head.

With our concepts firmly in hand, we began to fully design them, and mock them up in real size. The photographic images in both directions switched into vector artwork, using flat plains of color and representing the simplicity of ingredients that SoyJoy uses in their ad campaigns. I created my first box, designing around the sides for my Ethos direction, and I created many iterations for the placement of text and image for my Pathos direction.

The colors needed to be worked out for the Ethos direction. The soil was too dark, and the sky wasn't quite blue enough.

The side was also begging for a mission statement. I digitalized the nutrients table so that it would be clear, and because I thought it was a necessary experience. Overall, the design for the box went well, and I moved on to the final box. As for the Pathos direction, I chose a pale yellow, with luscious reds and magentas for the berries. Things popped, and I moved on to designing the final box for it as well, using the same template as the Ethos box. The berries were arranged in a sort of balancing act, reflecting the life of the consumer.

Visual Language: Class Critique and Concept Directions

So, returning to SoyJoy. After my meeting with Raynoldo during our mini critique last friday, I've narrowed down to the 6 best directions to go to. (At least from the ones I've already created. Some new ones might reveal themselves as I work.) These 6 are obviously divided as 3 concepts for each of the two modes I'll be using, which were Pathos and Ethos. The bullet points following each concept are the ways Ray and I thought would work well graphically.






Pathos:
Photography or Illustration will appeal to the consumers emotions rather than vector lines and shapes. Perhaps even a combination of the two. Maybe the SoyJoy bar and the rest of the image are different rendering methods?)

1. The human figure, male or female, placed in a dramatic scene, but armed with a SoyJoy bar in their pocket, hand, somewhere on their person. (If rendered analog, charcoal might be nice, or some other rough tool. The lighting should be dramatic in terms of the dangerous aspect, but the Person with the SoyJoy bar should be even and calm.)

• Man standing before a destroyed city.
• Woman Staring down a tidal wave or storm.
• Kid staring down bullies.
• Kid on a bike looking at a huge hill.
• Cowboy with SoyJoy in place of gun.
• Boxer staring down another boxer.

2. SoyBeans or fruit in place of an important body part or organ. (The human body will be photographic to help relate to the consumer, but the Soybeans/ Fruit might be rendered with something simple. Pen and ink, colored pencil, and Watercolor all sound interesting. I might even try drawing with the fruit or soybeans themselves and see what I can do with them.)

• SoyBeans as 2 halves of the brain. (Think Healthy)
• SoyBeans as Lungs 
• Berries as Heart
• SoyBeans as muscles

3. Using the fruit in SoyJoy to represent certain things we all want; Happiness, Strength, Stability, Relaxation, Health, Simplicity, etc. (Photography or a medium with intense colors.)





Ethos:
For the SoyJoy brand, I think that an all photographic approach would establish more credibility with the consumer, and really get the point across of SoyJoy brand bars being a health supplement and betterment to someone's life, fit or not.

1. The SoyJoy bar finds itself in place of some fitness tool or aid.

• In place of Ipod for runner.
• In place of water battle holder on bicycle.
• SoyBean in place of Yoga ball
• In place of weights.
• In place of punching bag.
• In place of jumprope handles. 

2. SoyJoy bar partially buried in farm soil. (Grown on U.S. soil.)

Visual Language: SoyJoy

So I've chosen to design for the SoyJoy packaging. I'll be using Ethos and Pathos for my modes of appeal. I'm not certain as to my concepts yet, still sketching, but I'll upload some scans of my thumbnails later.

Some adjectives I've put together to sum up the SoyJoy experience:

• Wholesome
• Healthy
• Simple
• Moist
• Fruity
• Bold
• Succulent
• Complete
• Tempting
• Uncomplicated
• Sumptuous
• Baked
• Fresh
• Hearty
• Lean
• Organic
• Whole
• Luscious
• Light
• Natural

Hopefully using these adjectives will bring some ideas to the surface, or at least influence how I take any photos of fruit in the future. I personally like the idea of keeping the fruit to the minimal, but the fruit is a major selling point and attraction for the hungry consumer. So we'll just have to see.