Scribble
branding, packaging, illustration, social media
Art Direction: Jason Kernevich
Introduction:
Growing up, there was nowhere that I felt more at home than in the art studio. From a young age, my early exposure to the arts allowed me to explore methods of self-expression, practice my ability to communicate through visuals and enhance my problem-solving skills. For my thesis project, I wanted to create a fun, approachable, and educational art supply brand that highlights the importance of the arts within child development. Through the production of art supplies, print materials, and educational graphics, Scribble is specially designed to enhance creativity, cognitive development, and emotional intelligence in children, grades K-5.
Research:
When considering the possible artistic directions for Scribble's brand identity, many questions needed to be answered:
Who is Scribble's target audience?
What is Scribble's mission?
What separates Scribble from other art supply brands?
Can the brand's visuals communicate Scribble's values with clarity?
To answer these questions, I explored multiple sources on the psychological and developmental benefits of artistic expression among children. In my research, I learned extensively about the relationship between a child’s cognitive development and their artistic engagement, more specifically, how art is proven to directly inform a child's ability to express themselves and formulate complex, cognitive thoughts to describe their deliberate, visual choices. For marketing materials and packaging inspiration, I looked into the visual identities of popular brands that also specialize in children's media and children's art supplies, such as Kid Made Modern, Mondo Llama, and Crayola.
Audience Profiles:
After conducting my initial research on the “why” of Scribble’s mission, it was time to address the “who”. Who are Scribble’s target audiences? Do these audiences care more about Scribble’s values or Scribble’s products? What concerns may some of these individuals have that would sway them in favor of a competitor? What does Scribble offer to audiences that differs from the products and services of other art supply companies? Finding answers to all of these questions were crucial in solidifying Scribble’s brand voice, image, and mission. To summarize my findings, I constructed a series of sample audience profiles of target consumers complete with an illustrated portrait of each individual and a short description of their age, occupation, interests, and concerns.
Logo Design & Visual Identity:
When designing Scribble's logo and visual identity, the values of Scribble needed to be translated in a way that communicated a child-like playfulness, yet also appeared sophisticated and appealing to adult consumers like parents, educators, and other childcare professionals. Inspired by the fluidity of a literal scribble, I thought that it would be interesting to incorporate a similar dynamism into Scribble's logotype. To emphasize the limitless bounds of creativity offered by Scribble’s products, its logo varies between mediums, switching between the standard crayon, a pencil, a paintbrush, and a marker as the artistic tools creating the “S” in Scribble.
Style Guide & Design Systems:
To further emphasize Scribble’s playful personality, I chose a slightly augmented primary color palette to shape the brand’s visual identity as the bright, youthfulness of the palette most effectively translated the brand’s child-like, imaginative energy. In addition to vibrant color, Scribble’s visual identity is heavily centered around a series of graphic icons of irregular, imperfect shapes as a patterned system that is capable of being applied on a wide variety of surfaces ranging from packaging to social graphics and branded documents or photos!
Pattern Systems:
Photo Treatment:
Packaging Design:
Similar to Scribble’s logo, each packaging solution needed to communicate the youthful vibrance of the brand’s personality. With a unique combination of vibrant color, illustrative elements, whimsical patterns, and sleek packaging, Scribble’s products are guaranteed to capture the attention of younger and older audiences alike.
Digital Presence & Social Media Content:
When considering how to best market Scribble’s brand, it was necessary to understand how most children consume their media. In an age of smartphones and iPads, my research showed that most children take in the most visual information on screens. With this in mind, I felt it was appropriate to make Scribble’s primary marketing method digital and accessible. Scribble’s social media presence capitalizes on the educational aspects of the brand by featuring a series of fun facts sought to inform audiences of the benefits of artistic expression in young children. In addition to posting fun (and educational) facts, Scribble’s Instagram page features images of children enjoying Scribble’s wide array of products, branded graphics, as well as the work of some of Scribble’s featured artists.
Print Design:
In addition to educating parents and children about the benefits of artistic expression on social media, I adapted some of Scribble’s social media graphics to create a printable posters series. Capable of being displayed in the classroom or at home, these educational graphics emphasize Scribble’s dedication to arts education advocacy. For the brand’s younger demographic, I created Scribble-branded coloring pages with empowering messages that encourage creativity and artistic expression among young artists. Regardless of the format, Scribble’s print materials emphasize the crucial role of art in early child development.
School Bus Design & Delivery Campaign:
For the final component of my thesis project, I wanted to create a campaign that highlighted Scribble’s dedication to change how the arts are viewed in the contemporary education system. With budget cuts spreading across the country, art curriculums are often the first to go. With many communities lack the funding to provide adequate supplies and materials in the classroom, Scribble runs an annual supply delivery campaign in which a series of school buses, designed by students using Scribble-branded products, travel to underfunded school districts, group homes, and community centers to provide children with Scribble art supplies for use in and outside of the classroom. Every year, students have the opportunity to submit their creations to be featured on the following year’s buses. The hope with this campaign is that Scribble would be able to give students the platform to have their art showcased while providing them with materials necessary to fulfill all of their artistic endeavors, regardless of their school, family, or community’s financial situation.
Conclusion:
With Scribble, I created a brand that not only reflects my personal journey as an aspiring artist, but also highlights my passion for early education and children’s media. I want to extend a special thanks to my sister Katie, whose role as an educator inspires me daily. Her endless support and insight helped me conceptualize the look, tone, and mission of Scribble. I would also like to thank my professor, Jason Kernevich, for his exceptional art direction and his role in helping me make Scribble a reality.