Final logo!!!!

Finaly!! final logo was chosen and all set to be used in collaterals. Clients and my boss were quiet happy with it since it fulfilled all the requirements and it looked also quiet appealing and soothing and more importantly organic.

Tweak here tweak there

Tweaking always looks like very less work but it takes a lot of time in adjusting 1mm here and 2mm there, but it does make a lot of difference to the way it looks in the end. Drawing and scanning various shapes and sizes and combinations of the logo, here are the digitized format of the same.

Final Tweaking was done using grid. In the 1st iteration I was trying to join the curve of the human figure with the curve of the leaf in a way that it looks continuous but it looked kind of funny because the white space around it was forming head of a bird but not properly so I tweaked it a little more in 2nd iteration and made it look like a bird since here we are talking about nature.

Next step was to choose appropriate color. To make it look organic and since there are leaves I thought of using yellow or green and since I have used a warli man here I wanted it to be brown.

I personally liked 2nd row extreme right one. 1st green one looked artificial, yellow and bluish gree one also looked fake, my clients liked the gradient but the most like were centre row 2nd and 3rd one.

Iterations digitized

Digitizing anything gives a completely different feel, somehow i feel it becomes more neater and clearer which is not needed in all the cases.

The "a to a" logo looks neater and sharper but still it lacks something. It looks weak. I felt like I can do much better.

Like I said digitizing doesnt work always....this one looked much better in just pencil..here it looks poisonous and so not organic...but since everyone had like the form of it I explored it even further.
nI divided 1 flower into 2 with 2 "A's" now...but it looks very much forced...even with different colors and changing orientation it doesnt work quite well.
The concept behind this one is self help by protecting nature. I was very much fascinated by the warli paintings and arrangements of each of its elements and so I tried using only warli art. The bunch of lines that 2 people are holding is a plant in warli paintings. Here there is very less attention towards nature which was not acceptable since in the end this logo is going to go on the products and it needed to show nature. Also it looked too stiff and geometric.
This one worked the best amongst all of them. I worked with different arrangement of leaves but the alternate one worked the best...This logo was finalized then since it had a strong concept base and the form too worked nicely..looks organic and not too sophisticated and shows the social aspect to the group.

3 ideas for logo to be worked on

I sat with my boss and both of us discussed on which one works the best.
The concept behind this one was becoming national from local through the medium of nature. I've hindi "a" and gujarati "a" to show the same. The concept was working somewhat but the form looked weak and it dint show the social aspect, so basically it can work if worked upon.

The idea behind this one was to show growth through nature and I have tried to show 2 hindi "a" but obviously its not clear and looks forced but the form was interesting so I was to explore it more.
This one had the strongest concept which was, working together closely with nature and protecting themselves by protecting nature and the concept of self-help. I was thinking of how can show I teamwork and I thought of how people make a pyramid in Janmashtami to break the matki and to make it look local I used warli art to show people since its the simplest human form and art in South Gujarat is somewhat like warli. But the form as a whole looked too cliche and overdone so it need to be explored more.

Logo-initial sketches

People ignore design that ignores people.— Frank Chimero

From all the talks that I have had with everyone from the stake holders to others involved in project one thing was sure that people involved and their relationship with nature make what the group is now and what it will be later in future also and the above saying sums it all up.

Before starting to design logo I picked up a few words, phrases and objects that can be illustrated in the logo, like "entrepreneurship at work", " team-work", "pure, natural, unadulterated", "self-help", "local to national", "mountains", "leaves", "protection", etc. which basically gives a good understanding about the group and their products.

So here are a few sketches....

3rd review summary

20th August’10

Panel Members: Kumkum, Dharma, Jyothsna

Summary:

-Showed sketches and ideas of logo. I am asked to iterate a few.

-need to make 2 presentations regarding research and design brief which would lead me

to brand strategy that need to be submitted by 30th aug.

-need to make moodboard which would help me come up with more identity ideas.

-next meeting on 28th sep at 3pm

Brand Strategy

After a lot of research, survey and talking and meeting people I have come to this brand strategy which would help me design and establish a brand keeping the stake holders and the audience in mind and what about Aadi Aushadhi needs to be conveyed to the audience. Here is how it goes

Mission:

To establish a brand which improves socio-economic condition of the tribals and preserve the medicinal plant species in the forest through the medium of proper branding and packaging for the products made by Aadi Aushadhi Group.

Vision:

To give people a healthy lifestyle by making purely organic and unadulterated herbal products and grow as an individual as well as a group globally through effective marketing and designing of the products.

•Psychographics :
-Local village market who trust natural form of medicines and cannot afford allopathy

-Middle class who believe in natural treatment who also use allopathy but they are aware of the benefits and also it is less costly compared to other forms of medicine

-Rich people who buy only branded products

The Strategy

Creating a brand which uses traditional methods in contemporary way, reflecting the roots and its purity.

Identity and packaging should show that Aadi Aushadhi is not just about its herbal products. It should also show
- genuinely pure, organic and unadulterated product
- maintaining forest and the medicinal plant species
- helping people live a better life who help themselves.

The design should be clean, not too corporate, raw but contemporary and simple.

SWOT Analysis

•Strengths
-it’s pure, genuine
-local competitors do not have proper branding
-the form of medicine is purely natural,raw
-backed up by Xavier’s Research Foundation
-herbal food like brahmi khakhara, bhindi sharbat,etc.

•Weakness
-its form, since people prefer syrup and capsules
-low production since the crops are not main crops

•Opportunities
-not many products like this don’t exist in local market
-there is an audience who are willing to buy this product if it’s branded and packaged properly

•Threats
-technology
-competitors who already have a market for ayurvedic medicines

Talk with Fr.Lancy D'Cruz

Fr.Lancy D'Cruz, we can say is the mind behind this project so I thought it would be best to talk to him about Aadi Aushadhi and other doubts that I had.

I basically wanted to know where did he see Aadi Aushadhi now and after few years.

I got to know some of the very important things like where the products will actually go. Aadi Aushadhi plans to tie up with NGO's, doctors, village fairs and markets and few pharmacies for now and then it would want to go to departmental stores, stores like Khadi where they sell local products, stores on airport where there is international audience and if possible they would like to open their own store.

He also told me difference between rural audience and urban audience which is: Rural people trust traditional form of medicine also they cant afford allopathy and they don't pay much attention to packaging. While people in cities care about how the products look because that affects their status, they don't trust ayurvedic medicines since they are slow compared to allopathy, but they dont mind spending on quality product.

But a very important thing he told me was that Aadi Aushadhi is not just about herbal products, it is about people who make it so when people buy the products they will add value to their lives by helping the tribals earn living and by helping them maintain forests. Also the products are genuinely pure, natural, organic, unadulterated and harmless. The money earned by selling the products would go directly to the tribals who are the manufacturers since there is no middle man and therefore there is no chance of cheating here.

Fr.Lancy also shared a report by MBA students from Marquette University,USA who had worked on the same project. According to them it is important to recognize the story behind Aadi Aushadhi since the group is not only selling products that have a market value, but it is also generating other benefits to the greater Indian society. The group serves to preserve a culture and its traditional ways of life. It also reduces the consequences of poverty, reduces the necessity for Adavasi workers to migrate to cities for part of the year, and has solid environmental benefits (e.g., use of organic farming techniques, less water usage, reduced deforestation, etc.).Furthermore, this group is an example of entrepreneurship at work, focusing on self-help rather than a government handout.

Telling potential buyers about the program, the people who benefit from the program, and the details as to the care in which the products are grown and processed is an important aspect of the products that will increase their value among some customers.

Meeting Ramsinghbhai

Yesterday I met Ramsinghbhai and his group from Dediapada, Himmatbhai from Jivan Tirth had also joined them. Ramsinghbhai is the Ayurvedic Doctor who analysis diseases through nerves.
I was just talking to them and trying to know their observations and opinions about Adi Avshadhi and its future. I got to know few interesting things:

-They want to expand the business but don't know how to. They are trying few things like they convinced a doctor to try their medicines and and make a case study. They go to different Government fairs and try to tie up with other organizations.

-They are very well aware that if they get a new good packaging than sale can get better.

-They guarantee that these medicines are genuine and very effective if taken proper dosage. Though they want to make it a fine powder and improve its quality, but for that they need a machine which they cant afford at this point of time.

-As of now they have color coded the label for themselves because lot of them can't read or write so color coding helps in recognizing which color is for what medicine. I would like to take this idea forward in the packaging design that I'll do for them.

-In fairs mostly aged people buy their products. Most products sold were for Acidity, Kidney stone and Arthritis.

-Since Ramsinghbhai can check the nerves and analyze disease they do free check up at fairs. Even youngsters get it done but they do not believe in the results.

-They want plastic bottles for herbal powders since plastic pouches once opened can't be sealed again and that causes moisture to penetrate and spoil the powder. Also because plastic bottles look good.

They even invited me to come to a fair with them which is held in Rajkot on 30th Aug so that I get a clear picture of how they work and what attitude do people have towards Adi Avshadhi.

2nd review summary

3rd August’10

Panel Members: Kumkum, Dharma, Jyothsna

Summary:

-while building brand strategy and identity ideas I need to keep in mind, what is the

differentiator between aadi avshadhi and other brands.

-need to get clear about target audience since that would help build brand strategy and

understand consumer psychology.

-look for more packaging materials which are more traditional since that would help keep the

local and pure feel to the product.

-need to keep in mind that Indian consumer always looks for value for money.

-find more kind of paper packaging.

-next meeting on 19th aug at 3 pm. Have to show brand strategy and identity ideas.

Consumer Behavior

While looking for a pg I met 1 of the owners and he asked me what am I working on and I told him branding and packaging and I don't know why but he was surprised to see a graphic designer working on packaging. But he happened to be in the packaging field....he used to be a manufacturer. He got interested and asked me in detail about the project and advised me to visit few manufacturers and asked me what was my plan. I said I was looking for plastic pouch so he said don't go for plastic pouch, go for plastic bottles instead since people prefer it more because they are reusable. That is when I decided to concentrate on consumer behavior. And in India where culture and religion influences consumers buying pattern, it is essential to know consumer behavior

Why consumer behavior?

The very existence of organizations/business companies is due to the existence of consumers. If there are no consumers or less than required for a business to run, there is no need to run a business. Or otherwise it will go to loss. Consumer behavior is a very vast topic as it directly influences the performance of businesses. Most of the times companies commence market/customer/consumer analysis to get the trends in market. We may refer psychographical segmentation, geographical segmentation and behavioral segmentation. After getting ample knowledge about the consumer behavior the business executives, market analysts and entrepreneurs may manage their business operations and priorities accordingly.

Few observations done by me on consumer behavior:
-it is good to have a bigger package than required since consumer tends to think that bigger the bottle, more the quantity.

-people would prefer a plastic bottle over a plastic pouch since they are reusable.

-people tend to buy a product if recommended by a friend or family member.

-people look for products that have discount or freebies

-Indian consumers always thinks of value for money

-consumers mostly compare prices of similar products

A customer’s want has to be identified and his expectations must be matched with the other economic and social factors so that their product is receptive.

It’s just that they want the product to be flexible and adaptable to their needs and preferences.

Does consumers' selection of retail outlets depend on the brands available or is it the retail outlet first and the brand next?

There are three fundamental patterns which a consumer can follow and they could be:

(I) Brand first, retail outlet second

(ii) Retail outlet first, brand second

(iii) Brand and retail outlet simultaneously

Reference: thehindubusinessline.com, blurtit.com

Identity analysis

Brief analysis of various companies which make herbal products:

Most logos

-have a leaf in some or the other form

-Green is the most common color

-feel is very organic

-simple look

-very safe not at all funky or jazzy

-mostly san serif fonts of different thickness are used

Survey to know people's perception about herbal medicines and its associations

I conducted a survey which would help me take a few decisions for branding and packaging. I went to malls, colleges and parks for survey so that I can cover a larger audience from college students to retired professionals. The purpose behind choosing this form of survey and not phone or e-mail survey was that I can personally meet people and talk to them if they are comfortable and know their views. I had some good experiences where old people would share few things and some bad were I was thrown out of a mall!

I met a 62 yr old pharmacist who believes in allopathy. While filing the form the color he associated with herbal medicine was pink and I asked him the reason behind it, he said that if its white it will become pale and eventually yellowish so pink is a good option.

I met an MBA student who picked out few mistakes in the survey form and helped me revise it.

I met a self made homeopathy adviser (she wouldn't like to call herself doctor since she has not studied medicine but is superbly well read and highly knowledgeable) who told me the difference between allopathy, homeopathy and herbal medicines.

And I had a lot of other experiences too. After the survey, I analyzed it and made few conclusions.

Most preferred packaging material- eco friendly paper and plastic pouch

Most preferred packaging: see through

Colors most associated with herbal products- green,brown

Words most associated with herbal products-safe, natural, organic

Herbal products most used for: beautification

Most people would like to know the process

Most people prefer branded products