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Rebecca White “Skitter” Spring 2021 5

Rebecca White, Senior Project Book Spring 2021 Bachelor of Technology in Visual Communications Visual Communications: Art + Graphic Design Farmingdale State College, State University of New York 7

My Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Chapter One Table of Contents Chapter Six What is Skitter? . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter Two Skitter’s Value . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Current Problem . . . . . . . . . . 16 Value Proposition . . . . . . . . . 17 Chapter Three Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Direct Competition . . . . . . . . 20 Chapter Four Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Chapter Five Cultural Relevance . . . . . . . . 24 Visual Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Initial Logo Sketches . . . . . . 28 Final 9 Logo Options . . . . . . 29 Logo Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Logo Clear Space . . . . . . . . 32 Type Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Brand Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Chapter Seven Marketing Strategy . . . . . . . . 39 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . 42 9

Introduction: My Story My Story When Rebecca White was nineteen, she dropped out of Farmingdale State College and decided academia was not for her. There was simply too much that went into obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree: She was not smart enough, and not motivated enough to make her way in the ocean that was university, where once she had been a big fish, in the tiny pond of Greenlawn, New York. Retail, instead, would be her calling. Perhaps she would work her way up the ranks in a toy store, driven by her love of action figures, or sell walking shoes to those who could be bothered, and motivated enough, to go for a run in the morning, an activity she herself would never consider touching even with a ten foot pole. Ultimately, it was her love of animals that landed her a position as a petcare specialist at PetSmart, a company as well known as it is prolific in the world of animal care. There, she would discover, much to her dismay, that she was NOT the idiot that university had once made her feel she was.

Work at PetSmart could be a frustrating and grueling experience at times, but it paid the bills. And so, while she did return to school, by night and over the weekends she would return to the place that helped her decide education was her only path forward. There were, of course, some aspects of the job that were particularly agonizing. The most so was unfortunately the customers. While some were beaming paragons of understanding, eager to learn and eager to grow, others were stubborn as mules, convinced they knew best and unwilling to so much as consider otherwise. Then, of course, there were the most upsetting kind, those who wanted the best for their animals, but found themselves falling financially short. As Rebecca pursued her degree, she also nursed a different ambition: Someday, she would find a way to persuade the stubborn, educate the eager, and assist the strapped for cash in their pursuit of pet ownership. Three years came and went in the blink of an eye. Study at a university level wasn’t easy, and the closer that graduation loomed, the patience Rebecca held for the average PetSmart customer continued to wane. That idea of hers, though, hadn’t left her head: It seemed a natural, obvious choice for the topic of her senior project. From that choice, there was only forward growth and momentum: Research, interviews, and a renewed focus on a goal laid out for her by her own past failures and frustrations. Research in some aspects wasn’t difficult. If anything, detailed insight into the minds and motivations of her audience found her. There were other angles that needed consideration as well however: How did other employees like herself feel? How did pet owners and aspiring pet owners see themselves? What were their experiences in buying nontraditional pets so far, and how did they feel about the employees selling them? What about the companies those employees worked for? What had at first been a nebulous and undefined idea started to take the shape of an app, with a few simple, powerful ideas at its core, and thus Skitter was born: An applicatoin that provides reliable, easy to access information about the care and keeping of ‘exotic’ pets like reptiles, fish, and small animals, and the opportunity to earn savings on pet supplies by learning about those animals. 11

Chapter One: What is Skitter? “Skitter” is a brand new app built to address longstanding frustrations of people interested in exotic pets, such as reptiles, birds, fi sh, and small animals. Built upon research and personal experience alike, Skitter aims to provide exotic pet parents with a reliable, concise source of care information for the animals they love, and reward them for their knowledge with access to exclusive coupons and deals made possible through Skitter’s various partnerships. The matter of selling customers on expensive pet care necessities such as the appropriate size cages, terrariums, and tanks is often explicitly tied to the informational problem, as well as, of course, the matter of price. Customers with incorrect preconceived notions about pet care, for example, are unlikely to do right by their pets unless properly educated, especially if the right choice is an expensive one. An excellent example of this phenomenon is the commonly held belief that large fi sh will only grow to the size of the tank they are in. While this belief is rooted in truth, the reality is much more unfortunate, with tanks that are too small for large fi sh stunting their growth, impeding their quality of life, and dramatically shortening their lifespans. A customer that holds this belief, however, is unlikely to commit to the expensive thirty to forty gallon tank their goldfi sh needs to live a long happy life and grow to its full size. Skitter is a unique service that learns from failures of existing models, aims to increase customer and pet satisfaction, and will partner with businesses to better help them meet the needs of both new and existing customers. Through a gamifi ed learning approach, Skitter will empower customers to make the correct choices for their animals with less of a concern about the pricetag, and refresh businesses and associates alike with boosted sales of big-ticket items that customers usually hesitate on for lack of savings. Skitter is an app, but it is also the fi rst step in a revolution about how people think when it comes to customer education, associate satisfaction, and pet quality of life. 12

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Chapter Two: Skitter’s Value In order to understand Skitter’s unique value, one must take a careful look at the problems it looks to solve, and how it looks to solve them. In this chapter, we will take a look at the current problems faced by exotic pet parents, and the solutions that Skitter proposes. 5

Current Problem Through research, Skitter has found that the difference between a pet receiving excellent care and a pet receiving mediocre care is most often one of two things: A lack of information, or hesitance over a pricetag. Sometimes, the two combine into one overpowering uber-problem, leaving pet parents or prospective pet parents lost, frustrated, and reluctant to commit to any one solution for their pet. This problem does not end with pet parents, either, extending even to pet store employees tasked with selling pets and making sure they leave the store with all the necessities for a happy, healthy life. Of the seventeen pet parents asked as part of the research that went into Skitter’s creation, only three felt that they were genuinely prepared to care for their new pet upon leaving the store with it. To make matters worse, of sixteen pet parents asked, Skitter found that only four actually trusted the stores from which they bought their animals. They often turned to the internet for information about their animals, and found themselves frustrated by either a lack of information, or too much information, both very real, very diffi cult problems to sort through. With pet parents’ distrust of pet stores and their habit of turning to the internet kept in mind, Skitter evventeen pet pare hh that went into fe ffor their new pet upon make matters worse, , Skitter found that elt hat the or th eir new ake m pon s wors kitter found that stores from which hei es from which hey often turned to trned to ey often turned to b bout their animals, at ated by eith nf nfor mation, o so throu es and eir ha ated by either a lack nformation, both ver ck o sort through. With tores and their habit t in mind, Skitter mind, Skitter ery h venteen pet parents t wen felt that they were carried on to interview employees of major pet store chains about their feelings regarding their own jobs, and found some startling information: of the ten employees spoken to, only two felt that their training was adequate when it came to preparing them to actually educate customers about the pets that they buy. After hours of research and interviews, the problem boiled down to its simplest expression became clear: Pet parents and pet store employees alike were frustrated by confl icting or lacking information, and with the high cost of some starting supplies for exotic pets, customers were hesitant to commit to something they were not sure was best for their pet in the fi e was et in the fi rs re hesitant to commit to sommething they wg not sure was best for their pet in the fi rst place. wer not tt sure was best for their petr their 16

Value Proposition Through partnership with retail stores such as PetSmart and Petco, Skitter provides an on-hand, readily available resource regarding information on pet care, as well as opportunities for focused, personalized savings. While Skitter is available for customers to download and use to fi nd information on their pets as well as coupons for supplies, Skitter also operates with a business-to-business model in mind. Through the download of a business version of the app on company tablets and phones, Skitter provides an on-hand resource of information for store associates, relieving the pressure that many feel to have information about any and every type of pet in their store committed to memory and available upon customer request. Rather than “I’m not sure, but I can google it,” the response to customer questions the associate is uncertain of becomes “Let me check,” an answer that is far more reassuring. There is no more scrambling around the store hoping that physical pamphlets are available. Skitter is on hand and ready to go at a moment’s notice, with no time wasted for associate or customer, providing a clear boost to associate productivity and customer satisfaction. Through its gamifi ed learning strategy, earning coupons on Skitter educates customers while also giving them the genuine sense of satisfaction stemming from the feeling of having earned rewards rather than being handed them. Careful refi nement of quiz length, content, and responses to user input developed through user testing has ensured that Skitter’s coupon-quizzes are not frustrating, annoying, or otherwise seen as a pain not worth the savings they deliver, and the ability to create an account means customers do not have to repeat quizzes to keep their access to all the best deals Skitter provides. In the future, Skitter will look to further gamifi ed learning and opportunities for savings, branching into the realm of minigames and other similar activities rather than just quizzes to enhance and retain user engagement. Skitter is a unique service that learns from failures of existing models, aims to increase customer and pet satisfaction, and will partner with businesses to better help them meet the needs of both new and existing customers. 177

Chapter Three: Competition In order to further understand Skitter’s unique value, one must take a careful look at existing business models, and take index of their strengths and their failings. In this chapter, we will take a closer look at Skitter’s competition, and analyze where (and how) existing services fall short of satisfying customers. trengths and their failings. ke a closer look at Skitter’s e where (and how) existing satisfying customers. 9

Direct Competition PetSmart and Petco both try to solve the problem of lack of information and, of course, do their best to sell pet parents on setups and supplies that will be best for their pets. These companies were fi rst viewed as direct competition, given the similar goals they held to Skitter. As Skitter evolved as a concept, however, it became clear that these brands would be better seen as partners. If Skitter could fi nd a way to solve these businesses’ problems regarding a lack of customer trust and unwillingness to commit to expensive items as well as the problems of pet parents, that solution would be a gamechanger, and a recipe for success. The fi rst step in the process of developing such a unique value for Skitter was to determine what these other businesses did have, and where their existing services were failing to meet their needs. Upon further research, both Petco and PetSmart do provide reliable and mostly solid information about the care of the various pets that they sell. Depending upon the store, this information is provided through what the companies call “care guides” or “care sheets.” In the case of Petsmart, the information is available at their stores in the form of paper pamphlets as well as online; in the case of Petco, the information is available upon request at store 20 locations, in the form of sheets available to associates that they do not hand out. A smaller competitor, Pet Supplies plus, is currently in the process of overhauling their means of providing information about the pets they sell to more closely resemble the Petsmart model. With all of this information available, and through such a variety of mediums, why then do customers interviewed about their understanding of pet care express such discontent with the info provided by stores? After further digging, the answer became apparent: Customers were most often completely unaware such information was available on-site. Sometimes, even associates expressed this sentiment, with answers on how their store made information about pet care available to customers ranging from “I just tell them what I know” all the way to “We don’t.” After further interviewing across a wide range of PetSmart and Petco locations, further issues with the existing model appeared, with associates expressing grievances about pamphlet supply shortages, general unavailability, and poor placement within the store. The matter of selling customers on expensive pet care necessities such as the appropriate size cages, terrariums, and tanks was found to be often explicitly tied to the informational problem,

as well as, of course, the matter of price. Customers with incorrect preconceived notions about pet care, for example, were unlikely to do right by their pets unless properly educated, especially if the right choice was an expensive one. An excellent example of this phenomenon is the commonly held belief that large fi sh will only grow to the size of the tank they are in. While this belief is rooted in truth, the reality is much more unfortunate, with tanks that are too small for large fi sh stunting their growth, impeding their quality of life, and dramatically shortening their lifespans. A customer that holds this belief, however, is unlikely to commit to the expensive thirty to forty gallon tank their goldfi sh needs to live a long happy life. Associates interviewed across various stores expressed grievances too with how diffi cult it could be to set customers up with the savings and deals on pet supplies that they craved. In many instances, price was the deciding factor in whether or not a pet would go home with the supplies necessary to fl ourish. PetSmart and Petco both operate on a membership-based sale system, and while membership is free and pet parents receive points for their purchases, sales rotate monthly and are not always running on the big-ticket items that customers are uncertain about committing to. This results in general frustration for customers and associates alike, customers because they are not saving money, and associates because it is more diffi cult to convince customers to buy the appropriate supplies for their pets. 2211

Chapter Four: Personas Before Skitter could begin the development of a solution to the problems of pet owners, it needed fi rst to uncover, hone in on, and better defi ne those problems. Through research in the form of on-site observation and virtual interviews, Skitter was able to develop three distinct user personas in order to better design with its audience in mind. This step was integral, and the fi rst step in the journey towards developing a unique value proposition for Skitter. The research and interviews conducted along the way while developing these user personas also served to deeply, richly inform Skitter’s fi nal design, with the end result being a product with a unique value proposition, and a product that delivers that value in a way that is distinctly catered towards its ideal user base. Skitter’s audience was broken down into three key personas: The Over-Prepared, The Under-Prepared, and The Always Right. 22

THE THE OVER PREPARED UNDER PREPARED THE ALWAYS RIGHT “I want to do what’s right for my animals, and I always do! But it’s so damn expensive!” “Are you telling me all this stuff is necessary? This is insane!” Possum is a cash-strapped college student who is always struggling to make ends meet. They love exotic pets, and own a fair amount of them, but they are always looking to expand their petfi lled family, as well as to improve their current pets’ quality of life. They know everything there is to know, but money will always be a problem for them. Victor is a middle-aged father of two whose daughter is interested acquiring an exotic pet for her birthday. He has no idea what goes into the care of the animal his daughter wants, and while he is more than happy to learn, the cost of starting supplies for the pet of his daughter’s dreams is quite startling to him. “It’s just a fi sh. When I was a kid, I had a goldfi sh that lived for fi ve years in a bowl!” Janine means well, but she is stubborn, and her information is outdated. A mother of three, she is looking for a cheap, “easy” pet for her children, and is unlikely to commit to big ticket purchases unless she can get a killer deal, even if they mean the diff erence between life and death for the animal she is interested in. 23

Cultural Relevance ve: Chapter Five: Chapter Cultural Ru tural ReRelevancnle Cu ce Of 18 pet owners, only 3 felt they were ready to care for their pet upon leaving the store with it. 24

“Twenty times a day, I have to explain that the fi sh won’t grow to the size of the tank. The fi sh will grow, and then it will run out of space and then it will die. Come on.” -Interviewed Pet Store Employee Of 10 employees, only 2 were satisfi ed with their own knowledge when it came to educating pet owners about the care of their pets. 2255

Chapter Six: Visual Strategy

When it came to developing Skitter and creating an actually usable product, the fi rst step was logomark and logotype design. Skitter needed something unique, fun, recognizable, and simple, all adjectives that it was easier to hope for than it was to actually achieve through design. Skitter’s logo began with fi fty hand-drawn sketches, each unique and incorporating elements both visual and typographic; from this point, Skitter’s vast pool of potential logomarks and type positionings were boiled down into just six options, each being further refi ned and digitized for ease of adjustment. Next in the lineup was sorting out Skitter’s logotype. From a pool of sixty-four potential logotypes, eight were selected that best represented Skitter’s brand and values, and were each modifi ed six times in ways that adjusted, broke, or otherwise altered their silhouettes. From these forty-eight options, three were chosen, and went on to be combined with Skitter’s potential logomarks into nine potential logo options in total. When it ca actually u f e otyp cogni to ho desig actually usable and logotype d zab pe f kitter sketches, ea visual and r sixty-four pote best repres i p f o ise a s, thre kitter down d and was visual and ty pool of potentia int dig sort ed product, the fi rst step design. Skitter needed ble, and simple, all adje for than it was to actua s logo began with fi fty unique and incorpo phic; from this g o developing Skitt duct the fi rst gn. , and than egan ust si zed fo out eed e, all s to ac ons, e e of a s lo t es nd creating an s logomark as logomark something unique, jec ally je tives han aphic; from this p al logomarks and type nto just six options, each gitized for ease of adjus ing out Skitter’s logoty ial logotypes, eight Skitter’s brand a ch us herwise altere e w s po With nine potential logos isolated, it was time to colorize. Skitter tested four different color schemes for its logo and by extension its branding, amounting to thirty-six potential colored logos. Of these, only one was selected, and further refi ned. This option would go on to become Skitter’s fi nal logo, of which there would be both a horizontal and a vertical version, both of which would be incorporated in some form in all of Skitter’s designs. pt on in tota With nine colorize. Skitte s logo and by ent nd f and t six po ed, a a horizontal be incorp becom Skitte ial logos isolate be incorporated in some form in all o r tested four different c y extension its branding ntial colored logos. Of th urther refi ned. This opt s fi nal logo, of which a vertical version, some form in xtensi color her re brand gos. O . This og , o g h as time to lor schemes for g, amounting to he tio chemes fo mou se, on n wou e was on to here would be both h of which would tter’s designs. uld b kitters designs. 27 27 six times in ways that ed their silhouettes. Fro were chosen, and went otential logomarks into their re cho ntial l ettes. and w arks o nt was achie dd t rough ng elements both Skitter’s vast positionings were ch being furth stm pe. being ment. N From cted adjusted, broke, or om these forty-eight nt o ere selected that alues, and were ed broke nin thes n to b ne po eigh mbined logo n the ol of

Initial Logo Sketches 28

Final 9 Logo Options 29

Logo Kit 30

Logo Clear Space 32

x 2Xx 2X 2X 2X 33

Skia Black (Titles & Logotype) Type Kit Aa ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 !@#$%^&*() 34

Helvetica Bold (Subheadings) Aa ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789!@#$%^&*() 35

Helvetica Light (Body Copy) Aa ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789!@#$%^&*() 36

Brand Colors 3377

Chapter Seven: Marketing Strategy Once Skitter had solidifi ed its unique value proposition, all eyes were turned to the matter of marketing, and the actual, tangible development of Skitter as a product and service ready to be provided to users. When developing Skitter’s marketing strategy, careful heed was paid to its existing ideal partners, and their marketing successes. The development of Skitter as a product had several stages, beginning with a unique logomark designed from the ground up, and culminating in a fully functioning Adobe XD prototype ready for user testing. 3399

To decide where and how Skitter would best be served from a marketing perspective, Skitter’s creator looked to marketing strategies employed by Skitter’s primary ideal business partners. The companies PetSmart and Petco were source of heavy inspiration, as Skitter’s research showed that the customers of these companies were well aware of their respective rewards programs thanks to their advertising, but were simply dissatisfi ed with their benefi ts. In order to reach its primary audience, Skitter will make use of in-store print advertisements, such as posters, and in-aisle signage advertising sales, deals, and encouraging the download of the app with QR codes. In terms of other marketing outside of traditional in-store mediums, Skitter will make heavy use of social media, copying the strategies of PetSmart and Petco by inviting its audience to engage with the brand in exchange for unique or monetary rewards. An excellent example of this strategy in action is the 2020 PetSmart Charities Partner Photo Contest, in which charities were invited to engage with the brand by sharing photos on social media with a hashtag to be entered into the contest. Winners received a reward for their charity, and PetSmart received engagement and increased brand visibility during the time of the contest. 40

Acknowledgements A special thank you to... • My fat monster of a bearded dragon, Jupiter, who gave me dirty looks as I worked on this instead of serving him breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc on time... • My family, who got me through school and much, much more, with endless, unbelievable patience and understanding in all things... • My fi rst retail job, which I hated enough to go back to school, and the animals there, who I loved enough to keep coming back anyway... • My friends, who watched me complete every step of this colossal journey the night before it was due on Discord screenshare, and without whom I never would have gotten any of it done... • ...And last but not least, Professor Kimberly Wild, who was convinced I would get this done no matter what, and who inadvertently made sure I did by saying so! 4433

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