OUGD504 - Brief 2 - Research: Product and Consumer Research

OUGD504: Brief 2: Logo Starter

Research: Product and Consumer Research 

To create a more informed resolution I felt it necessary to gain a deeper insight into the product and the consumer. I needed to research Ashwagandha to fully understand the product and Portland, Oregon to understand the culture of the city and the consumer as it will be sold with the local surrounding area. 

Ashwagandha: 

Ashwagandha is an exotic Indian herb which has remarkable stress-relieving properties comparable to those of powerful drugs used to treat depression and anxiety. In addition to its excellent protective effects on the nervous system, ashwagandha may be a promising alternative treatment for a variety of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Ashwagandha has powerful antioxidant properties that seek and destroy the free radicals that have been implicated in aging and numerous disease states. Even more remarkable, emerging evidence suggests that ashwagandha has anti-cancer benefits as well. 

Protects the immune system

Helps combat the effects of stress

Improves learning, memory, and reaction time

Reduces anxiety and depression without causing drowsiness

Helps reduce brain-cell degeneration

Stabilizes blood sugar

Helps lower cholesterol

Offers anti-inflammatory benefits

Contains anti-malarial properties

Enhances sexual potency for both men and women

A full list of its benefits and uses can be found HERE

Portland, Oregon

Culture: 

Researching portland culture I found a personal summary on QUORA.COM which explains ' Portland is a beautiful place to live for all of the (nature-related) reasons. And during the 4-8 weeks (per year) of unmitigated sun, it's a magnificent place--lush and primally verdant. It's also slower-paced than the average metropolitan area, unexpectedly so for people coming from NY/CHI/SF/LA, which makes it a great place to raise your family without a lot of drama. Portland also has a famously liberal bent, amazing indie coffee shops and breweries, and the greatest bookstore in the world.' This gives me a great insight into the culture which will be extremely beneficial when I start designing. Further research uncovered an article from the Guardian which compiled a list of the top ten cultural hotspots in Portland HERE I plan tol use these cultural hotspots to inform my design and contextualise my final resolution.  

Portland is a verdant, friendly, indie-orientated mixture of guitar bands, checked shirts, tattoo parlours, animal rescues, coffee snobbery, Pinot, thrift stores and food trucks. It's a pioneer town, way out on the north-west fringes of the USA. As Gus Van Sant, a long-time resident says: "It's a place that's isolated from the rest of the country, so everyone feels abandoned together." Portland's culture is unique, although elements of it echo through the cooler neighbourhoods of the world, from Bushwick to Dalston. From this research I can infer there is a strong hipster culture within the city, further explained in this independent article HERE,  from the speciality coffee shops to craft beer and brunch fanatics, this could help me when designing my concept as this could make my product more engaging and 'cool'.

People: 

Researching the people of Portland was important as it gives me a crucial insight to the target audience,  I found this source online that documents 10 portland stereotypes that claim to be completely accurate HERE. In summary it told me that; 

1. Portlandians Are Way Too Upbeat And Nice, But They Don't See It

2. Portlandians Are Way Too Close With Their Pets

3. Portlandians Take Their Coffee Snobby and Pretentious

4. Portlandians Make It A Mission To Buy From The Little Guy

5. Portlandians Are Professional Recyclers

6. Portlandians Protest Everything

7. Everyone In Portland Wants To Be A Farmer

8. Double Decker Bikes Are A Normal Mode Of Transportation for Portlandians

9. Portlandians Just Might All Be Alcoholics

10. Portlandians Are Olympic Brunchers

Key points from this source are that they are clearly concerned with the environment and will advocate for buying locally which are both encouraging features for this product making it more likely to be successful. This research was extremely helpful and has provided me with an essential insight into the target audience, product and culture of the city, I will use this research throughout my design process to aid my designs and development. 

Portland City Flag