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Yonder Outdoor Experience

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As young adults, a lot of us have one desire for our lives, adventure. For me, I grew up camping as a means of frugal travel. As a college student, I can't get my hands on enough experiences. I want to go farther and see more and do more, but as a college student I don't have a disposable income. That's where Yonder comes in.

Yonder is a company dedicated to helping young adults get out there and see more of the world. In doing so, Yonder has made equipment, travel guides, and experiences more available. How? By recycling and refurbishing used items for resale at a lower price. Many items seen as broken or worn out, are donated and dutifully repaired or reused. Once upcycled, these items are sold as unique purchases in our storefront, along with our merchandise. Yonder is reducing waste, reusing gear, and aiding in adventures.

"Yonder is a company dedicated to helping young adults get out there and see more of the world."
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Target Audience

Travel trends are clear and have shown millennials (ages 20-38) have prioritized traveling. According to AARP’s 2019 Travel Trends, millennials plan to take around five trips a year and are spending less money doing it. Millennials are looking for the experiences rather than spending their savings on possessions, like homes or vehicles. A study done by Airbnb shows that this particular group of people also likes to create authentic experiences. Rather than be the tourist, millennial travelers tend to be the locals. Meaning they stay in local neighborhoods and visit local attractions. These travelers are looking for experiences unique to them, not waiting in line to see a tourist attraction.

That said, Yonder targets these people because of their travel tendencies and how they have shaped the travel industry. Our cost effective and sustainably made items feed their sense of adventure and make them feel good about what they’re buying. The items are unique, which plays into the authenticity millennials crave. Marketing to this age group is simple -Instagram. Millennials make up 65% of Instagram’s users, globally. Social media has driven millennials to travel more. They want to share their experiences and create a persona they feel represents them the best.

Resources: https://bit.ly/travel-priority, https://bit.ly/traveltrending, https://bit.ly/instagram-statistix

Design Exploration

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TYPOGRAPHY

The primary steps to creating a brand are creating a catchy, memorable look. Typography is an important element because it represents the brand and the essence of the mission. Yonder is a handmade type with unique curvature to mock natures' elements. The sweep of the y's descender represents the ocean's waves. The stems are elongated to mimic the redwood trees. Keeping the integrity of the type is very important for legibility. Overall, creating this typeface allowed me to dig into many aspects of typographical construction.

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COLOR

Color is a universal language and is imperative in visual communicating. Yellow, blue, and red were all used as primary design colors in this study. I chose to use primary colors because they cannot be made from any other colors. Much like the experiences nature can provide, they cannot be sufficed for any other sort of experience. These colors are also used in the making of all the other colors. Think of colors as experiences, the more experiences you have, the more colors you can create.

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TEXTURE

While design is primarily based on sight, I wanted to bring the audience closer and stimulate another sense. Texture engages the viewer more and creates a more memorable experience. While the viewer may not be physically able to touch the textures in my designs, their brain knows what they feel like. This creates a connection between the viewer and the design piece. This helps patrons recall the brand which is in turn, helps the brand's marketing strategy. Texture creates dynamics in a composition that are more visually appealing when done correctly.

Design Elements

COLORS

TYPEFACES

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    Inspiration board as the basis of Yonder.
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    Yonder began as bivy which is short for bivouac; a body size tent for very serious outdoor experience fanatics.
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    After Yonder was conceived, many different typography forms were taken.
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    The final form is handmade! Many different aspects of nature, and the curvature of natural forms were taken into consideration. The final outcome flows with nature.

IMPLEMENTATION

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RETROSPECTION

"I have found an area that truly inspires me and pushes me, sometimes more than I would like to admit."

Climbing through the memories of my college career it has always been less than conventional. I began as a medical student and into my junior year decided that my passion lies in Graphic Design. Tacked on another four years to my time at UNK but well worth it. I have found an area that truly inspires me and pushes me, sometimes more than I would like to admit.

With that said, why would I have expected my graduation and completion of this program to be anything but normal? Even though things look quite different than I had imagined them to be, the process has given me different skills than I would have gained through a normal ending.

One struggle I faced was self-motivation. During this pandemic, life has turned upside down; I find my usually very busy lifestyle to have slowed to a halt. It became difficult to continue with my routines, as I’m sure it has for many. You would think that with all this free time I could hammer out beautiful design after beautiful design. I realized that I found inspiration in my old daily routines and the lack of chipped away at my creativity.

It took a while to put aside the feeling of a creative block and put to work what I know as fundamentals. It reminded me that inspiration is a frame of mind that one can control. The more I sat down and gathered my creative thoughts the more I realized creativity comes from me and not from things my schedule allows.

Doing this final project during COVID-19 helped me to figure out what my creativity looks like when it’s stripped down of the world and just the bare bones of who I am. Without the structure of a class or the guidelines from my classmates, I really showed myself who I am, and liked it. I showed myself I am able work independently and produce quality pieces.

To see more of McKenzi's work, check out her portfolio here.