The Brief
You be You is an social network currently being developed in LA and to be launched in the state of California. The aim of this app based network is to provide support young people/adults facing challenges either in mind (mental diseases, depression, anxiety etc), body (body image, anorexia, bulimia etc) and heart (gender identity, LGBTQ etc).
Produce a logo and application icon for the social network app You be You. An app designed to provide support for teens and young adults in California facing challenges in mind, body and heart.
Consider the target audience, colour choices, font, layout and how the design will be viewed and received and where the logo and icon will appear.
How can you make it stand out from the other social media sites/apps?
Take the audience into consideration, not just the age group but the cultural audience.
Make it work with the layout and look of the application.
What does You be You do?
Allow young people to connect with others experiencing the same difficulties and issues, as well as noted and certified experts in various fields. This creates a support network where an individual can be honest and anonymous, allowing them to talk through problems in a way they may not feel comfortable doing with their family and friends. In short it can help a teenager discuss their problems with people who understand allowing them to be themselves- hence the name; You be You.
Research
In order to get a better understanding of my target audience and the issues they deal with I researched into various areas and troubles that the app is designed to support as well as the use of traditional support tools and engagement with technology.
The majority of teens and young adults often hide their problems from those closest to them.
Bullying
In the state of California (where the You be You app is due to be launched) 12.2 per 1000 13-17 year olds receive sustained maltreatment and abuse.
160,000 students stay home from school everyday due to bullying.
2/3 of students who are targeted become bullies.
28% of US students in grades 6-12 experienced bullying.
16% of US high school students were electronically bullied last year.
The bullying methods have adapted to a technological age, why hasn't the support?
Suicide
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 13-24
In grades 9-12 1 in 6 students seriously considered suicide in the past year.
9.1% of children aged 13-17 experienced at least one depressive episode in the past year.
Drugs and Alcohol
8.5% of children in the 8th grade, 19.4% in the 10th and 25.5% in the 12th grade reported illicit drug use.
19% of 18-24 year olds admitting to drug or alcohol abuse or dependence in 2012.
LGBTQ
Any young adult who identifies as LGBTQ says the 2x more likely to be physically assaulted at school.
92% say they hear negative messages about being LGBTQ at school, from peers and on social networks.
26% say their biggest problems are not being accepted by their family, being outcast at school and a fear to be out/open.
Body Image
95% of individuals with eating disorders are between 13 and 25.
Only 10% of people suffering with an eating disorder will seek help.
87% of female TV characters on the most popular kids' shows aged 10-17 are below average in weight.
Tv programmes focused on appearance are swaying the self esteem of girls as young as 5.
Technological engagement
91% of teens go online using a mobile device.
71% of teens say they use facebook.
Teenage girls use visual social media platforms more frequently than boys with 61% using instagram, 51% using snapchat and 33% using pinterest in comparison to 44%, 51% and 11% of boys.
47% of teens use video call and chat. (skype, oovoo and facetime)
On average 33% of teens use twitter.
Support Materials
You be you is aimed at 13-24 year olds dealing with depression, addiction, body image, gender identity, bullying etc. The current tools available aren't up to date and mostly include PDFs, pamphlets and councillors available in schools, as well as articles and support groups.
Research
In order to get a better understanding of my target audience and the issues they deal with I researched into various areas and troubles that the app is designed to support as well as the use of traditional support tools and engagement with technology.
The majority of teens and young adults often hide their problems from those closest to them.
Bullying
In the state of California (where the You be You app is due to be launched) 12.2 per 1000 13-17 year olds receive sustained maltreatment and abuse.
160,000 students stay home from school everyday due to bullying.
2/3 of students who are targeted become bullies.
28% of US students in grades 6-12 experienced bullying.
16% of US high school students were electronically bullied last year.
The bullying methods have adapted to a technological age, why hasn't the support?
Suicide
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 13-24
In grades 9-12 1 in 6 students seriously considered suicide in the past year.
9.1% of children aged 13-17 experienced at least one depressive episode in the past year.
Drugs and Alcohol
8.5% of children in the 8th grade, 19.4% in the 10th and 25.5% in the 12th grade reported illicit drug use.
19% of 18-24 year olds admitting to drug or alcohol abuse or dependence in 2012.
LGBTQ
Any young adult who identifies as LGBTQ says the 2x more likely to be physically assaulted at school.
92% say they hear negative messages about being LGBTQ at school, from peers and on social networks.
26% say their biggest problems are not being accepted by their family, being outcast at school and a fear to be out/open.
Body Image
95% of individuals with eating disorders are between 13 and 25.
Only 10% of people suffering with an eating disorder will seek help.
87% of female TV characters on the most popular kids' shows aged 10-17 are below average in weight.
Tv programmes focused on appearance are swaying the self esteem of girls as young as 5.
Technological engagement
91% of teens go online using a mobile device.
71% of teens say they use facebook.
Teenage girls use visual social media platforms more frequently than boys with 61% using instagram, 51% using snapchat and 33% using pinterest in comparison to 44%, 51% and 11% of boys.
47% of teens use video call and chat. (skype, oovoo and facetime)
On average 33% of teens use twitter.
Support Materials
You be you is aimed at 13-24 year olds dealing with depression, addiction, body image, gender identity, bullying etc. The current tools available aren't up to date and mostly include PDFs, pamphlets and councillors available in schools, as well as articles and support groups.
Initial Collaboration Discussion
In initial discussions with the other designer on this brief we came up with a few of the requirements and design decisions. We chose the colours to be as neutral as possible while still having enough character and personality to make the overall product interesting. The light blue, almost green remains eye catching whilst not strictly applying to a masculine gender, and the purple-grey balances well with the blue to create a strong contrast whilst still being gentle. The font was chosen by the app developer and is something that I feel will need to altered along the way, the bold over imposing type feels far too in your face and demanding for an application that exists to support and help people. I'll work with it for now but will push to have it changed later on.
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