PARK BRAT
By Ally McDaid
"For Women, by Women"
THESIS STATEMENT
Aiming to break stereotypes on the portrayal of women in the board sports industry. I aimed to create a brand that creates a sense of community and variation for the girls who struggle with these stereotypes being pushed upon them while dedicating their time and passion to the sport.
THE PROBLEM
The snowboard industry is very male-dominated. With that being said, the women in the industry have stereotypes put on them. For one, many existing snowboard companies have boards catered towards males. They offer men a variety of designs in their sizes, however, those cool men's designs aren't offered in women's sizes. For the women, we often get only a few boards and they are putting us into a box of being light pink, butterflies, and a stereotypical girl. Most females in the industry tend to have a very different taste in design than the companies are offering them. There are also stereotypes that women get cold after an hour of riding, or that they are overly cautious and afraid to try new tricks. My target audience, however, does not fit into this stereotype and shouldn't be in the box they are put in.
My goal with the boards was to create a variety, enabling our brand to cater to all of the different tastes and interests our target audience has. I am aiming to break out of the box female riders are put in and explore more unique styles that better fit the rider.
I created website pages and animations to display my boards, merchandise, and to put the community
aspect of my brand into play.
THE PROBLEM
The snowboard industry is very male-dominated. With that being said, the women in the industry have stereotypes put on them. For one, many existing snowboard companies have boards catered towards males. They offer men a variety of designs in their sizes, however, those cool men's designs aren't offered in women's sizes. For the women, we often get only a few boards and they are putting us into a box of being light pink, butterflies, and a stereotypical girl. Most females in the industry tend to have a very different taste in design than the companies are offering them. There are also stereotypes that women get cold after an hour of riding, or that they are overly cautious and afraid to try new tricks. My target audience, however, does not fit into this stereotype and shouldn't be in the box they are put in.
Women being stereotyped within the industry.
The designs brands are giving females.
PROJECT GOAL
I want to create a brand for the dedicated women in the industry to feel heard. I chose to take a satirical approach in the way that we are acknowledging the stereotypes and bringing up the problem rather than shying away from it. I also want to create a variety of designs for women's boards that come in women's sizes as well. Lastly, I want to create a sense of community within the brand that the girls within it can lean on each other with advice and testimony.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
My persona is based on "JibGurl." She is a park rider who wears baggy clothing either thrigte, rides small snowboard companies, listens to indie music, is also involved in other board sports aside from snowboarding, feels alone in a terrain park full of males, and lastly runs on Red Bull and sushi to get her through her snowboarding session.
RESEARCH
Through researching designs that attract my target audience, consultations with female snowboarders, and researching articles on the topic of stereotypes on women in the industry, I found great information on what exactly I wanted to produce and change in the boarding industry. There are a few female communities I found inspiration from, however all of them fit into the girl stereotypical pastel colored boxes.
DESIGN PROCESS
I mapped out key words that I wanted my brand name to associate, brand values, target audience traits, analyzing my target market, making sure that all of my design outlets pointed back to the key brand values that I have established.
Reflection on my personal experiences in the industry.
Research map: Brainstorming brand values, naming, design inspiration, and my persona.
Logo Sketches.
Final Logos, Brand Colors, and Mascot. The colors and mascot add to the satirical aspect of the brand by having a deep mischievous pink and the grin on the stars face.
Creating the prototype of my "Golden Board."
REFLECTION
Overall, I am happy with the turnout of the project. I learned a lot about the industry I am interested in pursing. One thing I wish I could change was that going into this project I would have liked to have my brand values and tone established, this way I could have spent less time on the branding aspect of the project and more on the design applications.
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