2ndHand: A Mobile App and Branding Project
For my senior project, the final step in my college education, I created a design for a fully prototyped mobile app. I wanted to address the real-world problem of fast fashion, and how consumption of brand-new, cheap clothing is destroying the planet and causing human rights issues in the process. In order to create a solution, I turned to one of my own passions, shopping at thrift stores and buying used instead. I recognized how current cultural factors like trends in fashion and decor, interest in activist causes, and reliance on social media could merge into a single channel to encourage users to embrace more sustainable ways of shopping.
The first step was the creation of a engaging and bold brand that would capture the vibrant and funky opportunities that buying vintage and used could offer. Then, I came up with a plan for designing an app with the goal of making the switch to thrifting as fun and easy as possible. The app, 2ndHand, was like a combination of Instagram and Yelp, but all for thrift stores and shoppers. Users could search for local stores near them, narrow down results based on what they were in the market for, and read reviews and ratings. Stores themselves could post updates and photos. After visiting a shop, users are encouraged to leave their own review and share photos of their finds with others. People who sell online or have social media accounts had the ability to link to their other sites to connect with shoppers like them. The social element of 2ndHand was designed to foster a community of thrifters to encourage and support one another while buying truly unique finds and reducing their fashion waste.
The design of the app was a massive undertaking. I created all the branding myself, from logo design, color palette, type, illustrations, and photo curation. Next, I had to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional app interface that not only matched the branding, but supported the goals of the brand. I designed each button, link, and background found on over 400 app screens. For my prototype, I used thrift store data from 3 local cities, including over 40 real shops. I relied on real reviews and ratings found online to accurately portray genuine customer opinions on the shops. Check out the results!
