Graveyard Shift Brand Kit_stephanie S

Graveyard Shift Brand Strategy Kit

By

Stephanie Santiful

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Horror is timeless. Fans of the horror genre never seem to get enough of it. Whether it’s movie, television shows, books, comics, or even podcasts, horror has the ability to reach millions on an almost intimate level. Graveyard Shift and, with its focus on horror should be able to do the same. Currently, the website for Graveyard Shift needs and overhaul so that it can step up against other popular horror websites. In order to make sure we produce the best possible website for Graveyard Shift, we conducted a thorough analysis of the site and compared it with the popular website, CreepyPasta. Because of the longevity of CreepyPasta, our goal was to see what has worked for them. In doing this, we wanted to devise a plan that would be a better rendition of what CreepyPasta has done. GOALS

The landing page of any horror website, should have the power to convince viewers to want to click on some aspect of the page to learn more. If website visitors are bored or indifferent about the landing page of the website, they will not spend much time viewing the content. Our goal is to make the landing page (and subsequent pages) not only scary, but persuasive. Visitors should be enticed not only by the images and article titles on the page, but also by things such as the website’s social banner, supplemental material that spreads the word about the website and its content, and the overall atmosphere of the site. As Graveyard Shift is a horror site, we are certain that these elements would benefit for the website and will increase web traffic. METHODS, ANALYSIS, & FINDINGS

In order to create this brand strategy kit, we first reviewed, evaluated, and analyzed the website for Graveyard Shift. We did this by completing user testing, which consisted of having our team as well as outside sources view the website and compare it to the CreepyPasta website. In doing this, we were able to discover were users felt a disconnect between the content

1

and visuals. We were also able to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the website. Users highlighted three areas of the website that they felt fell flat when compared to CreepyPasta.

Design Users complained that the design of the website was flat, and that text and font were difficult to view. The black and white scheme was hard on one user’s eyes to the point where they had to stop the review of the website for several minutes.

Social Media Banner The next area pertained to social media. Users complained of not being able to find social media icons. When found, many commented on the basicness of the banner and how it looks nothing like other banners found on other websites (including CreepyPasta).

Navigation/Home Button Users felt the navigation button did not mesh well with the design of the websige. One user commented that it seemed “out of place.” Users also commented that the website cut off in certain places and they were unable to see content unless they decreased the size of their magnification, which was set to 100%. This made seeing the small, light colored font even more difficult to see.

Recommendations After this feedback, we recommend changing the color and size of the font for the overall website to something larger and darker. We also recommend creating a dedicated social media banner that complements the change in website design. Finally, we recommend changing the home button and giving it the same color scheme as the website once completed.

2

CREATIVE BRIEF

The Problem: Currently, Graveyard Shift is struggling to compete with CreepyPasta and other horror-related websites because of the design of the Graveyard Shift website, which makes it difficult for the audience to find the thrill they seek.

Goal: Our goal is to increase web traffic to the Graveyard Shift website by providing a complete overhaul to the website, including creating social media banners. We also want to create a mobile app and a one-page advertisement that encourages visitors to visit the Graveyard Shift website.

Target Audience: The target audience for Graveyard Shift are namely horror fans. However, anyone with an interest in horror or creepy things will should enjoy this website. Individuals with a few minutes to kill looking for something creepily interesting or shockingly fascinating will enjoy Graveyard Shift. It allows users to break up the possible monotony of their day to discover something new.

3

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Design Website Graveyard Shift

Color Scheme The color scheme is too light. White background with black text is overused in many websites.

Layout Too many boxes of varying sizes. Social media icons seem to move when scrolling and are difficult to locate. An influx of adds annoys users.

Ease of Use The font is too small and makes reading difficult. Random advertisement placement detracts from the content offered on the webpage. Users feel the design wasn’t well-thought out.

CreepyPasta

Dark background with white text. Color scheme is red, white, and black—a common scheme for horror websites.

Website is easy to use. Social media icons are easy to find. Banner is simple and consistent.

Bloody Disgusting

Website blends the elements of CreepyPasta and Graveyard Shift. The header of the page is dark with white text. The bottom is a white background with black text.

Website contains no distracting advertisements. Design is simplistic but interesting. Content is laid out in a way where viewers can focus on only what is meant to be viewed. There are no advertisements. Website is simplistic and clean. Images are bold and vibrant and draw in the viewer’s eye.

4

Website is easy to use. Social media icons are easy to find. Banner is simple and consistent.

Social Media Banner

Website Graveyard Shift

Color Scheme Color scheme does not complement website color scheme. Color scheme is rainbow with the name of the social media platform inside of a box. No common social media buttons (such as the bird for Twitter)

Layout Layout of icons is simple and easy to read.

Ease of Use Social media banner moves when scrolling. When a viewer tries to stop at the social media banner, the page continues to push it down, forcing the user to keep scrolling to find the banner. Frustrating and not easy to use.

CreepyPasta

Social media banner colors complement the colors of the website. Icons are images that look creepy (like blood). Great! Colors of social media banner is black and white. It complements the website color scheme well. The icons are small, but not difficult to see.

Social media banner is at the top right corner of the page. Easy to locate and see. Includes Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Located at the top right corner. Includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. A widget for Instagram is built into the website, which is helpful to viewers.

All icons are easy to use and work.

Bloody Disgusting

5

All icons are easy to use and work.

Navigation/Home Button

Color Scheme The color scheme does not complement the website at all. It is an entirely different color and viewers do not understand the reasoning in choosing this scheme.

Layout Contains links to the overall website, which consists of many different parts. This throws off the user. Viewers complained that they would prefer a home bar that listed different buttons to click rather than a dropdown box

Ease of Use The navigation button is easy to use and all links work but seem to be irrelevant for users who visit this subsite.

CreepyPasta

Color scheme is the same scheme as the webpage.

Navigation is easy to use. All links work. Search bar above the navigation home bar. Nice touch.

Bloody Disgusting

Color scheme is the same scheme as the webpage.

Navigation is listed on a top home bar rather than a dropdown button. Navigation is listed on a top home bar rather than a dropdown button.

Graveyard Shift

6

Navigation is easy to use. All links work. Search button next to social media icons. May throw off some viewers not familiar with the search button.

Current Webpage (One)

7

Prototype Webpage

8

Current Social Media Banner

Porotype Social Media Banner (Two)

9

Prototype Original Social Media Advertisement Image (Three)

10