Save The Manuals Initiative:
2022
The premise of this project was to incorporate three essential elements; something that brings you joy, something you’re good at, and something you think the world needs more of, and build a brand off of those elements. After some thought, I realized that I have a strong passion for cars, photography, and graphic design. As the early stages of the project progressed, I decided to shine light on the downfall of the manual transmission. I integrated photography and the use of mockups to show what the brand might look like during its final stages.
Conceptual Stages
Campaign
After heavy inspiration from presidential campaigns like Regan vs. Bush, John F. Kennedy, and Dan Gurney, the project took a very political approach. After careful consideration, I concluded that driving a manual transmission is a very traditional form of driving; why not double down on that idea and market the idea like a campaign from a period where all everyone knew was a stick shift?
After some research, some of the most popular forms of marketing at the time were button pins, signs, and bumper stickers (which I thought was very fitting for the topic).
One obstacle I had early on during my development stage was how I would tie all these individual pieces together to form one unified campaign without using a logo? An elegant solution was what's known as systematic design. This uses reoccurring elements and colors to build a cohesive brand.
Online Marketing
In addition to physical marketing and campaigning, I wanted to add a modern twist; a website. one of the most critical parts of the entire project was how I would track the campaign's success?
I felt that an elegant solution to this question was to create a petition to potentially show members of congress and car manufacturing companies that there are people out there that are very passionate about the traditional driving experience.
Additionally, while on the site, people can learn more about the cause from the home page and can even voice their opinions by purchasing merchandise from our shop section.
