As I mentioned throughout my portfolio, I love to tell stories. A great plot means nothing without a great character. Even throughout my formal Marketing and Communication education, I have always had a particular interest in target market and social media user analyses. When I do not have the resources or time to conduct a full research analysis like conducting a survey, I find in-depth searches on Generational trends to be incredibly helpful.

Empathy provides a snapshot into an individual’s experience. Creating a persona gives me a snapshot into a target audience. Every detail I give to my personas are deliberate. The age represents the typical age range of a generation. Locations are often chosen based on the location of the brand owner and/ or brand. Occupations indicate income and time availability to interact with the brand that I am designing the website for. What they do in their spare time indicates the persona’s visual preferences.

Our friend Wayne was inspired by conversations that I often have with gym members and male peers. He was also inspired by my Gillette research project that I created during my graduate studies in the University of Connecticut. My Gillette project focused around beauty trends for male consumers. Over years, there has been an increase in sales in male grooming products that correlate with the increase interest in physical appearance and style. Health and fitness has become more than a functional benefit. It has become a means to achieve a physical look. Wayne’s interest in his appearance reflects that.