Yet another year~! The following article is a part of EDOCODE Advent Calendar 2023 series. Please check out other articles as well!
The genesis of the name “Gojiberry”
Even before we had the name of Gojiberry, we’ve always had the vision to empower people with human insights. Gojiberry became our brand name because:
- It’s catchy and simple. We liked that it’s one word and rolls off the tongue easily. In the world of branding, memorability is key, and Gojiberry ticks that box with a cheerful ease! It’s a name that invites curiosity and sticks in the mind.
- Goji berries as a symbol of holistic insight. Globally, goji berries are celebrated for their medicinal properties. We see a beautiful parallel here with Gojiberry. Our goal is for Gojiberry to be the go-to remedy for challenges encountered by store owners and businesses, offering insightful solutions and nurturing growth, much like goji berries promote health and well-being.
- Embodying nourishment and growth. Just as goji berries nourish the body, Gojiberry aims to nourish businesses with deep, actionable insights. Our tool is designed not just to collect data but to interpret it in a way that fuels understanding, decision-making, and growth. We’re here to provide the nutrients of knowledge that help businesses thrive.
- A universal appeal reflecting our global vision. The goji berry is a globally recognized fruit, mirroring our ambition for Gojiberry to reach and resonate with a diverse, international audience. As we are developing our product in English and Japanese in parallel, this name fits both international audiences.
We ran several naming workshops to brainstorm the name. In the workshop, we had different focuses for each round like “crazy names”, “easy-to-roll-out-of-tongue”, “aligns with product vision”, etc. to help get a wide range of ideas out.
After this workshop, we had 2 final candidates: “KICT(kict.io)” and “gojiberry”.
KICT was inspired by the japanese word for “listen” ：聞くと, and would be cool if we had an address like kict.io (which is commonly used by tech startups).
The idea for gojiberry came randomly when I added goji berries as my topping for ice cream that weekend. Super random, right? Somehow the team liked it. And there could be oppurtunities for this word “goji” to turn into a verb like how “Google” is now the equivalent for search.
Then, we created mood boards based on the names to finalize the brand image. It’s a bit hard to merely compare the name itself and having a fuller image of what the brand may look like helps.
The KICT.IO brand presents a unique and engaging mood board, prioritizing the concept of “listening” as a foundational aspect of its identity. This emphasis reflects a deep commitment to understanding and responding to user needs, a critical element in the tech and business domains. The color scheme employed by KICT.IO is distinctively tech-oriented and business-like, featuring a palette that resonates with professionalism and modernity. The overall user interface design of KICT.IO is rooted in simplicity, reflecting a clear and user-friendly approach.
In contrast, the Gojiberry brand takes a distinctly different approach. It finds its inspiration in the concept of repetition, an element that echoes through its visual and interaction design. The color scheme of the Gojiberry brand is inspired by the vibrant and diverse hues of fruits. This palette is fresh, lively, and inviting, reflecting the brand’s dynamic and approachable personality.
The team favored the latter, and since brand names are easier to be remembered as 1-word, we decided on “Gojiberry” instead of “Goji Berry”
Designing brand assets
With the general direction decided, I explored different color combinations, shapes, and visual designs, including some failed attempts of a character…
We landed on something rounder and limited the main color scheme to the pink (Gojiberry red) and green (Calyx).
I had several variations of the logo, and here are some explorations. The final logo was voted by the team:
Final brand 1-pager:
We ended up with a brand visual with simple geometric shapes and typography.
Applying our brand to marketing
We made our voice more specific with the help of a brand essence chart. The purpose of a brand essence chart is to provide a clear, concise overview of what a brand represents. It helps ensure consistency across marketing efforts and can be a valuable guide in decision-making processes related to product development, advertising, customer service, and more.
It contains 4 quadrants: What the product does for me, how I would describe the product, how the brand makes me look, and how the brand makes me feel. Then, from each of the quadrants we extracted facts and symbols. The final keywords include: witty, intuitive, friendly, cheerful, gentle, kind, human, thoughtful, helpful, simple/copy writing intuitive interface, feminine, pink.
How did we apply those keywords in our product? Here are some examples
- Witty: We use clever and amusing content in our social media posts, advertisements, and email campaigns. This includes playful puns or humorous scenarios that reflect the smart and fun aspect of our brand, making it more relatable and memorable to our audience.
- Intuitive: We highlight the ease of use and user-friendly aspects of our products or services in our marketing materials. For instance, creating tutorial videos or infographics that demonstrate how effortlessly customers can navigate our offerings.
- Friendly: We adopt a warm and inviting tone in all customer interactions, whether it’s through our website’s chatbot, customer service calls, or in our FAQs section. This approach fosters a welcoming environment that encourages customer engagement.
- Human: We use real-life testimonials and stories in our marketing to showcase the human impact of our brand. This could include customer success stories or employee spotlights, highlighting the human element behind our brand.
- Simple/Copy Writing Intuitive Interface: In our digital platforms, we ensure the design and copy are straightforward and easy to understand. We highlight the simplicity and intuitiveness of our interface in our marketing materials, appealing to users who value ease and clarity.
Easter egg: developing an internal tool that fits our brand voice. The Gojiberry Translator on chatGPT-4
Since we are developing all of our product UI and marketing materials bilingually, the need for a translation tool that fits our voice arose. Therefore, while I was learning the basics of training a personalized GPT with the newest chatGPT-4 update, I tried to build a translation tool that not only excels in accuracy but also embodies a friendly, engaging, and intuitive personality.
Infusing Personality
We wanted it to be more than a mere translation tool; it needed to be a friendly companion in the world of language. We programmed it with attributes such as a feminine, witty, and intuitive personality, making sure it always communicated with kindness, sincerity, and cheerfulness.
Specialization in Survey Language
Understanding that the Gojiberry brand often deals with surveys and user feedback, we specifically trained the translator in this domain. We included translations like ‘1-click survey’ to １クリックアンケート and ‘5-second test’ to ５秒テスト, ensuring it could handle our specialized content with ease and accuracy.
Contextual Adaptability
It was important for us that the Gojiberry Translator didn’t just translate words but understood the context behind them. We incorporated advanced AI techniques to enable it to discern ambiguous terms and provide translations that were contextually appropriate and meaningful.
The journey of creating Gojiberry’s brand has been a fascinating blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and innovation. It will continue to evolve as our product evolves. Please stay tuned!
English site: gojiberry.app
Japanese site: gojiberry.jp
