Soteria
This project includes:
Branding
Advertising
Packaging
App Design
Product Design
Merchandise
Publication Design
About the Brand
Soteria is an accessory connected to an app to be used by women for the purpose of feeling secure in public. Women encounter situations of unease on a daily basis. These instances can range from being catcalled to being grabbed in a public space. Although these circumstances are not always deemed emergencies, they still cause discomfort and insecurity.
Soteria cannot stop these instances from happening, but it can help its users feel more secure. Soteria will bring peace of mind to its users. Its goal is to be used on a day-to-day basis, as often as one encounters uncomfortable situations. Many women do not feel that their situations deem necessary for a physical safety tool, or the involvement of the police, so Soteria provides a way to feel secure in even seemingly small encounters. Soteria allows its users to immediately contact a group of loved ones, without having to let their guard down by searching for and being on the phone. It allows women to feel at ease in their daily lives. Soteria offers a low-stakes, discreet, easy, and quick way to get into contact with loved ones during moments of unease throughout the day.
I created the brand Soteria as a year-long project consisting of research, interviews, business planning, branding, jewelry design, app design, advertising, product design, and merchandising design. I created a printed blurb book with my findings and presented the brand at an expo.
Section 1: Relevance
The Research
A study with 76 participants was conducted as research for Soteria. The individuals surveyed and interviewed consisted of primarily women aged between 18 to 25 years old. The survey was on public safety with seventy-one women and five men. The survey found that 88% of women have been catcalled or have experienced street harassment. Out of the 71 women and 5 men surveyed, only 1 female and 1 male felt completely comfortable alone at night. Furthermore, the study showed that most women do not own a safety device, due to fear of “getting in trouble” for using it, having it confiscated, or because they are illegal in their state. These statistics show that street harassment is a prevalent issue in society and a common issue among women.
If you’d like to learn more about the research conducted, see a visualization of the data, user journey map, personas, and more, visit my Express Page below!
Section 2: Branding
The Process
The name Soteria comes from Greek mythology. Soteria was the goddess of safety, salvation, deliverance, and preservation from harm. As the goddess of safety, Soteria is meant to look out for the women who wear this product. As a product that can have such an impact on a person’s life, every aspect of this project needed to have meaning behind it. From its logo to its colors, every element of Soteria's branding has a purpose.
Sketches
Branding & Merch
Section 3: The Products
The Jewelry
There are two main components of Soteria’s prototype. The first is accessories. The accessories include pendant necklaces, chain bracelets, and signet rings. Each of these jewelry pieces comes in silver and gold, with a variety of design options. These include different versions of the logo, geometric circles, and customized engravings, like initials. The button is on the face of each of these accessories, indicated by the engraving.
The Process
The App
Soteria allows its users to use the app even if they do not have their accessory. When opened, the app presents the user with the option of if their situation is an emergency or if they are feeling nervous. If nervous, the automatic alert will be sent to the contact group with the user’s location and status. If the emergency option is chosen, Soteria will alert the police. The emergency button can be easily found and accessed on any page throughout the app.
The app expands beyond the main safety alert system to include a variety of features. These extra features include fake calls, community posts, a tips & tricks blog, the shop, recordings, and an emergency card.
The Process
Section 4: Advertising
The Ads
Soteria’s advertising goal is complicated. Its aim is to advertise to and target its specific audience, but it cannot be wide-reaching enough that it reaches people who this product is protecting against. Since Soteria is meant to be a discreet safety device, it cannot include a lot of out-of-home advertising.To reach its specific target audience, Soteria relies on a lot of social media advertising like Instagram, Tik-Tok, and Facebook. These platforms have algorithms that work to place the product on the correct users’ pages. The main form of social media advertising is a campaign approach that shows the different instances someone would use Soteria, like traveling alone, being out at night, or going on a jog. Once the algorithm reaches the target audience, ads will expand to showcase the accessories themselves.
Check out the digital book!
Learn more about the business, the research, and the strategies.
