Diversity and Inclusion

While my capstone project does not explicitly work with topics of diversity and inclusion, I hope to impact the Philadelphia community by creating a space on Instagram that is engaging for all.

My Vision

Ultimately, I hope that the Lost and Found Vintage social media campaign feels like an extension of the owner, Jenny. I hope I can reflect Jenny’s decades of work withing various photo and video content. In doing so, I hope the Instagram account promotes the Lost and Found brand and leads to increased foot traffic and sales. I think that by authentically showcasing Jenny and her brand, users will feel compelled to engage. While an increased customer base would be ideal, my main objective is to craft an online space for Jenny to creatively express her company.

Impact on the Community

I hope that a revamped Instagram page will connect Jenny to her loyal customers. Instead of only engaging with customers every other weekend in the shop, Jenny can engage with followers via DM, comments, or likes. Followers can feel more connected to the shop as they see the Lost and Found mission brought to life online through photo and video content. Jenny can also engage with other local businesses in Northern Liberties and maybe collaborate as well.

Scenarios

BEST – The best-case scenario would be that the Instagram account gains traction and Jenny sees an increased number of followers, likes, comments, messages, and tagged posts. Best case scenario would be a customer coming into the shop and saying, “I saw your video on Instagram, and wanted to come in to check it out!”

WORST – Worst case scenario would be a negative response from loyal customers. I hope that in completing this campaign, loyal customers do not feel as though this is going against the original Lost and Found brand. I hope that they view increased online presence as an extension of the brand they know and love. Worst case scenario would be loyal customers turning away from Lost and Found because they believe the company is changing its mission.

Personal Identities at Play

My design for the account will most definitely be limited. This is my first time working with a client in fashion, therefore I am no expert by any means. I will be completing this campaign as an amateur, which has its benefits and setbacks. While I may lack technical and skills due to a lack of experience, I am not constrained by a specific style or have a concrete aesthetic yet. This gives me total creative freedom to play around with aesthetics and cater my work to Jenny’s style. Jenny’s personal style and identity will guide how I go about the campaign. Her decades of experience in the industry will help me craft my photo and video content.

Exclusion and Inclusion

In my approach, I am missing men, people of color, people with physical disabilities, amongst other communities. My approach relies on my and Jenny’s perspective. Our perspectives are also limited by our ability to openly shop for vintage items- our social ability, our physical ability, our financial ability. In order to combat this underrepresentation, I will attempt to speak with these communities when they enter the shop. Within the campaign, I hope to include customers in photo and video content; therefore, I will try to involve as many communities as possible. This is an example of “learning from diversity.” While I can’t change the fabric of the store and make the storefront itself more inclusive, I can make the social media campaign inclusive for all to experience. This looks like having high contrast imagery (especially when text is included), captions for videos, unprivate account, and no financial obligation to experience the content. By doing this, I will welcome a diverse audience.