Giapponote

client
Personal project
category
Identity
industry
Language learning
year
2020

GiappoNote is a project that brings together some of my passions and interest. When I decided to learn the Japanese language, fascinated by the beauty of its alphabets, I decided to do it while experimenting with another interesting tool: Instagram. I then created a page, which today counts almost 10,000 followers, to mirror my studies and which conveys the aspects of Japanese culture I love the most.

Learning Japanese on Instagram.

project overview

The goal is to understand how the social platform works, regarding the algorithm, sponsorships, and interaction with users then find out the best strategies by which it is possible to promote oneself and create a community and a brand through Instagram. Last but not least, there is certainly also the satisfaction in sharing my own interests and having one more reason to continue with the study of the language.

This project was specifically thought to be displayed on Instagram also to experiment with the ad tools Facebook provides its users, so I could pick up a specific target niche: the Italian manga and anime enthusiasts between 16 and 25 years old. Hoping to be able to shift their interest in Japanese entertainment into the Japanese culture and language.

research

design

The logo is the project's name itself, mixing Japanese and Italian, which literally means "Japanese' notes". Has two versions: one with both languages and one with only the word NOTE carrying his Japan relation within the big red circle.

Two shades of blue to divide the various post formats and to create a pattern in the Instagram grid too. Plus a bright "Japanese flag" red to highlight the most important notes. The narrow Avenir Condensed and Bebas Neue, have been chosen to fit more words and contents into the IG carousels. Lastly, famous manga and anime characters are placed on the cover and inside the carousels in correspondence with appropriate topics, to attract and speak directly to the target audience.

The overall post format is the educational carousel whit little changes based on the topic. In the language subject the grammar posts are the most important, and the core of the page, they're the actual notes I get while I'm studying. Then the kanji dictionary and the kana flashcards, very useful to create content with less effort. In the cultural subject, posts can be about any customs and traditions of the Japanese society and history, from art to food. Lastly, there's an extra category where I can talk about present Japanese matters, like mangas, movies, or books, to engage with the community.
To please the algorithm you need to post constantly, and it's not always simple to create something out of what you just learned, so balancing the more time-consuming post with the prefabricated ones (like those flashcards) I am able to post at least 4 or 5 times a week.

So far I am satisfied with this little project as I grew almost 10.000 followers and I'm receiving daily messages about how useful is the page for those who actually study Japanese and for those who are thinking to start doing it because of the interest I sparked in them. And mostly, I am satisfied since I am still studying it myself.

development

see also
UI – Identity
Trouble Under
UX/UI
Portas Jewels