Throughout our summer research, one of our biggest questions was understanding what
made a strong brand image, and from a logo and colors standpoint, what logo and
marketing elements would lend itself best to 3 Degrees and put the organization’s best
possible image forward. In reflection, we spent far more time on the rebrand process than
we anticipated, but I still think it was well worth it. When I show pictures of our previous
logo to some of my friends, their eyes usually light up eagerly as they explain how much
more they like the current and adjusted logo. Throughout the process, I myself learned
much about the importance of branding and processes to achieve the best possible
outcome. Another big question we answered was on the manufacturer of compostable
products (or “vendor”) side, and whether or not they would be keen about this idea in the
first place. Surprisingly, almost everyone I talked to was looking forward to a partnership
in the future, despite the uncertainties that have hit them due to COVID-19. Through our
informational interviews, we also learned a lot about vendor structure, problems, and
challenges.
A highlight from this past summer was networking with students involved in Greek life
organizations across the larger University of Michigan community. While scrolling
through LinkedIn, Conor saw a post from a sophomore at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity
who held the position of sustainability chair and started practicing composting in his
house. We recently had a conversation with the sustainability chair, Tobin, and learned
more about his experience composting in the fraternity. He brought up similar concerns
to ours but explained how he mitigated educational challenges in addition to
implementing a composting program in the first place. We brainstormed a couple of ideas
and found that the best way to get our foot in the door is through a convenient and cheap
alternative to plastics. We’ve had several conversations like these over the past few
months and it was really impactful for us as an organization to get a feel of what the
larger U-M community thinks and knows about composting.
Check out the images below on How to make Homemade Laundry Detergent!
