My Story
Ever since I was little, I always made my own Halloween costumes from scratch. I picked up this hobby from my father, who always made his own costumes and helped me make mine. Then, in my sophomore year of college, I had the opportunity to go to New York Comic Con with my dad. We both knew what we had to do: not only make costumes but also step up our game to match the level of creativity at Comic Con. I had an incredible time that year making a costume and learning about what goes into creating something like that. I did a lot of research into how others make their costumes. The following year was a turning point. I took it upon myself to undertake a complex project for only my second year attending the convention. That costume showed me that I had it in me to make something impressive—to be proud of myself and excited to show off my work.
Alter Ego Fabrications is a cosplay workshop studio that works to make cosplaying a less intimidating practice and giving cosplayers a community to be a part of. Alter Ego is first and foremost a workshop. It is a place where people can come to bring their cosplay vision to life. People may come in as they please with a pass that can be purchased, but for achieving our goal of making cosplay more approachable customers can schedule an appointment with staff to help guide them through the cosplay process.
On hand staff will meet with customers who together they will work to bring the customers vision to life. It is vital that we guide the customer in creating what it is they want to create. An important part of cosplay is self expression and that can not be done if Alter Ego required customers to make our set of costumes and outfits. After a meeting with the staff a plan can be formulated on how they will proceed in creating the cosplay. It is our goal to teach our customers the proper techniques for their design so they feel confident in themselves. Alter Ego will handhold our customers, we want them to do the work and understand what it is they are doing and hopefully leave with a proud creation they can say they have made.
Cosplaying is a fun and rewarding hobby, but many people don’t give it a try. There are plenty of resources out there to help people get started, but still it is viewed as a daunting task to take on. That is where Alter Ego would come in. It wouldn’t simply explain what to do from a distance, It wouldn’t focus on a single aspect of creating a costume, and it wouldn’t be too broad for people to need to learn more in order to make what they want. It would be a service just for them, to make their vision come to life, affordable and hopefully fun. My product is a workshop that will work individually with people to help them create their specific costume idea and walk them through the process.
Creating a cosplay can be an overwhelming experience, a lot of research and knowledge can go into the process. Most people go straight to the internet where hundreds of videos can be found about the process of making a cosplay. The problem is videos can never really get too specific because they need to reach a broad audience. They often create vague pieces of costume that would require the viewer to modify them as they need. Someone who is just beginning this journey may not know exactly what to do next. Alter Ego will sit down with our customers and hear their needs. When we walk them through the process we will be creating exactly what it is that they are looking for. Whether in person or online, the first step will be brainstorming together what it is that we are going to be making, so when it’s time we make the perfect costume.
All in all the key word here is definitely personal. Above all else Alter Ego is working towards helping people work towards their goals of a costume. People should feel as if they spent their time and money moving forward at Alter Ego while other companies offer only static help in seeing a vision completed. They only offer complimentary efforts towards personal goals, not efforts in achieving the goal themselves.
Workshops like the Alter Ego is suggesting do in fact exist. There is a wonderful company already in existence called Cosplay America. They are a workshop convention. They travel around the country and host a huge convention for amateur and any other cosplayer to come and join them for celebration of the art and to share tips. They are an amazing company but they are limited. While both Alter Ego and Cosplay America both have the issue of location, Cosplay America are only wherever their fair is being held. Alter Ego will be wherever the headquarters is located. Cosplay America only has their services available for a select few days of the year. While Alter Ego will be locked to wherever location it is based, we will be available year round for anybody looking to get a jump-start on their costume.
For those who can not attend a workshop the internet is full of thousands of videos of people sharing their cosplay tips for free. The internet and websites like YouTube house a wealth of information easily accessible by anyone. Many creators and professionals post their tips and experiences because they simply love the craft of cosplay. The world of cosplay expands every day because of these dedicated creators.
Alter Ego is a company that is trying to make cosplaying more accessible and seem less intimidating. This is not only for those who have no experience, Alter Ego can aid a person at any level of experience and all levels of experience could use the help. Research was conducted that highlights the needs of cosplayers and their willingness to accept help if it was to be presented to them.
The research was conducted in three main stages.
The first being a general survey given out to an average consumer, people who may perhaps not even know what cosplaying is. The purpose of this research was to see if Alter Ego would appeal to people on a general basis and to find out if people are interested in making a costume. The main conclusion derived from this portion of the research was the target audience of people seeking help is smaller than anticipated, but when presented with the idea of creating a costume people were intrigued. People responded with reasons as to why they have not considered ever making a costume for cosplay or any other reason such as Halloween. For this section their reasoning was time and money.
The next section of research I would like to highlight also takes the form of a survey. This time however the survey was distributed at New York Comic Con 2024, a place saturated with the target audience. The survey was given to people in costume and not in costume to find the people who desired help the most. The findings resulted in a similar conclusion to the first set of surveys. Out of the people who did not wear a costume to the convention they stated the top two reasons for not doing so were time and not knowing where to start. These people are at New York Comic Con, they are prepared to spend money so what they lack is knowledge to begin the costume making process. Overall around 70% surveyed at the convention said they would be interested in help.
Lastly for my research one on one interviews were conducted with people who have varying experience with cosplay. That research also pointed towards newcomers not being knowledgeable enough to embark on a costume making journey. The interviews allowed people to voice their concerns with more depth. The interviews showed that newcomers are intimidated by the wonderful work they see people doing already. They feel as if they will fall short and to be accepted into the cosplay community. Interviews conducted with more seasoned cosplayers allowed for that myth to be busted. Veteran cosplayers are always excited to see people but their best effort forward for something they are passionate about. That is the goal of Alter Ego, to fuel people’s passions for what they love.
The personas developed for Alter Ego stem from the research. It stems from the three groups of people who could use the company’s help, the beginner, the amateur, and the veteran. While the first two may sound the same, they are very different for the purposes of Alter Ego.
The three personas were created to encapsulate every type of person that may walk through the door of Alter Ego. The personas illustrate the three stages of the cosplaying journey and how Alter Ego has something to offer each of them. There is always something to learn and it is always ok to ask for a little help. Every user has something to gain from Alter Ego, all they need is passion. Passion for something that they want to bring to life and Alter Ego will get them there however they choose to get there. Whether they need step by step help, an insight on how to improve or just a space for them to thrive in their own creativity. With the data provided it is plain to see that three archetypes for the personas are out there and they are willing to accept some friendly help.
After a concept for Alter Ego was chosen a visual strategy was needed to create the brand identity. Visually the company came together during my research when I came across the designs that would inspire the whole visual look of the brand. I wasn’t sure which direction to take the brand at first. Should I go for a classic superhero look, or should I go more dungeons and dragons with knights and armor. In the end a little of both would be woven in but when I was a classic comic book cover from the 60s I knew what I wanted the brand to feel like. The giant title on the book with the personalized font of the logo to match the character on the cover. It was clear to me that I wanted to invoke that style.
Logo Process
I spent a good amount of time trying out some title variations until I landed on the one that honestly I feel the most attracted towards and has the same feel of the classic title logos. The brand colors would come straight from the old comics. All muted, pastel versions of red, yellow, orange and blue. The typekit for the brand has a heading font that was found that matches the fun style of comic book writing, but isn’t comic sans. I wanted to stay away from comic sans, due to the fact that it would be fairly generic but also because it is fairly unappealing. The font chosen has hints of comic sans but is more defined as a font, it has straighter letters and a much less handwritten feel. As for the body font, a clean modern font was chosen. Still San serif (without the little feet on the letters) to keep in the comic feel, but still a recognizable regular, readable font.
Color Palette
Clear Space
The advertising for this company has to be specific, it is a product that has a lot to offer and while posters and social media ads were created it can be hard to get a lot of information out to people without them losing interest. The idea of advertising as a show booth I believe would be the best way to reach people, or at least pick up the most customers because it would allow the company to express itself fully. Not only would it be able to display our merchandise and advertising but it would allow for the company to talk to customers and get them to understand the company’s mission. Here is where more detailed brochures could be handed out to people who are interested in the company. It would allow for more information to be taken in by the right people.
The company is supposed to feel like a community, so I wanted the advertising to feel that way. One of the first ideas I had was for a silicone wristband. A simple wristband that would subtly let other people know that they are a part of this community. From there it all expanded, it expanded higher to something like a graphic shirt to proudly flaunt one’s involvement in this company, in this community. I wanted the brand to flourish as a notable member of the cosplay community, to be recognizable by others. The branding couldn’t remain as small and simple as a wristband. The wristband is still great for those who maybe don’t want to flaunt a niche hobby but many people may want to display their achievement loud and proud. So T-shirts and other merchandise were added to Alter Ego’s repertoire.