A café for procrastinators

Illustration

Storytelling

Process

Illustration Storytelling Process

Tools

Illustrator

In Design

Photoshop

Procreate

ChatGPT

Brief

Design a professional brand identity for Flocked In, a fictional study café that takes the pressure off hustle culture and helps students cope with procrastination.

Background

Procrastination is something many students struggle with. It’s easy to judge yourself and feel like you’re not doing as well as you should.

Research

Student Survey

I surveyed 4 students who struggle with procrastination to learn more about how it impacts their studies and life.

Said they procrastinate on a daily basis.

3/4

Struggles with distractions such as their phone and social media

4/4

“I feel like sometimes I’m not living up to my potential”

— Survey Respondent

Insight

Distraction from studying can stem from emotional resistance to a task, such as fear of failure or perfectionism.

Idea

Target the moment of emotional resistance using cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) and quick study techniques. Instead of stressing about how big your assignment is, what if you only had to work on it for 5 minutes?

Here’s how I’ve implemented that idea into the café experience

Activity Book

This is a little booklet of activities provided at every table.

Here are the activities and why they work:

Whats the smallest thing you could possible do to get started? not the whole essay, Just one sentence. Set a timer and begin.
When it beeps, you can stop or keep going. Both count.
Why this Works
It makes starting so small it feels less daunting
Reference
https://cogbtherapy.com/cbt-blog/end-procrastination-5-minute-rule
Big tasks are scary because they’re big. Chop yours into bite -sized pieces. Write each piece down, then take it one step at a time.
Why this works
Smaller steps feel more manageable.
Reference
https://www.all-about-psychology.com/the-zeigarnik-effect-why-unfinished-tasks-stay-on-your-mind.html
Think of an assignment or task you procrastinated on that didn’t go as you hoped.
Understand that you did your best with what you had. Reflect on how you could have handled it better.
Visualise doing that same task again but this time you got ahead of the problem!
How does that feel?
Now go make it happen!
Why this works
Research shows that picturing yourself successfully completing a task in great detail activates the same neural pathways as if it’s already happened. Making it more likely you will.
Reference
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/mindfulness/positive-visualization-the-scientific-benefits-of-visualization/
25 minutes of work, then 5 minutes of break. Repeat this as many times as you want. Make sure to take a longer break every hour and stretch your body.
Why this works
This one is for those who have already left their assignment to the last second and need a strategy to stay focused for longer periods of times. It can be easy to forget to take breaks.
Reference
https://www.todoist.com/productivity-methods/pomodoro-technique

Check In Kiosk

Parkinson’s law states that people can overcomplicate tasks to fill the time of a deadline. This means that setting tighter deadlines forces you to simply tasks meaning you can get them done sooner and feel accomplished.

This sign in kiosk forces you to set an intention, time, and emotion. Every time you make an entry your account stores the information. It helps you set more realistic time frames and may help you create more positive associations with studying.

Reference

https://neurolaunch.com/parkinsons-law-psychology/

Insight

Students value affordability.

Idea

Position the café as affordable and use
reward incentives.

Personality

Student Survey

Flocked In uses relatability and compassion to show that procrastination is a common problem and that it’s okay to struggle. Curiosity sits at the centre of the brand, so it stays playful, while the tone stays muted and neutral.

Personality Scales

Branding

Inspiration & Initial Sketches

I chose to use a mascot as a way to bring relatability and compassion to a serious problem. Aussie magpies are both very smart and highly chaotic creatures and I felt they would be fun to represent the chaos that is a procrastinating student.

I took inspiration from messy notes, stationery culture, wellbeing illustrations and typography. My challenge here is to find a balance between comfort and humour.