Bathroom tiles don’t absorb sound, your voice bounces back and forth around the room before fading away. And because the shower is a small space, it boosts your voice and even adds a little bass, making your singing sound more powerful.
What are the emotions connected to singing in the shower?
We don’t sing in the shower simply because we have a song stuck in our heads. It turns out we do it for many reasons: stress relief, happiness, sadness.
What does the experience of bathing bring?
Washing off the dirt after such a long day.
What are the cultural, social and religious meanings of bathing?
For the Turks, bathing is a semi-religious ritual in which purifying the body goes hand-in-hand with purifying the soul.
The Japanese used bathing as a leisurely, meditative, and sensual daily ritual, generally taking place in the evening before dinner.
Bathing is a process of cleaning your body through dipping in water. Taking a bath is mostly popular in the western part of the world but did you know that every country has their way of doing so. They even have their beliefs such as taking bath would bring them spiritually closer to their gods.
Is there a spiritual, psychological feeling? Physical? Is it a pleasant experience? A happy one? Or…? Is it a ritual? Habit? Necessity?
From prior knowledge, in some religious practices around the world, a bath can be also called a Spiritual bat. They have been used in many cultures to cleanse the soul, clear the mind, and ultimately heal the chakras with an intention to heal the spirit. In addition, studies show that the benefits of bathing are more than just skin deep. … They found that bathing resulted in less stress, tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, and depression
The three songs I selected are songs that reflect nostalgiaa and magic about a certain time period of your youth. These three songs are specifically related to the Harry Potter series.In a couple of weeks the harry potter series will turn 20 years since its first debut in theaters. Philosopher’s Stone and Goblet of Fire, for me. The former captured perfectly the feeling of magic and wonderment of stepping into the wizarding world for the very first time; Harry’s Wondrous World, Hedwig’s Theme and Leaving Hogwarts just might be the most “Potter”-iest pieces of music produced. I know the tone of the series changed a lot as it went on, but that child-like wonder will always stand out to me as something special which the series got bang-on first time round.
My target audience is Potterheads. Potterheads is the nickname given to fans of the Harry Potter series. The age range is complex because the Harry Potter books and the movie are timeless when it comes to age. But since it’s soap, I would say that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is slightly more defined. The primary target is intended for young adults. Ages 16-30, this person is a Harry Potter collectible, which means that Over the years they have collected rare items detailed to the Harry Potter series. They know all the soundtracks of the movie from 1-7. They have the entire soundtrack on their Spotify app, they watch all the movies twice a year. This person is young, carefree, they are creative, fun, and joyful. They Wear Harry Potter Apparel As Everyday Attire.
As soon as a Harry Potter fan listens to hedwig theme in the shower they quickly imagine themselves being transported into the magical world of Harry Potter. It’s a raining day at hogwarts it’s pass midnight the stars are glazing there’s is about the faintest light coming from the candle you put in the room, the water is Luke warm The smell of bay leaf is quickly devouring the space between you, your voice bounces of the wall as you magically sing your heart outto the song of your childhood.Your are now experiencing the song of the boy who lived.
The next soap conveys the mystery and excitement of a specific scene in the Yule ball. Harry Potter fans that grab this soap remember the first time they heard this song in the theater. This song plays as hermonie walks down the stairs for the first time to enter the Yule ball. As soon as the songplays Harry Potter fans imagine their little 10 year old selves preparing themselves for a school dance. Especially little girls. The temperature of the bath water is warm,there is makeup all over the bathroom sink, the dress hangs on a hanger, your prom date is waiting, the bathroom smells of lavender and jasmine, your singing your heart out because your excited for the mysterious night that is about to unfold before you. The dress your parents bought for you is all shadespink and drips of purple. You are hermonie. ( the story continues by John Williams)
And last but not least the next song and soap is inspired by Ron Weasley. Being the under dog for a long time throughout the show this song is his moment. The feeling this song conveys is glory, triumph, and excitement. Harry Potter fans can imagine themselves getting ready for a bigquidditch game, after so many years of not making the team they finally get to play. This is definitely a shower signing moment. The song is blasting in the back, the quidditch uniform is in hanging on the door. There is hot smoke coming from the shower because the water is hot. Your having a mini concert to prep yourself for the game of your life. Anxiety and excitement rush through your vines as you prepare for the game of your life.( Ron’s victory by Nicholas Harry)
Singles, couples, and small families predominantly shop at Trader Joes’. They have fair prices. Most of the items sold are small package sizes. They are not like BJ, Costco or Sam’s Club, and do not target large families or bulk buyers.
According to Business Insider as of September 2021, “Trader Joe’s average customer is a married person in an urban area who is 25 to 44 years old and earning $80,000”. Although I am not married nor do I currently earn that much, I still shop there.
Trader Joes’ competitors are grocery stores like WEIS, Fairway and Whole Foods, of which are large chains. (www.comparably.com/companies/trader-joes/competitors | craft.co/trader-joes/competitors) Trader Joe ‘s is not a health food chain, although most think it is, because it supplies a large amount of organic options in its stores. Whole Foods Market is associated with being natural and organic. The biggest difference in all 3 companies is that Trader Joes is privately owned, Weis is public and Whole Foods is a subsidiary. Subsidiary means a daughter company, or a company owned or controlled by another. In this particular case Whole Foods was bought by Amazon, and Fairway is under Wakefern Food Corporation. I researched Wakefern because I was unaware of what they did. Turns out they are the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the US. They pride themselves on helping small businesses and are a team of 50 member companies who independently own and operate supermarkets (www2.wakefern.com/).
I was actually underwhelmed by the section they had for cleaning and bathroom products. I shouldn’t be surprised that every trip to Trader Joes’ I see different products stocked on the shelves. At first glance, shelf impact there were four shelves dedicated to soap. Two rows were bar soap and two were liquid (not shown). When I took a closer look, only 4 of the bars were soap. The packaging with a mermaid on it is shampoo. As a side note, when I got home after shopping I researched bar shampoo more. Turns out it’s a new trend. I also give some credit to Trader Joes for creating the soap box in products that are made from FSC-certified forests, recycled materials and controlled wood. It may be hard to notice from the image but there are two primary packaging. The Mermaid Shampoo bar has a top box and a bottom box (www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/068069).
Trader Joe’s Shelf Impact
I also noticed how deep the shelf was and the amount of space above the products, followed by color. My focus went to Dr. Bronner’s soap because of the bright royal blue. Center and placed next to Dr. Bronner’s was an Oatmeal Exfoliant that also used a bright blue. Personally, the Oatmeal Exfoliant is my favorite, based on appearance, simple, not overpowering design with clear information. For me there were two negatives to Dr. Bronner’s. It felt overwhelming, text heavy and I was not sure if all the information was needed but it felt like the words became the graphics. Both Dr. Bronner’s and The Oatmeal Exfoliant are printed on paper. You can not see what the soap looks like. The packaging is selling. Whereas the Oatmeal Honey on the left of the image is wrapped in a clear plastic. Maybe their target audience was people who do not like texture in their soap. The ability to see it means they don’t have to describe it on the packaging. Similarly the lavender soap above the Oatmeal Honey, was also in clear packaging. The most obvious difference besides color and scent is the texture in the lavender soap. The label also states triple milled which reinforces texture.
This product is $2.99. It launched in January of 2002. At first the packaging was plastic and the soap bar was made in the US with French techniques. Since then Trader Joes has upgraded their packaging to sustainable, gift-worthy, kraft paper and now the soap is being made directly in France.
The French have a specific way to make soap called the French Milling Process, also known as the Triple Milled French Soap (www.naturalfrenchsoap.com/blog/what-is-french-triple-milled-soap). The process has been around since the 18th century. It involves shredding cold-processed soap, running it through three or more rollers to press it, resulting in harder texture and longer lasting. This bar has bits of colloidal oatmeal which provide the exfoliation. According to their site all health and beauty products have never been tested on animals. I do love this, but I WOULD not know this from the label itself. Only from additional research.
I like the overall appearance and the experience the soap brings you. Although I am not against products being made in the US. I think the graphics reinforce the soap being from France. I did research and learned Kraft paper is naturally biodegradable. Kraft paper can be broken down into cellulose fibers that naturally can be absorbed by the environment without a negative environmental impact (www.conserve-energy-future.com/is-kraft-paper-recyclable.php). Some industries are composting their natural packaging Kraft paper. I am not sure if the ink used to print on the kraft paper means it now is not biodegradable. BUT moving forward Trader Joes can implement ink from vegetables.
This soap is Dr. Bronner’s most popular scent. It is the fragrance of peppermint. It costs $3.79 at Trader Joes which is more than than their Ginger Oatmeal Exfoliant bar. When I went on the Dr. Bronner’s website says it coats $4.79 but is currently reduced to $4.07.
I wonder If I was in the store on an empty day or if Trader Joe’s only sells peppermint. Dr. Bronner’s soaps are all hemp based. Besides peppermint they have additional bar soap scents – hemp baby unscented, lavender, almond, citrus, tea tree, rose and eucalyptus.
What I like about their website is that when you read the product it tells you exactly what they are about, for example: organic U.S.-grown hemp oil for a soft, smooth lather that won’t dry your skin. Biodegradable in a 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper.
The company prides themselves on their cosmic principles 1. Work hard as an overall company, 2. Do right by customers – highest standards for ecological and social sustainability while making sure consumers are not misled and where organic standards are applied to body care just as they are to food, 3. Treat employees like family, 4. Build fair relationships with organic farmers, 5. Not to harm land, people or animals in the making of their product because they treat earth like home and finally, 6.They call themselves the “fighting soap community” because they want to regenerate agriculture, include fair trade, animal advocacy, industrial hemp, drug policy reform, living wages and other community organizations.
As I read some specifics to the things mentioned above I found their packaging information. They do use plastic for some of their bottles but they use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic packaging, bottle-to-bottle recycling and local recycling which reduces bottles shipped overseas = fewer greenhouse gas emissions! Recycling one ton of PET containers saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space! Another great thing about this company is they mention keeping track of the plastic industry and already are keeping track of innovative ideas like bio-plastics. Bio-plastics use renewable resources like plants and bacteria to create plastic that would otherwise be produced from petroleum. This technology is still in its early stages.
Trader Joe’s Shelf Impact (Hand lotion & Body Butter)
Trader Joe’s Coconut Body Butter is $5.49 for 8oz. It is not soap but it was displayed in the area next to the soaps. Trader Joe’s Coconut Body Butter was introduced way back in 2012. Their website says It absorbs into your skin very quickly, and doesn’t leave it feeling oily. This particular blend of ingredients is beneficial for all skin types, including if you have eczema or dry skin, or you just like to keep your skin feeling soft and fresh.
When I got home I wanted to research the product for myself. In doing so I found this article:
Trader Joe’s Brazil Nut Body Butter $6, also known amongst internet fans as Trader Joe’s Bum Bum Cream. According to the article I read about the Trader Joe’s product the base is shea butter and coconut oil which they claim is uber-hydrating and leaves your body feeling silky smooth. It also has antioxidant benefits from açaí and guarana extract, along with fatty acids, phytosterols, and polyphenols that visibly restore skin’s elasticity in just a few applications.
I tried to search for Brazil Nut Butter on Trader Joe’s website and could only find the Coconut Body Butter. According to an article I read it said Trader Joe’s, Brazil Nut Body Butter is only available for a limited time.
They say a difference is Trader Joe’s version does not smell as strong and does not last as long as the Sol de Janeiro. Other than that Trader Joe’s price is cheaper than Sol de Janeiro but it is also a smaller amount.
Both are what inspired me to look into SOL de Janeiro. I discovered SOL de Janeiro does not have bar soap.
There is solid scientific research that supports the benefits of singing in the shower. Researchers have discovered that singing leads to a stronger immune system (especially done in a group, such as a choir). Singers are less likely to catch any “bugs” that might be going around.
They also found out that people who sing in the shower have lower cortisol levels. Since cortisol is linked to stress levels, this ends up being connected to the heart.
Shower singing fights against sadness, chronic pain, and is even connected to longer life expectancy.
What does the experience of bathing bring?
The experience of bathing has been known to serve as a potent sleeping aid. Hot water combined with aromatics soothes us mentally AND physically.
What are the cultural, social and religious meanings of bathing?
In the days of the Roman Empire, the public baths were very important to the everyday social and cultural life of Roman citizens. There was no class system involved in the idea of baths – it was not unusual to see working class citizen bathing along with the wealthy. Public baths fell into disfavor with the Christianization of the Roman Empire and its ideas about morals.
Baths have been used in many different societies in ways that were as much therapeutic as for hygiene purposes. Soapmaking – as an industry – began in the late 18th century on a small scale. Pears and Lever are some of the oldest brands of mass produced soap in the world.
Due to personal bathing rooms now a standard in homes, bathing has gone from public ritual/ necessity to both ritual AND necessity, creating personal habit.
Chosen Consumer:
Young, 20- 40 something, Black professional, would listen to
Deep House/Soulful House
DownTempo/Chill
New Soul, Underground Soul
This person is active with friends, goes out for drinks occasionally. Likes exclusive events and music no one knows about. My consumer likes alt culture, is a bit of a fashionista (loves labels, but also loves boutique items that only THEY can find). The fragrances they like are strong, soapy, and ancient. Think: sandalwoods, patchoulis, frankincense
The soap section is positioned horizontally (like many located in grocery store settings). The bars are vertically facing and piled up to simulate a wall of sorts. Some bars are stacked haphazardly in spaces that weren’t made for them, resulting in a sloppy, cheap look.
The brand “Dove” stands out in a very soft, understated way. It’s pink (typical Dove bar is pictured next to it in characteristic blue). The pink color theme helps it to stand out from the competitors. You’ll see that “Zest” really blends into the “soap scenario”. The packaging is blue (or a variation thereof) and is immediately (like Dove) recognizable from a distance.
In terms of recyclability, reusability, sustainability, and biodegradability nothing could be gleaned from these products except that none of these concerns was evident in the obvious packaging.
Upon further research, it was found that there was very little information from Zest regarding sustainable packaging, however they position themselves as the “sustainable choice” based on the following factors:
It uses less plastic compared to body wash
It uses les energy to manufacture than body wash
It uses less water than body wash
There are more, but all of them share one common characteristic: Zest bar soap positions itself as an environmentally desirable alternative to body wash (exclusively), but NOT against other bar soaps.
Just so you know, my sketches shown above, have everything shown here. That i can then use to put into illustrator just to show to the class, and to show my “client”(which is dial soap).
In each of the design sketches i drew the showerhead, the barcode, the product durability symbol, the water, the dial logo, the lines resembling the words or text.
I was going to have silhouettes of people singing with their (fake) microphones, but now i’m not goona have that, because i actually want the design to look simple and straight to the point, not wild and confusing.
I also was going to have a showerhead with raindrops. But i’m not goona have that either because i didn’t wanna make it too literal. That’s how design is supposed to be. So you can ignore those parts. Especially if you see that in my sketches.
With the blue spring water, green mountain fresh and the lavender and jasmine “flavors” shown in this picture. I put that there, in the image for more info. That’s now given.
Yeah i actually changed this part of this 3rd project(if you remember correctly).
my concept board shown above
The 1st image – someone (or anyone) at a store, let’s say looking for soap. Dial soap that is.
The 2nd image-this is what their eyes would look like when they would see a dial soap bar.
The 3rd image-the dial soap bar with it’s packaging. With artists like….
The 4th image-…Josh turner pictured here on the left with blue dial soap special edition sing in the shower packaging on the right, combined in the same design
The 5th image-..With Billy Joel pictured here on the left with green dial soap special edition sing in the shower packaging on the right in the same design
The 6th image-..Ed Sheeran on the left with lavender and twilight jasmine dial soap special edition sing in the shower packaging on the right combined in the same design
The 7th image-This would be all of the different people having a small smile on their faces, after they see the dial soap bar packaging with all three artists
The 8th image-This would be the people thinking about what the lyrics are to the song names, they saw on the bar soap packaging
The 9th image-So, then they can sing in the shower
The 10th image-making the end goal successful.
Disclaimer: these artists will be in the design to reach white consumers as the primary focus.
Target audience description: primarily for 34- to 39-year-old white Americans. The consumers are supposed to enjoy and adore serenity, growth and love. which is what has to inspire my design for this special edition, singing in the shower bar soap package design.
For example: Mary Terri loves all of the things, mentioned above. In the target audience description.
-She likes serenity, growth and love, in her attitude, her husband and all of her 3 kids.
-For a 34 year old white woman like her. She likes to go to serene beaches, that are well…quiet and peaceful.
-She really likes Miami beaches. since they’re like that.
-She used to be wild and crazy from her time as a kid, until she met her husband, yeah , the man of her dreams.
-So all of that changed for her.
-She loves her whole family just the way they are.
-Whether it’s kissing each one of them on their cheek, or giving them money for anything they want sometimes, cooking for them at times, or anything else that deals with respect.
-Either way, she shows that compassion.
my concept board to shown here, at the top, to show what i’m explaining a little bit more.
People sing in the shower because, from science.howstuffworks.com it said that: “For many people, shower time is the only time they’re alone all day. You’re in a warm, small, safe environment. You’re comfortable enough to be in the buff! Stress literally washes off you. When you relax, your brain releases dopamine, which can give your creative juices a jumpstart.
Warm water is rushing over you, and now you’re relaxed and feeling good. It turns out that singing makes you feel even better. Singing, because of the breathing you put into it, gets more oxygen into the blood. This gives you better circulation, which in turn improves your body and mood. And because you have to breathe a little deeper to belt out a song, you get some of the same relaxation and mind-clearing benefits as meditation. Another neat thing is that when you’re singing, you really can’t think about your problems — more stress relief.”
From sites.psu.edu, The emotions connected to singing to the shower could be from how: “Singing releases endorphins and oxytocin in the brain, hormones that bring pleasure and relaxation. Endorphins in particular reduce our perception of pain, lead to feelings of euphoria, and enhance the immune response. This contributes to less stress, and a more relaxing shower.” So basically, it’s all about the endorphins.
The experiences that bathing brings can be from the fact that it can cleanse your body. From health.clevelandclinic.org: “Warm baths improve mental and emotional health.” “Warm baths are linked to decreases in stress hormones and more balanced serotonin levels, which help regulate mood.”
-“Warm baths soothe muscles and joints.” “Soaking in a warm bath a few times each week can also help with muscle soreness and tension, making it easier to exercise each day, says Dr. Zack.”
-“Baths can help heal wounds.” “Dr. Zack says that baths can help soothe infected sores and wounds.”
I’d say all of them are supposed to have music, on the soap bars.
The cultural, and the religious meanings of bathing could be from cnn.com where they mentioned that for some examples: ” In Ancient Greece, bathhouses were a place for men to wash after sport or swap philosophical discussions (some even contained libraries), while in the Middle Ages, men and women in Europe gave up bathing altogether, for fear it would spread disease.” “In Ancient Rome, they were sprawling complexes for socializing, but also sites of expensive architectural splendor “(that) served to establish and affirm an emperor’s power.” The social part can come from how: “Bathing involves the negotiation of intimacy and the management of the body, and as such entails aspects of being and of social exchange that have not traditionally been part of the standard, rather rationalistic and disembodied account of social policy.” From cambridge.org
We can say the spiritual part of bathing, can be from the ancient greek example mentioned before. The psychological part could come from how you can sing to release some kind of chemicals, from your body(endorphins) to make you feel good, and it could help you with your mental health as said earlier. The physical feeling could be that you get cleansed to your body, with the water.
I’d say it should be a pleasant experience to sing in the shower. The reason being is because from common knowledge, singing your favorite song from a song you might’ve heard over and over again, should make you feel at peace and kind of joyful. But to have a pleasant experience, without singingin the shower, could feel kind of boring and just like a regular time in the bathroom.
To do this type of activity or routine, i wouldn’t say it’s a habit. It’s just human nature, for some people that is.
There should be “Fragrances” and better yet kinds of soap that I will redesign, in my own unique way, for dial soap. Which are: blue(blue spring water), green(green mountain water) and Purple(lavender and twilight jasmine).
My detailed description about my chosen consumers: imagine someone (or anyone) at a store, let’s say looking for soap. Dial soap that is. They’re in between the ages of 34- to 39-year-old white Americans. Their eyes would look at (what i call) the special edition shower singing dial soap bar. They would see musical artists like: Josh Turner(in the blue packaging), Billy Joel(in the green packaging) and Ed sheeran (in the lavender and twilight jasmine aka the purple packaging). They(the consumers) would all be having a small smile on their faces, after they see the dial soap bar packaging with all three artists. Only because they would like those types of musical performers. They would be thinking about what the lyrics are to the song names, they saw on the bar soap packaging. So then they can sing in the shower like crazy, in their own ways, making mad noise and all that.
Dial soap background info, from their website’s about us page. For more details, for you to know about and for me to do my best into creating this type of design. Shown below:
“Maintaining a balance between economic success, protection of the environment, and social responsibility has been fundamental to our corporate culture for decades.” “Dial is confident that our products will leave your skin feeling healthy.”- dialsoap.com/about
Pictured above: my dial soap that i’m goona use for this 3rd project. from stop and stop. It’s also the image of my shelf impact shown above, after buying it and ripping it off. since it was a 3 in 1 pack. (In which we also need to design 3 packaging designs, for the reason i bought 3.) Pictured here: the shelf impact of the soap aisle. At a stop and shop in the Bronx. Across the street from where i live at. In case if you wanted to know.
Now, for this project I really chose dial soap. It’s a pretty good item from when you want to wash your body in the form of bar soap. Within the SECOND image shown on top of these words. It says dial soap, on the soap packaging itself. For those of you who can’t read it and just in case you were curious.
From the second picture above, On the shelf its horizontal. Its piled up. There are 15 1/2 facings. The half is from the last item, on the bottom right, that has been cut off. Only because I got the first blue one next to the 2nd green dial mountain fresh soap bar pack.
Away from the gondola, the one that stands out to me, is the blue dial soap bar packaging. Once again next to the dial mountain fresh soap bar pack. The reason is because i picked that blue bar pack. The answer can’t be more simpler than that.
Coming from the picture above, the variations of soap are recognizable. it has nothing to do with flavors. This isn’t about food and it’ll continue to be that way.
The whole design is working
What isn’t working for me, could be from where it says spring water and then below that it has some other text that looks pretty cluttered. that can be changed especially.
The recyclability, reusability, sustainability, biodegradability should be good. That’s what i can even put in the design itself. I could put the words “good for the environment” as part of my final design for it. after my research of it.
Dial soap background info, from their website’s about us page. For more details, for you to know about and for me to do my best into creating this type of design. Shown below:
“Maintaining a balance between economic success, protection of the environment, and social responsibility has been fundamental to our corporate culture for decades.” “Dial is confident that our products will leave your skin feeling healthy.”- dialsoap.com/about
Aside from that i can basically try to redesign it, as an upgrade, in the best way that i can.
