Ethnico as a concept still required a product strategy. A strategy that would focus on solving pain points with modern solutions. 
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I honed in on our potential user base and competitors. By analyzing competitors and mapping out the customer journey, we were able to identify opportunities and build a foundation from which I could kickstart our challenge.

The food and beverages industry is massive. However, according to insider knowledge, there is still plenty of room for modernization and optimization. Particularly in the B2B space. For Ethnico, that would mean finding which puzzle pieces appear to be misplaced and which puzzle pieces were missing. Building upon our foundation, we took an audit of potential issues, opportunities, and standard use patterns. Speed, last mile, and connection were reoccurring topics.

After understanding our objectives, the next step was to define our product principles. Principles that act as my baseline for designing Ethnico brand and product. I worked with the founder to match business objectives with design and brand opportunities. To be quick, simple, and approachable would become leading.

As my client already had a list of requirements, they still had to match the user's needs. I compared the product requirements with our potential users. Building upon prior research, I created user personas as points of reference. References from which I could generate new functionalities that could optimize the app.

I started the design process by analyzing the product context and usage. Having gathered sufficient data, I began designing flows that would align with the product principles.

To validate the user flows, I created rapid paper prototypes. Creating such prototypes allowed me to eliminate unnecessary steps in the user flow. Working through an iterative process of prototyping and testing, I set up navigational patterns as a framework by which I could iterate.

Building on the baseline user flows, I designed lo-fi wireframes. As speed and simplicity were our leading principles, I looked for opportunities and patterns that I could utilize to optimize the product for quick interactions. I worked with several respondents to gather feedback which led to necessary iterations.

To continue the product design process, I first had to find the tone of voice for Ethnico. Ethnico's tone of voice would act as the baseline by which I can design the identity, brand personality, and expression. Relating to our product principles, we found that the brand of Ethnico had to express the following tone:

Approachable
‍For Ethnico, we wanted to contrast the current landscape. In the current market, various competing companies present themselves as corporate entities. Our goal was to create a human experience that would lower the barrier of communication for small businesses.
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Simple
‍Ethnico has to be simple. Simple in communication, simple in design, and most importantly, simple to use.
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Quick
‍Ethnico has to express speed in its brand, identity, and product. As its core product pillar, every facet of its service has to be quick, efficient, and painless.

Confidence
‍In a competitive market with loads of players, Ethnico is looking to do things differently. The brand has to express confidence to solidify its spot in the space. Confidence going both ways, Its clients should be confident in using Ethnico as their service.

Because I had a clear baseline to work from, I started the identity design process by linking the tone of voice to keywords related to the project. As its name suggests, Ethnico links to ethnic-themed foods. Ethnic being the theme led me to research ethnic designs, color schemes, and patterns. By making a stylescape, I quickly distilled various styles that could work for Ethnico.

To best represent the name and the tone of voice, I opted for bright red and simple geometrical shapes, using illustrations to give the brand a friendly and personal touch. After multiple iterations, the Ethnico identity was born.