Similar to many freshmen in the Farmingdale Visual Communications major, I was eager and naive to what was ahead of me. I go from class to class collecting lists of supplies needed and heading the warnings and advice of my professors. Shortly after, I jumped in the car and sped my way over to the closest Michael’s. With the lists in hand, I scurried around the store, weaving through the isles to retrieve the supplies. Each addition to the cart was calculated, but soon the cart felt like there was an elephant in it. I lugged it over to the cashier, with every beep and scan, whatever enthusiasm I had drained from me. The bill towered over me intimidatingly and I reluctantly handed over my credit card. I made my way to the car and sat there in panic, “How can I keep up with this if I’m only working a part time job”. I reminded myself I was investing in me and my future. I envisioned what the next couple of years would look like, broke and stressed. Now that I had my collection, I saw that I could start the new semester off with a head start. Therefore, I would not need to spend as much money. However, the cost will still add up over each semester. Overall, regardless of how much supplies I purchase in the beginning of each semester, I am left with piles of supplies at the end. I watched my collection fluctuate throughout the semesters, but at the end I was still left with piles of supplies. I had come to terms that I would just be living with these supplies forever, they have become my new roommate.

Before I knew it, I’m sitting in a chair and the professor introduced herself and the course. I’m in Senior Project 1. As I struggled to come up with my idea, I sat there frustrated and confused. I was talking to a friend about how cluttered my room is and how it’s full of stuff I can not even get rid of. Then a light bulb went off, I had been staring at it the whole time. I need to figure out how to get rid of my supplies without throwing them out. Before I could get too excited, I did a little research, I looked on multiple websites and apps for people selling their supplies. I did not find a single listing in my area and I knew it was time for some real research and if it was worth continuing.

College Students need to find affordable art supplies while some need to find a way to get rid of their left-over materials.

According to a survey of 48 people conducted by the Markit team, 8.5 out of 10 students need to take at least one art course to graduate. A little less than half the students surveyed were non-art students. This means this is not only a problem art and design major students face, but any student that has to take an art course to graduate. Markit also found 47% of students spent $100 or more on required materials. Course supply lists are lengthy and are full of supplies that can be costly. Some high ticket items can include special watercolor papers and paints. Students often do not finish their supplies. 85% of students that had taken an art course are left with leftover materials at the end of the semester. This shows that there are supplies students spent money on that won’t be put to use unless the students make an effort to use them after the class is finished. Now that students have got the supplies, 93% of students with leftover supplies don’t use them and they become unused.

Markit’s visual design can be described as bright, bold and illustrative that is perfectly paired with simple open white space to create balance. The brand relies heavily on fun hand drawn looking illustrations and they are commonly paired with torn white sketch paper, or graph paper. Markit’s typographic strategy is to create a laid back, casual, and fun experience. Arlette bold perfectly sits next to the brand’s icon, The Markit dog. The icon tilts and hugs the italic bold type, yet not blending in too closely. Its bright pinks, yellows, and blues brings the eye to it first and directs it to the rest of the logo mark.

College students are always trying to find a way to save a little bit of money here and there. Many students are already drowning in the cost of textbooks, but when it comes to taking a required art course, students are dropping additional money on materials that they may never use again with no way of getting rid of them after. Markit helps both students with too many supplies and students looking for supplies for the upcoming semester. Both the Progressive Web App (PWA) and semi-annual event are to be used by college students to buy affordable art supplies and to sell their sell left over course material from previous semesters. Students can use the PWA to shop or simply submit materials for Markit to buy back. The event will run in the start of every semester to help students kickoff the semester on a good start. No more scrambling for coupons or even finding the closest art supply store near by! Markit’s main goal is to make this buying and selling art materials streamlined, quick, and easy for it’s users.

Part of Markit’s platform helps students find and purchase affordable supplies. It caters specifically to college students. Users are already familiar with purchasing used supplies for courses like textbooks. However, there are already existing platforms that sell used items and materials. That does not mean there is no space for Markit to come in and out do competitors like Ebay and Facebook MarketPlace. Both competitors have a huge amount of variety on their platforms, but that may be their biggest downfall. Ebay has a lot of listings but many aren’t for used supplies. Many are being sold at the same prices as big box art stores like Michaels. Another reason users have doubts about ebay as a platform is the amount of listings being auctioned. Many users claimed they did not like the unpredictability of auctions. They may not end up with the supplies and there are too many risks with auctions. Facebook Market runs a bit differently than Ebay though. This platform has more opportunity to purchase the used supplies, however, it is unorganized and not as much variety as one would think. Facebook Market has mostly paints and craft supplies. Markit addresses all of those concerns. Users are purchasing from Markit so, there is quality control, standard pricing, and comfort of shipping materials in a safe, timely manner. Markit’s secondary function is helping students get rid of excess supplies. Competition makes it more work for anyone interested in selling their supplies. Ebay and Facebook Marketplace leave the transactions upon the seller and they have to hold the supplies until they get purchased. Many users lose interest before they get any traction on a product. Those materials take up space and create more stress than relief for anyone trying to simply get rid of materials they no longer need. Users even state that they are more interested in getting rid of it and if they make a little money along the way they would be happy.

Markit’s main target audience, college students, need to find out about this wonderful tool coming to their school. The target audience is a group that is connected to social media especially Instagram, Snapchat, and Youtube. On instagram, there will be image carousels, and especially reels. They have gained popularity and have started to dominate the app. The reels would include a step by step process on how to add Markit’s web-app to your home screen. Snapchat ads would be much shorter and to the point to grab user attention with a simple clip that users can swipe up and be taken to the Markit’s web-app. Youtube would utilize more sponsorships with content creators associated with the art and design field, and have a similar audience as Markit. Other than social media, there would be advertising around campus and in public transportation areas. Many college students rely on public transport, so bus stations, subways, and taxis are valuable ways to grab their attention.

Markit's core user's are college students, so the merchandise will consist of items that this demographic enjoys. For example, stickers, pins, shirts, tote bags, and more. Market not only meeting users needs, but keep them stylish with it's bold graphics and pops of color.