Tanzas: The Mobile App

Logo / Naming / Brand Development

Tanzas is a mobile application prototype that allows users to participate in the scientific community by finding and identifying species in the St. Augustine area. I was involved with the brand development of the app. Our design team met with Professor Joe Ryan at the Whitney Lab for a tour of the site and a meeting with many of the key scientists. Users are able to upload and share photos of the plant and animal life native to the Matanzas Bay region, as well as measure their own and other's achievements through a leaderboard and badge system.

The name “Tanzas” is derived from the Matanzas River, which extends from the St. Augustine inlet and is home to varied wildlife in Florida. We chose the iconic turtle as the face of the brand because it’s a popular, loved and family-friendly animal that is a vital part of the Matanzas ecosystem.

The app is branded to be fun, activity-driven and family-friendly to reach the app’s target audiences. In marketing the app, our team utilized fun and engaging tone words to connect with younger audiences and to bridge the gap between entertainment and education. Our team developed personas to identify our target audiences: parents, children, teachers, and retirees.