Soft Power
Syndicate
Visual storytelling · Capstone project
Soft Power Syndicate · Visual storytelling concept
Soft Power Syndicate: What They Don’t Tell You
A hobby-brand concept and capstone project that explores Black womanhood through poetic, mood-driven visuals. Soft Power Syndicate combines visual storytelling, AI-assisted imagery, and spoken-word style captions to highlight the quiet strength, vulnerability, and resilience of Black women.
Brand concept
The idea behind Soft Power Syndicate and what it aims to express.
Brand
Brand
Soft Power Syndicate is a hobby-brand series built around visual storytelling and mood-driven aesthetics. Each piece aims to evoke emotion and provoke thought through carefully chosen visuals and narratives centred on Black womanhood. The recurring theme, “What They Don’t Tell You About Being a Black Woman,” focuses on unspoken experiences, quiet strength, and everyday realities that are often overlooked.
Direction and rationale
Why this project, and how it connects to my background and interests.
Rationale
Soft Power Syndicate
I manage a digital storytelling platform focused on visuals that explore the experiences I face as a Black woman, especially those that are rarely given space in mainstream media. The work includes poetic slideshows such as “They never warn you that your peace will feel loud,” combining themes of Black excellence, emotional insight, and cultural subtleties.
This concept builds on my background in psychology and my interest in exploring emotions without revealing too much. I am drawn to Black futurism and editorial styles, so the project becomes a mix of creativity and strategy. It gives room to experiment with AI tools and artistic direction, focusing on layered storytelling rather than purely personal narratives.
Inspirational brands
References that shaped the visual direction, mood, and storytelling approach.
Inspiration
Inspirational Brand 1
EveryStylishGirl
- Multimedia platform highlighting the achievements of Black women in fashion and media.
- Mix of editorial images, personal stories, collaborations, and approachable captions.
- Strong, uplifting visual style that showcases Black femininity in industry spaces.
- Key learning: keep the feed cohesive and pair visuals with concise, empowering captions.
Brand 2
Black Women in Visual Art
- Instagram account managed by Black women artists and curators, spotlighting visual work and events.
- Uses calm, editorial photography with minimal text.
- Treats the feed like a curated moodboard or museum wall.
- Key learning: let imagery lead and use text sparingly to support the mood.
Brand 3
Llanakila
- Visual artist focusing on colorful and lively portraits of Black women, with a touch of the futuristic, exploring themes of freedom and identity through striking imagery.
- What they do well: Turn feelings into visual art; creates meaningful and stylish images.
- What you can learn: How to use visuals to tell deeper stories; balancing mood, color, and message in art created with AI.
Marketing goal and channels
How Soft Power Syndicate will show up online in its first phase.
Goal
Launch goal
- Launch an Instagram account with nine thoughtfully curated posts.
- Create at least five visually strong, mood-focused pieces using AI, shared as carousels or short reels.
- Repurpose at least one visual story on Pinterest to broaden reach.
- Use a mix of three AI tools (for example ChatGPT for captions, an image model for visuals, and a TTS tool for voiceovers).
Persona
A mood-based audience profile for Soft Power Syndicate.
Audience
Mood-based persona
- She is a woman who embraces her gentle heritage and stands firm in her boundaries.
- She craves subtle affirmations, atmospheric beauty, emotional understanding, and cultural connection.
- She scrolls to find pieces of herself in stories, art, and meaningful expressions.
- Her energy is gentle yet impactful: she watches, senses, and recalls.
Content and publishing plan
What will be shared, where, and how often.
Content
Content
- Content will be shared on Instagram, Pinterest.
- The focus is on building a quiet, powerful digital presence rooted in Black femininity, emotional depth, and creative elegance.
- Carousels feature soft truths and futuristic visuals under the recurring theme “What They Don’t Tell You…”.
- AI-generated art and original text written in a spoken-word tone.
- An AI-narrated short reel will be published once a week.
- Reels pair a soft voiceover (via tools like ElevenLabs or CapCut’s AI voice generator).
- Weekly mood boards or visual essays inspired by themes such as “Unseen Crowns,” “The Soft Weaponry of Silence,” or “Diasporic Joy.”
Voice & Tone
- Expressive: capturing the essence of spoken word in writing.
- Gentle Assurance: calm and confident.
- Culturally Inspired: drawing from heritage, history, and future possibilities.
Publishing approach
- Prioritise quality and emotional impact over posting frequency.
- Keep the grid cohesive in colour and tone so the account feels like a visual journal.
- Use captions to add context, not to explain everything.
cap
This project is part of my wider exploration of Black femininity, emotion, and digital storytelling.
Next steps
Soft Power Syndicate sits alongside my other marketing and storytelling projects as a space to experiment with visuals, AI, and narrative structure. If you would like to discuss similar work or potential collaborations, feel free to get in touch via the contact section on the main site.