Notes from Notchcode

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All solitary dreamers know that they hear differently when they close their eyes.

-Gaston Bachelard

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Notes from Notchcode

1.05.2010

Why typographic consistency matters

Check out this billboard, spotted near Santa Fe and 6th Avenue in Denver. It's for a local lingerie boutique, Sol. All the print and outdoor advertising I've seen for Sol in the past has carried across their typographic style from their brand identity (which is typographically-based) into their ads. And the photos have been very consistent, too.

So what's up with the LARGE TYPE below the image, where it states that Sol is your "YOUR BRA FITTING DESTINATION"? It's completely out of character for this brand, and for the tone that Sol has worked so hard in the past to cultivate: sexy, understated, yet somewhat risky, and always fashionable. The color choice for the background (a bright red) is also out of character for Sol; in the past they've used earthy, or metallic, secondary colors that matched the duotone photographs. Now, the image here is in color, so maybe someone decided to key the background off the scarf worn in the model's hair. But it's a bad call. It reminds me of a car commercial. A local car commercial. Or maybe an ad for a Snuggi.

I can assure you that Sol is NOT selling Snuggis...so why the new direction for their look? My hope (if you can call it hope) is that someone at Sol was offered a discount on this particular piece of outdoor placement, and someone at the outdoor company designed it for them. I could imagine in this scenario that Sol's agency would not be pleased, either. On the other hand, if Sol's agency was responsible, I'm very interested to know how this fits into their current branding strategy for Sol, and why they've taken this turn. Maybe the old campaign isn't selling bras they way that it should, and this is the start of a new direction. If it is, they need to reconcile the stylistic differences between the Sol brand and the new look. Right now they just don't fit together, and that's what's so jarring.

I don't by much (any) lingerie, so I am not the target audience for this outdoor campaign; but the color and typographic choices here are far outside the brand identity that this company has worked for years to create. I hope it's a one-off, because they aren't doing themselves any favors with the dissonance served up in this piece.
Labels: branding, graphic design, outdoor

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12.17.2009

"The Power of Four". Is Aspen Snowmass an economy car, or a ski area?

SRSLY, PPL. This slogan I am sure is referring to the number of ski areas that are a part of the Aspen/Snowmass family, or maybe the number of gondolas that run directly from the top of the mountain to the Caribou Club, or perhaps the number of martinis it takes for you to think that their season pass rates are affordable....right?

Ok ok, I know that it's a reference to the four mountains you can ski up in the Roaring Fork Valley. But I have to think that there were half a dozen better slogans out there in the creative ether that would be more effective. "The Power of Four" is short and succinct, but it makes you take the last semantic leap yourself ("four what, exactly?") rather than tie it all up in a nice little copy bow for you. I know, accuse me of wanting to have it all spelled out for me, but I think sometimes simple is better. Simple and clever is ever better than that. Simple and clever and sellable to the client is always the challenge, I suppose, right?

Labels: agencies, branding, skiing

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12.10.2009

Accurate color reproduction of your brand image is important.

I was quoted in this article over at Steve Duncan's blog about why accurate color is vital to maintaining your brand image.

Bottom line: it's all about consistent impressions, people. Learn it. Live it. Love it.
Labels: branding, printing, process

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7.23.2009

Radio Shack rolling out new brand identity in August

Following the Tour de France today, I came across Lance Armstrong's message that he will be partnering with Radio Shack next year to form an American pro cycling team. That was enough news for one day, it seemed. Until I noticed in Radio Shack's related presser that the company will be rolling out a new brand identity in a few weeks. As Their Chief Marketing Officer, Lee Applebaum said in the release:
"We are re-launching our brand with a new creative platform in early August, and now having Lance on our team - an American icon who embodies the spirit of mobility, connectivity and philanthropy - really allows us to accelerate our brand's evolution."

"re-launching our brand" I guess could mean they're keeping the same identity, but I don't think so. "new creative platform"....that's nice and vague. Skywriting? Perhaps some sort of chalk-bot-inspired piece of MAKE-kraft? THAT would be truly DYI-inspired, and be a hit with the MAKE-rs of the world.

I'll be interested to see how they position themselves. For years, Radio Shack was the go-to place for hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers interested more in making things work than the brand name on the package. Lately Radio Shack has positioned itself as not only a place you can go for capacitors and AC adapters, but also to buy cell phones, sattellite radio receivers, televisions, and more "finished" consumer electronics goods.

With the recession making everyone look towards fixing what they have rather than throwing it out and replacing it with something new, Radio Shack's fortunes have actually improved, as people once again turn to it for replacement power cords, battery chargers, and resistors.

So which way will Radio Shack go with the new brand? More towards consumer goods? Or back to its roots as the neighborhood electronics parts supplier? I kinda hope it's the latter--we already have too many consumer goods stores, and look where CompUSA and Circuit City have gone. I'm not the only one who thinks this is a good idea, either.

Radio Shack Armatron (I had one of these!) from unlovablesteve on Flickr.
Labels: advice, branding, cycling, DIY

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7.14.2009

A Ringing Endorsement

Sometimes a negative is a positive, especially when it comes from a company that has an even worse online portfolio than I do! Really, folks, I know my site is still in the stone age, but don't talk the trash if you can't back it up with work we can see (the portfolio section, if you can call it that, was some sort of slow-loading Java thingie that never finished loading, and wasn't branded with the same UX as the rest of their site. C'mon, people! Let's use something better than iWeb to build your own site--especially if you offer web design services!)

The interesting thing to me is that these guys are in southern California (a place where I've never had any clients) and work primarily in the entertainment industry (which, aside from being a DP on a friend's short, I've never worked in or for). Love the birdie photo on the right, especially. I mean, really, WTF? Is this how you promote your business? I have a feeling they pulled my name off a Google search for "creative services denver" (picking Denver at random, perhaps) and plucked my URL from there.

Who knows? Who cares, really? Just another example that the internet may be a great place to find good people who can help you to make your business succeed, and it can also be a place full of mediocrity and Red Bull-filled nonsense.
Labels: b2b, branding, california, humor, underpants gnomes

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4.15.2009

Baking bread and branding are the same thing

It's a process. You can't do it without a formula and a set of steps that can be repeated--unless, of course, you want a result that leaves a poor taste in your mouth.

Too many cooks can result in a loaf that's either bland, over-thought (see below), or tries to do too much. As Peter Reinhart says, sometimes only white bread will do. Other times, you need Struan. Just decide what you're making before you start, and stick to it.

There are elements that are common to every recipe. Bread always requires some sort of flour. Branding always requires some sort of distilled ("milled") essence in order to digest easily and pleasantly.

It's repeatable. You know what to expect at each step, and what variables you can modify, tweak, and change in order to make it a unique loaf.

Both bread and branding require some time of rest. Dough needs to rise. Research and analysis needs to be assimilated into the big picture. Concepts need time to ferment if you want them to fit better into your project.

You can overbake them. Knead the dough too much. Overanalyze. Over focus-group. At some point, you have to have the wisdom to know it's ready to come out of the oven.

Labels: advice, branding, bread

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3.30.2009

Nice dental practice business card

This is a great design for a dental practice's business card. Removing the insert also removes the "cavity" in the die-cut tooth:

Print pieces like this aren't as cheap as the "normal" business card, but the impact is about a thousand times better. If a dentist pulled one of these out and handed it to you, would you forget who they were? Doubtful. Totally worth the additional production cost if you want to make an impact.

via Kottke
Labels: branding, graphic design

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3.11.2009

Using another organization's good-brand-will to make yours seem better

Is it just me, or does this logo:

Look a lot like this logo:

????

The top logo is the visual mark for a new Starbucks campaign called "Shared Planet". The bottom logo belongs to the Environmental Protection Agency. Now, I can see that they're not identical, but they are similar enough that If I was the EPA and had a bone to pick with Starbucks for some other reason (say they were also deforesting West Virginia mountaintops as part of some nefarious plan to eliminate the domestic coffee production market---which they aren't) I'd sure look into how to sue them for infringement.

But even if it's not technically (or legally) infringing, does it do any good for Starbucks to come so close to the EPA's brand? In this case, it certainly does. The Shared Planet campaign is all about environmental responsibility, so any goodwill created by the brand image of the EPA would certainly help Shared Planet, if it happens to rub off on the viewer's mind that way. I would also ask: "what if a close association with an organization put off potential buyers who, while admiring of Starbuck's environmental and ethical efforts, want Starbucks to be Starbucks, and the EPA to be the EPA?"

Here's another way of looking at the two:

Labels: branding, bug

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3.03.2009

The official Recovery and Reinvestment Act project logo

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has a logo, which will appear on all projects funded by the Act:

It's nice, I suppose. One interesting thing I noticed is the upper left borders of the two stars that intersect with the blue background border (in the upper left quadrant of the logo) aren't there. These two stars look like they've opened up, blossomed, perhaps, into the white space of the circular inner border.

Another nit-picky thing: the "RECOVERY.ORG" typography is very small. If you're using it at the size you see on this screen, it's about 14 points in size (nice use of old standby Trade Gothic, BTW. Is there a subliminal message to be had there, in the use of a typeface whose name reflects commerce?). When this mark is used in smaller sizes, the type is going to become illegible. I could see this happening when the ARRA money is being used along with other funding for a large project, and promotional roadside signs, posters, and web banners have to fit a lot of logos into a small space (they become, in PR parlance, "bugs".)

The little reverse swiss cross that forms the center of the big gear in the lower right quadrant of the mark...it alludes to the health plan reform, perhaps, as being integral to the recovery?

[3/3/09 22:24] UPDATE: This emblem, along with one specific to transportation projects, was designed by MODE in Chicago. Um, if you don't know by now, they did the Obama "O". (I can't wait for a Denverite to be President: more branding work for us Queen City designers...).

Other comments? Post them below!

image via abc news

by the way: looks like the folks over at recovery.gov are using Numbers for their charting:
Labels: branding, bug, design, graphic design, illustration, information graphics, politics, typography, usability

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2.24.2009

A user interface straight from a 1990's German car radio

VW has been using this blaupunkt-style navigation menu interface for a couple of years now, and even when it was new, it looked pretty old.

Takes up a lot of space, too, and doesn't integrate with the look and feel of anything on the rest of the site. Wassup with that, VW? I love the chunky german radios in your older cars as much as the next guy, but what are they doing on my computer monitor?

Labels: branding, cars, interface, usability, visual information, web design

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2.23.2009

Now I won't have to wonder what that new store-brand orange juice is

...because Tropicana is dropping their bland, "looks-just-like-a-house-brand" orange juice packaging, and returning to their original, more distinctive design. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was confused and/or annoyed by the new look. The New York Times' Stuart Elliott has an article here.

A telling excerpt:

“We underestimated the deep emotional bond” they had with the original packaging, [Neil Campbell, president at Tropicana North America] added. “Those consumers are very important to us, so we responded.”

Among those who underestimated that bond was Mr. Campbell himself. In an interview last month to discuss the new packaging, he said, “The straw and orange have been there for a long time, but people have not necessarily had a huge connection to them.”

Reminded of that on Friday, Mr. Campbell said: “What we didn’t get was the passion this very loyal small group of consumers have. That wasn’t something that came out in the research.”
Labels: b2c, branding, clients, design, food, logo, packaging, typography

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2.19.2009

A tour of $99 logo sites, by Doug Bartow

Ever wondered what you get from a bargain-basement, cheapo logo firm that offers "unlimited revisions" (even "unlimited concepts"!) for less that it costs for a good pair of spinning rims for your Bentley? Well, if you make enough to own a Bentley, you probably have the business sense not to ever find out. Instead, consider this wonderful post from Doug Bartow, who held his nose long enough to get logos from four of the "top" cheap logo companies. As a branding and design guy, he takes a critical look at what was offered up to his fictional company, a (nonexistent) rollerderby team in Troy, New York.

some of my favorite excerpts:

[traditional brand designers] operate under the somewhat antiquated notion that actually getting to know our clients might help us better understand their communications needs, and, as a result, do a better job defining and articulating their message in an engaging and compelling way. Crazy, I know.

...

After about 10 minutes, the "wizard" determined my rollerderby club's profile to be a "strong, confident and sophisticated business." Sophisticated? Perfect, if I were TAG Heuer or BMW.

...

Rather than focusing on clearly understanding the client's business and needs, the general solution put forth seems to be simply providing more and more sketches until something visually clicks—or the client's budget is depleted.

The whole story (and the accompanying logos that Bartow received) are worth a look. The main point is that a good logo comes from knowing the organization, it's hopes, aims, audience, and personality...not easy to do via a one- (or seven-) page form on a website (plus the $99, of course).
Labels: b2b, b2c, branding, customer service, graphic design, logo

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2.03.2009

Followup post on the Zoo from Malenke | Barnhart's Dan Barnhart

Dan posted this comment over at the Denver Egotist, and asked me to cross-post here. It brought up the level of civility and constructive criticism and thoughtfulness on the thread by about a bijillion percent. Thanks, Dan, for the comment. Here it is:

Quite a few levels of bummer here. I wanted to put in a few cents if I may in all humility, and call out for some help for Denver Zoo and all non-profits in this town.

level 1: its a bummer Alan Bucknam had a bad experience trying to reg for Summer Safari. It just is. We've all wanted to put our fists through our computer screens right? Alan, I will see if I can talk to the folks at Denver Zoo and help you get your kids in if I can. No promises, OK?

level 2: its a bummer Denver Zoo is a non-profit and simply does not have enough money to afford a really good purchasing tool because they spend the funds they actually do have on animal conservation in Denver and around the world, keeping endangered species on our planet. I personally appreciate that more. They had such a high number of requests yesterday that their entire POS system (which is the online purchasing function as well) was crippled. They told me they were getting about 5 credit card requests a second. Leaps and bounds more than their meager system can handle.

level 3: its a bummer that Malenke|Barnhart didn’t get to completely rebuild Denver Zoo's purchase tool but there was only so much we could do pro bono and not many agencies do full-scale POS systems. As mentioned before, the site was named one of the top 5 in the world in the non-profit category by the Webby’s in ’07. Denver Zoo was very gracious and extremely thankful for what MB did and continues to do for them. The aforementioned is not meant to be a plug just something to factor in.

level 4: its a bummer we all are flaming one another these days. I mean, it happens every day of the week, publicly online, offline, over coffee, over lunch, over our 4th cocktail. Denver should feel proud that we have such a high level of talent in the interactive field here. Look around, there are some world class digital agencies in this town. We gotta respect that more.

Level 5: Isn't it a bummer we agencies can't do more for non-profits in our town?
A call to all agencies: How can we help our non-profits do more? I know we probably all feel like we do a lot already but CLEARLY, its not enough. Any ideas??? and by that I mean positive ones :)

Hey Alan, can you put this post on your blog page? The more people seeing this the better.

Thanks man!

Dan

So, designers and nonprofiteers: what would YOU suggest to help organizations like the Zoo do great marketing, even after their pro bono benefactors have to turn over the keys to you and head off for other things? Post a comment here and we'll cross-post at the Egotist as well.

Dan, as for item #1: Thanks, but I eventually did get my order processed and have my confirmation number right here in front of me. Very thoughtful of you, and there you go again building goodwill with the Zoo brand (and yours, too. Good double-play! Plus, it was just a nice thing to do. )
Labels: advice, agencies, branding, denver egotist, nonprofits

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1.27.2009

New Super Bowl Logos

The New York Times asked graphic designers from around the country to reinvent the Super Bowl logo, and have presented eight of their favorites here. Interesting theme is shown in three of them, which intersect two football helmets, Venn-diagram-style, to create a football in the middle, as in this example from Pentagram:

Related article: For XLIII Years, the Big Game as Art Form

Labels: branding, logo, sports

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1.06.2009

Why working on spec and logo design contests and "tournaments" are bad...for designers AND clients

Saw this little ad on Facebook today:

"Excellent Results for only $250", the ad states. Hmmm. Let's explore the reasons why the client who engages in a logo design competition or tournament will not get excellent results. According to the AIGA, there are several reasons why such contests are bad business for companies looking for a brand. In its letter to a foundation that was soliciting design submissions for a logo competition, the Cleveland chapter of the AIGA asserted that:
AIGA strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.

AIGA cites many reasons for this position:
To assure the client receives the most appropriate and responsive work...

...Capable and professional designers do not work for free.

...Requesting work for free demonstrates a lack of understanding and respect.

The letter goes on:
There are few professions where all possible candidates are asked to do the work first, allowing the buyer to choose which one to pay. Just consider the response if you were to ask a dozen lawyers to write a brief for you, and you would then choose which one to use and which to pay. We realize that there are some creative professions with a different set of standards, such as advertising and architecture, where billings are substantial and continuous after you select a firm of record. In these cases, you are not receiving the final outcome (the advertising campaign or the building) for free up front as you would be in receiving a communication design solution.

There is an appropriate way to explore the work of various designers.
A more effective and ethical approach to requesting work is to ask designers to submit examples of their work from previous assignments as well as a statement of how they would approach your project. You can then judge the quality of the designer's previous work and way of crafting solutions. When you select a designer, they can begin to work on your project by designing strategic solutions to your criteria while under contract.

The authors of the article have a good point: where else would you expect a professional to do the work first, then decide whether or not they would be paid?

But this is just the ecomonic issue. The more important issue for the business asking for the logo is this: Asking people to submit logos that you select a "winner" from won't allow you to get the most effective result. Here's what you will most likely get:

a logo that uses a color or typeface the boss likes

a logo that looks a lot like the other logos in your industry

a logo that doesn't take into account the unique attributes of your organization

a logo that is, in short, "safe"

It's not just small companies or nonprofits that can get burned by taking what they think is the easier, better way out: the Goverment of Spain had the exact same problem. Their logo contest winner's entry was amazingly similar to the German government's logo. I wish I was making this up. Check it out:

The German government's identity:

And the Spanish government's "winner":

The AIGA's position of spec work can be found here. As they say:
AIGA believes that doing speculative work seriously compromises the quality of work that clients are entitled to and also violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide. AIGA strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.
Labels: advice, aiga, branding, design, logo, marketing, nonprofits, work for hire

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12.23.2008

Brand New: Best & Worst 2008 logo rebrandings

It's that time of year again: best/worst lists abound. Brand New did a little review of the best and worst rebrandings of the year, and it's a nice little list. What did they miss? I'd like to submit Miller Coors as one heck of a nice branding job, from Pentagram:
Labels: branding

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12.17.2008

Website refresh: BalePhoto.com goes live!

I created a website a couple of years ago for Andrew Bale, an excellent photographer and teacher in Pennsylvania. After it was up and running for a while, we both wanted to make some tweaks.

The refresh of the website has just launched, and it looks and works great. Check it out at BalePhoto.com.

The main differences are in the portfolio categories, and in the way we present the images. They are similar to the galleries I used for CarlSanderSocolow.com, but more refined: we have back/forward/close functionality (both by clicking on the image, and using the keyboard). And the load time is better.

Andy was great at letting me know what he wanted the site to do, and what his priorities were. In some cases, you have to sacrifice one preference in favor of another, and he knew what he wanted. I was also able to show him some alternatives that presented opportunities for usability and presentation that make his images look good.

But, really, a photography portfolio site is only as good as the images in it; Andy has some lovely and compelling work, and I hope you head over and check it out!

Congrats, Andy!
Labels: branding, interface, photography, web design

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12.16.2008

Brand update, in the wild

I was picking up a gift for a family our preschool is sponsoring for Christmas, and spotted this excellent brand update for Habitrail:

The linked letterforms echo the essence of the product: interconnected plastic tubes that rodents can wander around. The gray color of the typography allows the product and secondary banding (the product name) to stand out. Really excellent work!
Labels: branding, logo, typography

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Brand yourself

Don't think you need a personal brand? Don't think you already have one?

What sort of clothes are you seen in?
What sort of food do you eat?
What car do you drive?
What sort of exercise do you enjoy?
What type of pen or pencil do you write with?
What sort of computer do you use?

A lot of these items are functional. Everyone needs to eat. Most people need to wear clothes. And a lot of people don't give these things a second thought. And I'm not suggesting you change what you eat merely to keep up appearances; I eat what tastes good! But recognize that all of these things make up a picture of who you are perceived to be, by the outside world.

If you don't care about that, that's fine. But if your business is driven by who you are, and you are the company...you should give some thought to how you are put together.
Labels: branding

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12.10.2008

Six marketing ideas for a recession

Now that the recession is "official", why not use it as an excuse to tighten things up?

Not tighten your belt, necessarily, but tighten up the way you use your marketing? What serves you well in a recession will serve you well when times are good, too. So, to that end, I bring you:

Six marketing ideas for use in a recession (and when things bounce back):

The amuse-bouche.

Give your clients a little something extra, that you enjoy doing and also benefits them.

Nontraditional uses of traditional marketing pathways

Forget about the coupon in direct mail. What about a "secret word" that brings your customers a discount or access to special services...that only "select" people receive via your permission-based email blasts...or getting your clients involved in an online dialog that benefits all of them (on your site, of course)...none of these suggestions are groundbreaking, but think about how much they cost, compared to traditional direct mail, etc....

Redefine what "essential" is, in relation to marketing and brand expressions

What's more important: meeting someone face-to-face, or sending ten people a direct mail piece talking about your services? Getting new clients, or strengthening ties with existing ones? Or both? Having that nice rounded die-cut corner on your letterhead, or spending that extra $250 on overhead for an informational seminar for your clients?

Now is the time to think hard about what you really need, and why you are using the marketing strategy you currently employ.

Less is more, and now's your chance to prove it

Do you really need a fax machine? Need a fax number on your business card? When was the last time you actually sent a fax versus an e-mail? Use cost-trimming as an excuse to streamline your communication pathways, clearing out the chaff of old technology and ways of thinking and replacing them with methods and channels that are relevant to your audience.

An opportunity to enter new markets or new marketing channels

How about an iPhone app that pushes relevant info to your target market? Outdoor advertising to get someone's attention focused on your issue? Permission-based e-mail campaigns to build brand impressions? If you haven't thought about these options, now is a good time to do so. Why? Because approaching people from another angle allows you to catch them off guard, and hopefully even give them information or motivation that they really need in order to get your company in their life.

Redefine your brand

Why not? If things are really going down the tubes, take a hard look at your existing brand. Is it reflective of your organization, your product, and your culture? Does it address the relationship between your organization and the public at this moment? What about in five years? Time and money spent refining your brand right now, when things are down, will get paid back in spades down the road, as other organizations play catch-up.

What are some ideas you have? Let's hear about them in the comments!

photo by jtloweryphotography
Labels: advertising, advice, b2b, b2c, branding, clients, creativity, design, graphic design, marketing, nonprofits, process, productivity, small business, web design

posted at 11:27 AM Leave your comments here: 0 comments

12.09.2008

From the Archives: Design Versus Style

From January 2006, on this very blog:

For something to be well-designed, it must meet the functional needs and expectations of the user. For it to be styled well, it must live up to the aesthetic needs and expectations of the user. An important difference. Often, design and style influence each other, and good style often is just as important to a successful marketing effort, or branding effort, or architectural effort, as design. But a fun style doesn't always lead to a beneficial experience, at least in the funcitonal sense.

Check out the whole post on design versus style here.
Labels: advice, branding, design, marketing, visual information

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When are enough revisions enough?

The short answer is: when either your budget is exhausted, or your are satisfied that it's perfect, whichever comes first.

Why a set number of revisions in an agreement?

Some graphic design and web design clients may have trouble respecting your revision cycle. That's why designers have a set number of revision cycles for conceptual development and typographical edits built into their agreements. But it's up to the designer to keep the lines of communication open to make sure the client knows they are approaching the edge of the cliff that is The End Of The Revision Cycle.

What Happens if you don't tell them they have run out of time?

If you don't let a client know that they are nearing the end of the revision cycle, expect to pick up the tab of your client's extra revisions; it's unprofessional to let them keep revising and revising and then expect them to pick up the tab on a bunch of AAs without giving them fair warning. Additionally, it will help to keep the client's process tighter; if they know they only have a set number of shots at refining a concept down to razor-sharp accurate expression, then they WILL pay better attention. Trust me.

The end goal: a great design that does its job

In the end, the most important thing is making sure that the design clearly articulates the vision set forth by the objectives set forth by you and the client in the design brief. Keeping the lines of communication open, and having respect on both sides for each others' time and effort will go a long way to making this happen.
Labels: advertising, advice, branding, design, graphic design, performance, web design

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12.08.2008

Great Graphic Design makes everything better

One thing I remind people about all the time: everything anyone has ever made has been designed by someone. Great graphic design makes products, companies, and ideas more accessible by more people. Bad graphic design just makes products, companies, and ideas more opaque.

What differentiates the good from the bad? Lots of things. Focus. Brand integration. Accessibility. Grokability.

Paying someone $150, or $400, to design a logo will almost always result in bad design. Does that mean the designer who made it is not a good designer? Not necessarily. What it does mean is they aren't taking the time to find out what the essence of that brand should be. The same thing goes for paying a similar amount to design a website. Or a brochure. Even if you think about that money in terms of an hourly rate, rather than the value the design has for you (which is really how you should look at it), what does $150 translate to, in hours? I'll tell you: very, very little.

Would you trust a lawyer to draft the articles of incorporation for your business for $50? Would you let a $400 doctor operate on your heart?
Labels: advertising, advice, aiga, b2b, b2c, branding, graphic design, illustration, information graphics, interface, licensing, logo, marketing, nonprofits, packaging, process, ROI, seo, typography, visual information, web design, work

posted at 9:48 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments

12.03.2008

Distillation

Can you define your brand's essence into half a dozen words?

Not words that your customers will see in marketing, necessarily. But words that can help you drive the expression of your brand.

If you can't, can someone else in your organization?

Without knowing the essence of your brand, your brand identity is just an empty symbol.
Labels: branding

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12.01.2008

Snippets of Design and Branding interest for today

Some graphic design and branding news from today:

A nice take on the calendar: Calendar Tape! This is a nice modular design which would integrate well with just about any office/home/workspace:

via Better Living Through Design

My friend Nick takes us through the process of making a classic Commedia mask in the traditional fashion over at his blog:

An excellent product design here in a children's scooter:

via BabyGadget

A Periodic Table of Branding, via Logo Design Love:

Labels: branding, graphic design

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11.25.2008

Great Design Firms have Great Clients

A big slice of roasted turkey, heap of mashed potatoes and gravy, and a side of dressing for my wonderful clients and creative partners who have made this year so good (listed here in no particular order):

The Division of Reclamation, Mining, & Safety

the signage and exhibition display design projects, in particular were a lot of fun!

The National Association of Abandoned Mine Lands Programs

the National Conference branding, website, and print materials turned out great!

Leichtling & Associates

2 new websites and lots of book cover design

Gillingham & Associates

they were so successful that they were purchased by a larger firm--who kept the existing brand we developed for them

Walker Media

a new company branding effort and some product photography

Classical Public Radio Network

ongoing website support

Clear Creek Watershed Foundation

consulting with them on a branding effort, which helped them clarify their vision

University of Denver College of Law

work on a to-be-completed project, that is shaping up to be awesome

Colorado Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention

design and production of their annual report of pregnancy and prevention-related issues in Colorado [PDF]

Native American Community Development Corporation

an excellent website design, which is almost ready to launch

Whitman Interior Design

we're creating their website as I write this

Carl Socolow

we designed an excellent website for this Guggenheim-recipient photographer

Andrew Bale

a website design and subequent revision for another great photographer

Tamzin Architecture

notchcode did brand identity development and a website (in development) for this Evergreen-area architect

Rhombus CGI

a website design which builds on their existing branding and raises their profile
Labels: branding, design, graphic design, information graphics, web design

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11.10.2008

New branding for a B2B client: Walker Media

I wrapped up a branding effort for a new client in the Denver area a couple of months ago, and wanted everyone to have a look:

Walker Media is an independent consulting firm that helps public radio stations nationwide improve their fundraising and outreach effectiveness. Previously, I had worked with the firm's principal, Karla Walker, when she was with the Classical Public Radio Network, and she asked me to create her new brand when she began her new venture.

Here it is:

We used the initial caps as a standalone graphic device in a number of areas, as well, such as on the letterhead:

It's a simple, clean, and effective typographic solution for this business, and reflects (pardon the pun) Karla's approachability, flexibility, and professionalism. It also raises the bar for her competition, which in comparison, has been left in the dust.

We also did some quick-turnaround product photography for her as well, showcasing pre-loaded iPods that she sells to stations for their premium subscriber benefits:

Labels: b2b, branding, photography

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11.07.2008

Obama extends his visual branding past the campaign

I was watching the press conference Obama gave this afternoon regarding the economy, and was amused (pleasantly so) to see the sign on his podium reflected the typography, color, and iconography used so successfully in his campaign for President:

Labels: branding

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10.31.2008

Back into the flow of things

As you have seen, I've been busy at a big national conference I branded. it was a blast, although I was running pretty much full-tilt through the whole thing. But I am back in the Denver office, now, designing and developing and strategizing again, for everyone else. I'll post more here now that I'm back. If you want to see some images from the conference, visit the NAAMLP 4ToAll Flickr group.
Labels: branding

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10.27.2008

How you know your brand awareness is really good

I designed the branding and marketing for a national conference (going on as I type this--my hotel room looks like a design shop and kinkos got together and had a love child in it), and it's great to see how integrated the branding is here: the website, programs, website, t-shirts, lanyards, signage, maps, agendas, handouts, CDs--they all have a consistent visual identity and language. It's making for a richer, more comprehensive experience for all the attendees here.

The thing that struck me, though, was when i pulled into the parking lot on Saturday, to see the conference's logo drawn into the dust on the rear window of an attendee's car:
Labels: branding, marketing

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9.30.2008

I am so glad I am not a full-time content manager

TO all the content managers in the world, WE SALUTE YOU!

I have just completed an initial content import for a lovely website I designed, for a national conference taking place in Colorado this fall. I did all the branding, too, and am assisting the organizers in other marketing-oriented ways as well. One of the things I am helping out with is getting all of the conference sessions, papers, tour descriptions, and other content up online. There's a lot of it. Well over a hundred thousand words' worth, by my back of the napkin calculation. And after all of that, all I can say is: I am glad I spend most of my time creating brands, and not managing online content. I am not wired to do it on a daily basis. That, and thank the music gods for the Talking Heads, who got me through the last 24 hours.
Labels: branding, coding, talking heads, web design

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9.17.2008

Taglines: A vital part of your brand

It doesn't matter if you run a $50 million company or a $200K nonprofit: taglines matter. And as this report from NTEN shows, a lot of nonprofits think their tagline sucks.

A lot of times the tagline is a dumping ground for mission statements (condensed into not nearly few enough words, or condensed into nonsense), or serve as an afterthought ("well, we poured all that money into the logo, after all.") I am here to tell you that a tagline should be developed in tandem with your visual identity, and should be considered just as important to your branding as your logo. In some cases, it's more important. Can a radio ad show people your logo? Can a text-based ad link show people your logo? Can your logo roll off people's tongues when talking about your organization?

Our brand strategy integrates taglines/slogans/words into each and every effort, because a) it makes sense, and b) you want to make sure they work well together. So the next time you think about rebranding, remember the words, and make them work as hard for you as the visual identity.
Labels: advice, branding, nonprofits

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9.08.2008

Stop thinking about your marketing as a binary activity

Innovators work their magic in two ways: either they come up with a product/idea/process that should have been realized years ago, and make it real; or they turn something that already exists on its ear. Here's one literal example:

Three outlets in the space that used to accommodate just two. This is an excellent example of looking at a problem creatively, without letting the bounds of convention define your project. Innovative solutions don't take up any more space (in this case physical, in other cases mental/conceptual/strategic) than other approaches, while giving you and your audience a much more effective way of sharing information .

image via BoingBoing.

Labels: branding, creativity, graphic design, marketing, process

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9.04.2008

It's all about context

Sometimes the most familiar visual symbols create confusion. How? Bad context. This is just a humorous example, but think about it: has your brand, or marketing message, been in this position?

image via Jalopnik.
Labels: branding, marketing

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8.22.2008

Coors Aims Its Silver Bullet At Women

News from the Coors front:

Coors Aims Its Silver Bullet At Women: "Coors is in the process of launching a series of products aimed at women.It is a bold attempt, which many have tried before.The brewer has set up a separate business unit code named 'Eve' and will introduce a beer called "Blue Moon"...

I mentioned in my comment to this post up at 5 Blogs Before Lunch that, um, Coors already has a beer called Blue Moon. In fact, they have a lot of other beers branded within the Blue Moon sub-brand architecture. So, what will they do with this already well-selling niche-marketed belgian whitbier and its progeny? Can it?

(Via 5 Blogs Before Lunch.)
Labels: beer, branding

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8.21.2008

Read the Stupid Brand Manual

It's always, um, interesting, to see a brand you've nurtured for so long slide down into the muddy swamp of unintegrated messiness. I am talking specifically about the Women's College at the University of Denver, although it should read as a cautionary tale for any in-house (or hired gun) agency that is working with an established brand with a comprehensive brand identity--especially one that is part of a larger brand architecture.

When DU revmped its brand, moving away from the hundred year-old University Seal to a red and brown square "D" (designed by North Charles Street Design, In Maryland), it was indicating that they were something more than just the traditional, old-school private university in town. DU wanted to be "new west", rather than "old school". So North Charles Street--after a lot of revisions, with the client rejecting some ideas incorporating the mountains which I really liked--created the D. It's nice, I suppose, but in any case it was rolled out, and the firm created a brand identity manual for the new visual identity and brand architecture, and as the in-house brand manager, I had to make it work.

DU has a lot of sub-brands within its organization. Of course, there's the undergrad program, which is the main school, but then there are several graduate schools, the Women's College, University College, the alumni association, and the athletics department (both the sports team segment and the administrative segment). And scores of supporting programs and departments, some of which were large enough--or had a market substantially differentiated enough--to warrant a segregated space within the brand architecture.

Now I have seen this in other areas of DU's brand architecture, so I don't mean to pick on the Women's College. In fact, one of the best clients we had was the Women's College, with a staff and administration that "got it", and understood the need for the marketing positions we were recommending. That said, the online ad I saw today for the Women's College drove a stake into my integrated marketing heart. Here it is:

"What's so wrong with this?", you might say? Well, nothing really obvious, at first glance. But take a look at how DU's main visual identity should be represented:

Now, this is just for the University, generically. Since the Women's College is its own entity within the university system, it gets its own brand element, notably a subheading-type line below the big "DENVER", as in this example with the Graduate School of International Studies:

...or the Daniels College of Business:

...which as you can see makes the name of the college more prominent (since Bill Daniels pretty much fully funded the program and the new building for the school shortly before his death in the late '90s).

After North Charles Street delivered the main visual identity and the brand identity guidelines, they departed. That left the in-house staff to create visual elements for the various graduate schools and colleges within the brand architecture that needed an identity. We created a variation on the DU identity for the Women's College, and used it in a number of pieces. It looked very similar to the above examples for the Graduate School of International Studies and the Daniels College of Business. But after I departed DU, University College, Daniels, and the Women's College also departed--from the identity guidelines, that is.

I understand these colleges' needs to differentiate themselves from the rest of the university ("we offer classes just for working professionals/women/businesspeople/etc.") but in moving away from the brand architecture so carefully created for them, they also distance themselves from the marketing capital created by the University brand and all of its associated marketing efforts. So an ad like the one at the top for the Women's College, while getting the point across about an open house certainly doesn't allow the positive association of the University as a whole to fully shine through.

Why did the Women's College divert from the standard brand architecture? It's only (informed) speculation, but I would guess that their dean wants to show how different they are from the "rest" of DU. I would argue that there are a lot of other ways one could do that: copy, tone, imagery, overall design, targeting, and so on. Your brand is the last place you want to start being "different" from your parent organization. If the revised version of the Women's College brand, as shown in the ad, is so effective, why does "The Women's College" have to be repeated in the ad, in the green bar below the logo and the photo?

So, Women's College: get rid of the line between the DU identity and your name. And get rid of the red, italicized typography. Go back to the architecture of the brand, and--trust me--your pieces will perform better, and be more effective.
Labels: branding

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8.04.2008

PYREX branding: they still got it.

My wife picked up these Pyrex food storage containers to replace our worn-out, semi-reusable Glad and Ziploc storage containers. When I used one of the new containers, the typography of the brand reminded me just how great a well-executed visual identity can be:

The interesting thing to me is how this typography, when it is so strong, differs from Pyrex's main brand identity for baked goods glassware in north america:

Labels: branding, typography

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7.29.2008

Politicos using social media: who gets it, who doesn't

A quick survey of two world powers shows me that the Brits know how to use social networking [twitter] [flickr] , and while the Yanks have twitter, it's pretty dang dry. Also, while he has an equally-passive Facebook page, W doesn't have a flickr page. WTF?

Here's the Prime Minister's Twitter:

Content evaluation: lots of banter, and answering of questions from other twitterers. A

Design Crit: the use of a black background and the choice of a cropped photo showing the iconic "10" address numbers on the Prime Minister's door is very British. Understated and stylish. B+

And the White House's:

Content evaluation: dry dry dry listings of press releases, and events. D

Design Crit: The pale blue background is weak. No read, white, and blue? No american flag? Soaring eagle? The image of the President being used is incongruous with the screen name "TheWhiteHouse"...is it a place (where the stream is reporting on not only the actionsof the President, but all of the Executive Branch), or is it a person (the President)? Demerits for the bad photoshopped-in background behind W's head, as well. Let's get consistent, people! D+

For the comparison, here's Obama's twitterstream:

Content evaluation: this is somewhere in-between: it's mostly a marketing tool to raise awareness for the events on his campaign schedule. I haven't seen his twitterstream answer questions from others, although he does use it to drive readers to other social and interactive media, where they are (by self-selection) comfortable absorbing more information. I think the Obama camp could learn something from the PM in terms of talking to the people, though. B-

Design Crit: repeating the visual mark in the background and in the user icon...good, but perhaps a bit repetitive? And I know that Barack Obama is the brand, it wouldn't hurt to humanize the branding a bit with a photo of Barack's face for the icon. Let the logo work in the background image. B

Stats of Twitter followers*:
downingstreet: 3,504

TheWhiteHouse: 569

BarackObama: 51,402

hmmm, who is reaching out to, and connecting with, the online community?

*(and before I get mail about not including John McCain's stats here, believe me, I looked for him on Twitter. He's just not there.)
Labels: branding, politics, social networking

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New Brand Logos Reflect Shift at G.M.

From the New York Times article by Eric Pfanner:

The new Vauxhall badge shows the brand's longtime mascot, a griffin, in a bigger, bolder way, zooming in on its upper body. The mythical beast, which joins the head and wings of an eagle to the body of a lion, appears more three-dimensional; previous versions of the griffin were flat.

The Opel logo, a stylized lightning bolt, also gets more depth in the redesign, though the general shape is unchanged.

With these updates, General Motors joins other automakers, including Volvo, Fiat, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, that have recently refreshed or redesigned their logos, seeking an edge in a difficult market.

Here are the new visual expressions:

Labels: advertising, branding

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7.23.2008

The ten things not to forget about when branding your organization

Sometimes the excitement of creating a brand can blind you to why you are doing it. Maybe you are about to launch a new venture, or perhaps you are rebranding an old one; but either way, it is essential to remember a few things (in no particular order):

Uniqueness and Authenticity: what does your organization stand for?

your brand should be an authentic expression of your organization

Stand apart: if your brand is just like your competitors', then it's worthless

Plan ahead: your brand identity should look towards the future, not back into the past (or even the present)

Can we get it? Your brand should make sense

Get excited: champion your brand once you create it. If you don't, no one else will.

Distill: start by thinking big. end up with a few words that encompass the entirety of your organization's value.

First, form. Then, contrast. Then, color.

Don't design by committee: It always ends up watering down the power of the final result. Instead, pick one or a select few that makes the decisions, interfaces with the brand team, and moves things forward.

Consistency in application makes for a stronger brand. A key element in branding is creating a set of guidelines on brand application and usage, and making sure everyone in your organization follows them. This may involve training. Even if it takes time away from your staff's other duties, such training is essential--from the VP of marketing to the Executive Assistant. If everyone knows how to apply the brand properly, your organization will come out looking great no matter who prepares that sales presentation/brochure/press release/print ad/web banner/flyer.

Labels: advice, branding

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7.18.2008

have a war and a smile

in case anybody missed it the other day, NATO has hired the head brand manager of Coca Cola to remake its image. It's not a big stretch, as the guy in question, Michael Stopford, worked at the United Nations and the British Foreign Office before he was at the soda giant. A better question would be: what about working for the UN and the British Foreign office made him so appealing to the folks down in Atlanta?
Labels: branding

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7.16.2008

Change is always possible

The Sartorialist reminds us that there is no such thing as a lost cause when it comes to rebranding yourself:

Two years ago:

Today:
Labels: branding, fashion

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7.15.2008

En Francais: "Le Burrito"

Like thousands of other Coloradans, I am excited to see the Colorado-based team Garmin-Chipotle competing in the Tour de France this year. And now that they are in France, it looks like one of the main title sponsors is wasting no time in extending their brand:

Here's a story from the Denver Post.
Labels: branding, cycling

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