Our Zeitgeist tagged with “Branding”
Naming success in this case is all about how the name is defined in the minds of the consumer, and creating a link between the name and the company’s positioning.
Evocative names are some of the most exciting to create, but the reality is, they are only one type of name, and admittedly, not all types are as exciting. Why? There are many variables that go into determining the right name for a company or product: What industry is it? Does it need to be descriptive; What is the personality of the firm?; Are there any legal or regulatory considerations that need to be conformed to? These are just a few of the things that need to be considered when we are doing naming for our clients.
Truth is, a name can come from anywhere and anyone. Yes, you can name your own company, but what you are missing is an exhaustive search and a deeper development past the obvious names, and in the process, perhaps even validation for an earlier inspiration. In seeking name options for our clients at Industrial Brand we pursue multiple streams of naming types. We may explore functional names that are merely descriptive of what the company does or sells, made up names, hybrids composed of two or more words, evocative names such as those mentioned above and any number of other name types in our quest to fully explore all the options. The quantity of names generated cannot be underestimated—it is in fact crucial. As a fascinating aside, have a look at some of the
name generation Thomas Edison did when coming up with a name for what we now know as the 'phonograph'. Marvellous insight.
It is at this point that engaging a firm experienced with naming adds the most value. Finding the best name is only partially about generating options. Sorting and filtering the names down to a select shortlist requires experience and skill, and objective analysis. Subjective analysis should not come into this process. “I don’t like it” or “This reminds me of...” are not relevant here and are not representative of how the target audience may see it. The goal is to land on something that will resonate with the market and support your goals for the company.
At Industrial Brand we don’t attempt naming for a client without first doing extensive
research into the client’s industry, their organization and competition. Armed with this, and the raw names we generated, we can then begin to filter them.
We use a nine point matrix to score each name on a scale. Some of the elements we scrutinize are as simple as appearance and sound: Does it look good?; Are there any awkward letter combinations, etc.?; Does it sound good when spoken?; Will it be easy to mispronounce or be misheard?; Is it a word that’s uncommon or hard to spell (by the way, not always a bad thing)?
Other filters are more complex to analyze: Things such as how much meaning the name has, and how deeply layered other meanings are, distinctiveness within the industry and from the competition and whether the name is flat and lifeless or energetic. Is it corporate and impersonal, or genuine and warm?—there’s a reason and fit for each.
Ultimately though, the name has to be available. Canada only, USA, Global? The wider the reach, the more complex and less likely it will be that the chosen name is available. In addition, finding a suitable URL is vitally important today. In fact, we’ve had clients whose priority was owning the root name dot com URL for the company, so that dictated the name they ultimately selected.
We’ve had to get creative with URL selection and consider what URL is available for chosen names before presenting options to the client. If it seems there’s a possibility for acquisition of a desired URL, then we will keep the name under consideration. Ideally, we want the .ca, .com, .co,
.net and any other domains that are relevant to the client.
Finally, working with an intellectual property specialist to ensure rights and ownership of a trademark name is almost always advisable. This applies to the name as well as the final logo created. A good trademark lawyer will also suggest options and advise modifications to avoid potential conflict. Considering the money, time and effort that will be invested in turning the name into your brand, ensuring legal ownership at the outset is a must. No one wants to receive an unexpected cease and desist letter even part way down the rebranding road.
As a
recent article about naming your child suggested, the name you give your offspring can determine their success later in life. While it seems implausible to imagine that the difference between “Steve”, “Mike” or “Larry” would matter all that much to your kid’s success, when you think about it in terms of your business, it’s not all that hard to envision that the choices you make at the start do have a magnifying effect on the trajectory of your enterprise.
It is doubtful that Steve Jobs, arrogant and visionary though he was, could ever have initially seen the company he named Apple ascend to such a massive and industry-dominating place in the world. Or maybe he did? Regardless, that name was the right choice, and the fit with the people, products, values and vision created a distinction that propelled the company to mythic status.
[post_title] => So you think naming is simple?
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => so-you-think-naming-is-simple
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2012-02-10 17:12:53
[post_modified_gmt] => 2012-02-11 00:12:53
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=5774
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Did you know the name Apple was inspired while Steve Jobs was pruning Gravenstein apple trees on his friend’s orchard? According to the recent Steve Jobs biography, Apple Computer could have just as easily been called Personal Computing I [...]
Posted by: Ben Garfinkel on Thursday, February 9th, 2012
Categories: Branding, Industrial Brand | No Comments »
Marketing is more about the planning and execution of the concept, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods/services to create satisfactory exchanges. Marketing most often involves translating the idea of a brand essence down to something practical or tangible to its audience, whereas a brand is a living organism that is built up or torn down in the minds of your customers over time—sometimes by way of a thousand seemingly insignificant gestures or experiences.
For example. if you think about a city, here are some examples of one of the thousand small gestures that might contribute to its brand: The condition of the roads, reports on crime, calibre of the buildings, events and activities on offer, reputation of the police, proximity to other places, ease of transportation, economic viability, etc…Businesses locate in, people move to and travel to places that are friendly, interesting, dynamic and provide advantageous conditions for their needs.
What happens if we have an inconsistent brand?
This question a little flawed. I understand what you're asking, but assuming the quality of your product and service are unwavering, there really is no such thing as an “inconsistent brand”, just inconsistent delivery of the brand (promise)…or a brand breakdown. Remember, it’s the consumer perception of the elements that comprise their impression and that make up your brand. Thus, you are in control of consistency.
If your products are known to be highly functional, beautifully styled, reliably made and supported by friendly staff and a terrific service support, then what happens when a customer experiences a product failure and calls in, only to speak to a rude, inexperienced call centre employee in Manilla? That is not technically a breach of your brand quality or promise, but it places you at terrible risk. People love to talk. And word of mouth is not only a powerful way to build a brand, but perhaps the fastest way to bring it to its knees. It used to take significant effort to write letters to companies or newspapers to complain about a company, but these days the immediacy of publishing to the Internet and social media can result in PR nightmares for companies who don't respond quickly.
Why rebrand? What are the benefits of a current, consistent and positive brand?
Very often the trigger for a rebrand by an organization or company is that the existing identity and other elements are dated and no longer reflect the products/services on offer. Essentially, there exists what is referred to as a “brand gap”, which is the difference between what is portrayed/perceived and reality/your aspirations.
There are many examples of successful rebranding in the civic realm. A recent example is Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. They recently went through a full branding initiative, retiring their tired old city crest and creating a terrific new logo and tagline "Surprisingly Unexpected" to better position the city as a great place to live, work and play. A bit of info and background on the process and results can be found here: http://www.moosejaw.ca/branding.shtml
What process do you take a company through when they come to you for help?
We have a design process we're very proud of—but so does everyone else. Descriptions of process are a dime a dozen and reduce methodology to rhetoric. For us it all starts with ignoring assumptions, asking smart questions and listening carefully. We like to start with a "phase zero" exploration of the context of the situation, immersing ourself in your company so we can thoroughly audit the current health of your brand and identify real opportunities before making any sweeping promises about what we can do to help.
Once engaged, we take our clients through a comprehensive brand discovery, which involves a series of interviews, exercises and explorations as we work together—with the client—to identify who the client really is, what they stand for, and what they aspire to become. Comparing this with the initial research work, often including preliminary research interviews with staff and customers alike, we then identify any gaps between where the client is now and where they want to be.
Once a truly core expression of the company's brand essence has been established and agreed upon, we convert this to a series of simplified questions that test the core attributes of any marketing or communication initiative. If client stakeholders can't agree that something meets those brand filter questions, then it doesn't belong in the brand universe. Simple as that.
In the end, like
John Jay of Wieden + Kennedy says, there is no one proprietary process that anyone can claim works best and we must not impose our style onto our clients. The greatest thing we can offer to our clients is to listen carefully to them with empathy, explore their situations thoroughly to understand their truth and their soul, and then offer an expression of their true essence in a way that is relevant to a greater number of people. If there is a better way to express this, I'd love to hear it.
What are the core traits of a brand design firm we should be looking for?
There are a thousand ways to answer this question, but I will defer to Alina Wheeler's book Designing Brand Identity, which posits that there are 12 traits that the best brand identity design firms have in common:
- Strategic imagination. An ability to understand and align business goals with creative strategy and expression is critical.
- Process focus. A disciplined process is used to foster collaboration, build trust, and ensure responsible decision-making and results.
- Design excellence. Reducing a complex, meaningful idea to its visual essence requires skill, patience, and unending discipline, whether the endpoint is a symbol, a look and feel, or an integrated brand identity system.
- Irrefutable logic. Creating a new system or brand architecture requires an ability to communicate a compelling case for change to any decision-maker, from the CEO to the director of marketing to a division head.
- Alchemy. An ability to synthesize vast amounts of information and reduce it to a big idea. Also, an ability to cut through the clutter and see the “gold” in a marketing audit.
- Empathy and insight. An ability to be collaborative and understand the perspectives of all stakeholders, to suspend judgment and transcend politics.
- Flexibility and humor. An ability to keep an eye on the big picture despite constraints and challenges. A sense of humor always helps.
- Mindfulness and curiosity. An awareness of what is going on in the wider world and insight into best practices and the branding landscape.
- Tenacity. Boundless energy and the perseverance of a marathon runner are required to develop and refine key messages, new names, taglines, and branding guidelines.
- Organization. Phase by phase, email by email, presentation by presentation, file by file, tracking and documentation are key.
- Focus. First and foremost, the process must stay focused on the customer and their experience.
- Passion. Passion fuels excellence and inspires brand engagement.
I think this list is quite accurate and feel good about the fact that most, if not all, of these traits can be found at Industrial Brand. But I acknowledge that it is often difficult for business professionals to assess these attributes when selecting a creative partner and "fit" is often a driving factor that is so hard to quantify or even sometimes describe. If we're not going to have fun working together, we probably shouldn't.
What do you expect from us during this process?
Another terrific question! First, we expect you to do some due diligence and make sure you choose your creative partner wisely. Hopefully there's a great fit between our organizations, but if there isn't, that's OK if there isn't. We can help you find the right design firm if we're not it. We also request that you be as honest as you can with us and trust us as objective external experts.
The ROI and value in what we do relies on you giving us access to key stakeholders and decision-makers, as well as your staff and clients—otherwise it's difficult for us to truly design a brand strategy or identity that will resonate internally and externally. Of course we also request that you provide us with timely responses and approvals, respect our production management process, and pay your invoices in a timely fashion—we're not a bank.
What if you provide branding for us and things don't improve?
This reminds me of a pet peeve about graphic designers—especially those who specialize in identity design. They often act as though they suffer from a mild god complex, as though they are "chosen ones" destined to save clients like Neo in the Matrix. Even the most talented communication designer, capable of producing spectacularly gorgeous logos and collateral, can't guarantee that all your business problems will be saved with a new identity or marketing strategy. It's super important, obviously—hell, we argue that it's the ticket to the dance—but we're not going to pretend that the secret is a new logo. Anyone who tells you that is full of shit.
As discussed earlier, we can work hard on your behalf to bore into the heart and soul of both you and your customer. From this learning we can use our training, experience and intuition to design a strategy and identity for your brand that will hopefully resonate and be relevant to your audience, but at the end of the day
branding is really up to you. Until the day comes that we have complete authority and control over the quality of your product or service, and the way all your staff treat your customers, then we can't truly provide "branding". If we work together and things don't improve, well then it's likely that we missed something far more sinister than the look and feel of your logo and visual language used in your communications and marketing materials.
Client: I understand now, thank you. When can we get started?
[post_title] => We'll design a brand identity, but branding is up to you.
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => well-design-a-brand-identity-but-branding-is-up-to-you
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2012-02-10 17:17:48
[post_modified_gmt] => 2012-02-11 00:17:48
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=5330
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Recently a prospective new client asked us some rather pointed questions about the nature of what we provided as brand designers, the difference between branding and marketing, as well as some other rather insightful queries. This client wa [...]
Posted by: Mark Busse on Monday, January 30th, 2012
Categories: Articles, Branding, Design, Tips | No Comments »
As passionate food freaks, it's all too common to get caught up in the tastes and exoticism of what we are experiencing, rather than in what makes the most sense and is good. In fact, if you look at what makes something 'gourmet' these days, more often than not it's the item that has taken great effort and care to produce and spent the least amount of time traveling from the farm to your table.
A good example of this in Vancouver is asparagus. Ask around and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who can tell you specifically that they've even tasted fresh, local asparagus. Seriously. Most of what people buy comes from Mexico or California with little thought to the seasonality, or what was done to it to get it to grow, or survive the long trip here. In contrast, the local season for asparagus is very short—a few weeks at best. If you're not quick, and early, at the farmer's market, you might not even realize we have an asparagus supply here!
Enter
Foodtree.
Although manifest as a website and mobile app to share fresh, mouth-watering photos of food in your community in a fun and simple way, Foodtree is a philosophical and fundamental shift in our approach to understanding the where, why and how of the food we consume. If information is power, then this is one of the key ways we as consumers can control our food supply future. Until we empower ourselves in this way, organic and healthy food will remain a novelty and just slightly out of reach of the mainstream.
Yet, mainstreaming this concern about where our food comes from and what's in it, is precisely what's required.
Inspired by the symbols, styles and ideology of
the Homesteading movement, the new identity hearkens to a simpler time of getting back to the land and a self-sufficient lifestyle. The hand-crafting and do-it-yourself ethic also produced a unique aesthetic evocative of an era past, but also in resurgence.
Our future may very well lie in the successful merger of a new integration of technology with the sustainable methods from our past. This is what Foodtree represents and the logo and its application is meant to evoke.
[post_title] => Know your food
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => know-your-food
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2011-07-05 12:26:47
[post_modified_gmt] => 2011-07-05 19:26:47
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=5309
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 1
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Sometimes it is convenient that our food world and our design world cross paths. Recently Foodtree asked us to help rebrand in the time leading up to the launch of their new iPhone app and City of Vancouver collaboration. Rolled out simulta [...]
Posted by: Ben Garfinkel on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
Categories: Branding, Industrial Brand, Sustainability | 1 Comment »
Keenly aware that our company is largely defined by its clients and projects, we always evaluate opportunities against a set of criteria that include profit, portfolio, ethics, and fit—but what about optics? At first, this situation felt a little like that which arose when gambling or pornography companies had approached us in the past, leading us to politely decline the work. No matter how you slice it, religion is a touchy topic. Our association with the project could have an impact our own brand, so we had to tread carefully.
Once the project was finished, and though proud of the results, members of the Industrial Brand team would hesitate before discussing the Yaaway project, making sure to explain the situation clearly to avoid it being summarily categorized as bible-thumper fodder. Our team members' histories run the gamut of those raised in religious homes of various faiths, to those who are completely secular. We didn't all share our client's beliefs, but didn't oppose them either, and following the completion of our initial assessment process, we were surprised at how quickly we became comfortable with the subject matter. The message was positive, and nobody was being duped.
Starting Out: Sunday School
To set the stage, the Yaaway team—a group of experienced media professionals—had already spent over a year (and considerable funds) building the framework and technology platform for a large online community, based on media sharing and social networking. The site was much like a mash-up between Facebook and YouTube, but with a difference: each video and post would ideally be centred on personal stories about Jesus. Not necessarily about Christianity, but Jesus himself. The site would be free to join and use, there were no plans for any advertising or revenue streams, and any user would be welcome to participate, regardless of perspective or religious affiliation.
You're thinking: “So what’s the catch?” Well, we wondered the same thing, and were suspicious about a business model that didn’t include any plans for revenue. We did our homework and discovered that there really wasn’t a catch. Yaaway was a group that had the foresight to say, “Okay, there are a lot of issues and stereotypes surrounding religion these days. So how do we still get out the message of ‘doing good for your fellow man’, while side-stepping the existing public perception of Christianity?” The answer they came up with was to distill the core messages from the historical teachings of Jesus and avoid getting bogged down by the dogma of organized Christianity.
As the project got under way, we realized how unique the creative brief really was. How would we be able to create an identity suitable for a web-savvy community centreed on Jesus’ story and wisdom, while avoiding traditional religious icons? As a group of brand designers with varying perspectives on faith and religion, we were rather intimidated by this unusual situation. At the same time, we were excited by the design challenge to create an identity that expressed Jesus-centric sharing without looking 'churchy'. Like many previous challenging projects, sticking to our proven design methodology lit the way.
Meet Jesus: Just a Guy With a Beard
As we began digging into the project, we learned that the core of this online community was a unique world view. They called it a 'Spiritual Point of View', focused on the "non-religious life of Jesus, the humble person who transforms people of every social class and culture with a spirit of truth and love." We weren't convinced that you could really separate Jesus from religion.
As designers in the branding business, we often toot our horns about building on the existing equity of a brand. This client had the exact opposite problem. It needed to distance itself from the existing brand perception of the Jesus camp—often viewed as right-wing fundamentalists. Beyond the unique portfolio addition this project represented, it was a rare opportunity and challenge.
What the Heck is a Yaaway?
The name Yaaway is a playful re-interpretation of Yahweh, originally an ancient Hebrew word for God, or "the one". By misspelling the word, our client sought to not only distance itself from a traditional religious word, but create a fun, youthful-sounding, nonsense word like Google or Yahoo. The word also wouldn’t have obvious religious connotations. Another benefit was that the word Yaaway could be purchased as a domain name, which was critical.
Early on we uncovered the fact that our client had already invested significantly in the development of the technology behind the online platform, which was being beta-tested online. Yet after more than a year of work on the project, the company had not engaged in any brand strategy or identity design, and had been using a placeholder logomark which was essentially a knock-off of the YouTube logo—a thoughtless contribution by one of its technology developers. This approach was clearly unsuitable as its identity needed to stand apart not only from other religious-based sites, but from the social media/video sharing world. Said the company’s owner, "I feel like we've built a world-class race car without considering the body style or paint job.”
[caption id="attachment_4755" align="alignnone" width="436" caption="The original Yaaway logo."]
[/caption]
Seek and Ye Shall Find
The goal for the Yaaway website was to create a safe, friendly and welcoming experience about the real Jesus, and not about Christianity. The brand and user experience would have to appeal to a global community of spiritually-motivated and non-denominational visitors pursuing truth and knowledge, and all faiths would be welcome. The core of the site content would be stories and video and, although debate would be encouraged, any antagonistic, irrelevant or inappropriate content—such as the promotion of exclusive religious doctrine—would not be welcome.
That said, unlike so many religious websites (and there are many), this site would have virtually no editorial control. The content would be self-organized by the community itself in the spirit of a Wiki, with the founders 'letting it go', for the most part. Content that members enjoyed and valued would be promoted by users through a voting system, while content not viewed as harmonious with the spirit of the site would settle to the bottom, down-voted and nixed by the user community.
What Would Jesus Design?
An early research step in our process was what we refer to as a Brand Discovery session, essentially a workshop including a series of exercises and games designed to challenge key stakeholders' preconceived notions and assumptions. As with many clients over the years, our Yaaway clients arrived in our studio with ideas of what they wanted to accomplish, who their audience was, and what was needed to achieve their goals. Our first job was to challenge that paradigm, and dig deeper into the situation to reveal more than could be expressed in an initial creative briefing. The workshop culminated in identifying Yaaway’s brand essence and aspirations, and the creation of a visioning statement to provide the core direction for the brand design project.
Due to our client's own moderate views on Jesus, we explored the extreme right-wing, church-driven fundamentalist websites, and determined how Yaaway was not that. In fact, one of the more interesting things that emerged during this research phase was that it was far easier to determine what Yaaway was not, which was one of the best ways of determining what it was. This was especially relevant to the project as the identity of the Yaaway community would be largely determined by the users themselves. Plus, this process of discovery made a huge difference to our own acceptance of the client and the project.
Personal biases began creeping into our team’s psyche, and as communication designers, it’s critical that we’re able to set aside our own preconceived notions and focus on the goals, needs and audience at the core of the problem before us. However, the topic of Jesus Christ was a difficult one to remain unbiased about, regardless of faith or perspective. The tactic we settled upon was relative to a round-table discussion; one where any issue or query could be aired without judgment, and then settled before approaching the next. After confronting and discussing our biases, we let our process reveal what our assumptions clouded and the identity began to take shape.
What Does Your Soul Look Like?
As far as branding and identity challenges go, this project had many. In creating the identity, we had to dive deep down into what the site could become well into the future. This invariably led to some interesting and important developments when designing the website itself.
Beside the fact that the intended audience was a vast multicultural group made up of various ages, educations and faiths, the client insisted that we avoid direct references to the image of Christ, as well as classic icons of Christianity such as a crucifix, lamb, fish, crown of thorns, etc. The logo and website interface had to look 'Web 2.0' while standing out against sites like YouTube, Facebook, DailyMotion, etc., and it most certainly had to up-stage related competitors such as GodTube, JesusClips, and GospelTube. Further, the site had already gone live as a beta with placeholder graphics and an interface that hadn't fully considered the user experience. We had our work cut out for us.
We began by highlighting key words, targeting various graphic elements and iconography, in order to grasp particular themes and ideas. We then cross-referenced the visual language of spirituality (both subtle and blatant), with the vast online social networking meme, seeking inspiration for ways to communicate the concept of non-denominational spiritual dialogue, while avoiding cliché graphics.
[caption id="attachment_4756" align="alignnone" width="436" caption="A sample of some of our concept sketches during the design process."]
[/caption]
As community, sharing, connections, and exchange of ideas became central themes, we sketched and explored visual language that included speech balloons and quotation marks as connectors, links, overlapping elements, clusters and video screens. An epiphany came when the speech balloons were arranged to reveal a cross in the negative space—a fortunate point of view as the client didn’t want Yaaway to have any obvious religious or denominational overtones.
Another moment of insight came upon reviewing many different styles of quote marks. Arranged in an organic cluster at varied sizes, they suggest abstracted talking heads coming together in their shared dialogue. With some adjustments, that central point of focus became the 'invisible' cross discovered earlier.
Custom typography to complement the rounded forms of icon was developed along with a colour system flexible for both print and web environments. This vibrant palette suggests a journey from cold to hot, as from discovery to acceptance, as the ascending quotes reach upwards to a more spiritual focus. Four graphic elements not only provided the minimum for a sense of community, but four elements also serve to represent the four books of the New Testament and the four disciples who wrote their chronicles of Jesus’ life.
[caption id="attachment_4757" align="alignnone" width="436" caption="The final logomark, fully realized and addressing the brief, client requirements and target audience."]
[/caption]
As wtih all identity design projects, we ran the final top three logos through a theoretical strainer. Is it readable? Is it relevant? Does the typography resonate with the brand? Elements right down to subtle moods changes affected by colour were scrutinized. The editing process is always one of love and hate; but it’s what takes a logo from good to outstanding.
Of couse, final delivery of the brand design included many elements beyond the logo. These included a comprehensive online brand usage guide, complete stationery package, collateral and promotional materials, signage, and the critical interface design for the website.
Some of the applications of the new Yaaway identity and web interface:
On the 70th day, We Rested
Yaaway was a challenging project; one that our team will not soon forget. We are proud that our belief in creative strategy helped us overcome what at first seemed a worrisome project with a challenging brief. This case study will serve as a litmus test and benchmark for future brand identity projects, proving that even when faced with extreme difficulty, our individual talents, combined with our collective faith in the design process, will guide us to effective solutions. We no longer pause before showing off the project, often catching new clients off guard by saying “Can we tell you about Jesus?”
But Was the Project a Success?
The client was ecstatic with the brand platform and, after several months, re-launched its website, promoting it publicly. The site began to expand daily, with a growing collective of spiritually curious users signing up, engaging in dialogue and up-loading videos. The identity even won industry recognition such as a prestigious Communication Arts Award in the 2009 Design Annual.
Then, trouble. It was found that the primary users on the site were Christian—no surprise for us, but a disappointment for the client. Although we were told the site was making good progress, the client suddenly announced that further development of the project was being halted and the core team disbanded. The owner felt compelled to change direction and discontinued his funding. With his original unusual business model lacking a revenue stream, it was no surprise that he ultimately decided to commercially market the technology platform to groups and associations looking to build their own media-based online social networks.
Recently the Yaaway.com website itself went offline, surely a disappointment for those who worked so hard on it for two years. But, maybe one day, it will rise from the dead.
Click here to view a brief case study in our portfolio or
click here to download the longer case study overview as a PDF.
[post_title] => Branding The Man They Called Jesus
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] => Separating Church and State (of Mind). At some point in our lives, each of us learns the lesson that discussing religion or politics in mixed company can backfire.
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => branding-the-man-they-called-jesus
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2011-04-05 15:11:27
[post_modified_gmt] => 2011-04-05 22:11:27
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=4753
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Separating Church and State (of Mind). At some point in our lives, each of us learns the lesson that discussing religion or politics in mixed company can backfire.
Posted by: Mark Busse on Friday, October 15th, 2010
Categories: Articles, Branding, Industrial Brand, Websites | No Comments »
Our very own Matt SamyciaWood was featured in a recent issue of Business in Vancouver with his article A Home Business is Still a Business. Addressing some of the more common mistakes with branding a business, Matt shares insights into how [...]
Posted by: Mark Busse on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Categories: Articles, Branding, Learning, Tips | No Comments »
The response to District has been very positive. Building one sold out in the first three weeks. Building two has just a couple of suites left. In fact, every element of the development not only worked well but exceeded expectations.
The buzz in the media was great! The
PR Campaign that Mac Marketing created with Rock 101 was a huge success. They gave away a $350,000 Condo, Harley-Davidson, home entertainment system, BBQ and iMac—apparently the biggest giveaway contest in the history of Western Canadian Radio history. It drew a lot of traffic to the development and presentation center.
The
design that Industrial Brand created was very distinctive. Susan M Boyce wrote in the New Home Buyers Guide article, the following "Located in Vancouver’s South Main neighbourhood, even District’s brochure stands out from the rest... honest, I’m not kidding. It has attitude, and how often can you say that about a brochure?"
Download the whole article.
I am looking forward to walking by the buildings when completed and observing the new residents, seeing the intended vision for the neighborhood realized.
[post_title] => People build culture
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => people-build-culture
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2009-12-17 23:54:32
[post_modified_gmt] => 2009-12-18 06:54:32
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=4359
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Being involved in the development of District was a great experience. Working closely with our clients Amacon and Mac Marketing I truly feel that we have all contributed to the South Main district by creating not just a great building but a [...]
Posted by: Matt SamyciaWood on Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Categories: Articles | No Comments »
A few months ago, Mac Donald’s launched a new TV campaign in France ‘come as you are’. The campaign itself, created by EuroRSCG, is pretty nice but what really caught my attention was the logo: it has turned green!! Just l [...]
Posted by: Mathilde Salvert on Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Categories: Advertising, Branding, Food, Marketing, Sustainability | No Comments »
The Metro newspaper today was wrapped in a full advertisement for Candian Tire – it was selling outdoor furniture. I noticed their tagline “For days like today” but didn’t connect with it. It works I feel on a corporate [...]
Posted by: Matt SamyciaWood on Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Categories: Branding | No Comments »
Designed by Vancouver-based
Karacters DDB—in fact the entire brand and integrated marketing program has been developed and rolled out by DDB Canada, with their local partners Tribal DBB creating the website component—the logo is meant to represent "the inspiring play of light and water one experiences" when in the nearly all glass building surrounded by mountains and water, according to Karacter's Creative Director James Bateman.
While I understand that the design team wanted to avoid any literal references to the city, mountains, or even the building itself—which I think could have been done quite subtly actually—I found my initial reaction kind of mixed, feeling that the graphic language was rather busy and not entirely feeling the connection to the inspiration of nature. Either way, it's certainly a brave use of visual language to use dynamism in an attempt to capture and communicate the inspirational feeling of the location of the conference centre.
I've already heard various opinions being bandied about—some positive, saying they think it is a fresh expression of the Vancouver experience not seen previously. Others have been more critical, claiming it looks sloppy and already dated—my favourite being the comparison to a blood splatter pattern (which seems almost apros pos these days). But what I'd really like to know is what the public think—they are the target audience, not a bunch of design wonks.
Sometimes I think that some of us with designers' eyes get distracted by issues like complexity of a graphic (ie. a logo made with photographic elements) and the difficulty of its application when flat vector shapes are commonplace, rather than enjoying the clever underlying layers of meaning. I will say that struggling for words as I did trying to explain the identity might be OK. Doesn't that happen sometimes when we're awe-struck by nature's beauty, the very thing that inspired the logo in the first place? I'm just saying.
So? What do you think of the new Vancouver Convention Centre identity? We'd love to receive your thoughts as comments below.
PS - Readers of this blog seldom agree on all things design, but I think we can all agree that this was a huge project for the team at Karacters and we offer our congratulations on its launch and offer our best wishes of luck that it becomes an enormous success for them!
[post_title] => New Vancouver Convention Centre Identity
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => new-vancouver-convention-centre-identity
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2009-04-30 09:16:47
[post_modified_gmt] => 2009-04-30 16:16:47
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=3678
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 6
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Last night I visited the the brand new Vancouver Convention Centre for the first time. While there I took special notice of the convention centre’s new identity and its applications. At first I must admit the logo baffled me a bit as [...]
Posted by: Mark Busse on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Categories: Branding, Design, Inspiration, Vancouver | 6 Comments »
Some projects can really be both exhausting and very rewarding. After weeks and weeks of hard work, numerous revisions, and a couple of late nights putting the finishing touches (while eating bad delivery food)….we are very proud to h [...]
Posted by: Mathilde Salvert on Thursday, March 5th, 2009
Categories: Branding, Featured Project, Industrial Brand | No Comments »
1)
Be aware of what's our there. (Google yourself) Depending on how common your name is, other people may be mixed in with your results. Increasingly potential employers, and other people looking to check your references, turn to Google. It's an honest representation of who you are much more than a closely tailored
CV.
2)
Reserve your digital touch points. Even if you don't have the desire to micro-blog to Twitter or post photos to Flickr it's important to reserve these names. You might know that the Twitter account with your name isn't yours, but will others? Take this a step further and register your name as a domain even if you don't think you're going to need it. And while you're registering domain names, get rid of that old Hotmail address you've been using forever (I'm talking to you cutesy54@hotmail.com!) and make use of a professional email address.
3)
Use and standardize an avatar. Avatars are the logo of your digital brand. Whether you're twittering, or commenting on a blog, it is important to have a uniform 'face' to your online persona. Standardize the photo you use for all online services, and don't change it. While the effects of rebranding your digital persona are significantly less than rebranding your company, the principals are the same. People that you interact with on a daily or weekly basis, will not recognize your new avatar and it will take time to build that recognition up again. Register for
Gravatar (a service that ties an avatar to your email address) and make sure that the same avatar is being used for your Twitter account, Flickr page etc. Take what you know about the importance of Brand Consistency and apply it to yourself.
4)
Increase Search Engine Visibility. If you're serious about developing a digital shadow and online visibility you need to be involved. This means creating and using as many digital touchpoints as you can. Become a thought leader in your industry and start publishing original content that people will want to read. (side note: starting a blog with content that people will want to read is
very different from simply starting a blog). Start Twittering, posting pictures to Flickr, videos to Vimeo, bookmarks to del.icio.us and cross promote. Participate and interact with other twitter-ers and bloggers in your areas of interest and start conversations with them.
5)
Set Facebook Privacy Settings. We're all on Facebook, well most of us at least. But how many of you have altered the privacy settings on your account and locked it down? Familiarize yourself with the options under Settings -> Privacy. The major ones to check are the Public Search listing (Under Search Options) and making sure that Beacon Websites is checked (Under Applications). One final stop under section and you should be significantly more secure then before. (though with Facebook, nothing is entirely secure!) More information available on articles from Wired Magazine
here and
here.
[post_title] => Managing Your Digital Shadow
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => managing-your-digital-shadow
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2009-03-02 10:42:49
[post_modified_gmt] => 2009-03-02 17:42:49
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=3273
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 2
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Personal Branding is not a new concept (see Tom Peters’ great primer called The Brand Called You). As personal identities move online, managing them becomes increasingly important. As online personal identities evolve they leave a tra [...]
Posted by: Steve Mynett on Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Categories: Articles | 2 Comments »
I like the idea of being open and transparent with creative process—especially if they have a network of experienced creative professionals to elicit input from—but I'm surprised their client allowed them to do this publicly, exposing their new brand—pre-launch mind you—in this ad hoc online focus group.
There's no mention of brand attributes, positioning, demographics, messaging or really anything other than "beer" to base a judgment on, so I have to wonder what real value there is in this exercise. Are the comments and votes being registered even from beer drinkers in the tartget audience? And doesn't posting six early concepts imply this firm is struggling to make an informed recommendation based on an effective design methodology? Isn't that what they were hired to provide? Yikes.
What do you think? Do you show your unfinished work publicly and poll friends as a way of selecting the most appropriate design solution?
[post_title] => Public Opinion Polls for Design Concepts?
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => public-opinion-polls-for-design-concepts
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
http://www.artistechnewmedia.com/blog/around-the-artistech-newmedia-office/beer-branding-concept-work/
[post_modified] => 2009-02-04 16:05:55
[post_modified_gmt] => 2009-02-04 23:05:55
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=3221
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 7
[filter] => raw
)
-->
Today I received an email from an old friend who is a beverage marketing consultant who has been working on a beer brand identity with a design firm in Kelowna. I’d not heard of them, but their online portfolio contains some good work [...]
Posted by: Mark Busse on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
Categories: Branding, Design | 7 Comments »
There have been challenges–some which we could have predicted and others that came as a surprise. There were also insights into the world of our clients.
Still, we needed to service our clients and run the business and we knew that our re-branding would from time to time be pushed down the priority list. Two years later, it had come to the point where it could not wait any longer. We were still getting great feedback about our website and other promotional materials, but for ourselves the identity we created in 1997 no longer reflected our capabilities and the calibre of work we provide to our clients. It was time to re-brand.
A major advantage was that we knew what we were doing–it’s what we do for our clients with very successful results. We knew all we had to do was to put ourselves through the same branding and design process and we would arrive at the outcome we were looking for.
The first stage was one of Discovery, Analysis, Research, Collaboration and Strategy.
This involved the business owners asking questions that included: Why change? What are we hoping to achieve? How will we know the branding process has been a success? We interviewed clients, staff, vendors and others to discover if what we think about ourselves is the same as what others think of us. Thankfully the results confirmed we were heading in the right direction.
Your brand is aspirational and goal-driven, but as a company you have to bridge the gap between where you are today and your aspirations. Your company has to walk the talk today and everyday. It must look and behave like the kind of company a high calibre client would hire.
The Brand Discovery Session was essential in creating our re-branding process. We dug into every aspect of the company, often facing difficult questions - some which took several months to resolve. We questioned the name of the company, who our target audiences are today and will be in the future, how we will reach them, what our message is and how will it resonate with them. We also looked at how we differentiate ourselves from other design companies and what our core service offering is.
The next phase involved consolidating the knowledge that we’d gleaned from the research and applying it. It involved brainstorming ideas, conceptualizing initial logo concepts, being strategic and making sure everything we did was relevant and aligned with our discoveries during the first phase. It was also during this phase we explored a new tag line. Parting from the old, ‘we’re not wired right’ we wanted something that was honest, concise and gave a better sense of what we are all about. WHERE IDEAS WORK is a statement of not only what goes on within the studio and the people that compose it, but it also says something about the outcomes we deliver.
Business owners can often be too attached to their company to be objective and decisive. The third and final phase saw us starting to whittle down iterations and make final decisions based on the research and strategy from the earlier phases. This foundation made it easier for making clear final decisions.
With the new identity and tagline complete, the next step was to produce all the marketing materials, website and internal documents. At the end of August we rearranged our production schedule for two weeks so the entire Industrial Brand team could focus on doing just this.
We knew from the outset that two weeks was a somewhat optimistic timeframe to complete the myriad of tasks at hand, and in the end it was. But without dedicating that time to the development of our own brand it would probably have continued to get pushed to the bottom of the priority list (below servicing clients). Now we had the momentum we needed to make the final push to completion.
Branding is all-encompassing and there’s a clear distinction between the creation of a new logo versus the formation or re-formation of a brand. Even though we’ve been re-branding for our clients for many years, undertaking our own project has provided us with further insight into client concerns about the process, and the confidence, financial commitment, trust and hard work that is required to create and implement a new brand.
That being said, branding or re-branding is worth it if done well and assuming there’s a sound rationale for it. It will reinvigorate and energize the company, its clients, prospects, staff, vendors and all others associated with it. It’s important to remember that a brand is organic, and grows and changes over time so must be managed. With the successful re-launch of Industrial Brand, we’re excited to watch as people take new notice of our new look and the platform from which we continue to build and grow our business.
[post_title] => Branding a branding company
[post_category] => 0
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => open
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => branding-a-branding-company
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2008-12-08 13:25:00
[post_modified_gmt] => 2008-12-08 20:25:00
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://industrialbrand.com/?p=2009
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 1
[filter] => raw
)
-->
If you are a business owner working on the development and growth of your own company it can be a challenge no matter what industry you are in. This can range from generating more sales, creating or finessing your marketing plan, sourcing m [...]
Posted by: Matt SamyciaWood on Friday, November 14th, 2008
Categories: Articles | 1 Comment »
As we near the final launch of the our new brand identity, we’re putting the final touches on promo items such as a new demo reel. For the music, we asked our good friend and frequent collaborator Alan Wong-Moon to compose an original [...]
Posted by: Mark Busse on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Categories: Branding, Industrial Brand, Music | 1 Comment »
Another part of relaunching a brand with as many media touchpoints as ours is all the photography required! Beyond the endless portfolio shots of work is the need for headshots of our team. Enter Sven Boecker, longtime friend, client, colla [...]
Posted by: Mark Busse on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Categories: Branding, Industrial Brand, Photography | No Comments »
