Things That Make You Go Hmmm
What’s the first thing you think of when you see this billboard? I thought – “huh, that’s weird. I wonder what they mean?” After all, definitions for a “foursome” range from the sexual to the game of golf, but I get the feeling this billboard is not some kinky reference or about leaving your golfing buddies alone and lifeless on the links. Thinking through the various definitions of a foursome and how it could relate to a hospital it finally dawned on me that it might relate to the anatomy of the heart. There are in fact four chambers and four valves within the heart – That’s it! Now I’m tired and my brain hurts; that was a lot of work to understand a witty billboard.
A lot of work it was, but I got it. More importantly, I remembered it. And I have a feeling that’s what BFW, the agency responsible for the campaign, wanted. I remembered not only the billboard, but also the location of the billboard just so I could stop and get a picture of it. It is no small feat to remember a single 14’ x 48’ billboard while on a 220 mile round trip drive filled with …billboards! So I guess that’s a testament to the marketing force behind the idea.
The agency reports on their blog that “The first day these two billboards appeared, they generated 474 hits on the hospital’s website (that’s huge in their market). And, according to our client, they’ve continued to generate more buzz for the hospital than any other billboards in recent years.” I have to admit, it drove me to their website and I live 50 miles south of this billboard. Whoever designed the hospital’s logo go it right, too. The “B” reinforces the name, the heart is self-explanatory, and the style, font and color choice reinforce the healthcare aesthetic. So, I guess, job well done on all accounts. …Now where did I leave that SA Node?
Can’t Email That Important Client? Facebook Them!
Rose Brand's Crystal Series of stretch fabric at the University of Tampa
Through my blog and twitter updates I have cited many case studies of social media as a networking and branding tool, way to maintain community involvement and policing, and even a case or two of how it can make you unemployed or put in jail. But I saw a tweet on September 25 that gave social media a true business-to-business validation. The tweet came from @Rosebrand and simply stated, “Just used facebook to communicate with a client regarding an emergency order. Was not able to connect via phone or e-mail but FB worked!” This got my attention.
Here’s the back story – who is Rose Brand: “Rose Brand is the leader in flame retardant fabric, theatrical draperies and production supplies for entertainment, schools, events, exhibitions and houses of worship.” If you have attended a concert, corporate event, tradeshow, or theatrical performance, chances are you’ve seen their work.
…And now for the story: Toward the end of the day on a Friday a member of the Rose Brand West sales staff received a call from a major scene shop in Las Vegas. They had ordered a large amount of NeoFlex, which can be considered a specialty item due to the specific parts and pieces needed. Unfortunately the contact information on the order, and the contact for the project were not one in the same. Thus conventional communication methods – phone, fax, email, smoke signals, semaphore, etc – were rendered moot. Due to the time difference the East Coast office was closed, and the original sales person was unable to be reached. In addition to these communication problems, the item in question was only available from the New Jersey warehouse. Rose Brand operates two warehouses, one on each coast, but they have a vast inventory so some items are only available through one warehouse.
So how does social media come through and save the day? The client contact in this case is a “friend” on Rose Brand’s Facebook Page, and happened to be online at the time. A quick message was sent via Facebook that explained the predicament. That message led to the acquisition of the proper contact information and then a call from the client – 5 minutes later, problem solved. As a Rose Brand representative stated: “In this case Facebook proved to be invaluable. As the end customer was on location and time was running short, it might have been impossible for the client to be reached during normal business hours.”
Social media for the win!
In early 2009 Rose Brand created a Facebook page and Fan page. The company, and members of its staff, are connected to TheatreFace, ProLightingSpace, LinkedIn, and other social media forums. Like many other companies Rose Brand is finding that there is no exact science to the way social media is used, but the real-time learning and conversations that it provides proves invaluable in the day-to-day, business-to-business world.
Logo Design – Five “C’s” Every Designer Should Remember
There are four “C’s” that you are told to look for when you pick out a diamond – Clarity, Color, Cut, and Carat – but no one tells you what to look for when you decide (or design) what logo will represent you and your company to the world…until now.
The need to address this came to me today as I was trying to incorporate a client’s, shall we say underdeveloped, logo into a design. This logo is so bad it hurts my brain, but what can I do? I have to incorporate it into the prescribed design requested by the client. In order to ease my future pains, I present to you – clients and designers alike – a simple guide to the five “C’s” of logo design:
Logo designed using colors from a vintage poster.
Color: The colors chosen for your logo can say a lot. Think about the feel that you are looking for in the logo design. If the look is “retro” maybe look at movie posters from that era. If you’re looking for something in a specific field, check out what colors other companies are using – to stand out use colors that contrast with your competitors. Colorcombos.com is also a great resource if you already have a color in mind and need some help with color harmonies.
Always design your logo with two color schemes in mind – full color & black and white. This applies for you web people, too. Yes, your company is online only, but one day you may need to photocopy something with your logo, or maybe decide to sponsor an event that requires you to dumb down the colors to only black and white. Do it at the beginning so you don’t frustrate yourself later on.
Clarity: Whether your logo is text based, graphics based, or a combination, you want your message heard, or read, with understanding. If your message is lost within itself no one will get it. This doesn’t mean you have to shy away from a complex logo if it is the right solution to your branding goals, just keep the focus on what your message will be. Have you seen the logo for the 2012 Olympics in London? Look at it closely and you can see that the logo shape actually forms “2012,” but don’t look to long or you might start convulsing. The metaphor is lost in the goat rodeo of color and shape.
Composition: Balance. Balance. Balance. Design 101 comes into play here. Your design does not need to be symmetrical, but it does need to be balanced. Think of a balance scale with weights on it. If you have a one-pound block on one side, and one 1/4 pound block, two1/8 pound blocks, a 1/2-pound block on the other side, it will have more pieces on one side, but still be balanced. The same is true for your design; juxtapose a large single element with a quantity of smaller elements to achieve aesthetic equality.
Compatibility: What is the final output for your logo? Logos get reproduced in arenas that we tend to forget about. Sure your company is solely web based, but one day you may want a sign, a t-shirt, giveaways, awards, billboards, vehicle wraps, or even corporate sponsorship with your prized logo on it. Think about the logo going on these items and ask yourself: What colors look good behind my logo? What color is horrible behind my logo? Should I have a vector logo instead of a raster logo? Hint: always choose vector unless there is a really good reason not to.
Content: What does your logo say – literally and metaphorically? There are some fantastic logos out there that are pure text, and there are some logos that a gorgeous by just being metaphoric. Some of the strongest logos choose to combine these elements. For example look at amazon.com’s logo. Simple text based logo with a yellow metaphoric swoosh. What does that swoosh mean? Well it might be smile, or is it an arrow pointing from a to z?
How about the Fedex logo? Have you ever noticed there is an arrow between the “E” and “x”?
Now you are ready go forth and choose (or design) a competent logo. With every logo you look at, remember the five “C’s”: Color, Clarity, Composition, Compatibility, and Content. Good luck, and happy branding!
Nickelodeon’s New Brand – Hits Bottom Sans Splat
When you think of the Nickelodeon television station a familiar splat may come to mind, but not anymore. Nickelodeon has decided to rebrand for it’s 30th anniversary eliminating all signs of the splat that reminded us of so many shows from our youth – Double Dare, You Can’t Do That On Television, etc. That’s right, the fun, iconic, dare I say sophomoric splat that defined more than one generation of TV audiences is now circling the drain.
The reason for this as explained by Nick and MTV Network’s Kids and Family Group president, Cyma Zarghami, is:
“The decision to streamline the network identities came after they started putting all of the channels’ logos on the same business card—and decided that it looked like a mess. We wanted to clean it up and allow Nick to be the stamp on all of these channels… In asking ourselves if everything could live under the splat, we decided that the splat was dated. It just couldn’t be done in a streamlined way”
Now that we’ve heard from the brass, lets hear some critiques from their target audience:
Eleven-year-old: “I think the old logo is more exciting for kids. I like the splatter because it looks alive. The new logo is too boring and lacks detail. Being lower case it doesn’t stand out on the poster examples. I do like the Teen Nick look a lot though.”
Fourteen-year-old: “The old logo is more kid friendly and represented who Nick is much better. The new logo is too plain, boring and not as much fun. Does that mean they are doing away with sliming? The Teen Nick logo is better than the new Nickelodeon. At least Teen Nick shows personality.”
And there you have it, out of the mouths of babes…
There has been much debate over what the connection between the lower case “i” and it’s dot is meant to represent – Is it an abstraction of a child? Is it a lame attempt to incorporate the splat somewhere? If you read through some of the comments from other blogs you will see the humorous outcries from the public; it seems this new “arcade retro” logo is a little too web 2.0 trendy for most people, and overall lacking in a more timeless and child friendly design aesthetic.
In the wake of the transitioning brands for Nickelodeon one thing should not be overlooked; that is the childlike simplicity in the 1984 logo design by Scott Nash and Tom Corey for Fred/Alan Inc. It was adapted, developed, and refined for 25 years, one thing is for certain – this new logo will not last nearly as long.
[Pizza] The Hut?
Pizza Hut has decided to rebrand to The Hut, add an in-house TV channel, and fight it’s junk food status. The reason for the change is partially an attempt to recapture the over 35 crowd, who does not frequent the restaurant like they did in the good, old, sticky-red-checkerboard-tablecloth-days. Pizza Hut is also trying to create “home meal replacement solutions,” and a healthier menu.
It is reported that the name change was prompted in order to connect with the mobile generation, we’ve seen this with Pepsi Co. changing Mountain Dew to Mtn DEW. We’re well on our way to the world exhibited in Mike Judge’s 2006 film, Idiocracy, where English has been dumbed-down to a almost Neanderthal level.
Many people have associated the new change with Jabba the Hutt, and the spoof Pizza the Hutt. The new logo keeps the iconic roof detail, which newer generations may not understand, as less of the Pizza Hut buildings actually carry this roofline. Personally, it reminds me of a bloated Spy vs Spy fedora.
We’ll have to see if Pizza Hut goes full force ahead with this new moniker, which is being tested throughout the country. Judging from the public outcry it might be another case study like the Tropicana debacle. If you want to see some of these comments check out echodemic.blogspot.com, and blasphemes.blogspot.com.
America…A Rebranding?! Winner Announced
The Dollar ReDe$ign Project has concluded its competition, and the results are in. The overall winner is Kyle Thompson who styled his design by “focus(ing) on the philosophers and political thinkers (i.e. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, among others) who inspired the Founding Fathers.” The bills have various sizes and other physical characteristic which would allow the visually impaired to discern the different denominations.
Runners up included: Michael Tyznik, Elias Stern, Istvan Banyai, Jesse lutz, Nate Castiglione, and Gabriel Eid.
Full results of the competition can be found at The Dollar ReDe$ign Project website.
America – A Rebranding?!
We all know the state of the economy, and we all have ideas of how to stimulate it. One company is suggesting a rebranding of America, and what greater symbol to do this with than the good old US Dollar?
The Dollar ReDe$ign Project was brought forth by Richard Smith of The Extent or Measure of a Surface, Inc. because “it’s the ‘only’ pragmatic way to add some realistic stimulation into our lives!” The project allows people to redesign the US Dollar however they see fit, and submit it to the competition. The winning entrant will receive a Word-art t-shirt.
Richard plans to submit the top entries to President Obama for consideration, though this contest has nothing to do with the government, or Department of The Treasury.
So far some of the entries contain designs consisting of American icons, Braille, international space currency concepts – even movie stars. My two favorites, so far, are by Michael Tyznik and Michelle Haft. The deadline for the competition is the 4th of July – so get to work!
This will be a fun competition to watch, and who knows, maybe we’ll have some cultural change as a result.
King of Pop – King of Branding
Michael Jackson was one of the best-branded individuals of our time. His music spanned genres and generations, was instantly recognizable, and often imitated. He developed immortal dances such as the moonwalk and the robot. We’ve seen these dance moves inspire countless other performers, such as Usher and Justin Timberlake.
Michael Jackson was misunderstood by some, but loved by many. He was not only the King of Pop, he was a King of Branding. His product was himself. He dressed as flamboyantly as the royalty of yesteryear – he inspired trends, created controversy, and cemented his mark on pop culture.
How many people can truthfully claim that a nearly 33’ tall effigy of themselves was located in nine different European destinations – including one that was floated down the River Thames? Or hold a patent (US Patent No. 5,255,452) for an “anti-gravity lean”?
Wikipedia recounts his honors and awards including many “Artist of the Millennium” titles, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame double-inductee, and multiple Guinness World Records.
Whatever your feelings are about Michael Jackson the man, it is undeniable that Michael Jackson the legend is a direct result of the King of Branding.
Extra Fishy Ad
A special thanks to my friend, Dominique, who sent me more ads from AT&T in response to my last post. I especially like the Zimbabwe one with the cheetahs and the grass hands – the coral hands in the Jamaica ad are very nice, too.
All these ads display an almost instantly recognizable cultural feature from the destination, while keeping the graphic simple. They also reinforce the clear, concise, and memorable theme that Jorge Lázaro Díaz (www.careerjockey.org) discussed at freelance camp. The more I see from this campaign the more I like it.
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- India
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- England
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- Jamaica
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- Italy
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- United Kingdom
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- Zimbabwe
Generic vs. Premium Brands
Ritz & Oreo new packaging next to the old and Lunchables current packaging
Have you noticed your favorite premium brands looking more and more like generic brands? We started noticing around January that there were changes here and there, but now it’s everywhere. Is this in response to the economy – are premium companies thinking you’ll remain loyal to them if they look cheaper? Some redesigns are tastefully done. Like the examples shown on IDY Creative’s blog from January 27th. The same blog touts a what-were-they-thinking moment for Tropicana, with a link to a New York Times article detailing the rise and fall of the PepsiCo subsidiary’s package rebranding. I didn’t know it was possible for package design to jump the shark, but since the time of IDY’s January 27th post Ritz has, and sister snack Oreo was not far behind. A redeeming package design aesthetic for parent company Kraft Foods, Inc. is the latest version of the Lunchables package…now if they were only more earth friendly.
