THE VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE A rebranding project for FUBU
Visual Strategy Guide
THE VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE A rebranding project for FUBU
Visual Strategy Guide
Visual Strategy Guide
Our Purpose The purpose of the Visual Strategy Guide is to research FUBU’s brand soul, mission statement, and history. That way, we can be on our way to developing a new logo that can be noticeable and convey FUBU’s new message. Plus, our new visual identity will be cohesive throughout our various deliverables that will evolve from our brand’s extensions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Beginning 1
Mission Statement 8
History
Brand Objective
Timeline
2 6
Keywords
14
11
Personas
18
Competitors 32
Brand Visualization
25
Current Competitors
Who We Were
28
Who We Are Now 30
36
Adjacent Competitors Aspirational Competitors Attributes
42
Next Step
46
38 40
THE BEGINNING Visual Strategy Guide
Visual Strategy The Beginning Guide
1
HISTORY FUBU is a hip hop apparel brand created in 1992 by Daymond John and his childhood f riends J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown. The brand’s acronym stands for For Us By Us because the founders not only want a four-letter word that was catchy, but the mainstream likability that hip hop brought into the street culture inspired them to create clothing connected to the black community.
Its decline occurred around the early 2000s due to oversaturation by withdrawing from the US market to focus their clothing brand into other countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, and South Africa. FUBU remixes their clothing items and classic logo to fit the modern millennial style for them to stay relevant. They also collaborated with various brands, including Eye Candy Creations, Urban Outfitters, and Puma.
The company’s success increased with the help of music artists and celebrities dressing from head-totoe with the brand logo f ront and center. Artists such as Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Mariah Carey, and *NSYNC were seen in their music videos and paparazzi photos, all sporting the brand, sometimes from head to toe in hockey jerseys, hats, jackets. It was all part of the strategy to get their brand noticed.
Although the company pulled out of US markets, FUBU has managed to stay afloat thanks to international licenses. FUBU still sells in South Af rica, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, and Korea, where it exists as a skate brand. Cofounder Daymond John even said that although he appreciates the fact that other countries show their respect for hip hop culture, he considers FUBU as an American classic within the black community.
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History
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There really is no shortcut just because you have a name, or you have some kind of access or some way you can solve all the problems.
— Daymond John Cofounder of FUBU
Visual Strategy Guide
5
FUBU TIMELINE
1999 1992
1995
Daymond John mortgaged his home for $100,000 to cofound FUBU with J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown.
An extensive sportswear line was designed and produced by FUBU, using raw materials imported from around the world.
1995 With Daymond’s mother’s advice, they advertised in the New York Times for an investor—Samsung answered the classified ad and invested in FUBU.
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LL Cool J starred in a commercial for Gap in which he wore a FUBU hat and had the phrase “For Us, By Us” into his rap lyrics. Gap’s production team was unaware of the meaning behind LL’s FUBU references until the advertisement aired.
1998
2001
FUBU grossed over $350 million in annual worldwide sales.
The brand spends $5 million to create a record label under Universal Records. A compilation album called The Good Life was released in 2001 while an album called All or Nothin’ was released in 2003.
2019 2003
2010
FUBU withdrew from the US market, concentrating its efforts in other countries.
FUBU relaunched its collection in the US by rebranding itself as FB Legacy.
In a recent interview with Complex Magazine, Daymond John admitted that FUBU’s decline occurred due to their over saturating the market.
2009
2018
The Annual revenue of the company was around $200 million worldwide.
Puma began an acquisition with Fubu to create a number of shoes and later acquire the company for $300 million.
2021 The rebranding of Fubu is in process with a new objective and design.
2020 FUBU does business with Eye Candy Creations to design a sunglasses collection called FUBU Frames.
FUBU Timeline
7
OUR MISSION To empower the cultural unity of people of color through the promotion of inclusivity and diversity.
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Mission Statement
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Brand Objective The commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, and empowerment is not just for moral reasons but also for economic reasons. Fubu’s rebranding will serve as a beacon of leadership by utilizing our diverse talents to create a beaming atmosphere where individuals are motivated to become more sufficient shareholders in the economic and social fabric of the communities we serve.
VisualBrand Strategy Objective Guide
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Visual Strategy Guide
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Keywords
Ingenuity The brand will be a quality of being cleverly inventive by showing people not to let any barrier come between them and success.
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Venture
Enjoyment
Getting out of the sheltered bubble to see something unfamiliar to you. Knowing different cultures can help a person expand their horizons.
We are putting a smile on everyone’s face by reaching out a helping hand.
Keywords
15
We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.
— Maya Angelou Poet and Activist
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PERSONAS 18
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Personas are essential because it helps us understand the users’ needs, experiences, behaviors, and goals. Creating personas can help us step out of ourselves. It can help us recognize that different people have different needs and expectations.
Personas help to focus on site components’ decisions by adding a layer of real-world consideration to the conversation. They also offer a quick and inexpensive way to test and prioritize those features throughout the development process. Look for themes and characteristics that are specific, relevant, and universal to the system and its users. Personas
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The Journalist Mustafa Abdalla 32 years old Investigative Journalist Long Beach, NY Male 1.
Recently graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism because he wants to someday write down his experiences about being a Muslim in America.
2.
Wants to expose recent events of prejudice against people of color because it always gets ignored in the mainstream media.
3.
During his off time, he loves spending time with his diverse group of friends because it helps him create meaningful life lasting bonds.
4.
He always fears the police because based on his experience most of them are dishonest and have the full power of the state on their side.
5.
He loves wearing his traditional Persian clothing because it makes him proud of his Persian heritage.
6.
He carries his camera phone at all times because he photographs people doing daily activities such as celebrating at festivals.
7.
He moved to America 20 years ago because his family wanted a better life for themselves.
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The Caretaker Inez Garcia 44 years old Registered Nurse Philadelphia, PA Female 1.
She loves that her career makes a positive impact because she wants to make a difference in the world.
2.
Doesn’t like the fact that she’s overlooked at her workplace because she’s one of the few Latino nurses that work at Mount Sinai.
3.
She fluently speaks Spanish because most of her patients have Spanish as their first language.
4.
Wants her two adult children to become positive role models of their community because she doesn’t like how her children assume that discrimination doesn’t affect them.
5.
She is saving up money because she hopes to start a non-profit organization for nurses from different walks of life.
6.
During her break from work, she talks to her fellow colleagues about being stressed at work because it’s hard for her to sometimes keep up with a hectic schedule.
7.
She admits that caring for patients with different backgrounds can sometimes be challenging because of miscommunication issues.
Personas
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The Police Officer Marcel Jenkins 63 years old Police Officer Washington, D.C. Male 1.
Has worked as a police officer for over 30 years because he likes protecting people from harm and wants to be a positive role model for his community.
2.
Wants his grandchildren to be involved in positive activities that involve diversity because he wants them to know other kids outside their own culture.
3.
Urges the local government to add new police stations because more police officers can quickly improve their response time to assist its residents from different areas of the neighborhood.
4.
Doesn’t believe in police brutality because it only creates tension between various groups of people.
5.
Believes that inclusivity should be acknowledged and embraced more often because strengthening community relations is the key for people to trust the police.
6.
He provides daily training sessions for new and current officers because they need to learn how to subvert a bad situation properly.
7.
Three times a month, he visits various schools because he wants others to know that diversity in law enforcement helps those understand that all kinds of people are needed in this job.
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The Entrepreneur Pablo Aguilar 40 years old Self Made Businessman Boston, MA Male 1.
The type of work that he does is mentoring young people because they are the ones who need positive guidance in their lives since they live in bad neighborhood environments.
2.
Believes that a person’s actions speak louder than words because people care enough to think they can make the world a better place.
3.
Wants others to openly express their opinions about inclusivity in the workforce so that many groups of people wouldn’t feel isolated and alone.
4.
Believes that critical investments in workforce development will ensure that the future workforce can access the best jobs because providing the diverse population with opportunities to reach their full potential will only make our nation stronger.
5.
He searches online for good causes because he wants the kids in the neighborhood to have a positive experience volunteering with different cultures within the community.
6.
Is currently starting a fundraiser to build better housing for low-income families because they don’t have the means to provide for their homes financially.
7.
Ensures people that diversity makes more profit together than apart because it prevents people from knowing each other with many divides in the world.
Personas
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The Instrumentalist Crystal Samuels 60 years old Composer Rochester, NY Female 1.
Believes that music can connect people because people can quickly express themselves through song and melody to convey how they feel in life.
2.
It is her first time living in a diverse area because she lived in a predominately white neighborhood.
3.
Teaches others how to play different instruments because they never knew how to play them properly.
4.
She wants to see positive change within her new community because she didn’t like that certain groups didn’t have the same privileges that she had when growing up in her hometown.
5.
Participates in town hall meetings because she wants to stand up for those who aren’t able to stand up for themselves.
6.
Wants to give back to the community by creating a music program for people of all ages because it gives them hope to become something in the future.
7.
She has the people she teaches to listen to different types of music because it helps them know about different kinds of music worldwide.
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The Poet Deja Williams 29 years old Writer Pittsburg, PA Female 1.
Likes using her imagination because it helps her process more ideas on how she can create better stories that can positively influence people who are overlooked in the community.
2.
Believes in diversity awareness because she wants others to accept communities of people from every corner of the country and world.
3.
Participates in outreach programs at her church because she loves helping people in need.
4.
She comes from a very diverse background because she’s Irish, German, and South African from her mom’s side while Native American, Cuban, and Jamaican from her dad’s side of the family.
5.
Writes to the daily newspaper about the struggles of being a minority in America because she wants other people to relate to her experiences.
6.
Believes that poetry is the heart of the community because it shapes the human body, mind, and soul.
7.
Is currently participating in a program to build up her essential skills and tools to develop and have better communication with other people because she’s interested in fostering inclusivity in her church organization.
Personas
25
The Pregnant Mom Soo Jung 35 years old Teacher Trenton, NJ Female 1.
Wants to know how to get in touch with people from different backgrounds because she came from a uniracial country that didn’t positively accept diversity in various outlets.
2.
Wants more promotion of after school programs because she doesn’t like that some of her students are at home alone without supervision.
3.
Most of the time she has a bright personality and is patient with her students because she wants to understand where they’re coming from.
4.
The problem is that the school that she teaches in don’t have the funding for creating certain programs to teach about diversity because they need to save money for other expenses.
5.
She is currently pregnant with her first child but her parents want nothing to do with her because she married a man that’s outside her race.
6.
Worries that her students don’t know that much about inclusivity and diversity in the community because they’re predominately white students.
7.
Fears that her siblings will be prejudiced like her parents because her parents tell them untruths about certain groups of people.
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The Inner City Teen Hakeem Daniels 16 years old High School Student Harlem, NY Male 1.
Hopes that a diverse community program boosts up his confidence because he suffers from low self esteem from constantly getting picked on at school for being the one of the few black people there.
2.
Loves working with computers and electronic equipment because he loves to learn more of the ins and outs of a product .
3.
Hopes to one day be the first person to get into college and graduate because most of his family members never went to college before.
4.
Fears that he’ll be lured by the streets because too many of his friends have died within the last four months due to gun violence.
5.
He doesn’t have any free time to himself because he has to be a secondary parent to his younger siblings in addition to working part time at Foot Locker to help pay the rent money.
6.
Doesn’t have anyone to talk to about his problems because his parents are always busy trying to pay rent.
7.
Takes two buses and two trains to school because his parents can’t afford a car at the moment since the car broke down on them while visiting family members.
Personas
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Brand Visualization
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WHO WE WERE
Back then, our brand was hard, urban, and rugged because we wanted to express ourselves through hip hop music and who we were as individuals through our attire to represent our street culture.
FUBU
Brand Visualization
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WHO WE ARE NOW
FUBU’s future outcome will become more engaged in involving people of color by creating innovative, collaborative programs, and we will investigate unknown regions that were never explored before to expand our network.
FUBU
Brand Visualization
31
COMPETITORS 32
Visual Strategy Guide
Companies always know who their competitors are and what they are offering. It quickly helps to make the products, services and marketing stand out. This knowledge helps to create marketing strategies that take advantage of the competitors’ weaknesses, and improves the business performance of the brand.
Competition is important to our business because it enables us to identify your specific and unique traits that are appealing to customers. Identifying and harnessing these traits will enable us to market our business more effectively and bring in new customers.
Competitors
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Don’t wait for the perfect time, you will wait forever. Always take advantage of the time that you’re given and make it perfect.
— Daymond John Cofounder of FUBU
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CURRENT COMPETITORS
These current competitors with FUBU’s ideals. Most of them were inspired by the brand to branch out to the black community. Some them were founded by black celebrities and white businessman.
Rocawear Shawn Carter and Damon Dash created a clothing line that was inspired by the people of New York who wore the latest hip hop trends in fashion at the time. Sean John Created by hip hop mogul Sean Combs, its goal was to bridge the gap between menswear and streetwear. Combs often wore his own clothing brand to get more media coverage from around the globe. Gap This majority white retail brand gets their black audience involved by connecting with racial issues such as Black Lives Matter and even appropriating some of their clothing to create a following.
Urban Outfitters Referring itself as a lifestyle retailer brand, they target teens and young adults who are interested in hipster subculture and alternative fashion. They are also available in Spain, Italy, and Sweden.
Stussy The inspiration of hip hop had the surfing clothing brand alternate their clothing. Located in California, the brand also embraced other music genres to stay relevant in the game. 36
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Timberland It’s an outdoor brand that is famous for their footwear. A lot of hip hop stars wore the boots in their music videos while their clothing was worn in other communities. Tommy Hilfiger Before branching out to its mainstream audience, Tommy Hilifiger designed urban clothing that targeted African Americans because of the popularity of the hip hop culture that occurred in the 90s. Ecko UNLTD. Discovered by Marc Ecko, the urban brand reached its prime in the early 2000s. At one point, it was the largest streetwear brand in America. They also were known for selling accessories as well as their clothing.
Baby Phat The clothing brand was the voice of black women since they weren’t known in the urban clothing industry. It was discovered by Kimora Lee Simmons who was the ex wife of music mogul Russell Simmons.
Undefeated A streetwear boutique based in Los Angeles, California. It has quickly cemented itself as the go-to destination for street style pieces and gear all over the globe.
Competitors
37
ADJACENT COMPETITORS
These brands still have some connection to the community by featured in songs, current events, and accessories. They can quickly capture the attention of their particular audience members. COMPLEX It aimed at providing young men the current events in hip hop, fashion and pop culture without regard to race. Even though the magazine is not sold in stores, its website still maintains the brand’s relevancy. Cadillac The car company became more popular when many hip hop songs referenced the cars in their music and music videos. It was when the hip hop culture entered the bling-bling phase when rappers rapped about the valuables they own.
O The Oprah Magazine The magazine targets all races of women in America. Former First Lady Michelle Obama was the first woman featured on the cover of the magazine.
Heineken It is one of the most famous beer companies in the world. A lot of recording artists back in the 90s promoted the brand through their songs and endorsement deals.
Beats by Dre The brand sells headphones, earphones, and speakers. Its continued success helps bring the energy, emotion and excitement of music for music lovers around the world. 38
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XXL It targets people who were into the hip hop culture. Its print publication used to be on a weekly basis until they decided to be released once a month.
Buttah They are known for their skincare products that target dryness, discoloration, oiliness, and blemishes in a black person’s skin. They want people to discover the beauty that lies within themselves. Rolex One of the biggest brand named watches in the world, the watches themselves are created from raw materials and carefully assembled in crafty detail.
Reebok The brand was mostly known for their back in the day urban brand of footwear. Their regular athletic sneakers provide cushioning for impact and ankle support as well as stability for lateral movements. Kawasaki They are relatively cheaper than its competitors by using generic parts for their models. Though it in no way means that their parts are of poor quality, but it helps them keep costs low. Competitors
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ASPIRATIONAL COMPETITORS
I would like to see FUBU be in competition with these different competitors that are even in business for the first time in the future. Here are businesses that are inspirational and innovative. Forward Cities This company believes in learning and the collaboration of growth and innovation. It can help FUBU become connected to community practitioners, innovators, and policy makers committed to create more resilient and equitable economies for all. Code2040 Advances in various corporate skills to equip racial groups with the tools, connections, and care to succeed in the tech industry. It can inspire FUBU to build self confidence in itself and build better technological connections.
Black Girl Ventures The brand meets milestones that lead to economic advancement through entrepreneurship. It can help FUBU reach out to women more in a male dominated business. Black Rabbit One of the most popular black florist businesses in Chicago. They can help FUBU provide a relaxed and positive retail environment that is comfortable for everyone to visit. The Anschutz Entertainment Group The brand owns and operates a variety of venues, sport teams, and entertainment. FUBU can have the ability to venture out into various outlets to be more acknowledged. 40
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Live Nation Known as the world’s leading live entertainment company, they can help FUBU bring their creativity to life on stages within the community.
Superfly They’re a New York-based marketing and event company. Founded in New Orleans in 1996 as a Superfly Presents, they coproduce the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival.
Habitat For Humanity Helps families build and improve places to call home. Can help FUBU work with their hands to have people get out of the house most of the time. Tidal A podcast and video streaming service that combines audio and high-definition music videos with exclusive content and special features on music. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America They believe that every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. They can aid FUBU create positive mentors so that a child can thrive in success.
Competitors
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BRAND ATTRIBUTES Brand Attributes portray a company’s brand characteristics. We will signify our brand’s essential nature by creating a bundle of features highlighting the physical and personality aspects. These attributes are developed through images, actions, and presumptions to get a clear basis for helping to recreate our brand identity.
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5 Positive words:
5 Neutral words:
Beaming
Indifferent
Bright
Vague
Progressive
Vanilla
Unity
Calm
Accomplished
Questioning
5 Negative words:
OUR WORDS:
Cheap
Divergent
Unworthy
Thriving
Irrelevant
Connective
Bland
Cultural
Pathetic
Elevating
Visual Strategy Attributes Guide
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Align yourself with the right people, forge the right relationships and you’ll set yourself up for the long run.
— Daymond John Cofounder of FUBU
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NEXT STEP The Visual Standards Guide will go further into FUBU’s rebranding by looking into the development process of creating a new logo through research and brainstorming while coming up with standards that will analyze various business aspects that can generate constructive decisions of FUBU’s brand expansions. That way, we can develop exciting activities that can make people of color more welcomed and secure.
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Visual Strategy NextGuide Step
47 21
Sources School
Academy of Art University
Course
Nature of Identity
Instructor
Hunter Wimmer
Term
FALL 2020
Design
Chinwe Uduko
Software
Adobe Creative Cloud
Bindery
Blurb.com
Photography
Pexels, Unsplash, and Pexels
References ambrosiaforheads.com complex.com fubu.com istockphoto.com pexels.com wikipedia.com
This book was designed for an MA student project. It is not for professional use and FUBU has no association with any content on this book.
Visual Strategy Guide
Visual Strategy Guide