Brainwaves - Issue 1: evolve - increase the power of brands with LivingLogos

Issue.1 Next steps in branding // Evovle: increase the power of brands with LivingLogos // Plus: Technologies that are going to influence branding [p.16]

brain waves

The brand environment has changed [p.7]

The next and true nature of brands [p.11]

Brand managers must become brand biologist

Reboot the branding system first

Re-asses the function of brand carriers

[p.15]

[p.19]

[p.28]

Challenge: Bring it alive [p.30]

1

A

( B ra i n ) w a v e is a disturbance that travels through space and time, usually by transference of energy.

Waves are described by a wave function that can take on many forms depending on the type of wave. A wave transfers some energy into your neighbours and will cause a chain reaction.

Adapted from WikipediA 2

image source: http://vorpal.us/img/waveofthefuture.jpg 3

< Content >

From the tip of the wave In this issue we are going to explore the near future of branding. What do we need to change to be able to adapt to the brand environment of today? Away from the traditional static approach to branding, we see several brands taking a more dynamic shape. But will it stop here? In this issue’s ‘In-depth” story we explore a first possible first step in future branding: the birth of, what I like to call, the first true ‘LivingLogos’. These logos act like living organisms that naturally adapt to their environment, organisms which grow and evolve. Just like in the real world, these LivingLogos will be bound to the ‘physical laws’ of their brand world. Laws like gravity, time perception and space. A set of variables will apply to their existence as well. With these brands we will connect & interact on both functional and emotional level, and will build a true relationship.

The three major reasons why this approach is essential to building brands: • The new dimensions will endow the brand with more strategic depth.

• Brands will be better capable to create a strong emotional link with their consumer.

• Brands will have inherent analytical power & transparency We’re leaving the traditional era in brand building and entering a transitions period where we have to learn by doing. There are enough agencies dying for an opportunity to start creating the first real living brands, the only problem is they’ll need the ‘go’ from the gatekeepers - the brand managers. So brand managers: bring it on!

Joost Galjart owner of the brain 4

< Content >

< Features >

The brand environment has changed [p.7]

Reboot the branding system first [p.19]

The next and true nature of brands [p.11]

Brand managers must become brand biologist [p.15]

< In-depth >

The birth of LivingLogos organism that can grow and evolve. [p.25] Challenge: Bring it alive [p.30]

< thanks! >

< and more >

You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start a wave without a little help of some friends: During sharing & syncing of my brainwaves the lovely Diana Jianu introduced the term LivingLogos. Since then she was my counter wave and helped developing this thinking on the future of branding. For further growth Annemarie Galjart, Jur Baart & Monique Hallmann helped by shinning their light on this issue.

And BR-ND for giving me the space to grow and evolve.

forces quit conventions Re-asses the function of brand carriers [p.34] from the on world Technologies that are going to influence branding [p.16] Nature by numbers [p.36] from the off world A picture explained [p.38] food for thought [p.40] links & references [p.41] 5

change 6

< Feature >

The brand environment has changed With much nostalgia we all enjoy the hit series ‘Mad men’, a drama about one of New York’s most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s. We maybe enjoy it so much, because we long for the days when everything was less complex, less intertwined.

But whether we like it or not, a lot has changed in branding and in the world over the years. It is time we question ourselves: are we exploiting all the unique opportunities generated by these changes?

Do we give our brands enough room to live up to their full potential?

Thanks to the new social context online and offline, branding has become more dynamic then ever. But there is still long way to go. In this issue of Brainwaves I would like to explore some of the possibilities lying ahead of us.

First of all, we are putting more effort into understanding the working of the human brain.

This makes branding even more complex. From what brands used to be, nothing more than a mark that made them recognizable, a mark that told this brand apart from the rest, now we know that brands are much more than just a sign: they trigger a world of associations & emotions. We created new disciplines to incorporate and navigate human complexity in brandings, such as brand strategy, positioning & brand portfolio management in an attempt to control this complex, new world

based on our understanding of how the brain works and the ways to steer it.

Second, we have also seen the arrival of active design in branding: a brand’s visual identity is created on the basis of a very smart strategy designed to trigger a specific set of desired associations.

To achieve the desired associations designers play and attune several dimensions of visual identity, such as colours, shapes or naming.

Lately, brand identity second layer, like house-style, packaging, employee’s behaviour, etc. has received growing interest. >> 7

< the brand environment has changed >

And third, the rapid technological revolution has made room for many developments, among which one that has changed forever the way we perceive brands - how we communicate. With the arrival of smart phones we now literally have all the world’s brands in our pocket.

Besides that, more and more surfaces and products are turning digital: billboards, magazines, vending machines and even our dining tables. And they are all connected to the World Wide Web, where all brands reside too. Some act like cameras with build-in senses and steps are being made that in the near future our mobile devices will be equipped with projectors.

This means that we will be able to turn ANY physical surface into a digital surface. Leading the way in this technological (r)evolution is the ‘SixthSense’ project developed by the MIT Media Lab:

“‘‘SixthSense’ is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information.”

‘SixthSense’ technology from MIT Media Lab

These are just a few examples of most recent important developments.

Sadly, until now, brands are just not adapting to the given possibilities.

They are just ‘old’ brands in a new and changed world. What if brands did start adapting?

What if we started exploring the possibilities brought by the new technologies and knowledge on human brain functioning?

Could we make the science of branding less static?

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source: http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/ 9

True nature

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< Feature >

The next and true nature of brands The first step in adapting to the new brand environment is to start seeing brands as if they were a living organism. This living organism feeds off a set of dimensions. Shape, colour and sound already exist in today’s brands. But time, senses and interaction capabilities are new concepts. So brand creation and evolution is much more dynamic. When you incorporate in a unique combination all these dimensions within a brand, the brand becomes similar to any other living organism on our planet. The brand is not fabricated in an isolated environment except for the bare essentials, as it acts like a living organism that adapts naturally to its environment. It grows and evolves from external impulses and, at the same time, it brings its own contribution to the environment in return.

For this reasons, as organisms do, living brands continuously connect & interact with other organisms on both functional and emotional levels.

This thinking allows us to see brands moving from a static to a more dynamic form.

In order to accommodate dynamics, brands deserve a richer logo. A logo that is literally, in all its functionality, capable to adapt, interact, grow and evolve.

I believe that, in the near future, we are going to witness the birth of, what I like to call, the first true ‘LivingLogos’. In the ‘In-depth’ section of this edition of Brainwaves you’ll find an exploration of the amazing possibilities of LivingLogos.

Both brands and LivingLogos are going to be bound, as every living organism, to the ‘physical laws’ of their brand worlds. Laws like time perception, gravity, space, a constant and a set of variables will apply. I have developed a formula that is not scientifically based (yet), but does its job at visually explaining how all the brands dimensions relate to each other. >> 11

< the next and true nature of brands >

The dimensions of brands A brand [B] is the sum [Σ] of all the (sub)brands of a corporation.

Every (sub)brand is a unique combination of a set of n [n] variables [v] positioned in a certain moment in time [time], plus a constant [c]. This unique combination is the (sub)brand’s trademark [TM].

Further on, the brand is placed in a certain physical (space) [S(x,y,z)] which becomes the brand’s space.

The constant The constant stands for control.

The right amount of control is key because recognition is still one of the most important assets of a brand. The true challenge for the brand strategic thinkers will be to actually decide what should be controlled and then stick to it.

For example, Heineken claims the colour green in the beer category.

Time IKEA keeps the exact same look of An unexplored dimension in brand all of its buildings. Whereas identity is time [time]. Brand managers are we can hardly imagine afraid of time: is my brand supposed to change Apple without same or not in time? Isn’t a clear, unchanged positioning old Steve Jobs. of a brand throughout the years the ultimate sign of strength of a brand? What does evolution in time mean for my brand? And what is consistency? Basically I’m saying ‘time’ is good, spread the seeds of control and, for the rest, evolve together with the brand and the individuals.

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< the next and true nature of brands > The variables When we talk about the variables [vn] of a brand and by association of the LivingLogo, we refer to strategic choices. These choices start from anything that has to do with company culture, product design, the consumer and of course visual identity that follow a filtering process of strategic importance: what is relevant to the future brand? These choices are then taken over by the ‘dynamics designers’ and visually projected in the LivingLogo by using dynamic elements that evolve along with the source data (internal or external) and the individuals. My hypothesis is that the more elements, and the more open they are, the greater the interaction & therefore attachment of the individuals. In a world where everything is going to be connected to the web, it is possible to link the variables to sources of data such as a plain database, other individuals or even a different brand. For example: let’s say you have a brand on the stock exchange.

The Dow Jones indicator could be one of the LivingLogo variable: the colour of the LivingLogo is connected to NOTE: For the level of the Dow Jones indicator. Every time you more interesting see the brand’s LivingLogo you’ll get a real-time examples of what indication of what’s happening on Wall Street. we can do with variables see the ‘Indepth’ section: The birth of LivingLogos [p.25]

The brand environment As in real life LivingLogos need a place they can call home. The way we design these brand environments [S(x,y,z)] There are three main reasons why will influence their openness we should take this approach in towards the consumer. The building brands: more open they are, the greater the interaction • The new dimensions open a world of capabilities and less opportunities to brands to create unique static they’ll be. opportunities with more strategic depth. For instance, just by adding time to the mix we are already able to tell a story. What if the space between the brand and the consumer is diluted and they are in personal contact? I mean, really, in personal contact?

• In this way brands are better capable of creating a strong emotional link with their consumer. This strong emotional link will lead to a higher brand loyalty. Next to that BR-ND’s 23plusone research tells us that the more of our emotional drivers are triggered by a brand, the higher the brand appeal gets (brand appeal is a sound marker for brand preference).

•

Think about the analytical power lingering in each brand. I can already see external sources and sensors (of digital devices) integrated into the DNA’s of brands through ‘LivingLogos’.

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Observe

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< Feature >

Brand managers must become brand biologists The fact is that for decades we have been surrounding ourselves with manufactured meanings. Seclusion from branded products, services or personalities is hardly possible for us humans. That said, the branded presence in our personal world does not need to be intrusive as long as the brand comes on invitation and a positive emotional attachment develops.

We need to change the way we manage brands, we need to re-think the concept of a brand. The expected arrival of ‘LivingLogos’ can help and will only increase urge to change the way we manage our brands.

In Amsterdam you’ll find a cross media agency called Fitzroy, named after the captain of the HMS Beagle, which adapted a quote of Darwin as their main philosophy:

“It is not the strongest of brands that survives nor the most intelligent it is the one that is the most adaptable to change” Charles R. Darwin (1809-1882)

The surviving brands, those most adaptable to change are the ones whose management is most adaptable to change. I think, and hope, that Fitzroy will go a step further into building the brand platforms that are most adaptable to change. This means that, in contrast with traditional brand strategy, brands have to have a brand strategy/positioning that is open enough to leave room to adaptation. To build platforms for brand interaction with the environment, brand managers need to embrace the new technologies because they are their best friends, not their enemies.

Nowadays most brand managers (owners), strategists, designers and ad agencies do their work like surgeons: Hungry for knowledge, they take the brand in sterile surroundings and dissect it with a loop before they create like ‘plastic surgeons’ the ‘perfect brand’. The ‘perfect brand’ embodies all the conventions of what they think is appealing or good for the consumer.

They utterly overlook the power of imperfection: a perfect mirrored face isn’t attractive, the swimmer Phelps abnormal anatomy and what about the lure of the little mole above a woman’s lip.

Our dry role as brand managers, strategists, designers needs to evolve towards brand biologists.

Brand biologists are still devoted to science. But in contrast with ‘plastic surgeons’ who make fake brands by attempting ‘perfection’, they make real brands. Nurture the brands, see if their (business) environment is healthy, and are always observing: do they get enough sunlight? Do they get enough room to breath and stretch?

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< from the on world >

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Technologies that are going to influence branding

The next steps in branding will be made possible by a mash of technological innovations. Some are already in our lives, others are still in the developing phase. I have made a selection of technologies that can play a role within branding and I will keep on updating this section while keeping my eyes & ears wide open on what tomorrow gives us.

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Digital surfaces 1. Billboards 2. Vending machines 3. Televisions (connected to the Internet) Mobile (personal) devices 4.

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‘SixthSense’ Smartphones Tablets (iPad) Netbooks/Laptops (including the 100 dollar laptop making computers available to all)

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User interfaces 8.

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Augmented reality Layer 3D technology (with or without glasses) SONY’s Raymodeler (360° display)

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Senses (like hand gesture technology) 12.

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‘SixthSense’ Playstations Skate Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox Wii remote (and the balance board)

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Powered by

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iAd (Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advertising programming) Designed QR-codes HTML-5 Artificial intelligence (AI software) Face recognition software Processing (programming language) 17

Reboot 18

< Feature >

First, reboot the branding system!

To effectively succeed in creating future brands we have to change the way we design them. Funny enough we are 50 years after ‘Mad men’ era and we still create brands almost in the same way. One thing has changed and that is that we have replaced the pencil and paper with the tablet and computer. We still start by creating a logo and stick it on everything we own as a brand. With the arrival of brand positioning/strategy we now added ‘thinking’ before designing and sticking.

In a normal situation this is the way a brand is built today: The first step is to translate the business strategy into a brand strategy so that the brand is capable to achieve the business goals. It’s important to remember that in the end a brand is nothing more than a means to an end (usually profit). After everybody (finally) agrees on the brand strategy as ‘fixed & solid’ as it can be, the design agency/ department is briefed to create the visual identity. Here the first problems occur because a good briefing rarely happens because the strategist and the creatives speak a different language. For instance the concept ‘fresh’ is

perceived and interpreted different by a strategist and a creative.

Beside that, the first thing creatives want to do is to open up the ‘fixed & solid’ brand strategy. Finally, after a while the visual identity appears. Then the brand (strategy & visual identity) is briefed (usually in words, sometimes words and images) to the ad agencies (yes again a briefing, another exchange of miscommunication). And if we are lucky (depends on the talent of the brand manager) we’ll have a brand (world) almost iconically represented by a static logo ‘stuck’ on the website, stores, packaging and campaigns, which hopefully are still on strategy. >> 19

< reboot the branding system first >

Another common mistake is that we are trying to create a polished and fully finished brand that naturally asks for a fixed brand world. Full brand control nowadays is foolish and impossible if you want to be a strong brand, a strong competitor. Consumers expect openness, transparency. They know your tricks by now. Let’s imagine for a moment delivering the brand with a BETA status. fiIf you tell people it is in BETA then it says it

is

things only

not as

way

Finished. not

we

can

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Finished improve

should

always

because

that

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at the

them.fi Jay

Cousins

Team up and collaborate To be successful in the creation process, we need an integrated approach and get rid of the linear steps currently in the branding process.

This means we’ll have to create a process that combines strategy, design and interactivity in such a way that in the end we will have one brand world that houses all your brand activities. Why is it that the strategy must be finished before the creative department starts? I say team up, brand managers with designers, copywriters, strategists and programmers (bring in ‘the geeks’ as soon as possible because they are going to play a crucial role). And what if we start with creating an amazing living (digital) brand world first? What is essential is to first agree (be it in a BETA manner) on the strategic variables and their manifestation in the physical laws of the LivingLogo. Together we brainstorm on questions like: How can we use the time dimension to tell our story? What external sources can we use as variables? What is going to make this brand world unique? How can the consumer interact with this world? My personal preference and suggestion lies with designing the logo at the end. In this way the brand is loaded with the maximum amount of strategic power to evoke the emotional & functional connection with the consumer’s brain.

By delivering a brand in BETA means that that brand is not finished. The BETA status grants early access and invites you, all of you, to participate in the development of the brand.

By doing this the consumer will help bring the brand to the next level and will share some kind of ownership and attachment with the brand.

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< reboot the branding system first >

An interesting trend picking up nowadays in the world of branding is the fading borders between the brand strategy agency, the design agency and the ad agencies. Strategy agencies are taking up design, whereas downstream agencies now do brand strategy too. My recommendation goes in the direction of sticking to what we do best and team up from the start to the finish line of the branding process. One brand, one team, multiple expertises. This approach eliminates most briefing moments. From my experience here the process can improve significantly. Currently, The quality of the brief often decides the success of the project.

The last part of the reboot is the standardisation of the languages & models we use in this industry in building the brand strategy. Please, one industry, one language. In the SWOCC book of brand management models, written by Giep Franzen (2006), I found no less than 136 models (WTF)! The time, a lot of time, we spend translating from one model (one agency) to another (agency) is wasted time; and in the end almost all do/say/want the same. If we want to be more effective & efficient (read reduce cost) standardisation helps. So team up, start speaking the same language and create together worlds with which consumers can fall in love.

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The BR-ND Kitchen can help us to team up. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a co-creation tool different from conventional strategy development, combining multiple sources of human intelligence. We learn and create together. We get better results faster. Based on the scientific findings of BR-NDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 23plusone studies we push the creation of brand appeal to a whole new level. Igniting collective, conscious and subconscious co-creative intelligence to develop appealing brand recipes. Resulting in positioning principles that really touch the heart AND mind. The game setting of the BR-ND Kitchen builds on collective fun, learning and creation.

Eliminating undesirable dynamics such as politics and rank, motivational downers and diminishing engagement.

Cooking under pressure in one to three days is efficient, effective and fun at the same time: no fun no glory.

Playing with science & creativity source: http://www.br-nd.com/ 22

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Birth 24

< In-depth >

The birth of LivingLogos In line with everything that has been discussed so far in this edition of Brainwaves, brands are moving from a static to a more dynamic presence. My strong belief is that once a brand is given a LivingLogo, the brand has made the first step in becoming a living organism.

In the figure above you can see the spectrum of different types of logos.

The more we move to the right of the spectrum, the more freedom to play with the variables of a brand thus the more dynamic the brand becomes.

Playing with variables The fun part starts when we start playing with the variables of a brand. The technological revolution has made even more variables available that we can use. We link variables to internal and/or external sources and on their turn link these sources to other sources. So if we take a Stock exchange logo we can

NOTE. Transforming brands into living organisms does not mean per se that the end logo will have organic shapes, green and animal like features or characters.

Abstract identities can also act like living organisms. Anything can be a living organism.

link variables to the Dow Jones indicator. We all know the Dow Jones is influenced by multiple external sources like a company quarterly, news, house prices and even weather reports. You can create a network of networks all updating and influencing each other in order to create the optimal experience for the consumer. >> 25

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Time perception Adding senses In our real world we are bound In the new brand environment we are to time, the way we perceive surrounded by sensory systems. A it, the way we count it. In our company that is already playing with these future brand worlds time can sensory systems is IBM. Personally I have be re-defined. There is a lot to to say that I did not expect IBM to have play around with in terms of come this far in being a dynamic brand. In time perception. The concept their animation ‘The Internet Of Things’ of a day, week, month or a year they beautifully show how the world is possibly not relevant for every changes together with their role in this brand. Are we going to use time to new world. For their ‘smarter planet’ add a storyline to a brand or is the campaign, IBM created an interactive brand a (real)time representation billboard. This billboard used a camera of what’s happening in our world. that adjusted its colours accordingly Manipulating time, using ‘super to the person standing in front of slow motion’ or ‘fast forward’ to it. This gives us an idea of what make the invisible visible. is possible with build-in sensory systems on devices. Think further “For our eyes it happening so slowly, about the camera, microphone or but if time is compressed and you the three-axis gyroscope on the shift perspective to the plants point of iPhone (which in combination view, their world comes spectacular with the accelerometer provides alive!”

6-axis motion sensing). The Fragment from BBC’s life series, mobile ‘SixthSense’ like devices episode 9 ‘Plants’ can provide brands with all the senses they want to use. Imagine integrating those senses in the DNA of LivingLogos. Then LivingLogos could see, listen and much more. That’s a slap to 26

< the birth of LivingLogos >

the current communication brandpeople!

Building a personal connection Adding smart software such as face recognition (I will avoid going into the whole privacy discussion), to the senses, we will give LivingLogos personalized memory. capable to revolutionize the level of emotional connection with the brand. If you ask people why they love a certain brand a common answer is that the brand was there in certain memorable moments of their lives.

The LivingLogos can recognize and remember those moments. In this way, not only the relationship with the individuals goes deeper, but for instance the distribution strategy will make great use from this special information.

Play with the brand The future (mobile) devices, like ‘SixthSense’, lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with digital interfaces. With simple hand gestures we can change/move objects or communicate simple tasks. The gaming industry is already far in integrating this technology into the digital worlds.

Although the Wii console was the first to bring this to the masses other consoles are exploring and perfecting it. Who hasn’t yet thrown a virtual strike on the Wii? Imagine using this gaming technology in the Living Logos to get the consumer in a certain ‘Flow’. The Flow theory states that people can

enter ‘a state of consciousness’.

People who are in a flow experience a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. To achieve this you must find the right balance between someone’s abilities and challenges you present to that person. For instance, games use a ‘play mode’ that allows you to choose what you are in the world of the game: novice, normal, hardcore. This makes the game more accessible to a wider group of individuals. LivingLogos are also capable to personalize this balance by integrating some simple gaming principles.

Another interesting part of the ‘Flow’ state of mind is that it activates the same area of the human brain as emotions. So there is a reason to believe (and to do more some research in order to see if) that the ‘flow’ concept can help to create a deeper emotional connection with the consumer. >>

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one dot zero

A nice example is the identity of the “adventures in motion” event.

Wieden+Kennedy was commissioned to create a visual identity and interactive installation by onedotzero.

Together with Karsten Schmidt, UK based computational designer, they created a Processing application that collects conversations around onedotzero from the web (Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo, Facebook and blogs) and that generates the onedotzero identity. The software was used to generate print shots and the team is considering to make it available for download and even open-source it.

Code+art The ‘dynamic designers’ of LivingLogo won’t be doing a lot of drawing.

Yes there will still be sketches to visualize a concept. But the real magic starts with programming. It is here where all the dimensions come together and make to LivingLogo capable to move and interact with world.

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< the birth of LivingLogos >

Influence the evolution of a brand By interacting with the brand, individuals can influence its evolution.

The brand worlds of LivingLogos will always exist ‘online’ and will be continuously influenced by individuals all around the world. This gives the consumer the feeling of ownership over the brand and creates an instant relationship with the brand. Consumers are becoming increasingly more social and want to know ‘what’s up’ with their friends and, why not, with their brands. A successful case where the world is continuously influenced by the participants is the game ‘Spore’. The developers prepared a world that uses artificial intelligence (AI), great programming and human intervention to let us bring up creatures which grow & evolve freely.

A nice detail in this game is that if your creature mates with another creature, made by an individual on the other side of the world, a totally new species emerges; that’s what I call evolution! Now imagine the interaction between two brands in such a context, imagine the level of influence, mating and/ or adaption. LivingLogos can create a leap in the evolution of a brand.

Embed the LivingLogo If you look at the logo at a functional level then the logo is nothing more than an image that we stick on things.

For this reason designers deliver a JPEG (or another format) so we are capable to start sticking it around. In the future the ‘dynamic designer’ will deliver a code. To place a LivingLogo we will have to take this code, like we already do with movies on the web, and then embed it wherever we want. Depending on the surface, the embedded LivingLogo will come alive and activate its sensory system and start its interaction capabilities. The brilliant advantage of this approach is that if we decide to make changes in the visual identity, the changes will come into action instantly all over the world.

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< challenge >

Bring it alive To illustrate the steps in creating a LivingLogo I designed my logo with the big ambition to make it the first true LivingLogo. My skills are limited and the first LivingLogo shouldn’t be created by one person. I invite you to collaborate to bring the logo closer to life! It is developed in such way that we can easily start playing with the variables.

As its shape and texture shows, a LivingLogo can be abstract. This is an open-source logo, and it will always have the BETA status.

First, a short introduction about ‘10n” To understand and create the world of tomorrow we need to identify the existing conventions and explore the impact that the new forces will have on our lives. A big shifting force lies in the progressive digitalisation of our world. ‘10n’ explores what our lives will be when everything will be made of ones & zeros. < the evolution of the logo >

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World

Dimensions

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or ‘the egg’

Width/height

8 anchors (a)

or ‘the base’

Connections World of networks 20 lines

Surfaces (sf) & innner anchors (ia)

< challenge >

To join me in my journey, you need to understand the evolution of the ‘10n’ logo as far as it is right now: Our world (1) is built on dimensions (2). Nowadays these dimensions have both on & offline character: (3) we set boundaries where nonetheless (4) everything and everyone is inter-connected which creates (5) a web of networks. By covering it up or giving it a skin (6) we arrived at the current life phase of the ‘10n’ logo (7). There are still The virables (v) three big challenges to solve before we can speak of a real LivingLogo.

So come and help me reach that level. You’re are welcome to play around with the ‘10n’ logo!

Challenge 1 Having the logo in code makes it possible to change whichever variable whenever we want, and it enables us to embed the Logo wherever we want.

Challenge 2 By adding the time dimension into the mix we kick off the animation challenge. What if the (a) side length changes over time?

The constant (c) To keep the LivingLogo recognisable we keep the width&height ratio at 6/9 and the colour scheme with gradient angle 38 (for now!)

Challenge 3 The moment of truth: to make it really come to life we now can start connecting the variables to external sources.

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C =85% M = 50% Y = 0% K = 0%

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Join the challenge: www.10ison.com

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‘Logorama’ does not represent my vision on LivingLogos but still this is an amazing inspiring short film.

Directed by the French animation collective H5, François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy + Ludovic Houplain. It was presented at the Cannes Film Festival 2009, opened the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and won a 2010 academy award under the category of animated short. And on the web part two is already spreading around!

LOGORAMA source: http://www.logorama-themovie.com/ 32

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< force quit conventions >

Re-assesing the function of brand carriers With the rapid changes in the environment of brands comes the need to go back to the basics and re-assess the building blocks of brands. Why do we do the things we do? Did we just get used to do things as we do them or is this really the best way? My goal is to rethink reality and start identifying the brand conventions.

We can start by rethinking how to use brand carriers, such as packaging and billboards. Up until now the brand carriers were used to explain & build the brand. Now more and more consumers do their own research on products. How many times a day do we hear people say: ‘I will Google it”. Whereas before car salesman were needed for advice, now the customer comes in with a printout of the specs of the car he wants. The need (or obligation) to communicate functional elements of a product/ brand is fading away. That gives brands room for more emotional oriented campaigns. In the world of ‘LivingLogos’, brand carriers will redirect consumer to the brand world. With new technologies (like QR-codes, augmented reality and layers) it is possible to use the brand carriers as a ticket to a 34

specific place in the (digital) brand world. Japanese based agency ‘SET’ is already creating stunning designs with integrated QR-codes.

For the cover in their May issue, Dutch design magazine BRIGHT commissioned SET to produce this special desiger QR code (if you have a Smartphone try it!).

< force quit conventions >

The main brand world is of course accessible to all of us, but through the brand carriers consumers can be given ‘exclusive” access to a specific place in the brand world.

Like a place where they download a song or get a discount. For example the consumer buys a pack of wellness gum, they scan the pack with their phone and are directly taken into the brand environment, where the brand explains what wellness is about and gives them a coupon to a spa.

Augmented reality is another way to go. Here it is not a matter of but it adds an extra layer on top of the real world. By using a computer or Smartphone the brand carrier becomes the platform on which a second world is opened up.

One of the best examples is how LEGO used augmented reality to show the content of the box.

The point that I wish to make is that the LivingLogos open a new era in brand activation: instead of trying to control the environment around the brand, the customer is redirected to the controlled environment of the brand. For instance the packaging becomes more than a physical support for a message, it gives actual exclusive access to parts of the digital brand world. A secondary benefit is that designers can start removing all the currently compulsory info that ‘must’ be on the brand carrier because it will be available inside the brand’s world. So no more ads that explain what the product does, just clean and appealing ads striving to get you wanting to know more about a brand. ox

GO b d reality LE

Augmente

It amazing to see how kids AND grownups carefully checking every box on the shelf.

35 Photo by Flickr antjeverena

< from the on world >

cmd

V

Nature by Numbers

The idea that there is coding behind living organism isn’t that new.

The beautiful short animation ‘Nature By Numbers’ by Cristóbal Vila, shows beautiful examples of how mathematical relationships such as the Fibonacci sequence, golden ratio, the Delaunay triangulation can be found in the natural world.

the Delaunay triangulation in the wing of a dragon fly

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< from the on world >

0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233 377 610 987 1597 2584

Nautilis spiral versus the Golden spiral

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< from the off world >

A picture explained Redefine time display Nooka is the brainchild of artist and designer, Matthew Waldman.

In 1997, Matthew had a flash-back to a first grade math class while staring at a large wall clock in a London hotel and was struck by how few options there were for time display. He then sketched his ideas for potential designs on a napkin and brought them back to New York. After working on the designs, he submitted them to his legal team, and indeed, they were unique enough to patent!

timepiece. The limited edition piece is a twist on the time manipulation device worn by Gommi in the ‘Future-Shock’ comic/manga, written by Zak Hoke. It features the popular Nooka zub zot face in blue, with the original ‘Gommi Marvel’ iconic artwork printed on a white polyurethane band. For the first time ever, the limited edition piece comes in an original blister packaging so you can display your watch next to your other vinyl toys.

The linear and graphic representation of time with Nooka timepieces presents a more intuitive way to view time. The visual mass increases as time passes, giving weight to an ephemeral and abstract concept - creating a universal visual language.

Nooka has come together with New York based Japanese anime-inspired lifestyle brand, GOMMI ARCADE, to create the limited edition ‘Future-Shock’ zub 38

Limited to 800 pieces world wide.

P.S. I’m the proud owner of number 359/800!

< from the off world >

Powered by

Playing with dimensions Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page nonfiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used. It discusses theoretical work on comics (or sequential art) as an artform and a communications medium. It also uses the comic medium for non-storytelling purposes.

Understanding Comics received praise from notable comic and graphic novel authors such as Art Spiegelman, Will Eisner, Alan

Moore, Neil Gaiman and Garry Trudeau (who reviewed the book in the New York Times), and was called “one of the most insightful books about designing graphic user interfaces ever written” by Apple Macintosh co-creator Andy Hertzfeld. Although the book has prompted debate over many of McCloud’s conclusions, its discussions of “iconic” art and the concept of “closure” between panels have become common reference points in discussions of the medium.

Cleverly disguised as an easy-toread comic book, Scott McCloud’s simple looking to deconstruct the secret language of comics while casually revealing secrets of Time, Space, Art and the Cosmos.

Filtered from WikipediA 39

< food for thought >

food for thought What philosopher Bas Haring always says is: I like to leave you with more questions then answers.

What is it that you sell? Or better said, what do you buy? The brand or the product?

Real people, real brands: Besides the ‘Like’ button, the success of Facebook weights the decision to make a network of real people.

Before that, all the social network websites worked with avatars or pseudonyms. Should we take the same approach to brand (platform) building (platforms)?

How to tackle the whole privacy issue if we are going to use sensory of our mobile devices?

What will be more important: The brand world or the (living)logo? The answer to this question will influence the way we play the brand portfolio game.

I believe (living)logos (read brands) are becoming more and more an endorser of a brand world/experience. In the same line of thinking, the brand will take on the role of a hostess, guide or (pr) front Luckily there man of a certain brand are more people who world. believe that brands will take on the living organism behavior. One of the reasons why we aren’t there yet is because the brand manager & owners will have to let go to their brand (management) manuals, to the vocabulary and the networks they’ve built over a lifetime. The opportunities of seeding are amazing - we are dealing with a never-before-seen brand environments and innovation. We have no books on ‘How to’ yet. Learning by doing is our transition. There are enough agencies dying for the opportunity to start creating the first real living brand, the only problem is they’ll need a ‘go’, the first ‘go, from the brand managers. They are the ones who need to have the balls (& faith) to say: “yes, this way forward!”

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< links & references >

For more information about subject contact the author: Joost Galjart joostgaljart@hotmail.com If you interested in more visit ‘10n’: http://www.10ison.com/ Or follow ‘10n’ on twitter @TheWorldIsOn

Links

‘SixthSense’ technology by MIT Media Lab: http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/ Fragment from BBC’s life series, episode 9 ‘Plants’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieCmPxWBCOM&feature=player_embedded IBM The Internet Of Things: http://theworldison.blogspot.com/2010/03/internet-of-things.html IBM’s supply chain interactive billboard: http://vimeo.com/10695851 BR-ND’s 23plusone research on brand appeal: http://www.br-nd.com/blog/2010/06/23plusone-a-scientific-study-onbrand-appeal/ An introduction of the game ‘Spore” by its creator Will Wright on TED: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/will_wright_makes_toys_that_ make_worlds.html The “adventures in motion” event from onedotzero case on creativeapplications: http://www.creativeapplications.net/processing/onedotzero-bfilondon-processing-events/ For the cover of their May issue, Dutch design magazine BRIGHT commissioned SET to produce this special designer QR code: http://www.setjapan.com/qrcode/future-of-qrcodes-is-bright-thanks-to-set/?lang=en

Nature by numbers website: http://www.etereaestudios.com/docs_ html/nbyn_htm/about_index.htm Nature by numbers animation: h t t p : / / t h e wo rl d i s o n . bl o g s p o t . com/2010/03/beauty-of-natureby-numbers.html

The images in this paper were freely picked from the Internet. I used them to visualize and/ or back-up the content but if I happen to violate any copyrights, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will remove the picture.

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A Drifting Up This is an audio-reactive algorithmic visual art piece that uses the concept of charged particles and flocking to simulate a organism that is alive and composed of microorganisms. The movement is rather pleasing thus I decided to exhibit the algorithm in a rather catchy video art fashion.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an audio reactive Processing application simulating a live organism by Reza Ali

source: http://www.creativeapplications.net/processing/a-drifting-up-processing/ 43

www.10ison.com 44