The Branding Alliance Project

design + marketing + strategy

AN MFA THESIS PROJECT BY KRISTIN RIGER ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY

“Design drives innovation; innovation powers brand; brand builds loyalty; and loyalty sustains profits.”

—Marty Neumeier

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

INDEX

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THESIS SUMMARY

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OBJECTIVE

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MATERIALS

Topic Background

OGST Diagram Timeline

Materials Matrix Deliverable Breakdown

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RESOURCES

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3 HABITS

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MOVING FORWARD

References & Contacts

Secrets to Success

Possible Futures About the Author

BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

2012 marked one of the worst years for small business profitability since the beginning of the economic downturn.

Cash flow, capital spending, and hiring are all due to decrease in the next year, leaving business owners little room to invest in long-term branding strategies. ­—Wells Fargo Small Business Index, November 2012

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

THE FACES OF SMALL BUSINESS A small business owner faces a list of struggles every day just to stay in business. Without the deep resources large corporations have, small businesses find themselves working hard to generate revenue and make a profit.

According the the November 2012 Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, small businesses are on the whole uncertain about their future operating environment, causing them to hold back on capital expenditures.

Design, marketing and advertising are essential tools for any business to reach new clients, and with a limited marketing budget it can be a struggle for a small business to reach its target audience. Advertising can be expensive; and even with the many forms of free marketing available on the Internet (social networking websites, blogs, company websites), it is still difficult to reach a target audience without investing in other communication vehicles that require an investment.

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

The resources of small businesses are not as extensive as those found in larger corporations. Their teams are missing the design and marketing expertise needed to execute an effective branding strategy.

Business Owner

Sales Manager

Marketing Director

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

Controller

Operations Manager

Account Manager

Office Assistant

Marketing Assistant

ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

DESIGN TOOLS COULD HELP SMALL BUSINESS, BUT NO VIABLE OPTIONS EXIST. 1. When conducting an Internet search for graphic design and branding resources, many of the results reveal poorly designed blogs, lists of resources with no guidance on where to start, or graphic design firms marketing their own services or expertise.

2. With the plethora of online resources available, it is hard to determine what is viable and what is not, especially for professionals without prior design experience.

3. Despite the amount of both online and print resources, viable or not, most are not specifically targeted towards small businesses, as well as marketing teams that have limited formal education in graphic design.

4. Most available resources do not specifically address the need to unify the marketing, branding and graphic design related functions within a business or provide a portal to help these parties communicate more effectively.

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

IN 2010, APPROXIMATELY 5% OF PROFESSIONALS IN MARKETING-RELATED POSITIONS HAD A FORMAL DESIGN EDUCATION. — Bureau of Labor Statistics

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

DANIELLE, STORAGE COMPANY Danielle has been working for a self-storage company, for almost three years now. She works with outside vendors for their website by giving them input on what they need in terms of content and designs brochure and flyers. She also works on social media websites. She has a budget to be spent on marketing materials, and but very little, as the company tries to save as much as they can. She believes that, in her industry, spending a lot of money on design isn’t necessary, but may be interested in tool on the internet to help her learn more to do her job better.

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

ADAM, CONSULTING BUSINESS Adam has served as a Marketing Manager for a management consulting business for about five years. When he came on board, the company was much smaller, and he was responsible for managing all the marketing material for the business.

As the company has grown, Adam’s has hired new members to his team, all of whom have marketing backgrounds but little knowledge of graphic design. As his company does all of their promotional items in-house, he constantly struggles when trying to find a reliable candidate to produce promotional material.

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

DESIGNERS AND MARKETERS SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE. Marketing is a framework for a delivery of experiences designed to achieve a particular response or action. Within a business context, this framework is typically grounded in research, both qualitative and quantitative, and driven by a measurable goal or desired outcome. Behind all marketing plans is a point of view that drives the message through various channels to inform the user of the message and deliver a meaningful experience.

If marketing is a framework for the organized delivery of an experience,then design is the act of building the delivery mechanism for that particular experience. Within the marketing framework lives a set of constraints that inform the strategy, delivery and design of a particular experience.

The relationship between design and marketing is like two sides of the same coin: what binds them together is the primary focus of understanding of their audience. Both designers and marketers undergo extensive consumer research in order to determine how to communicate with their audience through words and image.

Because upfront strategic activities in both the marketing and design disciplines are similar, there is tremendous value when both disciplines bring their viewpoint to the discussion table.

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Design without marketing is arbitrary.

Since the marketing framework includes a research component built to uncover unmet needs or desires, design should be driven by a strategy or intent to meet these needs in a meaningful way.

— Michael Funk, CEO & Consultant

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

WHAT IF SMALL BUSINESSES HAD THE TOOLS THEY NEEDED TO USE GRAPHIC DESIGN EFFECTIVELY?

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

THE OBJECTIVE: Help small business branding teams use graphic design effectively.

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

ACHIEVING THE OBJECTIVE In order to successfully help small business branding teams use graphic design more effectively, I have further broken down my objective into goals, strategies and tactics on the following page.

Known as the OGST breakdown, breaking my objective into measurable results will help refine what steps I need to take to finish my thesis as noted in timeline. The breakdown divides the task list into measurable deadlines for success so I can stay on top of my task list and monitor progress according to my timeline and discussions with advisors. As my project progresses, these strategies may change as my research and develpment continues.

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BRANDING ALLIANCE OBJECTIVE

OGST BREAKDOWN OBJECTIVE

Help small business branding teams use graphic design effectively

GOAL

GOAL

Make it easier for design

Make it easier for marketing teams

teams to communicate with

to communicate with designers

marketing teams

STRATEGY

STRATEGY

STRATEGY

Teach small businesses on

Educate marketing teams

Help designers communicate

design management principles

on design vocabulary

concepts to clients effectively

TACTIC

TACTIC

Work with a financial planner

Interview designers, printers

to develop budgeting practice

and marketers to determine main communication barriers

TACTIC Develop decision-making infographics for hiring designers

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

TACTIC

TACTIC

Create step-by-step guides on

Create guides on marketing

design concepts on website

concepts on website

TACTIC

TACTIC

Create short videos on

Develop downloadable print

featured design concepts

reference guides

GOAL Make quality design resources accessible for small businesses

STRATEGY

STRATEGY

Determine what specific resources

Promote thesis project with an

are lacking in small businesses

emphasis on the value of design

TACTIC

TACTIC

Work with a developer in the

Create case studies on small busi-

creation of the resource website

nesses and their design process

TACTIC

TACTIC

Develop print reference toolkit

Distribute promo materials that

for both marketers and designers

advocate why good design matters

TACTIC

TACTIC

Compile a list of reputable external

Maintain project blog that gener-

resources to include on website

ates interest in design & branding

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BRANDING ALLIANCE OBJECTIVE

TIMELINE A

Establish criteria for target audience. Create project name, graphic standards and list of deliverables. Set up thesis website and blog.

B

Finalize deliverable structure, logo and branding standards. Complete market research and continue content and design execution.

C

Complete content development and print materials. Begin to finalize website presence. Seek feedback on usability from target audience.

D

Measure variables of success. Present completed project for final review.

FALL 2012 1

2

3

INTERSESSION 4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

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Determine target audience

SPRING 2013 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Conduct target audience interviews

Develop research methods

Synthesize research findings

Determine deliverables Project name Develop promotions Set up project website

Document process through project website Develop identity Develop print materials Develop web presence Distribute promotional materials Execute print materials Execute website Identity refinement Select directed study Finish portfolio, apply for internship GLA 676: Professional Practices

GR 604: Nature of Identity

GR 800: Directed Study

GR 801: Thesis Refinement

WNM 249: Web Design

A

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COLOR KEY Research Strategic Development Design Execution Marketing & Promotion Project Refinement Graduate Education Project Milestone

INTERSESSION

SUMMER 2013

INTERSESSION

FALL 2013

35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

Seek business partners

Finalize deliverables Refinement of print deliverables

Measure usability with target audience sample Refinement of web deliverables

GR 800: Directed Study GR 800: Directed Study

B

GLA 676; Professional Practices

C

D

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BRANDING ALLIANCE MATERIALS

MATERIALS MATRIX

PROMOTIONS

SOCIAL MEDIA

PRINT MATERIALS

VIDEOS

PROMOTIONS

VIDEOS

Visual Materials: posters, cards

Supplemental material to

Social Media: Twitter, blog

design toolkit

CONTENT: Self-researched insights

CONTENT: Financial planner and

PHOTOGRAPHY: Self and found INFOGRAPICS: Self PRINTING: Self

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

marketing manager for design mgmt VECTOR ILLUSTRATION: Self ANIMATION: Motion graphics designers or self-created

BOOKS

DESIGN TOOLKIT

FINAL BOOK

WEBSITE

CASE STUDIES

LINKS TO RESOURCES

BOOKS

PROMOTIONS

Final thesis book

Central hub for all materials

Design toolkit

Case studies on small businesses

CONTENT: Financial planner for design

CONTENT: Self-researched insights

budgeting, self-researched insights

VISUALS: Self-created photography

PHOTOGRAPHY: Self and found

and infographics

INFOGRAPHICS: Self

DEVELOPER: AAU developer or other

PRINTING: Key or Taurus

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BRANDING ALLIANCE MATERIALS

EXECUTING THE DELIVERABLES The development process for each deliverable in this project is dependent on one another. A step-by-step, structured approach has been developed moving forward to stay on track with timelines and strategic development.

1.

Develop project website blog to document development process and serve as a exemplary tool for small businesses and other industry professionals to review my design process.

2.

Source and create small business case studies that showcase how different organizations utilize design and marketing.

3.

Use these case studies to determine where specific resources are needed in small business environments, as well as how these differ across industries and business sizes.

4.

Based on these findings, create printable tool guides on these subjects for small businesses.

5.

Use the information in the printable tool to form the basis for the website resource’s content.

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

Blog

1. Branding

Promotions Company Profiles

Instructional Guidance Industry Links

2. Website Community

Forum

3. Books Case Studies Final Thesis Book Toolkit Effective Branding

Design Management

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BRANDING ALLIANCE MATERIALS

THE BRANDING ALLIANCE PROJECT SITE

1.

Documents project development to showcase design process to audience.

Since my thesis project is a branding exercise within itself, it is important that I document my design process. Each project milestone will be documented as a blog post to establish credibility with small businesses and branding professionals.

2.

Profiles small businesses in the form of case studies to generate interest.

Case studies will play a large role in both the research and narrative aspect of my project. I plan to collect case studies on small businesses and their approach to the branding process and add these to my blog throughout the year. My findings will determine the direction of my deliverables and serve as a marketing tool to generate interest.

3.

Provides resources and insight on relevant articles and industry references.

As an interim resource prior to my final web deliverable launch, I have provided reputable, external links on design resources. In addition, when reading relevant reference materials, such as The Brand Gap, I include sound bites of the points that I find interesting.

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BRANDING ALLIANCE RESOURCES

REFERENCE LIST ACADEMIC

INDUSTRY

PERSONAL

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NAME

ORGANIZATION

LOCATION

CONTACT

NOTES

Sandra Isla

Advisor, Academy of Art

San Francisco

10/11/12

Similar thesis proposal

Shel Perkins

AAU Instructor

San Francisco

spring 2013

Involved with AIGA

Michele Ronsen

AAU Instructor

San Francisco

spring 2013

Business experience

In-House Alumni

tbd

all locations

spring 2013

Phil Hamlett

Program Director, AAU

San Francisco

In class

Caitlin McLeod

Student

North Carolina spring 2013

tbd

School of Advertising

San Francisco

NAME

ORGANIZATION

JOINED?

Thesis development Thesis process

spring 2013

CONTACT

NOTES

Pat Christensen

SF Small Business Network

No

spring 2013

Small business contacts

Tony Sousa

American Marketing Association

Yes

spring 2013

Small business contacts

tbd

Council of District Merchants

n/a

spring 2013

Small business contacts

tbd

Small Business Administration

n/a

spring 2013

Small business contacts

Shel Perkins

AIGA

Yes

spring 2013

Patricia Olshan

Design Management Institute

Yes

spring 2013

Get involved with events

Marty Neumeier

Author, Brand Gap & Zag

n/a

spring 2013

Potential intro from Phil

tbd

SF Small Bus Assistance Center

No

spring 2013

Nicole Lange

Chamber of Commerce

No

spring 2013

Small business contacts

CONTACT

NOTES

NAME

TITLE & ORGANIZATION

LOCATION

Brooke Maynard

Mktg Manager, Sage Software

Tampa

10/11/12

Inhouse

Katrina Secrest

Mktg Manager, Power Design

St. Petersburg

10/3/12

Inhouse

Michelle Tupps

President, Event Resource

Safety Harbor

11/8/12

Outsources

Nick Hancock

Social Media, Storage Specialists

Detroit

11/1/12

Does all design work

Abby Albaum

Owner, Dance Classes & Artisan

St. Petersburg

10/15/12

Outsources

Deborah Kaldunski

Marketing Director, ISIS Services

San Carlos

10/18/12

Low resources

Brian Diethorne

Sales Manager, ISIS Services

San Carlos

10/18/12

Low resources

Rachael Michael

Marketing Manager, Focus

Chicago

11/2/12

Does all design work

Julie Benjamin

Executive Assistant, Focus

Chicago

10/4/12

Some design work

AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

REFERENCES

CONFERENCES

REFERENCE NAME

SUBJECT

REVIEWED

NOTES

The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier

Branding

Yes

Zag, Marty Neumeier

Branding

Yes

Revelant to thesis brand and for educating marketing teams

Typography for Lawyers, Garner

Type website

Yes

Very targeted product

Small Business Administration

Small business resources

Yes

Small bus classifications

Made to Stick, Dan Heath

Making ideas memorable

Yes

Designing Brand Identity, Wheeler

Brands, design

Yes

HTML & CSS, Jon Duckett

Web design, usability

No

Universal Principles of Design

Lidwell, Holden, Butler

Yes

What is Graphic Design For?

Alice Twenkow

Yes

Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson

Biography

Yes

A Designer’s Research Manual

Design process

No

A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink

Demand for design

No

Massive Change, Bruce Mau

Use design to persuade

No

Visual Research, Noble & Bestley

Design process

No

Design Observer

Online industry news

Yes

Great resources & usability

Lynda.com

Tutorials

Yes

Inspiration for design tutorial

NAME

ORGANIZATION

WHEN

NOTES

Inhowse Managers Conference

HOW

June 23-26

Inhouse designers

In-House Initiative Workshops

AIGA

tbd

Inhouse designers

Mastering Your Brand

AMA SF

Nov 20

Branding techniques

SF Small Business Week

Wells Fargo & SBA

May 2013

A variety of events

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BRANDING ALLIANCE THESIS OVERVIEW

3 HABITS The following is a short list of tips that resonated with me when reviewing Plazm’s “100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers: Insider Secrets of Working Smart and Staying Creative.”

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

1.

Collaborate with someone whose skills complement your own.

In order to execute all the elements that I feel are necessary for this project’s completion, I will need to seek out industry experts and fellow designers to assist me. Without the expertise of an experienced web developer, for example, I do not feel my product will have the professionalism that it needs to be a successful and useful tool.

2.

Read it all, forget it, and do your own thing.

After completing extensive research on the relationship between design and marketing in small businesses, I have encountered many industry professionals with strong opinions on how marketing and design should be handled within a business operation based on their own experience.

While I value all input on this endeavor, my hope is that my project will change opinions on the accessibility of design and the ability of creative and marketing teams to work together.

3.

Look at the everyday world for inspiration.

I cannot only work off of my own experience to create a valuable final product for this project. Looking at the the everyday world for inspiration, including business environments and beyond, will help me find creative ways to tell the stories of small business owners.

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AN MFA THESIS BY KRISTIN RIGER

MY STORY The beginnings of my MFA thesis project originated in 2004, when I started my professional career with a financial consulting business. As the marketing assistant, and eventually the Marketing Director, I was tasked to execute strategic campaigns in which graphic design was a major component.

Despite the fact that I held a Marketing degree, I felt handicapped in my position with my lack of knowledge in graphic design. I knew nothing about typography. I was clueless on how to create and manage the development of marketing material. Communicating with printing companies seemed like a foreign language to me. And I didn’t know the first thing to look for when hiring graphic designers. My search for reliable resources to help me with my continuous questions was frustrating and often unsuccessful.

This experience created a newfound passion and interest in graphic design that eventually lead me to pursue a graduate education. Now equipped with an understanding of design principles and the industry, I have dedicated the next 18 months of my directed studies to finding solutions that will help marketing professionals in the same position that I was.

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BRANDING ALLIANCE MOVING FORWARD

POSSIBLE FUTURES

1.

Become an asset to design studios and increase my marketability for freelance work.

I would like my final product to showcase my design capabilities and attract the attention of studios in San Francisco. My hope is that the focus of my project, and my understanding of how marketers think about branding, will uniquely position me as a designer that can effectively communicate with clients. I also aim for this project to position myself as an attractive candidate for freelance work as someone who understands both sides of the branding effort. I admire the work of Hybrid Studios, as well as other studios who diversify their portfolio across a wide range of design services.

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2.

Serve as an in-house designer that can effectively communicate with the marketing and creative teams.

3.

Sell my final product to a small business resource or serve as a consultant to small businesses.

After grad school, I am looking for a position where I

My utlimate goal is to leave the Academy with my proj-

can combine my experiences in design and marketing,

ect actively helping marketing teams make better design

as I have a continuing interest in both disciplines. I

decisions, not just with the potential to help them.

envision this might happen working in-house for a

Through the success of the project, I see potential in my

corporation, where I may be able to serve as a liason to

final deliverable rolled up into a small business service

both the creative and marketing team as a design direc-

offering with organizations such as AmEx Small Busi-

tor or creative manager. My hope is that this positions

ness, the Small Business Administration or the Council

me as a designer that be an effective team player in

of District Merchants. I am also interested in serving as

executing branding strategies working in-house for an

a consultant to small businesses, where I can provide

organization. Full-services branding agencies such as

design insight to marketing teams.

Liquid or Landor are also of interest.

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BRANDING ALLIANCE

COLOPHON Name

Kristin Riger

ID Number

02594374

Course

GR801 | Thesis Development

Professor

Phil Hamlett

Semester

Fall 2012

Typefaces

Proxima Nova FF Tisa

Photography

Courtesy of Flickr.com

Paper

Red River

Printer

Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Inkjet Printer

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www.brandingalliance.com