Designed and collected by Maya Srivastava. The copyright of the images and words are held by the studios and designers.
Contents Introduction
5
Logo
7
Brand
25
Identity
49
Concept
75
Acknowledgements
99
Featured Studios
100
Featured Articles
102
Introduction This book is a collection of projects, interviews and articles from a variety of studios and designers to do with branding and concepts. Everything has been selected to fit within the kind of style that I strive for within my own design practice. There are four main sections to this book logo, branding, identity and concept. This is based on the areas that my practice covers. Each project is supported by the description from the studio in order to provide some insight into the thought and process behind it. This is something that really interests me. Throughout the book, there are seven studio interviews. This gave me chance to speak with designers or creative directors from some of the studios whose work I really admire. It was great to get to find out more about the process they go through when working on a brief. Enjoy!
5
LOGO
7
What is a logo? A logo identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logo’s derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identity, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logo means is more important than what it looks like. To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable. It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we much must learn people’s names to identify them. The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.
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Clever Logos
Fedex Lindon Leader (Landor) Pencil Reghardt
The Waterways Trust Pentagram
Typographic Logos
Mill North Design BCP Small Medium Large
Minimum Kliment Kalchev The Lubetkin Theatre Founded
11
“We’re designers and have a ‘blue sky’ approach - so it’s easy for us to see how our designs can be applied everything.”
- Daniel Freytag, Berg
13
Studio Interview: Berg
Interview with Daniel Freytag, Creative Director of Berg, a Glasgow based studio. How do you come up with a concept? Do you have a particular process that you go through? I try to give myself as much time as possible to get the ideas flowing; Even if it’s just a conversation about an upcoming project or idea. It takes time to settle in. The when it comes to actually working on the project you’ve got a supply of design ‘leads’. I also always design on paper first. Where does your inspiration come from when you get a new brief? Anything and everything. It’s our job as graphic designers to have an everexpanding visual vocabulary on which to draw upon. How important do you think it is to develop a strong concept? It’s everything.
How does your approach to a brief differ with the sector that you are designing for? It doesn’t. The approach is the same. The execution is what differs. In your opinion, what is the importance of creating an allencompassing brand experience? When budget and project scope allow I think it’s great to create a fully immersive brand experience. When all the touch-points align to communicate a single brand message. We’re designers and have a ‘blue sky’ approach - so it’s easy for us to see how our designs can be applied everything. Within your own work, which brand do you believe to have created the strongest identity and/or overall brand experience for, and why? That’s not really for me to say. I guess our clients keep coming back to us because each design is bespoke and successful for different reasons.
15
Berg
The Guild Little Black Book
Berg
All My Friends Alpha London
17
Icons
Guild of Food Writers 300million The Fashion Center Pentagram
Martin Newcombe Property Maintenance Buddy Conception The Chase
Type & Image Logos
Brainwave Walk For Kids Avenue Kings Farm Estate Liven Creative
Circus Of Magazines Olivier Courbet Made in Murmansk Eskimo
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How to design a logo An article by Jacob Cass for JUST Creative about the 5 steps to consider when designing a logo.
Learn What A Logo Is & What It Represents Before you design a logo, you must understand what a logo is, what it represents and what it is supposed to do. A logo is not just a mark – a logo reflects a business’s commercial brand via the use of shape, fonts, colour, and/or images. A logo is for inspiring trust, recognition and admiration for a company or product and it is our job as designers to create a logo that will do its job. One must know what a logo is before continuing.
Know The Principles of Effective Logo Design Now that you know what a logo is supposed to do, and what it should represent you now must learn about what makes a great logo aka; the basic rules and principles of effective logo design. 1. A logo must be simple A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile & memorable. Good logos feature something unexpected or unique without being overdrawn. 2. A logo must be memorable Following closely behind the principle of simplicity, is that of memorability. An effective logo design should be memorable and this is achieved by having a simple, yet, appropriate logo.
3. A logo must be timeless An effective logo should be timeless – that is, it will stand the test of time. Will the logo still be effective in 10, 20, 50 years? 4. A logo must be versatile An effective logo should be able to work across a variety of mediums and applications. For this reason a logo should be designed in vector format, to ensure that it can be scaled to any size. The logo must work in just one colour too. 5. A logo must be appropriate How you position the logo should be appropriate for its intended purpose. For example, if you are designing a a logo for children’s toys store, it would be appropriate to use a childish font & color scheme. This would not be so appropriate for a law firm.
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Learn Off Others Success & Mistakes Successful Logos Now you know what the rules of logo design are, you can distinguish the difference between a good and a bad logo… By knowing what other logos have succeeded and why they have succeeded gives a great insight into what makes a good logo. For example, lets look at the classic Nike Swoosh. This logo was created by Caroline Davidson in 1971 for only $35 yet it still a strong, memorable logo, effective without colour and easily scalable. It is simple, fluid and fast and represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike – something perfect for a sporting apparel business. Nike
is just one of many great logos, think about other famous brands that you know about and check out their logos – what makes them successful? For more quality, lesser known logos I recommend checking out Logo Of The Day or going to your local book store or library and looking at a logo design book. The Not So Successful Logos We can also learn off logos that have not been as successful such as the ones in the above picture or these bad logo designs. As seen in that post linked, some logos can depict things that may have not always be noticeable to the designer (as in the middle logo above) or they could just be plain bad design, as in the logo to the right.
Establish Your Own Logo Design Process
Learn The Software & Complete The Logo
Now that we know what a logo is, what the principles and rules of logo design are and what makes a successful logo we can now finally begin the design process. This it hardest part of the 5 steps and is its own topic in itself – Each person’s logo design process is different and experience usually is the key factor in creating your own logo design process however check out The Secret Logo Design Process Of Top Logo Designers for a better idea.
After you have got your design process sorted out, it is usually a good time to begin mastering your software (Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard) but remember you can’t design a logo by just hopping straight onto the computer… brainstorm and sketch first.
In short, a logo design process usually consists of: The Design Brief Research & Brainstorming Sketching Prototyping & Conceptualising Send To Client For Review Revise/Add Finishing Touches Supply Files To Client and Give Customer Service
After you have got your initial ideas and sketches from brainstorming you can then usually jump onto the computer to start digitising your logo. After you have got a great concept(s) digitised you can send it to your client, get revisions, and eventually complete the logo and thus, you have successfully created a professional logo.
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BRANDING
25
What Is Branding? Branding is certainly not a light topic – whole publications & hundreds of books have been written on the topic, however to put it in a nutshell you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organisation, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience. On that note, it should also be stated that a designer cannot “make” a brand – only the audience can do this. A designer forms the foundation of the brand. Many people believe a brand only consists of a few elements – some colours, some fonts, a logo, a slogan and maybe some music added in too. In reality, it is much more complicated than that. You might say that a brand is a ‘corporate image’. The fundamental idea and core concept behind having a ‘corporate image’ is that everything a company does, everything it owns and everything it produces should reflect the values and aims of the business as a whole.
It is the consistency of this core idea that makes up the company, driving it, showing what it stands for, what it believes in and why they exist. It is not purely some colours, some typefaces, a logo and a slogan. As an example, let’s look at the well known IT company, Apple. Apple as a company, projects a humanistic corporate culture and a strong corporate ethic, one which is characterised by volunteerism, support of good causes & involvement in the community. These values of the business are evident throughout everything they do, from their innovative products and advertising, right through to their customer service. Apple is an emotionally humanist brand that really connects with people – when people buy or use their products or services; they feel part of the brand, like a tribe even. It is this emotional connection that creates their brand – not purely their products and a bite sized logo.
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Construct
‘London design studio Construct has given the branding of London’s famous Claridge’s hotel a thorough overhaul, starting with the hotel’s crest which has been redrawn and the logotype which has also been redrawn using a refined weight of typeface SangBleu. Because it is a working hotel with a huge number of items traditionally branded (from
Claridges
teapots and egg cups through to slippers and dressing gowns), Construct’s task of not just branding, but implementing a consistent and cohesive sense of identity throughout the hotel and the objects within it was by no means straightforward. In fact, the rollout of the new branding is ongoing throughout this year as there are so many different ideas to implement across a huge range of items.
Construct
As well as introducing a sophisticated colour palette of jade, gold, white and black, bold architecturally inspired chevron patterns appear on the inside of bags, envelopes and on various objects, publications and goodies guests at the hotel are lilkely to encounter. The branding goes way beyond letterheads and crests emblazoned on the front of menus. On
Claridges
the large inventory of branded innovations is an eye-catching take on a traditional rocking horse - it’s a rocking zebra (the black stripes are playfully on-brand); a rather wonderful chevroned Kimono instead of a dressing gown (a design graphic shown above); a jogging map for guests to plan their morning run in Hyde Park; a quarterly guest newspaper; and a rather nice sterling silver chevron bookmark. 29
Construct
Even the TV interface has received the rebrand and guests will also come across various seasonal luxury gifts such as an appropriately packaged Easter Egg or a Christmas Pudding. As well as handling the business of creating and conveying a strong brand, Construct have seemingly managed to do something else: inject fun (and not at the expense of luxury) to the proceedings.
Claridges
“We put aside design dogma that prescribes the corporate and repetitive approach of a consistent logo on every item possible in the belief that if you see it often enough it will be remembered,” says Construct’s creative director Georgia Fendley of the approach to the rebrand. “We felt that this was overkill and in fact did not allow the personality of the hotel to shine through. Better, we felt, to celebrate
Construct
Claridges
Claridge’s unique qualities by expressing them through a hundred exquisite experiences. Claridge’s needed branding with a degree of flexibility and imagination that enables staff to deliver a level of service that cannot be prescribed but is intuitive and personal.”’
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“Remember that brand is just a reputation - good, bad or indifferent.�
- Peter Higgins, Wire Design
33
Studio Interview: Wire Design
Interview with Peter Higgins, Director of Wire Design, a London based studio.
important to develop a strong message and for it to do its original job of engaging people.
How do you come up with a concept? Do you have a particular process that you go through? Yes we do and try and follow a process as that can eliminate ideas and styles that are not appropriate for the client. If you go through the correct process the client has less chance of rejecting it as they have signed of every part of the process. Look at it like a funnel, divided into sections and each section gets signed off.
How does your approach to a brief differ with the sector that you are designing for? Our approach is always the same.
Where does your inspiration come from when you get a new brief? The inspiration can come from a lot of places but if you use a process then more times than not the idea will pop out of the bottom of the process. You then research everywhere.
Within your own work, which brand do you believe to have created the strongest identity and/or overall brand experience for, and why? Pierre a Terre, because it is an experience where everything is exquisite: from the service, the place and most of all the food. The identity is only a visual hook back in to that experience.
How important do you think it is to develop a strong concept? It’s very important but its equally
In your opinion, what is the importance of creating an allencompassing brand experience? It is very important to retain or gain brand loyalty. Remember that brand is just a reputation - good, bad or indifferent.
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Wire Design
‘The focus of the solution is a clean, solid mark created from the well-observed typographical relationship between the p, a and t of Pied à Terre. This is supported by subtle representation of Shane’s trademark culinary ‘drizzles’ and rich, burgundy, cream and chocolate tones designed to enhance the newly designed interiors.
Pied à Terre
The identity was then carefully crafted onto forty items from butter stamps and ashtrays to calf-bound wine boxes and staff uniforms. Within weeks of reopening, the restaurant was receiving rave reviews both nationally and internationally. A third Michelin star awaits.’
DBA Challenge 09
‘Wire are runners-up for the Design Business Association, Inclusive Design Challenge which is jointly run by the Helen Hamlyn Centre - Royal College of Art. It has been described as ‘The combined Oscars and Olympics of Inclusive Design’ by the BBC. The theme for this year’s competition is ‘Addressing the issues of people with Sedentary lifestyles’.
Wire Design
Wire’s concept is Id. It is designed to help individuals with inactive lifestyles. Developed in three parts, the system helps people to adopt a positive attitude towards change before enabling them to map their own personal barriers and potential. Finally, Id connects individuals with their most appropriate first steps and like-minded mentors, who can help to support long-term lifestyle change.’ 37
Bravo Company
‘Branding design for a restaurant/cafĂŠ in Singapore. A coin is used as a visual representation of the name. Five & Dime refers to a variety store where everything is sold for 5 or 10 cents. As such, we produced a series of cheap goods to be sold in the restaurant.’
Five & Dime
Bravo Company
Five & Dime
39
“Every brand is a living organism and every interaction of the audience with the brand needs to be well designed and thought through.�
- Harry Mylonadis, Minimoko
41
Studio Interview: Minimoko
Interview with Harry Mylonadis, Brand Builder at Minimoko, a branding studio based in London. How do you come up with a concept? Do you have a particular process that you go through? The process we take depends on what we need to create. Generally our first step is to start with a beginner’s mind. Before we do our research we work on the concept with a completely clear and fresh mind. This allows us to think simply and create a concept that is clear and easy to understand. We then continue with our usual process of research, ideation, design, verification and prototyping. Where does your inspiration come from when you get a new brief? There is no easy answer to where to find inspiration. This is the reason why we have dedicated one day of the week on our blog to ways for finding
inspiration. When working on a new brief we’ve found that immersing into the client’s world and walking in their customers’ shoes can give us a great understanding on what we need to do. If for example we are working for a new retail food shop, we will act and think like their customer. Visit their premises, think of what their customers like and what they notice. What they will talk about and what they enjoy the most. We can then take these lessons and apply them to our work to create a strong and memorable brand. How important do you think it is to develop a strong concept? The concept behind the brand is the most important thing. The aesthetic part of the design is useful to draw the people “in” but once they experience the brand you need to have essence. That essence comes from a well-built brand that has a strong concept.
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How does your approach to a brief differ with the sector that you are designing for? As mentioned above we take the customer’s perspective so even in the same sector we might take a different approach. The target audience of a high street coffee shop that targets morning commuters is very different to a boutique coffee shop that caters to coffee connoisseurs. Our approach in this case would be to understand what drives buying behaviour and loyalty. We can then take this understanding and create a brand that leaves a lasting impression in people’s mind. In your opinion, what is the importance of creating an allencompassing brand experience? Creating a holistic experience is crucial in the success of a brand. The creation of a brand cannot be seen as a
one-off task that can be outsourced and then forgotten about. Every brand is a living organism and every interaction of the audience with the brand needs to be well designed and thought through. This can ensure that there are no disappointments and create a strong association in the consumer’s mind. Within your own work, which brand do you believe to have created the strongest identity and/or overall brand experience for, and why? I will have to say one of our latest brands CPU Wars has the strongest identity and overall brand experience. One reason was because it was our own product there were no barriers to what could be done to create the right brand experience. Even parts that normally people would not approve of have been designed on purpose to
leave a strong impression. As a brand, CPU Wars is unique, memorable and stands out from the crowd. We achieved that by creating all the elements that were needed for the target audience (tech geeks). The name is close to what they like and easy to remember. The colour scheme and design is different and gives off a tech appeal. The story is about one of their “own kind” doing something because he was bored. We even went a step further and created a character “A Guy in a bunny suit” in order to be able to expand the brand a tell the story from a very techy side. The result is a fun experience that people enjoy and a game that every tech geek wants to own.
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Minimoko
‘Yozen has come to change the landscape of frozen yoghurt. It’s healthy, pure and 100% Greek. It’s not just another frozen yoghurt brand. Expertise, care and love have been put into work to create an artisan frozen yoghurt that cannot be beaten. When we started working on Yozen we knew that it had to be different. Its pride in its
Yozen
ingredients needed to be reflected on its entire identity. From the values to the logo and every other design element, Yozen is bold and loud, while staying chic and elegant. The perfect escape without a guilty conscious.’
Meli
‘Meli is Greek for Honey. Made from 100% Greek Thyme honey (one of the most popular varieties in Greece), Meli is wholesome, pure and healthy. When working on this packaging concept we knew that for it to have a chance of success in the competition it had to really stand out. We
Minimoko
made the decision to create a playful brand that conveyed its identity through its packaging. Everything about it shouts how unique it is and it’s something that would make your day as soon as you set it on the breakfast table.’
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IDENTITY
49
What Is Identity Design? One major role in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company is its identity. In most cases, identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, usually assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines that make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved colour palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements and so forth. These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable. The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices: - A Logo - Stationery - Marketing Collateral - Products & Packaging - Apparel Design - Signage (Interior & exterior) - Messages & Actions - Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.) - Anything visual that represents the business. All of these things make up an identity and should support the brand as a whole. The logo however, is the corporate identity and brand all wrapped up into one identifiable mark. This mark is the avatar and symbol of the business as a whole. 51
Design Friendship
The brief was ‘to create a brand identity for a new culinary retail concept in the UK. The Kitchen’s vision is you experience, first hand, how to create great tasting food from only the finest ingredients with Michelin Star Chef Thierry Laborde and his team.’
The Kitchen
The Kitchen
Design Friendship
53
Landor
‘City of Melbourne asked Landor to develop a cohesive brand strategy and new identity system. The challenge was to reflect City of Melbourne’s cool sophistication on the world stage, capture the passion of its people, and provide the city with a unified, flexible, and future-focused image. The new identity needed to overcome political complexities, improve the cost-effectiveness of managing the brand, and
City of Melbourne
unite the disparate range of entities (including the council, City of Melbourne’s destination brand, and an ever-growing portfolio of different initiatives, programs, services, events, and activities). We built the branding program based on the results of a thorough audit of City of Melbourne’s various identities and its long-
Landor
term sustainability and strategic plans. The audit assessed public opinion and interviewed stakeholders who included local government officials, business owners, and community representatives. At the heart of the new design, the bold “M� presents a full expression of the identity system - immediately recognizable and as multifaceted as the city itself: creative,
City of Melbourne
cultural, sustainable. A celebration of diversity and personal interpretation that is both futureproof and iconic.’
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“Sometimes all a project needs is a print process to get the message across. Most importantly - is the message getting across to the intended audience.�
- Matthew Schofield, Foundry
57
Studio Interview: Foundry
Interview with Matthew Schofield from London based design studio, Foundry.
How do you come up with a concept? Do you have a particular process that you go through? This can be very loose or come directly from the client. It can be something that we are interested in, have seen and want to expand on or can be from research. Mostly we research areas of interest and client competitors or it could come from the client brief or a play on their name. There really is no hard and fast rule as to where the concept comes from, mostly it depends on the project - i.e. whether its client facing or a studio project. Where does your inspiration come from when you get a new brief? We look at everything around us, try and do different things (could be trying to play a new sport or going somewhere you’ve never been) try to keep our resources as wide as possible.
How important do you think it is to develop a strong concept? It depends on the project. Sometimes all a project needs is a print process to get the message across. Most importantly - is the message getting across to the intended audience. How does your approach to a brief differ with the sector that you are designing for? I would say that we don’t differ our approach, just our resources. In your opinion, what is the importance of creating an allencompassing brand experience? It has to add value. Whether that’s value to the product, value to the consumer etc. Within your own work, which brand do you believe to have created the strongest identity and/or overall brand experience for, and why? I would say Liberty Department store (at the moment) as I was the senior designer there for two years and designed everything from shop signage to advertising.
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Foundry
‘Putting Liberty’s iconic building centre stage, this press invite for the store’s pre-season Christmas press event brings the Arts & Crafts exterior to life by rendering it in die-cut handassembled layers, highlighted with foiled detail. Posted flat, the invite ‘pops-up’ when opened. Gold foil provides a festive touch, while a touch of purple foiling picks out the details and adds an unseasonal twist.’
Liberty Christmas in July
Tree Surgeon UK
Foundry
‘Playing on the accuracy and fastidiousness of a surgeon’s work, this branding project made a visual link between the commissioning company’s tree surgery business and the attentiveness of the operating theatre by using medical references and terminology.’
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Liven Creative
‘Arrows Group, a full service recruitment consultancy, which operates within the Healthcare, Technology, Banking & Insurance Industries commissioned Liven to overhaul their existing brand identity. Liven Creative created a unique identity and graphical mark. The arrows mark communicates not only the independent divisions but positively reflects at the heart
Arrows Group Recruitment
of Arrows Group are three core values, represented by each point of a triangle. Today we continue to work closely with both Arrows Group’s central management and their key divisional managers. Over the last few months we have created a broad range of communication collateral including new brochures, launched a now highly successful
Liven Creative
Technology-focused networking event based around Agile software development, called Agile Evangelists, designed exhibition stand material and built their Healthcare recruitment website as well as advising on the look and feel of their Corporate site, created new exterior and interior signage for their London offices and created engaging presentations for pitches.
Arrows Group Recruitment
Arrows Group were recently recognised as the Top 5 fastest growing UK recruitment company in the Annual Recruiter Fast 50.’
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“Being constantly observant of your surroundings and the things you do and read are vital to being a good designer.�
- Sophie Tatlow, Deuce Design
65
Studio Interview: Deuce Design
Interview with Sophie Tatlow, Director of Deuce Design in Melbourne, Australia. How do you come up with a concept? Do you have a particular process that you go through? Everything depends on the kind of client, budget, project or sector for the job. Every job is different. Sometimes we’ll workshop, sometimes the client is very specific about what they want, and almost always we research other ‘similar projects’. The client is usually fairly involved in ‘what they want’. We’ll often develop multiple concepts and show the client only 2 or 3. You have think about outcome and usage if a concept is to be successful. You have to be very intuitive to the ‘type of client’ you have and what they can conceptually handle. Kicking off with random words and illustrations can be a good starting point.
Where does your inspiration come from when you get a new brief? Books, art, surroundings, a building, a place, travel, cultural diversity... We work on many public domain and environmental projects, the ‘PLACE’ and theme often triggers the inspiration. Being constantly observant of your surroundings and the things you do and read are vital to being a good designer. How important do you think it is to develop a strong concept? Vital. It lays the foundation for the project. Start with something weak, you will end up with something potentially ‘soft’. How does your approach to a brief differ with the sector that you are designing for? Every job is different and similar in some way. Interpretive and signage
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projects are either bound by history or the science of moving around a new place or situation. One has to be fairly analytical in reviewing a new job and how to start it. Cultural events can be different again, because ultimately it’s about a short-term event and ticket sales or ‘target market’. Then again, timing or schedule can affect the outcome, if you have two days to do something, that can speed things up! In your opinion, what is the importance of creating an allencompassing brand experience? Depends on the size of the project. ‘Allencompassing’ reinforces the brand message but you have to be careful not to be too ‘cookie cutter’. Sometime an overwhelming brand experience lacks diversity and can get too ‘brandy’ and commercial. It needs to be branded, diverse and consistent, which can be a hard balance to strike. I think a lot of
museums, art galleries and festivals are very clever in the way they ‘brand’ the ‘product, without it feeling overdone. ‘Clever’ is something to aim for in creating a great experience. Within your own work, which brand do you believe to have created the strongest identity and/or overall brand experience for, and why? There are a couple that have been great and very successful for the client. Sydney Theatre Company (had) a strong identity because I feel we answered the brief, it was a very creative, the client was creative, the project was diverse and it was interesting. They have recently amended the brand with the change of managing directors, I’m not sure it has as much ‘pow’. It might be more commercial and better for the style guide but I don’t think it has the same cut through.
Sydney Theatre Company
‘In 2009, the Sydney Theatre Company appointed new creative directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton and a brand new look. Black and white bubbles, in the shape of voluptuous theatre spotlights, form the basis of the new identity. The intention was to create a visual identity that attracted a new audience and brand package that was as flexible,
Deuce Design
spontaneous and exciting as theatre. Project components include: identity/brand package, season brochure, web design, stationery collateral, advertising and signage.’
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Deuce Design
‘The Dee Why Hotel is back after a three-year refurbishment break. A sumptuous new space designed by SJB, Deuce redesigned the identity with a custom type treatment. Hand-created elements appear over signage, print and uniforms in an extensive rollout.’
Dee Why Hotel
Deuce Design
Dee Why Hotel
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The Standard Store
‘From the Airedale brand mark (yes, there’s purebred ragamuffin snoozing in the store) to the custom designed tissue paper, The Standard Store is all about setting a fashion brand benchmark for Sydney. The studio created the brand identity, stationery collateral and website package, but we can’t take all the credit for the fabulous fit out and great stock. Think English brogues, Parisian summer hats,
Deuce Design
Swedish preworn denim and Deuce branding. The umbrellas are so cool you will be begging for rain.’
The Standard Store
Deuce Design
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CONCEPT
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Concept Generation No one can write step-by-step instructions on how to do this — the entire point, after all, is to react, rather than obeying fixed directives — but there are certain steps we can take at the outset of a project that help clear the way to let this process happen: Start with a sketchbook, not a computer. The computer is a bad companion to start with because its particular toolset pushes us in certain directions (towards clearly defined shapes and hard edges) and because it tempts us to focus overly on execution (by offering up sexy drop shadows and whatnot) before our concept has really come together. Start by drawing every association you come up with for the subject matter. Draw it quickly, and don’t be critical. At this stage, it’s not about making pretty pictures, and it’s not about evaluating your ideas (in fact, the ability to turn the critical part of your brain on and off is one of the most helpful tricks you can develop).
Don’t try to avoid clichés — let them happen. Trying not to think of clichés is like the old joke where someone says ‘Don’t think of a pink elephant.’ It’s best to get them down on paper and get them out of your system. Once you’ve jotted down every association you can think of, take a break, come back and jot down a few more. Then, take a longer break. Come back with fresh eyes and look at what you have in front of you. Now is the time to be critical, but also to be fair. Seeing our own work clearly for its merits, without bias and defensiveness, is one of the hardest things for graphic designers to do. George Orwell wasn’t thinking about graphic designers when he wrote, “To see clearly what is in front of one’s face requires constant struggle,” but he might as well have been.
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The Standard Store
‘German design agency Korefe has created the first cookbook you can read, cook and eat. Called ‘The Real Cookbook’, the cook-able and edible cookbook is made of 100% fresh pasta, and gives you the recipe on how to make a classic lasagne at the same time.
Korefe
Other than instructions, The Real Cookbook plays an essential part as one of the main ingredients in making the lasagne—pasta pages are used as sheets in a lasagne. Once baked, the book becomes good enough to eat.’
Tate Art Sets
Buddy
‘The Tate are true believers in next generation artists - which is why they sell an array of imaginative art sets for children. Our packaging for the range creates a consistent, branded feel through simple typography and colourful patterns, inspired directly by some of the Tate’s great artists, from Damien Hirst to Bridget Riley.’ 79
Bravo Company
‘The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP) is a non-profit organization that was born in 2009 to help change lives in some of the world’s least-developed nations. TCRP’s mission is to find a cause, and have an effect and from there, grow their initiative by inspiring others to be catalysts for change as well.’
The Chain Reaction Project
Bravo Company
The Chain Reaction Project
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“Strong concept and strong execution is the key to the design success.”
- Samuel Baum, Studio Baum
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Studio Interview: Studio Baum
Interview with Samuel Baum from Studio Baum in London.
strong execution is the key to the design success.
How do you come up with a concept? Do you have a particular process that you go through? The concept is the designer’s holy grail. If there was a single process then that would make life so much easier for me. The best thing to do is open your self up to inspiration. Go out, look, sketch, flick through a book, see and exhibition, sketch, walk, listen to music and sketch more.
How does your approach to a brief differ with the sector that you are designing for? The general approach is the same. But you do have to tailor and more importantly reign in your ideas depending on how conservative your client is.
Where does your inspiration come from when you get a new brief? Again, no one place. I usually find that from a sketch comes a new sketch. This leads to new ideas. Don’t be afraid of bad ideas. Keep them on the page, any idea, bad or good, informs more ideas. How important do you think it is to develop a strong concept? It’s paramount. Strong concept and
In your opinion, what is the importance of creating an allencompassing brand experience? For a brand to really succeed it needs to be seen. And ideally when it is seen it should be associated with a good feeling. So, if you can create a positive experience with your advert, flyer, gorilla performance, that makes people smile, laugh or get involved then you will link your brand with that feeling. So, brand experience is important, but it’s not the be-alland-end-all.
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Within your own work, which brand do you believe to have created the strongest identity and/or overall brand experience for, and why? Probably Margate Rocks. This was the project I am most proud of and one project that has got a really positive reception. The ethos behind Margate Rocks Festival was art and ecology, and there was a huge requirement to engage with the public. The created logo was simple, effective and eye catching. The supporting print and other design was relevant (related to flowers, ecology etc.), the colourway punchy, and the overall feel was positive, hopeful, uplifting and friendly. We spread this message across the town of Margate giving the town itself a new temporary identity making everyone’s experience of the town, and therefore the brand very positive.
Met Su Yan
‘Met Su Yan, a chain of exclusive sushi and noodle restaurants in London, asked us to devise a new brand identity for them.
Studio Baum
The refreshed identity was rolled out online, in the restaurant interiors and through printed matter, including menus and stationery.’
We based the concept around the lotus flower, creating a unique floral design for each element in their menu.
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Hornall Anderson
‘Ballantine’s sits atop the best-selling whiskey list worldwide, steeped in luxury and tradition, yet found itself in need of contemporary relevance with younger sophisticates. We created a compelling on-trade campaign for Ballantine’s Finest, called ‘Listen to your Beat’ to introduce our super-charged package
Ballantine’s
design that included electro-luminescent inks that appear to react to the sounds passing through it. In addition to the ground-breaking use of technology in packaging, we crafted limited edition runs and sought strategic placement in key markets, such as on-trade and duty-free.
Hornall Anderson
Ballantine’s
This comprehensive program successfully reenergized the brand and caught the attention of the younger audience.’
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“The concept is everything. Without it, you’re simply pushing shit around.”
- Sam Aloof, Aloof
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Studio Interview: Aloof
Interview with Sam Aloof, Creative Director of Aloof in East Sussex. How do you come up with a concept? Do you have a particular process that you go through? Where does your inspiration come from when you get a new brief? We do have a process. Before beginning the creative process, we spend a lot of up-front time learning about the client’s brand, business, aims & objectives, products/service, and of course their competitors. By asking the right questions, we ensure we get the right information that we perceive will help us later on, and we usually write our own briefs as we have more of an understanding of how to structure the design process, than the client will. It’s from this knowledge base that we create a set of parameters
to be creative within. Our creativity is therefore primarily driven by the opportunity that we/the client have identified. How important do you think it is to develop a strong concept? The concept is everything. Without it, you’re simply pushing shit around. How does your approach to a brief differ with the sector that you are designing for? We work across a broad range of sectors, including retail, food & drink, beauty & health, fashion, architecture & construction, manufacturing and arts & culture. I would say that our approach (process) is consistent whoever we work for, and that our clients choose Aloof partly because our approach is proven, consistent and delivers results.
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In your opinion, what is the importance of creating an allencompassing brand experience? A brand can resonate with a customer/ consumer in a multitude of ways, from what you see, to what you touch, to its tone of voice, etc. Strong brands deliver their values consistently on all levels, giving the customer/consumer confidence in them, and ultimately ensuring they believe in the brand enough to buy it. Brands that don’t consider their whole proposition risk customers/consumers lacking belief in their brand and looking elsewhere.
Within your own work, which brand do you believe to have created the strongest identity and/or overall brand experience for, and why? The White Company. We’ve been their lead design agency for the last five years. In that time we’ve evolved a brand that was inconsistent, underperforming and one dimensional, to a brand that’s cohesive, effective and desirable, with a knowledge of what it stands for, and why.
Heal’s
Aloof
Achieving luxury gift status within a ‘standard packaging’ budget.
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The White Company
Aloof
The White Company
Aloof
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Acknowledgements I would like to thank the follwing people for taking the time to answer my questions about their work and practice: - Daniel Freytag from Berg - Harry Mylonadis from Minimoko - Matthew Schofield from Foundry - Peter Higgins from Wire Design - Sam Aloof from Aloof - Samuel Baum from Studio Baum - Sophie Tatlow from Deuce Design
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Featured Studios Aloof www.aloofdesign.com sam@aloofdesign.com
Foundry www.foundrystudio.com info@foundrystudio.com
Avenue www.avenuelondon.co.uk post@avenuelondon.co.uk
Hornall Anderson www.hornallanderson.com uk@hornallanderson.com
Berg www.bergstudio.co.uk info@bergstudio.co.uk
Kliment Kalchev www.kliment.bg iamkliment@gmail.com
Bravo Company www.bravo-company.info info@bravo-company.info
Korefe www.korefe.de info@korefe.de
Buddy www.buddycreative.com hello@buddycreative.com
Landor www.landor.com hello@landor.com
Construct www.constructlondon.com info@constructlondon.com
Lindon Leader www.leadercreative.com lindon@leadercreative.com
Design Friendship www.designfriendship.com hello@designfriendship.com
Liven Creative www.livencreative.com hello@livencreative.com
Deuce Design www.deucedesign.com.au studio@deucedesign.com.au
Minimoko www.minimoko.com hello@minimoko.com
Eskimo www.eskimodesign.ru info@eskimodesign.ru
North Design www.northdesign.co.uk info@northdesign.co.uk
Founded www.wearefounded.com hello@wearefounded.com
Olivier Courbet www.oliviercourbet.com contact@oliviercourbet.com
Pentagram www.pentagram.com email@pentagram.co.uk Reghardt www.reghardt.com info@reghardt.com Small Medium Large www.smallmediumlarge.com.au info@smallmediumlarge.com.au Studio Baum www.studiobaum.com hello@studiobaum.com The Chase www.thechase.co.uk oliver.maltby@thechase.co.uk Wire Design www.wiredesign.com studio@wiredesign.com 300million www.300million.com hello@300million.com
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Featured Articles ‘Branding, Identity & Logo Design Explained’ Jacob Cass JUST Creative www.justcreative.com ‘How To Design A Logo’ Jacob Cass JUST Creative www.justcreative.com ‘Claridge’s Rebrand’ Gavin Lucas Creative Review www.creativereview.co.uk ‘Examining The Design Process: Cliches & Idea Generation’ Dan Mayer Smashing Magazine www.smashingmagazine.com
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