Visual strategy guide

THE NEW DRESS CODE

VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

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BORDERS / VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

01 THE GENESIS

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BORDERS / VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

8 YEARS AGO, WE LOST MORE THAN 200 STORES. THIS WAS OUR SIGNAL TO CHANGE.

01 THE GENESIS

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what’s inside?

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THE GENESIS

TOMORROW

THE BORDERS OF YESTERDAY

REBRANDING OBJECTIVE

TIMELINE

THE BRAND SOUL OUR MISSION YESTERDAY’S OUTFIT TODAY’S OUTFIT

BORDERS / VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

PEOPLE WHO LOVE US

OUR RIVALS

WHAT’S INSIDE

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the genesis” THE BORDERS OF HISTORY TIMELINE

BORDERS / VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

01 THE GENESIS

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the borders of yesterday

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Borders was a book and music retailer founder in 1971 and based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. At it peak, Borders operated over 511 stores in the US in addition to international branches.

Borders was founded in 1971 by brothers Tom and Louis Borders during their undergraduate, graduate years at the University of Michigan.

Former Hickory Farms president Robert F. DiRomualdo was hired in 1989 to expand the company.Borders was acquired in 1992 by Kmart, which had acquired mall-based book chain Waldenbooks eight years earlier in 1984.

The company established its first international store in Singapore, occupying 32,000 square feet in Wheelock Place, Orchard Road, which was then the largest bookstore there. It subsequently opened another 41 stores in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and bought 35 Books etc. stores throughout Britain from Philip and Richard Joseph.In 1998, Borders (UK) Ltd. was built as a Borders Group subsidiary and with its Borders and Books etc. After quickly becoming one of the country’s leading book sellers, due to the fierce competition in the UK

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marketplace, a number of the Books etc. stores closed, and Borders (UK) Ltd. was sold in 2007 to a private equity investor.

In 2004, Borders reached an agreement with Starbucks subsidiary Seattle’s Best Coffee to operate cafes in its domestic superstores under the Seattle’s Best brand name. In 2006, the Singapore store emerged as the best performing among the entire group’s 559 outlets, with the highest revenue generated per square meter.

The highest-grossing location in US territory is a recently remodeled and expanded store in Puerto Rico, it generated $17 million in sales annually.

On February 16, 2011, the company announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing $1.275 billion in assets and $1.293 billion in debts in its filing. The company also announced the liquidation and closing of all 226 stores.

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timeline

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1984

1998

Borders was acquired

by Kmart, which had acquired mall-based book chain Waldenbooks eight years earlier in 1984.

Borders (UK) Ltd. was established as a Borders Group subsidiary with its Borders and Bookse.

1989 1971

Borders was founded in 1971.

BORDERS / VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

Borders was expend the company in 1989.

2005

2009

Borders Group opened its first franchise store with Malaysia’s Berjaya Books Sdn. Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur.

All of borders directly owned overseas locations had been sold or closed, leaving only the franchise stores in dubai, oman and malaysia.

2006 2004

Borders reached an agreement with Starbucks subsidiary Seattle’s Best Coffee to operate cafes in its domestic superstores under the Seattle’s Best brand name.

The Singapore store emerged as the best performing among the entire group’s 559 outlets, with the high revenue generated per square meter.

2011

The company announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

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tomorrow” REBRANDING OBJECTIVE THE BRAND SOUL OUR MISSION YESTERDAY’S OUTFIT TODAY’S OUTFIT

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02 TOMORROW

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NOW, WE BIRT BORDERS ANE PROVIDE YOU ACCESS TO TH WORLD OF KNOWLEDGE. BORDERS / VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

TH EW TO U WITH HE

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rebranding objective

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The brand will enrich readers lives with knowledge and entertainment through a marriage of traditional and new media.

Borders will become a destination for exploration and the sharing of ideas by creating an environment that actively engages listeners with knowledge specialists: authors, writers, leaders of community, and more. We will earn brand loyalty by inspiring readers to do more than dream, but change their reality.

BORDERS / VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE

02THE TOMORROW 01 GENESIS

the brand soul

Connecting people to share and explore ideas.

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the mission

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We are the cross border connection between knowledge and people. We create new innovative ways to explore media, share experiences, and obtain deeper of knowledge.

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keywords

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The brand will continue to build upon its core pillars: individuality, community, discovery, and familiarity.

Each keyword has potential to expand the brand.

INDIVIDUALITY: Customize the reading experience using the newest available technology.

COMMUNITY: Foster online and onsite connections between different people who share with same interests.

DISCOVERY: Inspire curiosity for the world, and imagine discovery in a way that people feel serendipitous.

FAMILIARITY: We are all more relaxed and open to new possibilities. A warm, informal gathering place makes life more nourishing relationships and encouraging connection.

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02THE TOMORROW 01 GENESIS

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yesterday’s outfit

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BORDERS

01 THE GENESIS

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today’s outfit

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01 THE GENESIS

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people who love us” NEW GENERATION HANDCRAFTS LOVER POWERFUL VOLUNTEER INNOVATOR HALF ECONMIST POTENTIAL ENGINEER

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03 PEOPLE WHOGENESIS LOVE US 01 THE

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“Design is not just how it looks, it is how it works.”

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new generation

Johnathan is a design student who is interested in problem solving.

He has a long commute to school, so he likes play mobile games on the train during commute times.

JOHNATHAN BUSH COLLEGE STUDENT 22 YEARS OLD

He is interested in mobile games, especially the ones about challenging puzzles.

In college, he became aware of how apps and software are influential in people’s lives, as some of those products are really smart and useful.

His professional interests focus on digital products, especially the ones for mobile devices.

His professional dream is to work with a team to create innovative solutions to make other people’s lives easier.

He is a humble man. He always does decent research to support his development of unique programs. He works well in group works.

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“Hand craft is art plus love.”

handcrafts lover

She is a part time blog writer that has a passion for handcrafting because she likes the idea of combining things together and sharing them with people.

She is always looking for new techniques to use in her projects, and sometimes exchanges knowledge with someone that is also interested in handcrafts.

NICO BASE WRITER 29 YEARS OLD

She often goes to a workshop on weekends because she thinks it’s a good way to share her experiences with people.

She writes a blog and answers questions after work every day because she wants to keep in touch with her blog followers.

She likes to explore the city and talk to people because she finds that she learns something new every day to inspire her projects.

She often gives her handcrafted products to her close friends because she thinks handcrafts are meaningful and her friends will like them.

She likes post her handcrafts on the Internet, and a lot of people like the handcrafts on her page.

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“There is no greater joy than being with those who bring it.”

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powerful volunteer She likes volunteering her time on weekends because she enjoys meeting people and chatting with them.

She keeps in contact with friends that she met while volunteering because she likes to exchange news about volunteering.

ALLISON SILFIES FREELANCER 34 YEARS OLD

She likes to talk to strangers on the bus because she likes to share her stores with people.

She has a passion for helping people and making the world a better place, because she likes the idea of sharing what we have others without expecting anything from them.

She likes to work in a group because she thinks the exchange of ideas is a great part of work.

She has a lovely dog. She likes to post photos of her dogs on Instagram, and she writes little stories about her dogs. A lot of friends become her dog’s fans.

She likes reading articles and sharing them with friends.

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“Necessity is the birthmother of innovation and progress.”

innovator

He wants to impress his friends. When he buys new things, he is always thinking about the status factor.

He likes to travel. He has been to some European countries, India, and Australia. He prides himself on being in-the-know.

JASON HOFFMAN PROGRAMMER 38 YEARS OLD

He loves having the latest and greatest technology. He’s always upgrading. He loves to get a “WOW” response from his friends.

His son has had asthma since birth.

His company is constantly offering opportunities for new professionals. For this reason, he is always look for new talents to work for him.

He enjoys sharing his knowledge and encourages people to expand and develop their ideas.

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“A mother’s work is never done.”

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half economist

She is a republican.

She is always full of energy. She likes to talk and help other people.

JAMIE HOWARD ECONOMIC SUIT SOLICITOR 46 YEARS OLD

She is a good mother. She loves her daughter, Chris, very much. Her daughter always understands her mother and supports her work. They are very close.

She has been running a law firm for 7 years. She likes being a leader and makes some important decisions for her firm.

She saves money from some unnecessary things.

She has high product standards when she shops.

She likes high quality products and tries to leave the world a better place for future generations.

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“Learn everything you can, and then question it vehemently.”

potential engineer

John is a high school student interested in digital technology.

He frequents study groups about digital solutions and programming after his classes.

He greatest inspiration is his father, who works as a product manager at a tech company. He is also admired by all the new possibilities technology allows.

JOHN WILLSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT 17 YEARS OLD

He truly believes technology will allow him to develop great ideas that may change others’ perspectives.

He has a group of friends that are interested in technology, and together, they develop small projects.

He has an extroverted personality and he is good at communication. He is not necessarily a leader, but he is good at understanding and reinterpreting complex concepts for his team.

He is very focused on his objectives. His discipline and organizational skills stand out as well as his ability to manage his time.

He wants to improve his knowledge and skills, so he is constantly checking websites and blogs about digital innovation, and frequently accessing online forums.

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our rivals” CURRENT COMPETITORS ADJACENT COMPETITORS ASPIRATIONAL COMPETITORS

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04 OUR RIVALS 01 THE GENESIS

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current competitors

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Barnes & Noble, Inc., is a Fortune 500 company, the largest retail bookseller in the United States, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products in the country.

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The company operates over 200 stores United States, and also operates the stores branded Books & Company and book and greeting card stores. The company’s stores mainly operate within either shopping malls or lifestyle centers. Most BooksA-Million stores feature Joe Muggs cafés.

Barnes & Noble, Inc., is a Fortune 500 company, the largest retail bookseller in the United States, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products in the country.

Most stores sell books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, graphic novels, gifts, games, music, and Nook e‑readers and tablets.

Family Christian is the world’s largest Christian-focused retailer, and is located in the United States. The retail chain offers a variety of Christian-themed merchandise, especially books, Bibles, gifts and music.

Deseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States.

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Amazon.com started as an online bookstore, later diversifying to sell DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, video downloads/streaming, MP3 downloads/streaming,audiobook downloads/streaming, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys and jewelry.

The Kobo eReader is an e-reader produced by Toronto-based Kobo Inc. The company’s name is an anagram of “book”. The original version was released in May 2010 and was marketed as a minimalist alternative to the more expensive e-book readers available at the time.

The Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon.com. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy,download and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store.

OverDrive, Inc. is an American digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video titles. The company provides secure management,digital rights management and download fulfillment services for publishers, libraries, schools, and retailers.

Audible Inc. is a seller and producer of spoken entertainment, information, and educational programming on the Internet.

Audible sells digital audiobooks, radio and TV programs, and audio versions of magazines and newspapers.

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adjacent competitors

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NETFLIX is an American multinational entertainment company.

It specializes in and provides streaming media and video on demand online and DVD by mail. In 2013, Netflix added film and television production, as well as online distribution.

RadioShack is an American chain of wireless and electronics stores founded in 1921 and currently owned by the Standard General affiliate General Wireless.

Hulu is an American subscription video on demand service owned by Hulu LLC, a consortium consisting of The Walt Disney Company through their Disney-ABC Television Group,21st Century Fox, Comcast and as of 2016, Time Warner through their Turner divisions.

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IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of cinema projection standards created by Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems.

AMC Theatres is an American movie theater chain owned and operated by AMC Entertainment Inc. The chain has 346 locations mostly in North America, along with 86 more locations in mainland China, home of its corporate parent.

Blizzard is an entertainment game company which create several other successful video games, including the Warcraft series, the Diablo series, the StarCraft series, and also in 2004 the popular MMORPG World of Warcraft.

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adjacent competitors

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The San Francisco. Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco. SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art.

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Its current mission is to make the diversity of the Jewish experience relevant for a twenty-first century audience through exhibitions and educational programs.

The Exploratorium is a public learning laboratory in San Francisco exploring the world through science, art, and human perception. Its mission is to create inquiry-based experiences that transform learning worldwide.

The de Young, a fine arts museum located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, is one of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco along with the Legion of Honor.

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aspirational competitors Oculus VR is an American virtual reality technology company.

In 2012, Oculus announced the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality head-mounted display designed for video gaming, and created a Kickstarter campaign to fund development.

The Samsung Gear VR is a mobile virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus, and manufactured by Samsung.

Google Cardboard is a virtual reality platform developed by Google for use with a head mount for a smartphone. Named for its fold-out cardboard viewer, the platform is intended as a low-cost system to encourage interest and development in VR applications.

HTC Vive is a virtual reality headset developed by HTC and Valve Corporation. This headset is designed to utilize “room scale� technology to turn a room into 3D space via sensors, with the virtual world allowing the user to navigate naturally, with the ability to walk around and use motion tracked handheld controllers to vividly manipulate objects.

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aspirational competitors

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The company uses the design thinking methodology to design products, services, environments, and digital experiences.

Additionally, the company has become increasingly involved in management consulting and organizational design.

SurveyMonkey is an online survey development cloudbased software as a service company, founded in 1999 by Ryan Finley. SurveyMonkey provides free, customizable surveys, as well as a suite of paid back-end programs that include data analysis, sample selection, bias elimination, and data representation tools.

Zendesk Inc. is a Danish customer service software company based in San Francisco, California. Zendesk provides a cloud-based customer support platform which allows quicker and easier interaction between businesses and customers.

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Quora is a question-and-answer site where questions are asked, answered, edited and organized by its community of users.

TED’s early emphasis was technology and design, consistent with its Silicon Valley origins, but it has since broadened its focus to include talks on many scientif ic, cultural, and academic topics.

Wikipedia is the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet and is ranked among the ten most popular websites.

04 OUR RIVALS

IT’S TIME TO START YOUR ADVENTURE WITH US.

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01 THE GENESIS

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Copyright Š2016 Scarlett Liu All content for Borders was conceived, designed and produced

by Scarlett Liu. Writing edited and supplemented by Alex Basa.

The only exception is the overview and the history of Borders corporation which was taken form Wikipedia.

Design Consultation Hunter Wimmer, GR 604 Nature of Identity, Academy of Art University Some of the photographs and image were downloaded from flicker.com; thestocks.im; shutterstock.com and are used in accordance with the Creative Commons License. The book is a non-commercial work produced as a student project for educational purposes, and as such as considered a derivative work under the Fair Use Clause of U.S. Copyright law.

Manufactured in the USA

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01 THE GENESIS

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