Branding - Imaginea Design Labs

GRADUATION project Branding for Imaginea Design Labs Sponsor : Imaginea Design Labs, Hyderabad Volume : 1 of 1 student : TRIPTI SHRIVASTAVA programme : Master of Design guide : DR. TRIDHA GAJJAR

2017 COMMUNICATION design faculty (GRAPHIC DESIGN)

National Institute of Design Ahmedabad

COPYRIGHT © 2017 Master of Design, Communication Design (Graphic Design), 2014-2017, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad India.

All illustrations and photographs in this document are Copyright © 2017 of the author, or the respective people/organizations, wherever mentioned.

Please note that the colors used in the design deliverables throughout the document may not be the correct ones due to the difference in printing process and pigments used for producing this document.

Written and designed byTripti Shrivastava Edited byDr. Tridha Gajjar Tripti Shrivastava Processed atNational Institute of Design, Paldi Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India Pin- 380007 www.nid.edu

COLOPHONThis document is typeset in Lato and Aleo.

Lato is a sanserif type­face fam­ily designed in the sum­mer 2010 by Warsaw-​​based designer Łukasz Dziedzic (‘Lato’ means ‘Sum­mer’ in Pol­ish).

In Decem­ber 2010 the Lato fam­ily was published under the open-​​source Open Font License by his foundry tyPoland, with sup­port from Google Aleo is a contemporary typeface designed as the slab serif companion to the Lato font by Łukasz Dziedzic.

The document was printed at Siddhi Printech in Ahmedabad, on Bilt uncoated 130 GSM buff paper stock. The machine used was the Canon ImagePress C7000VP.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs tripti shrivastava | M. Des Graphic design 2014 graduation project| national institute of design

Acknowledgements To everyone who I have come across in my life and have shaped the person that I am.

“No one does it alone. No one.”

Alicia Forest

Over the course of this project, I’ve met, worked with and learnt from some very remarkable people. Some have contributed directly, while others have been quiet, sustained source of constant support and inspiration. New friendships have been built and old ones strengthened.

There are many, whose love, support, mentoring and help I would like to acknowledge.

Subhasish Karmakar, my project mentor at Imaginea Design Labs (IDL), for trusting me at every stage, and for giving me this opportunity to work on such an important project.

Also, for being an amazing boss and such an inspiration.

My other mentors and guides at IDL, Chandru and Vinod (along with Subhasish), for teaching, motivating and nurturing my ideas, and for all the valuable discussions, even beyond the scope of this project. I’m truly grateful to them for allowing me to exercise complete creative freedom and always being so encouraging and supportive of my work.

Dr. Tridha Gajjar, my project guide and graphic design coordinator, for her time, patience and advices. She has been a great support and guide. I owe her a lot for her constant guidance and support throughout the project and

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Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

the past three years at NID. Tarun Deep Girdher, for all the extremely helpful feedbacks and insights. For making me realise the various micro and macro aspects of design. For all the chai gate talks and laughs, and simply, for always being there.

Immanuel Suresh for all his ‘it so happened…’ stories. Anil Sinha, Rupesh Vyas, Mona Prabhu and all other graphic design faculties for their guidance and feedbacks through the years. Lalitha and Jaya ben, for their cooperation, cheerful hellos and goodbyes. Bharat and Suresh bhai, for all the teachings, help and cooperation at NID Print labs.

The amazing IDL team at both Hyderabad and Chennai, for sharing their lovely experiences, for making me a part of the team and letting me be my own self at the workplace.

Asmita, for being there right from the very beginning and for the amazing road-trips. Sai and Jyothi for all the talks and discussions over life choices. Debashish and Sourav, for being so approachable and always ready to help, and for all those badminton matches. Sandeep and Gaurav for the coffee breaks and evening snacks, Puneeta for the girls’ night outs and Kadambari for greeting me adorably every morning with a hug.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Priyanka and Keerthana, my go-to people, for making it all so easy. For their ever-lasting, reassuring smiles and rainbows, for their immense belief and support at all good and bad times. There are very few people that I can totally relate to, and they are one of them. Hence, I would like to thank them for being who they are.

Among friends, I’m grateful to Vishnu, Kiran and Akkta, for all the occasional stress relieving, constant help, and words of wisdom and for being such an inspiration. My graphic design batch mates, seniors and juniors, for being friends and mentors unlike any other.

Special thanks.

Udita, Payal, Kavya and Ipshita for being such wonderful flatmates, for all the 1 am talks, breakfasts and dinners, and for always being my nearest source of entertainment.

Jaden, for enlightening me about sun signs, people and their behaviors. I would like to thank all of them for making life at Hyderabad not only easy, but also, so much fun, exciting and memorable.

immense faith and trust in me. For giving me the push and support that I needed, to make the life-altering decision of studying design and joining NID. For being so patient and understanding all through the project, and in life. For bearing with all my emotional tantrums and mood swings.

For sharing my fears, my dreams and my aspirations. For filling my life with so much love, positivity and profound happiness. I can’t thank him enough.

My family, for being so understanding and supportive, for being my pillars of strength. Bhaiya for being the most amazing sibling, my constant source of inspiration and for bringing Ashritha into our lives. Ashritha, for being the sister that I always craved for. For being the most enthusiastic listener and for being the reason of all my conversational laughter. Papa, for teaching me the worth of life and for always believing in me. Mumma for her silent, unconditional love and support. For all her wisdom and teachings. For making me the person that I am today.

Thank you.

Parag, my person, for being who he is. For always being there, and for the past 3 years of unconditional love.

For being my constant support and source of spirit. For sharing my thoughts and anxieties. For being equally crazy and insane. For being so patient with all my impulses and reactions, my baseless thoughts and worries. For being my partner in crime. I can’t thank him enough.

Hemant, my companion and the love of my life, for being such an amazing human being. For always having such Graduation Project | National Institute of Design

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Contents

6

12

Synopsis

100 [3] Phase 3: Define

14

The Guide

102

3.1 Design cues

15

The Graduation Project

118

3.2 Brand brief 1

16

The Sponsor/Client

17

The Student

120 [4] Phase 4: Ideate

19

Project proposal

122

4.1 Initial touchpoints

21

Reading into the brief

132

4.2 Design concepts

22

The working of this document

144

4.3 Dynamic logo

146

4.4 Concept sharing

24

[1] Phase 1: Research and Analysis

150

4.5 Brand brief 2

26

1.1 Understanding branding

156

4.6 Design concept 3C

48

1.2 Overview: Imaginea Design Labs

167

4.7 The way ahead

56

1.3 Brand analysis

60

1.4 Case studies

78

[2] Phase 2: Research and Analysis

80

2.1 Moving motivators

92

2.2 Core values

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168

[5] Phase 5: Design

230

[8] Phase 8: Deliverables

170

5.1 Developing the identity

232

8.1 Brand identity guidelines

188

5.2 Collaterals- explorations

250

8.2 Stationery and promotional materials

266

8.3 The big picture

200

[6] Phase 6: Conceptualization- website

202

6.1 Current website analysis

270

Conclusion

208

6.2 Micro brief

272

Other projects

210

6.3 Secondary research

286

Reflections

288

References and bibliography

218

[7] Phase 7: Design- website

220

7.1 Site map

222

7.2 Wireframe: low-fidelity

224

7.3 Finalizing the design

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Synopsis The project summary

This project focused on the domain of branding- strategic and visual. It involved developing and designing a brand identity and communication system for Imaginea Design Labs (IDL).

A daughter company of Pramati Technologies, IDL was set up on ‘need-basis’. It is a digital design and services labs, and set up to cater to the various design needs and requirements of the company. It was named after Imaginea Technologies, an existing and a well-established Pramati venture to take leverage out of the known brand name in the market. Most of its business (around 80% comes from the various Pramati ventures and the other in-house teams and its current ROI (return on investment) model was to get business leads for Pramati.

But now, IDL wanted to have an independent identity and a clientele of its own, hence the need of branding.

When the project was proposed, it was for developing the visual brand identity of IDL. However, upon initial investigation it was found that there is a need of further probing and foundational establishment of the brand first, in terms of its core vision, mission, values, purpose, and positioning.

The IDL team is comprised of around 30 diverse individuals, coming from different backgrounds, with a varied skill-set, divided into two locations- Hyderabad and Chennai.

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Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

The initial challenge was to analyze the current scenario of IDL, to understand where it stands and what are its aspirations. Also, to get to know in detail, the thoughts and knowledge of the team members regarding IDL as a brand and branding as a process. For all this, the most crucial thing to do was to break the ice and be one with the team.

For effective outputs, it was important to comprehend the client, professionally and to the entire team, both professionally and personally. For client, to understand their vision for the branding of IDL, their core purpose and where do they want IDL to be headed to. For the team, to interact with the personally to understand each of their views and thoughts. Eventually, they were the ones who are going to be the touchpoints for the IDL brand, and hence, it was important to make sure that each one of them are on the same page.

The stakeholder interviews were insightful and also helped in breaking the ice and getting to know each other, have an understanding and build trust.

The entire team was brought together to help them analyze and establish their core values and purpose as an organization. The final output of these sessions were terms and key words that were used to set the mood board, which in turn was used to come up with the tone, language and personality of the brand.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Several drafts of the brand brief were also created, that includedmission and vision statements, core purpose of the organization, team values, market positioning, key personality attributes, primary audience segments and the ‘big idea’ for the brand. The brand brief document and the brand personality, along with the mood board, helped in set the foundation for building the brand identity and communication strategies.

Overall, the project was enriching with its indulgence in symbols, patterns, type as well as colors. Although it was a little challenging to keep up with the varied opinions and demands of the client, and understand each one of them to achieve successful deliverables, it offered a great learning experience.

Communication, time management and people skills were honed in a professional and enriching environment.

The design conceptualization phase involved several iterations, going back and forth and understanding symbols, type and their meaning making. It was essential to have a clear understanding of what the client wants, read between the feedbacks and to always keep them in the loop. The ideation and design stage gave an understanding of how, while branding, the entire brand image has to be thought of holistically, even while creating the brand symbol. The brand language would eventually be derived from the brandmark and that was always to be kept in mind.

The brand collaterals were created keeping in mind, the various touchpoints and the kind of audiences it would interact with. For a visiting card, per say, the audience would be the corporates and other officials, hence it was supposed to be professional looking and yet, distinct enough to be easily recognized when put in a pile of other cards. The posters and promotional materials were created for the internal audiences (including existing employees, other teams and new joinee)s, and for other informal platforms, like the social media. Hence, the visual language could be a little playful and depicting the fun and experimental side of the brand.

Designing the language for the website involved initial secondary study about user experience design, that included studying the users (target audiences), their scenarios, user journeys, and using insights from that to design the site map and navigation system for the website. It also involved translating the proposed brand language to the the website in a way that the colors and form are not only used aesthetically, but also, functionally.

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The Guide The project guide was Dr. Tridha Gajjar. Tridha has always been inclined towards and passionate about academics and design teaching. She did her MFA in Applied Arts, with specialization in Visualization in 1995 and a PhD in Applied Arts on the topic— Origin and Development of Printing in Context of Advertising in 2001 from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. She is a recipient of both junior (JRF) and senior (SRF) research fellowships from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Tridha affirms—Design is an expression of creativity.

Experiment it, explore it, organise it and share it with the world with moral responsibility.

Source: The NID website (www.nid.edu)

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Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

Tridha joined NID in 2004 as a Faculty Trainee and later, in 2006, as Associate Faculty in the Graphic Design discipline. At present she is and Associate Senior Faculty and the programme coordinator of the Graphic Design discipline at NID. She has been invited to be a part of the juries at the Faculty of Visual Arts, BHU, and as a Foreign examiner at Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, as an expert member for selection of faculty members at IIT Hyderabad and a member for task force committee for finalizing syllabus for B. Tech and M. Tech at Indian Institute of Packaging, Mumbai.

She has been invited as a guest speaker to National Conference on Consumer Packaging 2014, and as a guest speaker in World Packaging Congress 2015. Tridha Received ‘Distinguished Alumnus Award’ at the International BHU Alumni Meet 2015. She is actively involved in teaching at B.Des as well as M.Des levels across various disciplines. Tridha teaches fundamentals of color; composition; and theory of visual perception at foundation level.

At discipline level, she teaches courses based on visual thinking; symbols, metaphors and meaning making; visual perception; packaging design; print production, and guides students through

their B. Des and M. Des projects. Over the years, she has a developed keen interest in the area of packaging design.

As a guide, Tridha has been extremely understanding and supportive. Along with helping in honing the skills and though process required to design something, she has also taught the various other aspect of the design process; attention to details, analyzing the application of the proposed design in real life scenarios, always considering the bigger picture, and understanding the client needs and effectively communicating with them, to name a few. Tridha has always encouraged and given the liberty to exercise complete creative freedom. She has taught us the importance of looking into things at micro level, and analyzing their impact at the macro level.

She has been a wonderful guide, mentor, advisor and counselor not only through this project but throughout the NID journey.

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The graduation project The graduation project reflects the students’ competence to excel in their chosen profession.

The Graduation Project Manual, NID

The end of the students’ academic tenure at the National Institute of Design is marked by the culmination of a substantial investigation in the field of design on a topic closely allied to their discipline of study. It is through the graduation project and subsequent documentation of the same that this investigation takes place. This is the final academic project for the student. The graduation project is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their expertise as independent practitioners of design. However, this project must be done with academic rigor incorporating systematic inquiry and informed design decisions. The phrase ‘systematic inquiry’ implies the presence of a structure and method by which the student must carry out his/her project.

The graduation project should reflect the thought leadership manifested through creativity and innovation.

usually expected in research, its significance in design cannot be understated if the designer is also to be viewed as a ‘reflective practitioner’. This project orients the students to the needs and demands of the industry; it also helps students to make an informed decision about which career path they would like to follow upon graduation.

The project should lead to new knowledge creation and should align with broader objectives of the institute. The graduation project reflects the student’s ability to: • Apply his/her learning to current practices in the process of creating new forms of products, processes, services, and systems.

• Analyze and refine his/her ideas in an iterative manner on the basis of critique.

• Evaluate/reflect upon the creative processes s/he has followed.

While the last point above represents a higher order of inquiry Graduation Project | National Institute of Design

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The Sponsor/Client With over two decades of technology and business experience, Pramati founders have had the unique opportunity of being part of the Indian IT right from its inception.

Pramati Technologies

Imaginea Design Labs

Pramati was founded in 1998 by Jay and Vijay Pullur in Hyderabad, India. Founded as a web technology company, Pramati cut its teeth in enterprise-class web infrastructure technology. The Pramati Application Server was its flagship product that hit the market along with offerings from BEA Systems, IBM and Oracle. Initially adopted by the rapidly growing financial services industry in India, by 2001 the Pramati application server was installed by each of India's top 10 banks.

Set up in the year 2015, Imaginea Design Labs is a part of Pramati Technologies. After having an experience of around two decades in technology and business, the design lab was set up (in Hyderabad and Chennai) with an aim to cater to the needs of various software product design services and, to build a culture of design and design thinking in the industry. The lab collaborates with product giants to create compelling user experiences for their customers across the digital domain. Their services includeproduct design, service design, strategy and evolution, rapid prototyping and connected experiences.

Building on this early success, Pramati started to invest in a number of critical enterprise technologies, going on to become one of India's leading software product companies. The company has carved out a rare and unique path in India's impressive technological landscape - as a technology and product innovator.

Pramati invests in cutting-edge technologies and people to create independent companies. The company employs consulting and delivery teams across three global locations.

Pramati builds independent companies focused on profitable, well-defined markets. It as an incubation center for several smaller ventures. It funds and supports them till they are stable enough to exist on their own, independentally. Pramati currently owns and operates the following brands of products and services: Imaginea Technologies, Imaginea Design Labs, Pramati Server, SpotCues, ReveMarketing and WaveMaker.

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Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

the team The design lab embraces a bunch of crazy multi-skilled designers, artists by heart. Each of them endowed with their own style. It brings the creative minds together with a culture of sharing a single table, where every individual designer has the freedom to express and communicate at work. The team’s varied skill-sets enables them to provide an end-to-end solution to any project that they take up.

Apart from these, they are all known for the warmest welcome, smiles and surprises at work.

The IDL team. People missing from the picture: Arka, Asmita, Debashish, Harsh, Kadambari, Naveen, Puneeta, Sourav and Vinod.

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Graduation Project | National Institute of Design 13

Image courtesy: Parwez Ansari

Student My name is Tripti Shrivastava and I was born and brought up in Patna, Bihar in a family of four (mom, dad, my elder brother and me). I did my schooling (till the 10th grade) from Patna itself, then I moved to Kota, Rajasthan for my senior secondary studies and to prepare for IIT-JEE and AIEEE. I joined LPU and moved to Jalandhar, Punjab for my graduation (B. Tech in Computer Science Engineering). There, in the 7th semester, on a fine Wednesday afternoon (August 2013), on my way to the hostel, I made a random detour to visit my faculty, to say hello and to discuss about my career options. I have always been a good student, so marks and scores were not an issue, but I didn’t seem to really enjoy what I was doing. I did not see myself sitting in front of a computer, 5 years down the line, worrying about the number of line of codes or find the bug in the system.

of 9 other managers and the local committee president. I was a part of a national marketing committee of AIESEC India, that inturn was a part of AIESEC International. I had facilitated several local and regional conferences. At the age of 18-19, I had had interactions and formal meetings with corporate heads of several prominent companies. I had collaborated with various universities, colleges, companies and organizations, and created and ran several successful local and regional campaigns and events.

I was confused and I really did not know how to give a name to things that I was actually passionate about. I had always been an active participant of all the college activities and events, mostly working with the creative team, on visuals and other promotional materials. I was a part of AIESEC (world’s largest youth-run not for profit leadership organization) that had given me enough exposure to various practical aspects of professional life and volunteering. I was the marketing head of the Jalandhar chapter and was responsible for flowing down the national marketing strategies locally, modifying it with respect to the context and the target audience.

Coming back to the Wednesday of August 2013, I met my faculty and discussed with him everything that I enjoy and I am good at. I showed him my work, my illustrations, the events and campaigns that I had designed. While we had this discussion, his boss and my HOD called me to her cabin. She had heard everything, and she told me about NID. That day, one random thought, one random detour, made all the difference.

The organization had helped me boost my leadership potential. I was the marketing manager, heading a team of 12 people (2 team leaders with 5 members each), I was a part of an executive team

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Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

And yet, despite all this, I wasn’t sure what I was really looking for. I always felt that I am meant to do something big, bigger than what I was already doing; something that had the potential and power to create a bigger impact- I was meant to do something big, something more substantial.

Growing up, living on my own, amidst a multitude of cultures and languages, problems, was rather an enriching experience. The concept of ‘diversity’ and co-existence, featured quite early in my life, and that fascinates me how they re-surface every time I sit down to design. Being a debater in school and then holding a leadership position in AIESEC, taught me the art of articulating and that of analytically deconstructing statements and scenarios.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Being a part of theatre and getting a diploma in the classical dance-form of Katthak, taught me the power and beauty of expressions, emotions, spontaneous thoughts, as well as, practice and discipline.

Engineering study help me to critically analyze everything, to structure and organize my thoughts and plan of actions, to look for reasoning and answers. It made me realize and understand the importance of working in a team and with other people.

When I joined NID and started this amazing journey as a designer, I realized how beautifully these skills and everything that I had learnt so far were coming in play. Though I did have to unlearn a lot of things, but that was all a part of the bigger picture.

Studying design, especially graphic design has made me more observant and receptive as a person. It has taught me essence and importance of empathy, how to relate to others- be it the client, the users, the target audiences, or my family, friends and peers, or the people that I meet everyday, the guards at NID, the old uncle who sits outside the campus selling scraps, the fruitseller and his family, the autowalllas, or the shopkeeper that I buy milk from back home — everyone.

As of yet, I don’t know if I am doing big. But I do know that I’m doing something substantial. During the first week of the foundation course, Introduction to Design, Tarun had said something about- “good designers make better people.” I don’t know whether I am a good designer or not, but I do want to become one, and I do want to be a better person, and I believe, everyday, I am striving towards becoming one.

why this project By undertaking this project, I hope to explore an area that I have not worked in before — the realm of branding, strategic and visual, for a corporate. The experience of creating a brand identity and brand language project at Imaginea Design Labs, as a graphic designer, will include learning about the sphere within which my design solutions will be integrated, learning about how marketing and design are inter-dependent and must go hand-in-hand in order to add value, and finally, learning how to create an end product that resonates with all aspects of the given brief and the essence of the brand.

There is thus, an immense amount of knowledge to be gained from this environment. In addition, as the landscape of brand identity becomes more and more complex, almost on a daily basis, the need too create a distinct and differentiated visual output becomes critical.

As an extension of my studies at NID, my graduation project at IDL will give me the opportunity to apply the skills, thought and design processes that I have acquired during my 2.5 years in this institute and the other things that I have learnt from my previous endeavors, to deal with complex, real-world scenarios.

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Project Proposal The project brief was to do strategic and visual branding for Imaginea Design Labs to fulfill the purpose of the organization and to help build a sustainable competitive advantage.

overview

tentative deliverables

Our world is becoming more and more competitive every day. In order to meet their growth objectives, a business needs to find new ways to stand out and compete. Human psychology and how it affects consumer behavior is the foundation of brand building. A well-established brand can maximize the efficiency, minimize the necessary investments and strengthen the actions for a company.

1.

2.

3.

4.

The design lab was set up with an aim to cater to the needs of various software product design services and, to build a culture of design and design thinking in the industry. Hence, the purpose of the project is to take the company and the team through a journey of self-exploration in order to identify and define the very essence of the organization and, to create a consistent brand image and brand message.

6.

scope of the project The objectives include to research, define and create the visual language and communication strategy for Imaginea Design Labs.

The project will involve working with the design team with active participation, feedback and guidance to come up with the vision, mission and value statements for the company and, eventually, a brand positioning strategy. The approach would be to provide a complete end-to-end branding solution with a set of deliverable as required by the client.

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Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

5.

Defining the brand attributes, objectives and personality.

Vision, mission, values and brand positioning statements Visual language for the brand Primary collaterals- redesigning the visual identity, website.

Visual aids and templates.

Secondary collaterals- design for the office space and brand stationaries Brand guidelines and style guide

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project timeline

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

jan

feb

mar

apr

methodology 1: Prepare Understanding the brief and defining the timeline. Secondary study- domain understanding, contextual study (studying the existing products and business), competitor study (Indian and global players), emerging scenarios. Primary studystakeholders’ identification and interview, end users (identification, study, survey), market survey, current brand audit, internal factors (current scenario), mapping the researched data and information.

4: Ideate Ideating the brand mood board, concept explorations and exploring various visual concepts. Site map for the website and its progressive disclosure.

2: Analyze Brand analysis (market trends, competitive landscape, innovative sectors, CRM model, SWOT, brand audit result). Target and gap analysis. Analysis of the current website, logo and brand language.

6: Validate Releasing the brand language and graphics. Sorting issues and feedbacks for design refinements. Testing the visual language for the website.

3: Define Brand attributes, objectives and personality. Defining the vision, mission, values and brand positioning statement and, the new communication strategy.

5: Genesis Establish the tone of voice and visual style. Logo and slogan/tagline. Wireframe and paper prototyping of the website.

7: Implement Design refinements. Design for multiple collaterals. Brand guideline and style guide.

8: Document Extensive physical and digital documentation of the project and learnings.

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Reading into the brief: initial thoughts The initial brief for the project was- ‘Visual branding for Imaginea Design Labs’. This meant to establish a strong visual language for the brand to communicate the purpose of the brand and its values in everything that it does.

To decide the appropriate visual tone for the brand, it’s important to have an understanding of the brief, the brand values and the users. However, upon initial investigation, it was found that since Imaginea Design Labs was initially set up on ‘need-basis’, it had skipped the process of recognizing and establishing its vision and mission statements in words, as well as the values by which it would abide. Since it had scaled up so fast, in the process, it seemed to have lost its touch with the core vision and strategy that would streamline and guide every process and every work it does. Also, when there is such a diverse team of individuals, the need for guiding values and ideas that bring consistency in everything that they do is even higher.

Hence, the project brief then evolved to‘Strategic and visual branding for Imaginea Design Labs to fulfill the purpose of the organization and to help build a sustainable competitive advantage.’

This meant that the project had to start with an approach that would cater to both internal as well as external audiences of IDL. Since each and every member of the team is a brand ambassador as well, it was essential to inform and educate them about 18

Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

branding and how it works, and to take them along the project.

Branding is not a one time exercise, it is a continuous process.

Thus, while creating the brand identity, the approach would be to always think of the brand holistically and to keep the over all picture in mind, including brand extension. This journey has to be a strictly authentic experience where the brand speaks not through advertisements and brochures but rather, through visual manifestation of its uniqueness..

From that stand-point, I could see numerous challenges before me as I began my research for the project. An outline of the challenges I then had visibility on include: • Personal study and understanding of brand and brandingextensive secondary research.

• Analyzing the current position of IDL. • Understanding and analyzing the team- where everybody comes from, breaking the ice.

• I will a part of the team as an intern, but not working exactly like an intern since IDL is my client as well.

• Educate the team- about the brand and branding, design thinking and design process.

• Understand the hierarchy, internal communication channels and process, the organizational structure and the key decision makers.

• Working together with the team to help them identify their core mission and vision, and also their team values.

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The working of this document • •

•

Working with the key stakeholders to come up with the core brand statements.

Translating the ideas and messages into visuals that communicate then in the best way possible- forming and developing the brand identity.

Finally, structuring an umbrella concept that aligns with the core brand message developed.

Explaining the way I work, and the structure and working of this document: • The document contains a lot of hand drawn sketches and mind-maps. I have tried to maintain the essence- the way the thoughts occurred and took their shape.

• The language used is plain, simple and easy to understand.

• The order of this document is not a linear or chronological one. Several times there were things happening at parallel.

Hence, the stages have been put in a logical order, that makes sense with respect to the project timeline and the process followed.

• There was a lot of back and forth that happened. It has been tried to contain that in the document structure.

• I have also included a few of the things that I studied about and learnt during the course of the project. Though they may not have a direct impact on my work, they did help me through the project.

• In hindsight, it really helped to have all my research insights, project related images , web links and references sorted, scanned and bookmarked in organized folders right from the very start.

• Maintaining a blog was incredibly helpful.

• At IDL, I not only worked on my project, but also, got this wonderful opportunity of working on several other projects and collaborations. Those were some amazing experiences and I got to learn a lot from them as well. I have included some of those in this document.

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PHASE 1

Research and analysis

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26 26 30 34 36 38 40 42 44 46

1.1 Understanding branding 1.1.1 What is a brand?

1.1.2 What is brand identity?

1.1.3 What is branding?

1.1.4 Brand strategy 1.1.5 Brand Positioning 1.1.6 The Big Idea 1.1.7 Staying on message 1.1.8 Brand marks 1.1.9 Presentation- ‘Understanding Branding’

48 48 52

1.2 Overview: Imaginea Design Labs 1.2.1 Baseline Information 1.2.2 Key stakeholders’ interview

56 58 59

1.3 Brand analysis 1.3.1 S.W.O.T. 1.3.2 Brand Audit

60 60 64 70

1.4 Case studies 1.4.1 IDEO 1.4.2 Livework Studio 1.4.3 Frog Design

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1.1 Understanding branding 1.1.1 What is a brand?

1.1.2 What is brand identity?

1.1.3 What is branding?

1.1.4 Brand strategy 1.1.6 Brand Positioning 1.1.7 The Big Idea 1.1.8 Staying on message 1.1.9 Brand marks 1.1.10 Presentation- ‘Understanding branding’

1.1 Understanding branding 1.1.1 What is a brand?

A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company.

Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap

Brands are conceptually tricky. In the words of Jeremy Bullmore of WPP (advertising and marketing services, UK), they are “fiendishly complicated, elusive, slippery, half-real/half-virtual things. When CEOs try to think about brands, their brains hurt”[1]. Part of the confusion comes from the fact that the word “brand”, as a noun, is used in at least three separate but interrelated senses: • • •

[1] “Posh Spice and Persil”, The Brands Lecture, British Brands Group, Dec 2001

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In most everyday use (for example, ‘which brand did you buy?’), a brand is a named product or service.

In some contexts (for example, ‘which brand shall we use for this new product?’) brands are trade-marks.

In other contexts (for example, ‘how will this strengthen or weaken our brand?’), brand refers to customers’ and others’ beliefs and expectations about products and services sold under a specific trade mark or about the company which provides them; the best term for this is “brand equity”, although in a corporate or business-to-business context, the old-fashioned term ‘reputation’ is almost synonymous.

A brand is the name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s product distinct from those of other sellers. It is a promise to the customers; it tells them what they expect from the products and services, and how it differentiates the offering from that of its competitors. It is derived from what it

stands for, what it wants to be and how people perceive it to be.

A brand encompasses the perception of it and its reputation, as well as its tangible ‘look and feel’. It relates to the behavior of a company as well as to the customer experience of it.

The brand itself applies both within and outside and organization – to customers and employees. Successful brands are those that are dynamic and adaptable, that are able to evolve as markets change and audiences segment. A brand is not simply about looking good. As competition creates infinite choices, companies look for ways to connect emotionally with customers, become irreplaceable, and create lifelong relationships. A strong brand stands out in a densely crowded marketplace. People fall in love with brands, trust them, and believe in their superiority.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Above: The three primary functions of a brand, as proposed by David Haigh, founder and CEO, Brand Finance plc. (world’s leading independent branded business valuation and strategy consultancy).

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1.1 Understanding Branding

elements of the brand Intrinsically striking The visual distinctiveness of a brand may be a combination of any of the following: name, letters, numbers, a symbol, a signature, a shape, a slogan, a color, a particular typeface. But the name is the most important element of the brand as its use in language provides a universal reference point. The name is also the one element of the brand that should never change. All other elements can change over time (Shell’s famous logo has evolved significantly from the early line drawing and Pepsi-Cola switched to all-blue livery a few years ago), but the brand name should be like Caesar: “as constant as the northern star”.

Above: The verifications and promises of a brand.

This is not to say that brands achieve true visual distinctiveness through their names alone. Nike without its tick-like swoosh, Camel cigarettes without “Old Joe”, the supercilious dromedary, Michelin without exuberant Monsieur Bibendum, McDonald’s without its Golden Arches would be paler properties indeed.

Brands like these – and many thousands of others – rely for their visual distinctiveness on the harmonious combination of these elements and the consistency with which this is maintained.

Creating an indelible impression According to Fortune magazine (in 1997):

In the twenty-first century, branding ultimately will be the only unique differentiator between companies. Brand equity is now a key asset. The real power of successful brands is that they meet the expectations of those that buy them or, to put it another way, they represent a promise kept. As such they are a contract between a seller and a buyer: if the seller keeps to its side of the bargain, the buyer will be satisfied; if not, the buyer will in future look elsewhere for the same.

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Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.

Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap

Above: Brand touchpoints. Each touchpoint is an opportunity to increase awareness and build customer loyalty.

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1.1 Understanding Branding

1.1.2 What is brand identity?

Design plays an essential role in creating and building brands. Design differentiates and embodies the intangibles– emotion, context, and essence—that matter most to consumers.

Moira Cullen Senior Director, Global Design The Hershey Company

Brand identity is a bundle of mental and functional associations with the brand. Associations are not ‘reasons-to-buy’ but provide familiarity and differentiation that cannot be replicated. These associations can include signature tune (for example - Britannia ‘ting-ting-ta-ding’), trademark colors (for example - Blue color with Pepsi), logo (for example - Nike), tagline (for example - Apple’s tagline is ‘Think different’), etc.

Brand identity is tangible and appeals to the senses. One can see it, touch it, hold it, hear it, watch it move. Brand identity fuels recognition, amplifies differentiation, and makes big ideas and meaning accessible. It takes disparate elements and unifies them into whole systems and is essentially ‘how’ a business wants to be perceived by customers. It is through brand identity design that a brand strives to communicate clearly with the target audience. Brand identity is the combined message transmitted via the brand name, logo, style and visuals.

It is the total proposal/promise that an organization makes to consumers. The brand can be perceived as a product, a personality, a set of values, and a position it occupies in consumer’s minds, brand identity is all that an organization wants the brand to be considered as. It is a feature linked with a specific company, product, service or individual. It is a way of externally expressing a brand to the world.

The best identity programs embody and advance the company’s brand by supporting desired perceptions. Identity expresses itself in every touch-point of the brand and becomes intrinsic to a company’s culture. It is a constant symbol of the company’s core values and its heritage.

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Brand identity is the aggregation of what all an organization does. It is an organizations mission, personality, promise to the consumers and competitive advantages. It includes the thinking, feelings and expectations of the target market/consumers. It is a means of identifying and distinguishing an organization from another. An organization having unique brand identity have improved brand awareness, motivated team of employees who feel proud working in a well branded organization, active buyers, and corporate style.

Brand identity leads to brand loyalty, brand preference, high credibility, good prices and good financial returns. It helps the organization to express to the customers and the target market the kind of organization it is. It assures the customers again that the brand is what it says it is. It establishes an immediate connection between the organization and consumers. Brand identity should be sustainable. It is crucial so that the consumers instantly correlate with your product/service.

Over a period of time, the identity may evolve, but the promise and the kind of association that the customers feel with the brand should remain consistent.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Above: Co-relation between perception, behavior and performance of a brand.

In the book, Brand Leadership by David A. Aaker and Erich Joachimsthaler, originally published in the year 2000, the authors build a case that “when a high level of perceived quality has been (or can be) created, raising the price not only provides margin dollars but also aids perceptions.”

Their basic premise is that “strong brands command a premium price.”

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1.1 Understanding Branding

1.1.3 What is branding?

The fundamentals of brand building, from listening to and learning from customers, to relevantly meeting their needs, have been magnified in a world of digital communications and consumer empowerment.

Allen Adamson, Brand Digital

Branding is a disciplined process used to build awareness and extend customer loyalty. It requires a mandate from the top and readiness to invest in the future. Branding is about seizing every opportunity to express why people should choose one brand over another. A desire to lead, out-pace the competition, and give employees the best tools to reach customers - are the reasons why companies leverage branding.

Branding continues to evolve within a context of significant global shifts, such as the collapse of the financial markets, as well as pressing issues such as climate change – all of which fundamentally affect business structures and behavior. The marketing sector is also adapting to new technologies, crosscultural influences and shifts in consumer behavior.

A brand is the idea or image of a specific product or service that consumers connect with, by identifying the name, logo, slogan, or design of the company who owns the idea or image. Branding is when that idea or image is marketed so that it is recognizable by more and more people, and identified with a certain service or product when there are many other companies offering the same service or product. Advertising professionals work on branding not only to build brand recognition, but also to build good reputations and a set of standards to which the company should strive to maintain or surpass.

Successful brand management goes well beyond the cosmetics of branding (brand name, packaging, advertising and so on). All great brands are built on bedrock of trust derived from customers’ experience of buying and using products and services sold under the brand name. The resulting is then reinforced by brand communications in their mainly supporting role. To manage brand equity (or anything) successfully, requires current, valid data. This

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includes diagnostic data about why the brand is where it is. Few brand owners do it well. Customer/consumer insight can come from many sources, including direct customer contact (‘immersion) as well as formal market research, customer database analysis, learning from operations (e.g., complaints) and market intelligence.

This is a big challenge in most organizations.

Great brands are defined by their relevance and distinctiveness, by the single-minded proposition that places them in the hearts and minds of consumers. Some of the underlying principles all the all the great brands seem to share are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

A compelling idea Consistency in delivering on their promise Expression of the brand through every experience Alignment of internal and external commitment to the core brand message Relevance Recovering lost ground

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

who are the stakeholders?

Every individual that comes in touch with the brand, is a stakeholder. Seizing each opportunity to build brand champions requires identifying the constituencies that affect success.

Reputation and goodwill extend far beyond a brand’s target customers. Employees are now called ‘internal customers’ because their power is far reaching. Gaining insight into stakeholder characteristics, behavior, needs, and perceptions yields a high return.

As the branding process unfolded, the research about the IDL stakeholders informed about a broad range of solutions — from positioning to the tilt of brand messages, to the launch strategy.

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1.1 Understanding Branding

1.1.4 Brand strategy The best brand strategy is developed as a creative partnership between the client, the strategist, and the designer.

Connie Birdsall, Creative Director Lippincott

Effective brand strategy provides a central unifying idea around which all behavior, actions and communications are aligned. It works across products and services, and is effective over time.

The best brand strategies are so differentiated and powerful that they deflect the competition. They are easy to talk about, whether one is a CEO or an employee.

Brand strategy builds on a vision, is aligned with business strategy, emerges from a company’s values and culture, and reflects an in-depth understanding of the customer’s needs and perceptions. Brand strategy defines positioning, differentiation, the competitive advantage, and a unique value proposition. It needs to resonate with all stakeholders: external customers, the media, and internal customers (e.g., employees, the board, core suppliers). Brand strategy is a road map that guides marketing, makes it easier for the sales force to sell more, and provides clarity, context, and inspiration to employees.

Who develops brand strategy?

It is usually a team of people; no one does it alone. It is a result of an extended dialogue among the CEO, marketing, sales, brand manager, advertising, public relations, operations, and distribution.

Global companies frequently bring in brand strategists: independent thinkers and authorities, strategic marketing firms, and brand consultants. It often takes someone from the outside who is an experienced strategic and creative thinker to help a company articulate what is already there. Sometimes a brand strategy is born at the inception of a company by a visionary, such as Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, or Anita Roddick. Sometimes it takes a visionary leader, such as Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, to redefine brand strategy. Companies frequently survive and prosper because they have a clear brand strategy. Companies falter because they do not have one.

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The importance of brand strategy and the cost of building brand identity should be understood at the highest levels of an organization and across functional areas–not just sales and marketing–but in legal, finance, operations, and human resources as well. The role of the consultant in developing brand strategy is to facilitate the process: asking the right questions, providing relevant input and ideas, getting key issues to surface, and achieving resolution.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Above: Aligning an organization’s vision with its customers’ experience is the goal of brand strategy

Left: Wana is Morocco’s new full-service global telecom company offering fixed line, mobile, and internet services.

With the core idea of putting the customer in control, Wana revolutionizedthe telecom market in Morocco by delivering on this promise at every touchpoint from name through design and product experience and offering.

The name Wana means close to you. The Wana symbol, a dynamic star, references the Moroccan flag and connects with the Moroccan spirit.

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1.1 Understanding Branding

1.1.5 Brand positioning Positioning breaks through barriers of over-saturated markets to create new opportunities.

Lissa Reidel, Marketing Consultant

Supporting every effective brand is a positioning strategy that drives planning, marketing, and sales. Positioning evolves to create openings in a market that is continually changing, a market in which consumers are saturated with products and messages.

Positioning takes advantage of changes in demographics, technology, marketing cycles, consumer trends, and gaps in the market to find new ways of appealing to the public. A brand’s position represents the brand’s place in the market. It comes from developing the product or service image so that it occupies a distinct and valued place in the mind of the consumer. The positioning will present a distinct proposition to the market that is in line with the brand’s values and the needs and desires of the customers and users.

Positioning is a revolutionary branding concept developed by Al Ries and Jack Trout in 1981. They defined positioning as the scaffolding on which companies build their brands, strategize their planning, and extend their relationships with customers.

Positioning takes into account the mix of price, product, promotion, and place—the four dimensions that affect sales. Ries and Trout were convinced that each company must determine its position in the customer’s mind, considering the needs of the customer, the strengths and weaknesses of that company, and the competitive landscape. This concept continues to be a fundamental precept in all the marketing communications, branding, and advertising.

To determine a brand’s position, it is essential to understand what the brand means to the customer as well having knowledge of the brand strategy. This then forms the brand’s proposition – this is the central brand offer. The market proposition will be a combination of desired perceptions of quality, price and performance, coupled with and emotional connection to the

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style and tone of the brand, how people engage with it and why. It is the strength and clarity of the proposition that drives the marketing strategy. This strategy will include ways in which to reach the audience, including where and how the brand is promoted and to whom. It will drive the brand experience.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

the onliness statement Developed by Marty Neumeier, ZAG

What: The only (category) How: that (differentiation characteristic) Who: for (customer) Where: in (market geography) Why: who (need state) When: during (underlying trend).

Example: Harley Davidson is...

What: The only motorcycle manufacturer How: that makes big, loud motorcycles Who: for macho guys (and “macho wannabees”) Where: mostly in the United States Why: who want to join a gang of cowboys When: in an era of decreasing personal freedom.

Above: Brand positioning, developed by Brand Engine

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1.1.6 Big idea A big idea functions as an organizational totem pole around which strategy, behavior, actions, and communications are aligned.

These simply worded statements are used internally as a beacon of a distinctive culture and externally as a competitive advantage that helps consumers make choices.

Big ideas are a springboard for responsible creative work (thinking, designing, naming) and a litmus test for measuring success. The simplicity of the language is deceptive because the process of getting there is difficult. It requires extensive dialogue, patience, and the courage to say less. A skilled facilitator, experienced in building consensus, is usually needed to ask the right questions and to achieve closure. The result of this work is a critical component in the realization of a compelling brand strategy and a differentiated brand identity.

The big idea can always be expressed in one sentence, although the rationale could usually fill a book. Sometimes the big idea becomes the tagline or the battle cry. The big idea must be simple and transportable. It must carry enough ambiguity to allow for future developments that cannot be predicted. It must create an emotional connection, and it must be easy to talk about, whether one is the CEO or an employee.

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Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

Above: Narrowing the focus to clarify strategy.

From Alina Wheeler’s book, Designing Brand Identity

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1.1.7 Staying on message Let’s give them something to talk about.

Bonnie Raitt

Stay on message is the brand mantra. The best brands speak with one distinctive voice. On the web, in a tweet, in conversations with a salesperson, in a speech given by the president, the company needs to project the same unified message. It must be memorable, identifiable, and centered on the customer.

Fundamental principles of staying on message Developed by Lissa Reidel, Marketing Consultant

• •

Voice and tone work harmoniously with clarity and personality to engage customers, whether they are listening, scanning, or reading. Each word offers an opportunity to inform, inspire, and fuel word of mouth. Whether it is a call to action or a product description, language must be vital, straightforward, eloquent, and substantive. One needs to be sure that the meaning is accessible to all customers. When developing key messages and company descriptions, one must preserve the impact by cutting through all the hype and clutter.

Brand messages work well if they distill the essence of the product or service. A memorable message grows with repetition, taking on a life of its own. Language and communications are intrinsic to all brand expressions. Unified, consistent high-level messages demand buy-in at all levels: the commitment must be long-term. Integrated communications require that content and design work together to differentiate the brand.

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• •

•

Use language that resonates with meaning. Readers will complete the message with layers of their own experience.

Aim for clarity, brevity, and precision. A busy executive with only minutes to spare can glean what she needs to know.

Polish and cut as if you were a jeweler. Every sentence will reveal new, intriguing facets to the customer.

Cut through the clutter to produce sound-bites that acquire a vibrant identity when they are heard again and again.

Consistency is built on repetition.

Edit out modifying phrases, adverbs, and extraneous conversational text and what remains is the distillation, the essence. Eliminate distracting references and the text will have impact. Less is more.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

each word is an opportunity to be intentional Nomenclature

Brand essence

Communications

Information

Touchpoints

Company name (formal) Company name (informal) Taglines Descriptors Product names Process names Services names Division names

Mission statements Vision statements Value propositions Key messages Guiding principles Customer pledges Vocabulary History Boilerplate Elevator speak

Voice Tone Headline style Punctuation Capitalization Emphasis Accuracy Clarity Consistency

Content Call to action URLs Email signatures Voicemail messages Abbreviations Titles Addresses Directions

Websites+blogs News releases FAQs Press kits Annual reports Brochures Shareholder communications Call center scripts Sales scripts Presentations Announcements Blast emails Campaigns Direct mails Product directions Signage Social media Office space

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1.1 Understanding Branding

1.1.8 Brandmarks Designed with an almost infinite variety of shapes and personalities, brandmarks can be assigned to a number of general categories. From literal through symbolic, from word-driven to image-driven, the world of brandmarks expands each day.

Above: De-constructing the brand signature of Spectrum Health.

A signature is the structured relationship between a logotype, brandmark, and tagline.

Some programs accommodate split signatures that allow the mark and the logotype to be separated. Other variations may include a vertical or horizontal signature that allows choices based on application need.

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The boundaries among these categories are pliant, and many marks may combine elements of more than one category.

Although there are no hard-and-fast rules to determine the best type of visual identifier for a particular type of company, the designer’s process is to examine a range of solutions based on both aspirational and functional criteria. The designer determines a design approach that best serves the needs of the client and create a rationale for each distinct approach.

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

topology of marks

The designer is the medium between the client and the audience. A mark should embody and imply the client’s business goals and positioning, and address the end user’s needs and wants.

Joel Katz, Joel Katz Design Associates

There are no hard and fast rules about which approach works best. Each particular type of identity has benefits and shortcomings that are dependent on numerous factors. At the end of the day, it’s important that the design solution responds to the problem that needs to be solved.

Wordmarks: A freestanding acronym, company name, or product name that has been designed to convey a brand attribute or positioning. Examples: IKEA, eBay, Google, Tate, Nokia, MoMA

Abstract/symbolic marks: An abstract mark uses visual form to convey a big idea or a brand attribute. These marks, by their nature, can provide strategic ambiguity, and work effectively for large companies with numerous and unrelated divisions. Abstract marks are especially effective for service-based and technology companies; however, they are extremely difficult to design well.

A symbol that conveys a big idea, and often embodies strategic ambiguity. Examples: Target, Sprint, Nike, HSBC, Herman Miller.

Letterforms: A unique design using one or more letterforms that acts as a mnemonic device for a company name. The single letter is frequently used by designers as a distinctive graphic focal point for a brandmark. The letter is always a unique and proprietary design that is infused with significant personality and meaning. The letterform acts as a mnemonic device, e.g., the “M” for Motorola, the “Q” for Quest Diagnostics. Examples: Univision, IBM, OLIN, Unilever, Tory Burch, HP, GE, UPS, B Corporation Emblem: A mark in which the company name is inextricably connected to a pictorial element. Emblems are trademarks featuring a shape inextricably connected to the name of the organization. The elements are never isolated. Emblems look terrific on a package, as a sign, or as an embroidered patch on a uniform. As mobile devices continue to shrink and multi-branding ads with one-sixth-inch logos increase, the emblem presents the biggest legibility challenge when miniaturized. Examples: TiVo, OXO, LEED, Elmer’s Glue-All Pictorial marks: An immediately recognizable literal image that has been simplified and stylized. A pictorial mark uses a literal and recognizable image. The image itself may allude to the name of the company or its mission, or it may be symbolic of a brand attribute. Examples: Apple, NBC, CBS, Polo, Lacoste, Twitter.

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1.1 Understanding Branding

1.1.9 Presentation- ‘Understanding Branding’

Above: “We’re hardwired to notice only what’s different.”

-Marty Neumeier, ‘The brand gap’

Branding for an organization is a collective exercise. For a successful brand to be created, the entire team needs to come together, with a clear understanding of what is a brand and how do we build one.

1. Differentiate The most important word for differentiating a brand- FOCUS! The team was asked to take a Focus Test on ‘what you are’ and ‘what do you want to do’

Hence on a fine Thursday evening, I got the team together for an interactive session that consisted of a lot of talking to each other, laughter and learnings about the brand and the 5 disciplines of brand-building (based on Marty Neumeier’s The Brand Gap).

Activity: Draw your Brand – The team was asked to figuratively represent their brand (IDL).

The entire session revolved around the following questions (in the given context of IDL): Who are we?

Who needs to know?

Why should they care?

Why should we care?

How will they find out?

Since I was a part of this as an external moderator, it was a twoway exercise. On one hand the team got an understanding of brand (theoretically and practically) and the role that each one of them plays as the brand ambassadors and, on the other hand, I got to know and analyze the current thoughts and ideas of the team members on which I would build upon the next steps and processes. The session went ahead in the order of the following five disciplines of brand-building to make a brand charismatic, with each one of them having an activity to do with the team.

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2. Collaborate This discipline talks about ownership and the various collaborative networks. ‘It takes a village to build a brand!’

Activity: Personal and Professional goals - The team was asked to pen down their personal and professional goals.

3. Innovate Creativity is what gives brands their traction in the market. For this discipline, we talked about identifying an innovative idea and about standing out. The discussion went ahead with analyzing IDL’s visual identity and it’s online presence.

Activity 1: Brand name analysis - The team was asked to rate out of 10, the name IDL on the basis of- distinction, brevity, appropriateness, spelling and pronunciation, likability, extendibility, and protectability.

Activity 2: Three questions - This had a set of three questions followed by an extensive discussion over the sameWhat is that one thing that you like about your website?

What is that one thing that you dislike about your website?

What is that one thing that you’d like to change about your website?

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

“If a brand looks like a duck and swims like a dog, people will distrust it.”

Marty Neumeier, ‘The brand gap’

4. Validate Validation means bringing the audience into the creative process.

It talked about how today’s creative process is more of a dialogue and not a monologue (unlike earlier times) and we need to test our ideas even before they get to the market. And since that cannot always be done with large quantitative studies and focus groups, the three cheap-quick-dirty tests as proposed by Neumeier were discussed• The Swap Test as a proof of trademarks: If the names and graphics of two trademarks are better when swapped then neither of them is optimal.

• The Hand Test as proof for a distinctive voice: If one can’t tell who’s talking when the trademark is covered, then the brand’s voice is not distinctive.

• The Field Test as a proof of any concept that can be prototyped: If the audience can’t verbalize the concept, it has failed to communicate it.

Activity: Analyze the brand IDL - Now that the team had a little understanding of brand and brand building, they were asked to analyze the brand IDL on the basis of- distinctiveness, relevance, memorability, extendibility and consistency.

5. Cultivate A business is a process and not an entity, and thus a living brand is a pattern of behavior, not a stylistic veneer.

‘Influence the character of the brand’ Top and above: From Marty Neumeier’s, ‘The brand gap’

This discipline talks about the ways to influence the character of a brand and the GTCM (goal, target, channel, and message) model of brand communication.

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1.2 Overview: Imaginea Design Labs 1.2.1 Baseline Information 1.2.2 Key stakeholders’ interview

1.2 Overview: Imaginea Design Labs 1.2.1 Baseline Information

Pramati Technologies

Imaginea Technologies

Imaginea Design Labs

When IDL was set up in 2015, the initial aim was cater to the various design needs of the company. It got its name from Imaginea technologies, another Pramati venture which already has a name and association in the market.

Legally, the company IDL is registered under the name of Imaginea technologies, which in turn is registered in California.

IDL is present at 3 locations- Hyderabad, Chennai and Mountain View, California. However, the design team sits only in India, with Hyderabad being the head office (of Pramati as well).

Branding: IDL doesn’t have a brand language set, just a brandmark with the logotype being the same as that of Imaginea. The language of the brand is not consistent across platforms due to the lack of a unifying brand message, as it does not have any of the brand statements (mission, vision, purpose, positiong) in place.

Subhasish Karmakar is the heads IDL and was my mentor and reporting officer for the project. Other people who were helpful through the project were Chandrashekar Sivaramam (Chandru), senior VP, marketing, Pramati and Siddharth Kumar, marketing consultant, Pramati. Their names will come up through the course of this document as when required.

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Above: The brandmark of Pramati Technologies

Above: The brandmark of Imaginea Technologies

Branding Imaginea Design Labs | Volume 1 of 1

the present brandmark The current brandmark of the IDL, has a pencil shaped test tube with bubbles coming out of it. The brandmark suggests the experimental nature of IDL, a place where ideas are brewed, tested and carried out. The pencil indicates the ideation stage, and the ‘maker-doer’ personality of the brand.

The brand colors are an extension of the parent company, Pramati Technologies private limited.

r4 g69 b248 c85 m71 y0 k0 #0445F8

r4 g69 b248 c85 m71 y0 k0 #0445F8

r4 g69 b248 c85 m71 y0 k0 #0445F8

r4 g69 b248 c85 m71 y0 k0 #0445F8

Above: Brandmark of Imaginea Design Labs

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1.2 Overview: Imaginea Design Labs

previous logo suggestions When IDL was set up, there was a small logo design exercise carried out within the design team before finalizing it as the one it has at present.

Here are the other suggestions that were made by the team members, that made it to the final options list.

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1.2 Overview: Imaginea Design Labs

1.2.1 Stakeholders Interview Interviewing key management and stakeholders was done faceto-face. The methodology followed was long interview. I did an audio recording, noting down just the keywords as it facilitates eye contact and a better interview.

Another agenda for the interview was building trust. The quality of the questions and the rapport established in the interview set the tone for an important relationship with the client. Also, for a company like Pramati where there are several daughter companies, collaborating and working together on projects, it was important to get them in the loop of the branding process. The list of who should be interviewed was co created with Subhasish and Chandru; we tried to cover as many people as we could (subject to availability) that were associated with IDL. The main agenda for the interviews was to gather as much baseline information regarding IDL as possible. Since the IDL had not gone through any such exercise earlier, this proved to be the most fruitful one, giving insights on various aspects of the brand, its positioning, purpose and scope.

The list of people interviewed: 1. Chandrashekhar Sivaraman (Chandru)- Senior Vice President, Marketing, Pramati Technologies 2. Subhasish Karmakar- Head of design, products and services, Imaginea Design Labs 3. Dominic George- Director technology and UI Practices, Imaginea Technologies 4. Kalyan Kupachi- Head of Engineering, Pramati Technologies 5. Kalyan Reddy- Account Manager, Ericsson, Pramati Technologies 6. Shruthi- Account Manager, Kareo, Pramati Technologies 7. Niranjan Ramesh- Marketing, Pramati Technologies 46

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8.

9.

Noorul Ameen- Lead Interaction Designer, IDL V. S. Krishna Nimmagavadda- Head of Microsoft Practice, Pramati Technologies 10. Anitha Prabhakar- Head of Human Resources Hyderabad, Pramati Technologies 11. Siddharth Kumar- Marketing Consultant, Pramati Technologies; Chief Experience Officer, Sensorial Design The key interview questions included: • What is your role in the organization?

• What does design mean to you?

• What is the role of design in the organization’s culture?

• According to you, what does IDL stand for?

• Why was IDL created?

• If you could communicate a single message about your company, what would it be?

• What problems do you currently see in practice and development?

• What values and beliefs unify your employees and drive their performance?

• Who are the competitors?

• Is there a competitor that you admire the most? If so, why?

• What is your competitive advantage?

• What worries you about IDL? What’s the worst thing that could happen? What are the threats?

• How do you market your product and services?

• How will you personally define the success of IDL? • Where will you be in five years? In ten years?

The questionnaire varied according to the person being interviewed. In pages to follow, the excerpts from three of the major interviews have been mentioned.

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Chandrashekhar Shivaraman (Chandru) Senior VP, Marketing. Pramati technologies Pvt. LTD

“Designers should come up with their own vision – better execution and innovation.”

(With Chandru, the interview was more like a discussion and not plain Q and A. Following are the key takeaways from the discussion in Chandru’s words)

We want to be a lab that understands technology and designs for technology. And for the rest of the organization (Pramati), we want to give ‘design-led’ services.

We (Pramati) have always been an engineering company, but with very few product designers (software products). So we think that the mountain-top is still vacant; there is no on up at the top who can hoist a flag there and say – “here is a great software design company from India” – that’s where we want to be. And that’s why we formed IDL. There is a gap between design and technology in the industry, we as IDL want to fill up that gap.

Best thing about IDL: If you’re working with us, we’re the best people for the engineering of the product as well because we know what’s on and we can check the implementation the best.

Already there is a loss between design and code; we can cut that loss by keeping very high fidelity.

Our experience in building engineering products will give way to design and Imaginea Design Labs. People don’t pay for the software or products that they buy, but for what it does.

Experience is what people want to have and what they pay for.

Vision: Imaginea Design Labs should aim to build great experiences in products.

Why IDL? • Service: It’s a product design company that is offering product design service as well • Understanding of Technology: Anyone who answers the call at IDL, should be capable of answering of any of the queries.

On the other end can be an engineer, a product manager or a designer; we do have that understanding and we should be able to carry forward such a conversation.

The days of bringing ‘human factor’ in design are gone; we’ve gone beyond that. We should be able to talk about the experience now. Our aim will is to make our designer aware of the technology, and make the engineers understand design thinking and bring it in practice.

Threats: • Poor designers: unwillingness or inability of designers to understand technology • Design: Engineering interface Three words for IDL: 1. Gritty 2. Imaginative 3. Practical IDL in a year: • Team stability + compact • Products of our own to showcase • 5 independent customers • Designers + Engineers

[CONFIDENTIAL]

Image courtesy: Swarat Ghosh

June 17, ’16 | 05.00 pm

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1.2 Overview: Imaginea Design Labs

Subhasish Karmakar Head of Design, Products and Services, Imaginea Design Labs

“Imaginea Design Labs is the melting point between design and engineering and it was set up to build and develop a culture of design practice in Pramati and in the industry.”

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T: What is your role in this organization?

S: My role is to build a design practice that cuts across both Pramati as an organization, whatever design that happens for Pramati products, and selling design as a service where we do design work for global clients.

paradigm shift were looking for. From a business point of view, I don’t think we’ll make a lot of money by just serving Imaginea clients, or customers that are based in India. So we’ll have to have a presence and create a visibility that draws attention towards those who are actually looking for such works.

T: What does service design mean to you?

S: For me, it’s defining the end-to-end experience where there are multiple touchpoints, not necessarily confined to any medium or platform; it is about curating the experience all across each and every touchpoint.

T: Why the name ‘IDL’?

S: Consider this as a start-up under the bigger umbrella of Pramati. Previously as well, there were designers, but they were scattered across the company. So the goal was to bring a design practice which can serve both products and services. What to name it?– one rationale was because there is a services aspect to it and Imaginea is already a brand and name in the market, we sought to leverage from the brand name and see if we can create another. May be down the line it can become a totally different name, when it is mature enough to stand on its own feet.

T: What does IDL mean to you? What does it stand for?

S: I always believe that it is possible to deliver ‘world-class’ design from India, and Imaginea Design Labs, I believe, is an opportunity to fulfill that vision.

T: What do you mean by ‘world-class’ design?

S: When I say ‘world-class’ design, I mean a product/service which has acceptance all across design the world- having skills and ideas as a designer that are not confined by a region or nation, and then, having an understanding of context and designing for that is important. For example, if you’re designing a product whose audiences are specifically in the bay area, to build a product like that you need a deep sense of understanding of the context- that is the challenge, how do you break those boundaries.

T: Who are IDL’s current users and customers?

S: At present, primarily Imaginea and Imaginea customers, 7080% of work is coming from there. Rest are global customers whose Indian entities we’re doing business with. How do I want to be different is that in the next 1-2 years- we have created a brand and it’s visibility that global customers are looking for our services irrespective of where we are located- that’s the

T: What will be the duration of this period for IDL? S: Well, that depends on how quickly we can generate the revenues, according to my approximation - 2 years.

T: Why IDL? Why should people choose IDL (considering the kind of brands we are competing with right now)? What will make us stand out in the market?

S: I think, people and work are both equally important. That’s why the website that we create, our portfolio has to create an impression and give the sense that ‘yeah these guys are capable, their work is awesome’. We also need to create credibility and brand presence in the market by attending different workshops, seminars, conferences, the blog that we write; overall, the brand perception slowly, but surely changing. It’s all about the quality of the content that we are creating and sharing, that will give us the credibility. The wow factor for IDL- the people; they have to come together to create that.

[CONFIDENTIAL]

Image courtesy: Swarat Ghosh

June 20, ’16 | 05.30 pm

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June 20, ’16 | 03.00 pm

Image courtesy: Swarat Ghosh

T: What is the role of a designer in your team?

D: Design for me is user experience design. A designer should be a part of the team, taking care of the delivery angle because it is not the beginning or end where UX comes in, it’s there in throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Dominic George Director Technology, Head of UI Design Practice

“There is a need of more focus on end-to-end prototyping and the final polish, the wow factor is missing from our products.”

T: Is that something that you expect or is it already in practice?

D: The projects don’t usually have designers. But that could be something that we could try and strive towards. The other approach can be following an agency approach, where work is given to a group of people and you get an output. And then there are a series of checkpoints or milestones where outputs are considered and taken out. Although I’m not sure that approach is really successful, because then the stakeholders keep changing, output changes, whereby you lose on the domain language.

T: How do designers and engineers differ from each other?

D: There is a difference in the skill-set and the thought processes.

While one is more creative, other is more analytical. So people who are really strong in these two ends of the spectrum, I would rather keep them than try to get them in the middle path which is actually going to dilute their skills and competencies. We can have the best of both.

T: What is your take on the lag between design and technology?

D: See, there is no design that is not possible from the developer point of view. There is always some way or the other to achieve that, although it might compromise on the function, or some

other thing. It’s a weighed approach that we need to take, to try and make it more optimized and performance centric. See, the whole approach of the strategy is changing; it’s no more about – do you want to go for the wow factor or do you want to focus on the functional angle – I don’t think there is a single solution to it, for different times you make different choices.

T: Who are the competitors?

D: We are a service based company. Our USP is technology and we’re saying that we know certain technology which is cutting edge, and we have highly skilled people who are doing that, instead of having to learn it and all. Now, any services company could be our competition, like Thoughtworks. They are into a particular segment already and they have proven that they are leaders in some of these cutting edge tools and technology. We won’t compete with companies like TCS and Infosys, they go with numbers, that’d be a fierce fight.

T: What according to you would be the biggest threat to IDL? D: Right now there is no connect between the processes that are going on and the design team, there is a huge gap that needs to be covered. We’re trying to put up several products in the market that tells us about the different talents that Imaginea has, these are our showcases to the outsiders - for attracting talents and customers – and those are not yet polished outcomes. The IDL products show that there is a definite gap, which makes the products look very bland. Their features might be good but the usability and the look and feel are not up to mark. Also, there is a need of more focus on end-to-end prototyping and the final polish, the wow factor is missing from our products. When we’re putting such products in the market, we’re kind of exposing ourselves to everything out there.

[CONFIDENTIAL]

T: What is your role in this organization?

D: I’m Director Technology and I handle the UI Practice. Anything that needs to be done from a technology angle on UI - JavaScript, CSS, HTML or of the JavaScript frameworks, typescripts – come under my purview.

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1.3 Brand analysis 1.3.1 S.W.O.T. 1.3.2 Touchpoints

1.3 Brand analysis This session was conducted with only the managers and the senior members of the team, especially those who are involved in various decision-making processes.

The session revolved around the following questions: What do we know?

What do we assume?

What do we think?

What do we need to find out?

What are we going to do?

The agenda for the meeting was to analyze IDL as a brand again, keeping in mind ‘where we are’ and ‘where we want to be’, in terms of• The current scenario (S.W.O.T. analysis) • The current customers (primary and secondary audience, key influencer, trend needs and existing perceptions of the brand category) • The current competitive position and brand audit (market advantage, market position, and portfolio in terms ofproduct, promise, price, and experience) • Internal factors • Target (1 year and 5 year- quantitative and qualitative) • Brand personality and brand values

insights: Since the company is still in the development stage, a lot of scenarios had little or no information/date to reflect and to analyze. Also, a lot of them were based on observation only.

However, the most important aspect that came up was- the opportunity and the scope. The opportunity for aspiring and coming up with a plan of action and the scope of bringing about the change and making things happen.

Asking the right questions not only triggered a lot of new thoughts and ideas in everybody’s mind but also enabled them to take a new approach to the older issues. The session was an extremely important one also because this laid the foundation for the brand that we’ll eventually be building together.

Right (image grid): Pictures from the Brand Analysis session with the managers and the team leaders (core stakeholders)

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All images courtesy: Sai Krishna

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1.3 Brand analysis

1.3.1 S.W.O.T. strengths • • • • • • • • • • • •

Diversity (age, ethnicity, language) Heritage- Pramati (experience in product building) Experience and design backed by engineering (Imaginea) Reach out (personal aspects) Process Research Young, inviting and agile Scope of experimentation Freedom Learnability Management buy-in Positive vibe

weaknesses • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Lack of depth (portfolio) Shortage of start-to-finish designers No marketing team Team-building Satisfaction with mediocre work Lack of storytelling Lack of experimentation Showcase Website We don’t “walk the talk” Start-to-finish workflow Domain expertise Inability to collaborate and involve other team members Creative pitching

opportunities • • • • • • • • • •

Reach out (personal contacts) Diverse portfolio Change in client’s perception and market’s understanding of design ‘Ours’ business (ownership) Outreach-CSR Design consultant Define our services Conferences We become the Wavemakers Existing Pramati clients

threats • • • • • • • • •

‘Busy’ perception (without business) Bad name Too many design competitors Client’s perception Ever-changing market Brain-drain and poaching Revenue generation and lack of business Personal differences SHUT-SHOP!

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1.3.2 Touchpoints The touchpoints for IDL were recognized and then divided into two categories- internal and external.

Internal touchpoints: • Office (physical touchpoint)- visitors, other team members and employees • The IDL team- daily stand-up, present members, former members • Internal communication- events and functions, in-house competitions, internal campaigns, word of mouth, email • Sales and marketing team (Pramati) • Other department heads- collaborative projects External touchpoints: • Website- blog, newsletter, projects, services • POCs (proof of concept) • Social- Medium, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, SlideShare • Conferences and workshops • Brand and product presentations- online and offline • Joint ventures and collaborations • Email- transactional, follow-ups, marketing

Above: The current touchpoints for IDL

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1.4 Case studies 1.4.1 IDEO 1.4.2 Livework Studio 1.4.3 Frog Design

1.4 Case studies 1.4.1 IDEO

Ideo’s core values - be optimistic, collaborate, embrace ambiguity, learn from failure, make others successful, take ownership, and talk less do more.

IDEO (pronounced “eye-dee-oh”) is an international design and consulting firm founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company has locations in Cambridge (Massachusetts), Chicago, London, Munich, New York City, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo. 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. Hence, it was the first company that I wanted to study about- this would guide me through the project.

IDEO is known as a pioneer of human-centered design—putting people at the center of our work. This approach has come to be known as IDEO’s design thinking. It believes in: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Learning through design research Prototyping at scale Live action interaction Understanding what people need It’s not rocket science- it’s empathy Research with integrity

IDEO is an ‘extrovert’ organization that believes in sharing every idea and process of theirs. At present they are the very top, as far as design evangelism is concerned. Given the vast history, and diverseness of the kind of work it does, and the way it does, I to study just a few factors of the brand that are relevant as far as the project was concerned. The firm employs over 600 people in a number of disciplines including: Behavioral Science, Branding, Business Design, Communication Design, Design Research, Digital Design, Education, Electrical Engineering, Environments Design, Food Science, Healthcare Services, Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Mechanical Engineering, Organizational Design, and Software Engineering. IDEO believes firmly that innovation results from collaboration. Its organizational culture consists of project teams, flat hierarchy, individual autonomy, creativity, socialization of recruits and engineer buy-in.

Above: How to pronounce ‘IDEO’

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Right: After going through IDEO’s ‘design thinking’ approach, I wrote it down on the blank glass board in Subhasish’s office.

Over the period, this proved to be very useful, especially when I would feel a little lost, or confused about how to approach a certain problem. The map of design thinking, not only helped me, but also the others on the team. So many times, the meetings that would happen in that room would seek aid to the board if they got stuck at something or when they needed some sort of direction. It became a conversation starter for the visitors as well, be it people from other team at Pramati, clients, or even the CEO, Jay Pullur.

The board never got erased till I was there and then I was requested to create a digital version of this, of the size of one of the glass walls, so that they can get it printed and it becomes a permanent part of the office space.

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1.4 Case Studies

the history of ideo logo

Left: Rand’s primary form of the logo, the ‘reverse checkmark’ variation

Above: A scan from Rand’s book, ‘Design Form and Chaos’. An entire chapter is devoted to the IDEO logo.

Left: Jim Yurchenco’s first and second IDEO business cards. Note the addition of email address in the second! The business card were monochrome, and included the company’s entire name.

The IDEO logo was originally designed in 1991 by Paul Rand, one of 20th century’s most prominent graphic designers responsible for some of the world’s most well known corporate logos (IBM, UPS, NeXT, abc). At that time IDEO (at that time, the company’s official name was IDEO Product development) couldn’t afford Rand’s rate for a complete corporate identity, and so Rand only designed the logo.

Bill Moggridge had found the name in the dictionary as ‘ideo-’, the combining form of the word idea. Some at IDEO anticipated that Rand’s logo would also be lower case with a hyphen. However, he chose to go all caps, and that was preserved in the subsequent revisions and also in print. It is interesting to note how this had the side effect of implying that the word was an acronym, and for many years the company had to field questions about what the letters stood for, and they’ve had to correct people who pronounce the name as I-D-E-O. Rand designed the logo with a sans-serif font in the squares. In his book ‘Design Form and Chaos’ ( 1993, Yale University Press) he says“Picture, abstract symbols, materials, and colors are among the ingredients with which a designer or engineer works. To design is to discover relationships and rearrangements among these ingredients. All design involves combinatorial geometry.

The logo for IDEO is based on this discipline. This geometric emphasis, incidentally, is appropriate in terms of form and content. Just as proportion and contrast are aspects of form, appropriateness, that is, fitness to purpose, is an aspect of content no less than are function and materials. Barring some unusual situations, appropriateness is germane to good design.

A beautiful rendition that is inappropriate is, by definition, not

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good design. Here are some of the theme of four squares. The frieze motif, vaguely reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphs, is not engaging but is indicative of the way a designer might go about testing an idea. It also impels the spectator to participate in the design process -- to try her or his hand at different configurations.

Repetitions of the letters I-D-E-O is integral to the design idea of the logo, demonstrating some of the variations that are possible with a given device. It is both a reflection of a mode of thinking and an illustration of a specific design solution. Repetition, then, becomes an aid to remembering. Accent on only one of the components provide a focal point. It also provides a contrasting element that is aesthetically necessary in a linear design.

Pronunciation is aided by separating each letter. The l, being sequentially predominant, provides a clue to its emphasis.”

In 1997, Michael Beirut of Pentagram strengthened Rand’s

Above: Rejected variations L-R - no serif I, equal-arm E, I with a tittle, serifed-I with a tittle, multicolor.

Note: The multicolor logo -- 1997 was two years before Google logo was unveiled. The resemblance is a little jarring.

original logo by making the letters within the boxes more balances, changing to a heavier typeface with a serifed I. Taking a cue from Rand’s comment about the letter I, Beirut considered a variety of treatments to give it more emphasis.

Beirut (and Bill Moggridge and others) immediately preferred the version see today, with extended serifs for the I that match the arms of the E.

Above: Final variations L-R - Reversed checkmark, block, and inline.

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1.4 Case studies

1.4.2 Livework Studio “We merge creativity, design, research and consultancy to help organisations deliver a great customer experience and achieve tangible business results.”

About Livework www.liveworkstudio.com

Livework is a service design studio based in the UK. This name came up during one of my many conversations with Chandru about the future of IDL.

and reconsider some of the approaches and notions that I had in mind with respect to branding, business design, users and customers, and lifecycles.

Tripti: What do you envision for IDL? Chandru: IDL is to become the evangelist of service design in India.

There is no firm in the country that can claim this position.

Tripti: Is there a firm that you look up to?

Chandru: Livework Studio, in terms of how they’ve established themselves in the market and the kind of work they do; their values and ethics. We could learn a thing or two from them.

Over the last 15 years Livework has pioneered service design and made a difference for customers and organisations. Livework was founded in 2001 because they ‘believed that people deserved better services and that design had a key role to play.’ They have pioneered the application of service design in public and private sectors with a mission to create impact for customers and businesses. They are an independent, international, strategic design consultancy focused on customers and services. They claim to have the team, method and experience to support large and small scale service transformation, innovation and improvement. They invest in thought leadership through Livework Insight to grow their understanding of human, business and organizational behaviors.

Hence, it was important for me to look up this studio and learn about them, too understand where they want the brand to head. The focused on- understanding the essence and beliefs of Livework as a brand. The study turned out to be a very informative and educational one. It made me think and question,

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livework approach Their approach is structured around five phases- understand, imagine, design, create and enable.

Source: www.liveworkstudio.com

Each phase includes activities to verify insights, direction or deliverables by engaging customers and staff.

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Source: www.liveworkstudio.com

1.4 Case studies

Above: A clip of the Livework Studio’s one of the subthemes- ‘customer behavior’.

“The main objective of service design is to resolvecustomer related challenges, while balancing them with business drivers and the organizations’ capabilities.”

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Many organisations are still struggling to get a firm grip on the expectations of customers and users, and the motivations behind their behaviour. A thorough understanding of this helps a business grow their customer base.

Strictly speaking, customers are not the same as users.

Customers pay for the products and services but may not actually use them, while users directly consume and experience the products and services although they may not be the ones who actually pay. Having said that, both customers and users are also the same – they are humans!

For users, their priorities and expectations are usually about the product or service itself. They would invest, learn and adapt to a product in order to make it work for them, as long as it has a

specific purpose and serves them well. However, for customers, their experience is strongly influenced by factors such as value for money, customer recognition, accessibility and ease of setup. Administrative hassles, lack of transparency and channel inconsistencies are major customer irritations that likely lead to lost sales or even customer defection.

Different needs and expectations: That explains why confused organisations sometimes approach users with information that is not relevant to them. Therefore, it is important to be clear whether one is dealing with customers or users before they start engaging with them. They have different needs and expectations, therefore require different strategies.

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“People may forget what you said or what you did, but they never forget how they felt about you.”

People are upset for different reasons: Sometimes, organisations don’t understand what people don’t like about them: the brand? the organisation? the service? This is particularly perplexing if people clearly like the products or services. Here, the differentiation between customers and users is very useful. When a product fails to meet its promises, it’s often the users who are upset; but if there are problems with onboarding, acquiring or switching, it’s likely the customers will blame. That explains why customers of feature-rich technical products such as smartphones or software can be very demanding before they actually buy the products.

which perspective: user or customer?

Organisations are confused because user, customer and human mindsets can coexist!

So, which perspective should one be using?

The answer depends on the type of product or service and the phase in the customer lifecycle. Generally speaking, the customer perspective should be more dominant around the decisions to acquire, replace or switch. Value for money and a feeling of being valued are strong customer drivers. The user perspective is more closely related to direct experience with the product or service itself, how it works and the way information and support is offered.

‘Wow’ moments vs ‘wow’ experiences: “Wow” moments are episodic interactions that pleasantly surprise customers. However, these moments do not necessarily translate into “wow” experiences for customers, which is simply a series of consistently good services across customer touchpoints. “Wow” moments, paradoxically, can even be bad for organisations if they set customer expectations too high on other interactions.

“I am not switching energy provider, because I’ve just changed my cable company and I am still waiting to be connected.”

Above: Livework’s themes to understanding customer perspective

Sometimes, what customers say does not seem logical, but they are humans whose decisions are rational and emotional and are shaped by their experience, oftentimes unrelated to the product and service you offer. Therefore, connecting with customers on a human level gives us more insights on how they behave – and more power to change them.

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1.4 Case studies

brand driven innovation I finished my study by finally reading the book Brand Driven Innovation (a Livework publication), written by Erik Roscam Abbing. The book talks about how branding can inspire innovation in products and services, creating value for organisations and consumers alike. This in turn can lead to a more durable relationship between organisations and their customers. BDI explores existing branding theory and its relation to innovation, in order to provide readers with a solid foundation of background knowledge.

Above: The BDI process: cyclical, four distinct stages, each of them iterative – the method really incorporates the basic tenets of design thinking: human centered, iterative, integrative, multidisciplinary.

BDI is a vision and working method, merging the domains of branding, innovation and design, to create value and meaning for organisations and their customers. BDI is based on the understanding that: • The focus of branding should not be the creation and communication of the brand promise, but its fulfillment.

• Innovation should be driven by a vision on the value an organisation can add to the lives of its customers.

• The brand needs innovation to fulfill its promise, and innovation needs branding to infuse it with meaning and understanding of the relationship between the organisation and its customers.

It also contains a practical method to help readers apply BDI in their own academic or business context. The exact details of this method may be unique for every context, but the main underlying structure remains the same. It consists of four stages: Stage 1: Building a human centered brand • Content: making the brand suitable for innovation and design. Rooting the brand firmly in the culture of the organisation, and connecting it firmly to the needs and aspirations of its customers. Making the brand accessible and inspiring to its internal users (engineers, researchers,

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“Design, and more particularly, design thinking,

•

is the glue that creates the synergy between branding and innovation. Design turns vision into value and connects organisations to users.”

•

designers, product managers, marketeers).

Methods and tools: research techniques that uncover latent needs and aspirations, both internally and externally (mainly design research techniques like context mapping, customer journey mapping, personas). Visualisation techniques that make explicit and usable what was implicit before.

Deliverable: a shared vision and a brand promise in a visual and compelling format.

•

•

Methods and tools: project management, design briefings, design guidelines, customer journey mapping, multidisciplinary teams, design effect measurement.

Deliverable: roll out of the brand driven innovation strategy over all brand touch points.

Stage 2: Building a brand driven innovation strategy.

• Content: Building an innovation strategy that sets out to fulfill the brand promise. Deciding how and in where value can be created that matches the organisations unique capabilities and its customers’ unique needs.

• Methods and tools: roadmapping, future scenarios, customer journey mapping, future concepts • Deliverable: a multi-year innovation strategy and innovation guidelines.

Stage 3: Building a brand driven design strategy.

• Content: deciding how to use design, in all its disciplines and layers, in order to turn the innovation strategy into tangible and meaningful interactions covering all brand touch points.

• Methodology: P.O.S.T.[1], design layers, design disciplines, design format analysis, customer journey mapping, multi disciplinary design guidelines.

• Deliverable: design strategy and guidelines.

Stage 4: Orchestrating touch points.

• Content: aligning all touch points over the entire customer journey, in order to create a total brand experience that is meaningful and valuable. Managing design briefings, projects, measurements and evaluations.

[1] Forrester Research’s POST methodology. It was written principally for ‘social’ technologies way back in 2007, it is still relevant today and can be applied to all digital technologies. The acronym stands for- People, Objectives, Strategy and Technologies POST gets one thinking about the ‘problem’ rather than preempting a ‘solution’. It stops one from doing digital strategy backwards.

Source: Bernoff, J. (2007). The POST Method: A systematic approach to social strategy.

Forrester.typepad.com.

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1.4 Case studies

1.4.3 Frog Design Frog (styled as frog) is a global design and strategy firm founded in 1969 by industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger in Mutlangen, Germany as “esslinger design”. Soon after it moved to Altensteig, Germany, and then to Palo Alto, California, and ultimately to its current headquarters in San Francisco, California.

The name was changed to Frogdesign in 1982 (the name apparently originating from an acronym for Esslinger’s home country, the Federal Republic of Germany), then to Frog Design in 2000, and finally to frog in 2011.

Above: The Frog Design logo, designed by the agency itself (contributer- unknown).

“Design and innovation that transforms.”

Frog designs exceptional digital and physical customer experiences to transform businesses at scale.

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I studied about Frog Design because whenever we’d have any discussion in the office among ourselves (the team) about other design agencies and their work, this was the name that would pop up most of the time. Also, during my discussions with Subhasish, whenever we’d talk about future competitors or how want customers to look up to the brand, it would always come up as the first name. Frog Design is one of the top names in world for design and strategy, arguably, they are the best players in the market. Hence, I decided to go ahead and study about their work and services, and analyze their website in terms of- content, tone of voice and visual language.

Originally geared towards industrial design, frog has expanded its capabilities and is now a global product strategy and design firm.

Many of its designs are of consumer electronics and computers.

Many of today’s design leaders started at frog, including Herbie Pfeifer, Paul Montgomery, Tylor Garland, Steven Skov Holt, Anaal Udaybabu, Jon Guerra, Gadi Amit, Ross Lovegrove, Tucker Viemeister and Yves Béhar. More recently, frog has worked for clients such as SAP, General Electric, Microsoft, Siemens, Intel, Lufthansa, Hewlett-Packard, and UNICEF.

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Above: The Frog Design manifesto.

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Left: Drop-down menus from the header of the website. The header options include: the Frog Design logo (that redirects to the home page), work, services, about, careers, get in touch, and Designmind (blog).

Right: Designmind, the Frog Design blog.

Given the body of work they have and the services that they provide, they do go in detail talking about each of them. Each category under ‘work’ gets a separate page of description, that further leads to the project case studies falling under those. Same goes for the services section.

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Design Mind: Frog Design has always been more than just a desig agency. They have been pioneers in design thinking and innovation. the blog shares some of their research stories, insights and their thoughts. The blog as of now (April 20, 2017) has 9 collections with a total of 99 stories from around 32 contributers.

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Left: The Frog Design headquarters, in San Fransisco, California, USA. The office space is quite lively, the circular furniture makes it look more friendly, also promotes interaction between the people there. The pops of bright colors break the monotony of gray around and is just in the right amount. Wide open spaces promote collaboration, the glass cabins provide a private space, but is not hiding.

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tone of voice and visual language The tone of voice is- confident and firm, but not rude. They know what they have done so far and what they are capable of, and they take pride in that.

The way they have showcased their services and work, depict how passionate they are about it. The project case studies have a story behind them, tells about their process and approach. Their ways and processes. talk about their creativity. They talk about both now and the future, they’re expressive and verbal.

The strong and bold serif typeface compliments the content, being confident and firm. Also, considering the amount of written content, the serif sans-serif type combination, with a major difference in the point size sets the hierarchy right. It also gives the readers a choice to quickly go through the topics, without getting distracted by their further description. This is good thing, considering the kind of target audience they have. There can be business officials and future clients looking at their website, they might not have enough time to go through each and everything.

The bold headings gives and idea of the content, and the structure and copy invites them to read further.

The use of imagery and content classification, breaks monotony and compliments the content. Since, the website is their main brand touchpoint, the content covers everything about them and communicates in a way that reflects their culture as well.

Font family Display: Quarto (A, B) Body text: BentonSans

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1

2

3

Left (1, 2, 3): Logo color variations.

primary colors r58 g231 b0 c62 m0 y100 k0 #4EE700

r51 g51 b51 c69 m63 y62 k58 #333333

r0 g0 b0 c75 m68 y67 k90 #000000

r35 g193 b246 c64 m2 y0 k0 #23C1F6

r0 g204 b203 c67 m0 y27 k0 #00CCCB

r249 g132 b0 c0 m59 y100 k0 #F98400

r175 g1 b91 c27 m100 y42 k7 #AF015B

r109 g32 b193 c72 m87 y0 k0 #6D20C1

r31 g161 b81 c82 m10 y94 k1 #1FA151

secondary colors

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frog_design They mean business, but they are also looking forward to build relationships.

Their Instagram handle, has over 26.5 followers. Through their handle they showcase their fun side, their everyday life, gives insights and views on certain issues, etc. across their different offices around the world. They know that people look up to them and despite being playful and fun, they maintain their image of a strong and confident agency. Also, it’s the people and team makes it what it is, and they showcase that real well. The handle is also used to update about what’s going on with them and what they’re up to.

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PHASE 2

Research and analysis

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80 80 83 84 87 88 90

2.1 Moving Motivators 2.1.1 Why the workshop 2.1.2 Pre-workshop setup 2.1.3 Workshop structure 2.1.4 Post-workshop 2.1.5 Transcribing and synthesizing information 2.1.6 Insights

92 92 93 94 95 96 98

2.2 Core Values 2.2.1 Why the workshop 2.2.2 Pre-workshop setup 2.2.3 Workshop structure 2.2.4 Post-workshop 2.2.5 Transcribing and synthesizing information 2.2.6 Insights

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2.1 Moving motivators 2.1.1 Why the workshop 2.1.2 Pre-workshop setup 2.1.3 Workshop structure 2.1.4 Post-workshop 2.1.5 Transcribing and synthesizing information 2.1.6 Insights

2.1 Moving motivators 2.1.1 Why the workshop

“Without motivation, nothing would be produced. Firms exist to coordinate and motivate people’s economic activity.”

John Roberts, “The Modern Firm”

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“Money makes the world go around,” so sang Liza Minnelli in Cabaret. Or does it? A plethora of research has now confirmed that for complex tasks, humans are simply not motivated by money. Or at least, if one does motivate them with money, they might not perform as well. When looking at the question of reward and motivation, researchers make the distinction between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. The principal extrinsic motivator in the modern world is of course money, but extrinsic can also mean more subtle forms of ‘if-then’ rewards, like, “If you achieve this, then you I will praise you.” This could be giving someone an ‘exceeds expectations’ score in their annual performance review.

Motivators comes in as a very powerful tool. This facilitation exercise is based on the model of the ten intrinsic desires, which motivates us the most. It uses a card set as metaphors to reflect on people’s motivation and how it is affected by organizational changes. It is based on the CHAMFROGS model of the ten intrinsic desires, which motivates us most. Jurgen Appelo, developed the game and derived the model from the works of Daniel Pink, Steven Reiss, and Edward Deci/Richard Ryan. The tool addresses how complex our motivators really are. With ten colorful cards, it gives us a language to consider what intrinsically motivates us as individuals. It also lets one visualize how some things are more important than others.

In another study in the field, Theresa Amabile looked at commissioned versus non-commissioned artists. She found that the non-commissioned, who sought their inspiration from within, were more creative, to quote: “People will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by the interest intrinsic in the challenge of the work itself—not external pressures.” So, if we agree that, most knowledge work is complex and the best reward strategy is to appeal to people’s intrinsic motivation. We need to work out the intrinsic motivations of the teams. This is where Jurgen Appelo’s Management 3.0 Practice of Moving

So far we’ve been talking about branding, and the company’s and teams aspirations about where they want to be. In order to reach that, there are going to be changes and reforms made internally as well, and for those to be successfully implemented, each and every individual/team member needs to be on board. Also, the S.W.O.T analysis pointed towards the need to understandthe current mindset of the team and how to improve their engagement. Hence, this exercise.

All images source: www.management30.com

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All images source: www.management30.com

2.1 Moving motivators

Above: The CHAMFROGS model of the ten intrinsic factors or desires that affect the motivation of a person at the workplace- Curiosity (thinking), Honor (loyalty, integrity), Acceptance (approval), Mastery (competence), Power (influence), Freedom (independence, autonomy), Relatedness (social contact, friends), Order (stability, certainty), Goal (idealism, purpose) and Status (social standing).

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2.1.2 Pre-workshop setup In order to play the Moving Motivators, firstly, the entire team of IDL was divided into smaller sub-teams. This was done keeping in mind the different roles that each member plays, keeping people with similar roles in one team. Eventually, there were three broad teams created, that of the team members (6 people), team leaders (8 people) and the managers (2 people).

For each of the member, a set of Moving Motivators card was prepared, along with a questionnaire that was with respect to particular teams. Next was to look for an adequate space to accommodate all team members to take part in this exercise where they would order the cards and later rank them. Each team member’s cards and actions should be visible to the rest of the team without any overlapping.

The further step was be to create an easy readable game overview, describing the two steps which are ordering and ranking. The organizer/facilitator of the meeting is supposed manage time: hence, each activity in the exercise was be time boxed and the exercise work-flow was planned in advance. It also required to set the space for both the parts of the exercise (explained in the next section).

And finally, sending out formal invited to the entire team about the exercise, and blocking their calendars for the agreed time slot. Since, each of them were involved in different projects, and also working with different teams (other than IDL), it was a little difficult to get them on board for a common time slot. This happened with the team leaders; eventually they were further divided into two smaller sub-teams.

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2.1 Moving motivators

2.1.3 Workshop structure The exercise has two parts or steps: 1.

“What Motivates Me”? — Time-box: 10min: The facilitator asks the participants to determine which motivators are most important to them individually. The participants should answer this by ordering the cards from the left (least important) to the right (most important: 5 min). When the participants finish their ordering everyone explains to the others his/her ordering of the motivators (5 min).

2.

“How Effects Change My Motivation?” — Time-box: 20min: The facilitator asks the participants to consider a change in their work life, such as an agile transformation, a relocation, a new project, or a new job. The participants were presented with different scenarios in terms of organizational changes that are relevant to their everyday scenarios and were asked to move a card up (for a positive change) and down (for a negative change). They were forbidden to shuffle the cards i.e., the horizontal order would remain the same and may only shift the cards vertically. They were provided with a scale (0-to-8) and were asked to rate their cards according to the change and place them along the scale. When the change had no effect on the motivator, the card should remain in the middle at 5 (15 min).

Image grid (right): The team had a great time at the workshop, they participated actively. They even posed with the cards that reflected their most important motivator.

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2.1 Moving motivators

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2.1.4 Post-workshop The scenarios provided to team members and leaders: • Project was done well and your work was appreciated.

• Team Success • Daily standup (every morning each individual updates the entire team about their what they’ve been working on and their plan for the day) • Administrative work • New client project • Working out of comfort zone • Working from client’s location • Salary hike but no promotion • Sandwich situation- between manager and members (specifically for team leaders)

given by the members were shared with leaders, that gave them an understanding of what their team wants, what motivates them, and what demotivates them. In the case of managers, they got to look at their team from a different perspective. It also helped them analyze certain practices (eg., daily stand up) - about how effective they are and what else can be done to improve those.

The scenarios provided to managers (executive body): • Sandwich situation- between management, client, employees • Working as the lead of another department- moving out of their comfort zone • Administrative/HR work • Position remains the same, responsibility increases • Pacify client and motivate the relocated employees • The team not performing despite being given enough time and space.

All the teams were participated actively and were open to feedbacks and suggestions. Each of the partcipant was given a chance to speak and voice their opinions and the teams even git into healthy discussions and arguments. Overall, the sessions were very interactive.

The order in which the the teams were set, first the members, then leaders and lastly the managers helped in setting drawing parallels between the teams over similar scenarios. The inputs

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2.1 Moving motivators

[CONFIDENTIAL]

2.1.5 Transcribing and synthesizing information

Above: Giving values to each of the participants’ priority of motivation’s order. Also, finding the team’s average (out of 10) given to each of the motivators.

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Once each of the teams were done, the next task was to categorise the information. Each of the team’s data was given numeric values and then put up on a spreadsheet to generate the average- the overall order of the team’s motivation.

Also, the data from each of the categories (member, leader and manager) was compared to see how they vary in terms of what matters more at a workplace to them, what motivates and demotivates them, and how the current scenario affect them.

[CONFIDENTIAL]

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Above: Each of the participants’ motivator put in the order- from least important to most important.

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2.1 Moving motivators

some of the insights: •

Daily standup- 78% of the team believes that their G, F and M are affected negatively.

•

83% of the team members sense a positive boost to their C, M and G when they are working on tasks outside their comfort zones. Whereas, 75% of the team leaders feel negatively about it in terms of O and F.

•

91% of the team gets demotivated (O, G, F, M and C) when assigned with administrative work.

•

83.3% of the team feels positive in terms of A, C and H when they receive appreciation. 83.3% also feels negative for the same in terms of F.

Managers Managers Team leaders Team leaders Team members Team members

priority of order of motivation The team’s overall order of motivation (left- least important to right- most important)

LEAST IMPORTANT

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MOST IMPORTANT

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2.1.6 Insights It was observed that most of the members put their goal, curiosity and freedom above other factors at the workplace. Since the design team is based in two locations, Chennai and Hyderabad, there is a great deal of coordination required. During the course of the session, there were quite a few interesting ideas that came up that would help the two teams works together in an even more efficient way. The session gave me an understanding of what matters to the team and the individuals, and the bandwidth of the factors that motivate and demotivate them. These would later help me design the office space for team and also propose ideas for an effective and efficient work-place environment.

The session took every member onto a personal journey of themselves, helping them identify what matters to them more and the most as an individual and what are the factors that can be neglected even if they get demotivated (negative vertical change) in a particular scenario. It also made them understand and realize their value, and the contribution they make to the team; bringing in a sense of ownership and accountability to their actions.

This helped in the reflection of organizational change on one’s motivators - when most of the important motivators go down or when the least important ones go up, one may have some work to do on their own motivation. We can now focus on asking the question- how we can improve the motivation and start thinking about the next steps, and about taking the right actions.

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2.2 Core values 2.2.1 Why the workshop 2.2.2 Pre-workshop setup 2.2.3 Workshop structure 2.2.4 Post-workshop 2.2.5 Transcribing and synthesizing information 2.2.6 Insights

2.2 Core values 2.2.1 Why the workshop

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Values are the standards that guide our conduct in a variety of settings. They guide the perspective of the organization as well as its actions. While circumstances may change, ideally, values do not. They express the integrity that individuals and organizations believe in and serve as a decision-making tool in daily interactions that guides behavior.

•

Community: Value statements also serve as a reference point for community members outside the organization. They enable them to understand the beliefs and principles of the organization. They provide basic information about how the organization operates and about its perspectives on ethical problems that they might face.

Every organization has a set of values, whether or not they are written down. Writing down a set of commonly-held values can help an organization define its culture and beliefs. When members of the organization subscribe to a common set of values, the organization appears united when it deals with various issues. Even if an organization has not explicitly spelled out the values it uses to guide its actions, it has values. They may be unstated, but they play an important role in determining how the it confronts problems and issues. Values may come from the common purpose for which the organization works, the organization’s leadership or from other sources.

•

Acting outside values: When an organization writes down its values, it lays out its expectations of behaviors for organization members. Individuals in the organization may be more likely to pursue behaviors that match their own value systems without a written guide of organizational values.

These behaviors may not be in line with the organization’s values, and they may not be ones the organization wants to promote. Written value statements serve as a helpful guide for organization members in all organizations, large organizations with several groups and sub-groups especially benefit from them.

The role of value statements: • Guide: Value statements list the principles and ethics to which an organization adheres. They form an ethical foundation for the organization. These principles and ethics then guide the behavior of organization members. They assist organizations in determining what is right and wrong.

Members then act in certain ways, using the values as a guide principles.

•

Mission and goals: Value statements’ ultimate purpose is to encourage behaviors from organization members that encourage the achievement of organizational goals and its mission. Leaders of an organization can encourage these behaviors from other members with a value framework that guides members’ behavior.

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Since IDL had scaled up so fast, in the process, it seemed to have lost its touch with the core vision and strategy that would streamline and guide every process and every work it does.

The workshop was conducted with the purpose to come up with a list of values that the team relates to- for themselves, the team and the company. The team had been made a part of the project right since the very beginning. Generally, when someone joins a well established organization, they are asked to abide with their mission, vision and values, without having any say. Here, the team at IDL was aware of the opportunity and the responsibility that they had; to build something that they truly believed in.

2.2.2 Pre-workshop setup

Hence, the workshop was held to provide the them with a platform to have an open discussion about their expectations and about their aspirations as Imaginea Design Labs - by defining the brand that they are aligning the perceptions and opinions of their clients, and their own.

A list of organizational core values (Source: Big Values, Management 3.0) was prepared and then made several copies of, for each of the team members.

Defining the brand would create an objective roadmap that would help further in setting the visual language and tone of voice for the brand. Also, since it’s difficult to simply write the vision and mission statements in one work session, the workshop was held to help come up with attributes that would help in defining the brand later.

For the session, the entire team of IDL was divided into 4 subteams. This was done keeping in mind the different roles that each member plays, but unlike the previous workshop, the teams in this one were a mixture of people (team members, leaders and managers). Each of the team would have to be involved in extensive discussion, so it was made sure that there was at least one person on the team who’d be able to facilitate and take the discussions forward.

Next step was to look for a space adequate enough to accommodate the entire team at one go and to have open discussions. Thankfully, Pramati has this room called ‘Idea Square’ that has a LED screen (so that the questions and the flow of the workshop is visible to all), and an entire length of wall that can be used as a white board for discussions.

The further step was to create an overview and work-flow presentation for the session, describing all the three parts (explained in the next session). The stationaries were arranged and the finally, a formal mail was sent out to the entire team who already knew about the exercise and had been eagerly waiting.

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2.2 Core values

2.2.3 Workshop structure Part 1 The teams were asked to pick out values (max 10) that they believed are important for each of the given cases. They could use the reference sheet given or add something of their own.

• Personal values- The values that are important to them as individuals.

• Team values- The values that are there in their current team.

• Wish values- The values they wish their team had.

Above: The team was asked to pick the values keeping in mind the these characteristics.

Right (image grid): The team participated actively in the workshop. Each of the team later put up their values on the wall for further discussions.

Part 2 The participants were provided with six categories and were asked to pick 7-10 words for each of them: • Culture- How would your customers and employees describe your company?

• Users- How would you describe your ideal customer?

• Voice- How do you sound to others? If your brand were a person, describe them.

• Emotional benefit- How others feel interacting with you?

• Value- What tangible impact do you have on others? What quantifiable outcome do you provide?

• X-factor- How are you different from others? What makes you special and unique?

Part 3 “If your company were a...”

The teams were asked to finish the sentence with respect to the following factors- song, movie, book, household product, fictional character, color, automobile brand.

For example: ‘If your company were a book, what book would it be?’ The questions were two fold- teams had to come up with the name of the ‘book’ that they think IDL is at present, and the ‘book’ they aspire to be.

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2.2 Core values

2.2.4 Post-workshop The workshop was a very interesting one. It not only gave me an understanding of the what they expect from their brand, but also to each other. It provided them with a platform to voice their opinions and concerns, and to discuss what they aspire for their company and their brand.

Post workshop involved collecting all the sheets and the data.

Images were clicked of the walls with the value post-its for documentation. Then, the data was fed into a spreadsheet for an easier analysis.

List of words from directly the workshop sheets: acceptance, adaptability, agility, ambition, assertiveness, boldness, capability, collaboration, competence, confidence, consistency, courage, creativity, curiosity, dedication, determination, diligence, dynamism, effectiveness, efficiency, empathy, endurance, excellence, expertise, fearlessness, flexibility, fun, gratitude, heroism, honor, imagination, innovation, integrity, knowledge, leadership, mastery, meticulousness, mindfulness, openmindedness, order, organization, outrageousness, perseverance, pragmatism, proactivity, prudence, rationality, reliability, resilience, rigor, self-reliance, skill, spontaneity, strength, teamwork, thoughtfulness, tolerance, trust, truth, unity and warmth.

Above: Management 3.0’s Big Values list used for the session.

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2.2.5 Transcribing and synthesizing information

core brand statement name provides product to customer customer in a culture environment with a voice voice, helping them feel benefit through a value approach.

The process of transcribing data was pretty straight forward. Apart from the words given directly on the sheets, words from the video recording/discussions were also added. This also added context to the given words that were written and helped in actually creating the next step of the process, which was articulating the words into the core brand statement. On the basis of the scenarios, the chosen words were put in the following categories that would later form the core brand statement.

The categories were: • Culture: How would you like your community to describe you?

• Users: How would you describe your users, your co-creators?

• Voice: How would you sound to others? Your tone of voice.

• Benefit: How others feel after interacting with you?

• Value: What tangible impact do you have on others?

• X-Factor: How are you different from others? What makes you special and stand out?

CULTURE

USERS

VOICE

BENEFIT

VALUE

X-FACTOR

Incubation Caring Driven No hierarchy Collaboration Freedom Friendly Proactive Team work Warm Creative Holistic Diverse Infectious Quirky Multi-cultural

Innovators Visionary Design-centric Open minded Aware Outsourcer Tech-savvy Business Marketing Powerful Successful Change-makers Progressive Driven Authentic Product giants

Confident Trustful Reliable Crazy and creative Youthful Passionate Impactful Assertive Warm Welcoming Wise Urgent Strong Witty

Satisfied Amazed Inspiring Design-awareness Confident Clarity Triumphant Nurtured Empowered Hopeful Happy Joy Informed Enlightened Transformed

Context Understanding Quality Novelty Empathy Collaborate Considerate Efficiency Knowledge Assurance Bigger network Progressive Holistic

Flexible Differenciated Innovative Process-centric Truthful Quirky Outrageous Maker-doer In-context immersion Experimental Concise Interactive Inclusive Open Live

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2.1.6 Insights The exercise involved a lot of talking and discussion, and on a very light note the team was able to come up with some amazing images and ideas that would be functional in answering the bigger questions later on.

Also, the words and terms that they came up with collectively, would be used to set the mood board, that would in turn be used to come up with the tone, language and personality of the brand.

collect info. analyze

analyze

explore

The final output of the session was the the core brand statement.

core brand statement imaginea design labs is a digital design lab which provides design services and strategies to innovators and product giants in a diverse and driven environment with

a strong and confident voice, helping them feel transformed and empowered through a collaborative and progressive approach.

X-factor: process-centric and inclusive

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PHASE 3

Define

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102 102 104 106 116

3.1 Design cues 3.1.1 Insights- phase 1-2 3.1.2 Brand personality 3.1.3 Mood board- visual 3.1.4 Color palette

118 118 118

3.2 Brand brief 1 3.2.1 Meeting 1 3.2.2 Draft 1

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3.1 Design cues 3.1.1 Insights- phase 1-2 3.1.2 Brand personality 3.1.3 Mood board- visual

3.1 Design cues 3.1.1 Insights- phase 1-2

“Answering questions is relatively easy. Asking the right question is more difficult.”

Michael Cronan Cronan

The first two phases laid down the foundation for the project.

Studying about branding and the secondary research helped in understanding the basic nitty-gritty of the process and approach.

It is interesting to note that all the preconceptions that I had initially were cleared out and by now I had a comprehensive road map ready for the stages to follow.

Brand identity requires business acumen and design thinking.

The first priority is to understand the organization: its mission, vision, target markets, corporate culture, competitive advantage, strengths and weaknesses, marketing strategies, and challenges for the future. The stakeholder interviews, brand analysis sessions and the workshops provided textual and visual cues for building the brand essence. There was now a set of key words and terms that will be used as guiding principles for setting out the brand identity ideals, the visual language and the tone of voice.

The brand identity ideals include: vision, meaning, authenticity, differentiation, durability, coherence, flexibility, commitment and values. Authenticity is not possible without an organization having clarity about its market, positioning, value proposition, and competitive difference. Insights from the brand analysis session gave a clear picture of where the IDL stands today and where it should be headed.

Meaning making is crucial for designing and defining a brand symbol. The best brands stand for something: a big idea, a

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strategic position, a defined set of values, and a voice that stands apart. Symbols are vessels for meaning. They become more powerful with frequent use and when people understand what they stand for. They are the fastest form of communication known to man. However, meaning is rarely immediate and evolves over time. As a company grows, its businesses may change significantly. Similarly, the meaning assigned to a brandmark will probably evolve from its original intention. It is critical that this meaning is explained so that it can be understood, communicated and approved.

All elements of the brand identity system should have a framework of meaning and logic. Agreement on brand essence and attributes builds critical synergy and precedes any presentation of visual solutions, naming conventions, or key messages. The brand symbol or logo is the most visible and frequent reminder of what the brand stands for. Hence, keeping the team involved, taking their constant feedback and updating them about the different stages will be and important exercise to follow all through the project duration.

Left: The list textual cues generated from the research and analysis phase.

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3.1.2 Brand personality Brand personality is a set of human characteristics that are attributed to a brand name; it is something to which the consumer can relate to. An effective brand increases its brand equity by having a consistent set of traits that a specific consumer segment enjoys. Often a brand’s personality mirrors that of the target customer base. Brands can have a variety of personality types and, left undefined, a mash-up of personalities based on the day (this can be very confusing to users and consumers).

We imagine the brand to be a human being, a person and then come up with all the attributes associated with that person. This includes everything- how the person walks, talks, their likes and dislikes, who are his friends, mentors, relatives, how does the person react to a given situation in a perticular scenario. Building a brand personality can be a very extensive exercise.

Right from the very beginning of the project, these factors were kept in mind. Hence, while the research was on, and brand analysis was being done, the key words for this ‘person’ kept on coming up. A few words were listed from the workshops conducted, and a few from the core members after analyzing all the collected date. Eventually, the key words for the brand personality evolved during the process since the project was building up additional information day by day, with things moving back and forth in every step (collect - explore - analyze).

Finally, what we had was a set of words (refer to the image on right). For the final strike off, the team sat together and ruled out the repetitions, similar words, personality traits that were a given and need not be mentioned specifically - the final personality traits emerged out of the list.

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Above: Ruling out options and finalizing the brand personality

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EMPATHETIC EFFICIENT

EXPERIMENTAL

DIVERSE

FUN

TECH-SAVVY INTUITIVE OUTRAGEOUS

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3.1.3 Moodboard- visual “Look is defined by color, scale, proportion, typography, and motion. Feel is experiential and emotional.”

Abbott Miller Partner, Pentagram

Visual cues and ideas are the backbone of any branding project.

They not only guide the project from the start but also act like a constant referral system for one to be sure that they are on the right track. A mood board describes how the brand identity should look like, how they want to be known to others. It sets the look and feel of the brand.

Look and feel is the visual language that makes a system proprietary and immediately recognizable. It also expresses a point of view. This support system of color, imagery, typography, and composition is what makes an entire program cohesive and differentiated.

All Image sources

The current mood board of the IDL, culture and place- through colors - is mostly pastel and corporate shades, that’s soothing and comfortable but, at the same time, it’s subdued and less engaging.

The present brand mood of IDL is highly influenced by Pramati’s brand language and color palette.

For the new mood board- the team was asked to pick images that they associate with the personality key-words. Since the team comprises of designers and creatives, this exercise was relatively easy to eaplain and carry out. Eventually a off the list of images provided by them, the ones that had the most appropriate associations were chosen, that in-turn formed the moodboard An important factor to be always kept in mind while creating a moodboard is that it’s a tentative one, and may change as the branding process develops, so it needs to be kept loose.

However, the changes are never drastic and they always evolves out of the initial boards.

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Right (image grid): The final moodboard

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3.1 Design cues

3.1.4 Color Palette The initial color palette was derived from the proposed mood board This further helped in setting the tone of the visual explorations to follow.

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Color is one of the most important factors in branding. Color is used to evoke emotion and express personality. It stimulates brand association and accelerates differentiation. The color theory and psychology talks about the various associations of color with mood. However, these associations are very contextual and depends on a lot of factors as well. Hence, there is no hard and fast rule to select a particular color, but how we use it, both aesthetically and functionally, is what makes the difference.

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In the sequence of visual perception, the brain reads color after it registers a shape and before it reads content. Choosing a color for a new identity requires a core understanding of color theory, a clear vision of how the brand needs to be perceived and differentiated, and an ability to master consistency and meaning over a broad range of media.

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The color palette (on the right) was taken as a base, guiding palette for visual explorations and in the stage to come, these colors evolved to create the final brand color palette. r238 g42 b123 c0 m95 y20 k0 #EE2A7B

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Right: Pixelating the final mood board to get the prominent colors for the palette

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3.2 Brand brief 1 3.2.1 Meeting 1 3.2.2 Draft 1

“A brand brief can be used as a tool to help the clients achieve clarity and organizational unity around the core brand principles.”

Craig Johnson President, Matchsitic

3.2 Brand brief 1 3.2.1 Meeting 1

3.2.2 Draft 1

Members: Subhasish, Chandru, Vinod (IDL Manager) and Tripti

The objective was to write a creative brief, which will be like a road map for the brand. The brief is a result of the collaborative process— a result of the best thinking and an ability to agree on brand attributes and positioning first, and the desired endpoint and criteria of the process second.

A brand brief is a foundational document that clearly states the attributes of the brand- who they are, why they exist. The first brand brief meeting was a strategic one, conducted to discuss the baseline information of the brand.

The agenda included: • Understanding the initial purpose of IDL • How this purpose has evolved over time • Defining the primary target audience • The ROI (return on investment) model of IDL • The current team- their attitude, nature of work and skills • The required skill-set • Hiring process The meeting answered a lot of questions. Though we were still not sure about the exact brand positing, it did give an idea of the brand purpose and it’s evolution. Robust discussions were facilitated by a simple, clear one-page diagram (see right). Getting the key decision makers to agree on those, helped beginning the creative process on a solid shared understanding of the brand.

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The components of a brand brief are: Vision, mission, big idea or brand essence. brand attributes, value proposition, guiding principles/key beliefs, target audience, key markets, key competitors, competitive advantage, stakeholders, and the driving force.

Analysis of brand brief 1: It’s the first draft, so it’s not a very specific one. The statements are a little generic, but are enough to lay the ground for the explorations to follow. It gives the basic understanding of the positioning. We know about the X-factor, uniqueness of the brand- having an understanding of both design and technology The big idea is still missing and the brand vision is a little vague as of now. The key services and value proposition has been taken from the IDL website. The audience segment- needs to get more focused, as of now it’s the general idea that was deduced from the meeting, and requires further discussions.

Left: Brand Brief Draft 1 for IDL

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PHASE 4

Ideate

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4.1 Initial explorations

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4.2 Design directions 4.2.1 Design concept- 1 4.2.2 Design concept- 2 4.2.3 Design concept- 3

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4.3 Dynamic logo 4.3.1 What is a dynamic logo?

4.3.2 Does it work for IDL?

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4.4 Concept sharing 4.4.1 Presentation- Hyderabad and Chennai 4.4.2 Workshop- Design ‘D’

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4.5 Brand brief 2 4.5.1 Meeting 2 4.5.2 Draft 2

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4.6 Design concept 3 4.6.1 Exploring possibilities 4.6.2 Post-it wall 4.6.4 Feedbacks

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4.7 The way ahead

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4.1 Initial explorations “We never know what the process will reveal.”

Hans-U. Allemann Allemann, Almquist + Jones

By now, the initial investigation and analysis were complete, and the first draft of brand brief has been agreed upon, and hence, the creative design process began. Design is an iterative process that seeks to integrate meaning with form. Reducing a complex idea to its visual essence requires skill, focus, patience, and unending discipline. And on top of that when the brand is still evolving and exploring its essence in parallel, it becomes a little more complex than it already is.

It is an enormous responsibility to design something that in all probability will be reproduced hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of times and has a lifetime of twenty years or more.

Creativity takes many roads. Based on the finding so far, I began with initial explorations; they were rough and spontaneous but not random. I let the ideas diverge and did not put any constraints on the language, integrations and combinations. Rapid sketching helped in letting the ideas flow in different directions.

In the following pages, the images of the initial sheets have been put up. The ideation behind the selected approaches will be explained in the design concept sections.

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Above: Initial explorations, sheet 1

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4.1 Initial explorations

Above: Initial explorations, sheet 2

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Above: Initial explorations, sheet 3

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4.1 Initial explorations

Above: Initial explorations, sheet 4 and 5

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Above: Initial explorations, sheet 4, 5 and 6

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4.1 Initial explorations

taking cues from the initial sheets

Above: Initial explorations, sheet 6

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Above: Initial explorations, sheet 7

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4.1 Initial explorations

Above: initial explorations, sheet 8

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Above: initial explorations, sheet 8 and 9

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4.2 Design concepts 4.2.1 Design concept- 1 4.2.2 Design concept- 2 4.2.3 Design concept- 3

4.2 Design concepts 4.2.1 Design concept- 1 The initial idea was to take cues from the existing logo, and come up with a form that reflects the new brand message. The existing logo has a test tube with bubbles coming out of it, and so far, in all the videos that IDL has come up with, there has been a use of either rockets or paper planes to depict flight or take off of ideas, and taking them to new heights.

Hence, warming up, I went ahead with the explorations (shown in the previous pages) with test tubes and rockets.

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Whenever there is unclarity about any design/concept, the best thing to do is, leave it then and there, do something else and come back to it later. It helps in seeing the design with a new perspective and under a better light. I did the same for this one.

After sleeping over it and then going back to the forms, they seemed pretty generic. Though they had a thought process behind, none of them seemed to stand out and communicate anything more than the initial rationale - the launch or flight of ideas and the experimental nature. But the current logo of IDL already conveys that message, so there’s no point changing from that to these.

Initially when I began with the explorations, I had this thought in mind that it’s a redesign and that there needs to an association with the existing one. However, after the concept 1 was shared with the client (Subhasish and Chandru) I was told that that’s not something that they want. Since the brand is just a year old, the target audience doesn’t have that strong an association with it.

Also, that they are looking forward to a complete revamp of the brand. This gave me the liberty to explore the other ideas further.

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4.2 Design concepts

4.2.2 Design concept- 2 The second concept was about exploring basic shapes. Using basic shapes to form the letter ‘I’, ‘D’ and ‘L’. Different styles and techniques were explored including overlapping and abstraction.

Though the idea was to write ‘IDL’, the forms were also explored to see till what extent of abstraction can they go through before the term loses its legibility. It was also considered whether the brandmark can be an abstract symbol, rather than the letterform itself. The brandmark was looked at holistically, always keeping in mind about the visual language and the brand image that it would create over the various touchpoints for IDL. Exploring different shapes were both fun and interesting. It was a little difficult to make them abstract, as personally, I didn’t want IDL to lose its legibility.

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concept 2a Writing ‘IDL’ with basic shapes. Also, exploring how the form changes with different combinations.

The feedback for this one was- it seemed to be very close to the NID logo, since the NID logo also has basic shapes and there are two common letters out of three- I and D. Also, the ‘L’ in this one reminds of the counter form of ‘N’.

‘I’ and ‘L’ coming together and making an ‘X’.

XD stands for experience design.

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concept 2b

In this concept, the letter ‘I’ was further abstracted, keeping just a circle (representing the tittle of small ‘i’.

The shapes, once overlapped, form a unique symbol together. Though we can no more read it as ‘IDL’, the symbol can be further explored to see its possibilities.

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concept 2c

In this concept, a horizontal bar was used to represent all the three letters, but keeping in mind to use it the least no. of times for each of them.

So, the letters ‘IL’ have one bar each, and the letter ‘D’ has three bars. The idea was to keep it minimal and intriguing. Even though we cannot read ‘IDL’ in the first go, the shapes sure do make an interesting form. Thinking holistically, these shapes can be used in various ways while forming the visual language of the brand.

Further adding a circle around it, provides with various possibilities of using the shapes - bar, circle and the counter space between ‘I’ and ‘D’ - for further brand explorations. The circle also makes iit look whole and contained.

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4.2 Design concepts

4.2.3 Design concept- 3 The idea behind these concepts was simple: getting the letters together in different ways while they maintain their shape and readability. So, when someone sees the logo, they read the brand name ‘IDL’. In the concepts to follow, the form and counter-form of the letters have been explored.

Since the brand is a new one, single level association with the name and the logo can be a good idea. Single level association means- when we see the logo, we read the name.

Single level association: Logo --> Brand name Double level association: Logo --> Symbol --> Brand name When we see a logo, that’s in the shape of a symbol, pictograph, etc, what we first see is a shape; that shape connotes to a person, object, feeling, etc and further that leads to the brand that it is associated with. Such kind of brand recall is achieved by a very strategic positioning of the brand in the minds of the target audience, otherwise, it takes years to reach that level, for example, the Nike tick and Amazon swoosh.

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concept 3a

For this concept, the font Kegger Regular was used. The big chunky serifs speak with authority and read the message loud and clear. The letters ‘IL’ were brought together and the negative space between them was used to form the letter ‘D’

concept 3b

Letter ‘i’: The tittle was replaced with the counter-form of d (resized counter). The same shape (curve) was used to smoothen the corners of the serif slab.

For this, the font Aller Regular was used.

The form of the font was manipulated a little to achieve the final shape.

Letter ‘d’: The bowl of d was converted into a complete ellipse, removing the remaining part of the stem at the bottom Letter ‘l’: The bowl of d was cropped to match the stem of l, removing the original stem and the bottom slab.

The idea was to uniform the shape and add uniqueness to the form. The letters ‘i’ and ‘d’ were to form ‘1’ and ‘0’, binary numbers (that is associated with coding and technology). The concept of binary numbers would be further explored to build the brand language.

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4.2 Design concepts

concept 3c

For this concept, the ‘D’ was written in Myriad Pro Regular and ‘IL’ were custom made. Taking insights from concept 2C and using the bars to create ‘IL’. While in 2C, the letters lose their legibility, in concept 3C, it was still maintained.

The similarity in shapes for ‘IL’, adds a little character to it. Also, the shapes enclosing the D form, create a possibility to create an interesting brand story there.

The ‘D’ form to be explored further.

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concept 3d Concept 3D deviated a little from the core concept, of using having ‘IDL’ as individual letters. However, the aim was still the same, the logo should read IDL. The form was custom made, using lines and circles. The idea was to use integrate the letters and make them as one. However, the challenge here was how to get the hierarchy right, so that it reads ‘IDL’ in the correct order. In this grayscale format, The tittle of i and the D-form have been will a darker tone of gray than the L-form. This can be further refined and made foolproof.

concept 3e

When I initially started with this one, the concept was again to integrate the letters, in this case, ‘d’ and ‘l’. But eventually, the idea translated to the one below.

Though the form is not refined here, the concept was to put the letter in the form of running text. This gives the opportunity to give liberty to people too draw their own version of the logo, initial image in mind- each team member with their very own ‘idl’. This was to instill a sense of belongingness as well as ownership within the team and everybody else that comes in touch with the brand.

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4.2 Design concepts

concept 3f

This was an output of a random exploration. Taking inspiration from the game of tetris, I tried to create an experimental display font, and then using the ‘id’ only to form the logo. So this would read as - ‘id LABS’.

I created two versions of the font, one outline and one fill. The idea was to represent the fun, and collaborative aspect of the brand. Like in a game of tetris, different shapes come to form a structure, similarly at IDL, people from various backgrounds, with different skill-sets come together and collaborate.

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4.3 Dynamic logo 4.3.1 What is a dynamic logo 4.3.2 Does it work for IDL?

4.3 Dynamic logo 4.3.1 What is a dynamic logo

A dynamic logo is a logo that changes appearance (shape, color, wording) based on the context it is meant to be used in. The process of generating every instance of the logo can be manual or controlled by an algorithm, random or following specific rules.

Sometimes just elements or parts of the logo are randomized to create a new instance of the brand. All the different variations of the logo together form a logo system.

Instead of having a singular static mark, a logo system acts as a ‘graphical framework’ that can shift and change for different situations, allowing brands to start a conversation beyond it’s own name, pointing to other ideas and issues that are important to them on any chosen day.

Above: Aol.com logo system

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4.3.2 Does it work for IDL?

Dynamic logos are expensive to produce, tricky to get right by people who are not professional designers and require a very large range of possible applications to justify the expense.

However for a technology company that operates mainly in an online environment where logo implementation does not involve massive printing costs, it seems like a viable option. Also, since it’s for the design lab that already has designers in-house, there would be no production cost involved.

For IDL, the scope of work is all digital, with very few print collaterals. Hence, a dynamic logo seems like a feasible option.

Also, practically it adds a lot of element and character to the brand. The logo can be used to start conversations, on any given topic, both internal and external. It will add versatility to the brand and it also goes with the proposed brand personality. It’s quirky, catchy and there can even be given a futuristic treatment to it.

Above: City of Melbourne logo system Left: Some examples of the Google doodle

Although, IDL is new as of now, and it doesn’t have any other levels as far as brand architecture is concerned. But branding is always done keeping the future aspects of the brand in mind as well. In that sense, IDL’s dynamic logo will work perfectly for any future brand extensions and expansions.

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4.4 Concept sharing 4.4.1 Presentation- Hyderabad and Chennai 4.4.2 Workshop- Design ‘D’

4.4 Concept sharing 4.4.1 Presentation- Hyderabad and Chennai

“Don’t expect the work to speak for itself.

Even the most ingenious solutions must be sold.”

Suzanne Young Communications Strategist

The concepts discussed so far were only shared with Subhasish and Chandru. Though we had a common agreement on going ahead with concept 3C and exploring it further, it was important to share the same with the design as well as the marketing team and also take their feedbacks.

Since the IDL team sits in two locations (Hyderabad and Chennai), I had to present the concepts twice.

On a fine Monday of December (Dec 19, ‘16), I gathered the Hyderabad team at the ‘Idea Square’ (the ideation room), and presented the concepts. The team was very receptive, and listened and discussed each and every idea in detail. They liked both 2C and 3C. For 3E, the feedback was- though they liked the concept of personalizing the logo, with the suggested form, one of them mentioned seeing an ‘idli’ in it. And once idli was mentioned, we could not ‘unsee’ it. Also, the weight and treatment didn’t not convey the corporate and professional aspect of the brand.

For 2C and 3C, the team had a divided opinion, and upon further discussions, 2C was ruled out. The form of ‘IL’ in 3C, looks like a bracket, that represents the start and end of something. So, ‘IL’ providing an end-to-end solution to ‘D’.

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By the end of the session, we had an agreement of going ahead with concept 3C. The visit to the Chennai office was made in January (Jan 09, ‘17).

By that time, the form of concept 3C had been further refined, and there was a sample set ready for the dynamic system.

The Chennai presentation was a very fruitful and informative one as the marketing team also joined in. Also, this was the first time I was meeting them, hence the presentation involved making them go through the entire process so far. Personally, the recap was helpful as it brought up some of the pointers that I had missed in the first place, and those helped me further in the project.

With respect to the concepts, the other ideas were just presented, with little descriptions but not discussed in detail (unlike the Hyderabad one). The team gave some important feedbacks on the form and shape of the ‘IL’ brackets. The refinements made to that will be seen in the further sections.

Right: Session pictures from the Chennai office presentation. The first draft of brand brief and ideation process behind it (sessions and workshops) were also discussed.

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4.4 Concept sharing

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4.4.2 Workshop- Design ‘D’ This workshop was conducted with both Hyderabad and Chennai teams, right after the presentation. The aim was to get them onboard with the concept of make your own design ‘D’ (later to be exploited when the dynamic system will come in place).

Although I could have had this session by simply asking them to draw the letter ‘D’ in different styles and formats. But then, what’s the fun in that?

The session was fun and a very light one. It was conducted to break the monotony of work and get something made hands-on.

The team was provided with various stationery materials and were asked to create a 3-dimensional version of the letterform ‘D’. All through the course of this project, I have tried to keep the entire team in the loop. Branding is not an individual exercise.

Eventually, it will be the team that will be taking the brand and it’s message forward. Hence, keeping them engaged and involved was important. As all through the course of this project, have tr ied to keep them in the loop, I could not miss out on this one.

Also, since I was meeting the Chennai team for the first time, it was more like an ice breaker, an effort to get to know each other.

The session concluded with some really interesting forms of ‘D’ and all smiley faces.

Left-most (image grid): The Design ‘D’ session with the team at Hyderabad.

Left (image grid): The Design ‘D’ session with the design and marketing team at Chennai

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4.5 Brand brief 2 4.5.1 Meeting 2 4.5.2 Draft 2

4.5 Brand brief 2 4.5.1 Meeting 2

This meeting was purely a strategic one. The company understood the importance of having both the designer and marketing team for the meeting, and that’s a very crucial thing.

The agenda for the meeting was- working on the brand brief and coming up with the second draft, the main focus was, getting the brand positioning in place. The meeting was an elaborate one, with detailed discussions over the brand offerings, the current skill-set of IDL, primary target audience and the way ahead.

Excerpts from the meeting:

[CONFIDENTIAL]

IDL being a B2B company needs to focus on the kind of customers it’s trying to cater to and narrow it down. Siddharth drew a typical user journey map and then we tried to understand, who this user is and what is it primarily looking for.

The second thing to focus on was how does IDL sees itself. As of now, it takes references and inspirations from IDEO, and Chandru talked about design evangelism and design-led services. But is IDL really ready for all that?

Subhasish: “We should try to position ourselves on the basis of our current strength and capabilities. If we try to draw ourselves as (per say, IDEO) we’ll fall flat on the face because, once the

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marketing facade goes down, we’ll have nothing to back that (in terms of the current products and services). IDEO also did not set out as the IDEO that we see today- we should look at the journey and its process of evolution.”

(Since I had already done the case study of IDEO, it was easier for me to understand the context and draw parallels, and even provide my inputs in this conversation.)

Positioning: Subsequent to information gathering and analysis, is the development and refinement of a positioning strategy.

Perceptual mapping is frequently a technique used to brainstorm a positioning strategy. On which dimension can a company compete? What can it own? The questions considered were• Should we position ourselves for the Indian market or for the world (US, bay area)?

• If for the world, what are the kind of clients we are looking at?- We can position ourselves as a foreign company that offers high end services at a lower cost (as compared to their local design agencies).

[CONFIDENTIAL]

Members: Subhasish, Siiddharth, Niranjan and Tripti

IDL as an American firm with Indian roots (as imaginea is registered in USA)? or IDL as an Indian company, catering to the American clients, who are outsourcing their design, working for the Indian market?

(Since we understand the context, we’re using the country of origin to our advantage.)

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[CONFIDENTIAL]

Above: Mapping out the current ROI model for IDL Left: User journey map for coming in touch with IDL (digital platform).

Bottom left: The push and pull strategy of creating a perception of the brand’s capabilities through external and internal communications.

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4.5 Brand brief 2

Upon further discussion, it was agreed that IDL will focus on what it is good at in the present time. The meeting refocused its direction towards identifying the strengths of IDL and the right target audience that it can cater to with those.

IDL has both design and technology. For the foreseeable future, we can see it excelling in UX (user experience) as that is its core strength. Hence, it can strive towards UX leadership.

[CONFIDENTIAL]

[CONFIDENTIAL]

Strategy: Through UX, UI, mobile applications, and other such searchable tags, IDL can pull people to its website and other touchpoints. Eventually when they land on there, they should see that IDL is all about interfaces, any sort of interface.

Target audience: Domain specific companies (legacy businesses), seeking digital transformations. For example: banks, insurance, aviation and healthcare.

They understand the value of design and technology (as they understand the need of digital transformation) but they don’t have anything in-house. IDL will design business interface for vertical focused companies that are not ‘born digital’.

Mission: Help businesses seeking digital transformations by creating digital interfaces Vision: India designing for the world.

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Above: The positioning of IDL in the market with respect to its current skill-set.

Right (image grid): Pictures from the brand brief 2 meeting.

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4.5 Brand brief 2

4.5.2 Draft 2 “The brevity of the brand brief helps decision makers stick to the fundamental precepts of the brand.”

Jon Bjornson Artist, graphic designer and visual thinker, Philadelphia

The second brand brief meeting gave clarity on brand positioning, and its mission and vision statements. The strengths and the key services of brand were also highlighted. The brand personality terms were rechecked, to see if they align with new brand statements and the brand essence.

Vision: India designing for the world Mission: Help businesses seeking digital transformations Core purpose: To integrate the needs of business and the possibilities of technology; building design practice in the country for the world.

Positioning: Business interface design for vertical focused companies and product giants seeking digital transformations.

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Brand Brief: 2nd Draft

Brand Brief

Core Purpose

Imaginea Design Labs

To integrate the needs of businesses and the possibilities of technology, building design practice

This is the foundational document of the

in the country for the world.

brand and should provide shared understanding and focus to all initiatives.

Vision:

INDIA DESIGNING FOR THE WORLD

Personality Attributes Fun Diverse Efficient Tech-savvy

Intuitive Outrageous Empathetic Experimental

From the interfaces of today to the interfaces of tomorrow.

Other Organizations

Key Services 1. Service design 2. S/W Product design 3. Connected experiences

1. Frog Design 2. Ideo 3. Think Design 4. Livework Studio 5. Fantasy 6. Brave UX 7. Sapient Nitro

INTERFACES and beyond.

Value Proposition Guiding Principles Design Thinking

In-context Immersion

Collaboration

Positioning

Business interface design for vertical focussed companies and product giants seeking digital transformations

Audience Segments Aware

Outsourcer

Legacy companies

Domain-deep Jan 10, ‘17 | Imaginea Design Labs | Rebranding

Left: Brand Brief Draft 2 for IDL

Using design-thinking to provide a systematic approach to innovation. We collaborate with product giants to create compelling user experiences for their customers across the digital domains.

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4.6 Design concept 3C 4.6.1 Exploring possibilities 4.6.2 Design ‘D’s 4.6.3 Post-it wall 4.6.4 Feedbacks

4.6 Design concept 3c 4.6.1 Exploring possibilities The second brand brief meeting gave clarity on the brand positioning, the target audience and the brand essence.

For concept 3C, initially, Chandru had his doubts. Quoting his words- “If we want to start a shoe company, we won’t call it ‘Niko’.

‘IDL’ sounds a little like ‘IDEO’.” Though his doubt was genuine, it was something that should have been thought through during the naming of the company itself. Here, we were not giving a new name to the brand, we were just using the brand name initials as an acronym (‘IDL’, phonetically sounds as- ‘ideal’).

Upon further detailed discussions and analysis, we finally came to this conclusion that we do want the logo to read as ‘IDL’, considering the ‘ideal’ associations with the term. When someone sees the logo, they read the brand name as well. This will help in easier brand name recall. Also, looking at the bigger picture, when the brand further expands, the design concept can have further extensions as well, eg., IDL services, IDL products.

The explorations to follow, now looked at the form of ‘IL’, the dynamic ‘D’s, the main design ‘D’ (the one to be registered and used on static mediums, like print). At parallel, the logo story was also taking its shape.

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Above: The ‘IL’ brackets, printed, pasted on a thermocol (2 inches thick) and then painted all black.

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Sample ‘D’ set (There can be n number of patterns and possibilities). The ‘D’ represents design and dynamism, exactly what a design lab should be like.

Instead of having a singular static mark, the system of ‘D’ acts as a ‘graphical framework’ that can shift and change for different situations, allowing the brand to start a conversation beyond it’s own name, pointing to other ideas and issues that are important to them on any chosen day.

Even through we are experimenting and changing, we have a clear and firm understanding of the design process and our guiding principles that are- design thinking, in-context immersion and collaboration.

Tetris : fun, playfulness, collaboration

The ‘IL’ brackets also represent the start and the end of something, representing our promise of providing an end-to-end solution to anything that we do.

The logo when shown in the dynamic form will also represent the very essence of a design lab- buzzing with ideas, rapid prototyping and motion.

Above: De-constructing the idea behind the proposed concept

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story board

Video duration (approximate): 20-25 sec A small motion graphic video was proposed to launch the new logo and to share the rationale behind it. The storyboard was also used as a part of the design problem given to candidates applying for the role of animators and motion graphic designers at IDL.

1. We’re fun and playful!

2. We’re sharp and smart.

6. We provide an end-to-end solution.

7. We believe in collaboration.

8. We understand, adapt and evolve.

12. We connect the dots

13. We understand design

Frames (8, 9, 10, 11): Random patterns, and continuous transformations (the idea is to go a little crazy here).

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3. We believe in black and white.

4. ...and gray.

5. We’re composed

9. We understand, adapt and evolve.

10. We’re dynamic and outrageous

11. We’re dynamic and outrageous

Dynamic D GIF: The ‘D’ changes to different forms before it freezes into the final logo.

14. We understand technology

15. We are Imaginea Design Labs

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refining the ‘il’ form The feedback for the ‘IL’ form was that it was a little too heavy, giving an idea of being rigid and bossy. The first level of refinement was reducing the thickness of the stem and the slab. The thickness was uniformally reduced, maintaining the original proportions. After that the concept was shown to various audiences, and they were asked to read what they see. Most of

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the people read it as ‘TDL’, since the form of ‘I’ was very close to that of the letter ‘T’.

Hence, the ‘IL’ brackets were further refined; the slab was made shorter and thinner in with so that it form a small serif rather than an entire bar of equal weight as that of the stem.

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4.6 Design concept 3C

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A sample set for ‘D’ was prepared, using various techniques such as- low-poly, blending, masking. The set was prepared to convey the idea of the concept of a dynamic logo system.

However, the master logo (for static mediums) was yet to be decided.

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4.6.3 Post-it wall We were getting closer to the final design concept now, and as the fifth floor (that’s where the design team sits) was all buzzing and filled with various concept sheets, the rest of the teams at the Pramati office were getting intrigued. I was asked to prepare a plan for the logo launch at the Pramati office- the idea was to build on the anticipation, before the actual logo gets unveiled.

Left: The final post-it wall, reading ‘IDL’

First and foremost, we had to decide and finalize the space. We chose the big green wall (Dimensions: 17X7 ft) on the fifth floor corridor. This was the most frequently visited space on the floor as it was on the way to the pantry, and had couches on both sides of it. So people generally sat there in their leisure time. It was also visible from the lift. Since the cafeteria is on the 6th floor, everybody uses the lift. Also, on every floor, the wall has something put up (other Pramati ventures’ logos, journey maps), except for this one, and the people are used to looking up and checking out that space.

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The proposed plan (3 weeks long): • To cover the wall with post-its with the new logo concept (while we refined the final form). This would grab attention, generate curiosity, and would be used for people to write their feedbacks.

• While this would be up, there would be ‘wait-for-it’ and ‘something’s cooking at the lab’ posters put up at various strategic locations across the building (e.g., inside lifts, outside the pantry and the entrance to the floor offices).

• And finally, in the third week, the last Sunday the new logo would get permanently installed on the wall. So that when people come to work on Monday, it’s already there.

This was all contingent on the final concept getting approved in due time, and the team coming together to execute the plan.

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We (Debashish, my IDL colleague and I) did go through executing the first part of the plan. We made an ‘IDL’ post-it wall using around 1700 (3X3 inches) post-its. The feedbacks and responses were overwhelming and the idea was highly appreciated.

However, we could not execute the rest of the plan as the final concept, considering the various levels of management approvals, was yet not finalized.

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4.6 Design concept 3C

4.6.4 Feedbacks Even after the refinements, a lot of people still read it as ‘TDL’ and not ‘IDL’. Though we cannot get everybody right and there’s always going to be someone who reads it wrong, we do need to strive towards reducing that gap.

Also, upon further internal meetings, it was decided that the company does want to retain its tagline- ‘we connect dots’.

Hence, the design concept should strive to be on the same line. I was asked to go back to pen and paper and start afresh, keeping everything that we’ve done so far in mind.

It was also suggested to do a few explorations with just the letter ‘D’ and not complete ‘IDL’, giving more emphasis on design.

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4.7 The way ahead I was a little confused with the feedbacks given. Since it was the first time I was working on a branding project, I wasn’t sure whether I was actually going on the right track. The problem with branding - for graphic designers - is that anything works. Any mark, shape, splodge or typographical concoction will do, just so long as it is deployed with ruthless efficiency and total conviction.

Then how do we decide what works and what doesn’t. How can we be so sure about a particular design concept/direction to be the one? As a designer we can do everything that is required, we can apply everything that we have learnt so far, follow the design process - do the required research, see what all is out there, analyze the competitors and the existing products, analyze the target audience, understand the context and see how the audiences will react to the products. But how do we choose and decide what visual identity will work?

So, a visual identity may not solve all the problems or issues, but it will for sure be a very important and crucial factor for that, as all other things depend on that. Hence, the next few stages were going to be the most crucial ones. The next probing thought on my mind was, how do I make the client understand this?

Visual identity is a major part of the branding process as it makes the face of the company, other collaterals are derived from this, and it is supposed to reflect the essence of the company; it conveys its values and abilities. So how do we make sure that the proposed concept does all that?

Quoting what he said, “I do understand that the logo is just one piece of the puzzle but, it’s an important piece. Everything else about the brand may change frequently, but a logo usually doesn’t. Even if it does, it requires a huge amount of effort (not just from the design angle, but even from the business perspective). So, I don’t want to rush through it. We had already taken a decision to do the logo once, but it’s not that successful. Hence, with the new design we expect to have something that is compelling enough and justifies the redesign.

Personally I believe, we are very close.”

I had a discussion with my guide, Tridha over this and it was then I understood; visual identity can only do that much- give an idea or sense of the brand and initiate a conversation, maybe. How we translate the brand language among the various touchpoints, and eventually the product that we are offering is what matters more. A strong, adaptable, vibrant and powerful design language, beautifully and well designed products, constant and efficient after sale services and client relationship management, effective participation and presence of the brand, and the brand message being consistent at all relevant platforms and touchpoints- all this together makes a brand successful.

I got reminded of something that Tarun (senior faculty, Graphic Design, NID) had said during our Portfolio course in semester 4 that, “the clients don’t understand design the way we do and it is our job to understand them first and communicate to them in that particular context.”

I then met Subhasish in a meeting to understand what exactly are they looking for and why so much emphasis on the logo rather than the entire brand language.

This indeed was very helpful, as it not only made me understand why it is alright to go back to pen and paper, but also, justified the effort and time being put in. At least now I knew that my efforts were not going in vain and that I was on the right track, the process may seem a little longer and it make several twists and turns, but the design will eventually evolve.

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PHASE 5

Design

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170 170 182 185

5.1 Developing the identity 5.1.1 Design ‘D’: concept 4 5.1.2 Typeface 5.1.3 Refinement

188 188 190 198

5.2 Collaterals- explorations 5.2.1 Visual elements 5.2.2 Stationery 5.2.3 Office space

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5.1 Developing the identity 5.1.1 Form 5.1.2 Typeface 5.1.3 Color 5.1.4 Refined

5.1 Developing the identity 5.1.1 Design ‘D’: concept 4 After the discussions and meetings (both Chennai and Hyderabad), following are the conclusions that were made: • •

The brand IDL might retain their tagline ‘we connect dots’.

The ‘D’ in the IDL logo should therefore reflect that.

The ‘I’ form needs to be worked on, removing all the ambiguities of people reading the ‘I’ as ‘T’

Hence, at this stage, the explorations were quite narrowed down and focused- working exclusively on the form of ‘D’. It did involve going back to pen and paper, but mostly there were digital explorations. By now, there was a little clarity of the kind of form the client was looking for. Some of the concepts were explored keeping in mind, just the design ‘D’, going ahead with that as the main logo, independent of ‘IL’.

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fixing ‘il’ The legibility issue of ‘IL’ was fixed by making a simple change, by simply going with small caps letters. Though it did change the initial rationale of having ‘brackets’ around ‘D’, it made the further explorations simpler. Also, we’ll see in the further pages, how making this change, helped in the evolution of design ‘D’ and the final brandmark.

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rough sketches A few rough sketches were made initially, keeping the tagline - ‘we connect dots’ - in mind. However, these were a little limited, as the rest of explorations were directly done digitally.

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concept 4a

In this concept, the basic idea was to have dots in different shapes as a grid, and the letter D can be seen due to the similarity of dots and their proximity. The grid that was a rectangle initially, was made open with uneven levels of the dots column at the top, to add dynamism and movement to it.

Also, considering the digital aspect of IDL, this can be converted into a dynamic logo using processing.

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concept 4b

Dynamic sheet that changes its form with the action of mouse hover.

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This concept was an experimental one. Taking the idea of the grid from 4A and then retaining it. The grid stencils out letter ‘D’ from it and is again a dynamic one. Using processing, we can make it come live, with giving commands like- change on mouse hover (change of shape and color). Again, keeping the digital aspect of the brand and the brand personality terms (tech savvy, experimental and fun) in mind.

The dynamic sheet can be made to look as a 3-dimentional one, than can fold, crumble, expand, contract; adding an element of surprise as well.

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concept 4c

‘i’ in the negative space of ‘D’, making it as ‘iD’.

The most direct visual translation of term ‘we connect dots’. This concept was explored using the proposed brand colors as well, to see how the dots interact with each other and what are the various patterns that we can come up with.

The grid was varied as well, exploring a denser one with smaller dots added more volume to the letter and increased the possibilities of different patterns.

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Checking how the symbol goes with the name of the brand (a sample type was used for this one).

Going with the complete grid here, with coloring the circles to make a ‘D’ out of it.

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concept 4d This concept was thought through before-hand. So far, in the explorations, the dots were connecting with each other with the Gestault’s theory of proximity and similarity. For 4D, I brought the dots (circles or bubbles in this case) together quite literally, with the shapes overlapping with each other and the bubbles taking the color of the ones they overlap with.

The choice of colors and was made keeping in mind the proposed color palette and the brand personality, taking a set of colors that when interacts and overlaps, it produces even more vibrant and diverse colors. The brand personality being- fun, experimental, outrageous and intuitive. The bubbles overlapping and taking the colors of each other also represent the empathic, collaborative and understanding nature of the brand.

The process:

1. A ‘D’ form was taken that was bold and had enough of positive space.

4. The transparency of the bubbles was flattened and the ‘D’ from was brought over them. The top bubbles were manually colored black and united with ‘D’.

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2. Bubbles were drawn randomly keeping the ‘D’ at base to retain form.

3. The bubbles were colored and then the effect ‘multiply’ was applied.

5. The form was then masked with the new ‘D’ to get the final design ‘D’.

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Placing the ‘D’ with ‘il’

Initially, the height of the ‘D’ form was matched with that of ‘il’.

But it was increased a little, allowing some of the bubbles to rise above ‘il’. The top of the ‘D’ was kept as complete circles in order to make the it look like an open vessel or a container, enclosing the bubbles, where they are brewing, growing and interacting.

finalizing the concept Upon discussion, the concept 4D was finalized to go ahead with. The idea of bubbles and container was a little close to the concept of test tubes and laboratory, and yet the new form looks more modern and playful and has various levels of deductions and interpretations. Also, we can make this logo come live with the bubbles popping out of ‘D’ just like in a laboratory.

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refining the ‘il’ form Now that we had finalized the concept, the nest step was to fine tune it. In then new form, the ‘i’ and ‘l’ didn’t seem to quite go with the ‘D’.

As ‘D’ is already visually heavy, having a solid ‘il’, was giving the overall form a very bulky and heavy look. Hence, we again discussed and worked on the visual treatment for ‘il’, while the form still remained the same. Eventually, it was decided to go ahead with outlines, rather than fill color to unload a little and make it look visually lighter.

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the new ‘idl’

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5.1.2 Typefaces “Type is magical.

It not only communicates a word’s information, but it conveys a subliminal message.”

Erik Spiekermann Stop Stealing Sheep

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The typeface that would go with the form had to be sans serif and modern looking. Also, since the form already had a personality, I was looking for a typeface that did not have any special characteristics, so that it compliments the logo form (rather than making the entire brand mark confusing).

We do not want to send out too many messages from the logo itself. It should be clear, crisp and self-explanatory.

There were several typefaces considered for exploration, but the list finally narrowed down to the following: 1.

Ubuntu: OpenType-based font family, designed to be a modern, humanist-style typeface by London-based type foundry Dalton Maag. The typeface is clean and is hinted a little for digital use.

2.

Dosis: Designed by Edgar Tolentino, refined and extended

by Pablo Impallari, spaced and kerned by Igino Marini iKern.

Dosis is a very simple, rounded, sans-serif family. The lighter weights are minimalist. Bolder weights- more personality.

3.

Lato: Lato (meaning ‘summer’) is a sans-serif type­face fam­ily designed in the sum­mer 2010 by Warsaw-​​based designer Łukasz Dziedzic. The semi-​​rounded details of the let­ters give Lato a feel­ing of warmth, while the strong struc­ture pro­vides sta­bil­ity and seri­ous­ness.

4.

Myriad Pro: It is the OpenType version of the original Myriad font family. It first shipped in 2000, as Adobe moved towards the OpenType standard. It is clean simple and easy to read.

Ubunto Bold Ubuntu Regular

Open Sans Bold Open Sans Regular

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Dosis Bold Dosis Regular

Lato Semibold Lato Regular

Myriad pro Bold Myriad pro Regular

Futura Std Bold Futura Std Regular

Agency FB Bold Agency FB Regular

Calibri Bold Calibri Regular

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5.

6.

7.

8.

Open Sans: Open Sans is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Steve Matteson, Type Director of Ascender Corp. It was designed with an upright stress, open forms and a neutral, yet friendly appearance. It was optimized for print, web, interfaces, and has excellent legibility characteristics in its letterforms.

Futura Std: Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed in 1927 by Paul Renner, a typeface designer born in Wernigerode, Germany. The typeface is characterized by simple geometric shapes, such as circles, squares and triangles, and low-contrast, even strokes. Minimalist in nature, the font is devoid of decorative elements and embellishments, and features proportions similar to classical Roman capitals in the upper-case characters and is firm, clean in its form.

Agency FB: Font Bureau Agency is a geometric sans-serif typeface family intended for titles and headings, released between 1990 and 1995. It was designed by David Berlow of Font Bureau. It is an expansion of a capitals-only titling face created in the 1930s by Morris Fuller Benton, adding lowercase characters and a wider range of widths andweights.

Calibri: Calibri is a humanist sans-serif typeface family designed by Lucas de Groot in 2004. The font features subtly rounded stems and corners that are visible at larger sizes. Its italic includes calligraphic influences, which are common in modern typefaces.

finalizing the typeface The factors used to examine the typefaces are: • Convey feeling and reflect positioning • Cover the range of application needs • Work in a range of sizes • Work in black and white and color • Differ from the competition’s • Compatibility with signature • Legibility • Have personality that compliments the IDL form • Sustainability The typefaces Ubuntu, Dosis and Agency FB were the first ones to be ruled out, given the string personality that each of them have. The next to go was Calibri. It is the default typeface of Microsoft, hence a very common one for everybody who uses Windows. We don’t want to add an extra personality, but we also don’t want it too look generic.

Futura remained a strong contender till the end, but given the strong features it has in the uppercase letters, it was eventually taken out of the list. The final options were- Myriad Pro, Open Sans and Lato. Open Sans and Lato, as of today are one of the most widely used web fonts.

Myriad Pro is a licensed font and comes under the Adobe typekit.

The old logo uses Myriad Pro and there is already a little sense of association with that. Also, Myriad Pro seems to border on being a humanist type specimen with its transitions from thick to thin strokes and overall vertical elongation. It’s not too geometric and expressionless- exactly what we’ve been looking for. The Myriad Pro font family is a very large one, with around 40 fonts, offering enough options of weights and width.

Hence, Myriad Pro was chosen as the brand typeface.

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5.1.4 Refinement When I sat with Tridha during my guide visit, to take feedbacks on the final logo, she pointed out that the old logo had bubbles coming out of it, depicting the on-going process of ideation and experimentation. In the new concept we are showing the ‘D’ form as the container which is bubbling out. However at present the bubbles are still intact in the form and not set free, adding a little rigidity to it.

Even though we need not have any associations with the previous design, drawing parallels with it, considering both have bubbles, we can bring in some more similarities. Also, when we say that the form isn’t holding the bubbles together but merely acting as a container to those, some of the bubbles should be set free.

Hence, the ‘D’ form was further refined (shown in the next page).

Above (and going right): The old IDL logo and the proposed design ‘D’ for the new one.

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the process Following the same steps as done in the previous one, just rearranging a few bubbles in the top, changing the color, and refining the ‘D’ mask.

1. Recolor and Rearrange

4. Unite the bubbles and ‘D’

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2. Multiply effect

5. Crop effect

3. Flatten transparency

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Rearranged bubbles to show one of it flying out. Also, changing the color of the top most bubble from yellow to the shade of blue, , as in the previous one, the yellow was getting lost when placed on a white background.

Above: The final IDL logo

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5.2 Collaterals- explorations 5.2.1 Visual elements 5.2.2 Stationery 5.2.3 Office space

5.2 Collateralsexplorations 5.2.1 Visual elements The visual elements were derived from the logo to be used to create the collaterals. The best collateral communicates the right information at the right time with a customer. Unified collateral systems increase brand recognition. It makes it easy for customers to understand information and make buying decisions. Effective systems allow for flexibility.

The elements from the final logo-

Over-lapping bubbles/circles

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Free bubbles/circles

Stroke and outlined text

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Color combination of over-lapping bubbles to be used for making the collaterals.

Writing the name to set the hierarchy of reading as (Imagine-Design or Imagine-aDesign). Also using the outline stroke style.

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5.2 Collaterals- explorations

5.2.2 Stationary

business cards Required Information: • Company name • Company website • Employee name • Employee designation • Employee’s company email address • Employee’s company phone number • Company address

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business card 1

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5.2 Collaterals- explorations

business card 2

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5.2 Collaterals- explorations

business card 3

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business card 4

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5.2 Collaterals- explorations

letterhead Required Information: • Company’s name • Company’s main office address • Contact telephone numbers • Logo • Website URL • Email address

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envelope Required Information: • Company’s name • Company’s main office address • Company’s registered locations • Contact telephone numbers • Logo • Website URL • Email address Face and closures: For closure, a pealand-seal one (remove plastic strip, fold over and press to close) will be used. The envelope will be a plain faced one, with no windows. Envelope’s flap style will be pocket i.e., it’ll open on the short edge.

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5.2 Collaterals- explorations

5.2.3 Office space The Mid-Town building where the office is, is not a Pramati property. Pramati has rented that space. Hence, there were several constraints, when it came to exploring the design ideas for the office space. Since the building is not theirs, there can be no permanent changes made to the structure. Any design suggested had to be temporary and easily movable. Also, the space was already too cluttered, with cubicles and desks all around, so there was very little open space to experiment with. The IDL team sits on the 5th floor of the building and shares that space with the Wavemaker (another Pramati venture) engineering team.

The initial approach was to look at the entire building, the entrance and other spaces, and then come up with strategic design suggestions for the same. Also, since Pramati itself is heading towards being design-led, this would be a good exercise and a small step towards that, starting a conversation and also helping the design team mingle with others.

Above: The IDL logo to be installed outside Subhasish’s office

But that could not be taken up. Subhasish mentioned the constraint that we had to stick to the 5th floor only (just to the space that belongs to IDL), However, our approach should be such that we make our space so good and creative that the other teams themselves come up to us asking for similar treatment to be done with theirs.

The images on the right are the initial ideas suggested for the same. These suggestions were made while the design concept 3C was being discussed and explored as the final logo (hence we see that in the drawings here).

Since there are several levels of approvals involved in making such changes, the ideas could not come to life over the period of the project, and is still under process.

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Above: The IDL value terms to be put up on the glass panels in the corridor. Value terms to be printed on vinyl, with double side print, so that it is visible and readable from outside as well. Also, a motion-sensitive LED strip to be installed in the same corridor, that follows the movement of people passing by, connecting the dots.

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Above: ‘ImagineaDesign’ 3D Text blocks to be installed in the corridor on the fifth floor (where the IDL team sits).

Above (and going right): Utilizing the glass panels on the 3 sides of the two pillars in the main office area. Printing and pasting grids and dots, for brain storming and explorations. Creating a Kudos wall, where post-its will be put up for - appreciation, messages, feedbacks and suggestions. A To-do list section as well, providing the basic frame for creating a checklist that can be customized.

Above (and going right): Brown paper (newsprint) roll to be installed in the ideation room as well as the main office area- for brainstorming and dumping ideas (form inspired from toilet-paper rolls installed in washrooms).

Above (and going right): Utilizing the blank wall in the office area with an ‘IDL’ message. The above picture is just sample for suggestion, the final message was to be decided later.

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PHASE 6

Conceptualizationwebsite

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204 206

6.1 Current website analysis 6.1.1 Site map, content structure and nature 6.1.2 Content- tone of voice 6.1.3 Visual language

208 208 209

6.2 Micro brief 6.2.1 The process 6.2.2 Website contents

202 202

210 210 214

6.3 Secondary research 6.3.1 Information architecture 6.3.3 Design references

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6.1 Current website analysis 6.1.1 Site map and navigation 6.1.2 Content- tone of voice 6.1.3 Visual language

6.1 Current website analysis 6.1.1 Site map, content structure and nature Initial observations: • Landing page- Information seems disconnected. The ‘we connect dots’ message does not come out well.

• The content has been divided well, so that’s a good thing.

But there’s ambiguity in the naming of content, similar content has two different names. For example: projects and portfolio, both leads to the same page, and the two words are used even when the context of usage is same.

• Multiple entries to the website have not been considered.

• Projects- not well curated (curate-showcase-talk!). The project descriptions lack story and flow. In case of a redesign, the old design has not been shown.

• Newsletter- seems like an unnecessary addition as it eventually redirects to the blog page.

• Research- does not contain any ‘research’ material, it’s more of an information collection only.

Topmost: The header options and navigation button.

Above: The navigation options

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Above: Site map of www.design.imaginea.com (as on Dec 12, 2017)

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6.1 Current website analysis

6.1.2 Content- tone of voice After analyzing the content and writing style on the website, the following points came up: •

•

•

•

• • • •

Above: Snippets from the homepage of the website

• •

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The voice is very precise and professional; very matter-offact, not looking for a conversation. One word for it- curt.

They mean business and strictly that, nothing else.

More ‘now’, very in the moment. However they do seem like they want to talk about the future as well. But that message doesn’t quite come through.

There is a culture of collaboration. They believe in and respect different people, from varied backgrounds, who are multi-skilled, coming and working together.

There is no consistency in language, it’s more like ‘fill in the blanks’. It seems like the content has been written by different people.

There are no stories. The processes and projects might have individual stories, but there’s no flow or connection.

The content doesn’t seem to stem out of design, and there is no one voice.

The content isn’t driving things. It’s more like- ‘we can do this, we can do that. If you like it then we can work.’

The voice is not arrogant for sure, but a little stern and slightly less inviting. It might drive away people who don’t know exactly what they are looking for.

They have offices in three different locations, but they don’t talk about it, about the workspace, office and team culture.

The voice is non-expressive, non-verbal and cold. We can show collaboration with a little warmth, while maintaining the business-like aspect. It can be made slightly conversational.

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Left (and moving clockwise): Snippetss from different pages of the website.

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6.1 Current website analysis

6.1.3 Visual language After analyzing the visual tone and language of the website, the following points came up: •

•

•

•

• • • •

• Above: Projects landing page

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•

The logo and brand name is not prominent visually on the landing page and gets hidden when there is content underneath; it alsoz gets lost in the subsequent pages.

There is no visual hierarchy, everything seems to be at the same level, and that being a level 2 or 3; there’s no one at level 1 (no one comes out as a clear winner).

It is very bland when it comes to the colors used, seeking simplicity is one thing but colors here don’t compliment the company being a ‘design lab’.

Since color/imagery is the first thing that human eye perceives, nothing on the page (especially the landing page) has that sort of sensory impact. It’s all too horizontal.

Colors are not being utilized here, neither aesthetically nor functionally.

The three projects on the landing page seem interesting but, due to the given visual treatment, not inviting.

‘Happening now’- the information is not represented in a uniform manner, and it gets confusing.

The footer doesn’t serve its purpose.

Projects- stock images should be used wisely, and must be avoided as much as possible. The master images of the projects don’t follow any uniform visual language.

The hamburger and the IDL logo does not stick to the top when scrolled down the page.

There is enough white space and less cognitive load, and that’s a good thing.

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Above (entire image grid): Website’s landing page and ‘contact us’

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6.2 Micro brief 6.2.1 Process 6.2.2 Website contents

6.2 Micro brief 6.2.1 The process

“Interactive experiences require nonlinear thinking, inviting interfaces, and creative intelligence.”

Stella Gassaway, Visionary and Creative Principal, Stellarvisions

Starting ideation for the website was challenging and exciting at the same time. Redesigning the website was like a mini project of its own. Hence, it was appropriate to define a micro brief for the website, specifically. The new design had to be a manifestation of the values defining the identity structure and reflect the proposed brand language. It had to be concise, conveying the most important information in the most interesting way possible.

The IDL website is the face of the company, the main touchpoint for all its businesses. Hence, it was essential to design it in a way that not only engages, but also becomes a seamless part of the overall brand experience.

The target audience varies from high ranking officials (CMOs, CTOs) to designers looking for career opportunities at IDL. For the former, the information should be crisp and precise, as they are expected to spend the least possible amount of time in the first go, once the interest is generated, they can look further (it’s discussed more in detail in the site map section). For the latter, the website should reflect the work culture and the capabilities of the organization, in a little detail maybe. Also, when submissions are made in various competitions that act as pitches, those submissions shall guide the officials or judges to it. Hence the website should be simple and easy to use and navigate.

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the process: [1] Phase 1 (Research) 1.1 Purpose • To create a platform for collaboration and business • To showcase the portfolio • Talk about the services offered and the processes followed • Promotion of IDL, make aware of the brand • Promotion of information 1.2 Goals • Collaboration • Business • Attract the right talent 1.3 Audience Took a generalized idea of the kind of audiences the IDL website has right now and the ones they are aiming for.

• Primary: Vertical focused firms looking for digital transformations, small and medium firms looking for design and technology services, collaborators • Secondary: Future employees, current employees and the other Pramati companies.

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6.2.2 Website contents 1.4 Content • Portfolio • About IDL • Services • People • Research and blog • Contact

The website contents:

[2] Phase 2 (Planning) • Develop a site map to determine the information hierarchy and the navigation flow • Content structure and labeling • Wireframe

4.

[3] Design • Look and feel of the website, should go with the proposed brand language (incorporate the brand language) • The tone of voice

7.

1.

2.

3.

5.

6.

Landing page: Introductory, giving a brief about the company, its beliefs and offerings (text, image animation).

Work: Portfolio, all the projects done, well curated, with the process story (Images, videos, GIFs, illustration, text, links).

About: About IDL, its vision, mission and values, the brand essence- History, vision, mission (GIF, illustration, text).

Team: About the team, their proficiency and skills, and the IDL culture (photos, GIFS, links, text).

Contact: Contact information and form- Address, phone, email (text, icons, link).

Blog: Stories, opinions, happenings and findings- Link to blog (image, text, videos, links).

Research: Formalized curiosity, showcase of the information collected and insights (text, images, videos, links).

[4] Development Files given to the developer for programming of the website (style guide and assets).

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6.3 Secondary research 6.3.1 Information architecture 6.3.3 Design references

6.3 Secondary research 6.3.1 Information architecture

Information architecture is about helping people understand their surroundings and find what they’re looking for, in the real world as well as online.

Information architecture (IA) arrived on the scene in the late 1990s and brought attention to an aspect of user-interface design that was then only marginally understood: structure. The need to focus on structure is still a significant concern—especially in environments of large scale and complexity.

Today, it is a recognized term in many technology, product, and web-design organizations. However, in many other organizations, information architecture is still “the pain with no name.”[1] The popular conception of the scope of information architecture has been derived from the writings of Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld, who have defined the core components of information architecture, as follows: •

[1] According to Peter Morville, the editor for the first edition of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web coined the phrase “the pain with no name,” after talking to people who seemed frustrated by a recurring issue in creating Web sites, but didn’t know what it was or what to call it. This convinced Morville and Rosenfeld’s editor that their proposed book on information architecture had a viable audience.

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• • •

Navigation systems—how we browse or move through information Organization systems—how we categorize information Labeling systems—how we represent information Search systems—how we search for information

In other words, information architecture is the creation of a structure for a website, application, or other project, that allows us to understand where we are as users, and where the information we want is in relation to our position. It is the

practice of deciding how to arrange the parts of something to be understandable. Information architecture results in the creation of site maps, hierarchies, categorizations, navigation, and metadata.

When content strategists begin separating content and dividing it into categories, they are practicing IA. When a designer sketches a top level menu to help users understand where they are on a site, she/he is also practicing IA. Regardless of what task is being accomplished, here are some of the questions we ask when doing information architecture: What is the flow of users through our site?

How does the application help the user catalog their information?

How is that information presented back to the user?

Is that information helping the customer, and driving decisions?

To answer these questions, the information architect must focus on a number of things: the target audience, the technologies related to the website, and the data that will be presented through the website Information architecture draws on some different elements of cognitive psychology to influence how we structure information. Cognitive psychology is the study of how the mind works, and what mental processes take place there.

So it’s not surprising that it influences both the interactions we design and the way we architect information. Here are some of

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the key elements of cognitive psychology information architects value the most: •

•

•

Cognitive load is the amount of information that a person can process at any given time. Keeping in mind the user’s cognitive load helps prevent information architects from inadvertently overloading a user with too much information all at once.

Mental models are the assumptions people carry in their minds before interacting with a website or application.

Information is easier to discover when it is in a place that matches the user’s mental model of where it should be.

Decision making may not sound like psychology, but it is. It’s a cognitive process that allows us to make a choice or select an option. Information architects can help us make decisions by providing certain information at key moments.

When we practice information architecture to its fullest, we assume responsibility for engineering the structure of an information environment or ecosystem, as well as its respective user interfaces. Thus, we maintain the rationale we’ve modeled— whether static or integrated[2]—and ensure each design solution connects to a solid foundation of concepts, content, and data.

Although I knew that the present project constraints won’t allow me to practice it full fledged, still, I studied IA in a little detail as I understood the role it plays. In the most complex environments, the key benefit of a well-thought-out, underlying structure is a flexible, sustainable, and scalable information environment that satisfies the intent of its owners, as well as the needs of its users.

So even if I wouldn’t follow the entire process, every step of mine would be an informed one, keeping in mind all the factors discussed above..

Above: Factors that affect and form Information Architecture

[2]The term static models refers to traditional diagrams, while integrated models have a programmatic connection to a Web site’s back-end architecture.

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6.3 Secondary research

Information Architecture, areas of practice: As part of an ‘information ecology’, users, content and context work interdependently, with IA sitting at the intersection of these three areas.

Left (and going clock-wise): Notes from my notebook on the areas of practice of Information architecture.

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principles of ia

Effective information architecture must reflect the way people think.

The Eight Principles of Information Architecture lays out a theoretical framework for the IA industry.

It makes the following assumptions: Principle of objects The principle of objects says that content should be treated as an evolving thing that has its own lifecycle. Different content has different attributes and behaviors, and this has to be recognized in order to best utilize that content.

Principle of choices The principle of choices means that one should offer the users meaningful choices. However, one needs to make sure that those choices are focused on something specific. Too many choices can overwhelm a user and negatively affect their experience.

Principle of disclosure It’s important to give users the information they need. Give them the information they need to have an idea of what they can expect to find as they delve deeper into the site, no more, no less (this is called progressive disclosure). By limiting the information they see at any one time, the users are allowed to better absorb what they’re seeing. The main concept here is to not overload the user by trying to cram every bit of information on a single page.

Principle of exemplars Describing the content within a category of information via example makes it easier for the users to understand what they’re getting. It greatly improves user experience. This principle is a bit harder to use in some scenarios, depending on the type of content being provided.

Principle of front doors Half of the visitors are likely going to arrive on the site via a page other than your home page. That means that every page they land on should include some basic information so that they know what kind of site they’re on. It also means every page should include at least top-level navigation, as well as navigation to related pages.

Principle of multiple classification Multiple classification means that there should be different ways for users to browse the content on the site. Different people are likely to use different methods for finding the information on your site. Some users may go straight to the search function while others may want to browse. But beyond that, even, some users may want to browse by one specification, while others might want to browse by another.

Principle of focused navigation Navigational menus should not be defined by where they appear, but rather by what they contain. The menus form the primary method for most users to find content on your site. There might be topic-based navigation (often the main navigation for a site); menus on interior pages that show how the current page is classified, as well as related pages; a menu offering sales or marketing links; and even seasonal or topical menus that provide content that might be pertinent at a given time.

Principle of growth On the vast majority of sites, content is a fluid, changing thing.

The amount of content there is on a site today may be only a small fraction of what it’ll have tomorrow, next week, or next year.

The content should be organized in a way that allows it to grow over time. The navigational menus and general information architecture should be able to scale to accommodate a lot of content without becoming cumbersome or unwieldy. Think of how this additional content will interact with the current content, how they’re related, and how they can be integrated successfully.

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6.3 Secondary research

6.3.2 Design references For building a good website, the most important factors to be kept in mind are: 1.

Understanding the audience: To create a website that’s clean and easy, it’s important to understand the users well.

Though the internet is so vast and infinite that one cannot judge and analyze who shall use the website, but considering the business of the client, it must be kept in mind that there is a certain audience that IDL caters to. The website has to be well structured with absolutely necessary content only.

2.

Attention to finer details: While structuring a website it’s important to build a site map and frame the information architecture. But, that is not just it. What is even more important is having multiple exit points, at various levels, moving back and forth on the website and building affordances (triggers) for moving forward. Affordances are buttons and clickable elements that guide navigation and reduce the probability of users getting confused. Also, it is important to consider the multiple entry points of the website. Not always does the user land on the home page first; they may also enter through a blogpost, newsletter, or project case study. Hence, it is crucial to consider the information that we provide at each of the entry points, giving the users a brief idea of where they are.

3.

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Keeping it simple and easy: The UX must be comfortable and relaxed by maintaining clutter free navigation and trying too keep the design elements up to minimal, reducing the cognitive load. Am easily accessible interface is one of the keys to having happy users. Also, it is important to bring clarity in identity structure on the website as well.

4.

Building a workflow: Creating a sitemap, deciding the workflow and making a wireframe helps to make a clear and clutterfree website. Each page must be designed considering the top task - what is the purpose of the page and what the user would do. The next page must fit the workflow and how to go there must be defined. A clear structure helps in comfortable and easy navigation through the interface, and helps build trust in the brand. Sometimes surprising the users is a good thing, it reinstalls interest. However, unpleasant and unnecessary surprises in the workflow and the content structure must be avoided.

The various websites that I went through and considered as design references fulfilled the above mentioned factors.

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cappen.com

minglabs.com

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6.3 Secondary research

toi.io

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stereocreative.com

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bearideas.fr

sequence.co.uk

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PHASE 7

Design- website

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220

7.1 Site map

222

7.2 Wireframe: Low-Fidelity

224

7.3 Finalizing the design

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7.1 Site map The new site map was created considering the following factors: • • • • •

• •

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Multiple entry points of the website Top tasks for each page and restricting the number of steps for those to just one.

Identifying the secondary and tertiary tasks, and restricting the number of steps for that to a maximum of three.

The global navigation options The primary purpose of the website is to get business- that can be in the form of queries, links, etc. So, the ‘contact’ page is where we want to redirect the audience.

Hence, making the ‘call to action button’ for the contact page accessible from any and every point of the website.

Increasing the number of header options for the homepageputting what the website has to offer right out there.

Adding the IDL logo and a call to action button for the projects page on the footer as well.

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Above: New site map for IDL, version 2.0

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7.2 Wireframe: Low-Fidelity The initial micro brief was to create the structure and design the entire website. However, over the course of the research process it was decided to redesign the site map and information architecture, and design only the home page of the website. It was done so that the IDL team can prepare a strong enough brief to be proposed to the management for the approvals; also, to first get a basic idea of the new structure and its functionality and see if that’s feasible to them functionally and keeping the business aspect as a priority.

Hence, now I was supposed to design the landing page only, and that would act as a guide for the rest of the pages in terms of the structure and visual language.

The project so far had given clear a picture of the brand language and tone of voice. The idea was to keep things simple and to the point, and yet visually appealing and following the brand personality of being- fun, experimental and intuitive.

To begin with, a Lo-Fi wireframe was created.

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Horizontal scroll Sticky header Scroll 4

Scroll 1

Redirects to ‘Contact’ Redirects to ‘Projects’ Scroll 5 Scroll 2

Left and above: The low fidelity wireframe of the landing page of www.design.imaginea.com

Scroll 3

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7.3 Finalizing the design landing page Since we were working on the landing page only, we directly jumped from Lo-Fi wireframe to the visual design (skipping high fidelity wireframe); keeping the website colors and typeface same as that of the brandmark.

Myriad Pro has a large font family, offering a wide range of fonts with varied weights and widths, and is also web based. Hence, it was a feasible choice to use it for the website as well.

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landing page - design 1

Tuning down the opacity of background bubbles to 60% so that it doesn’t obstruct the foreground content.

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7.3 Finalizing the design

landing page - refined

The shape of the hamburger was made into an even one.

The call-to-action button ‘Let’s talk’ was moved to left corner.

Typographical changes to make the content more interesting; a distinct typographical style that can be used across other platforms as well.

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The background color was changed to a darker shade of gray to enhance the foreground elements.

Color values: r27 g27 b27 c72 m66 y65 k78 #1B1B1B

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landing page - scroll 1

Brief introduction and then the ‘learn more’ call to action redirects to the ‘about us’ page.

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6.3 Secondary research

landing page - scroll 2

Horizontal scroll to view some of the major projects.

Call-to-action button that redirects to the projects page.

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landing page - scroll 3

Horizontal scroll

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PHASE 8

Deliverables

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132 133 134 134 138 140 142 144 146 148

8.1 Brand Identity guidelines 8.1.1 Logo rationale 8.1.2 Master logo 8.1.3 Secondary logo 8.1.4 Brand wordmark 8.1.5 Brand colors 8.1.6 Brand typeface 8.1.7 Safe zones 8.1.8 Minimum sizes 8.1.9 Don’ts

150

8.2 Stationary and promotional materials

166

8.3 The big picture

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines Brand identity guidelines are a written manual that explains how a brand should be used internally and externally. They provide very specific instructions about how tangible elements of a brand should be used in all forms of branded communications — from business cards to ads, packaging to signage, and everything in between. In other words, by following specific brand guidelines, the brand can leave its fingerprint across all communications touch points. A great brand guidelines manual can ensure that the brand is always portrayed consistently and accurately, so consumers have the opportunity to develop trust in the brand and its promise. The strongest brands surround consumers with branded experiences so people can self-select how they want to interact with the brand.

idl: brand essence Core brand statement: Imaginea design labs is a digital design lab which provides design services and strategies to innovators and product giants in a diverse and driven environment with a strong and confident voice, helping them feel transformed and empowered through a collaborative and progressive approach.

Core purpose: To integrate the needs of business and the possibilities of technology; building design practice in the country for the world.

Brand vision: India designing for the world.

Brand mission statement: Help businesses seeking digital transformations by creating digital interfaces.

Brand positioning: Business interface design for vertical focused companies and product giants seeking digital transformations.

Brand personality keywords: diverse, efficient, empathetic, experimental, fun intuitive, outrageous and tech-savvy.

Brand guiding principles: design thinking, in-context immersion and collaboration

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8.1.1 Logo rationale

Being a design lab, the bubbles represent the fun and experimental side of the personality.

The vibrant colors and the overlap represent the young and energetic design team, coming together and collaborating.

It is also about spontaneity of thoughts and the freedom which these design ‘thinkers’ get, something which emerges and thus is not contained in the ‘D’ form.

Even through the organization is experimenting, changing and evolving, it has a clear and firm understanding of the design process and the guiding principles.

As an organization, IDL envisions to have designers as gate keepers and provide ‘design-led’ services, hence there is more focus on ‘D’ - representing design being the principle foundation for the organization.

The design lab provides a framework, a base for innovation to happen. It is transparent, human and approachable.

The also ‘il’ act as brackets, representing the start and the end of something, for IDL’s promise of providing an end-to-end solution to everything that it does.

The different visual treatments, ‘D’ being more vibrant, spontaneous and merging, and ‘il’ being more structured, oriented and aligned, represent design and technology respectively; IDL being the melting point between design and technology.

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines

8.1.2 Master logo color version This is the primary version of the logo (color). It should be used in all cases possible (print and digital), unless shape or length creates a constraint.

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grayscale version This is the of the primary version of the logo (grayscale). It should be used in for print purpose only, where the color version cannot be used.

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines

8.1.3 Secondary logo color version This version of the logo should only be when the primary version cannot be used due to shape or size constraints. The symbol (design ‘D’) can also be used as a graphic element.

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grayscale version This version of the logo should only be used for print purposes, when the secondary version (color) cannot be used.

The symbol, design ‘D’ form can also be used as a graphic element.

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines

8.1.4 Brand wordmark There are two parts to the wordmark: the symbol and the logotype. It is important that the IDL wordmark always appears correctly. Reproduction of the wordmark – in any format – should be in accordance with the standards set in the guidelines. If the wordmark does not meet with all of the mentioned standards, it should be rejected.

Symbol

Logotype

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usage Usage of each are chosen based on the level of familiarity with IDL. (Also, as mentioned in the previous section, the secondary version of the logo should only be used when the primary version cannot be used due to shape or size constraints).

Much familiarity Can be used together or apart, with control.

Some familiarity

No familiarity and for all legal purposes

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines

8.1.5 Brand colors

primary colors r248 g0 b177 c7 m90 y0 k0 #F800B1

tints The various tints can be used, along with their core primary colors, to add depth and other effects while making visuals and promotional materials (eg: poster, social media lookups), but use them sparingly.

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r249 g15 b66 c0 m99 y71 k0 #F90F42

r248 g235 b3 c6 m0 y98 k0 #F8EB03

r44 g192 b255 c61 m7 y0 k0 #2CC0FF

r4 g69 b248 c85 m71 y0 k0 #0445F8

r0 g0 b0 c75 m68 y67 k90 #000000

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secondary colors r242 g0 b2 c0 m100 y100 k0 #F20002

r43 g182 b3 c77 m0 y100 k0 #2BB603

r35 g193 b246 c64 m2 y0 k0 #23C1F6

r27 g27 b27 c72 m66 y65 k78 #1B1B1B

r4 g65 b3 c82 m46 y99 k55 #044103

r43 g0 b177 c93 m95 y0 k0 #2B00B1

r43 g11 b66 c88 m100 y35 k50 #2B0B42

usage The secondary colors can be used to make visuals and other promotional materials (text color, background colors, imagery).

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines

8.1.6 Brand typeface

myriad pro The brand typeface is Myriad Pro. It is the primary typeface used in all communication materials. Various type sizes and weights can be used to establish a clear hierarchy of information.

Myriad Pro cannot be substituted by other typeface for any sort of corporate communication. Printed items being distributed, use Myriad Pro. In case one’s computer does not have Myriad Pro, it can be purchased from the Adobe Typekithttp://www.adobe.com/in/.

typographic elements Qualities of Myriad Pro Myriad Pro says ‘approachable’ and ‘straightforward’ and is easy to read. A humanistic sans-serif typeface, Myriad Pro isn’t too geometric and is expressionless - great for communicating without adding too much of a personality of its own. Myriad Pro has a large font family, offering enough options of weights and width, offering various options and enough flexibility for both digital and print purposes.

Preferred casing Uppercase and lowercase styling in headlines and call outs support our brand warmth and friendliness.

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using type effectively One must adhere closely to the guidelines when using the Myriad Pro typeface. Note: Some natural distortion of type is inevitable when used in a photo or illustration. All the same, please maintain the overall integrity of the typeface.

Dos and Don’ts of typeface usage: • • • • •

Do use a combination of uppercase and lowercase Do use only approved colors Do use only the approved IDL typefaces Do align text in body copy flush left and ragged right Do avoid using all uppercase, unless it’s the logotype.

• • • • •

Don’t place type in a hard-to-read format Don’t use special effects to emphasize type Don’t change kerning when setting headlines or copy Don’t distort the typefaces Don’t substitute other typefaces

typographic style

MYRIAD PRO LIGHT

MYRIAD PRO REGULAR

MYRIAD PRO ITALIC

MYRIAD PRO SEMIBOLD

MYRIAD PRO BOLD

Use typeface, type size, and type weight wisely to establish a clear hierarchy of information.

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines

8.1.7 Safe zones A logo is the embodiment of the brand. It is the brand simply summed up in one tiny, neat little package. Therefore, the logo must at all times be perfectly legible and without obstructions.

For this reason, a minimum area of breathing room around the logo must be maintained that allows it to breathe and shine.

Maintain clear space (safe zone) around the logo to protect the logo from distracting graphics or typography.

Measure clear space by the half of the height of the design ‘D’ form in the IDL logo (let’s call it ‘X’ here), for both horizontal and vertical space around the wordmark.

The IDL logos (primary and secondary), and all of it’s variations, must at all times have the clear space as specified (unless the design ‘D’ form is being used as a graphical element and not the logo). This rule must be maintained as it best suits the design of these logos. Never allow typography or other elements to ‘invade’ the logo. Never redraw or alter the logo, including the placement and size relationship of its letter or spark symbol.

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1/2

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1/2

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8.1 Brand identity guidelines

8.1.8 Minimum sizes

digital use

16px Favicon Favicons are miniaturized storefront signs that give brands an opportunity to attract attention and stand out from the crowd.

They are the 16x16 pixel icons located in a web browser’s address bar. If companies don’t have a favicon, the browser’s generic default icon will be next to the URL. Favicons need to work within the extreme size constraints of the web address bar and simplest boldest forms are immediately recognizable. Hence, using design ‘D’ form as the favicon for the IDL website www.design.imaginea.com.

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69px

69px

35px

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print use

6 mm

15 mm

20 mm

20 mm

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8.1.9 Don’ts The logo is a very important part of the brand image, and there has been a lot of time spent and effort put in into carefully crafting it to be a perfect embodiment of the brand. One needs to be weary when using the logo- not to alter, tweak, mutilate, or take any personal creative freedom that breaks the specific rules set out in the guidelines.

The following are merely a few examples of practices that would violate the logo (applies to both primary and secondary, unless specified) and ultimately the Imaginea Design Labs brand; the only right way to use the logo is as mentioned in the logo usage guidelines.

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Scale. Do not squish or stretch the logo.

Always keep the shift-key pressed on while scaling the logos.

Logotype. Do not alter the logotype or break it in parts; always use all of it together.

Orientation. Do not change the orientation of the logo by rotating it in any way.

Effects. Do not add any kind of effects (eg: a drop shadow) to the logo.

Thickness. Do not alter the thickness of the ‘IL’ part of the symbol.

Contrast. Do not place the logos in locations that are too complex to be viewed clearly.

Brackground. Do not place the black logos on anything but white.

Brackground. Do not place the white logos on anything but black and the brand gray color.

Pattern. Do not use the symbol of the master logo as a pattern.

Proportions. Do not change the proportions of the signature.

Proportions. Do not change the proportions of the symbol.

Proportions. Do not change the proportions of the logotype.

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Crop. Do not crop the logo in any form.

Transparency. Do not lay any kind of transparency over the logo

Spacing. Do not alter the spacing (both symbol and logotype) in any way.

Symbol. Do not use the ‘IL’ part of the symbol individually. Only the ‘D’ form can be used as the secondary logo.

At At

Order. Do not change the order of the ‘IDL’ forms in the symbol.

we... we...

Master. Use the complete symbol for the master logo.

Overlap. Do not overlap anything on the logo.

Position. Do not change the position of the logotype in the logos.

Sentence. Do not use the logos or any part of them in a sentence.

Safezones. Do not put anything in the safe zone.

Encircle. Do not encircle any of the logos.

Color. Do not change the colors of any of the logos.

Color. Do not change the colors of the logotype for any of the logos.

Logotype. Do not use any part of the logotype separately.

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8.2 Stationary and promotional materials List of stationery: • Visiting card • Letterhead • Envelope List of promotional materials: • Posters • T-shirts • Tote-bags • Coffee-mug • Tin can

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visiting card

18mm

5.3mm

11mm 19mm

27mm

Myriad Pro Bold 11pt 12pt Leading | All caps

35mm Myriad Pro Regular 6pt 9pt Leading

58mm

20mm

11mm

Myriad Pro Regular 6pt 9pt Leading Myriad Pro Regular 4pt 5pt Leading | All caps

Card dimensions: [54 (W) X 85(H)]mm Standard Pramati Logotype (provided in the brand package) Scans to www.design.imaginea.com

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8.2 Stationery and promotional materials

letterhead

14.5mm

80mm

58.5mm Myriad Pro Semibold 9pt 14pt Leading

104mm

Myriad Pro Light 7pt 11pt Leading Myriad Pro Bold 14pt 16.8pt Leading Myriad Pro Bold 10pt 12pt Leading Myriad Pro Regular 10pt 12pt Leading

Myriad Pro Regular 9pt 11pt Leading

17.5mm

Myriad Pro Bold 10t 12pt Leading Myriad Pro Regular 8t 9.6pt Leading

Myriad Pro Light 6pt 11pt Leading

11.5mm Letter dimensions (A4): [210(W) X 297(H)] mm

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envelope

10mm 10mm 30mm A4

Vertical stroke 1pt

15.9mm

10.9mm

Myriad Pro Regular 8pt 9.6pt Leading | All caps Myriad Pro Light 5pt 6pt Leading

Letter dimensions (DL): [220(W) X 110(H)] mm

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8.2 Stationery and promotional materials

posters

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8.2 Stationery and promotional materials

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8.2 Stationery and promotional materials

t-shirts

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8.2 Stationery and promotional materials

tote bags

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coffee mugs

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8.2 Stationery and promotional materials

tin can

brand kit

List of items: • Letterhead • Envelope • Sticker • Visiting card (vertical) • Visiting card (horizontal) • Idea Bank book • Entry pass • Secondary logo on a cellphone • CD sticker • Flyer • Moleskin Diary • Secondary logo on a tablet • Notebook • Pencils

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Right: The IDL corporate brand kit

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8.7 The big picture The key intent of the project was to create an operational manual for IDL, to have an updated compilation of the brand brief, and to have the mission, vision and values as not just mere words but as the core way and guiding principle for everything they do. The big picture is to eventually build an organizational culture on the basis of these principles.

Having been a part of AIESEC, I did have a little idea about organizational culture, however it wasn’t enough to be carried out something at this scale. Hence, to move ahead, I had to study and educate myself about it. But, given the limited time that I had, the process could never get completed.

All through my project, I always had the big picture in mind. I did not need to carry any extra exercises for analyzing IDL, since that was already a part of my branding exercise.

This section contains the study that I did and the output that I proposed to IDL.

Organizational culture is an idea in the field of organizational studies and management which describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization. Although it’s difficult to get consensus about the definition, several constructs are commonly agreed upon that organizational culture is holistic, historically determined, related to the anthropological concepts, social constructed, soft and difficult to change. It is not built in a day.

There’s no quick fix that begets cultural change in a matter of days, weeks or even months; it’s infinitely easier to rewrite a system than it is to change the culture of an organization. It requires tons of communication, years of stubborn persistence, relentless follow up, and probably a little luck. Fact is, we can never ‘get rid’ of the parts of the culture we don’t like. More realistically what works is to gradually build up the strengths around the less desirable elements so that the ‘problems’ become smaller impediments to getting to where you want to go. Also, there can be different cultures in different parts of the organization. The key for leaders is not to fight against this diversity, but rather to focus on the positive. What’s our vision of the culture, and what do we need to do to get there? Which elements of the culture are most important? What’s the vision of organizational culture that we’re going after? What actions do we need to take to build the culture we have visioned?

Culture often becomes the focus of attention during periods

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set of beliefs and ideas about the kind of goals members of an organization should pursue, and the ideas about the kinds of standards of behavior organizational members should use to achieve the goals.”

of organizational change – when companies merge and their cultures clash, for example, or when growth and other strategic change mean that the existing culture becomes inappropriate, and hinders rather than supports progress. In more static environments, cultural issues may be responsible for low morale, absenteeism or high staff turnover, with all of the adverse effects those can have on productivity.

So, for all its elusiveness, corporate culture can have a huge impact on an organization’s work environment and output. This is why so much research has been done to pinpoint exactly what makes an effective corporate culture, and how to go about changing a culture that isn’t working. Fortunately, while corporate culture can be elusive, approaches have been developed to help us look at it. Such approaches can play a key role in formulating strategy or planning change.

The Cultural Web[1], developed by Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes in 1992, provides one such approach for looking at and changing an organization’s culture. Using it, one can expose cultural assumptions and practices, and set to work aligning organizational elements with one another, and with their strategy.

The Cultural Web identifies six interrelated elements that help to make up what Johnson and Scholes call the “paradigm” – the pattern or model – of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, you can begin to see the bigger picture of your culture: what is working, what isn’t working, and what needs to be changed.

Left: The cultural web

“Organizational culture is a

2.

3.

4.

5.

The six elements are: 1.

[1] “Fundamentals of Strategy” by G. Johnson, R. Whittington, and K. Scholes. Published by Pearson Education, 2012.

Stories – The past events and people talked about inside and outside the company. Who and what the company chooses to immortalize says a great deal about what it values, and perceives as great behavior.

6.

Rituals and Routines – The daily behavior and actions of people that signal acceptable behavior. This determines what is expected to happen in given situations, and what is valued by management.

Symbols – The visual representations of the company including logos, how plush the offices are, and the formal or informal dress codes.

Organizational Structure – This includes both the structure defined by the organization chart, and the unwritten lines of power and influence that indicate whose contributions are most valued.

Control Systems – The ways that the organization is controlled. These include financial systems, quality systems, and rewards (including the way they are measured and distributed within the organization.)

Power Structures – The pockets of real power in the company. This may involve one or two key senior executives, a whole group of executives, or even a department. The key is that these people have the greatest amount of influence on decisions, operations, and strategic direction.

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8.7 The big picture

the idl culture For effective organization, IDL needs to demonstrate its key strengths in the following ways:

VISION

• •

CULTURE

CORPORATE BRANDING

•

IMAGE •

•

Above: Framework developed by Bain & Company and adapted by Bridgespan.

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Leadership: Clear vision and priorities. Cohesive leadership teams Decision making and structure: Clear roles and accountabilities of each member. Organization structure that supports brand objective.

People: Getting the right kind of people- organization and individual talent necessary for success. Performance measures and incentives aligned to objectives.

Work process and systems: Superior execution of programmatic work processes. Effective and efficient support processes and systems.

Culture: ‘High performance’ values and behaviors. Capacity to adapt and change.

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suggestions

Above: Communities of Practice (Thomas W. Malone, The Future of Work)

It must be understood that organizational culture is something that’s built when people come together because they believe in something. And that happens when everybody truly believes in the core purpose of the organization and its values. A small way to achieve that is to make sure that each and every individual’s personal goals are aligned with that of the organization. It may seem as a far fetched idea, but effective leadership, organizational structure, employee policies, team events and activities, etc. are few of the ways that can help achieve that. Following are a few of the suggestions of changes that can be brought about in the IDL as an organization: •

•

Communities of practice: CoPs are groups of people whose interdependent practices binds them into a collective of shared knowledge and common identity. When people work this way, barriers and boundaries between them and what they do are often insubstantial or irrelevant, since a collective endeavor holds them together. The purpose of CoPs is to learn and share ideas, document lessons learnt, standardize ways of working, provide advice, explore new technologies, and maybe even apply some forms of governance. A CoP can cut across teams, products, business units, and other organizational boundaries.

New employee onboarding process: New employees are like clean slates; how an organization interacts with them right from the very first point of contact till the complete orientation, sets out the foundation for their beliefs and behaviors. An onboarding process has the following stagesrecruitment, attraction, selection, induction, performance, development, succession and transition. Each stage require meticulous attention, and the most important thing to remember is that at the end of the day,an organization is built

by the people who work and believe in it. And that happens only way the organization realizes that these are humans, and there cannot be a hard and fast rule for everything, there is a need for flexibility to help people fit in and not feel trapped or suffocated by the rules and policies.

•

The onboarding kit: A brand kit can be created comprising of stationeries (eg: notebooks, diaries, pen, pencils, passes, folders), promotional materials (eg: T-shirt, coffee mugs, bags, stickers and badges), a copy of the brand book (mini version- that consists of the brand story and guidelines).

It’s a good thing to make them feel special, it shows that the organization cares. IDL has a buddy-system, making an existing employee as the buddy of the new joinee to help them out. However it isn’t followed that well; bringing it back to practice will be another good move.

•

Events and conferences: induction conference for onboarding, quarterly events and annual days to appreciate the high performing members and other people for their efforts put in. Setting out humane parameters to measure performance and keeping a regular check on that to help it improve. Again, the more humane the organization will be with its approaches, the more will it gain trust and loyalty of its members and empWloyees.

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Conclusion The project understandings and learnings

“Your best chance to grow is to do something you don’t know how to do.”

Michael Bierut, Graphic designer, design critique and educator

[1] Paul Watzlawick (July 25, 1921 – March 31, 2007) was an Austrian-American family therapist, psychologist, philosopher, and a theoretician in communication theory and radical constructivism.

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Branding Imaginea design labs has, by far, been the most significant project in my journey as a communication designer. I’m fortunate to have be given this opportunity and chosen it as my graduation project. At first, it was a little terrifying, considering the sheer scale of the project, but then, as I started to live and breathe every little morsel of information and research conducted, I began to invest in it even more- that made me open to anything and everything that could add value and insight to the design.

It was a liberating and truly humbling experience, as the area of knowledge- branding, was far beyond anything I had imagined as the subject of my graduation project.

have only a superficial effect at best. Indeed, if this ‘cosmetic’ approach is applied in an effort to make a bad or confused business look more attractive, it is easy to see why these so-called rebranding exercises encourage more such cynicism. Branding needs to start with a clear point of view on what an organization should be about and how it will deliver a substantial competitive advantage; then it is about organizing all products, services and corporate operations to deliver that. The visual and verbal elements of branding should, of course, then symbolize that difference, lodge it memorably in people’s minds and protect it in law through the trade mark.

I remember the first time, when Subhasish had called me in his cabin to discuss and propose the brief. I have to admit, at that time, the nature of the brief had scared and excited me all at once. The idea of trying to articulate all the various thoughts into a give form was something that I was really looking forward to. I wasn’t ready, at least not mentally, at that time. But, I was really excited and I think that’s what made all the difference.

The methodology of interviews, group discussions, presentations, workshops, debates and one-on-one personal interactions as well as discussions, not only with the managers, but also, with the team, helped me understand and analyze the scenario, make decisions and clear all confusions.

During the early stages, bridging the gap between all the views of the people at IDL was something that kept me occupied for a while. There was a lack of understanding among some senior managers about what successful branding really is. It was important to make them understand that if branding is treated as a cosmetic exercise only, and regarded merely as a new name/ logo, stationary and possibly new advertising campaign, it will

Working on the project involved a lot of secondary study as well, since it was the first time I was doing something of this sort.

Reading several books, articles, blog-posts on brand and branding, studying about several brands, their stories of evolution, referring to other branding projects and the best case practices in the industry- all of these were extremely insightful and helpful. It helped me educate myself as well as others on the team.

Quoting what Paul Watzlawick[1], a communications theorist

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wrote, “It is impossible not to communicate.” Everything a brand does is communication. The way the packs are designed, the way the words are used, the way phones are answered (or not), the products the name is put to, the platforms they are sold at, the experience of interacting with a brand on the internet — these are all aspects of brand communication and are more or less fall under the control of brand managers. But one should also remember that people also receive other signals about a brand which are not directly under the control of its marketers. These include the contexts in which the brand is encountered in daily life, who is seen to use it and where, and what others say about it, whether in the pub or an internet chat-room. All these things together help form the network with a brand, and so influence the relationship between the audience and the brand.

During the course of project, I learned that it is the strength of these associations, and the nature of this relationship that audiences make with a brand, lead to stability and profitability for a brand and hence increase its value. How a brand communicates is therefore of central importance in its long-term business success. And communication here means more than simple one-way transmission of explicit messages. Much of the communication that matters is implicit and often unconscious; much of it, too, is only indirectly influenced by marketers, if at all. A mechanistic message transmission model will therefore be inadequate in planning successful brand communications, it should be more humane, direct and personal.

The project required looking at the brand holistically, and to consider both the segments of the brand touchpoints- internal as well as external. This involved helping the IDL realize and come up with their core brand message. Having had some prior experience in this area (due to my previous involvement with AIESEC), I was able to carry this out pretty smoothly and was able to communicate with the team and make them understand in the most effective way possible.

Creating the symbol for IDL was challenging and yet, enriching.

I had to put together the ideas of the core team members and give them a symbol, a brandmark that would represent them to the whole world. Having had very little prior experience in this (only a few class room projects), it was the first time I was actually applying all that I had learnt at NID so far. There were places that I got stuck at, like how to decide what works, what doesn’t and what works the best, especially when it came to the final form of the symbol. At this point, the feedbacks from the client and the guide helped in making an informed decision. It was a big responsibility for me to bring everyone on the common consensus, a common point for everyone to agree.

It was important to align the design with client’s requirements, but more than that, it was crucial and essential to align it with the core essence of the brand. There were times, when the client’s requirements, if followed, would have taken the design in a completely different direction. At this point, as a designer, it was my moral responsibility and obligation, to take a stand, listen and understand the client’s point of view first, and then make them realize the ‘what’ and ‘why’, and realign them with the brand essence. Having put emphasis on building the brand brief in the initial stages helped with this.

To conclude, branding is an on-going process. Sustaining a brand requires quality and consistency in terms of the kind of products and services a brand provides and the way it communicates with its audiences (both internal and external). Successful brand management goes well beyond the cosmetics of branding (brand name, packaging, advertising and so on). All great brands are built on a bedrock of trust derived from customers’ experience of coming in association with the brand. Hence, the big picture is what we should look forward to and strive towards. My work here is not completely done but, I hope, I have created something substantial that is enough to carry this process ahead in an effective and efficient manner.

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Other projects Team introduction- social media platforms Brief: To create posters to introduce the team members. The idea was to keep it light, fun, and quirky. The light and fun part was achieved with the visual treatment given to them, while quirkiness trough the hashtags and the post content.

Platform: For Imaginea Design Labs Facebook page. (www.facebook.com/imagineadesignlabs)

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Above (image grid): Explorations

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the final posters

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Pramati website- motif for hero image The purpose was to create thematic corporate motif for the brand Pramati. The visual must revolve around the central corporate theme, which is “powering business evolution”, and needs to evoke a strong belongingness for Pramati towards the central theme. The main idea being, Pramati enables businesses torespond, adapt and evolve.

Brief: To create a thematic corporate motif would be used as a part of the hero image on the Pramati website.

Key words- evolution, collaboration and network Target audience: • Primary- C-suite. VP level and Executives (Jr/Sr) visiting the site for evaluating/knowing Pramati • Secondary- Market at large (skewed towards Investors (investment) and hires looking for employment opportunities) Nature of business- Technology-based businesses

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Left and above: Depicts the execution side of the business, how different collaborate together take an idea from its inception to execution.

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Left and above: The evolution and flight of a business idea.

Left and going clock-wise: Collaborative network, interacting and evolving, from silos to an ecosystem.

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Left: The initial sketch, taking inspiration from a mandala.

Above: Final iteration. The mandala was too symmetric and balanced, and since a business evolution process is not that symmetric, it was changed to an asymmetric one, following the same style and visual treatment.

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Top and above: Laying the framework on the Pramati brand colors (for sample testing).

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Left and above: The final motif, colored following the Pramati Color Book. The blank space on the right is for the text to be placed.

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LeanTaas poster LeanTaas is a client of Imaginea Design Labs. LeanTaaS is a software company that uses lean principles and predictive analytics to mathematically match the demand for expensive, constrained healthcare. The LeanTaas iQueue team had achieved it’s yearly target of selling out 1000(+) infusion chairs in over 50 infusion centers (hospitals and private nursing homes) in the second quarter itself.

As a part of the celebration, the poster was designed. It would eventually be printed and put up in the conference room at the LeanTaas office in the US. Brief: To make a poster for the team, appreciating their success, and encouraging them to work towards the next target.

Left and going clock-wise: Initial rough sketches

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Left: The final poster. The visual language chosen was to make it look fun and colorful- since it’s for the team, and given the nature of work, to break the monotony, it’d be good to have something light and bright in the conference room.

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Mealmapper- website landing page redesign The landing page for the website www.mealmapper.com (client project for IDL) had to be redesigned in terms of the visuals used and the typography.

New hero image

The new design: • Typefaces chosen- Lora (Heading) and Open sans( body text).

• Change in visuals used (hero image and sign-up image) • Simplifying the content by adding a horizontal swipe.

• Redesigning the sign-up form.

Horizontal swipe

New Sign-up form

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Hyderabad metro app logo Brief: To design the logo and icon for the Hyderabad metro mobile application. Also, to design the splash screen for the same.

IDL Client: Larsen & Toubro

Left: The Hyderabad Metro Rail logo Above: Frames from the splash screen animation, for the logo launch Right: Splash screen of the application with the logo Below: The color values

r249 g95 b95 c0 m78 y57 k0 #F95F5F

r60 g198 b116 c68 m0 y75 k0 #3CC674

r42 g170 b209 c72 m14 y10 k0 #2AAAD1

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Retail- domain study document and webpage illustrations Brief: • To design the document for the retail domain study • To design banner illustrations for the smart retail mobile application for the IDL website’s retail page The document summarizes the work done by Imaginea Design Lab in the retail domain. The objective was to look at retail as a possible domain for intervention using technologies such as Internet of Things, connected objects and big data. The initial hypothesis was, retail being a complex domain that requires working together of multiple elements; collecting and providing the right kind of information at the right instance in the process will be of value.

Above and going clockwise: Retail domain study documentation report.

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Left and above: Illustrations for the retail page on the IDL website.

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Reflections The Graduation Project experience

At a personal standpoint, this was much more than a design project and the end deliverable. It was all about the process and the journey. It is very important to start from a clean slate, and be humble and patient enough to start from the scratch. The graduation project duration is all about learning first, from peers, seniors, colleagues, guide and mentors. One needs to realize that these people have varied and possibly, much more experience and idea about the multiple facets in the corporate world.

During the project, I went through a lot of failures and mistakes, but those have been great learning experiences for me. They made me learn about my strengths and weaknesses as a designer and as a person, so much more than I imagined when I started in the beginning. One needs to break the barriers and be open to making mistakes, new perspectives and to work even in various adverse scenarios. When I look back at the many points of uncertainty and the moments where I though I just didn’t have it in me to truly make something that could work, I feel, they only propelled me to work faster and further to create something that not only worked but also resonated with the brief.

Working with completely new people, all extremely talented in their own way, added a lot to my learning and insights. Working at a corporate office meant understanding the multiple systems at play with respect to every decision made and unmade. Having had an AIESEC experience really helped me, as it was way easier for me to understand and comprehend all this. But despite being 280 Tripti Shrivastava | M.Des Graphic Design 2014

a corporate, IDL is a place that made me feel at home from the very first day. They are a very passionate design lab with a lot of energy, and the desire to do more and do great. They gave me the strength and motivation to go forward and do the project not just for them, but for me and my academic career as well.

I’m really glad that I took on a project in a place that I didn’t really know. Hyderabad was full of challenges in itself and I feel it added to the overall experience. Despite the fact that I have been living on my own since the 11th grade, moving to Hyderabad was a different experience altogether. But Hyderabad instantly made me fall in love with itself. The food, the people, everything was so warm and welcoming. I made some really good friends that I know are here to stay. Hyderabad is one city that will always be really close to my heart.

Looking back, the past 8 months have been full of highs and lows (mostly highs) and the entire experience has been a very enriching one, not only adding to my design understanding and skills, but also contributing in shaping me as a person who is more receptive and open to the various possibilities that are in store for me.

Am I ready? I’m not sure. But I am extremely excited and positive, and I believe, that is what will make all the difference.

Right: Writing the Graduation Project document.

Picture courtesy: Vishnu M. Nair

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References and bibliography print

digital

Wheeler, Alina. (2009). Designing Brand Identity (Third Edition). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Neumeier, Marty. (2008). The Designful Company: How to build a culture of non-stop innovation. San Francisco: New Riders Publishing.

Neumeier, Marty. (2005). The Brand Gap: Revised Edition. San Francisco: New Riders Publishing.

Heil, Gary. Parker, Tom. Stephens, Deborah C. (1999). One Size Fits One: Building Relationships One Customer and One Employee at a Time. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Peppers, Don. Rogers, Martha. (1993). The One to One Future. New South Wales: Currency.

Aaker, David A. (2004). Brand Portfolio Strategy: Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage, and Clarity. New York: Free Press Gobé, Mark. (2010). Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People. New York: Allworth Press Olins, Wally. (2005). Wally Olins On Brand. London: Thames and Hudson Bierut, Michael. (2012). Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design. New York: Princeton Architectural Press Clifton, Rita. (2009). Brands and Branding (Second Edition). New York: Bloomberg Press Davis, Melissa. (2009). The Fundamentals of Branding. Worthing, UK: AVA Publishing Shaughnessy, Adrian. (2010). How to Be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul (New Expanded Edition). New York: Princeton Architectural Press Olins, Wally. (2008). Wally Olins: The Brand Handbook. London: Thames and Hudson

Skool Os. (August 02, 2016). <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gyXnE65XQ0> UX Matters. (Dec 23, 2016). <http://www.uxmatters.com> Smashing Magazine. <https://www.smashingmagazine.com/> Ideo. <https://www.ideo.org/> Management 3.0. <https://management30.com/> Web Designer Depot. <https://www.webdesignerdepot.com> Ming Labs. <https://minglabs.com/en> Cappen. <https://www.cappen.com/en/> Frog Design. <http://www.frogdesign.com> Livework Studio. <http://www.liveworkstudio.com> Stereo Creative. <http://stereocreative.com> Toi. <https://toi.io/> Bear Ideas. <http://bearideas.fr/> Sequence Design. <https://www.sequence.co.uk/> Estbit. <http://estbit.com/> Dynamic Logos. (Nov 20, 2016). <http://bpando.org/dynamic-logos/> Dynamic Logos. (Nov 20, 2016). <http://www.hexanine.com/zeroside/the-future-is-fluid-insidedynamic-logos/> Logo Systems. (Nov 20, 2016). <https://www.designmantic.com/blog/logo-systems-static-logos-aredead/> The future of corporate Identity (Nov 21, 2016). <http://thegossagency.com/2016/04/22/are-logosystems-the-future-of-corporate-identity/> Future Logo Design. (Nov 21, 2016). <http://www.creativebloq.com/branding/logo-systems-futurelogo-design-41619864> Logo System. (Nov 21, 2016). <http://xfacta.co.za/journal/logo-system-adapt-or-die>

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other websites referred

project documents referred

Fast Codesign. <https://www.fastcodesign.com/> Brand Stratedgy Insider.<https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/> Logo Design Love. <http://www.logodesignlove.com> It’s Nice That. <http://www.itsnicethat.com> Fantasy. <http://www.fantasy.co> Indentity Designed. <http://www.identitydesigned.com> UX Design Weekly. <http://www.uxdesignweekly.com>

Agarwal, Pragun. GDPD Graphic Design. NID. Diploma Project (2014). Royal Enfield Packaging. Guided

by Tarundeep Girdher Jain, Ishita. B. Des Graphic Design. NID. Graduation Project (2015). Identifying Shuddha. Guided by Tarundeep Girdher Dutta, Daisy. B. Des Graphic Design. NID. Graduation Project (2015). Rebranding of Echostream.

Guided by Rupesh Vyas Kaur, Jasleen. GDPD Graphic Design. NID. Diploma Project (2014). Branding for Landscape Architecture Firm. Guided by Tarundeep Girdher

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