Branding Final

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM Brand Manual

For my mother, Nouch, for telling me that I should do anything I wanted to do in life. And for my brother and sisters, for telling me the same. Thanks.

- V

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ORIGINAL SPICED RUM Brand Manual

By: Vatthana “V” Long

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BRAND MANUAL CONTENTS PROLOGUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

CHAPTER 1: THE STORY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

CHAPTER 2: THE MANUAL. . . . . . . . . . . . 25

CHAPTER 3: COLLATERAL. . . . . . . . . . . . 39

EPILOGUE: THANKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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PROLOGUE What is this book you may ask? This is a brand manual for the famously acclaimed flavored rum!

What is a brand manual? Well according to Brandards, which is an online blog that discusses brand manuals and their importance, “a brand manual is the record of decisions made regarding those details, and provides the guidelines for future decisions (Brandards, Ch. 1: The Importance of Brand Standards)”. Which means that this book will tell you anything and everything you need to know about The Curse of V: Origianl Spiced Rum.

From the feel and the mood of the company, to the spacing between the logo and the logo mark. This book will and should tell you everything you need to know in creating assets for the company. If you have any questions contact the marketing department at V & Co., through the phone or by email. Both will be found on the company’s site: vandcompany.com.

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Hopefully, by using this manual you can create new assets for this company. Also, by following this manual you will keep the complete feel for who we are as a brand.

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CHAPTER 1: THE STORY “In this part of the manual, you’ll be exposed to the background of the company and you will be told the spooky story of how it all started.”

PART 1: THE BEGINNING Started from a curious distiller in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2048. In 2018, our founder, Vatthana “V” Long, previously created a healthy beverage for children, named Nati-Coco, this was a fun and healthy alternative to the sugar-filled juices that flooded school lunchrooms. With fun flavors like Choco-Lots and Tropic Falls, this flavored coconut juice became an immediate hit with the masses!

Within a year, the beverage put its opposition to shame, as it had completely replaced it’s competitors in lunchrooms all over the *Tri-State * Tri-State - Local land made up of 3 states. I this case it’s Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

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area. Success was sweet, but it was too sweet.

After a few years of creating a successful product, he was only known for his cartoonish style, he wasn’t known for anything else. Everything up to that point, that’s all that V knew how to do. After the success of the company, V had hit multiple road blocks. He was only known to do cartoonish and fun designs, leading to incomplete projects and rough partnerships, as he couldn’t create anything else other than catering to children. Can I do anything else!? V wondered to himself in frustration. Am I really a “one trick pony”?

After an episode of self-loathing and depression, V decided to travel and wonder out to the east coast. Leaving his estate and business behind as he gave it to his 22-year-old son in 2040, who would later butt-heads with his father for his absence.

A wanderer for the next six years, V traveled in his lonesome attempting to find himself. He wanted to make something new. Something fresh.

Something for the adults and nothing for the kids.

He wanted to stay away from children products as far as possible. But how? That all changed when he arrived to Arkham, Massachusetts. A dark and mysterious city, known for its local myths and strange happenings. V was lost, but this was the location where he would find his next calling.

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PART 2: THE LOCALS As the story goes, V was wandering the dark shores of the cold Atlantic, ankle deep in the ocean.

While he was striding along the shore, he heard distant splashes. It couldn’t be the waves because it didn’t match in a consistent rate. As he noticed this he heard the splashes becoming unrulier and scattered, V quickly looked in all directions.

Surrounded by what seemed to be local townsfolk.

Great, the paparazzi. He thought. Nati-Coco fans will never leave me alone. Ever since he left the company, he was always bombarded with paparazzi and fans, wondering why he left such a great company to his son. But then he looked closer. None had cameras or notepads. Maybe they were just fans?

As the locals came closer he noticed that they were individuals from different walks of life. One looked to be as a Sea Captain, as he wore the same attire as the 11

man on the Long John’s Silvers packaging. He seemed to be looking sideways like he was forever puzzled and was going to be full of questions. He was walking on the right side of the coast. The second looked to be a barkeeper, with the full attire and all, complete with a half-lit cigarette. He was walking with a limp from the left side of the coast. The third was a child, with a stuffed animal with the head of the teddy being replaced by a familiar large seed, nut, or some kind of brown fruit. She had a vague stain on her chest, like she was eating a hotdog and spilled a bit of ketchup.

She was walking from the shore’s boardwalk towards V. All of this seemed strange as they start to corner V from all directions except the infinitely dark sea. None talking.

In hopes of breaking the sound of silence, V asks, “Um, did you guys need something?” But none answered as they start to inch closer to him.

“Hello? Can I help you guys?” The group comes in a bit closer and V notices something strange.

Their skins, pale with a shade of green, the same shade as a cabin in Alaska being overgrown with moss. Maybe, Arkham just doesn’t see enough sunlight.

V starts to back up towards the dark deep sea. Their eyes, glossy as a streamlined car after a good wax.

They probably don’t get enough sleep either. His body now knee-deep in the dark green ocean. Their 12

breaths, shallow, but in unison. I shouldn’t be here.

His body now waist deep. With the individuals coming in meters closer to V, he could hear them mumbling, something strange, something vague.

“It waits, dreaming…”

“Excuse me, what?” “…it waits, dreaming…”

“Who?” “…it waits, dreaming.”

What were they talking about? He didn’t know and he also didn’t want to find out. He attempted to run, trying to separate himself away from the ambush, but he couldn’t. His body struggled to move a muscle, the only thing he could move was his eyes. The fear took a hold of him. He couldn’t run away. Not anymore.

As they were arms-length away, he could see that these were no ordinary people, they had teeth shaped like expo-blades and they had three deep striations on each side of their necks. Now, they were inches away from V. They had the upper hand, three against one paralyzed, confused, and a about-to-be-very-dead man. That’s when it happened, they’ve all stopped.

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Their mumbling wavered and then they all look down at the water, then at the sea. They stopped breathing. Then suddenly a large shadow covers the bodies, then the boardwalk. As their chanting stops, so does V’s paralysis. Finally, able to move, he turns away from the individuals to run. But it the effort turns out to be for naught as a big wave covers the shore, the boardwalk, the town and all.

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PART 3: THE DREAM As V was covered in what seemed to be the whole of the Atlantic Ocean, he was put into a deep sleep.

Images of the individuals crossed his mind during his brief slumber, but they’d seemed different.

The air smelled cool and fishy like V was still on the boardwalk. But he was far from it. The first vision was of the Sea Captain who was alive and well. But that’s an overstatement, he stood on the *stern of the ship hollering orders to his crew mates as the ship was being bombarded by waves and what seemed to be shadows of what looked to be large seaweed. As he barked orders V was seeing glimpses of the ship, Views that he didn’t control. *Stern - The rear end of a boat.

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The point of view changed from the stern to the *starboard, where the crew was hard at work recovering control of the ship. Pulling lines from the ship’s *yardarm. The view transitioned to the *underdeck as crewmates were also shooting canons into nothing but what seemed to be shadows. The view then transitioned to underneath the ship, as a giant shadow passes by. Blocking the ship, the shadow passes underneath the ship and the sounds erupted and was filled with canon fire and yells, followed by large splashes of the sea. Then suddenly all went quiet. After a few eerily silent seconds the shadow leaves, exposing an empty ship. No crewmates, no Capitan, nothing left but a bottle placed sideways from where the Captain stood and the only thing you could hear was the sound of the ships bells.

The abandoned ship faded away into a new setting, but the air still smelled like that of the board walk.

And this time, it was. It was part of the boardwalk where the walkway ended above the sea. The walkway was completely empty except for a man in a striped button-down shirt, as he sat on the edge of the boardwalk. He was having a cigarette and drinking from a bottle of an unnamed drink. Probably a man, on his break from working a long day. But all isn’t well *Stardom- The rear end of a ship. *Yardarm - Underneath a ship’s sail. *Underdeck - The lower level of a ship.

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as it seemed, as his eyes were directed to his pockets, as he took out a small photo. He began to tear up with the sight of it. The man then stood up, with photo in hand, he gently placed the bottle on the walkway. And looked out to sea. Then a shadow passes by, followed with a large splash. As the shadow leaves, the only thing left is the bottle and pieces of paper flying away.

The setting then changed in a flash, like as if it were a picture. The boardwalk was busy again, with the rustle and bustle of what seemed to be another busy Saturday night. The town didn’t look the same, it seemed more alive. The focus was on a child with a teddy bear in one hand and a coconut drink in the other. She was walking the boardwalk alongside her mother, when suddenly all hell breaks loose.

Gun shots rang out as a maniac went on a rampage on the boardwalk. Everyone ran. Except the child.

She stood there, standing motionless. With her mother on the boardwalk already face down on the walkway. The first victim of the shooter. She fell next to a bottle. The girl looks up to V. With the last thing he sees was her eyes as she closed them as a shadow passes by followed by a gunshot.

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PART 4: THE BOTTLE Suddenly woken up by a hard object hitting his head. What the hell? Groggily, he sat up, rubbing his temple. He looked around to see the carnage left by the tsunami. But to his surprise he sees that nothing had changed. Was I dreaming?

Where did everyone go? No one was there. Then the same object hit him again, this time on the arm.

He looked down, it was a bottle. He stood up with the bottle in hand, he looked at it. The bottle itself was dark and opaque. So was the liquid inside it. The bottle had a weird texture to it on the center. With closer inspection it wasn’t just a texture but an engraving.

“For, V.” he read out-loud as the waves broke on the shore in the background. Weird, what is this doing in the ocean? What am I doing in the ocean? He walked back to his motel to inspect 19

the bottle a little further in his dining room.

He looked at the bottle and it had no further information but the engraving on it. Weird.

But it also had a strange cloudy liquid inside.

This must be ancient. V said to himself as he uncapped the bottle to get a closer look.

As he opened the bottle, a sudden surge of thirst swept through him like he hasn’t drank water weeks! He started to salivate, and couldn’t think straight, like he was in a trance. He looked around, then at the bottle. With one full swig he had down half of what was inside. And then, that’s when it hit him. This is fantastic! This should be the next new product! Why haven’t I thought of this before!

The liquid inside the bottle was rum. But it wasn’t like any other rum. This rum was as strong as it was smooth! Amazing! I should recreate this! He then traveled back to Cincinnati and started a distillery.

After a string of failed attempts, V has successfully recreated the rum within a year with the supposed use of a secret ingredient. V sucessfully brought back authentic Arkham style rum to Cincinnati!

Retitled as The Curse of V, after the story of finding the bottle, the flavored rum shot V back up in ranks into becoming the leading manufacturer of another beverage, this time it was alcohol.

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Which was the perfect contrast he was looking for. A more grown up and serious version of V has been made through this brand itself. And from then on out, V wasn’t just known to make fun and cartoony products, he was now known as the man who created the curse. The Curse of V!

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CHAPTER 2: THE MANUAL “In this part of the manual you’ll be told the brand standards of the company, from the mood, to our assets, and even to logo specifications.

This part of the book will have it all!”

PART 1: THE MOOD Unlike the previous company V is known for, Nati-Coco, which is designed and made for kids, this brand is the opposite. With the mood of the company changing in tone and style to cater towards young adults and up.

We already have the Tri-State, next up, the world.

Because who doesn’t need a bottle of rum? The team behind this rum, V & Co., are dedicated to bringing you authentic Arkham styled rum, straight from the Atlantic Ocean. Bringing you the east 23

coast straight to your home! No flights, boats, train rides, or any of that unneeded traveling to taste the authentic and sweet rum that is The Curse of V. By doing this we want to show that Ohio isn’t just about craft beer. But it has rum too! We are seriously committed to bring you the best local rum in the Tri-State! By creating rum in-house, and bringing business to Cincinnati! This led to the creation of new jobs for local brewers, because they are vital to the company as they attempt to create new flavors.

Keeping the company new and fresh! Thus, setting up the next big step in the company for the future.

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PART 2: LOGO BASICS SECTION A: THE NAME AND LOGO The rum was named after the spooky origin story of the drink itself, and by the person who founded the recipe. The Curse of V, is the next step on V & Co. notable products. The logo is inspired by the Vampire Squid, it’s scientific name translated to the “vampire squid from hell”, it seems to be vicious but, it’s relatively harmless as it is a deepsea dweller who only eats the scraps of the sea.

This description also fits the characteristics of the beverage as it’s a hard drink but it’s relativity sweet and spiced. The squid also fits with the mythos of Arkham itself, displaying a nod to Cthulhu. The logo itself can be modified to fit different and new flavors of rum. But currently, there is only one flavor, the Original Spice.

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FULL LOGO

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

Outline, No Fill: Used on assets that benefits with the see through look.

White Fill: Main version that is used on most assets.

W/O SQUID

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

Black: Used over monochromatic or mainly white backgrounds.

White: Used over black backgrounds.

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SECTION B: FONTS USED

Gloucester MT Extra Condensed ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Gg

Used for titles, headers and is used as the primary text for the logo itself, this type was chosen for its ability to see at arms-length. Since the logo is for a rum brand, you would only see this when you are holding the bottle itself, or in a magazine.

But the disadvantage of using this font is that it’s hard to read from afar. To counter this the logomark wraps around the name of the product itself, making it distinguishable from other brands of distilled alcohol.

IM FELL French Canon Regular ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Ii

This font is the most dynamic of the fonts we use because it’s for everything else but the titles and headers. Chosen for its legibility in body texts. This font matches the feel of the old book style that the company strives for.

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Mrs. Monster Italic

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Mm

This font is only used as the decorative portion of the logo and sometimes this is used for our advertisements.

SECTION C: COLORS USED “Squid Ink Black” PANTONE P Process Black C RGB: 39 37 31 HEX: 27251F CMYK:0 0 0 100 / 0 0 0 “Ghost White” PANTONE P 1- 1 C

No color.

Our company only uses these three colors in all of our assets. All color is prohibited in all assets.

The brand itself is set to give off a serious and mysterious tone. This results in our ads to be in monotoned black and white. And at times they will be in a dark grayscale. But never in color.

If you have any questions or suggestions of our use of color be free to contact the branding department at V & Co., through the phone or by email. Both will 29

be found on the company’s site: vandcompany.com.

SECTION C: LOGO USAGE The following examples will show the incorrect usage of the logo. Followed by the correct ways to utilize the logo.

THINGS NOT TO DO The following examples will show you all the things you DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT do! If you have any question’s or suggestions of any changes please contact our marketing department on our website: vandcompany.com.

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ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

Example 2: Don’t rearrange the logo in any way.

Example 3: Don’t change the color of the logo, it can be either black or white.

Example 4: Don’t rotate the logo, other than through 90 degree angles (see example 13).

OR

I

DR UM

AL GIN

ICE

SP

SP

IC

M RU D E

GIN AL

RI

O

Example 1: Don’t skew or morph the logo in any way.

NA L IGI

OR

UM DR

ICE

SP

SP

ICE

L NA

IGI

DR UM

OR

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ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM Example 5: Don’t add or remove any elements to the logo. (Unless a new flavor

Example 6: Don’t place the logo on any colored assets, ie. colored photos, colored textures, and colored backgrounds. ALL assets should be in black and white, or in shades of gray.

of rum is made. In that case, you can change the hat, squid attire, and the subtitle Or maybe if you’re to create new assets that just needs the squid itself, (see example. 12).

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

Example 7: Don’t place the outlined version of the logo on a black/white background.

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THINGS TO DO The following examples will show the correct ways to use the logo.

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

Example 8: The logo can be over b/w assets as long as it has an outline. So it doesn’t get lost.

Example 9: The outlined logo can be used over any asset (that isn’t in color).

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

Example 10: The logo can be used on black by changing the logo to white.

Example 11: The logo can also be used on black by creating a simple outline around the logo itself.

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Example 12: On certain occasions, the company can be identified by just the squid itself (see Chapter 3 for examples).

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

ORIGINAL SPICED RUM

Example 13: On certain occasions, the logo can be rotated in 90 degree angles, this is used for dynamic designs (see Chapter 3 for examples).

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LOGO SPECIFICATIONS (see next page) In this section of the manual, you will be taught a brief lesson on the spacing in the logo itself. It will explain the safe area around and the area that the logo itself is in, regards to a graphic or being placed next to another element.

This is area will be important to refer to when creating assets. Assets like websites, advertisements, sponsorships, gear, and many more. This safe area is created to preserve legibility of the logo.

Unit of Measurement Safe Area

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By using these simple rules you’ll be able to achieve the maximum and proper use of the logo.

Now you know the basics of our logo, but what do these rules translate to in our marketing?

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CHAPTER 3: COLLATERAL In this chapter of the manual, we’ll display examples of the company’s collateral for The Curse of V. From business cards to employee tees, this will show you a glimpse of what we have and hopefully, it will inspire you to create new and improved assets for our company.

Buisiness Cards: Only in black/white tones, these cards are inspired by minimalistic designs. The cards displays everything you need to know and nothing else.

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Advertisements: Only in black/white tones. The subject matter is serious and should always invoke mystery and danger.

The Mobile Site: Black and white layout. Displays pictures modified to be in black and white. Simple design and user friendly.

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Tees: Only in black/white tones, these tees only display the logo and nothing else.

Bottles: Only in black/white tones, sharing the same concept as the logo itself. This bottle features a sleek black, serious, and simple design throughout, thus matching the tone of the company.

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Resources Caudill, Jason, and Pamela S Ecker. Ch 1: The Importance of Brand Standards, 2013.

Brandards.com, 2016.

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EPILOGUE: THANKS Well, that’s it. That’s everything you need to know about the company. If you have any questions and concerns, contact our marketing team through our site, vandcompany. com. Thank you for reading through this brand manual.

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About the Author Vatthana “V” Long is currently a student at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. He’s currently studying for an Associate’s for Graphic Design. When ever he isn’t in school, he’s probably creating and doodling. Visit him and see his works on Behance at behance.net/vatthanasifafb.

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