While reading an article on Smashing Magazine about Designing Style Guidelines For Brands And Websites I came across a personal identity guideline by Christopher Doyle that makes fun of branding guidelines in a smart and humorous fashion. It’s definitely worth a look whether your a designerd or not! Download the full .pdf here.
A few months ago, I noticed that something was different about the packaging of the Champagne of Beers which is Miller High Life. It was much simpler, bolder and graphic with an emphasis on the logo and Lucy, the girl in the moon. After a little research, I found out that this redesign was done by the San Francisco office of Landor, with illustration assistance by Chris Mitchell.
The old logo on the left has been simplified by eliminating the bevels, gradients and hi-lights and the curves are a little more graceful. The letters in HIGH LIFE are cleaned up, thinner and more readable. It is also just a one color logo now.
Old Lucy on the left is also more simplified and now wears hearts instead of diamonds.
One nice detail of the packaging occurs when you set multiple sized cans sitting next to each other.
Overall, the updated look is definitely a breath of fresh air with many great details and graphics working together.
Cheers.
I just read Graham Button’s blog about Brands in the age of the Millennials. Its such a must-read that I thought I’d re-post it here.
He leaves us with a final note — a video with a poem by Taylor Mali animated by Ronnie Bruce. It is definitely worth watching — so check it out here or after the jump.
1. “Daddy, what’s a brand?” Chiquita, Victoria’s Secret, The GOP, Amnesty International. They all use marketing and invite trust in a distinct belief system. They’re all, to one degree or another, brands. For a brand, nirvana is when your good name is so widely endorsed that it enters the language. “Pass the Kleenex.” “Google it.” But that’s the top of a long and slippery slope–look at Toyota and Tiger Woods. A healthy brand drives up your stock, and vice versa. These are the things we thought we knew. It’s 2010–are they still true?
2. My brand isn’t working. Better send out an RFP, right? There’s this idea that advertising or design firms create brands. This is silly. “Just do it” was there in the Nike culture–Wieden + Kennedy was just the reporter that dug it up. Brands tell the truth and when they don’t they fail. Look at New Coke or Cool Britannia–people like you and me decide what Coca-Cola is or isn’t, and in the end it was Britain which re-branded Tony Blair. Recently in Colorado, people took to the streets to protest the possible end of the Frontier Airlines “tail animals”–the core of a brand our company Genesis helped to launch. It wasn’t the graphics they were defending, it was the culture they express. If your brand is under-performing, the first place to look is the mirror.
I was using Google the other day (surprise) and noticed something was different but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I went to their blog and see that they have made a few subtle changes.
First off, the Google logo has been updated to be brighter and simpler and a little more up to date in my humble opinion. There is still a drop shadow but it is much more subtle. The letters still have dimension but are more refined with subdued shadows and hi-lites. They got rid of the ™, too. Here’s an image comparing the old logo (top) and the new logo (bottom):
The footer on the search results page no longer has a light blue bar and the links now have no underlines. The letters that spell Goooooooogle are also bigger and brighter. Here’s the old footer (top) compared with the new (bottom):
The “left-hand nav” of search tools has also been updated with icons and a bit of reorganization.
You can check out some of the prototypes that were tried before settling on the designs above by clicking the links below that I pulled from their blog page:
Project Runway pattern design
Spoiler Alert.
I hope everyone already caught last week’s episode of Project Runway, and if not, you should run and watch it now. On the latest show, the designers were put to the challenge of creating their own signature fabric prints to incorporate into a finished look, representative of their personal aesthetic. The designers had one whole hour (I’d like to see what they could have come up with in more time) to draw out their prints on a HP All-in-One desktop PC. Some were hideous (Check out Mila’s rainbow mess), and others were a success with the judges (check out Emilo Sosa’s graffiti styled brand pattern). After creating the patterns on the computer, they were then printed digitally onto fabric. The idea of printing my own fabric made me green with envy. I’m a nut for interior design, so getting to further personalize my home using my own graphic design prowess excites the banana’s out of me. Unfortunately, the task seemed way out of reach.
As luck would have it, I wondered across this gem of a web site that let’s you upload your artwork and purchase your very own fabric masterpiece. Best part is, that it won’t break the bank and there is no minimum! I think it’s time to start getting creative. Need help creating your own patterns? Check out this post on creating seamless patterns in illustrator.
FYI, (for those in the know) I hope I never have to hear “T.G.” used as a nickname ever again. You’re killing me Mila.
Redesign Valentines Day? Where do you start? The creepy cupid? The cheesy, over the top combination of red and pink, hearts and roses, teddy bears and love birds? Accepting a challenge from Public Radio’s Studio 360, the husband and wife design team at Under Consideration started with the classic heart shape. They approached the project as they would any redesign project and began by defining the problem and establishing goals. Once they determined their goals they went on to create a simple, universal mark to represent Valentines day. They then developed a new color palette and revamped traditions. You may like, hate or maybe even LOVE this v-day makeover. I personally am loving the new color palette, the return to home made cards and especially the “hand-branded” sticky notes used to leave unexpected notes on Valentine’s Day and maybe even all year for your special someone to find. Regarding the mark, I am a bit torn, I love the simplicity, I like the concept of starting with the heart, I appreciate that it also makes a “V” and enjoy the added benefit that the X-like shape reminds me using Xs to symbolize kisses. However, the mark in and of itself doesn’t give me the feeling of love or romance. But, regardless of how you feel about the final product, I think it is a great illustration of the rebranding process. Looking at the process in regards to such a well known, generic entity gives good insight into the process itself. For an in-depth look at the process check out the article on Brand New.
It makes sense right? On every package you design, you must designate space for the bar code. This is valuable real estate especially if the packaging is small. Design Barcode, Inc. has invented a process that allows a design element to be integrated into the bar code. With this technology instead of hiding the bar code, you can incorporate it into the design or just brand it appropriately. The possibilities are endless.
When I first read the New York Times article about the new AOL logo on Monday, I thought to myself, “That company is still around? Who uses it?” Then I thought “That new logo looks like a dog poo.”
I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt as it is a very different kind of brand identity. It is described as “uniquely dynamic” and “a simple, confident logotype, revealed by ever-changing images. It’s one consistent logo with countless ways to reveal” on the AOL Corporate Site. It appears that the logotype will remain constant but the backgrounds behind the logo will always be changing in an effort to suggest the depth and extent of AOL’s content. Cool idea. Even kind of MTV like. But to me it falls short.
The logotype is boring, uninspired and does not make sense. Is it an acronym? Is it a sentence? It has a capital letter and a period. Is it a really a logo or is it just some keyed letters on top of a bunch of stock photos? Is it design or art? Is it’s purpose to generate a lot of attention and press because it is so bad?
At least there isn’t a drop shadow.
This week one of our treasured clients, Bradley Angle, is throwing a brand roll-out party to announce the complete rebranding of their organization, a process we took them through over the past several months. We’re extremely stoked to see their new brand go out into the world, and thrilled to be invited to join in the celebration. Bradley Angle, after all, is an outstanding part of our community and we’re honored to support them. It’s all very warm and fuzzy.
Kurtis, however, has taken it to the next level.
You may or may not know this, but Kurtis is a member of Pink Noise, aka “A band that will make you believe.” When he heard about the party being planned, he jumped at the chance to perform and add that certain “je ne sais quoi” to the festivities that only a new wave 80′s band can provide.
It’s sure to be a blast—we’re dusting off our Robot and White Man’s Overbite moves, practicing our Slam Dancing techniques, and pulling those tight acid-washed jeans out of the back of the closet.
Congratulations to Bradley Angle on a new brand and an exciting new chapter in their organization!
I was combing the grocery store aisles last week because I needed salt for a recipe. I didn’t need just ANY salt, though. I wanted the very best salt. I saw a plethora of different brands, some name brands and others generic. The one that stood out, of course, was Morton’s Salt. It was packaged better, and featured a nifty little pour spout that the others lacked. Besides that, I’ve known since childhood that the round blue box contained the best salt in the world. How did I know that? Marketing, my friends.
The branding of Morton’s salt began in 1911 with a significant image that has evolved over the years, but essentially stayed the same. We are all familiar with the little girl and umbrella holding a box of salt pouring out behind her, amidst the rain. Her tagline is “When it rains, it pours.” Why? Because in 1914, Morton’s salt publicized their claim to fame: their salt contained magnesium carbonate, an anti-caking agent that allowed the salt to pour freely even in great humidity or rain. Today Morton’s salt doesn’t contain magnesium carbonate anymore; rather, it contains calcium silicate, an equally anti-caking alternative.
So that must mean that Morton’s is indeed the better salt, thus the higher price tag and much higher annual sales. Not too fast: upon reading the ingredients for other leading and generic salt brands I found that they, too, contain anti-caking agents which allow them to also pour freely in the rain. What is the Morton’s secret, then? Brand. Brand. Brand.
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