Art Dimension Blog » Brand identity

Interview with Nick Perumov

Art-d — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:45:46 +0000

AIGA – how to get creative results

Art-d — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:51:06 +0000

Unlike so much in today’s business world, graphic design is not a commodity. It is the highly individualized result of people coming together to do something they couldn’t do alone. When the collaboration is creative, the results usually are, too.

The value position
Design—good design—is not cheap. You would be better served to spend your money on something else if you don’t place a high value on what it can achieve. There’s a view in Buddhism that there’s no “good” karma and no”bad” karma, there’s just karma. The same can’t be said for design. Karma is a universal condition. Design is a human act (which often affects conditions) and, therefore, subject to many variables. When the word “design” is used here, it is always in the context of good design.

A lot of famous people have written many famous books on the importance of design and creativity. The subject matter ranges from using design and creativity to gain a strategic advantage or make the world a more livable place—and more. Much more. The focus here is on how to make the process of design work in the business environment so that the end product lives up to its potential.

We live in a time of sensory assault. Competing for “eyeballs”— which is to say, customers—is more than just an internet phenomenon. The challenge for companies everywhere is to attract consumers to their products and services and keep them in the face of fickle markets.
Download full version of AIGA “A CLIENT’S GUIDE TO DESIGN” publication

Thinking About Rebranding Your Business?

Art-d — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:16:16 +0000

Think it through!

Sometimes when business isn’t going as well as planned, it pays to consider changing your image. Making your business seem fresh in the public eye can be huge for attracting new customers.

The important thing to remember when trying this approach however, is to not let down your current customers. They are after all the ones keeping you in business in the first place.

If you choose to rebrand, make sure to include their best interests unless you are prepared to lose them. It’s one thing if you can afford to start over again from scratch, but unfortunately, many small business owners do not have this luxury.

Erik Johnels at the Weakest Link has some great advice in a post called Re-Branding 101 – Changing Your Image.

Jessica Seid at CNNMoney once cited the following 7 mistakes that people often make when trying to re-brand:

1. Clinging to History

2. Thinking the brand is limited to the logo, stationery and corporate colors

3. Navigating without a plan

4. Not leveraging existing brand equity and goodwill

5. Not walking in your customer’s shoes

6. Believing rebranding costs too much

7. Bypassing the basics.

If rebranding is something you are considering, I urge you to read both of these articles before making any drastic changes. Don’t stop there either. This is a big step for your business and you should do as much research as possible before taking it. Look at other companies that have done it. Try to figure out what made them successful or caused them to fail.

Be sure it’s really what you want to do. Take it slow and consider expanding too. This can often lead to more success without losing the brand you have established.

By Chris Crum

What is Branding?

Art-d — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:09:00 +0000

Branding is not only your logo but also your business name. Great names evoke intrigue, savvy and class, and tell customers a lot about who you are. When you begin the branding process, think first about your name. Next, envision an image that works with that name. Finally, create a byline, which is a short sentence that describes who you are or what you stand for. Here’s an example. I named of one of my first coffee bars “Caffe Primavera.” In Italian, “Primavera” means springtime. For my logo design I used a Corinthian column with a floral theme at its base, surrounded by two renaissance angels. The byline I chose was “Coffee delivered from heaven.”

There are many examples of expired branding in the coffee world. Let’s look at Seattle’s Caffé D’arte (Italian for “coffee of art”). Its simple logo incorporates the company name and a cup in a design that uses traditional Italian colors. Its byline, “Taste the Difference,” tells you a lot. It indicates this company has traditional Italian coffee and suggests it is a high quality product.

Another Seattle coffee company with impressive branding is Caffé Vita. Its logo design features an Italian clown holding a cup. The image is classy, whimsical and reminds me of Carnival in Venice, reinforcing the link to Italy, the Mecca of espresso. The company uses its name and branding in fun and unique ways, probably more so than any other company in the industry.

Recently the company gave away black hats with an embroidered logo design that simply said “Caffé Vita.” But for the younger crowd, as a very creative and unique promotion, the company created cheap black and white foam baseball hats that from a distance read “VITA SUCKS.” Upon closer inspection, you could read small print that said, “VITA is great! What SUCKS is when you can’t find any!

Written by: Bruce Milletto
Source: http://www.expresso101.com/