Here it is, part two in this two-some of articles, as mentioned previously it will be based upon the more intangible side of branding, rather than the visual aspect. There are far more things you can compare when concerned with brands, than only the physical product, it’s function and visual environment.

There is a great example used by Wally Olins to explain this. If you look at the way we interact with a restaurant, you can begin to understand how different aspects of branding fuse together. Ultimately, the main part of how we judge a restaurant is by the standard of it’s food. The product. However, a significant part of the experience is also the environment, which is very important. If it is well designed, or special in it’s own way, it does affect you greatly. The service you receive, the behaviour of the brand, is a considerable factor also. If you receive a slow inattentive service it can quickly change your opinion of what you thought was a wonderful experience. Communication then plays it’s part by you spreading your opinions of your experience to your family and friends through word of mouth. 

The way a brand communicates (aside from visually), is how it is telling it’s audience about itself and what it is doing. It is important that your brand maintains a coherent and appropriate tone of voice across your organisation that extolls the positive virtues of your brand’s core idea.Take for example, one of our client’s Positive Solutions Financial Services. They are the UK’s biggest National IFA firm with over 1700 Independent Financial Adviser(IFAs), each operating under their own steam, but all of them under the Positive Solutions core brand. These individuals are called PS Partners. Positive Solutions approached us with the hope of creating a fixed tone of voice that would span across it’s range of marketing materials, making it’s Partners adopt it’s tone of voice – and thus keeping the brand consistent. We created a range of personalisable branded marketing templates, ranging from leaflets and posters, to stationery and HTML emails that are available through an Online Ordering System. The content of these marketing materials is monitored with all of the available options being screened through Positive Solutions’ compliance and marketing departments, this ensures that IFAs, when using the PS Branding, are following the FSA’s guidelines. If Partners try and pass through alternative adverts, they are forwarded to the Online Ordering System. Success all round in maintaining tone of voice throughout all printed material.

The internet allows a great amount of communication between company and audience and vice versa, customers also communicate more freely with other customers. It takes a lot of attention and care to make sure your brand is communicating correctly and in turn listening more closely, as there has never been such a cohesive union between brand and consumer. Take for example when a brand uses a Twitter Account. Tone of voice on Twitter is paramount. People don’t follow other users for their background or profile picture. They follow them for what they are saying and how they are saying it. For example if a recruitment consultancy wanted to offer a high quality service, but with the accessibility of lower costs and they wanted to use Twitter as a medium for doing this. Perhaps they could try and exude personality through grown up straight-forward tweeting, but with a hint of humour to promote approachability, so that the audience didn’t deem the brand to be posting their fantastic job opportunities from an unreachable Ivory Tower.

Moving on from communication, what surely comes next is behaviour. How your organisation deals with the people it employs and furthermore the way they deal with your audience. All brands, over all sectors come into contact with their audience in some aspect. This is particularly important when concerned with service led brands. This is due to service brands dealing primarily with person to person experiences. Each employee or customer is different. People vary during the day, have worries and occasionally can suffer frankly amazing harassment from customers. As a service brand the organization is it’s people and those people you must manage. It is impossible to maintain a 100% consistently oustanding brand experience. Through good management of your staff, you can ensure that your goal of going that extra step to be helpful. Help them understand the brand and inspire them to extoll the virtues of the brand to your customers. 

References:

Wally Olins: The Brand Handbook – Thames and Hudson

Projector are currently: Working away, a lot to do.

A logo is simply a recognition device, which has been used throughout history to assure people that the product is associated with the company that provides the product. A common misconception is that the logo is the be all and end all of the visual communication of a brand. It is true that the logo is important, as it should reflect the core idea behind a brand with immediacy. However it isn’t simply the logo which displays a brand’s core idea.

If you look at any industry, you’ll notice that mostly there is very little difference between competitors. It is becoming increasingly harder to stand out. The days of being able to judge a brand on rational terms such as price, quality of product and quality of service are gone. Companies must embrace that a brand essentially, is a product, service or organisation with a personality. A personality which overtly differentiates the company, making people become enamoured with the products or service that the brand offers, “become loyal beyond reason”.

The wingspan of a brand has grown considerably in recent times, with the advent of new technology allowing for a myriad of mediums for a brand to communicate with it’s audience. You need to make sure that your brand has a set of effective visual elements. Not simply a standout logo. Think of brand colours, typefaces, imagery and graphical devices. All of the aforementioned (if deemed necessary to promote the brand’s core idea) should adhere to a coherent system across various media (printed matter, web presence, enviroments etc) that gives your brand idea a unique and memorable appearance.

The times are a changing, and it’s not just clients that need to adapt, as a brand communications consultancy we need to move with the times too. Creating brands that come to life in a physical environment is something that we’ve done very well for years – but the world of social media is changing the goalposts for all. Take recruitment – one of our core service areas which has traditionally needed to differentiate itself, work hard and communicate through the printed media first and foremost is now seeing the vast majority of if it’s work being conducted on LinkedIn and Twitter – the challenge of building a personality through social media is a welcome one (so long as the person doing this recognises the fact they still need to be ‘on brand’) but trying to get across the top-end of sector feel of a recruitment consultancy (which a beautiful printed piece with high end production techniques would do easily) through social media avenues is really when the brand messaging needs to be very joined up.

Over the coming weeks we will be exploring a number of areas which will hopefully inform and inspire you to think more in-depth about how you can make your brand stand apart from the competition! Part two coming soon…

References:
Wally Olins: The Brand Handbook Thames and Hudson
Kevin Roberts, Saatchi & Saatchi: Lovemarks – The Future Beyond Brands

Projector are currently: Ticking those to-do lists off, preparing diaries for next week and allowing a small droplet of weekend fever to creep in.

A quick blog article posted in reaction to the recent Newsnight debate on infographics involving Graphic Design luminary Neville Brody and Information Designer David McCandless of the website “Information is Beautiful”. The debate was at first glance to talk about infographics – but it was steam-rolled by Brody in to a larger political debate – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for our sector – but it did sort of leave the substance of the topic behind, which is ironic really – as that was Brody’s opinion of many infographics! 

If I were to decide to use Infographics, and I do, then it would be to keep the reader’s attention span when an article were long and dense in content. Innovative use of graphics can draw the user into what was once unsavoury reading. It can’t be denied that a large mass of statistical data does not inspire reading. Infographics can be used to interest people in things, shedding light on some hidden facts they were previously uninterested in.

“Can we get some interesting graphics like the Guardian to help explain the data?” This is an often quoted phrase within the studio by our client base, and we’re not knocking it – the Guardian do it very well, and we enjoy rising to the challenge if it’s the right thing to do. But that’s the point isn’t it? Do it if it’s the right thing to do, but personally, I sometimes find that infographics do stray into the territory of the designer’s personal wants (or clients even), negating their intended use (of delivering a wide range of complicated information in a concise and appealing manner) and being put into use when they aren’t entirely necessary. 

If you wow someone with too intense and beautiful a picture, they may well become entranced with the picture itself, rather than the message it is intended to display. This happens all too often in our industry as it is, and it’s not just restricted to infographics either – how many times do you see a beautifully crafted logo without any substance, or a printed piece without any real content?

Evaluate why you are doing it. Don’t just let the image become the main feature. It’s intention is to visually communicate the data.

What do you guys think?

Projector are currently: About to close up for the day

We’d just like to let you know that Jamie of Bespoke Radio, has been accepted into the final 10 of gigantic tall man business supremo Peter Jones’s Enterprise Challenge. This is a thoroughly great piece of news, as Jamie has the chance to win a £10,000 cash injection into his business, and in addition to this, 10 hours worth of Legal, Accountancy aid, International Trading top tips, PR Guru support and HR recommendations from leading companies.

Congratulations Jamie! 

You can find out more tit bits of information on the competition here.

Projector are currently: 1 hour away from the weekend. Our weekend activities vary. The Open at St. Andrews, Wallpapering a Guest Room, “not a lot” and going to see Inception. Have a good one!

BBC Radio DJ Jamie Wilkinson set up Bespoke Radio in 2008 after a unique gift he’d created for his gran Joan’s 80th birthday went down a storm. He used his experience and expertise to create a personalised radio show featuring her favourite records, memories and messages from family and friends; she absolutely loved it! Jamie decided to turn the gift experience into a more commercial enterprise, he established Bespoke Radio and through word of mouth the business has grown successfully year on year. 

Although successful, Jamie had ambitious plans for the future of Bespoke Radio and rightly identified his brand as being the starting point for the second phase. The existing brand did not capture the emotional value of the product – while the branding lacked clarity of message and looked more like a business that made bespoke retro radios.

We started from scratch, talking to customers and asking clarifying questions to help build a bigger picture of what the main attraction of the gift was and why it was perceived to be so special. It was clear that Jamie had hit on something unique and incredibly personal, with a gift featuring family and friends voices and stories about them it creates a feeling of nostalgia and makes the recipient feel really special.

We created an identity that reflects these values; with a hand-written style typeface to represent the hand-made appeal of the show and a logo shape based on that of a heart we projected the warm, personal aspect of the gift. The brand is playful yet has the sophistication of a high quality product. We made the colour palette adaptable; a mixture of several bright shades are used alongside white or grey to define the different types of gift available.

In addition to the new logo and key messaging we’ve also designed cd’s, cases and foil-blocked packaging. We also worked with our friends; the always brilliant Union Room, who created a new website where the gifts can be purchased and customised. Check it out here: www.bespokeradio.co.uk

Projector are currently: A little bit embarrassed for the North East

The main focus of the Betterbet brand was to concisely encapsulate it’s position as the most enlightened and knowledgeable betting brand. This would be it’s unique brand selling point. It led us to looking into various ways of graphically suggesting that the viewer was dealing with a company, furlongs ahead of it’s competition.

We started at the drawing board, sketching different graphic logo marques (in our research we realised the use of logo marques amongst betting companies are few and far between, which would give “Betterbet” a more standout quality) which concentrated on various ways of pointing to success.

After having a studio meeting and critiquing the logo sketches, a handful were selected to be worked up in Illustrator, in preparation for a presentation with Union Room. We opted to go with three routes to present.

The first route was based on the more celebratory aspect of betting. The Betterbet logo marque is an abstract icon of a man in the throes of celebration upon winning his bet, throwing his arms into the air. This alludes to the point that, when betting with Betterbet you have more of a chance of a successful stake, due to the indepth statistical knowledge that they provide as part of their service. The font chosen was a friendly and appealing sans serif to aid the welcoming appeal of the man’s celebration. A warm orange was chosen to enhance the appeal, alongside a darker rich blue, to exude a feeling of wealth.

Our second option went for the use of an abstract finish line, to show Betterbet as a pace setting betting brand. The second option utlises an italicised sans serif to give the logotype a dynamic sporting edge. The colours chosen are a dark green off set with a more striking, brighter green.

Our third route…

After much discussion and assessment with Glen and Jordan from Union Room, we came to a decision. We opted for route 3, the graphic target. This symbolises the fact that Betterbet gets it spot on due it being the most informed of all betting brands. It hunts down the best odds, has in depth background information, so you know you have the full picture before pledging your money.

In terms of colour, the idea was to keep it fresh and modern giving it a unique colour scheme to separate it from other bookmakers. We were also keeping in mind the “value for money” overall look and feel of the brand. When choosing logotype we opted for a no-nonsense bold sans-serif approach. The type Akzidenz Grotesk, being a sans serif will ensure a contemporary feel due to it’s ageless quality. Overall we feel that the identity really does it’s job in representing the core values of the Betterbet brand.

This isn’t our only experience of branding for a betting brand. In 2004 we were approached by WBX a relatively new online betting exchange. We helped build the brand and position the betting exchange within the marketplace that would really challenge the already established online bookmakers. This would be achieved through successful advertising campaigns around the major sporting events, which would offer new and existing members attractive promotions and incentives. WBX would also sponsor the famous Hurdling Triple Crown, the prize being if one very lucky trainers horse wins all three races, they walk away with a £1 Million bonus in prize money.

The outcomes of our branding programme were all positive. We successfully positioned WBX within the current betting market gaining them a worldwide audience. We helped provide members with up to date exchange prices through advertising campaigns. In addition to this we produced a look and feel for the brands image through a range of communications, which to this day engage with the target audience and current members. We also worked and produced WBX Mobile to the current members, giving them easier access to placing that winning bet.

To sum up, we’d like to say a big congratulations to the fine fellows at Union Room for getting to be part of the feature in .Net. Well done boys. It’s always nice to see your work published!

Projector are currently: Waiting for kick-off.

1. Demoralised employees, confused customers? – it may be time for a re-brand.

We here at Projector take pride in the fact that we are well known for combining creative skills with an underpinning of business knowledge which we’ve built up over a number of years, working within a wide range of sectors. We’d never tell you that simply a new logo design is the one magic answer that will turn around your fortunes and solve any problems you’re having. However, a good (and thorough) rebrand process will work to unearth the issues that you may be having that could be solved through a number of key changes, including a new look and feel. This can lift spirits, re-focus aims and offer a new beginning.

2. Name or Design Weakness

The company may be doing extremely well with no issues, record profits, loyal workers and happy customers. So why would they want a re-brand? It could be something as simple as the logo growing old fashioned or creating technical problems, i.e. failing to reproduce well in print. This could be the result of a logo simply being designed badly in the first place or being designed to fit in with the style of the moment. For example in the early 90′s a lot of logo’s were designed to look ‘grungy’ with distressed edges and textures. A few years down the line and these logo’s show their age, they have no ‘timeless’ qualities. This approach to branding can pay off in the short term but will require a refresh several years later. 

3. Legal Requirement

Occasionally, but very rarely there may arise legal issues that require a company to make changes to their branding. Reasons for this might be down to similarities between naming or designs resulting in the need for change or perhaps the break up of a company which leads to a loss of the right to use it’s logo mark. One of the most famous examples of this was in 1984 when the US government forced the telecoms company AT&T to break up, resulting in several smaller regional companies. The AT&T bell logo had to go after over 100 years representing the company. 

4. Publicity Stunt

There are many examples of well known companies changing their brand (or the branding of one of their products) in order to drum up publicity resulting in, sometimes positive, sometimes negative public response. Pizza Hut/Pasta Hut, Marathon/Snickers, Pollack/Collin (Sainsbury changed the name of a fish), Opal Fruit/Starburst. The saying goes that ‘all publicity is good publicity’, in the case of the examples I have mentioned and similar cases I would have to agree or at least say that I can’t see that any permanent damage would have occurred as a result. Although initial public response may have been negative in many of these cases, they have all been propelled to the forefront of media attention and are all the better known because of this. Bad publicity usually results from individual human error and not from structured, planned marketing – i.e. Gerald Ratner of Ratners jewellery stores stating their products were cheap rubbish at a press conference.

5. Merger or Acquisition

When two companies merge or if a company is acquired by another the question is usually raised as to how the merger will affect the brand values of either business. There can be a lot at stake, especially when one or both companies already have strong brand personality within the public eye. It’s essential to know the market and assess the pros and cons of making any changes if at all.

One example of where the wrong decision was made was the Royal Mail re-brand to Consignia; in 2001 the company ceased to be run by the government and became semi-independently owned. A re-brand was commissioned and the new name Consignia unveiled. It was a total flop with widespread derision (even the new chairman disliked the name!). The decision was made to revert back to the Royal Mail.

Adopting a slightly humorous approach can differentiate you from competitors in your sector. Obviously this won’t apply to all sectors of business, as brands like Goldmann Sachs would prefer to be more reassuring and business-like to instill a feeling of confidence in their investment banking. However if suitable, humour can grab the attention of an audience, tease out a smile and make a lasting impression with memorable wit. Humour can make people stop and think about a brand, remembering it’s message.

To a case in point. “serious**” as a brand treads this line very well. Waste is something that people either get embarassed about, or laugh over. In choosing the latter and taking a light hearted approach  basing their brand around being “serious about sh**” “dealing with sh**” and that “sh** happens”. Sales proceeded to rise by 90%, giving them a strong platform to further build their brand upon. 

A recent example would be Magners cider, introducing their new campaign in light of the onset of a (hopefully) sunkissed English summer. The campaign features insights into the people who work at Magners. It shows them to be ridiculously relentless when it comes to procuring the apples and it is this commitment that makes the cider so distinctive. In amidst the humour however, is the underlying message that Magners are solely focussed on producing the best tasting cider, alluding to complete dedication to the quality of their product. It is early days but I’m certain that this new campaign will push Magners into the forefront of drinkers’ minds.

Adopting any kind of tone of voice gives you another chance at having something extra in making your brand that little bit different. It could be humour. Your brand could be the one you could imagine going for a cheeky pint with on a lunchtime. It could be the stalwart you can always rely on. Copywriting can really bring your brand down to earth giving a much more engaging experience, making you feel like you have a relationship with the brand, rather than simply using it’s service or products.

Projector are currently: Voting with the back of their hand on this website.

The ship’s captain (Managing Director) of Projector and all together nice guy Mr Phil Lowery was recently asked for his opinions on North East design and upcoming graduates by a:design association. Phil was only too happy to lend a moment of his time to the organisation and if you’d like to see what he has to say then follow the link.

Projector are currently: Wondering where on earth the day has gone.

After the successful re-brand of their parent Lettings company we were asked by Cathedral to develop a new brand for their Estate Agency which has just launched this very month.

We worked with Cathedral for several months to clarify how best to position the new business alongside the existing company. Implementing a naming and branding analysis process we talked to clients and staff with an aim to firming up how the company should be perceived and whether or not a complete new brand, moving away from the ‘Cathedral’ label, would be beneficial. The outcome of this was to keep the ‘Cathedral’ title, which meant that the new brand was at an advantage straight off the mark, being seen to have the backing of the parent company. 

It was then a case of differentiating the new business which we did through the use of colour, variation of the logo shape, new copy and the simple introduction of the ‘Estates’ name to the logotype.

Projector are currently: Looking forward to the bank holiday weekend.