Oops!
according to Interbrand’s annual brand
value study. It’s an example I often
use with my clients to help them better
understand the importance of brand
consistency. What color is Coke? Red;
not blue, not green, not yellow, always
red. It’s immediate brand recognition,
nutured and earned over time. It’s what
every company should strive to attain.
Their white holiday cans have created
quite an uproar, none of it good. The lesson
is simple and one I learned while rebranding
the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Before you make
drastic changes to any part of your brand,
especially if you’re a well established brand,
make sure you’re not alienating your core
audience. It never goes over well.
Brand Power
The results of good design and branding aren’t
always blatantly apparent. These are two excellent
and highly visible examples of brand power.
People line up for a Cable Car ride because it’s been
branded as part of the “San Francisco experience” in
movies, advertisements and television. Similarly,
Apple’s brand means something to its devotees,
enough that they’re willing to line up early outside
a downtown retail storefront.
Is it worth investing in your brand? You bet.
Squillante Studios & TechProse
Working together with an excellent team
from TechProse Squillante Studios is helping
Wells Fargo redesign their Audit and
Security University program and
all corresponding materials.
Beautiful Branding
We recently found Mike Page’s Style Lab, a San
Francisco hair salon that clearly understands
the value of good branding. The predominately
white interior captures urban cool, cleanliness
and professionalism while exuding a confident
sense that you’ll enjoy an exceptional experience.
Like any good branding effort, the little things
aren’t overlooked. There’s a cubby of perfectly
arranged products, a small fridge with chilled
beverages and individualized but branded
business cards for each stylist.
Success in business is never assured but good
branding is one way to give yourself an edge
over the competition. Hats off to Mike and
his team!
Squillante Studios & SFSPCA partner
SFSPCA’s “Our Animals” quarterly magazine.
We’re excited to be partnering with such a
benefit of animals. You can visit the SF/SPCA
online at www.sfspca.org
Who Am I?
everyday and luxury fail to ask themselves. The
above sign, found on the streets of San Francisco,
is a good local example of this problem. A global
example is Porsche, previously an icon of sports
the Panamera sedan and the Cayenne SUV, Porsche
is doing a good job of confusing people and more
importantly, diluting the strength of their brand.
What does good design do?
What does good design do? What positive effect
will it have on my business? These are questions
we often hear from clients who are nervous about
investing in design. Despite its dominant role
in successful businesses, design is often an
overlooked component in most business schools,
leaving the majority of business professionals
unprepared to confidently partner with a
design firm.
A common misconception is that design begins
and ends with aesthetics. It makes you look good
but it doesn’t achieve much else. This notion can
be both correct and incorrect, but it is based entirely
on the quality of the design team enlisted, not on
the overall effectiveness of design as a tool. Long,
labored messaging, confused structure and a lack
of consistency are characteristic of poorly conceived
and executed design solutions. The tangible result,
whether print or web, is that the solution has a
diluted message, is difficult to use and overall
frustrating. In short, it ultimately fails to deliver
a return on investment.
Aesthetics are a byproduct of good design, not
the goal. Strong design solutions are characterized
by clarity, succinct messaging and a seemingly
effortless ability to communicate. In essence, they
are easy to use, read and understand. Good design
should also deliver a strategic solution, one that
works as both a single entity and as a cohesive
unit within a much larger puzzle. This becomes
your brand. Good design answers the client’s
immediate problem but it is also structured with
an understanding of future needs. This helps
ensure the wheel is not regularly reinvented
but rather, that it continues to turn smoothly.
The role that design plays in business as an
indispensable element to success is keenly
understood by market leaders, such as Nike
and Apple. Take a look at their messaging;
it’s immediate: Just Do It and Think Different.
Visit their website or pickup some of their
collateral; it’s clean, simple, easy to use and
engaging enough to keep you focused on
what they’re telling you.
Both companies use imagery that conjures
up emotion and immediate brand recognition;
Nike with its portraits of iconic athletes and
Apple with its signature white silhouetted
figures. The result is that people like these
brands, identify with them, and ultimately,
buy their products. This success is not an
accident or dumb luck; it is directly attributable
to decision makers who understand the
power of good design and communication.
Fortunately, with the right design partners, any
business person can harness the same type of
intelligent, purposeful design into a powerful
revenue generating and brand building engine.
Some of the results are tangible and immediate
while others are not but all will positively
impact your business.
Billboards
is far too small to read at a distance and a complex
concept inappropriate for the medium. As a result,
the message, product and brand are relegated to
second place, behind the ad agency’s concept.
avoids the complexity quagmire with one, simple
image and large, easy to read type. The resulting
message; Geoffrey Beene makes high quality
clothes, is clear and immediate.
Immediate and Positive Messaging
These overly flourished letters have lost their
legibility. With the typical attention span measured
in seconds, making your audience struggle to
figure out who you are and what you offer is a
common pitfall.
Trying but failing to be edgy and cool is a
common mistake. This attempt communicates
a vague and scary message. Execution’s more
colloquial and negative connotation suggests
there’s probably a better word choice.
