Last night I ate this Great Value brand vanilla ice cream…and it was good!

For those who don't know, Great Value is the in-store brand for Walmart. It's the "value" option of basically everything they sell in the store. And where it lacks in dollars it usually lacks in taste. However, over the past year they've started to improve the product quality and even redesigned the packaging. No doubt in anticipation of a looming recession and customers thinning wallets. They also saw the successful trend of Publix brand name products which both look and taste like quality.

Publix surprisingly is what my wife associated this Great Value ice cream with. When she saw it in the freezer with the new packaging she immediately associated it with the clean, white package design of Publix brand ice cream, and therefore better quality. She said that Publix products are just as good as most name brands. That says a lot about Publix in-house brands. That their brand could make another brand valuable just by association. In this case not by literal endorsement but just by looking similar.

There's got to be a better analogy out there but remember when Julia Roberts was with Lyle Lovett back in the 90′s? I had no idea who Lyle Lovett was at the time. All I knew was what I saw on the cover of People magazine in the grocery store. I assumed he was either rich or well, quite a guy.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt based on association.

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From Meg:

So, my time at Matchstic has come and gone all a little too quickly. I’ve greatly enjoyed getting the opportunity to intern here, getting the opportunity to work with the designers and the be challenged as an individual and artists. And as I reflect on what exactly I’ve learned or gained from my time here I can definitely say that as a whole I have grown tremendously. I have gained confidence and experience that will benefit me in my career.

It has been extremely valuable to have experience and learn a new and different way approaching brainstorming, concepting, and being able to observe how other people approach the design process. I feel like as a whole I have a better understanding of it all.

I have witnessed a work environment that is encouraging, positive, and creative. A company who is passionate about what they do, and appreciative of who they get to work with. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to work, learn, and grow here. I am grateful for being challenged and their patience (especially when posting things for client review) and their encouragement.

Finally I will take away reigning undefeated in boggle…

Thanks,
meg.

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Above is an illustration from Meg's last project

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With summer coming to an end, I've dedicated this blog post to our very own Dustin "Dumpy" Britt. (Not sure where the name came from, but you'll see how it relates in a minute).

As we all know, there's this little thing called recycling. A little thing that's often difficult to follow through with consistently. Sometimes the "Three R's" can be a real snooze fest. But what if…

you recycled some thing awesome — like a dumpster. This is where design comes in to play. Design, in its entirety, is more than what people normally think about (logos, business cards, etc.) To quote important-person Herbert Simon: “Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” For more insight, take a look at The Designful Company.

And as British designer Oliver Bishop Young shows, there are a great many possibilities, including:

Gardens

Living Spaces

And the one best suited for our Southern summers, pools.

Luckily we still have a couple months left of toasty weather, and rumor has it, resident intern, pâtissier extraordinaire, and hip individual Meg (& co.) just might have something in the works..

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We often help organizations walk through the process of rebranding.  The need for rebranding can come for several different reasons, one of which I wrote about a little while ago.  Sometimes though, people feel they need to take their company the rebranding process when there is absolutely no need to.  In fact, it very well could be detrimental to the organization.  So recently I started making a list of times when companies don't need to rebrand.  So with that, I'll kick off the first of several reasons not to Rebrand your company…

1. Don't Rebrand when you just feel like a change.

Entrepreneurs are innovative people by nature.  Their ability to not accept the status quo is what drove them to start out of the box companies and build amazing businesses.  But sometimes once things are more established, that need to innovate and change can possibly be applied in the wrong places.  Change is a powerful thing, but never just for the sake of change.  I've personally had conversations with entrepreneurs who just get antsy and want something different.  The problem here is that your customers are becoming very comfortable with your company, they recognize the brand identity, and it makes them feel safe and comfortable.

You shouldn't have Rebranded example #1: Tropicana

A great example of this is the whole Tropicana debacle earlier this year.  The "straw in the orange" has always been a staple of the Tropicana brand, and it's what everyone looks for when wanting great orange juice.  But for some crazy reason, someone decided after 24 years, they should get a new look to their packaging.  Now, in this NY Times article, it is being related to the disaster that was New Coke.  But Tropicana fans have gotten their way and Tropicana has gone back to the loved straw in the orange design. (thanks to Aaron Lake for sending me this example)

You shouldn't have Rebranded example #2: IKEA

Another example I just this morning read on another blog I often read, idsgn.com.  Here is the entry I read that shows how IKEA, unexplainably (to me as a loyal customer) after 50 years changed their main font from Futura to Verdana.  As silly as it sounds to say, I find comfort in those little price cards with that very recognizable Futura, or to me IKEA, font.  Now, those catalog spreads look more like Office Depot than IKEA.  I hate the change.  It makes me uncomfortable.  I'm sure someone had the thought, "Hey, after 50 years we should change this."  That sentence makes perfect sense, except for the fact that this customer doesn't want change, he wants IKEA.

What do you think?  Can you think of any other examples?

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Our good friend, and amazing author, designer, strategist, and super hero, Alina Wheeler released the third edition of her book, "Designing Brand Identity". In the latest edition she featured a case study on our identity for City Church Eastside, as well as our X31 logo in some of her examples- we are so honored!

Alina had this to say about putting the City Church case study in her book, "The third edition of Designing Brand Identity has 29 new case studies that I have identified as best practices from around the world. When I visited with Matchstic earlier this year in Atlanta, it was clear to me that it’s a firm to watch. Their “On the House” program is a model that many should follow. Their work is strategic and fresh."

We will be reading the book together as a company, and you should stop and buy one now.

You can also read the entire City Church case study here

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My wife visited the at&t store to get a new cell phone since hers died. The website said we were eligable for an upgrade so we thought great! She walked in and up to one of the service people who looked "super busy" texting. She said "my phone is broken, can I use my upgrade?" He said sure, all you have to do is pay the $18 upgrade fee and then the price of the phone (roughly $150 low end). Julie said forget that wondering how is this "upgrade" was any benefit to her. Then she remembered we needed to cancel our home phone, also with at&t, which she figured she would go ahead and do now. Turns out they don't do that there. In fact you have to call a number and literally beg someone to cancel. Defeated and frustrated she left only to realize that her cell phone still didn't work, so how was she going to call.

Why is customer service so under valued by big faceless companies? Why is it so hard to do right? Experiences like these leave a such a bad taste in your mouth which otherwise could have been great. And it's only a matter of time before you spread the word to your friends. In this case a word of disappointment.

Marty Neumeier writes in Zag, "Every brand is built with experiences, whether the brand is a company, product or a service and whether it serves individuals or a buisness. The key is to craft those experiences so they create delight for the people who determine the meaning and value of your brand – your customers."

In the same book he also writes, "Every brand is built by a community. Not just a community of people inside the company, but it's partners, suppliers, investors, CUSTOMERS, non-customers, even competitors. It's a complete ecosystem in which there are gives and gets all around. Everyone has a role to play, and everyone should be repaid for thier efforts."

People need people, brands need people. Good will is good buisness.

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Alvin and I have been talking quite a bit lately about some of our favorite TV shows starting back up (namely Mad Men & Top Chef). After Alvin's blog last week, we got to talking more about the premier of Mad Men | Season 3 this week and the abundance of marketing taking place in advance of the show (everything from viral sites to a Banana Republic clothing line) – especially in comparison to past seasons.

A theory emerged…

[Most] every successful show starts out with a quality, new, creative idea. That quality idea typically leads to a quality first season, where some, but not all, begin to watch. A successful Season 1 typically leads to a bit more marketing and thought that Season 2 might just produce the kind of viewership to support a true "hit". And here's where the interesting thing starts to happen…

It seems that after an even more successful Season 2, marketing hits an all out blitz, getting ready for a Season 3.

So when this happens, does the focus flip from producing something quality for viewers and fans, to instead recreating past success to generate an even larger audience-base? In other words: does the focus shift from creating a quality product to producing more revenue?

I think so.

I look at shows like the Office (U.S. version), American Idol, 24, and even LOST, and see how the quality, originality, and creativity all seemed to have peaked at and during Season 3. After that…well, they were and are certainly popular and making lots of money, but the quality has also diminished to the point where once loyal viewers (like myself) no longer tune in. And I believe that a continual (sometimes even gradual) decrease in quality will eventually lead to a show's unfortunate demise.

There's a branding principle in here too. Every company needs marketing and increased revenue to build a convincing, credible, and growing brand. But these should always be by-products of something amazing – and not the other way around.

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Cheap beer is good. But generally speaking, design for cheap beer is not so good. As time goes on, the major players have gone through phases, evolution and reinventions in their marketing and design. Miller keeps piling one more gradient on top of one more swoosh; Coors has color-changing cans (because apparently people can't tell how cold their beer is by just touching it); Bud touts "drinkability" (i.e. dumbed down).

Amidst all that fussy marketing and branding, there are few major brands that have just said, "No." Most notably perhaps being the venerable Pabst Blue Ribbon. Simple, honest, and virtually unchanged after all these years. Despite a having a relatively sturdy following, Pabst has refused to "cash in" on the opportunity to convert this momentum into a bigger marketing effort to increase "brand awareness," as they say. Many would argue that it's a lost opportunity, but I guess it depends on one's priorities. Is it worth losing that sense of "authenticity" that over-marketing inevitably leads to? Instead, the company has found a more organic and subtle approach to generating buzz via promoting live music, local businesses, and dive bars. And really just staying honest to who they are. I'd imagine if the can were ever to change, it would incite more of an uproar than even Chipotle.

In the end, PBR may very well have moved more cans with a glossy new ad campaign. Or hi-tech cans. Or bigger type and brighter gradients. But in lieu of chasing the dream, they've avoided becoming a cliché, having to cover up shortcomings with moar marketing, and thus have remained an honest brand and unmistakable cultural icon. Cheers.

Photo from Flickr.

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I recently read this interview with Rick Klotz, owner/designer of the apparel brand Freshjive.  It's a really interesting read in which Rick explains his growing distaste with the concept of branding and how he's decided to not use any logos on any of his new products.  He's not sure what the outcome will mean, but he's following his heart with this move.

I would like to make an argument that he still has a brand, he's just changed his brand strategy and let the visual identity flow out of that strategy.  It's not possible to not have a brand, but you may base your brand on having little "logo" value, which is fine.

What I love most about what he's done is that he has built his brand to be authentic to who he is on the inside.  Anytime brands try to be something that they aren't, they lose the power of great communication.

What do you think?  Is it possible to have no brand at all?  Or is this just a "no-brand" brand strategy?

Thanks to my good friend and old co-worker, Mike Scully, for making me aware of this.

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Our good friends at Sixthman, brought us "on board" to help develop the brand for their newest partnership cruise, VH1′s Best Cruise Ever. Included in our efforts were brand strategy, naming, logo design, print collateral, and the website design. A big initiative like this always leaves a trail of materials from our process, so I thought I'd collect some add some thoughts and share. Enjoy!

Concept:

Imagine everything awesome about VH1, then imagine it on a cruise for 4 days and nights with endless activities, so much so you'll forget to put on sunscreen.

First Execution:

The first approach we tried was an illustration based design that would allow us to be a little more whimsical and playful, but we felt it took away from the simplicity and humor of the sunburn concept.

Second Execution:

The second approach was a photo shoot with an everyday Joe as our model. We didn't want Billy Blanks or Xena the princess warrior, we wanted average. Someone who really would forget to put on sunscreen, you know, that guy. After we received the photos we tried various treatments, including a body covered in sun burnt type, but kept hanging on to this idea of simplicity. Below are some of the executions:

Final Solution:

We ended up on a version with only the logo burn mark and all the type set into the box in the bottom right. This version also allowed us to "swap" the background whenever needed. A TV Spot might have a setting sun, a web banner might have thousands of people packed onto the deck of the boat, or the festival poster might have the simple blue for ample room for autographs. The version below also includes the retouched final model image.

Logo

The logo was a simple stencil, used for the blocking of sunburnt chests, with an added Rock N' Roll hand. Our goal was to make it translate easily into merch and lower back tattoos.

So, as Danny Bonaduce would say, What do you think?

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