Image by Stephen Hunton

Two weeks ago I got married (whew-who!), and like most newly weds my beautiful bride and I took off for our honeymoon destination in paradise. Logistically we had a smooth run until our return trip home. Standing back in the Atlanta airport at the number 2 international baggage carousel watching bag after bag come out reality eventually set in that mine was not coming. Just for the record Delta is 50% on losing my bags on international flights in the last two years, so I know this feeling all to well. Frustrated, I expressed myself with this tweet…

The response to my complaint was almost instantaneous. I was astonished and while still frustrated I indulged curiously with @DeltaAssist to see if they could really help. After sending my info over the angel-in-twitter-disguise found my bag and informed me it was mistakenly in the over sized bag area. Here was the full DM conversation…

This experienced helped me see more so than ever the evolving value of social media for brands. Not only can you interact, market, and talk to you customers directly but you can instantly solve their problems by tracking the ongoing conversations. Like Judo, a martial arts technique that leverages an opponents momentum against them, Social Media is one way you can turn a bad customer experience into a great one (like @DeltaAssist did for me). Social Media gives you direct access to the most precious of all brand assets, its customers and their feelings (love or hate).

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• You're extremely shy (hermit-like really) & don't like meeting other Atlanta area Creative Professionals.

• You already know everything there is to know about being Creative and could careless about what distinguished industry professionals have to say (if so email me, we probably would want you to present and teach us).

• You (being part vampire) are a nocturnal only creature and sleep all day.

• You get violently ill at the slightest smell of hand-crafted coffee.

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If you can't claim any of these three then you should attend. Still need more convincing? Check out our event photos or watch December's lecture with Ben Chestnut below:

Watch all of the Atlanta Creative Mornings lectures here.

Registration opens @ 11am the Monday before each event and tickets go fast (first three events sold out in less than 10 minutes).  Be sure to follow @Atlanta_CM for updates on the Atlanta Creative Mornings chapter.

Our Upcoming Lectures:

January 27th- Presenter: Matt Rollins

February 24th- Presenter: Zack Arias

March 30th- Presenter: Doug Grimmett

April 20th- Presenter: TBD

May 25th- Presenter: TBD

June 29th- Presenter: TBD

1. A physical office environment matters. It can help or hinder a brand's perceptions and a team's morale.
2. Selling an idea doesn't happen at the first presentation, but at the first handshake. Great ideas are sold through relationships & trust.
3. Spontaneous creativity needs to be scheduled on the calendar or it won't happen.
4. Fields tests & focus groups results are contingent on asking the right questions.
5. A company is smarter & overall much better when it hires females.
6. When great things happen celebrate and open your doors for others to enjoy.
7. If you want to start something new, jump in and just do it.
8. Set goals and go after what you believe in, even if it leads to uncomfortable situations.
9. If you are doing great things find a way to tell an equally great story.
10. Take time to think about what you believe in and write it down.
11. Put super talented and fun people around you.

We all had about three weeks to ideate, plan, and build our very own handmade creation. The literal instructions communicated from Alana via email were:

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listen up.

i have decided to make a contest in preparation for christmas.

each person has to make ONE christmas ornament related in any way to design / matchstic / team members by December 19th (monday 8am meeting).
we will put these up on our christmas tree.
winner gets an artisanal, hand-made "Christmas Champion 2011″ award and bragging rights!

this is serious. i will remind you guys each week.

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The final entries were judged by our neighbors Octane and based on three categories:

1. Craftsmanship
(was the ornament created with craft in mind, are die-lines, fingerprints, and/or glue visible)

2. Creativity
(is the subject matter cleverly represented, is the ornament unique from its counterparts)

3. Experience / interactivity
(does it have special effects, does the matchstic team understand what the ornament conveys, is it humorous to all)

Below are all of our entries. Tell us your favorite!

"The Fire Ball" by Me – 250+ All-Purpose weather proof wooden matches (later ignited, as seen below, for dramatic presentation).

"Sneaky Creek" by Alana Dy – A replica of a miss-kerned cabin sign at our previous retreat. See the original sign here.

"Flame Soap" by Becky O'Mara – Inspired by Becky's home-made soap (featured on etsy) and held close by in case someone needs a good ole' fashioned mouth cleansing

"Da Bomb" by Jason Orme – Octane & Matchstic are an explosive combination… quite literally.

"S.S. Alina" by Staci Janik – A handmade creation dedicated to our advisory board member & team mentor Alina Wheeler, who's father was a polish sea captain. Complete with quote from our last session with Alina.

"Flaming Pile of Coffee" by Alvin Diec – A handmade paper cup, octane cut paper logo, and floating matchstic flame.

"God Jul" (pronounced "goo yule" which means "Merry Christmas" in Norwegian) by Craig Johnson – A common Norwegian ornament made in honor of Craig's wife & kids.

"Arctic R2D2″ by John Bowles – What do you do with all those recalled white Coke cans? Make an amazing star wars action figure, of course.

Dustin Britt was awarded the "Hat of Shame" for not entering.

And the judging:

The judges scorecard…

And the winner of the 2011 Matchstic Christmas Grand Champion (Adult division) is… (drum roll)…

Staci Janik with her "S.S. Alina" creation. The judges were quoted as saying "The craft & detail was simply hard to beat. It's a tiny boat with tiny sails for goodness sake." The other competitors were quoted as saying "This contest was over before it started. I knew Staci was entering it."

Kudos Staci. You are the official champ.

But you can still place your vote for the People's Champ below!

First, forgive my cliche fire innuendos, but I'm excited.

It has been quite a year. A new office, new team members, and finally — some new materials. We've had a new brand identity in the works for sometime now (reminded of the old saying “The cobblers kids don't have any shoes”). It started in fact last January when we decided to leave the Matchstic house behind and relocate to the Jane. We wanted to set the right perceptions for our own brand and felt the house just was not up to par with who we'd become. With a new office came a new matchstic once that again wasn't properly represented in our logo type. We needed a change.

Like all rebrands, we have two choices, evolutionary or revolutionary, when considering a change. We love our flame and wouldn't lose it for the world, but other outdated and uninspired elements were up for grabs.

We started with an update to the Matchstic wordmark. Running on over five years of use, the old type and banner was beginning to show its age. Not to mention the old banner had the by-line “Branding + Design”, a moniker found nowhere else since switching to “A Brand Identity House” in 2008.

For inspiration on a typeface we looked at our giant, metal found letters that hang by the front door. “Matchstic” is spelled out from a group of mismatched fonts, with a letter “t” that stood out with interesting character details. We used these characteristics to customize a new wordmark, simple with a subtle hint of personality, but better yet with a significant story to tell. Another slight tweak was evolving from a lowercase character setting to a title case. Even though our sign is all lower case we felt the new word mark held a stronger presence with a capital “M”.

After the word mark was complete and paired with our flame we moved into new collateral on a “doing retreat” back in October. We simply created, experimented, and had fun for a day. We came away with an idea of creating a system of standardized tools (like stamps) that ensure a consistent look and feel, but could be applied in infinitely unique and flexible ways. The result of that idea is 30+ custom Matchstic stamps that can be applied in various ways on business cards, note cards, packaging, and any other printed material (including body art). Included in the set is every team members personal stamp with their contact information to applied to our business card shell. This allowed us to letterpress two versions of really high-end cards for a fraction of the normal cost. The only catch is having to hand stamp all of your business cards (or have intern Patty do it). This stamp system allows us to have fun with our collateral. It allows us to make every piece unique. I no longer just send another thank you note, but I create one.

A few process images from our “doing retreat”:

Brainstorming Board

T-Shirt Comps

Some final products:

Blind Deboss – 2-ply 80# French Pop Tone glued to 279# Crane Pearl Kid Finish

Back Variations – "Start Fires" & "We ignite passionate brands"

Stamp Test Pad

Full Stamp Collection

Applied Stamp Set

Thank You Notes w/ "ch" blind deboss

Msc. Body Stamping

Gift Packaging & Set

Big thanks to Crayton-Heritage Letterpress in Charlotte for all their help.

#7 – We know our clients aren't always right, but neither are we.

Agencies in the branding world are notorious for an intolerance to negative client feedback, and some for good reason. We hear some interesting responses in dealing with such subjective material. Industry spoofs have even been popularized like the "Make the Logo Bigger" song and "Make the Logo Bigger Cream" infomercial. These are indeed pretty hilarious.

At Matchstic, we agree with mainstream thought that clients aren't always right, but in the same breath neither are we. We've disagreed with clients in the past, but in that disagreement found a common resolve that ultimately makes the work more successful. Sometimes the original solution presented, that we wholeheartedly believed in, isn't as good as the final refined product. Client feedback deserves to be fully understood and not fully rejected due to our blind arrogance. We are confident in our ability to do good work, but we believe the best work is born in a collaborative relationship between client and designer.

Past Beliefs:

• #1 – We hold each other's feet to the fire

• #2 – We follow through on our word

• #3 – We rise and fall as a team

• #4 – We know the difference between career and life

• #5 – We will be profitable

• #6 – We recognize that it is their flag, not ours.

Here are all the deets for what we are looking for.

Required Experience
At least 2 years of professional design experience (web & print).

Day-to-Day Responsibilities
The designer will collaborate with the rest of our team on a range of projects from less exciting revision tasks to leading more sexy brand identity work.  They will report to the Project Manager & Art Directors for quality control.

Required Skill Set
An understanding of the creative process, expertise in the Mac Adobe Creative Suite, interface/ web design (no coding necessary), and pre-press & printing expertise.  Plus:
• Great conceptual thinking
• Great creative execution
• Organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Cooking Skills (for our monthly family lunch)
• Working with a team & Not being a jerk skills

Applying
• Only serious inquiries please
• Salary will be a market-based wage
• Do NOT apply if you do not meet the experience requirements
• Send resume and work URL to jobs@matchstic.com
• Like the ole' cliche goes: "Don't call us, we'll call you"
• Our hiring process is long, be patient
• Applicants will be judged on experience, talent, and culture fit
• Formal presentation may be requested

Download the Job Description PDF here.

Changing the name, visual identity, or core perceptions of a brand is a delicate art of digging deep for gold while maintaining existing treasures and all-the-while juggling opinions of passionate stakeholders. It is a matter of making key Leadership feel heard and understood until getting a true consensus on what the brand is and what it stands for. The beauty in the process is once you know who you are then you are free to be yourself in the marketplace, make more unified decisions, hire better people, and ultimately be more competitive- all while flying under one flag. A company rebrand isn't just about a new logo it is about a meaningful increase in your business.

For more on the Acru rebrand check out the full case study here.

Rick is an amazing gem to have in our darling city of Atlanta. Starting out as an illustrator and eventually running his own design firm for 18 years, he has worked with some of the largest and most influential companies in the world over the last 35 years, including FedEx, Coca-cola, and working directly with Lou Gerstner, the IBM CEO credited with saving the company in the early 90s.

Here's the story for those that don't know it:

IBM had a strategy in place to disband IBM into several sub-brands tentatively called the "Baby Blues". Mr. Gerstner came in as an outsider at the helm and realized the loosing battle of the personal computer market, which was costing the companies millions each year, and saw the potential for the internet as a "business phenomenon". Lou decided to refocus the corporate strategy on keeping IBM together as one, creating a strong company culture, and setting the course for a new vision to become a world renown IT Services business. His strategy paid off with 50% of IBM's revenues coming from IT Services and stabilizing the company while it exited the personal computer category. Changing categories for a market leader is hard and Lou Gerstner did with it with perfection. His success was due to people like Rick Anwyl helping with corporate communications, crucial to vision casting internally and transitioning brand equity externally.

If you are interested in hearing how businesses transform through design practices you will not want to miss Rick Anwyl this Friday at 8:30am. Be sure to sign up on the waiting list here (the event is already sold out!) but we will be releasing some additional tickets.

For photos from the Sept. event click here. To keep up with future Creative Mornings Atlanta events follow us on twitter.

Most companies with existing equity (whether good or bad) want to launch a rebrand with a consideration of transitioning the old to the new. Perhaps a simple overnight blast from one logo or website to the next would be too much surgery for the body to handle, sending stakeholders in shock, loosing them on the operating table. Transitioning equity in a seamless plan is crucial for evolutionary rebrands. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cingular to AT&T

Cingular, a brilliant visual identity system, known for its friendly orange, got gobbled up by Ma Bell. She was smart however and wanted to comfort the Cingular customer base with a slow, year long transition, backed by millions of dollars in advertising. Just like cooking a frog gradually by turning up the heat, AT&T slowly and safely introduced themselves. Every step along the way was considered. Starting with introducing the AT&T blue into the Cingular identity, letting it take the priority. Next they rolled out the two marks living side by side in equal priority and an adjoining byline "Cingular has joined forces with AT&T wireless". The last two steps elevated the AT&T globe as the priority until eventually killing off the Cingular mark like a b-level character falling down an elevator shaft in a bad soap opera.

Rainbow Apple to White Apple

When a company wants to be know for MORE than just its current category or offering, a rebrand can be a huge tool in accomplishing that perception. Apple Computers Inc. wanted to be known for more than computers and bubble up river into being known as an innovative technology company. That was their thinking behind loosing the "Computers" from their company name and being simply "Apple". This was more of an overnight roll out, but what is favorable is how smart that decision was for the business. Since dropping "Computers" they've successfully moved into the portable music player, smart phone, and tablet categories, now accounting for the majority of the companies revenue. They are the most profitable company in the world, but still third place in the personal computer market.

Comcast to Xfinity

This transition is not fully resolved just yet, but they have done a fantastic job with taking a brand with tons of name recognition and transitioning it to a new unknown name. We all know the awful customer service reputation Comcast is known for, so they created "Xfinity" as a premium product that would eventual envelop the parent name to bypass that negative perception in the marketplace (strategy talk aside of how they should have just focused on improving their customer service and not create a new brand that inevitably will have the same old problems). They've masterfully and slowly made us comfortable with seeing Xfinity on their vans, repair tech's shirt, and even the homepage URL with each calculated rollout phase. Expect to see Xfinity more and more and Comcast less and less over this last quarter of 2011.

Every rebrand has to have a considered plan on equity management before launching. It is how effective change is made.