Image from @cubagallery

I have little patience for self-interested art trying to find its way into the branding conversation. Branding is selfless, in that it is interested first in what is authentic, second in how to represent that authenticity on behalf of an organization, and third (last) on how one's own talents can be used to accomplish this goal.

I love art, and have a deep appreciation for it. I consider the artists I work with to be immeasurably talented. But what makes them exceptionally unique is their ability to listen, understand, and represent – with clarity and distinction – the personality of an organization that exists outside themselves. This requires an ability to set aside one's own personal agenda for a better portfolio, and instead, focus on making that organization better.

I like this about branding. Finding beauty in the most unexpected of places – business.

The National Tooling and Machining Association, founded in 1943, is the premier center of knowledge for precision custom manufacturing in the United States. The storied organization stands to empower our nation’s manufacturers by providing resources and expertise in business development, education, government advocacy, and workplace development.

NTMA faced a perception challenge. While much of the economy has been in decline, manufacturing still produced gains and has hired more than most industries. The organization needed to tell its story accurately, increase awareness, and inspire in an economy full of doubt.

We developed an evolutionary mark that reflected experience and precision while elevating the brand. An identity system that was flexible enough for growth, yet provided consistency and organization for internal communication. Marketing and collateral highlighted the heart of the industry – its workers – and changed the conversation from dimness to hope. The future of manufacturing is bright indeed.

See the full case study.

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Yesterday when the Brand New blog posted this rebrand of the Carolina Panthers, I was instantly excited to mix my two favorite things: NFL Football and Branding. The Panthers rebrand was a simple evolutionary update to the icon and revolutionary change to the type.  I was personally happy to say goodbye to the font that seemed like it was trying way to hard to be edgy and trendy in 1995 when the Panthers entered the NFL.

Within the NFL, there are teams that change and there are teams that stay the same.  For instance, the Chicago Bears have had virtually the same uniform since the 50s.  The 49ers tried to update their uniforms in the 90s with an awful drop shadow, then  in 2009 reverted back to their classic 80s uniforms.

The more I thought about it and processed it with some co-workers, the question arose, Should an organization's brand identity be made timeless or is it okay to change every decade or two with the trends of the day?

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).

Seems pretty simple but I've found that when designing, zooming in and zooming out are crucial. I have to see the design through a microscope and a telescope as it were. From one angle I can see the small details and ensure that they're perfect. From the other, I can see whether the perfect details are coming together as one.

The other day I was working on a brand mark that was shaping up to be my favorite choice for the client. Having "zoomed in" for quite a while and figuring it was gold, I tabled it to work on the others. Later, I "zoomed out" and met with the rest of the team to discuss. They're honesty and sensibility helped me see that what I thought was perfect still needed work. I was blind too see what they saw so easily. I was too zoomed in, too attached.

I've found that perfect pieces don't always make a perfect whole. Nor does a perfect whole assume perfect pieces. The goal for me is a right relationship or balance. If I only design zoomed in the result will most likely be detailed but lack overall form. If I only design zoomed out the result will be nicely composed but shallow.

Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein

Starbucks was gaining ground for two decades before their decline came along. What's most interesting to me is that the decisions that escalated their brand decline were made during a period of high growth and a growing stock price – decisions like: creating a record label, a magazine, they started selling too much merchandise (like stuffed animals) in their stores, and started making smelly breakfast sandwiches. Starbucks started looking and smelling less like a European coffeehouse, and more like a fast food chain. The romance was being lost as the brand was commoditized.

And when the economy did decline in 2007 & 2008 – the Starbucks brand was diluted to the point that it was seen as little more than an expensive cup of coffee at a fast food chain. Their stock price soon began to tumble and the brand saw some of its worst days.

When Shultz returned as CEO in 2008 – his first order of business was to return the brand back to their roots – back to the romance of the European coffee experience. He quickly retrained Barista’s on how to make a proper espresso, updated equipment, instituted a return to freshly ground coffee in stores, and attempted to reduce the smell of the breakfast sandwiches. All of this designed to return Starbucks to their brand’s essence.

Even with those changes, Starbucks spent some time in the valley before they began their rebound.

Paranoia may be unhealthy, but it can be a good thing in branding. Otherwise, a brand's best days may produce such a sense of anesthesia that no one can sense the cliff's edge coming.

Dear USPS,

I saw your new commercial, and I think it is dumb. I appreciate your sentiments around face-to-face delivery and applaud the effort to reposition yourself in the first place. But, come on. Is this the stance you are taking? To paraphrase: That email is too unreliable, and printed documents provide more security. That businesses run on the postal service. My grandparents may agree with this thinking, but they are wrong. And so are you. Why are you trying to market to them anyway?

On behalf of my wife and my friend Philip – two of your biggest fans – I am going to shoot you straight. I like the idea of our relationship, but it has lost its magic. Every time I come over, you end up making me feel like an idiot. I leave swearing, and swearing I will never come back. But you are you, and I want so badly for this to work.

May I suggest a few things before you end up out of a job and homeless? For starters, look up the term "customer experience." Hire some folks that will understand my expectations when I come in the door. Give them a rally cry to motivate their workflow. Just because you're one of the only government agencies that is explicitly authorized in the constitution doesn't mean I cannot take my dealings elsewhere, thank goodness. (Kind of the big issue here).

Which brings me to my last two pieces of advice. FedEx and UPS are not going away. You have to find a means to differentiate from them. I think you have a good start with the mail carriers and their zeal. All that "neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" stuff really gets me excited. I know my mailman's name. He is at my house at the same time everyday. That's more than I can say for the other companies.

And lastly, but all encompassing, consider design as the way to reinvigorate your brand. This includes the suggestions listed above as well as solving logistics problems, identifying outlying opportunities, and executing a visual identity. I have seen not 1, not 2, but 3 theoretical rebrands aimed at you over the past three years, and I haven't even been looking. You need to organize all your offerings and communicate them to me in a way that makes sense. While you're at it, you could redo your signage program. I promise the investment you make in designing yourself will return more than you can imagine.

all the best in the future,

jason.

Recently I was in a meeting with an executive team that was working hard to make a very important decision about possible revolutionary changes to their brand.  The outcome of the decision would have quite an impact on all of the people that are involved with the organization, both internally and externally.  As opinions flew around the room, the CEO sat quietly letting everyone speak their mind.  Finally it was time for him to speak, and he said something very profound (this is my paraphrase), “There is a lot of history and existing brand equity for us to consider. But we have a vision of where we are to go from here, and we owe it to the vision to make this decision based on that future.”

Courage is one of our three core values represented in the Matchstic flag, and the piece on our website says:

Excellence comes at a risk. Risk of humiliation. Risk of failure. In order to risk, one must have Courage. Courage to act in accordance with beliefs, in spite of criticism. We must also encourage our clients to take the risks they need to take in order to accomplish their dreams. Courage is not easy, but it is a vital component of building a brand and working at Matchstic. Red represents that courage.

When making decisions about the future of your business and your brand, understanding history and existing brand equity are very important, but ultimately the decisions should be based on vision.  A vision that has yet to be realized.  And those decisions require great courage.

It seems as if “design” has replaced “branding” as the most co-opted word in business. Because of this, innovation has become synonymous with the more pragmatic sides of our work – strategy, “design thinking,” buzz words. We’ve stripped the meaning of true innovation, the engine of humanity that has always been driven by art, design and science.

Today’s designers are notorious for trying to avoid accusations of “just making things pretty.” We are taught this throughout design school and on into the professional world, suggesting that form is unimportant, playing co-pilot to all-important strategy and research.

This thinking is shortsighted. It downplays the rich history of design and visual culture. Look all around you, are the buildings and high-rises in your city merely attractive? Is your Macbook or Kitchen Aid mixer or Aeron chair just for looks?

I think we’re back to realizing the importance of aesthetic value, not simply as a visual tool, but as an important driver of business goals. Over the past few years, the general consumer has become more aware of design and thus it’s impact. This is the type innovation that inspires change, the innovation that integrates all facets of forward thinking, by combining art, science, intuition, emotion, and engineering, all the things that make us human.

By doing so, we can find a way to mix thinking with making, so that right-brained creativity and left-brained ingenuity can affect real innovation and propel our economy and culture into the best future.

As Dori Tunstall, design teacher and anthropologist, says: “There is an inherent intelligence to beauty, which is about the depth and passion we feel for the world.”

I suppose you might think so if you've never seen it in person. But for those who have, you know there's just something transcendent about it. Staring at the ceiling, imagining Michelangelo himself painting it. The mastery, detail and dedication it took to do. The story each panel tells makes the experience even better. Then there's the chapel itself, so rich in history. All together, the history, context and purpose make it so much more than a painting. Yeah, you can see it in a picture. But you really haven't seen it until you've walked beneath it. You can't understand it's purpose outside of it's painter. You can't grasp it's significance until you know it's story. It's the relationship of them all together that make it The Sistine Chapel.