Monday, November 16, 2009

Another Brand Positioning Statement



Sungod Case Study

The following screens showcase the visual moodboards that we used to illustrate what we verbally articulated in our brand positioning statement.

Notice how the final moodboards begin to imply possible visual directions for the final deliverables. They begin to address colors, font treatments and photographic styles.

Final Taglines and Brand Positioning Statement:
Competition:
Yikes
Better:
Who and where they are now:


Where we think their brand should/needs to go:

Inspirational websites that imply possible visual styles that would suit the brand and demographics:

BRAND-DRIVEN MOODBOARDS

Below are some more examples of moodboards that fit the quote: "Where we think your brand needs to go on a visual level".

Again you will notice that the boards acknowledge more than the photographic style. They address issues such as Font styles and even tone of deliverables such as brochures and ads. Remember that you can pull visual examples from anywhere. You could use an example of a car ad to help you present an idea for a t-shirt company (as long as the feel is right).

Remember that your moodboards should help you describe the overall brand direction to your clients and colleagues.

The 3 moodboards that you see below represent 3 different visual directions for the same project. Each direction was presented with a different name. The common threads were keywords like "Community, Leadership, Vision, Authenticity and Sustainability"

BELLWETHER PARK:
POLARIS:
THE RANGE:

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Brand REDUX

CLASS PROJECT: BRAND REDUX
Create a Position that breathes new life into your brand.


PROBLEM: Your brand's presence is not as strong as it could/should be in its respective industry (or you think you can do better)

SOLUTION: Strengthen your brand and presence (aesthetically/philosophically) within the industry by taking a new position for your brand.

REQUIREMENTS:
Brand related research
Determine what is necessary in order for your brand to be a success (repositioning or readjustment?)
Define key messaging
Create a messaging platform (taglines)
Create a visual moodboard for your new brand position (explore visual directions)
Create a new logo/logotype
All the way up till

FINAL DELIVERABLES:
WEEK 2 - November 12:
- Present your brand (story, target markets, competition visuals, existing touchpoints, perceptions)
- Present SWOT analysis of your brand
- Define your KEY MESSAGING
Homework:
- What are your conclusions, opportunities and possible directions?

WEEK 3 - November 19:
- Refine your research (visual and philosophy)
- Based on what I've learned in my research phase, I've decided to pursue the following position
- Where do you think the brand needs to go to be successful in your own mind?
- Present your CONCLUSIONS, OPPORTUNITIES and new DIRECTIONS?
- All based on KEY MESSAGING
- Present V1 Brand Position (define the brand)
- Present V1 Visual Moodboard (multiple options)

WEEK 4 - November 26:
- Present V2 Brand Position
- Present V2 Visual Moodboard
- Present V1 logo sketches (6 directions)
- Present V1 taglines (descriptor + brand)

WEEK 5 - December 3:
- Present V2 logo sketches

WEEK 6 - December 10:
- Present final Brand Positioning Statement
- Present final moodboard
- Present final sketched logo
- Hand in Process Book or BLOG (Research, SWOT analysis, Opportunities, Moodboards, Directions, Visual Sketches)
- Ready for Digital Design

WEEK 7 - December 17
OPTIONAL


GRADING CRITERIA:
1. Successful completion of all required elements (all essential elements have been CLEARLY laid out in the previous section). Failure to complete any of these required elements will result in the loss of marks.
2. The ability and the EFFORT to make proper decisions regarding major issues addressed in class lectures. These issues include; ideation research, brand positioning, visualization
3. Students will also receive marks for their participation in in-class critiques and professionalism when presenting their own project.
4. Students will be graded on how well they can stay on task throughout the duration of their project schedule. Failure to meet any of the class deadlines will result in a loss of marks.


BREAK DOWN OF MARKS
Successful completion of all element: 15
Participation/Effort in class and brainstorming: 35
The pursuit of Blue Sky Creativity: 30
All aspects of presentation (in-class, blog and speaking): 20

Thursday, November 5, 2009

ID2 Course Outline - 6 weeks

Branding & Communication Strategy
Instructors: Tak Yukawa and Pamela Lee
Duration: 6 weeks = Pamela 6 weeks = Tak

This class will further enforce the importance of Conceptual thinking within the Design and Creative industries. Students will be introduced to the power of branding and messaging and its wider implications within society. There will be a focus on how the issue of PERCEPTION determines success or failure - from corporations to celebrities. The goal of this class will be to empower students with different methods and techniques for effective idea generation. Students will learn how to formulate solutions that TAKE A POSITION within the context of their projects with the help of a sound CREATIVE PROCESS. Time will be spent talking about how IDENTITY, LOGO DESIGN and MESSAGING play out their respective roles within branding.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Conduct effective RESEARCH to satisfy particular project goals
- Effectively ANALYZE and PROCESS collected data into useful creative tangents
- Generate robust ideas/concepts/messaging suitable for widespread implementation
- PREPARE and PRESENT their solutions with confidence and professionalism
- Communicate effectively with the client and their target markets
- Insight into how to service clients to make the client feel confident in your services
- General business practices that every designer should know

Required Supplies:
- Sketchbook
- Drawing pencils
- Fine line ballpoint pens and different sized multi-tip black markers (Sharpie)
- A minimum of 3 different color Highlighters
- Other sketching tools may be required during the course (ie: Pencil, Markers and Papers), and will be determined by the student’s comfort level, preference or by instructor request.
- A computer and Adobe Creative Suite Programs (Primarily Illustrator and Photoshop)
- Memory Card/Key for digital files (ideally 1 gig)

Suggested Resources:
- Daniel H. Pink: A Whole New Mind
- Scott Bedbury and Stephen Fenichell: A New Brand World
- Edward De Bono: Lateral Thinking
- Tom Kelley: The Art of Innovation