Why consumers balk at companies’ efforts to rebrand themselves

Categories Brand Identity, Graphic Design, PackagingPosted on

One of last year’s most interesting business books was Clay Shirky’s “Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age”. The rise of the affluent society has left people with lots of time and talent to spare, Mr Shirky argues. For decades they squandered this cognitive surplus watching television. Today, thanks to the internet, they can also channel it into more productive pursuits.

For a surprising number of people these productive pursuits involve worrying about companies’ logos. Howard Schultz, the boss of Starbucks, recently announced that his company would mark its 40th anniversary this March by changing its logo a bit. The words “Starbucks” and “coffee” will disappear. And the mermaid, or siren, will be freed from her circle.

Starbucks wants to join the small club of companies that are so recognisable they can rely on nothing but a symbol: Nike and its swoosh; McDonald’s and its golden arches; Playboy and its bunny; Apple and its apple. The danger is that it will join the much larger class of companies that have tried to change their logos only to be forced to backtrack by an electronic lynch mob.

Read more…

Unbranded Cigarettes Packaging

Categories Brand Identity, Graphic Design, PackagingPosted on

Unbranded Cigarettes Packaging

When we (Build) got the brief (from Icon Magazine) we already knew about the government’s proposal for unbranded or plain packaging. We chose to approach the design almost from a non-design perspective. Stripping out any superfluous design elements and taking it down to an ultra-“generic” feel was quite liberating.

Pic.1 Marlboro Lights

A lesson in reductionism. OCR-B, a monospace typeface, was chosen for its clarity and genericism. The QR code [beneath the barcode] links to a government website on the effects of smoking and how to quit. We introduced a very small strip of colour to help indicate from a small distance the cigarettes’ brand. This is for two reasons: to aid people selling the cigarettes and to add a small level of anti-piracy measures (the colour would be foiled). I feel this is the most successful version of the three.

Unbranded Cigarettes Packaging

Pic.2 Marlboro Lights

Information. What is actually in a cigarette? There is no hierarchy, with the brand taken down to the same level as the information. Food packaging now has to list its contents by law – why should cigarettes be any different? This is what is contained in the cigarettes you are about to smoke. This design brings that information to the foreground, and the branding takes a back seat.

Unbranded Cigarettes Packaging

Pic.3 Marlboro Reds

The warning message. What are the possible consequences of smoking this packet of cigarettes? Real-time messaging, real consequences. Branding is taken down to a strip of recognisable colour – brand allegiance reduced to a colour strip only. As a designer, this approach is really refreshing: no gloss, just information.

Unbranded Cigarettes Packaging

Pic.4 Marlboro Menthols

How the article appeared in the magazine:

Unbranded Cigarettes Packaging

Iluliaq Iceberg Water

Categories Brand Identity, Graphic Design, PackagingPosted on

Pure. Rare. Reborn. Original iceberg water from Greenland. The bottle is unique in the fact that it has a glass stopper. it protects the purity of the water, which is harvested from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier in Greenland. untouched for hundreds of thousands of years. it is the purest water in the world. (Firm: Fairly Painless Advertising)

Sidenote: This water must be really good at $50 a pop!

(via The Dieline)

Knock on wood

Categories Graphic Design, PackagingPosted on

These boards were skated by Chad Tim Tim, Darrell Stanton, and Levi Brown during the filming of their video parts. The team recycled the decks, and then handcrafted them along with filmmaker Ricki Bedenbaugh and master skateboard manufacturer Paul Schmitt to create these Element Special Edition Quattro DVD cases. Each of the 35 DVD Decks comes with a letter of authenticity, signed and numbered by the rider.

Mammoth Supply Co.

Categories Brand Identity, Graphic Design, PackagingPosted on

We developed the Mammoth Supply Company concept in tandem with Fonterra’s team to be a dairy brand specifically for men. – Shine

[quicktime width=”700″ height=”400″]http://www.shinelimited.co.nz/assets/case_studies/mammoth/vid/mammoth_02.mp4[/quicktime]

[quicktime width=”700″ height=”400″]http://www.shinelimited.co.nz/assets/case_studies/mammoth/vid/mammoth_01.mp4[/quicktime]

(via Lovely Package)