February 29, 2012
The Chairs Architects Design
The meaning lies somewhere between status and utilitarian
Historically, some of the most coveted modern chairs have been designed by architects, not furniture designers. The reason may have something to do with the simple accessibility of creating a chair. “You’re much freer designing furniture than a building,” said a contemporary architect. “You don’t have to worry about public safety issues, or keeping the rain out. It doesn’t demand a huge team, and lots of meetings.”
December 23, 2011
A Dragon at Murray Library
Every library is a microcosm of the community it serves, reflected in the patrons, the books and materials, and the look and feel of the place. A library may not have a brand in the same sense as a corporation, but like all organizations, the sum total of all of your experiences with an organization become your brand perception. Murray Library is the same—and yet different. They are not part of Salt Lake County library system, and even have independence from Murray City, who has their own brand identity. We took Murray Library through our Perception Branding 5d process and learned a lot before we proposed a new logo. The library has had a long history with a unique mascot. For many years, a dragon has been part of the culture of Murray Library, for both child and adult. A soft sculpted dragon hangs from the ceiling. At first library management believed that a dragon reference would not work for a logo; that it might be too child-like. But after reviewing options, executives changed their mind and decided that there was nothing else that quite captured the sense of the library and their tagline, “Take me there.” We rendered our dragon in a graceful style, simply and friendly and created Brand Identity Standards for using the logo and other graphic and type treatments that guide the library in adopting the new look.
December 6, 2011
Cars Are Little More than Brands on Wheels
The customer experience in the purchase of a new ride
I bought a new car a few weeks ago. Making purchasing decisions about vehicle brands is an interesting mix of personal and marketing forces. You consider, consciously or subconsciously, much more than just what car will get you from point A to B.
October 17, 2011
Caught-up in our own Web
Modern8 launches new website
Today marks the public launch of our new Website. It’s a complete overhaul and a dramatically different design strategy. With the recognition that we are living in a mobile, always-connected world, we created the site in a grid-based layout that changes automatically to fit different monitor sizes, whether on a smartphone, tablet or desktop.
September 13, 2011
Authenticity in Design
If you change perceptions are you being authentic?
Authenticity in design is an interesting concept. All design, by its very nature, is an exercise in persuasion. As someone once said, asking a designer not to persuade is like asking a fisherman not to fish, it’s what we’re trained to do. According to David Berman, author of Do Good Design, “Designers tend to underestimate how much power they have. They’re culpable.”
September 13, 2011
Brandscape Architects
Hot Off the Press
We’ve done a lot of work for architects. We’d like to do more. So with an intriguing title and cool illustration, we designed and printed up posters to mail out to local and national prospects. The front side spells out the word “Brandscape” while the backside has information and testimonials from those oh-so-satisfied clients, like Architectural Nexus, MHTN and FFKR. We posted it to our Facebook page, and we have had people asking for their own copies, but so far, we think they were other graphic designers, not architects.
September 12, 2011
Bob Knox in the Pocket
Hot Off the Press
Our work for R.G. Knox Company, from brand strategy to a Web site, business cards to pocket folders—each build on a simple idea: specialized knowledge is a significant advantage. As a former county treasurer, Robert Knox knows the politics of investing for local government like no other broker-dealer. We make the point with simple illustrations on each item we created.
September 12, 2011
DooBizz is in Bizz
Hot Off the Press – New work by modern8
There is an optimal path for any business which you want to grow quickly while spending the least time and money possible. DooBizz, the online name for Grow America Ventures, helps you find that path and it does it all online.
DooBizz is the brainchild of former MarketStar CEO and long-time Utah venture capitalist Alan Hall, and Berkeley Geddes, a Phoenix-based serial entrepreneur. modern8 was engaged for brand strategy and design, and used the Perception Branding 5d process to form the creation of the new DooBizz Web site and logo. The tree-like navigation is the heart of the educational and mentoring capabilities of the site, with over 100 leaves, leading you from start to launch, including 15 videos to help teach critical concepts essential to the success of starting a new business.
July 28, 2011
Dressing the Part of Your Core Values
Your authentic identity reflects your culture, values and beliefs
Stop reading this right now, switch over to a word processing app and describe your firm in no more than 50 words. Save it. We’re coming back to it.
What are the core values that drive your firm? Perhaps you address your core values in your mission statement, but if you’re like most companies, you don’t remember your mission statement because it’s not distinctive and it has little relevance to your core values. (more…)
July 28, 2011
Cycling Til You’re Blue
Hot Off the Press
We’ve got cyclists in the office, so when business neighbor, Cory Shupe of Blu Line Designs asked if we wanted to help sponsor his team, we were interested. We are naturally concerned about the aesthetics of anything with our logo on it. Fortunately they are landscape architects and planners, so their aesthetics are highly refined, but just the same, we offered to help get it ready for printing.
Their Blu Line logo is paramount, but if you look closely, the eightman shows up on the sleeve and the shorts. Randall Smith, modern8 creative director, will be sporting the kit and riding with the team at the Cache Valley Century at the end of the month, but demurred joining them for Lotoja two weeks later and at twice the distance.
July 26, 2011
New Packaging Insight
Hot Off the Press
Our long-term client, Insight Eyeworks, had us design the packaging and display for their I-Image line of reading glasses exclusively sold at Sam’s Club. The packaging has three different product lines, with six power level variations within each, all incorporating the logo we designed for them three years ago. The packaging is designed to position the merchandise as a branded product line, distinguishing it from its generic predecessor.
July 25, 2011
Encore: Pioneer Theatre Company
Hot Off the Press
Back in 1992, Randall Smith Associates, the business predecessor to modern8, created the advertising and promotional materials for Pioneer Theatre Company, the professional theatre in-residence at the University of Utah. The relationship continued for seven years. This spring, the theatre renewed the alliance and asked modern8 to produce a new season of brochures, banners and advertising to promote seven new productions.
We art directed illustrations by Russ Gray and Val Bochkov, then designed a banner that hangs outside the theatre building, and the season brochure, which is mailed out to current and potential season ticket holders. Newspaper advertising is up next. Designing for the theatre is a nice change from the corporate world we normally inhabit.
July 5, 2011
Delivering the Art of Brand Design from the Science of Brand Strategy
A Presentation to the Utah Technical Council
In introducing our firm, I often use the phrase, “We bring together strategic and creative services to achieve a shared goal.” I was asked to speak last week at the marketing forum of the Utah Technical Council on the subject of Delivering the Art of Brand Design from the Science of Brand Strategy, which seemed tailor-fit to our distinguishing position. I’m sharing with you some of the main points of my presentation.
May 26, 2011
Worth the Paper It’s Printed On
Could the design of the almighty dollar affect the economy?
The mightiest trick of any print designer is to imbue the object of his creation with value beyond the paper it’s printed on. And there isn’t a more important document anywhere than paper money. Of course, at one time, the US dollar was backed by silver and gold, but now it’s literally just a piece of paper that proclaims “Believe in the brand called United States of America,” (and fortunately, most do. Thank you China.)
April 27, 2011
Launch Your Brand Internally First
How a great story can turn your employees into brand ambassadors
Brands are expressed in many ways, including in the actions and behavior of your own people. In fact, employees are crucial to the brand experience, particularly in the B2B space. Inasmuch as a brand is the totality of all your perceptions about a business, obviously, employee actions and attitudes have an impact—everything from answering phone calls promptly to product knowledge. But it goes beyond customer facing employees. Employees don’t just represent the company, they are the company. The depth of understanding each person has about brand values and purpose is reflected in productivity. The workers of strongly branded organizations literally “live the brand”, giving them focus, motivation and a guiding direction.
March 21, 2011
The Drive Downtown & the Fake Eyes
How our subconscious minds influence our behavior
My office has always been located in the downtown area of Salt Lake, despite my home being some 20 miles south in the suburbs. Sure, the drive is pretty familiar after 30 years, but one morning a few months ago I arrived at my office parking spot somewhat surprised. My mind had been preoccupied and I was amazed that I had driven the 20 miles without a single conscious decision about where I was going or what I was doing. In fact, I remembered absolutely nothing about my drive downtown. It was as if I had been teleported from home to my office without any effort on my part.
According to Shankar Vedantam, Washington Post science writer and author of The Hidden Brain, my story of the drive downtown is a perfect example of how our subconscious minds can manipulate us without our awareness. (more…)
February 24, 2011
Branding 101: Your Logo Isn’t Your Brand
And other brand myths dispelled for B2B companies
Last week I gave a presentation to the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) entitled, “Your Logo Isn’t Your Brand”. If you subscribe to the modern8 newsletter or read the blog, the subject may not be new, but it is worth repeating.
January 20, 2011
You Don’t Name Your Kid “A Blue-Eyed Boy”
Picking the right brand name
Back in early ‘90s I designed the logo for Associated Foods—the “cart in the A”—that you see on big trucks throughout the Intermountain West. So I was quite interested when Associated Foods adapted my logo for the identity of the Albertson’s chain of grocery stores that they acquired in 2009. The company-owned stores were named “Fresh Market using the “cart in the A” inside an apple. They didn’t ask for my design help (I certainly wouldn’t have put it inside an apple.) Nor did they ask my opinion on the name.
December 23, 2010
How Branding Stole Christmas
And why, like it or not, it’s not prone to change.
According to NPR, you can now follow through with the empty threat waged at children worldwide during the holidays. “You’re going to get a lump of coal for Christmas.” A company called CoalGram is offering to ship a lump of 100 percent pure anthracite coal to the transgressor of your choice. And you needn’t limit it to naughty kids. The company suggests your boss who didn’t give you a raise, your boyfriend who forgot your birthday and the politician who is driving you nuts. Each specially wrapped chunk of coal will cost you ten bucks.
November 22, 2010
Stupid Questions
How many designers does it take to change a light bulb?
When we are engaged for brand strategy, our first step is the interview — which is typically one on one, between the client and myself. We always ask to interview the CEO, the marketing department and a few others. We start right off by asking stupid questions. We’re sitting in their offices and the company name is proudly displayed in the lobby or on the door and the first thing we ask is “Who are you?”
Comments (0)