Design Investigation

For my design investigation I wanted to focus on the things that I’m interested in and things that I could see myself doing when I graduate from university. So I decided to chose Branding, Corporate Identity and Information Design. Already knew quite a bit on Branding and Corporate Identity and knew that they were very similar industries. I’ve always been a fan of Branding and Corporate Identity from since secondary school but I became interested in Information Design during a project I was doing at university, I liked the way you could take information, research and theories and then produce visual something using those things. For this design investigation I wanted to find out what part of Branding, Corporate Identity and Information Design I’m interested and how those industries work. To help me find those things out I will research corporate identity, branding, information design, reasoning behind logos/branding, look at people who work within my chosen industries, why they do what they do looking and contacting existing companies look at creative magazine and how existing companies has changed with the time.

Design Investigation On Corporate Identity & Branding.

In marketing, a corporate identity is the “persona” of a corporation which is designed to accord with and facilitate the attainment of business objectives. It is usually visibly manifested by way of branding and the use of trademarks.Corporate identity comes into being when there is a common ownership of an organisational philosophy that is manifest in a distinct corporate culture — the corporate personality. At its most profound, the public feel that they have ownership of the philosophy. Often referred to as organisational identity, corporate identity helps organizations to answer questions like “who are we?” and “where are we going?” Corporate identity also allows consumers to denote their sense of belonging with particular human aggregates or groups. Corporate identity is often viewed as being composed of three parts: 1. Corporate design (logos, uniforms, corporate colours etc.) (What I’m interested in). 2. Corporate communication (advertising, public relations, information, etc.) (What I’m interested in). Corporate behaviour (internal values, norms, etc.)

Design Investigation Corporate Identity

Many companies, such as McDonald’s and Electronic Arts, have their own identity that runs through all of their products and merchandise. The trademark “M” logo and the yellow and red appears consistently throughout the McDonald’s packaging and advertisements. Many companies pay large amounts of money for the research, design and execution involved in creating an identity that is extremely distinguishable and appealing to the company’s target audience. Corporate visual identity plays a significant role in the way an organization presents itself to both internal and external stakeholders. In general terms, a corporate visual identity expresses the values and ambitions of an organization, its business, and its characteristics. Four functions of corporate visual identity can be distinguished. Three of these are aimed at external stakeholders. Corporate visual identity management involves the planned maintenance, assessment and development of a corporate visual identity as well as associated tools and support, anticipating developments both inside and outside the organization.

Design Investigation Corporate Identity

A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, colour combination or slogan. The word brand began simply as a way to tell one person’s cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected brand name is called a trademark. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identity – it affects the personality of a product, company or service. The experiential aspect consists of the sum of all points of contact with the brand and is known as the brand experience. The psychological aspect, sometimes referred to as the brand image, is a symbolic construct created within the minds of people, consisting of all the information and expectations associated with a product, service or the company(ies) providing them. Types of brand names: Acronym: A name made of initials such as UPS or IBM. Evocative: Names that evoke a relevant vivid image like Amazon or Crest. Neologisms: Completely made-up words like Wii or Kodak. Foreign word: Adoption of a word from another language like Volvo or Samsung.

Design Investigation Branding

Founders’ names: Using the names of real people,and founder’s name like Hewlett-Packard or Disney. Geography: Many brands are named for regions and landmarks like Cisco and Fuji FilmPersonification: Many brands take their names from myth like Nike or from the minds of ad execs like Betty Crocker. The outward expression of a brand, including its name, trademark, communications, and visual appearance. Because the identity is assembled by the brand owner, it reflects how the owner wants the consumer to perceive the brand – and by extension the branded company, organization, product or service. This is in contrast to the brand image, which is a customer’s mental picture of a brand. The brand owner will seek to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity. Brand identity needs to focus on authentic qualities – real characteristics of the value and brand promise being provided and sustained by organisational and/or production characteristics.I then started researching existing branding companies looking at their work and contacted them for information on the Branding Industry.

Design Investigation Branding

Design Investigation Tomato

Tomato is an art design collective founded in 1991 in London by John Warwicker, Steve Baker, Dirk Van Dooren, Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, Simon Taylor, and Graham Wood. Each one of the creatives involved is a partner, sharing their own field of expertise and experience with the wider group. This has led to regular collaboration within the collective and continues to be a source of inspiration and reinvention for those involved. Currently there are ten active members working with Tomato but many others have played important roles during the ongoing development of the studio. For the past nineteen years tomato has involved itself with hosting workshops, publishing, exhibiting, live performances and public speaking as well as working with clients in the areas of advertising, architecture, fashion, public installations, music, television, film and graphic design.Here are some the work that they have done, that I find very interesting and relates to the type of stuff that I want to produce in the future.

Design Investigation Tomato

Tomato’s work includes television and print advertising, corporate identity, art installations, clothing, and of course, design for Underworld’s various channels of output. In its existence, tomato has built an international reputation for working across different media, creating designs for all manner of clients such as Reebok, Adidas and Levi’s; and identity for museums and cultural centers. Tomato partnered with Believe Media as their United States Representatives in 2008.

Design Investigation Wolff Ollins

Wolff Ollins is a brand business. From London, New York and Dubai, we work strategically with ambitious organisations worldwide. Started up by Michael Wolff and Wally Ollins. I researched and looked at their approach to Branding and I will show some of their ways of thinking and the work they did which I found very interesting. These days, people believe not what you say, but what you do. So we use brand to help clients do new things. New businesses. New experiences. New relationships. New ways. New things that challenge, provoke, reinvent. And create spectacular new growth. We help clients achieve new ambitions through brand-led strategy. We help them capture their brand idea, devise the best brand architecture, and manage their brand for maximum impact. Recent strategy clients include GE, Skype and Sony. We help clients create new businesses and services through brand-led innovation. And we help create the best possible customer experience, in store and online. Recent innovation clients include PepsiCo, Mercedes-Benz and Tata DOCOMO.

Design Investigation Wolff Ollins

We help clients reach new levels of performance through brand-led transformation. We use the power of brand to engage, excite and embolden their employees. Recent transformation clients include Unilever and Airtel. And we help clients carve out a new presence in the world through brand communication. We help them create brand names, visual and verbal identities, and communication strategies – online and offline. Recent communication clients include AOL, Amnesty International and Qatar Financial Centre. As brands become platforms and links, they get used and abused. People want to make them their own – which means they may no longer be the same everywhere. Brand becomes not one tune, but a theme with variation.I really enjoyed looking at Wolff Ollins work because they break it down they explain what branding is to them and what they think about and take in to consideration when it comes to Branding something.

Design Investigation Paul Rand

As well as looking at Branding companies I also looked at famous designer who has made a big impact on the Branding industry such as Paul Rand. Paul Rand (born August 15, 1914 – died November 26, 1996) was a well-known American graphic designer, best known for his corporate logo designs. Rand was educated at the Pratt Institute (1929-1932), the Parsons School of Design (1932-1933), and the Art Students League (1933-1934). He was one of the originators of the Swiss Style of graphic design. From 1956 to 1969, and beginning again in 1974, Rand taught design at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Rand was inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1972. He designed many posters and corporate identities, including the logos for IBM, UPS and ABC. Rand died of cancer in 1996.When I started to looked at Paul Rand’s I was surprised because I never knew he created certain such as IBM and ABC. I like his design they’re nice clean, simple but effective. Even though some of his design were done years ago they’re still relevant and useful in todays times.

Design Investigation Chermayeff & Geismar

Chermayeff & Geismar is the brand design firm behind many of the world’s most recognizable trademarks. Since 1958, the firm has pioneered the modern movement of idea-driven graphic design across every discipline, specializing in brand identities, exhibitions, print and motion graphics, and art in architecture. Chermayeff & Geismar is known for a collaborative, problem-solving approach to design, with personal involvement by the principals and continuous attention to the details and nuances of projects as they evolve. Trademark design challenges us to use all the magic and intelligence at our command, all our skill, knowledge, vision, and ability, in the creation of a single, clear, direct image that will embody the character and aspirations of the organizations that come to us in search of identity.I liked some of the work at they produced but knowing that they’re one of the big Branding companies in USA I felt like not all of their work lived up to the hype.

Design Investigation ‘i-am’ Associates

‘i-am’ Associates focus more Brand Strategy and Brand Identity. Doing this Investigation has made me realised that there is many different part to the Branding Industry to work in. Below I have added “i-am’ takes on Brand strategy and Brand Identity. A solid brand strategy encapsulates the personality of your company and provides a clear plan as to how you will transmit this personality to your customers and other stakeholders. This includes your brand identity, brand expression and brand application. ‘i-am’ has worked with lots of companies developing brand strategies that transform business. Mexican food outlet, Chilango, underwent a full brand strategy makeover with ‘i-am’, which included brand naming, restaurant interior design, brand identity, and brand culture. The result has been stupendous with the restaurant seeing 100% uplift in sales. Your brand identity is much more than a logo: it’s the colour and packaging, the space in which you deliver your services and products – whether physical or virtual; it’s the definition and essence. It’s about focusing in on what’s special about your company and communicating it effectively so it stands out against competitors and appealingly to your customers.

Design Investigation Saffron

Saffron is a very successful Branding company in which Wally Ollins who helped started Wolff Ollins, is now the chairman of Saffron. They had some very interesting things about their company and how they see Branding, which I felt useful and helped me understand Branding more. Here are some of them. We are comprehensively aware that branding ain’t what it used to be. A radically different context is gradually engulfing everything to do with brands and branding. And we have ideas for what you should do about that. It’s a new brand world.Stimulation, experimentation and transformation.Wherever you are – and that’s partly the point – branding’s on the move. Unremittingly, the game keeps changing. The brand emerging as a powerful tool for non-commercial players, like charities, art museums, universities and political movements.

Design Investigation Big Fish

When we set up Big Fish® in 1994, our aim was simple – enjoy every single day of our lives, working hard with like minded people who valueour approach and who give us the freedom to deliver truly creative solutions.In short, we name brands, position them, give them identities and personalities. Then we help develop what they do, identify who they do it for, put them in touch with each other, write the words, draw the pictures, design things, photograph and illustrate stuff, create online tools to help track progress and research new ideas and probably a whole lot more. But most of all we only choose to work on projects that we have a personal belief in and that we would be consumers of ourselves. That way we always get it. All we ask is that our clients keep an open mind, display our credit on everything we do, pay us on time and enjoy the process from beginning to end.I like Big Fish’s website their layout and designs looked very professional and I’m even thinking about doing a work placement there.

Design Investigation Contacting Companies

Now that I have researched and found some very interesting and different branding industry companies, I have been compiling some questions to ask people within those companies I have researched. Here are some of them: Why Branding? How and where did you learn your skills? How has the industry changed since you started? What does it take to brand something? With these questions I hope to find out how the branding industry works. I sent an email to all the companies I researched and some extra one I found while googling such as, Tomato, Red Graphics, Wolff Ollins, Chermayeff & Geismar, Rufus Leonard, i-am associates, Big Fish, Saffron and FireDog Design. With all those emails I sent I only got two replies, one from Simon at Tomato and one from Michael Wolff who co started Wolff Ollins but now works for himself. Here is the email I sent and the replies I got back.

I did get an email from Big Fish but it was an automated reply. All in all I’m very happy with the replies i got back because they answered my question and Michael Wolff sent me some booklets on Branding which I’m very grateful for. Here is the email I sent and the replies I got back from Michael Wolff and a part of the booklets he sent me, which can also been seen on my blog tanishalogie.gdnm.org

Design Investigation Contacting Companies

Design Investigation Artefact

What am I going to do for my artefact create a book saying what branding is, create a poster, or create a identity for brand. I’ve got a lot to think about how is my artefact going to relate to my investigation of the branding industry and the time its takes to do it. To help me come up with some design ideas I’m going to go back through my investigation and also look at the replies I received. After looking back at my research and emails I got I decided to create an identity for Brand which I decided was going to be a Branding company. So I started doing some initial ideas designs on what I was going to call the company.

After my initial ideas for the company I decided to go for Branding Inc. and use the font type Bellrose Light 2.0. Here is my designs for the company letterhead



Here is my designs for the company compliment slip.

Here is my designs for the company business card.



Here is my designs for the company bag.

Here is my final Brand Identity designs for my Branding Company, Branding Inc and my final Artefact for my design investigation.


Documents

Design Investigation