Archive for the ‘inspiration’ Category

Live Action Branding

Posted by Eryn Willard on May 2, 2011

Words and imagery are the backbone of brand communication pieces – we preach that non-stop here at Studio 22, as you know. When the tone of your writing and the mood of your images come together, they convey the essence of your brand. (Well, they should. If your don’t, you should call us.)

Consider taking this concept a step further with a brand short – part movie, part commercial. For example, we collaborated with Ryan Smith Photography on one for our client, Naukabout.

click the link below to view the short

Naukabout on Vimeo

Being an aprés sports apparel line, parts of their brand “essence” were combined to create a story their target audience can identify with. In 30 seconds viewers get a solid idea of what the Naukabout brand is.

The client can then use the video for sales presentations, as a tool for sales reps, as a promotional piece to end-users, or on screens in its tradeshow booth.

Lululemon and Horny Toad are two other brands that nail the brand short. Not only are they fun to watch, but the audience gets to hear what the brand sounds like. Music adds the extra dimension to draw consumers into the brand story. Check these out for more inspiration: Lululemon‘s 2011 Summer Sneak Peak and Horny Toad‘s Prelude to a Dinner Party.

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Posted in branding, creativity, inspiration, marketing

What’s Your Brand Archetype?

Posted by Eryn Willard on April 27, 2011

Is your brand the Everyperson, the Explorer, the Hero, the Outlaw? Have you even thought of your brand in terms of its archetype?

Brand archetypes are the embedded stories your company is guided by and moved to live out. You can create a more engaging brand by employing your archetype.

You might think options for companies in the outdoor and snowsports industries are limited to the Everyperson or Explorer. Not so. Your brand could be the Sage, the Creator or the Jester.

Archetype, Individual, Organization
Innocent, Dolly Parton, Disney
Everyperson, Jimmy Carter, Gap
Hero, Lone Ranger, Nike
Caregiver, Mother Teresa, Campbell’s Soup
Explorer, Amelia Earhart, Starbucks
Lover, Rudolph Valentino, Victoria’s Secret
Revolutionary, Che Guevara, Apple
Creator, Martha Stewart, Crayola
Magician, Wolfgang Puck, Olay
Ruler, Alan Greenspan, Microsoft
Sage, Carl Jung, Discovery
Jester, Tina Fey, Ben & Jerry’s

Chart courtesy The Pearson Archetypal System

Take Nike, for (a very overused) example. Nike’s archetype is the Hero. Their branding includes images of sports stars, who are constantly pushing themselves to achieve, and text that speaks of overcoming challenges and having courage.

This works because customers want to identify with this archetype by using Nike’s products. They feel inspired and empowered by their “Just do it” messaging. It also works because this messaging is true to the company’s core.

Using your archetype to shape your communications strategy creates a compelling story with which your audience will want to identify. It separates your brand from competitors, and can be incredibly persuasive.

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Posted in branding, inspiration, marketing, strategy

Inspiration on the Creation of Logotypes: Doyald Young

Posted by Eryn Willard on March 1, 2011

I saw him speak years ago, and this video by Lynda.com captures the inspiring nature of Doyald Young. You may know me on Twitter as a #fontnerd, and today designers all over are regretting the loss of such a great pioneer in our field.

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Posted in inspiration, interview

Climb On – A Palette from the Crag

Posted by Eryn Willard on November 12, 2010

During a week of falling yellow leaves, this week’s palette recalls a day at the crag in early summer. Look at those bright green leaves!

Eryn climbing at a local spot.

Climb On

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Posted in color, creativity, inspiration, photo

Color Palette from the Shadows

Posted by Eryn Willard on November 3, 2010

This week’s color palette is inspired by a photo I took while taking an unexpected detour on Monday.

Gated

© Eryn Willard

I know that the weather was crisp and leaves were blowing around the street while I shot this. However, the resulting color palette is surprisingly refreshing.

Gated color palette

Gated

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Posted in color, creativity, inspiration, photo

“Dog Found” – A Simple Communication Tactic

Posted by Eryn Willard on November 1, 2010

Both the Studio 22 office and my home are in a small rural town in the hills of Central Maryland. Aside from our news channels, you’d never guess that we’re only an hour north of DC, and an hour west of Baltimore. Things move at a slower pace here – and that’s just how we like it.

One recent day while running errands, I passed a sign near the road. It was a small, hand written one on a stick that read: DOG FOUND. It had an arrow on it, pointing down a side road to a single house.

All the way back to the office, I smiled, reveling in the powerful simplicity of the communication. As a “professional communicator” my first reaction was: YEAH, AND? So often, we (and our clients) feel the need to include ever more details in advertisements or marketing pieces, fearing that the audience will lose interest or fail to get the facts. In reality, too many details can muddle the point and stifle the call to action. (You’ve heard us creative-types talk about needing more white space? This is really what we mean.)

So after I got over my initial reaction of wanting more details, I realized there were several reasons why this simple sign was an effective piece of advertising:

  1. It identified the target audience: 1 dog = 1 owner. The sign-maker knew that they didn’t have to provide more details about the found dog. The owner missing his dog would know where to go.
  2. Well-crafted visuals: The dog finders knew that people would be passing by this sign at 30 mph – not enough time to read and absorb more than a few words. They used their allotted space (8.5 x 11″) as effectively as possible with bold, black, capital letters.
  3. Strong call to action: The call to action on this piece was actually a symbol – the arrow pointing down the side road. (Side note: Symbols are powerful communication tools! Think hieroglyphics, road signs and…LOGOS.) The creator saved valuable real estate on the sign by using a single mark that says: THIS WAY, LONELY DOG OWNER. YOU CAN CLAIM YOUR PUP AT THE ONLY HOUSE ON THIS ROAD.
Heritage Festival Sign

Similar to DOG FOUND, here's a sample I snapped in town that follows suit.

Next time you’re crafting a new communications piece for your brand, try applying the DOG FOUND tactic. It’s not necessary to give all of the information, all at once. The idea is to engage your target audience so that they want to seek out more details from you and learn about your brand. Be strategic as you begin building a relationship with them.

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Posted in advertising, branding, inspiration, marketing, tips

Creative Visualization and the Design Process

Posted by Eryn Willard on October 28, 2010

I’ve been re-reading a book by Shakti Gawain called Creative Visualization. It was written in 1978 and published under Bantam’s New Age umbrella. Contrary to what most might think of new age material, it’s not all woo-woo and fairy dust. The principles of the book are basic – just out of most peoples’ everyday frame of thinking. The purpose of Creative Visualization is “to make positive ideas and concepts a reality”.

When I first read this book several years ago, it was difficult for me to put some of the methods to practice, since I can’t sit still long enough to get into a meditative state. (Which is why I would visualize before falling asleep.) Gawain’s Creative Visualization suggests following four steps: 1) setting a goal; 2) creating a mental picture of it; 3) focusing on it often; and 4) giving the goal/idea positive energy. You’ve heard of the Law of Attraction, right?

When I started reading through the book again last week, it dawned on me that since my first experience with it, I’ve been unconsciously applying this method to my design process. Each one of the four basic steps correlates with creating a client piece. Let me explain:

  1. Set a Goal: Meet with the client to determine project parameters and specifics and establish the desired outcome for the piece, i.e. build brand awareness, increase web traffic, etc.
  2. Create a Mental Image: I begin brainstorming solutions and sketching pieces of the thoughts I’m having about the project. I imagine what the outcome will be – what size, color palette, and shape it may have; how the intended audience will react to it.
  3. Focus On It Often: Brainstorming can happen anywhere, any time – on a hike, eating dinner, even in the shower. I’m always percolating on solutions. Allowing ample time (usually a week or so) in the schedule for this process always yields the best results.
  4. Give It Positive Energy: Doing the front-end work of brainstorming, visualizing and contemplating builds a really great creative flow for me that allows me to charge ahead with executing designs in digital form. Finally giving the idea life is one of the best parts of my job.

This technique can be applied to any challenge, and it works. Can you apply Creative Visualization to a challenge you’re facing?

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Posted in creativity, inspiration, process

Mother Nature, Art Director

Posted by Eryn Willard on October 19, 2010

So, I missed out this weekend. My friend (and colleague) Ryan organized a short backpack trip along the Appalachian Trail and I didn’t go. And to rub it in, he sent me this photo from the camp site:

Photo courtesy Ryan Smith Photography

But instead of feeling down about missing out, I created this color palette instead. Called “Time to Camp” and based on the colors in the photo above, we’ll hopefully get to use it in an upcoming project soon.

Time to Camp

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Posted in color, creativity, inspiration, outdoor, photo

Screen Printed Inspiration

Posted by Eryn Willard on July 15, 2010

We came across the gigposters.com site today. So creatively inspiring!

Posted in creativity, inspiration, short and sweet

4 Years Old and All Grown Up

Posted by Eryn Willard on January 21, 2010

This month marks our fourth birthday — what can seem like an eternity in small business years. In fact, it’s flown by for us! Time does fly when you’re having fun, and we’re fortunate to be working with clients today that have been with us since the beginning as well as many new ones.

A lot happened at Studio 22 HQ in 2009.

  • Leaving the bustle (and expensive parking) of the city, we moved the office to a rural town where mid-day hikes are a reality.
  • We gained a Traffic Manager, Sue Mathias, to help our schedule run more smoothly and to serve our clients better.
  • Our work was published in a book about green design and also earned awards for sustainability reports, annual reports, brochures, and retail merchandising.
  • Adding a Copywriter, Carolyn Maddock, expanded our service offerings to get clients’ content into fighting shape.
  • We overhauled our own website design, development and content — and got to see what it’s like to be the client on the latter two!
  • And last but not least, we welcomed Brit Shoaf to the team as our new designer, increasing our ability to crank out the good stuff!

We’ve set new intentions for 2010 around the words
GIVE
PASSION
and
FORWARD

Stay tuned as we set out on the journey to fulfill them.

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Posted in inspiration, news, update

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