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Imagine your lifestyle is magazine released quarterly by Reid Media offering everyday lifestyle, wealth and financial solutions and ‘down to earth advice from some of Australia’s leading financial advisors’. With distribution of over 40,000 copies to clients from Australia’s largest … Continue reading
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After 50 years in the retail market and as a first step in a multi-faceted re-vamp, RetraVision has been given a facelift. Headed by Retail Oasis, Retravision have conducted an 18-month intensive brand project, with the revamped logo marking the … Continue reading
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I have managed to peel myself away from my phone to write this article. It was a tough thing to do especially when I was so close to completing the level. Confused? Don’t be, I just downloaded a new App … Continue reading
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I attended a creative meet last Friday at ACMI in Melbourne. Presented by the Jacky Winter group, Field Trip was held for the first time. I usually do not like to attend these industry events because of their ridiculous costs, … Continue reading
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They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, but I say good quality photographs are worth a hell-of-a-lot more. No matter how fabulous your business or product is, bad quality, unprofessional photographs can really let you down. Graphic designers can … Continue reading
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I am not here to complain about the tough life of a Graphic Designer– because secretly (or not so secretly) I love the stressful, coffee-fuelled pace of the design industry. But, let’s face it; our job can be pretty tough … Continue reading
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Remember filling out those dinky little questionnaires presented with a mixture of delight and naïve expectations from your bestest best friend in grade three. Usually bound in a “My Friends” journal, jam packed with adorning stickers and glittery butterflies fluttering … Continue reading
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Gone are the days when living “the good life” was sufficient. Now, not only do we want to live “the good life” but we want this “goodness” to be instant. Living the instant life has superseded the relaxed life. No … Continue reading
I work out of an awesome studio in Richmond (Gordon Studios) that is run by my long term friend and photographer Mackenzie and her sister Samantha. It is such a great place to come everyday because I really get the … Continue reading
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I just ordered this really cool game called brand memory. It reminds me of playing the original memory with my Mum when I was a kid (she would always beat me). Mums have good memories! This game is actually two for the … Continue reading
Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, whatever the name, Santa has become a Christmas icon. Any man with a white beard, a portly figure or sporting a red suit and fuzzy hat immediately becomes a Santa-ly figure, even if his intentions are festively innocent.
Even the colours red and green are steeped with Christmas cheer. The combination of such contrasting colours immediately conjures thoughts of Christmas.
Santa Claus – as seen today
Santa and Christmas has become a brand. Perhaps the most universally recognisable brand ever to exist. Even Apple would be hard pressed to score the same level of icon-ism as Mr Claus himself.
Santa Claus has evolved over time to his current jovial self. His earliest origin is, unsurprisingly, St Nicholas the Christian priest. He used to deliver gifts to children late at night to preserve his identity and soon developing a reputation of kindliness and wisdom – so much so that the Roman emperor commanded all citizens to worship him as a God.
First sightings of Saint Nicholas
The first official image of St Nick was produced in 1810 by artist Alexander Anderson, commissioned by The New York Historical Society for the first St. Nicholas anniversary dinner on December 6. The resulting image portrayed St Nicholas as an elf-like character, small and bearded – a slightly grubbier version of the pristine Santa we know today.
His image was further enhanced in 1823, when “A Visit from St Nicholas” (or better known as “The Night Before Christmas) made its debut. Destined for extreme popularity, Washington Irving’s description of a rosy cheeked, white bearded, pipe-bearing, portly laughable fellow, soon stuck, and has hardly altered to this day.
Perhaps this longevity has lead to Santa becoming such a recognisable icon. Any brand with such rich and unchanging history would, undoubtedly, receive the same legendary status.
Santa is perhaps more than a legend, and even exceeds a God–like status. He is a universally recognisable figure of happiness, joy, wisdom, generosity, magic and charming goodness. He encapsulates the spirit of Christmas is one big, red, fuzzy package– really, what is not to love!
He highlights so perfectly the importance of developing a solid, image for your business. To achieve even a fraction of the recognition Santa receives could lead to increased productivity and success. Cadbury have done it with the colour purple and Apple, with their bitten fruit logo. Could you be the next?
Cadbury, Apple and... Santa!
Santa is the face of Christmas, and unlike the ever -hanging celebrity campaigns, he is here for good! Get your Christmas stockings ready, prepare the milk and cookies and careful not to forget the carrot! Santa Claus is coming to town in a big way!
Okay, is anyone else wondering what on earth is going on with Bupa? In fact, I am wondering what on earth is Bupa?
According to this very calming video on their website, Bupa is the result of a mergence of insurance companies HBA, mbf, and Mutual Community.
So, it’s a health insurance company. But what’s with the crazy name? I mean, I find it hard to concentrate on their mantra…
…”At Bupa, we exist to help our members live longer, healthier, happier lives. And as a leading healthcare organisation in Australia, we’re well placed to support and look after you and your family’s health”…
…when the name (according to my mother) sounds like a 5–year–old’s idea of toilet humour. The name and advertising campaign has actually become a bit of a joke around my household, with my sister donning a calming voice and saying “We are Bupa and we are stupid”.
mbf + Mutual Community + HBA = Bupa
Some further digging on the internet (or admittedly a quick look on the Bupa website), revealed that Bupa has actually be around since 1947 in the UK (perhaps the name doesn’t sound so funny with an English accent), and currently “cares for” (their words, not mine) for over 33 million people across 190 countries– pretty impressive, eh? But with a name like Boo-pah, it is hard to take them seriously! Surely they could have come up with a name, which sounds a little more convincing, and not so, well, childlike.
When I first saw the television ad (I can’t find it online but I have posted their intro video, from the About Us section of the site, above), I was drawn-in by the beautiful graphics and calming music. Even the cute little communal gathering at the end, where children, grand-ma’s and business tycoons alike, stick transparent blue placards to a Rubik’s cube form, had me drawn to the screen like a light-drunk fly. I could not supress my laughter though, when the overtly calm womanly voice announced (in such a whimsical manner) “We are Boo-pah”! Yes, that name broke the charm, the friendship and the any formerly acquired respect.
Why couldn’t they assign a professional looking acronym to the company. I personally find names of insurance companies like the former HBA and AAMI quite reassuring and trustworthy. I like the way that the capital letters create an emphasised sense of importance and further meaning. ANZ works in the same way. In my opinion, Bupa should become BUPA (Brilliant Utilisation of Professional Acronym– or something along those lines).
Professional looking acronyms
If we can ever move on from the name, we could discuss the logo. It is very closely linked to the HBA logo, which I assume, was actually created in response to the Bupa logo (not the other way around). I like the logo, very much actually. It is simple, clean and effective. Blue is a nice colour (lame adjective, I know!), but it exudes a level of trustworthy-ness, calmness and honesty– all the qualities you look for in an insurance company. The smooth curvature of the typeface also evokes the same sense of credibility and conviction.
Bupa vs HBA
In conclusion, I think that Bupa is, in fact, a great health insurance company– it sounds trustworthy and the global success, advertised on the site, is convincing to say the least. After reading the mantra and browsing their website, I would even consider taking out insurance with them in the future.
However (oh yes, there is always a BUT!) on pure face and name value, Bupa remains, in my mind, as a rather humorous Homonym for language we stopped using in primary school.
“We are Bupa!”
The following site (or sight) may cause viewers to suffer from the following symptoms: acute headaches, mild confusion, extreme disjunction of thought and upmost distraction. If you suffer, or are prone to epileptic fits, please, for your own health and safety, refrain from scrolling down. George Hutchins is online – and, golly gosh, is he making his presence known!
This over-the-top overtly colour-blazon site, raises many questions regarding the role of websites, and the how important it is for a business – small and big ‘to have a ‘good’ functioning website. Although George Hutchins’ sight attracts a surprising amount of traffic (the stat counter is ablaze because its popularity is just so hot!), one would question just how much it is actually benefitting Hutchins’ campaign. I would love to know; from the hundreds of thousands of hits, how many are from interested parties (I am not referring to the celebratory kind), and potential voters. I am of the opinion, that like myself, majority of the visiting individuals are simply checking out the ‘ugliness’ of the site- for amusements sake. I even considered posting something on my Facebook page along the lines of, “Check out this ugly site. Epileptics BEWARE!”
I have now, for research, of course, visited the site a number of times (it is actually open on my desktop as I type), but can honestly say, have not read a word. So overwhelmed by the confusion of type, colour, imagery and flashy highlighter-esque strike-throughs, I am totally incapable of deciphering any copy at all. Surely this is an issue.
This prompts me to ask, why do business/people need websites? In particular, what is George Hutchins trying to achieve in having a page on the web? If it is merely to attract attention (be it productive or not to his campaign) then he is literally rolling in success. If it is, however, to promote himself as an esteemed candidate for the US Congress and to provide people with information about his views then, I am afraid to say, the site fails miserably. I cannot see how anyone could possible make sense of anything advertised on this page. I am getting a headache simple looking at it. (I have now minimized the site, finding the illuminated text extremely distracting and off–putting… Sorry George, your site is just too hot!)
Websites are highly useful tools, which can lead to increased popularity, awareness and interest in whatever it is the site may be advertising. However, simply wanting or having a website, just for the sake of it, could be detrimental. One must first decide why a website is needed and then tailor that site to suit the need, whatever that may be. I can’t help but feel that George Hutchins may have skipped over this vital aspect of the design process. The result of such an oversight, is evident – a confusing and over-complicated site, which could be actually offensive to any graphic designer or design appreciator.
What if, however, the site was purposefully designed to be ugly, over-complicated, confusing and absolutely mind-blowingly in-your-face! It is definitely grabbing my attention and literally screaming GEORGE HUTCHINS FOR US CONGRESS! Even from its minimized position on my desktop, I can still see these words blaring out at me. Not knowing anything about George Hutchins (other than he is a Republican from North Carolina, who is running for Congress for the second time), or his ideals/target audience/goals/personality, I cannot comment on the ‘success’ (I guess you could call it that) of the site. I can however, give my highly uneducated opinion; this sight is a visual displeasure, a headache-causing shamble of illegibility. Do you agree?
Google search 'US Congress 2011'
Having said this (my scathing reviews always have a however attached to them), I was über surprised to see, that George Hutchins is doing quite well in the Google-search department. I have recently been introduced to the Google key-word analysis (I am embarrassed to say I have already run an analysis on my own name…). ‘George Hutchins’ gets 880 global monthly searches (not a bad effort), and for thanks to the poor-spellers in the world, ‘George Hutchings’ gets a further 880. Even more surprising though, is the fact that his site pops up on Google (quite high on the list I may add) when ‘US Congress 2012’ and ‘Republican candidates 2010’ are searched. Looks like George is getting more relevant attention than I initially thought!
That's HOT! George Hutchins' stat counter
I guess we can all learn something from George Hutchins site – albeit in absolute eye-sore, it actually is reeling in some relevant business. Imagine how hot things could be if Hutchins implemented a graphically pleasing website, which, rather than overwhelming viewers with a myriad of utter chaos, clearly explained and communicated his political views and plans for the US. Who knows, he may even become the next US President!
Shocking isn’t it? The sight of those gaudy, gradated phantom-like pitchers floating precariously above the poorly kerned type is enough to turn any graphic designers stomach. The relevance of which I still am struggling to understand – apparently they represent a wine, beer and martini glass, but really, who knows?
I have been meaning to let off some steam on The Foster’s Group ‘new’ logo for some time now, and am slightly embarrassed to say, that I wasn’t even aware that it has since been updated (thankfully) for something much less, well, horrible.
Foster's Group logo old vs new
The relatively short life span of the old logo (I reckon its been around for less than 12 months!) is totally understandable. The childlike use of gradients (which are startlingly similar to those you can create in WordArt) totally undermines the corporate-feel of the company. The decision to use such a ‘soft’ typeface is also rather questionable. Surely The Foster’s Group want to portray themselves as the ‘global premium-branded beverage company dedicated to delivering quality products enjoyed by millions’ they describe themselves as?
CUB logo old vs. new
Well, luckily for us, and for The Foster’s Group, the floating-pitchers monstrosity has been scrapped – replaced (and hopefully forgotten) by a much more conservative and corporate looking, type-dominated logo.
The ‘O’ from the iconic and classic Fosters beer logo sits amongst strong and bold lettering, making for a logo, which, not only aligns with the strong corporate image of the global beverage company, but also draws parallels to the recently updated logo for Carlton & United Breweries (which, has also been renamed as Carlton United Brewers) – the groups domestic subsidiary. In fact, the two newbie logos were released simultaneously, as a part of the duos new-look campaign, following their separation with former wine partner Treasury Wine Estates. I mean who wouldn’t want a new look after a messy break-up – if anything, just to make yourself feel better!
According to a press release the refreshed logos for both Foster’s and CUB complement the new name and beliefs and reflect a business with an exciting future. More exciting than brightly coloured pitchers? I think so!
The new slogan “Raised in Friendship”, makes me think all warm and fuzzy thoughts – maybe they should call themselves The Foster’s Family?
Jokes aside, I think the choice to dispense with the old, almost laughable, logo was more than justified. It’s replacement wordmark is simple and to-the-point, graphically mocking the juvenile irrelevance of the previous design. Let’s just hope that the visual horror that was the old logo isn’t too etched in everyone’s mind to move forward to the afore-promised ‘exciting future’.
Perhaps we can all have a laugh about it later over a beer. As long as it’s not served out of a poorly rendered, blue beer glass I’m happy!
The recent re-appearance of The Bank of Melbourne in its new swanky form has by no means gone unnoticed by creatives and Melburnians alike. The relaunch of the bank was expected to cost close to $100 million, making it a much anticipated event– (Westpac’s big plans were first mentioned back in 2004). With such a large budget, the expectations were high, especially when compared to The City of Melbourne’s redesign campaign, which cost the government a mere $147,906.
Westpac’s attempt to re-launch and re-integrate The Bank of Melbourne as a ‘community minded’ and ‘humble’ business has been met with much hype and critique from the public– me included. The aim was to re-brand The Bank of Melbourne as an iconic and exclusive Melbourne bank, to boost the regional market with the revival of the idea of a community bank branch.
According to James Sterling (head of Designworks- the graphic design firm responsible for The Bank of Melbourne’s ‘new look’) “Melbourne is a thriving, modern, progressive city with a proud, loved and endured heritage”. The question is, does the oddly shield-like logo and tightly kerned lettering speak of Melbourne in this progressive and modern light, while still making reference of a rich heritage?
My answer to this question is ‘yes’, albeit a rather tentative agreement. The relevance of the shield logo as a symbol of trust, community and united ideals creates a strong message of the re-jigged brand promise. Where the confusion for me lies, is whom the target audience is, and whether this highly modern and graphically inclined ‘new look’ will appeal to the ‘regional market’ they refer to? Surely the swanky new look will appeal more to young, hip and happenin’ Melbournians, and leave more mature citizens confused over the disappearance of the old retired brand. In saying this also, I ask how does this modern design refer to Melbourne’s heritage at all? In many ways the old brand, as clunky and archaic as it is, does this much better.
The former branding for Bank of Melbourne
Although I think the re-branding of The Bank of Melbourne has breathed a new life (if we are to be totally cliché about it) into the tired and previously redundant company, its similarities to The Beirut Hellenic Bank are too striking to ignore. Whether this was an intentional ‘influence’ or mere coincidence, it leaves me feeling even more confused about exactly what The Bank of Melbourne are trying to convey. Sure, the banks share the same community minded ideals and both seek to portray a level of trustworthiness and approachability- but surely all banks have the same goal?
The Bank of Melbourne vs. The Beirut Hellenic Bank
The Beruit Hellenic Bank has a large clientele of customers of Greek heritage (the only time I pass a branch is when I go out for Greek food in Oakleigh!), however, seek to provide a ‘modern’ and ‘relationship focused’ banking ‘experience’ (if you like!). One could argue that the blue and white colour scheme also alludes to a Hellenic theme.
Why then, would The Bank of Melbourne create an identity that is so overtly similar, and arguable un-Melbourne? Especially when their main goal was to produce a brand, which is iconic to Melbourne?
And if the question is who copied who, the Beirut Hellenic Bank first opened branches in 2001- plenty of time for designers responsible for The Bank of Melbourne’s new logo (Ogilvy and Designworks) to suss out the competition.
This is not to say that I don’t like the new logo. I actually think it is quite visually effective and striking. The blue colour scheme is inoffensive and the typeface- modern and highly legible. The tessellated shield-like logo is bold and, in a way, assuring in its solid form. In this way, it clearly portrays The Bank of Melbourne’s brand promise of providing a humble, trusted bank service committed to the local community.
Knitted Pantone© Swatches
For my birthday this year I was blessed with many amazing and generous presents, parties, cakes and perfect company. I think I managed to stretch the event out to a whole week. Every birthday should be like that!
This year, when I was enjoying my celebrations with some close friends at Naked for Satan on Brunswick Street in Brunswick, Melbourne. After a few Dirty Granny ciders and deliciously tasty Pintxos my log time (also Graphic designer) friend Libby arrived. I was greeted with a brown gift bag, hug and happy birthday. I was excited to open her present because just before I did she announced that in fact, the gift was home made. How awesome are home made gifts?! This intrigued me even more. The git was about 7x7cm and about 3cm deep, snug little package. I wondered what it could be. None of my thoughts came even close to what was wrapped up inside…
Revealing themselves to me, were 6 hand crafted, unique, quirky, KNITTED Pantone swatch coasters. Each sporting their own colour (as close to true Pantone as you can get in yarn) and each with hand embroidered Pantone colour codes. Hand made swatches of goodness just waiting to be awed over. My first question was to Kelly on my left (also graphic designer) ‘did you know about this??’ The shocked and amazed look on her face suggested it was a surprise to her too. My second question was to Libby ‘where did you see this done, how did you know to do this?’. To my admiration, she said that she had thought of the idea herself and has just spent the last couple of weeks working out how to do it.
As a graphic designer, this is an absolutely jaw-dropping gift and every other creative person I have showed them to has reacted exactly the same. I predict it will be a long time before I am given a gift that could out shine the coolness of the Knitted Pantone Swatch Coasters. Too good to use! They are going straight to the pool room 
If you would like your own set of Pantone Knitted Coasters then please send us an email and we would be happy to put you in touch with Libby.
Rounding up Brumby's you say? Not sure i'm up for that...
Pippi a tri-colour (mainly black) chihuahua and Zoe a sand colour Mastiff-X are partners in crime. Coaxing pats and hugs from others in the office, waiting with raised ears and eyebrows for Mackenzie and I to faithfully return from lunch and greeting visitors with wagging tails and excitement. Yes, bringing your dog to work is a real treat and one that I know to savour while I still can.
Shane who is the owner at Burke and Wills and fabulous client of Mackenzie Photography, popped by last week with two packages in hand. Announcing to me that they were treats for the beloved Pippi and Zoe. Ripping the plastic wrap off to discover that they were in fact fleece lined waterproof oilskin coats for the dogs (awesome!!). Perfect for the next wild Brumby round-up trip we take!
Much to Pippi’s dismay, I quickly whisked her up on the desk and put her coat on. This dog only weighs around 2.5kg and I reckon this coat weighs the same as her. I strapped her in and allowed her to parade around the office for all to see. She was met with much ‘awwwwwwwing’ and shrills of ‘so cute’. She did look pretty cute even though I know she was annoyed underneath at me making a spectacle of her.
Zoe being the larger dog of the two and the most ‘outdoory’, suits the coat to a tee. Her sandy skin and curious expression really highlights properly the need for an oil skin coat for dogs. I imagine her chasing horses and sheep out in the bush then faithfully returning back to camp to laze by the fire and bark at the moon.
Pippi and Zoe are now the new models for Burke and Wills oilskin dog coat range. Below you can see their poses from the photo shoot. The ‘models’ were allowed to keep their coats after the photo shoot and I know that I am really looking forward to taking Pippi up to Mt Dandenong national park on a drizzly winters day for a refreshing crisp walk. Fresh air and clean oxygen, just what the doctor ordered!
Thanks to Shane from Burke and Wills for the coats. They are very cool and certainly one of the perks of being able to bring your dog into work everyday.
Zoe the drover
Pippi the reluctant Chihuahua
I am really excited to be part of the Victorian Small business festival this year. It is such a great opportunity for any small business to go along to information sessions around Business Planning, Marketing, Accounting and Bookkeeping, Social Media and much more.
This year No Grey Creative is part of the Business Planning section of the festival. When deciding what category to submit under, Marketing was the first choice. But after having a good ponder I decided to go with Business Planning.
I see so many business owners who start out, leave branding to the last minute or out of the picture entirely. Graphic design and branding should be there in your business plan from day one. You should be setting aside real money for this exercise. Professional branding as an investment is vital for any business to get up off the ground. It also sets you apart as a serious business owner. An investment in branding can last you for ten years, so don’t loose sight of the longevity it can offer.
To see more about the festival in general then visit HTTP://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/STANDARD/PC_62630.html You can even download the FREE iPhone app for the festival there.
If you would like anymore information on the upcoming information evening from No Grey Creative, then please see our seminars page http://www.nogrey.com.au/seminars
Pick up your copy of the event guide today!
Here is an interesting story, one I have read many times before but it always reminds me how important it is for my clients to have impressive branding when prospecting for clients. As this story demonstrates, its all about how oviagrar people perceive you. You may have the best product or service in the world, but if your image does not represent that then how will people start to know about it?
In Washington DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time.
This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly. At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music. This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the DC Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.
You are at a networking function, how do you react when you get a business card from someone with ‘get your free cards from Vista’ (etc) printed on the back?? and it potentially looks the same as someone else’s cards?
I have actually met two people at the one networking function viagra had the same ‘design’ (i use the term lightly) on their cards but for different businesses. Not a good look and would I do business with them? Are they up to the job?
I mean how serious are you about your business if you cant invest the $300 or so for professional cards.?
Check out this service for yourself and see if it is what professional business people are made of…
