After discussing the challenges their current identity faces, we developed the re-design brief with our new client and together, we decided that the identity needs to be more modern, friendly, and less corporate. A large majority of their target market is made up of females, so it was vital that the new logo represented a more feminine personality.

Brian Joseph Studios achieved the goals set out in the brief by developing a professional, modern, and clean identity. Along with the stationary we designed, the overall identity project was a success and our clients are delighted with the result.

Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

Just seven days ago, Gap launched a new logo on their website, Gap.com, and instantly received a backlash from the online community on social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. Professional logo designers came out in force, discussing the new Gap logo with the vast majority in agreement that the new identity fails on many levels.

Here on the Brian Joseph Studios’ blog, we were one of the first to realize the logo change on Gap.com and posted about the new Gap logo here.

Just a few hours ago on this Monday evening, Gap published a statement on their website announcing their decision to revert back to their iconic logo. Even more impressive, and to the delight of professional designers around the world, they also used this statement to somewhat apologize for their mistake in attempting to use crowdsourcing for the further development of their brand. Crowdsourcing design is an unprofessional way to go about acquiring design work as it results in amateur (and some professional) designers working for free in the hope that their creations will be the chosen one, and ultimately only one designer gets paid.

Gap quickly realized that their decision to entertain the crowdsourcing idea was a harmful one to the Gap brand, and they recognized this in their statement this evening.

“Since we rolled out an updated version of our logo last week on our website, we’ve seen an outpouring of comments from customers and the online community in support of the iconic blue box logo.

Last week, we moved to address the feedback and began exploring how we could tap into all of the passion. Ultimately, we’ve learned just how much energy there is around our brand. All roads were leading us back to the blue box, so we’ve made the decision not to use the new logo on gap.com any further.

At Gap brand, our customers have always come first. We’ve been listening to and watching all of the comments this past week. We heard them say over and over again they are passionate about our blue box logo, and they want it back. So we’ve made the decision to do just that – we will bring it back across all channels.

In the meantime, the website will go back to our iconic blue box logo and, for Holiday, we’ll turn our blue box red for our seasonal campaign.

We’ve learned a lot in this process. And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community.  This wasn’t the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing.

There may be a time to evolve our logo, but if and when that time comes, we’ll handle it in a different way.”

Congratulations to Gap and their team for listening to the masses online, and for making a decision that will ultimately allow the Gap brand to grow and evolve into an even more successful identity.Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

And….yet again, the online community is slightly baffled. An empty horizontal bracket is supposed to represent the idea that Myspace is a place where people can do anything, with the “space” in the logo representing the users’ space to create whatever they want.

Apparently you can now do anything with identities also, and you don’t even need to finish typing the name of the business. With this new Myspace logo, score one for the ultimate in minimalistic identity design. We’re not sure anyone else gets a point in this case.Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

In June 2010, the company launched its new brand claim “The Best or Nothing” which is now appearing in print, tv and online campaigns. While this new brand claim has only recently been made public as a marketing tool, the motto was originally adopted by the founder of Mercedes-Benz, Gottlieb Daimler. It is this principle that Daimler developed the Mercedes-Benz product under, and expects each employee to live by.

Another interesting aspect of this new Mercedes-Benz branding is that high-ranking members of the Mercedes-Benz staff are being featured as brand ambassadors in each element of the campaign. This not only adds a personal touch to the message, but also displays the company’s ambition to lead the auto manufacturer industry now and in the future by presenting the variety of specialists and engineers working on innovative energy efficient solutions.

Additional information on the new Mercedes-Benz brand claim can be read hereRecent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

The details of what the winner receives are unclear in the inquiry, with the only promise made being that the designer will receive compensation if they are chosen.  This brings us to the major problem with this process:

This company will only compensate the winning firm for their work, time and effort. All other designers that enter a bid receive nothing.

A competition like this is called “Speculative Work” and is disrespectful to both the design industry and the designers involved.

The approach they are pursuing is one that compromises quality of work  and also violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide.

If this was spec work, one of these dogs would be fed at the end of the race!

AIGA, the nation’s largest and oldest professional association for design, strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.

There are two main reasons for this position:

1. To assure the client receives the most appropriate and responsive work. Successful design work results from a collaborative process between a client and the designer with the intention of developing a clear sense of the client’s objectives, competitive situation and needs. Speculative design competitions or processes result in a superficial assessment of the project at hand that is not grounded in a client’s business dynamics. Design creates value for clients as a result of the strategic approach designers take in addressing the problems or needs of the client and only at the end of that process is a “design” created. Speculative or open competitions for work based on a perfunctory problem statement will not result in the best design solution for the client.
2. Requesting work for free demonstrates a lack of respect for the designer and the design process. Requesting work for free reflects a lack of understanding and respect for the value of effective design as well as the time of the professionals who are asked to provide it. This approach, therefore, reflects on the client’s practices and standards and may be harmful to the professional reputation of both the client and their  business.There are few professions where all possible candidates are asked to do the work first, allowing the buyer to choose which one to compensate for their efforts.
   

   Just consider the response if you were to ask a dozen lawyers to write a brief for you, from which you would then choose which one to pay!

   We realize that there are some creative professions with a different set of standards, such as advertising and architecture, for which billings are substantial and continuous after you select a firm of record. In those cases, you are not receiving the final outcome (the advertising campaign or the building) for free up front as you would be in receiving a communication design solution.

There are designers and design firms that will agree to “work on spec”. They will most likely be less professional and less experienced  than a firm that disagrees with speculative work.

If a designer agrees to work on spec during the bid process in the hopes of being chosen as the winner, it displays a level of desperation which is a common characteristic of an unsuccessful business. If you as a client choose to work with a designer that agrees to spec work, you should not be surprised when you don’t receive the level of service or quality that you are hoping for.

There is an appropriate way to explore the work of various designers. A more effective and ethical approach to requesting speculative work is to ask designers to submit examples of their work from previous assignments as well as a statement of how they would approach your project. It is also wise to judge a design firm’s merit by reviewing their client list. You can then judge the quality of the designer’s previous work and easily determine the level of skill and experience the designer or firm possesses.

More useful information on spec work can be read here

Update – Sunday, August 1st 2010

We responded to the inquiry notifying the client that we would not be entering into their bid process and we included much of the above information in our email to them. It appears that a few hours after our response, the company has now modified the document (hosted on their servers) that contains the details of the bid process that they are sending to designers.

They are no longer requiring two homepage designs to enter with the bid, but have added the alternative option to meet with them and “schedule a time to show us why….you are different from the rest.”.

This still isn’t ideal , as they are still asking for bidders to present design work for free (unless chosen as the winner) as the first option, but at least we helped to educate them and encouraged them to re-think their process. Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

The Identity

We began the project by developing the new identity for our new client and after a face-to-face meeting, we had our logo design brief.

Our two lead designers, Brian Yerkes (Owner & Creative Director) and Colin Hughes (Designer) began with the concept development phase of the project. This stage of the logo design process includes hours of sketching and discussion between the Brian Joseph Studios team after learning about our client, their market, and their company goals.

Below you will see just a few of the sketches we worked on as we were forming our concepts for this new identity. Originally, our client was going to use the name “Sterling Marketing Solutions”, but soon after changed it to “Sterling Integrated Marketing”. You can see some of our sketches were based on the earlier choice, but some of our work on developing an “S” shape carried over.

After our sketching process, we met again to discuss the potential of each concept. There are many vital steps that we take before we choose to proceed with a specific concept. We talk about its flexibility, its versatility and ability to grow into a full brand for the client. When developing logo designs, it is important that the identity is easily viewed in small sizes, and when displayed in different applications, including black and white.

Once we had a few strong concepts that we were happy with, and that matched the logo design brief from our discussions with the client, we then turned the sketches into digital drawings, and finally into finished logo designs for the client to review with us.

We sent a full description about each concept to the client, explaining our inspiration sources and why we were confident that each concept matched their goals for their new identity. After reviewing each concept over the phone with the client, they decided on the design with the black lettering and light blue “IN”. This concept not only provided them with a logo, but also a full branding concept that could be carried over to each piece of collateral.

After receiving our client’s feedback, we began developing the “IN” concept further and decided to integrate it more closely with the other letters…taking inspiration from the word “Integrated” in the company’s new name. After a few more revisions, the final concept was developed and ready to go. We also created some stationary designs as part of the project, with all pieces presenting the new “Are You In?” brand message that we developed.

The Website

Once the identity project was complete, we moved onto the development of the website. We designed a custom web design for Sterling Integrated Marketing, using the bold colors from the logo, and an easy to use interface for the viewer to navigate through. Information is presented in a concise manner, and is easily retrieved to ensure that the user experience is a positive one.

We utilized various pieces of Javascript and Flash to enhance the interactivity of the website without compromising the search engine optimization of each page and its content. After the custom web design was ready, we began the development / coding stage.

Some of the main features included in the website:

• A CMS System for the client to control all content
• A blogging platform for latest news and articles
• Custom Javascript programming
• Custom Flash programming
• Contact form with data tracking that stores all leads online for the client to access in addition to email alerts
• SEO friendly URL’s
• Website statistics

View the new website | View our web design portfolio
Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

However, successful branding encompasses much more. It is important to recognize the importance of the more subtle aspects of a branding campaign along with the obvious ones.

A perfect example of “the subtlety of branding” can be seen in last week’s episode of “The Celebrity Apprentice” on NBC. The episode featured a task that required the contestants to develop an advertorial for Norton and LifeLock.

Most of us that use computers for the majority of our working day are familiar with the Norton brand with their bright yellow color complimented by black. With the Norton logo and product information being featured frequently in this episode, the overall message was clear and consistent.

When taking a closer look into this episode, one realizes the smaller, more subtle aspects of Norton’s brand strategy during this feature. The Norton executive wore a yellow shirt under her suit jacket, the same yellow of the Norton brand, each time she was shown throughout the episode which spanned a couple of days. This element of Norton’s strategy may be subtle, and most people may not even be able to recall the color of the woman’s shirt if asked, but without a doubt, most will know the color of the Norton brand.

It is subtle aspects like the example above that greatly facilitate the bigger pieces of the brand puzzle like the logo, the tag line and so on. By understanding the impact that the smaller brand applications can have, the overall strategy is more likely to deliver the desired results.

Norton even convinced Donald Trump to play along, and he wore a bright yellow tie during the episode. Intelligent branding by the folks at Norton. Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

With many years of experience in the pool cleaning business, the owners decided to create a complimentary company to offer to their clients, pool tile restoration. Naples, Florida has many pools, and often the tiles in them begin to look aged and dirty. “Pool Tile Restoration of Naples” provides a unique cleaning service that restores pool tiles to look brand new. A perfect service for hotels, resorts and homeowners.

The logo design that we created had to display a crisp, professional feeling. We presented the business name in a clean and organized way to give the overall format of the identity some good uniformity. After a few revisions, we had completed a memorable logo design that represents the company and their services well.

We then moved on to the design of the letterhead and the business card, using double-sided printing to give their stationary a high quality look and feel.

Now that the identity phase has been completed, we are moving forward to the development of the website. We are excited to continue their branding into the web design, and look forward to presenting the project to you when we are done.

Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

We recently completed a logo design / brand identity project for “Good Dog Productions” based in Australia. We were originally contacted by “Good Dog” to help them with their marketing, and after a few webcam meetings, we helped them to see the importance of having a professional, memorable identity.

We researched the history of their company, their audience, and their competitors to help us develop our ideas for the identity. Our client didn’t want us to use traditional imagery of a dog, but wanted something playful to represent the name of the business. We began sketching our concepts , and developed an idea of the perspective of the face of the dog; specifically the inquisitive look a dog gives when something sparks their attention, and their ears or one ear stands up.

Our clients really liked this idea, and so we developed it into a final logo design with the name of the business in a playful font, with shapes complimenting the lines of the dog illustration.

Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]

Coffee Bar @ Bailey’s just opened its doors today on Sanibel Island, Florida, and Brian Joseph Studios was responsible for designing their website and developing the company’s identity/logo design.

The client wanted an “art deco” look, with an old-fashioned feel to it to match the interior design of the cafe. We researched our font library for a suitable look, and with some customizations to the lettering, we began to develop the concept. As with all professional logo designs, the identity had to be clean, organized and simple , yet able to present the message, and the feeling of the cafe.

We came up with the concept of using a coffee stain as the “o” in coffee and along with a right chocolate/coffee color scheme, the identity was born. The client requested that we add the “at Bailey’s” tag to the logo so that Sanibel residents can relate Bailey’s Shopping Center with the Coffee Bar.

The web design came together nicely once the logo design was completed, and it really stands out and continues the memorable look of this new coffee shop on Sanibel.

SanibelCoffeeBar.com has an admin area for the client to edit the content, pictures etc, and they will be updating the blog/latest news section frequently with all of the happenings going on at the cafe. We’re excited to see the success of this new business and wish them all the best.

The “Coffee Bar @ Bailey’s” owners are delighted with the finished logo design and web design and we enjoyed working with them on this project.

Recent Posts:

• New Website Launched – O’Brien Helicopters[ October 19, 2011 ]
• Halloween Fort Myers and Naples 2011[ October 19, 2011 ]
• “Website Awesomesauce” – formula by Brian Joseph Studios[ August 29, 2011 ]
• New Website Launch – KC Wilson Construction, Naples Florida[ August 9, 2011 ]