Design Jones

Some lovely, quirky and cost effective packaging from Able. You can view more images HERE at thedieline.com and learn more about Able’s work and creative process HERE. Fantastic how it conveys so many brand messages whilst retaining a sense of simplicity and humour.

Some really cool work from 24 year old designer, Kyle Fletcher HERE. Anyone that can work a pigeon into a logo deserves some respect in my book!

A quick catch up of some useful resources or articles from the last week or so.

‘Branding Starts With A Purpose…”
Great article over at Processed Identity HERE all about creating brands from the inside out and reflecting the heart of an organisation.

“11 Ways to Make Your Space Collaborative”
Having worked in a few different studios over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a few of the ideas in practice, this article is well worth a read if you need to shake up your creative spaces. Read it in full HERE.

“The Current State Of Web Design”
Smashing Magazine taking an in depth look at the latest in web design from 2010. Key things to look for; strong, rich typography and heavy influences from print design. Check it out HERE.

A cracking new visual identity created by Landor, Sydney. Feels really distinctive and really well executed on various applications. You can read more over at Logo Design Love HERE.

Yeah that title caught my attention too! It came from Simon Manchipp of London-based studio SomeOne and is part of a fascinating article over at LogoDesignLove HERE. It’s well worth checking out.

Whilst the statement is blunt and perhaps going a little far, there are many really good points here. Logos must be part of a brand and cannot simply be the ‘hero’ by themselves anymore. I think there are plenty of brands that can be built without the need of an accompanying icon or symbol but for others it’s a great tool to quickly convey the message and personality of a brand.

They also make comment about the need for brands to work across so many new platforms and the challenge of making something that can work on a 16×16 pixel favicon or Twitter avatar.

“The ‘favicon’ or ‘twibbon’ is now the equivalent of the ‘black and white fax’ that we all learnt (years ago) was the minimum requirement for a logo to be recognisable as. These are much smaller applications than we have ever had to deal with, and ones where traditional logos are struggling.”

“Lastly, the amount of platforms, media, applications (and now ‘experiences’) that need to be branded has multiplied significantly with technology. People simply get bored quicker and brand worlds allow the conversation to ‘flow’.”

Smashing Magazine have a nice roundup of some innovative and off the wall ways to make a powerful first impression HERE. Not always appropriate for every business but it does prove that being creative in even the most traditional of print items can get you noticed and make sure your business card is kept at the top of the pile.

This week I’ve really enjoyed reading through ComputerArts Projects latest issue ‘A Decade of Design’. Ten years ago I was finishing University, it’s scary to think how much I’ve changed, how much my work has changed but also to look back at the industry as a whole, and the work that’s been produced from 2000–2009. It well worth buying a copy (it’s issue 132).

There’s also a nice post over at Brand New HERE showcasing ‘The Most Relevant Work of the Decade.

I’ve been thinking recently how important it is for a brand to work well, not only in all the traditional ways, but in formats like Twitter avatar’s and 16 px square favicons! Looking forward to future branding projects I’m planning to be much more considerate towards how the brand will work and retain a sense of impact on such a small and square format.

I also found these PSD templates for illustrating how a brand might work as a Twitter and Facebook Fan page. You can download them HERE & HERE. I will often illustrate a brand rolled out and in context when presenting so these are really useful. Thanks to Fuel Your Creativity for those!!

Been enjoying reading Carsonified’s blog and the recent redesign of their site. I found these posts earlier today. One discusses the best way to approach naming your startup company and what to do when your name comes into conflict with an existing organisation. This is a problem that seems to be more and more common. Whilst the early days of any new venture are exciting, it’s important to spend time and invest in thorough research before deciding on a name that “suits your business, ideally goes some way to describing what it is you actually do, is snappy and memorable, and isn’t a rude word for a part of the human body in a foreign language.” You can read the rest of the post HERE.

The other article highlights the need for developers and entreprenuers to not neglect their own brands. Whilst it focusses on branding for web applications there is plenty of cross over for different organisations. You can read the article in full HERE but here are some highlights:

DO: Define your values
DO: Be emotional
DO: Be transparent

DONT: Neglect your brand
DONT: ‘Half ass’ your brand development
DONT: Be precious about consistency (Not sure I 100% agree with this last one, I think that’s where good training and brand management come in but I do see what they are saying in terms of trusting your staff to be ambassadors for the brand).

I’ve metioned Graphic Exchange on this blog many times. I’m constantly blown away by the quality of work they feature along with other examples of excellent design work, interiors and branding. A few of recent gems include a link through to a set of great 90’s magazine covers (HERE) including RAYGUN, Grafik and Blah.

Some beautiful envelope calligraphy by eithersnow HERE, why oh why did I not practice my handwriting growing up?

And finally a great branding showcase for coalesse, created by Toleson HERE.