Archetype: the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies.

Doesn’t sound like a template for a distinctive or epic design does it?

Nevertheless, the use of archetypes as a way of defining a brand’s personality is now common practice. Steve Jobs is often held up as a living breathing brand archetype: The Wizard (of Oz) - disappearing behind his curtain then popping back with his latest piece of magic. The burgeoning industry of brand strategy which acts as a comforting tier between marketing and creative briefs makes much play on Jung’s archetype philosophies etc. etc.

Personally I’m not too sure it goes much deeper than the “If I were a car, what type of car would I be?” type of approach for most of us. I find archetypes reasonably helpful in briefings, but just as effective (without the smoke and mirrors) are simple personifications – we were recently briefed to create a logo that was “like Roy Keene” and all the designers got what that meant visually without recourse to an induction in archetypes.

If you find the approach valuable, fantastic. But stumbling across the recent print above by illustrator Tom Gauld prompted me to think that beyond the limited spectrum of archetypes we are typically given to consider (see below), there is a rich cast of more quirky but just as immediate characters. Is it possible that archetyping reduces and shorthands the potential depth of personality that can be imbued into a brand, rather than enriching it?

I’m sure fans of the process would counter “only if you don’t understand and use it properly” but that’s the issue really – few of us presented with it in brainstorms etc. will be students of Jung and the like, so our use of it as a tool is likely to be a bit shallow. And at the end of the day, do such systems spark imaginative interpretation, or can they risk smothering it in process?

We published this back in August but as the Apple tablet launches today, we thought it might be worth another look…

Not since that other bearded bloke came down from the mountain has a presentation of new tablets been so hotly anticipated…

So Apple being Apple, hype around its new tablet is at fever pitch (well, it’s being twittered about lots anyway). From a design perspective, it is during the period of anticipation that we get to see how good Apple is. The web is awash with beautiful visuals by fans predicting the look and functionality of the new tablet. If past results are anything to go by they will be woefully inaccurate. When a phone version of the i-pod was rumoured, the drawings tended to be pictures of the i-pod with a few number buttons stuck underneath (see below). Now we get big square versions of the i-phone design. My bet is the real thing will confound predictions and show why Jonathan Ive and team are in a league of their own.

Not everyone is expecting miracles -  technology authority andfinally.com, quoted in The Guardian, suggested that Apple’s run of dramatic breakthroughs was unlikely to last for ever. “If Steve Jobs stands up and announces this, it could be his last hurrah. The technology industry has matured and, unless Apple does something completely unexpected, we have a pretty good idea what this will look like. The world has been shaped by technology in such a way that it is no longer surprising.” But even if they fail to match previous OMG moments this time, can you recall any other brand whose design evolution was the subject of such breathless excitement? Below are some of the artists’ impressions – let’s see how they stack up to reality later today…

See more interpretations after the jump…

Read more »

These super-hot crisps have been created with the intention of helping beer drinkers work up a thirst. They’re being given away with cases of stubbies. The design is neither here nor there – just the beer branding on a bag, but that’s not the point really. Rather, with the publicity that’s being generated through such playful thinking the brand is better connecting with its audience.

VB seems to be quite on it right now – they are also giving away pop-up pubs (assembled in a minute because “beer tastes better in the pub”) as shown by these able lady-dems…

… to drinkers who send in photos of their wonky home bars to the VB facebook page…

Brainstorms and suchlike typically throw up lots of daft ideas alongside the serious business of the day. Good for VB to be pursuing the silly stuff that has some life rather than having a laugh then forgetting all about it.

The Observer newspaper reports a huge anticipated sales boom in lipstick. It’s a result of the “lipstick effect” when women react to uncertain times by scaling back spending on designer clothes and handbags, but splurge on cheaper luxuries. Selfridges reports an average cross-brand rise of 12%. Bold colours are the trend – another timeless response to doom and gloom as we discussed here. Spring will see the biggest brand names launching major ranges of “statement colours” in a small war for share.

So, with millions at stake isn’t it curious how generic lipstick branding is – same materials, textures, colours, shapes. And any branding is typically very discreet and plonked on the lid.

In the advertising we get a set of competing interchangeable celebrities, generally with a product and logo tucked away at the base of the page. While understanding the appeal of celebrity endorsement, why is the advertising so generic and unmemorable? Here’s a test – can you name the famous names behind the packs which head this post or these current (lavishly expensive) advertisements? (Answers, as they say after the “jump”.)

Are lipsticks the last bastion of understatement in a world of garish fashion branding? Is it because women want their lipstick to become a discreet part of their personal style rather than a badge of brand affiliation? If so, it runs contrary to a world of statement handbags, eyewear etc.

Is it because the brands are chosen in a context of strongly branded point of sale? If so, once bought, such branding becomes invisible, and the chance to promote via being out and about is lost.

Am I just being a bloke and missing the fact that for women the differences are subtle but clear?

When all that separates these interchangeable sticks of red wax and lead is the branding upon them, and with a war to be waged, how odd that such a uniformly forgettable approach to standing out is chosen.

Anyway, click here for the answers if you are as confused as me: Read more »

Autoweek’s best in show at this month’s Detroit motor show was the Audi E-tron all electric concept car. While we are all used to such concepts never seeing the light of day, there seems to be serious intent to make this one work.

I think it’s interesting for a couple of reasons: first that even luxury brands are developing alternatives which can broadly be considered greener. And that they are doing so with the understanding that their consumers are not prepared to compromise on what they love about the brand – the press release focuses, as does the design, on performance first, electric power second: “Imagine a new Audi supercar. 0-62 mph in just 4.8 sec. 230kW and 4,500 Nm of torque. Incredible looks. Its four motors drive each wheel individually, making it a true quattro. This new Audi is a classic – instantly taking its place in the ranks of the world’s most exciting automobiles. And it runs on… Electricity.” The stumbling block of course is creating a production version of the battery which can give the car a decent range. But that, we are assured, they are working on. The benefit for petrol-heads is very fast acceleration. So, a future where green issues can be folded into a decidedly un-green demographic.

The second point of interest for me is that this design feels like a very “Audi” piece of behaviour – a great demonstration that they are a smart thinking brand, who can resolve a seemingly impossible task through engineering expertise. There is a sense of precision and machine driven logic in this concept a million miles away from the fluffier green communication of brands like Honda.

Final notion – why is it only the auto industry who so dramatically brand build via worked up ideas? Could the same approach not be applied to FMCG?

New logos for old brands inevitably get a lot of flack – they’re easy targets. In the interests of wanting to avoid being seen as too much of a smart-arse I normally resist the temptation to join in. But I think the new Peugeot logo is worth talking about because it is a good example of how the design process can incrementally polish away a brand’s marque until the end result stops expressing the original point. The previous Peugeot mascot was no oil painting, but it did look broadly like a lion, with the serpent tongue and flat profile evoking a medieval heraldic emblem. The new one has chubby paws and looks a long way from the origins of the 1850 original (Peugeot began by making saws, and the lion was intended to evoke “the toughness of the teeth, the flexibility of the blade, and the speed of the cut”). So down the years the lion mutated as follows:

And now we have a generic 3-D rendered beast, literally de-clawed of his vitality (but, drearily, aligned with sibling brand Citroen). All in all, it’s easy to criticise, but more importantly this case study acts as a warning to all of us of the pitfalls of evolving a brand’s equities until the original intention becomes lost.

Still, the new logo will look at home on the new electric iOn….

Looking ‘round the excellent photography exhibition “Beatles to Bowie” at the National Portrait Gallery (amongst other things it’s a visual history of the branding of British bands, though such a term was probably never used at the time), the famous image above struck me. Partly because it was the perfect encapsulation and launch of the band’s Fab image, in an era long pre-dating Photoshop, stylists and marketing teams. But also striking, seeing the picture circled on a contact sheet, because even without such resources the band and photographer (Fiona Adams) intuitively set the template for a thousand “will this do?” copycats.

Whereas with other groups the inter-band jollity generally appeared rather forced, and typically at least one group member would have looked more at home working on a building site rather than cavorting in front of the camera, The Beatles managed to make being in a group look natural. None of these bands quite pull off the same trick…

…and in the face of this generic prating about for the camera, that other great gang the ‘Stones offered the logical response – slouching and scowling, apparently too cool to play the game:

Both Beatles and Stones feel like closed clubs, with their own private languages, jokes and styles. It would be a bit naff to extrapolate this observation to the general world of branding, but it’s easy to think of super-brands whose ranges feel powerful because they stand apart and talk their own language rather than metaphorically mugging for the camera. The exhibition closes Jan 24th and is well worth a look if you get the chance.

Earlier this year we used the redesign of the core UK Kleenex pack to illustrate an observation about packaging changes which are arguably so conservative, that they miss the opportunity to move on that a redesign offers (see original post here). It’s been quite another story in the States, where the brand first created these great summer packs for Target (above), and has now created a winter version – lots of playful homespun charm, playing on the kind of box covers nana used to create to hide tissues back in the day.

Kleenex also produced this slightly more sophisticated Christmas pack, again playing on the concept that something sitting in the corner of our rooms might as well look nicely decorated.

I guess the point these boxes make is that branding can be achieved via a decorative approach rather than a logo, and repeating the trick just builds on this. I think Kleenex are to be applauded not for any one of these packs in particular, but rather for taking a good idea and not settling for just trying it once.

Above: The rather less inspiring UK redesign this year.

Ever heard of the Trogon family of birds? They are often beautiful, and have been knocking around for 49 million years. That should be enough to make an impression, but my guess is they are off most of our radars. Usually nature is a great place to look if one wishes to draw inspiration for design. Indeed when the McLaren F1 team were looking about for something to benchmark their innovation and performance against, they settled on the natural world as their inspiration and competition, rather than say Ferrari (after all, no car has the ability to go from full speed to hovering like a bee).

But the Trogons - not too sure what we can borrow from them as a template. Their lack of fame is probably down to visual incoherence - 39 species in total. We’ve all heard the “but my market’s different” bleat of the brand manager aiming to shirk the global line (at least evolutionary principles rather than maverick office politics is the cause of the Trogon’s diversity), and here is nature’s equivalent. The Trogon is a text book example of how being inconsistent might be interesting, but is a rubbish way to build a brand. While they have been messing about experimenting with different shapes sizes and colours, more focussed species such as the eagle have grabbed all the attention when it comes to endangered species campaigns, flags, songs and the like. The moral – question if your market really does require unique plumage before sacrificing the fame you might enjoy if you simply tow the line a little better.

Thanks to Scienceray for the information and images.

There seems to be a rather large amount of “client from hell” emails doing the rounds at the moment. What gives? Have clients suddenly become worse? Or is this simply another example of how the anonymity of the web brings out everyone’s inner caustic complainer (more likely). The underlying theme behind most of the online moaning seems to stem not from dumb direction, but rather a lack of collaborative spirit. There have been plenty of parodies in the marketing press over the years of “designer speak”, which I have found quite instructive in that they highlight the pitfalls to avoid. In the same spirit, here are a few of the more entertaining moans from the other side of the fence – of course, it goes without saying that nobody reading this blog would ever behave so crassly!

A situation familiar to any designer asked for a “quick and dirty” solution:

Or click here to watch

Some general moaning:

http://clientsfromhell.tumblr.com/

An entertaining dialogue between disgruntled parties:

http://www.27bslash6.com/p2p.html