Stationery has always been a much loved touchpoint in the eyes of both designers (us included) and those who buy design. Much loved? Yes. Important? Sometimes.
With the exception of consulting organizations, stationery only amounts to a fraction of the total experience of the brand. It might not even be more important than the tiles in the restrooms.
So, how do you know which touchpoints matter the most? The two-second answer is simple: draw up the itinerary for your stakeholder journey, then make the trip yourself and let others do the same. What touchpoints did you meet the most? Which ones made the greatest impression? Which ones did you consider most important for added value?
The downside of prioritizing stationery in the wrong situation becomes apparent when it is time for activation. A worst-case scenario might leave you with an elegant serif font (which, by the way, is off-brand, but it did look beautiful on your business cards…) that is practically impossible to use on a billboard, to animate to your web or it’s in a colour that you can’t even find in the NCS for your retail environment.
The lesson to be learned here is to figure out which of your touchpoints matter the most before you develop your new identity. When your identity is optimized for your brand and business, you can enjoy the beauty of your stationery with no regrets.
This is what we did when developing the new identity for SATS. We knew that large physical environments would be our main challenge when it came to activating the brand. To overcome this, we used a bold typeface and large-scale patterns as keys for their identity. Thinking ahead is the only way to avoid the stationery effect.
Yesterday we launched a new website for Praktiska. The website is the latest new feature in an ongoing branding process. The process has included a new visual identity and naming strategy, message platform, tonality and a strategy for web and social media. And there is more in the making…
Praktiska is a high school with its sights set on working life. The school attracts students aiming for a job right after graduation, since the programmes it offers are a combination of school studies and pratical experience at the workplace.
What we express on the website and through Praktiska’s visual identity is a strong focus on jobs, the practical touch and the friendly atmosphere of the small schools located all over Sweden.
Jörgen previously held a position within finance at KF Media, working with the publisher Norstedts and the book seller Akademibokhandeln. Prior to that, he gained experience from the world of IT and banking, both locally and internationally. With a degree from the Stockholm School of Economics under his belt, he is now ready to support our future business.
Accessibility is one of the oldest types of benefits – being able to call your golf club director 5 minutes in advance, booking 3 tee times at your local golf club, or getting a table at your favourite restaurant without having a reservation. Accessibility is paramount. It gives you a feeling of freedom, respect and a sense of importance. It is worth paying extra for.
Many are the brands that make their profits on key chains and hats, instead of their core product. The fear of flooding and non-exclusivity has to be conquered. Today everyone buys premium brands. It is simply a matter of proportions: the rich buy a lot of premium brands while the poor buy them too, but not quite so often. The target group for premium brands is widening. Fast.
The technology of today allows premium brands to be exposed to a wider and wider audience. Everyone can be a premium customer at Sky or Spotify – full accessibility 24/7. Brands with a traditional business model can gain some insight from these emerging brands; keys to increasing their sales volumes without risking their premium positioning: accessibility and tailoring for the individual customer without other customers being aware of it.
You might call this a more private brand experience.
When a brand uses colour consistently, it helps us perceive and remember information easily. It is a great tool for creating brand recognition, association and loyalty. Colours create emotions – instantly and strongly; an effect that is often exploited in branding. A colour can make or break your brand, launch and/or expansion. It can differentiate you from your main competitor (read: enemy). Despite this, more brands are turning black. They are becoming black as a result of personal preference – the brand manager’s, the marketing director’s or the agency art director’s. This isn’t the way effective branding is done. Or is it?
IBM, former champion of blue, is turning black. Burger King’s new retail concept is black (associations to burned meat anyone?). Both Adidas and Nike are moving closer to more black each year. Peugeot is downsizing their blue. Opel’s yellow is more or less absent and SAAB, maybe as a visual manifestation of their inevitable disappearance, is turning grey or, from time to time even white on white. You get my drift.
If you consciously embrace the grey scale, it can be a good way to enhance other tools. Graphics, imagery, and typography can be turned into the heroes when the eye-popping colours take a step back. These days we favour the employees; they are our strongest asset. With the absence of strong colours, they are put into the limelight.
A business suit and a bridal gown are black and white for a reason – to let the wearer shine. Less colour on the façade demands higher quality in the actual content. If you dress up in something low-key, you need other tricks to gain your viewers’ attention. Remember that the apple of Apple used to be as colourful as a rainbow back in the days when it was struggling. Today it is a lifeless grey. Sparkling personalities apparently need no additional make up…
While we encourage our clients to walk less travelled branding paths, we advise them to think twice before desaturating their brands. A can of Coke needs its red colour to stand out on a crowded shelf. We might go for the wrong rental company if it were not for the bright yellow and red of Hertz and Avis. Colour continues to play its ever so important role in branding. Maybe just a little less saturated……
Earlier this year we helped Kulturhuset to hone the core message of their brand. The concept of Öppna Människor (Open People) shows the way for both the goal and the means; opening people’s eyes to culture while at the same time being open and welcoming. To get the message over we listened in on their passions and created our first idea for activating the core. With the help of close to 150 personal badges, cultural conversations between staff and visitors will hopefully flourish.
