Nothing about branding, marketing or design here. Something just for pure enjoyment, distraction and possibly personal inspiration. British Vogue, as part of their “Ask a Legend” series, invited an incredible range of celebrities to pose their most burning questions to the renowned actor. Who doesn’t love Judi Dench?!? Obviously, it’s been a rough year (with more to come). Get up, stretch, grab another cup of coffee or tea and enjoy these delightful fifteen minutes. Undeniably, good for the soul…
Author: PaulK
In time it will come
Magazine cover design, Slow.
Playful can be powerful
Early this year, Fisher Price has introduced a major rebrand of its identity. The brand worked with renowned design firm, Pentagram for the brand refresh including a modest update of the logo, a custom typeface and a fun set of graphics playing off of the recent unveiled “Let’s be kids” campaign by advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy. The new typeface is called Let’s Be Glyphs and offers straight and “bouncy” versions to allow for managing the amount of playfulness. The word mark update is subtle, with new lower case initials “f” and “p”, and a hyphen that has become a semi-circular “smile”. The new curved graphic also relates to the original “awning” – the scallop-edged shape the word mark sits on, simplified and redrawn for the brand refresh. Two new monograms using the brand initials inside a circle and awning shape (“flag tag”) was designed for flexibility and can include copy, or simply used as a graphic stamp on photography, animations, packaging or store displays, to quickly identify the brand. Once again, Pentagram delivers both a distinctive, smart identity that perfectly captures the personality of this renowned brand. So fun to see, think about and imagine some of the applications or iterations to come. We can all use a little fun…
In an unprecedented crisis, deliver substance
“Stay Home of the Whopper”, great advertising spot for Burger King that addresses the pandemic that the country is now facing, while maintaining brand personality and integrity. Creative by FCB NY. TV and online 🍔 🍔 🍔
Yes, the world is (increasingly) flat
Volkswagen has joined many major brands and introduced its flat design “digital-first” identity. Gone is the dated three-dimensional chrome-effect logo. The new identity was a collaboration between a total of 19 internal teams and 17 external agencies and launches with a line of new electric vehicles. It now displays a flat, two-dimensional design in dark blue. the new mark certainly will be more easily displayed digitally on consumer’s devices as small as a smartwatch and diverse applications. While it is certainly a subtle evolution from the previous identity, execution especially in the digital world, the revamped identity will most likely be a positive thing moving forward. Are you ready for what the future has in store?
Coronavirus strategies for brands surface
A very poignant new film for Facebook that attempts to position the social media giant as a critical vehicle in bringing us together. The spot, created by Droga5 along with Facebook marketing, starts with emotional images including deserted streets, empty classrooms and picked over grocery shelves. It progresses to emotional images of people in masks, patients in hospitals and family members in tears. The film moves to the more uplifting, with people communicating online (via Facebook, of course), laughing, rejoicing, embracing and being grateful for each other, life and moving forward. All are set to Kate Tempest’s reading of her beautifully haunting poem “People’s Faces”, which was nothing less than a brilliant choice. One can argue that this well-crafted spot shamefully leverages the crisis and places the much-criticized Facebook as some kind of savior. We would argue that despite the social media giant’s missteps, it is an important piece of advertising capturing the unique moment with both emotion and flair. We all could not stop watching it. Does it help Facebook with its image challenges? That is the million (or billion) dollar question…
Who doesn’t enjoy a good sneaker story?
The Story of Air Max: 90 to 2090. You’ll need some time for this one, but this film is a must for sneakerheads, fashionistas, branding aficionados, pop culture babies, Nike fans and the rest of us. Another amazingly-produced Nike story of its primary shoe brands and how it has become part of cultures around the world. Well-produced film and downright fascinating to watch. Take a break from the crazy world, kick back and enjoy…
Wash well
A bit dated, but certainly an effective visual reminder of the critical handwashing critically needed today. Reference: Taylor, L. J., An evaluation of hand washing techniques, NursingTimes, January 1978
Of course, a horse
Gucci hits LA with a pack of horses (and models) for its Spring 2020 advertising campaign. Creative director, Alessandro Michele along with art director Christopher Simmonds and director Yorgos Lanthimos bring Michele’s unexpected story to life. On the plane, catching up over a meal, taking a ride through traffic, just chilling out—it all is part of everyday surreal (Gucci) life. The brand marches on with joyous and unprecedented momentum. And a big heartfelt bravissimo for the investment in such arresting images and video.
Refreshed daddy
A new and welcome identity refresh for GoDaddy, the web hosting company just debuted. Gone is the bland wordmark which replaced the odd cartoon character and typography. The new brand identity and positioning is both modern and digitally friendly while welcoming a new shift in focusing on users’ experiences and successes. We applaud the significant shift and think if solid service and marketing prevails, it should all bring many new daddy fans.
