As a Fortune 500 company, the decision to rebrand is a big decision. The rebranding will involve changing advertising and marketing campaigns for many channels. It’ll mean that your visual presentation of your brand will need an overhaul (magazines, billboards, catalogs, business cards, web design, general graphic design, etc.). That’s why you need to ensure that you’re making the right decision, well thought out for a long term. So the question is: when do you need to rebrand? 1. When Markets and Industries Change One of the things that large enterprise had to realize was the changing consumer behavior of their customers. Consumers have been moving away from service only and seeking customized service approach. As a result, the companies and brands had to create a more engaging and personalized consumer changes. Many brands are already gaining an advantage over their brand by incorporating these tactics. For example, McDonalds is starting to position their brand as a premium fast food company. They’re adjusting to these market changes and emerging competition visually as well. They’ve started…
UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) are industry tools that are utilized to develop design and product to work closely together to stimulate interaction between a user and a product or service. User-centered design is just a starting point when strategizing one touch point to another. UI and UX equip designers with insights from content to analytics which create a smooth process that is driven by both strategy and user testing that influence overall brand interaction. User Interface User Interface, simply stated, is when a user interacts with a digital product or service. Stemming from user pathways, the UI design features strategically mapped journeys and micro-interactions through information architecture and data visualization. UI designers work to create an impactful interaction with digital products, meet visual expectations, and test well when presented to users. User Experience User Experience is an interactive approach to information architecture and data visualization that create ideal pathways and user journeys. UX requires a level of design detail as to which design will impact user behaviors. The UX approach optimally will result in a…
If you’re selling any kind of product online, one of the easiest platforms you can use to manage an eCommerce site is WordPress functionality with WooCommerce. While there are many different eCommerce solutions in the market like Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, there are several reasons why WooCommerce it might be the better choice for your business. Why Choose It Over Other Solutions? The first is that it works with WordPress. If you already have a marketing or presentational web site on WordPress and/or you prefer it over other CMS platforms, then you’ll be happy to know that you do not have to make the switch to another platform. It’s especially hard to switch over if you’ve already invested into your site’s web design, web development, add-ons, and theme. Plus, it is designed and maintained by WP core team, so there are no problems with existing WP plugins. The second reason why it might be the better choice is that it is ideal for hybrid sites. Not all website owners want to run pure eCommerce sites. You’ve…
Developing from the design perspective activates impactful messaging from a brand. As a creative agency we work with a variety of clients to develop branding, graphic and web design that elevate brand messaging and overall design. In our experience, an effective brand vision is ideally portrayed from a visual design perspective from a design system created with several components in place. It is important to take a contextual approach with visual and narrative creative assets in mind. User personas, journeys, and pathways are then developed throughout the design phase with focus placed on the aesthetic and how it will reflect the brand. Our Process Leveraging research, creativity and strategy is key when evaluating company opportunities and brand design requirements. In a collaborative, iterative process, attention to color, voice and tonality are combined in developing a suite of creative assets for the client. Best-practices and proven solutions lead to a truly user-centered and designed focused experience. Driven by both skill and magic, our approach generates engagement at just the right moment by creating connections and authentic brand resonance….
Gathering, analyzing and converting data to develop user personas for a brand or company is a critical step in creating business strategies. From web design to cross channel marketing initiatives, creating and utilizing user personas impacts audience strategies and conversion outcomes. Just as defining your target market, investing in further research to identify user personas is necessary when strategizing and crafting consumer strategies. When in the development process for web-design, identifying user personas can assist in creating user journeys, pathways and content. When developing meaningful content, it is both art and science, combining the chemistry of persona demographics, analytics and the brand narrative. Building a Foundation: Persona Development Marketing stakeholders will emphasize how important identifying user personas are when looking to connect with an audience that will benefit the business. It is more complex than analyzing data sheets and general target market infographics. Examining user lifestyle, needs, preferences and patterns are all elements that work together to create the ideal user personas. Think of a user as a character, who has many interests: demographics, motivations and behavior of…
A core component of our agency culture is continuing to innovate, design and create best practices for UI/UX design. We are continuously looking for a way to approach data to create a model digital experience. Serving many different industries, it is critical that there is accurate data to support our design product. Agency Approach to VZ-X Our team works in a collaborative environment. From developers, strategists and designers we are always working on a wide range of projects. Clients work with us because we take a hands-on approach to the work we create. Which means that we are always searching for the best tools to assist in our ways of testing. Since we are always looking to work the most efficient way possible. Tools that are easy to use and provide ease to our work process, are always helpful in our work process. The IPEVO VZ-X, used traditionally as an interactive teaching tool, the technology sparked ideas in our UX team, interested to test its application for upcoming projects. How to Utilize IPEVO VZ-X VZ-X products…
Agency-client relationships are an exciting start of a creative and business collaboration together. Instead of viewing this relationship as short-term project-based engagement, view this relationship as a team – an extension of your internal team. Adapting this perspective enables a seamless and natural process when inquiry and obstacles arise throughout the scope of work and beyond. Choosing an agency based on surface levels or based on their specialization may seem like a no brainer, but it’s usually not (quite) that simple. It is important to dig deeper than reviews and graphics and learn about agency culture talent and past projects to have a full perception of the agency (and the people doing the work) as a whole. Identify Alignment: Culture and Portfolio Each individual agency has its own culture and focus, whether a creative team focused on brand strategy or web design, from the core mission to the approach and the talent. Looking inward to discover if a brand has similar or aligned visions or ways they approach work, can be beneficial down the line. Research…
Now more than ever, website design is usually the first connection a user makes with a brand. So its fitting that an increasing number of businesses are seeking to create an online experience that authentically reflects their perspective and offering. From strategy to launch, with so many elements required to create the ideal user experience, site owners can feel overwhelmed with the idea of engaging in a new or refreshed website design process. The good news is, with some planning, phase work and the right team – the experience can actually be of huge benefit to a company’s bottom line and culture. By beginning with goal setting, prioritizing content, competitive analysis and design research, internal stakeholders will gain a more accurate understanding of their brand while at the same time are great first steps in aligning with an asset assessment process. Focusing on key components such as target market, key market sectors and brand messaging assist by having a good idea who the website is targeting. By combining all these aspects, a pathway to wireframing…
From traditional marketing campaigns such as white papers and brochures to digital and social media implementations – it can be difficult to track what the benefits are without the use of right tools and analysis. For a business to understand what applications can help with distinguishing return on investment in marketing efforts, a great starting point is to identify company goals rather than direct profit. While the overall goal for a business is to increase profit, generating growth it is not always as simple as integrating your marketing activities into an overall business line calculation. The key is using the correct tools, setting proper expectations and monitoring the return on investment. Goal Setting Determining which factors to quantify is essential to delivering the right information. As a rule of thumb, always begin with company goals. Knowledge of what goals and metrics mean are critical to the brand are important for understanding ROI. It is best to dig deep into the brand and understand where marketing efforts need to be focused. This means understanding KPI (Key…
For many businesses, time is almost always at a minimum and a rebrand isn’t always top of mind. However, refreshing a brand is not only necessary to stay relevant, but directly influences profit. A brand refresh is a way to promote a new and improved brand, website and visuals. The process can actually be a great tool for a brand to learn more about their vision, with the correct tools and assistance. While a brand refresh doesn’t mean a brand is completely revamped or unrecognizable, it is focused around the idea of evaluating areas that could use a new perspective, either visually or in context or expanding and leveraging on the aspects that are working well. This could be in support of a new product launch, reaching a new market, or invigorating an existing customer base. As a business grows, it is important that brand reflects that growth and the current marketplace and continues innovating. Getting Started: The Competitive Landscape In the beginning stages of a refresh, taking stock of the marketplace and conducting a competitive…