The world stands still with unpredictability. As a creative community, we are stuck in unprecedented times, forced to adjust to an evolving workplace dynamic and ‘roll with the punches’ so to speak. The prolonged impact of COVID-19 remains dramatic and looms large while the economy presses on, searching for answers and battling through a whirlwind of hysteria. Pretty much every industry under the sun has been reeling from the pandemic, and the ripple effect isn’t likely to slow down for the foreseeable future. Iconic, influential global brands are strategically embracing virtual consumption, patiently adapting to the situation despite most brick-and-mortar retail locations closing doors. With more down-time to browse digital platforms, consumer sensitivity to brand messaging has heightened. During bleak times like this, businesses of all types are looking for support. Whether you’re a start-up, non-profit or well-established corporation, there’s a need to flex creative muscles in order to nurture relevancy. With a newfound sense of urgency around non-traditional consumer engagement, creative agencies can certainly keep the wheels spinning for brands. Whether it’s freshening up…
An effective brand — more than just a clever name and attractive logo — represents the very core of a business. Your brand defines your purpose and communicates your value within the marketplace. It is your most valuable asset as a business. Without a strong brand, your audience will not know who you are or what you can provide them. Branding is a way that you can stand out against competitors and create a relationship with your audience. With this in mind, developing a brand strategy will help you to better understand your own business and communicate more effectively. Whether you’re a start-up or already have an established brand, all companies need a brand strategy. There are certain elements that need to be considered and defined in order to execute an effective brand strategy. Define Brand Objectives The first step in developing an effective brand strategy is determining what the goals are for your brand. To help establish your brand’s objectives, ask yourself what your brand is trying to achieve and what it communicates. What…
Consumers today are presented with endless options when searching for financial institutions. With many offering similar selections of products and services, choosing the right partner can become difficult. Consequently, competition to gain consumer recognition has become fierce. The challenge for financial institutions is how to distinguish themselves from their competitors and win the consumer’s favor. It is therefore imperative for institutions to emphasize its unique value proposition that drives customer retention and expansion. A powerful way to demonstrate this value is by establishing a strong brand identity. An institution’s brand is more than a logo or tagline; it represents its core values, signifying its integrity and reputation within the industry. An effective brand identity is able to communicate its value to consumers on a personal level, providing the opportunity to stand out against their competitors and build a foundation of trust. An institution can grow exponentially if they can successfully connect and resonate with consumers. The challenge then is finding the strategies that are effective at driving that connectivity. Offer Personalization As technology has advanced…
Halfway through last year, tech empire Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference that it would be unleashing the Dark Mode visual format on iOS. Deemed as more favorable on the eyes in low-light environments, this feature would enable iPhone users the option for an alternate color scheme on their mobile devices that creates an inverted viewing experience. Up until that point in June 2019, Dark Mode was only available with MacOS on Mac computers (which began in September 2018). When it comes to UX, options reign supreme. Apple’s announcement was a milestone sparking new possibilities for users and third-party developers alike. Long defined by a sleek white visual format that users have become so comfortably familiar with, Apple’s reinforcement of Dark Mode on smartphones has symbolized growth and progress in the evolution of user experience. Android, along with Instagram and Gmail, followed in those footsteps shortly thereafter. This display option has become a catalyst for empowering users to absorb information in a format that’s maybe more suitable, but different nonetheless. Research suggests that the…
Articulating ideas in a dynamic, powerful visual format is often a challenging journey for both creators and users. Whether it’s overcoming shorter attention spans of younger generations or untangling hidden symbolism represented through brand features, pinpointing an exact “science” behind compelling graphic design is a tricky puzzle to solve. Despite this complexity, brilliant concepts will emerge. What brings hope and optimism is the ascension of Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) to greater heights seemingly by the year. With its revenues surging by almost 25% in fiscal 2019, and stock value rising by over 45% in that same span, Adobe’s creative enterprise software solutions continue to be a force in transforming design possibilities. CEO Shantanu Narayen cited an “explosion in creativity across the globe” as a primary indicator of the company’s growth. Adobe’s jaw-dropping momentum is tangible proof of modern design’s limitless ceiling. With Adobe’s renaissance hinting at even more design potential on the horizon, these trends are worth monitoring as the new decade materializes. Minimalism The profound impact of minimalist design has certainly been felt…
Throughout the inception of a new website, a brand will consider various elements such as its design, content, and structure. While each of these features are fundamental to the success of the website, it is equally important to ensure that the final product will be accessible to as many users as possible. User accessibility refers to an interface’s ability to accommodate all people, regardless of their hardware, software, language, location, or capabilities. In this way, a website can be made accessible to people with disabilities or who are limited by the technology they have available to them. Without accessibility standards, certain users may encounter obstacles when navigating a website. This can then create a barrier between potential customers and the brand itself. With this in mind, it is therefore crucial to factor in web accessibility throughout the development process. Fortunately, there are several, simple best practices a brand can implement in order to make their site more accessible. Organized and Distinguishable Content Once the architecture of the site has been crafted, it’s important that it…
For brands, earning the attention of today’s consumers, particularly younger generations, is a daunting proposition that will continue to remain tricky as the world spins with more content and information circulation than ever before. Generation Z, expected to account for 40% of all U.S. consumers in 2020, responds well to visual content but will remain attentive on subjects for just eight seconds. The estimated attention span of Millennial users is only slightly longer at twelve seconds. Needless to say, as brands try capturing either of these audiences, not much room for design or user experience error exists. The creative process must yield a graceful balance between art & science, one where design genius simply feels right and passes the eye test even when appearing effortless. Here lies the power of minimalism, where products or subjects are stripped of unnecessary embellishment in order to showcase delicate intuition & function. Less is more. Any brand with ambitions for successful product or web design must display a commitment to basic design elements, to complement the brilliance of a…
The year 2020 will mark sixteen years since the birth of Facebook, now totaled at approximately 2.4 billion users. 2020 will also indicate almost fifteen years since Twitter, ten years since Instagram, and nine years since Snapchat. TikTok’s popularity has emerged this year. Consumer preference for various forms of social media, compared to traditional media, has climbed at an unfathomable rate. Social media platforms are used by one-in-three people globally, and more than two-thirds of all internet users. Regardless of which platforms consumers gravitate towards, they’re wrapped up in more content than ever before. Social media has the unique power to spark curiosity and even change perceptions about a brand and their services. Now is an important time to reflect on consumers’ absorption of content through these channels. In order to become (and remain) memorable, brands need to take calculated steps to refine their image and curate relevant content on social media that complements overall user experience. Here are some ways to do it. Understand Target Audience Before a brand is able to make a…
It seems that almost every month, another legacy “big box” store closes its doors due to lack of sales, failure to achieve brand relevancy, or even both. Gone are the days of quantity over quality. The large majority of consumers are shifting priorities away from products to experiences, and many brands are having difficulty keeping up. Brands that neglect this change in preference are paying the price, literally. Today, experiential tactics serve as an innovation tool to maintain relevance and boost profits. “Experience” isn’t just a popular buzz-term anymore. Rather, with the new decade approaching, embracing experience has become an essential philosophy to guide effective branding, web design, and communications strategy. When considering the number of brand categories that have struggled to adapt to the need for experience, over the last few years, retail has taken arguably the biggest hit. It’s easy to think of retail as being product-centric. Department stores can offer several reputable brands from similar categories, some of which are listed at differentiated price points. What’s problematic is that consumers become overwhelmed…
The Swoosh. The Golden Arches. Tony the Tiger. A brand’s identity is only as strong as the characteristics representing it. The world’s most successful brands are able to spark an immediate association with the modern consumer through pronounced attributes that speak to them on an emotional level. Whether this association is positive or negative, these are the attributes by which consumers will define the brand. Although the average person is exposed to more than 5,000 brand messages per day, a brand’s key attributes will help foster recognizability in consumers while, hopefully, causing them to listen. There are several ways in which meaningful attributes can enable brands to build powerful recall and also separate from the clutter of competitors. Strategic Color Schemes Color schemes contribute to the wide range of emotions that consumers will feel upon engagement with a brand. Maybe more importantly, color schemes play a significant role in shaping consumer perceptions of a brand because of the instant differentiation (or lack thereof) that may be detected from this theme. Color schemes also carry the…