Wednesday, July 20, 2011

What Is Design? Part 2

Part 2: Design is about identifying and proposing meaningful solutions.

In the last post, we discussed the need for research before engaging in brand development. To refresh your memory, this research process can be uncomfortable and typically involves all of an organization’s stakeholders, so skipping over it can lead to some pretty serious issues. But what comes next? What do we do with that research? What was the point of it all?

Well, we will tell you and show you.

Caler&Company recently completed a new identity for Winer+Bevilacqua, Inc., a CPA firm specializing in tax and accounting, information technology services, retirement plan services and business valuation services. Prior to developing this client’s new identity, we sat down with the entire staff and asked them a variety of questions ranging from their background to where they felt the firm was headed. These interviews culminated in a revealing breakdown of staff perceptions and called for something bold, evocative and ultimately more marketable within the crowded CPA marketplace.

We took the results of that research and developed a powerfully strategic positioning statement — Nothing Less. These two words communicate an absolute promise to support clients and their financial needs, and also serves as the creative platform through which other messaging may be crafted. This positioning statement also led to the development of a new visual identity (i.e., the design solution) that comprised everything that the firm’s staff felt they needed to push ahead of their competitors, grow their relationships with current and potential clients and position the firm for future leadership. Check it out:


An intensely colorful logo employed quadrants of a plus sign that were arranged into four sections — representing the four partners, the four quarters of the fiscal year and the firm’s four service categories. The quadrants also formed a greater-than symbol that draws the eye upward on a right incline — similar to a chart showing financial gain.

The new identity uses Barmeno — a clean sans serif typeface that brought the firm into currency and consistency yet retained a sense of formality and credibility. A plus sign replaced the ampersand to emphasize that Winer+Bevilacqua pluses their clients’ organizations — along with the obvious connection to their industry. The positioning statement is also cemented into the logo to keep Winer+Bevilacqua’s promise always at the forefront.

Armed with new communications tools and a powerful identity supported by research, Winer+Bevilacqua is in a better position to challenge the financial industry’s typical — nay, stereotypical — design archetype and connect with customers in a more engaging way. This new identity also served as a call for change — both internally and externally, thereby bringing the staff on the same page with what Winer+Bevilacqua is, what it provides and why it matters.

And for Caler&Company, tackling these brand challenges armed with research results enables both deeper and broad-level understanding of our clients’ needs, which then opens the door for more meaningful and advantageous design solutions in their respective markets.


The C4:
  1. A design solution is something that addresses the needs of all stakeholders.
  2. Research is the first step toward meaningful design solutions.
  3. Design solutions must integrate the results of that research.
  4. Solutions must have meaning for all stakeholders (leadership, employees, customers, etc.).

Monday, July 11, 2011

What Is Design? Part 1

Some argue over its application while others awe in its power. Throughout multiple industries, it assumes many distinct concrete and abstract forms, but for Caler&Company, it’s both an artistic pursuit and a professional calling.

Our positioning statement, Marketing by Design, captures this ideal best. We view our work as more than just a collection of colors, symbols and type treatments — it’s the foundation for how an organization markets its products or services and differentiates itself from competitors. We see purpose in it. We build strategy into it. We put vision behind it.

Each week, we’ll be covering one of the seven purposes of design according to Mauro Porcini, Head of Global Strategic Design at 3M, whom we feel said it best.



PART 1: Design is about research, analysis, intuition and synthesis.

In our industry, we use design to create or revitalize organizations’ identities, but doing so often requires a detailed look into their people, processes, products, services, history and philosophy — and that’s just the beginning. To design an effective brand identity, we have to consider everything.

This process requires our clients to “look in the mirror” and see the realities of their culture and operations. It’s uncomfortable, and sometimes it’s even painful, but it’s necessary if they want to grow and reach their goals. The result of that research enables our team to harness mystery and convert it into discovery — thereby giving shape to a new creative platform designed with relevance and meaning.

When the YMCA revitalized its brand in 2010 (effectively becoming “the Y”), it marked the culmination of three years of thorough, enlightening research. That enabled the organization to launch a new identity that people quickly connected with because it was rich with diversity, simplified messaging and clearly stated benefits. Since the revitalized brand’s launch, the local Akron Area YMCA has seen an increase in member retention, donor involvement and overall advocacy for their cause.

Conversely, when the clothing store GAP launched a new logo in late 2010 that was unsupported by market research, its customer base led a social media coup d’état — creating a PR nightmare for GAP’s brand managers and leadership. In addition to the lack of research, GAP’s audience was never informed that a need for a new identity existed — it just appeared. Marketing research and consulting firm Artemis Crane said this about GAP’s blunder:
"Valuable lessons can be learned from the short-lived re-branding initiative, particularly in the area of market research. Whenever a company is looking to make branding changes, thorough market research is a necessity — a new direction cannot be pursued on a limb, it has to be supported by research. Stakeholders need to be consulted and their responses need to be carefully quantified and examined. Their input is a crucial part of the decision making process and cannot be ignored."
All in all, research is like a roadmap to a destination — without it, you’re driving blind.

The C4:
  1. To design a revitalized identity, one must first look in the mirror.
  2. Looking in that mirror is hard — you need to know why you want to do it.
  3. Research is the foundation upon which successful identities are developed.
  4. An identity founded in research will always bring better results.