Be Epic

Traditionally, an “epic” was a long poem that narrated the deeds of heroes, the rise and fall of nations and the meddling of the gods. But in today’s vocabulary, “epic” is an — often intentionally exaggerated — adjective used to say that something is awesome.

When describing a person, you might say, “That guy was the most epic guitarist I’ve ever seen.” For an event or action, a simple “That was epic.”

You get the idea. But how does “epic” work for organizations? It definitely sounds weird when you talk about them like that:

Adobe is the most epic content authoring, customer experience management and online marketing software developer ever!

Yep, that definitely sounds weird — and a wee bit forced.

Making “epic” work for an organization isn’t easy. In the traditional epic, characters, groups and even entire nations went through a lot of hardship, self-discovery, lesson learning and perhaps even sacrifice to get to where they were going. Sound familiar? That’s probably because you experienced those same things at some point in your organization’s history. Any company that’s still operating in this world knows how hard it can be — and what it had to go through to get to where it is today.

That journey — coupled with your history and culture — makes up your unique story. It’s the tale of how you came to be and the adventures you’ve been on since the beginning. It’s the saga of your relationships with customers and the chronicle of your battles with competitors.

Unfortunately, most organizations aren’t on the same page when it comes to understanding and telling their unique story. Our role is to discover it, dust it off, polish it, package it and tell it in its most favorable light and most memorable way to those who will benefit from hearing it.

And with our team by your side every step of the way, you’ll discover how to make that story epic.

What Is Design? Part 4

Part 4: Design is about the experience that those solutions generate.

In part one, we talked about the importance of research when it comes to brand development. In part two, we discussed how to use that research to identify meaningful solutions to brand challenges. In part three, we covered the creative process used to get to those solutions.

Now we’re going to talk about the experience those solutions generate.

Let’s take another look at our identity work for Winer+Bevilacqua, Inc. Our understanding of that organization’s needs came from discussions with its staff. That information was compiled and analyzed — leading to the development of their new identity.

After that identity launched, a team of eight W+B staff members was appointed and made responsible for ensuring the protection and ongoing development of the firm’s brand, culture and messaging. The team meets weekly to recommend policies, procedures and methods that enhance value for clients and efficiency for the organization.

This team has enabled Winer+Bevilacqua personnel to collectively own their new identity, which helps them better communicate their unique value to other staff members, current and potential clients and the people with whom they interact outside of work.

From the identity sprouted other new staff experiences, such as the development of formal mission and vision statements, a 60-second commercial for the firm, personal 60-second commercials for the staff, new business development incentives and more. These tools present a consistent message from a singular culture, one that digs down deep into what the firm offers and why it matters for those they serve.

Good design must create meaning and transform that meaning into action. In this example, design generated an entirely new experience for the Winer+Bevilacqua staff while simultaneously engaging them in its use, such as the communal, interactive support of the firm’s brand and selling of its services.

The C4:

1. Experiences — both internal and external — are an important part of an organization’s identity and brand.
2. An organization that owns its identity and actively participates in its ongoing development will be more successful.
3. A good identity should be more than just one experience — it has to generate more on different levels.
4. Good design must create meaning and transform that meaning into action.

What Is Design? Part 3

Part 3: Design is about the creative process to get to those solutions.

Thus far, we’ve talked about the importance of research before developing a new identity, as well as the role that design plays with identifying meaningful solutions for organizations’ problems. This week, we’re going to discuss the creative process that leads us to those solutions.

In our industry, clients often tell us that they don’t understand what they’re doing wrong or why something isn’t working. We often reply, “You don’t understand it because you’re in it.” With no objectivity, the solutions may benefit the organization more than its customers. And that’s why people come to us with their branding and marketing challenges. We have the creative horsepower, experience and objectivity to offer solutions from a unique vantage point — plus, this is what we do! Mixed with an equal serving of strategy, of course.

Following the results of our research initiatives, we facilitate a brainstorming process with client leadership teams and decision makers to uncover ideas that may already exist beneath the surface, but haven’t been discovered yet. That process is called Jump Start. We’ve done it for hundreds of organizations across a multitude of industries, and every time our whiteboards are filled up and conference tables covered over with note cards listing ideas that will help shape their new identities. But it doesn’t stop there.

Each design challenge is different, yet remains open to individual muses and group input. Between the Jump Start session and when we deliver the final product, we go through team brainstorming sessions designed to build up a foundation of even more great ideas. Some extract inspiration from within, some build on the thoughts of others and some dig down into the foundations of ideas already ideated. However a person or group finds solution is one thing, but it’s the journey that will shape the result.

Our creative team then takes the results of these brainstorming sessions and applies their knowledge of the client’s needs as well as their specialized expertise. This allows us to create a tailored solution that’s founded in research and safeguarded by objective minds.

The C4:

1. Solutions generated by those “in” the problem won’t help resolve the problem.
2. However, those “in” the problem have a valuable role to play in its resolution when coupled with an objective viewpoint.
3. Each design challenge is different, yet remains open to individual muses and group input.
4. However a person or group gets toward the solution is fine, but it’s the journey that will shape the result.

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.).

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.