georgetown tobacco

I love it when I find well-designed things in DC.

I'm always complaining that there aren't enough creative people or design resources here, so when I stumble upon an aesthetically pleasing gem, I'm beyond thrilled. After spending some quality time at this place in Georgetown for a fantastic happy hour, we wandered into Georgetown Tobacco just down the street. I immediately made for the back of the room to smell all the different jars of tobacco flavors. In most stores, the tobacco is kept in aluminum tins with tape labels--not much creativity. Not so at Georgetown Tobacco! They had the most lovely, vintage-y tobacco labels. They reminded me of those old Absinthe ads that college students plaster all over their dorm rooms (but a bit more original, obviously). I asked the sales guy where they came from, and he said some previous employee had drawn them. Incredible! Wouldn't that be a fun bonus to working in a tobacco shop. Anywho, I thought it would make for a nice blog post, especially since many of my posts thus far have been on larger projects.

What do you think of the labels? What feelings or memories come to mind when you look at these?

URBN

Like every other 20-something female, I am head over heels for Anthropologie.

The feminine clothing, the seemingly-vintage home goods, the stellar store design and installations. Every time I walk into a store, I'm greeted by wafts of lavender-lilac-something goodness, distressed driftwood, and high ceilings. I almost feel more at home in an Anthropologie store than I do in my own apartment (still a work in progress). 


I have to wonder, how much does the actual store affect my purchases? Would that Cherimoya caftan look just as enticing in--gasp--a mall? Would I pay $168 for it under florescent bulbs? I'm prone to say probably not. I'm the first to admit that I'm more or less hypnotized by this place from the minute I step through the vintage looking doors. I imagine myself looking effortlessly chic on every imaginable occasion, inviting friends over for afternoon tea and using my french countryside vintage-esque plateware, and then curling up in my hand-dyed, original comforter for the night (reading first-edition classic novels, no less). Like the Kooples in my last post, Anthropologie has defined its target market to a T, enabling them to sell not only their products, but the lifestyle that these products may (or may not) promise.


It's no coincidence. I stumbled upon the company that owns and manages Anthropologie, a firm called URBAN, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Predictably enough, the also own Free People, Urban Outfitters, Terrain (nature & gardening goodies), and the new wedding line, BHLDN (notice any patterns forming?). On their website, URBN explains that "our established ability to understand our customers and connect with them on an emotional level is the reason for our success". I would say this more or less nails it. Almost every company is begging for the means to make an emotional connection with a customer. This ensures they keep coming back, for the feeling. URBN even goes so far as to say "The emphasis is on creativity. Our goal is to offer a product assortment and an environment so compelling and distinctive that the customer feels an empathetic connection to the brand and is persuaded to buy". Again, I have to agree. This is exactly what happens when I step into an Anthropologie (shopping at Urban Outfitters leaves me with panic attacks). This is how URBN's brand of stores have become successful- because they sell a particular feeling with their products, and because people actually enjoy spending time in their stores. In recent years, this phenomenon has become more commonplace (even Wal-Mart is changing its store layout and design). URBN has been practiced this from the company's inception and has obviously reaped the benefits.


Although I've discovered URBN's sneaky branding tricks,  you can be certain I'll be drooling over their Fall 2011 catalog and budgeting appropriately for fall must-haves from their stock. Because honestly, I'm willing to pay the extra money for the experience. I want to be mesmerized by the store installations made out of clothespins and I want to feel like a character out of an 18th-century novel. And that is successful branding.


What other stores compel you to come in and shop? Can this same feeling be translated to online stores? How does this affect the American concept of malls? Are there any stores that should in fact avoid this branding tactic?

photos courtesy of URBN, Terrain, and ohhellofriend

the kooples

a fashionable friend of mine working abroad in london tipped me off to this trés chic french clothing company that just debuted in the uk. oddly enough, the koople's clothing is actually british-inspired, citing "military elegance, 'crombie' coats, and tailored three-piece suits" as some of their key collection pieces.

the really neat thing, however, is how the company has marketed and aligned itself to consumers. they use real-life (and insanely gorgeous) couples as models. they've recorded short films of the couples describing how they met, what they love about the other person, etc. that are so simple and genuine they make your heart melt. especially when spoken in a faint french accent. usually these candid videos seem contrived and uncomfortable but before i knew it, i had watched all eight couple features before my morning cup of tea. my guess is that the brand began with this theme in mind--after all, 'the kooples' sounds mysteriously similar to 'the couples'. on the company's website, they even feature an editorial that showcases various couples throughout history: john and yoko, kate moss and pete doherty, elvis and priscilla.

not surprisingly, the brand emphasizes genuineness and quality (isn't that what we all search for, in clothing and in relationships? ;). they evoke memories of savile row, david bowie, the age of rock--and aim to capture and recreate the feelings of britain's past. they've even gone so far as to establish a record label to round out this genuine rocker image. they include lists of their favorite local events and artists so that you too, can not only wear these insanely hip clothes but also have the edgy musical tastes to back them up. if only the model-esque boyfriend/girlfriend was provided as well!

overall, the kooples has made their brand a lifestyle that extends beyond trendy clothing. the kooples main mission is obviously to generate profits, but they've made customers feel as though they are each individual, important members of something bigger than just a fashion label. when we're bombarded with commercials, advertisements, and new trends daily--how do you set your company apart? many companies, similar to the kooples, are pushing this element of buying more than just a product. you shop and purchase for the experience, the lifestyle. when you buy from the kooples, you are part of a unique group. you share their musical and artistic interests, their fashion sense, their outlook on life, even their social values. the experience lasts longer than just grabbing a jacket off of a hanger and swiping your credit card. 


and this is what companies--both fashion and non-fashion alike--strive to do: connect directly with consumers and create a loyal following that lasts beyond that initial purchase. you not only buy the pants/shirt/coat, you buy the vibe, the feeling. and the odds are, you'll come back--again, and again. because you feel like you are supporting this kooples vision of individuality and genuineness.


what brands are you loyal to? why? how have other companies employed techniques similar to those of the kooples?

photos and video c/o the kooples

design thinking

after a fantastic happy hour with social media savvy colleagues last week, two of which gave a brief intro to design thinking, i decided it was finally time to include the concept here.

i've been following design thinking ever since a friend of mine that i took architecture classes with told me that she was a) not going back to architecture grad school b) working at a design research firm instead and c) was thinking about earning...her mba?! certainly she had gone mad.

in fact, my friend was under the spell of design thinking. design thinking, as fast company describes it, is "a proven and repeatable problem-solving protocol that any business or profession can employ to achieve extraordinary results". there are four, seemingly obvious, key steps involved: defining the problem, brainstorm all options, refine results, and pick the best. while these steps seem obvious in the problem-solving process, the details in each are a bit different from your everyday problem solving.

design thinking emphasizes being an active agent in the problem solving process; to think so far outside of the box that at first, people may think you've gone a little crazy. when defining the issue, design thinking focuses on identifying the true challenges at hand rather than what others (namely, clients) perceive to be the problem. this defining step is heavy on the observation (hence, active problem-solving) and also stresses the importance of constructing an accurate problem statement. fast company's mark dziersk describes the goal of the definition stage: "to target the right problem to solve, and then to frame the problem in a way that invites creative solutions." crucial for moving onto step 2.

next comes the brainstorming. many companies are routinely stuck in tunnel vision and fall into the trap of solving challenges the same way, every time. design thinking curbs this habit and encourages new and creative ideas. collaboration is key in this step to identify the most promising opportunities.

step 3 is developing those promising opportunities. in this stage, it's essential that participants keep an open mind and forget historical precedents. mistakes are encouraged (with of course, the hopes that an extraordinary answer is found as a result). ideas that seemed absolutely impossible yesterday can suddenly become feasible after a few hours of discussion and detail.

next of course, is stage 4: pick the favorite, and implement it!

so there you have it, design thinking in a nutshell. i recommend googling design thinking...there are some awesome articles out there that outline concepts and give great examples. ideo is a well-known firm headquartered in palo alto, california that is an enthusiastic advocate of design thinking, and napkin labs just created an app that helps clients manage their social marketing venues using ideo's design thinking. tim brown, ceo and president of ideo, gives a great talk on design thinking, on TED here. not surprisingly, this method of problem solving is used commonly in the design world--and it could definitely be applied to branding challenges.


have you used design thinking? how? do you find it realistic and practical?

photo courtesy of red hat

photo courtesy of ideo

photo courtesy of ideo

photo courtesy of napkin labs

photo courtesy of napkin labs

ok go: branding a band

ok go has built a reputation for making unbelievably creative music videos.


their here it goes again video makes creative use of treadmills and the contraption from this too shall pass is something every child in the world dreams of constructing in their living rooms.


these unique and elaborate videos have become a part of their brand that conveys quirkiness and humor, as well as a certain uniqueness that is nearly extinct in the world of music videos (britney, i love you, but all your videos are the same. even ten years later).


a friend sent me ok go's latest video today (a collaboration with google, best viewed with google chrome), for "all is not lost". i was blown away.

how do they think of this stuff?! while the creative theme throughout the video is mezmerizingly good, one of the most intriguing things about this video is how it incorporates viewers. viewers type in a word at the beginning of the video--and ta da! ok go forms your words at the end of their video with elaborate dance moves. being a tech/marketing/design/social media junkie, i go crazy for this kind of stuff. by including viewers and fans in their video, ok go creates a personal relationship by reaching every viewer in a unique way. in some ways, this interactive method reminds me of the post i did on interactive logos...is there anywhere social media hasn't reached yet?


what do you think of the video? are there any other interactive music videos out there?

metro maps

metro maps are everyday icons...


...though many people haven't the slightest clue that someone (usually quite talented) designs them. these maps define a city more than any logo ever could, and typically they exist for decades before they are redesigned. what's more, they're plastered all over every city map, guide book, billboard, and sign in their respective cities. i can attest to the fact that the shape and colors of the dc metro map is indelibly inked into my brain.


there's also an additional pressure to not only create a metro map that holds design credibility, but also one that accurately represents the transit system. after all, this is the map's core purpose.


washington dc (holler!) is in the process of updating their metro map this year. it is evident that the district is taking the redesign seriously... they re-hired the designer, lance wyman, that made the original map...40 years ago. he is now 73 years old. even the washington post recognized that "Wyman is embarking on a redesign that’s fraught with peril". though i wish i could provide a peek at the new map, i only have the current version, below. while it certainly serves is purpose, the map is beginning to seem outdated with it's thick, bold lines. dc is also constructing several new lines which alone, necessitate a redesign.

photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com

fast co design just published a redesign of london's tube map by mark noad. they cite that "according to research by nyu professor zhan gao, 30% of travelers choose the wrong route on the current london tube map, which has twice as many transit lines and is just as likely to be squinted at on a smartphone as gazed at on a wall". this brings up another valid point that designers must consider: how will designs look on an electronic device vs. print media? noad has cleverly chosen to split london's very rectangular map into sections, making it more manageable to view on mobile devices. he also "tries to 'square the circle' between geographical accuracy and visual simplicity -- and add additional usability updates like condensed typography that make the map easier to use on-screen as well as in print". below is the current london tube map, followed by noad's redesign.

what are your thoughts on the redesign? any suggestions for other redesign candidate cities?

images courtesy of fastcodesign.com

brands designed by their users

it is common knowledge that social media has significantly impacted branding efforts.


in the span of very few years, organizations have developed entire departments that focus on social media efforts that tweet, friend, and like all day long. social media is now a pivotal part of a branding strategy and is responsible for creating crucial bonds between consumers and organizations.


it's entertaining to think about the world before social media, when organizations would pay good money to hear the thoughts of their target market with surveys, focus groups, and market research. now all they have to do is tweet.


social media creates a personal relationship between consumers and organizations. it is a trend that is increasingly apparent today... people want to know what they're supporting or purchasing, where it's from, and who exactly is selling it to them. and they want to give you feedback. the consumer gains a significant share of the marketing and branding cycle because suddenly, they have a say. they have power.


in this feature by fast co design, a group of graphic designers have found a way to incorporate their consumers into a logo via social media. check out the logos, projects, and video below for more.


what effects could this have on branding? which industries or organizations does this branding method complement the most?

photos and video c/o fast co design