We were excited to hear that two of our projects have been shortlisted for New York Festivals International Advertising awards this week. Our identity and retail branding work on Dress2Kill was shortlisted in the Design competition, as well as our 25th Anniversary book, 25 Stories. The final round of judging will take place this week involving thirty of the world’s most respected creative directors on the jury. Results are announced on 2nd May, so fingers crossed!

Our work on bespoke tailoring brand Dress2Kill covers everything from brand identity to in store branding, copywriting and tone of voice, art directed photography, as well as press and billboard ads featuring rugby player Chris Robshaw. Check out the full case study here. 

25 Stories is a coffee table book we created to celebrate Design Bridge’s 25th anniversary, to capture who we are and share ideas, anecdotes and stories that have made us the company we are today. Given just to DB employees and clients, it’s not available to buy, but if you’re passing any of our three offices you can browse through the copies in reception.

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar and Stefan Pangratz from VBAT. This time the design panel was asked to judge the corporate identity of the recently started online fashion store: Bulls and Birds  designed by Pirate.

Bulls&Birds is an online fashion store with lifestyle shopping aspirations initially for the Dutch market. With Bulls&Birds you can buy a complete outfit: from clothing, shoes to accessories. Bulls&Birds loves fashion, comfort, quality and affordability. Target Group: Men and Woman 20-45 years. Here’s an inspirational introduction video and here’s the full translated article:

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar and Stefan Pangratz from VBAT. This time the design panel was asked to judge the corporate identity of a.s.r., designed by  John Doe. a.s.r. is an insurer that wants to raise people’s financial awareness, enter into a dialogue with customers, and seeks to truly understand its customers: “We want to translate this understanding into transparent products, services and communication so that customers are able to make their own conscious choices.”

Here’s the full translated article:

ASR is now a.s.r. The insurer wants to help people. An example of their helping hand is that a.s.r. offered their sponsorship space of Feyenoord to Rotterdam zoo Diergaarde Blijdorp. The new style, developed by John Doe and asr itself, is daring: a letter logo. Marketing Director Bob Stehmann: “With this new logo you know exactly what a.s.r. is and does. ‘The black and white should project austerity and solidity, the lowercase projects our modesty.”

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar and Stefan Pangratz from VBAT. This time the design panel was asked to judge the corporate identity of Peace of Me designed by Studio Piraat. Here’s the full translated article:

In 2013, the Peace Palace, the international symbol for peace and justice, will celebrate its hundredth anniversary. This must be honoured in a magnificent and typically The Hague manner! Peace of Me is a contemporary The Hague musical, in which youngsters between 12 and 18 years old will be challenged to tell their own story about peace and justice. The opening night will take place in the Koninklijke Schouwburg (Royal Theatre) in The Hague on 11 September 2013.

Studio Piraat was responsible for the identity and recruitment campaign on art by and for young people form. In addition, there are various actions during the period towards the performance developed for creating ‘rumour about the brand’.

Claire Parker, Creative Director Design Bridge: “From the name ‘Peace of me’ to the graphic expressions of this you are intrigued to know more. The feeling of the power or promise within us all to fight for freedom is a visually strong. The bold choice of black conveying well the oppressive darkness that peace has to break through. Graphically bold and confident they work well as poster and establish a clear visual identity that I’m sure will spark interest and prompt a response. All of that said the final executions would have felt more unique with a fresher more unique choices of imagery and silhouettes.” Score: 6

Tom Dorresteijn, CEO Studio Dumbar: “The style is appealing, but I have an objection with respect to the content: the ban-the-bomb icon. It is an international symbol for peace, but mostly connected to the sixties, anti-Vietnam, anti-nuclear missiles. In addition the colours seem to refer to the style of flower power too, which makes this about warfare and conflicts of the past. Peace and security has undergone tremendous changes: 911, Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, asymmetrical war against terrorism, humanitarian missions of the army etcetera. In this case the identity focuses too much on the past instead of looking ahead.” Score: 6

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she judges a corporate design. This time the design panel was asked to judge the corporate identity of Alzheimer Netherlands designed by Studio Dumbar. Here’s the full translated article:

Alzheimer and other forms of dementia are presenting the human race with one of its toughest challenges. Alzheimer Nederland works hard to raise awareness and funds for vital research, but times are hard, and competition for donors has never been tougher. With their existing style lacking emotion as well as a competitive edge, Studio Dumbar designed a new visual identity.

Claire Parker, Creative Director at Design Bridge: “When a person with dementia finds that their mental abilities are declining, they will feel vulnerable and inneed of reassurance and support, something I fail to see in this distant identity. Whilst I can appreciate the design aesthetic, that is all I can appreciate. It is a case of style over substance, a style that feels more fitting to an art house cinema. A brand that needs to do everything it can to help the person and those close to them retain their sense of identity and feelings of self-worth has fallen far short. It may look good in a design magazine but if I were to turn to the website or literature for support I would be left with a feeling of cold detachment.” Score: 5

Stefan Pangratz, Creative at VBAT: “A sense of unease is often felt when difficult or unpleasant topics are branded. Normally, identities aim to generate a positive feeling for a product or brand. The question arises, how this can be done for a topic that most people find uncomfortable or avoid? By visually explaining what the disease means and with respect for the people who are affected. Alzheimer Netherlands visualized the effects of this disease by designing a seemingly plain logo with a slight visual deviation as its figurehead and did that with sensitivity and passion for typography. Hopefully the identity will contribute to greater understanding, more money and more attention for this issue.” Score: 8

Mark Hoevenaers, Managing Director Communications VanBerlo:
“When seeing this corporate identity a slight confusion occurs almost immediately. In mere seconds you feel what Alzheimer’s means. The idea that you lose things that will never come back, the holes in the observation of your surroundings. I find the translation of this confusion in a degradation of the typeface very strong. For me, this typography delivers an innovative way of dealing with the image. The people in the brochure are photographed respectfully and match perfectly with the typography. In short: a great corporate identity, with a clear concept and a perfect execution. Chapeau!” Score: 9

Here’s the original article:

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar and Stefan Pangratz from VBAT. This time the design panel was asked to judge the corporate identity of ArboUnie designed by Gummo.

Here’s the full translated article:

The ArboUnie positions itself as a partner that ensures employees stay healthy and remain in the work force. The “Health Manager” focus is on being reliable, level headed and cooperative. Gummo visualized this by choosing a no-nonsense style with clear typography and realistic photography.

Claire Parker, Creative Director at Design Bridge: “The new brand positioning talks about clarity being essential to communication, and they have certainly achieved that. The website and touch point shared are both easily navigable and visually and tonally engaging, striking the right balance of being open and informative without being patronising. It is the wordmark itself that I find incomplete, every other element plays a role in delivering the promise of the brand from tone of voice through to photography and the slogan. But the wordmark feels incomplete and naive, slightly awkward in its role as a signifier for such a people centric brand.” Score: Overall identity 7 - Wordmark 1

Tom Dorresteijn, CEO of Studio Dumbar: “An important result of the new style is that the old is quickly forgotten. The former, a sort of industrial logo was actually already outdated when it was introduced. The new visual identity undeniably brings more gravitas (logo) and clarity (editorial media). What you see is a good and serious brand, but one that doesn’t get the heart racing. It’s a brand personality that lends itself perfectly for a marriage of convenience, but true love will never flourish.” Score: 6

Stefan Pangratz, Creative VBAT: “No-nonsense is too often translated into the age old maxim ‘just act normal, that’s crazy enough’, however it helps a brand to have more power and ambition in its identity and image than that. Apart from being clear and having a well kept appearance, it will also need to endure. Personally, the new identity of ArboUnie seems almost unobtrusive and highly functional and it needs to get all its strength almost entirely from the strapline ‘aan de slag/to work’. For me it also helps when a wordmark consists of more logo traits so that it stands better on its own and stands out amongst other brands.” Score: 5

Here’s the original article:

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar and Alef de Jong. This time the design panel was asked to judge the corporate identity of Dutch restaurant Cafe Sjiek designed by Zuiderlicht.

Cafe Sjiek is a smaller variant of the French Grand Café, with the added advantage of a huge outdoor patio in the historic city park in the summer. Café Sjiek has been around since 1982 and is an established part of Maastricht culture.

Here’s the full translated article:

Claire Parker, Creative Director at Design Bridge: “When a brand is obviously so personal and bound up in years of shared experience it can be a difficult task to capture all of that value in an identity, but not here. If  a picture is worth a thousand words then this is a very enjoyable conversation. Paul Faassen’s illustrations are a collection of  observations, funny, clever, poetic and irreverent. It doesn’t get much simpler than that,  they combine to tell all tell a charming story that capture the genuine atmosphere and relaxed charm of Café Sijek. Like a close friends home, open and welcoming and most importantly somewhere we can be our true selves.” Score: 9

Tom Dorresteijn, CEO of Studio Dumbar: “What a nice style. Completely pure, no frills and with a stylish, light-hearted sense of perspective and humor. Just a little side note on the wine labels: the bottom doesn’t really integrate with the upper part. At the contrary; the food & drinks at Café Sjiek fit the style perfectly: pure and without any frills. The whole is not simply a creation by the designers, it expresses the true nature of the restaurant. Nicely done.” Score: 8

Alef de Jong, strategist of Proud Design: “The ‘identity’ has humor and is perhaps distinctive in the market, but depends entirely on the illustrations and is thus a nice promotion for the illustrator. The question is whether Faassen’s style also works as a corporate identity for Cafe Sjiek. Personally, I find this is not a good identity because to me, it doesn’t validate ‘Classy’ and it doesn’t tempt me to go out of my way to visit the cafe. The style is too subtle, too impersonal, too weak and too generic.” Score: 5

Here’s the original article:

James Whittaker, Head of 3D Design at our office in Amsterdam regularly writes a column for The DirectoryLive.com. This portal is a resource about the world of healthcare branding and marketing – offering a level of up-to-date insight into individual agencies working in healthcare and thought-leader pieces. Recently James wrote an article about the changing dynamics in the Pharma industry and what that means for brands. We wanted to share the article here with you as it gives some interesting insights in Pharma branding:

Isn’t it high time that the pharma industry takes branding seriously rather than leaving it purely to their portfolio powerhouses?

Simply put, as the links between the drug and the consumer become more diversified, blurred and complex, the need for the products to connect strongly with HCPs and consumers will increase and this is precisely what brand delivers brilliantly.

Pharma dynamics

We are all familiar with the different market conditions that pharma faces but what does this mean for brands?

The rise of generics will be significant and its growth is predicted to save $90bn for insurers by 2015 in developed countries. Quite a compelling figure and this not only means that the competitive landscape will be more confusing for brands, but the competitiors will be unfamiliar and this will place pressure on existing brands as they struggle to be heard amongst the crowd.

• But there is also another aspect that is already emerging, being that the generics themselves will become brands with time. This dynamic has happened in FMCG – just look at private label brands for example like Sainsbury’s ‘Taste the difference’ or Albert Heijn’s ‘Excellent’. (And taking the case of Tesco, private label now accounts for 50% of their income.) Consumers understand this shift in FMCG so why should they be any less receptive when it comes to pharma?

• The end of drug patents also introduces complexity for brands with the rapid emergence of competition who can deliver the same performance as the brands but more cheaply. Taking the product formulation out of the equation, what is left? The remaining key differentiators are the brand name and personality, and brand resonance is key here to keep valuable connections and reasons-to-believe with the consumer. However, this is not a future scenario and given that this is happening as we speak you could also argue that for most brands the gate has closed for them to ramp up their brand expression as a rearguard action against the new copycats.

• Finally we will see a significant shift in the role of pharmacist from ‘RX provider’ to healthcare consultant. When they become more embedded in the HCP role, what will they prescribe or advise to consumers given the way the product landscape might change?

Brands are ‘known’ by HCPs and easy to identify, and so might come to mind first. They are also perhaps easier to understand so might make the most sense. But it is naive to think that lesser products and generics will not want to play the same way. Taking this further, competition will increase and become more complex so each brand will have to work even harder to stand out.

The above speaks strongly of the need for pharma products to aggressively drive connection and resonance with consumers and stand out in the increasingly crowded marketplace. The good news is that these are both aspects where great brand design excels and delivers effectively to FMCG brands every day.

And while brand design is often dismissed by the pharma industry as irrelevant and the preserve of consumer FMCG, the need for it’s skill set is clear and the early adopters in pharma will be the ones to watch, and the ones we want to watch in the near future.

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar and Alef de Jong. This time the design panel was asked to judge the corporate identity of Dutch natural history museum Naturalis.

Naturalis Biodiversity Center was launched on 28 January 2010. The centre is the result of cooperation between Amsterdam University (Amsterdam Zoological Museum), Leiden University and Wageningen University and Research Centre (National Herbarium Nederland) and the National Natural History Museum Naturalis in Leiden. The partners’ collections will come together at Naturalis Biodiversity Center into a collection totalling over 37 million objects. In terms of collection size, Naturalis Biodiversity Center is one of the top five natural museums in the world.

Here’s the full translated article:

Claire Parker, Creative Director at Design Bridge: “Creating an identity that conveys the diversity of life on Earth is no mean feat and for me this has fallen short in looking for the answer in simplicity. I see the science in the bold use of the N and primary colours that speak both of science and children, but I miss the engaging warmth and intrigue that identities such as the Natural History Museum in London capture so well. For a family museum there is a distinct lack of engagement that would compel me to want to discover more about the power of nature and all of its wonders, it feels one dimensional and derivative without a big idea at its heart.” Score: 5

Alef de Jong: “While cycling through the city I saw a poster with the pink N and an = symbol underneath for the first time; I slowed down, but cycled on. I thought it was an easy pun ‘N =’. I get it, but I’m not moved by it. It’s lost on me. It fails to appeal to me. A lost opportunity because Naturalis has a wonderful story to tell and deserves anexciting identity that can bring the story and the collection to life in an inspiring way, which surprises and entices you to delve into their material. The identity is consistently applied, but that is not enough.” Score: 5.5

Tom Dorresteijn, CEO of Studio Dumbar: “The power of this symbol is substantial in addition to the way in which it is applied to all communication: loud and clear. While this museum still houses the traditional dinosaur skeletons, the logo manages to link with the mode of this time. Quite exhilarating and it suits the spirit of Naturalis. Strikingly, the name is independent of the symbol. What took Nike years to build up to, Naturalis does from the start. Moreover, they have amended the subtitle “Bio-diversity Centre ‘, which I think, from the perspective of brand / communication is a bold choice.” Score: 7.5

Here’s the original article:

In 2011 a directory and media sales company in California announced a recruitment drive. Nothing special you might think. It wasn’t heavily publicised, nor was the package surprisingly generous. But in the first week alone, over 75,000 people applied. So what happened?

It was called Google. A business that has regularly ranked as one of the best places to work. Now that’s not to say that every company should have a conference bike, ice cream store or a cable car as a meeting room. But we all want to be inspired and engaged by the places we work. A recent survey by USA Today found that trust, pride and camaraderie were more important to most people than salary.

What’s more, creating the right culture is not just good for recruitment. Google knows that their biggest asset is knowledge and you can’t cultivate interesting people by keeping them in beige cubicles. Their way of working is part of their strategy for productivity. And it works, the average profit per employee is estimated to be $336,297 per annum.

So what can we learn from this? The first thing we need to realise is that culture is not something random. Buying a few bean bags and calling it a ‘break out zone’, won’t change the way you work. It has to be rooted in something you believe – and this is where knowing what your brand stands for is important. It’s your belief, philosophy and way of doing things. Done properly it’s about actions and not words. Done badly, it’s just type on a page. The truth is, if your brand lives on paper (however beautifully written, well crafted and eloquently sold by a well heeled consultant) – you’ve failed.

Take for example Orange. Back in 1994, they believed technology was over complicated and confusing – so they set about changing it. Their idea wasn’t just an advertising campaign, it was lived and breathed by everyone who worked there. Boardroom attire was jeans and t-shirt and big pow wow meetings were held at the ping pong table. It was a revolution in telecoms that started with the people who worked there. And within two years they became the youngest company to enter the UK FTSE 100, with a valuation of £2.4 billion. What Orange did was build a brand from the inside out. Whereas most companies try to build a brand from the outside in.

So what are the tips for success?

1. Have a cause. People won’t follow you unless you stand for something – and most companies have long forgotten what they set out to achieve. Consider that over 90% of CEO’s come from an accountancy background. It is then no surprise that when you ask them what the business stands for, you’ll likely get a financial ambition. The trouble is, this doesn’t inspire people. The Dalai Lama summed this up when he said “to state that the role of business is to make profit makes as much sense as to say that the role of a person is to eat or breathe. If a company loses money it dies, as does a person without food, but does that mean that the purpose of life is eating”? The first thing that any company should do is believe in something. Orange believe in ‘optimism’. And it comes through in everything they do, from how they work to the way they communicate. They even publish an internal newspaper called the Optimist that only tells good news. To them, the future is bright.

2. Forget everything you’ve been told about business. From an early age we’re filled with bad advice like “work is serious” and “don’t mix business with pleasure”. The truth is, work should be fun.

3. Recognise that not everything in life can be measured for financial remuneration. I dread the ROI question. I dread it because it says something about a companies commitment to its people. And I dread it because it’s almost impossible to answer. If I spend x on an internal engagement, how much will that improve the profitability of my business? Gallup in the US estimate that employee disengagement costs the economy $300 billion annually. But every company is different.

4. Don’t expect a quick fix. Most internal engagement projects lose momentum after 12 months. Make it a long term strategy. Keep listening, keep responding and empower employees to take ownership of it. Remember a culture is easy to kill and hard to build. But done well it can be one of the most powerful assets your business has.

David Partington, Brand Strategist at Design Bridge.

This year Design Bridge will be trying to raise the debate on internal engagement. As part of this we’re going to be inviting a number of businesses to give us their views on the opportunities and pitfalls. So if you would like to know more or get involved, call us on +31 (0)20 520 6030.

We’re very excited and proud to have won 6 awards in this year’s Pentawards, the only worldwide competition purely focused on outstanding packaging design.

Last night Graham, Asa, Claire, Zayne, Becca and Sapphire went along to the awards ceremony in Paris to receive the awards and celebrate with a drink or three. Graham spoke of the event:

“A great night at a beautiful venue in the City of Light. 300+ attendees from 27 countries, a strong showing from the UK contingent and a chance to catch up with colleagues and industry friends. This year I am particularly proud of our rather well-rounded clutch of awards, which I think really captures the richness and diversity of the brands we are helping to grow. I’m also proud to see one of our newest graduate recruits, Sapphire, not only visiting Paris for the first time, but receiving a well deserved shiny trophy.”

This year we won a mix of gold, silver and bronze awards for the following projects:

A fabulous Gold Pentaward for our work on premium home baking brand Love 2 Bake. We worked with Julia Barclay to create the brand, identity and packaging for these new, top quality gluten free home baking kits, with a carefully crafted design to reflect the passion and simplicity of Julia’s own baking philosophy.

We were delighted to win Silver for our work on Happy and Glorious, a limited edition Lyle’s Golden Syrup, launched earlier this year to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and inspired by the royal warrant and National Anthem.

Our second Silver was for our redesign of San Miguel 1516, where we revamped both the bottle structure and label designs to reflect the clean, light and refreshing product, and to enhance premium and quality cues:

We were awarded Silver for our work on Heinz First Harvest, a limited edition Heinz ketchup using the first sun-ripened tomatoes of the year. Claire Parker, Creative Director at Design Bridge described our experience working on the brand:

“Working on such an iconic and loved brand requires an element of respect and understanding. This was such a great story to tell, the first harvest of the season bottled and individually numbered just like Beaujolais nouveau. Such a powerful truth at the heart of the brand could only be captured in a way that used the iconic typography and label shape in a singular and confident way. It looks and feels like a classic vintage of Heinz Tomato Ketchup and it certainly tastes like a classic.”

Mariken Kimmels, Marketing Director Heinz Continental Europe, said:

“Heinz and the world famous ketchup bottle are inextricably linked to each other. The art is to find the right iconic elements to retain while giving it its own identity, and without losing sight of the original. It’s a fine balance. Evidently, the right choices were made with First Harvest, winning the Silver Pentaward is a great reward for all the hard work.”

We were very pleased to win a Bronze award for our work on a new limited edition Banks rum, The Endeavour. The Endeavour is an exclusive blend of two rare rums, named after Joseph Banks’ ship, with a decanter-inspired bottle, and carefully crafted label. More about the story of the product and the design can be found on the case study on our website.

And last, but not least, a Bronze for our redesign of Onken yogurts, where we brightened up the brand by creating a tower of juicy, mouth-watering fruit to show consumers the flavour inside, at the same time adding maximum impact on shelf.

The team had a great night at the awards, which took place in the opulent Intercontinental Le Grande in Paris.

Earlier this year Graham joined an international panel of judges from both FMCG companies and design agencies to assess the entries from all over the world:

“Yet again, really outstanding and inspiring work from far flung corners of the world: Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Korea, and some very strong work from an agency based in strife-ridden Greece. Some great work with some surprising solutions, really keeping us on our toes.

All of the work will be showcased in the second Pentawards book, published by Taschen and launched on November 15 in London.

Alexis Caught, Insight Manager at our office in Amsterdam was asked to write a trend piece about fashion branding for Dutch magazine Fonk. Here’s the full article:

Since the global financial crisis first hit, consumers have been turning away from the middle market, that’s not a growing trend, it’s happening. Across all sectors we’re seeing polarised shoppers economising on many products, while trading up on others for an ‘affordable piece of luxury’ – treating themselves in these woeful times. But how has that left the world of fashion?

As their core consumers seek to economise, and question spending X amount on a top, when they can get something similar elsewhere at a fraction of the cost, panicked shops respond by offering discounts. Welcome, to the world of eternal sales.

It used to be that sales happened twice a year, January, the often eagerly anticipated “Christmas Sales”. Second, the “Summer Sales” as summer stock was cleared for more weather appropriate coats and jumpers. But walk down any shopping high street now, and you will find a mass of discounts being eternally offered, desperate to tempt shoppers in.

Not all shops though, just the middle market. Budget ‘fast fashion’ retailer Primark, who rose to prominence after it ‘democratised fashion’ and brought incredibly cheap clothes to the masses, isn’t suffering from sales fever. An already cheap retailer, it doesn’t need to, when consumers shop there, they know that they are making a price/value judgement. The emotion that Primark brings to its clothes, is the fevered, and excited consumer feeling of “I got a bargain” combined with allowing consumers to cheaply refresh their wardrobes.

Somewhat ironically, just as the cheap, low-end of the fashion market is booming, high-end and designer labels are reporting healthy sales. Just as consumers trade down, they also trade up, treating themselves on a ‘big purchase’ or a more everyday ‘affordable luxury’. In the grand scheme of things €21 isn’t a large amount of money, so consumers will treat themselves to an ‘expensive’ designer lipstick, and all the emotional rewards they get from the associations of its premium status. Every time they use it, their lips are painted in glamour – a nice feeling when you’re facing an unsettling economic climate. Similarly, those who once frequented the middle market shops, are now saving their purchases, forgoing their habitual mini-splurges in mid-market retailers, instead saving that money for one ‘big purchase’…accounting for the take off in luxury hand bags.

Consumers have adopted a very rational approach to shopping, one that used to be driven almost entirely by emotion. That handbag, while on the face of it expensive, now represents a perceived “good value” as consumers adopt a “cost per wear” attitude – evidenced by my flatmate’s insistence that her new designer handbag “worked out really cheaply really, I’ll use it every day and you know it’ll last forever”. This same mentality is evident with Primark shoppers who resign themselves to the fact that yes, if it costs a fiver, it’ll likely fall apart after a few washes – but they’ve made that cost/value trade off. Cheap retailers don’t sell themselves as “investment pieces” (the phrase used by the fashion industry to justify expensive items) they sell themselves honestly, cheap but exciting.

Faced with competitors on either side, one lower priced than they’ll ever be (even with sales) and the other of high quality and social cache,  the middle market has lost its way.

Trapped in a downward spiral, the high-street fashion industry have begun to induct some worrying consumer habits that stand to cause long term damage not just to their brands, but to their industry. This constant state of sales I mentioned, is short-termism, pure and simple. They are focusing on short-term sales returns, over the long-term health of their brand and business.

Sales, to the consumer, are like a drug, each sale produces diminishing returns, causing the retailer to slash prices deeper, more often. The simple consumer psychology of sales works in two ways;

1)   “Bargain! Look how much I am saving!”

2)   “I have to get it now or it’ll be gone tomorrow!”

The two work in tandem, the first, gives the consumer permission to buy, greatly changing their value perception of the product, the second, provides an immediacy that forces the transaction. Trouble is, when consumers know something is likely to be on sale in the near future, it takes away any impetus to purchase and is replaced with “I’m not buying it full price” …greatly damaging the value perception of your brand.

And so, by consistently offering sales throughout the year, at alarming discount rates, brands are undermining their own brands worth, taking away the value. If the retailer doesn’t appreciate their stock and believe they are worth their marked price…why should the consumer?

Three mid-market brands bucking this trend, Topshop, H&M and Uniqlo have all had the courage and vision to be brand lead. Keeping discounting sales to a minimum, they focus on improving the credentials of their brand, which like sales, greatly improves consumers value perception…making their clothes a bargain, even at the RRP.

By putting fashion first they have each been able to capitalise by developing new cache for their brand. Each retailer has worked on a series of collaborations,  either with a famous fashion icon (Topshop and Kate Moss), produced a range with a famous fashion house (H&M and Lanvin) or even worked with pop-culture giants (Uniqlo and Marvel). By doing this, they have been able to instill their middle-range clothes, with high-end credentials and the valuable ‘cool points’ that come with it. By Donatella Versace doing a range for H&M, she is endorsing the brand, and all those that wear it. Suddenly, the consumer now has the opportunity to buy an item designed by Karl Largerfeld but with an H&M price tag.

I’m not saying all fashion brands need to rush out and begin on high-end collaborations, instead, they need to be brave, have vision, and above all, believe in their brand. Value your brand, and your brand will hold its value.

James Whittaker, head of 3D branding at our Amsterdam office, was asked to write an article for Dutch magazine FONK about how design can help with compliance in the pharmaceutical industry. Here’s the full article:

Pharma needs to appease the needs of consumers and can no longer hide behind the veil of supply chain efficiency.

Now we have all opened a blister pack at some point and either dropped the pills, punctured the blister foil in our bag or had the leaflet block the return of the blister to the box. These might seem like small aspects, mild frustrations at most, but when viewed through the eyes of both extra-need groups and medical compliance, these are much bigger issues.

Compliance or rather non-compliance is anything from forgetting to take the pills, ignoring the regimen, to taking the wrong dosage, but to put this into context: compliance was quoted as the biggest issue in pharma today, costing society some $30bn and 125,000 lives a year in the US alone. These are significant figures and I use the word ‘society’ as non-compliance results in higher insurance premiums, reduction in workforce output and perhaps most importantly, family members no longer with us. Compliance is important, yet poor packaging increases non-compliance.

However it is also extra-need groups like the elderly that suffer at the hands of poorly designed packaging, as anyone over 65 with arthritis will tell you. Taking childproof caps as an example, they are great for protecting the young, but this comes at the expense of the elderly as they try and close painfully arthritic fingers around a stiff, small diameter cap. This might not be as ‘costly’ as non-compliance, but as the elderly are the biggest growing segment of society there is a need to deliver better and more considered experiences to them (and in part, to aid compliance).

A shift in priority

Now when viewed from a distance, the role of pharma is simple; help improve the lives of the sick and poorly through the delivery of drug-based solutions. ‘Making lives easier’ could be the headline, so how does it make sense that many of the packaging experiences increase difficulty (and in some cases cause physical pain too)?

The answer lies in two areas, namely supply chain efficiency and regulation, and they co-conspire to lead us to where we are today: Finance and the drive for economies-of-scale dictate that we mostly get the cheapest possible pack, and regulatory ensures we are ‘protected’ against packaging and products that can maim or hurt us.  Both seem like noble causes, but neither delivers a positive product/packaging experience and this is where both the challenge and the opportunity lie.

If we take a quick look towards FMCG though, we can see a different balance of priorities that take the consumer much more into account, and while ‘FMCG’ can cover many products, there are a selection of products like headache pills, insecticides and drain cleaners that have more regulations than other FMCG. A good place to look is therefore the growing crossover between pharma and FMCG to see where the future might lie, and excitingly there are good examples of consumer centric packaging already emerging.

Consumer centred design

Many brands inhabit this crossover point and Nurofen is a good starting example being both a linear pharma product but with the portfolio and architecture of an FMCG brand. Their innovations in packaging include the Vegas protective case, and in product format include gels, liquid capsules and regular pills. They all adhere to regulatory but take steps to answer some of the challenges besetting traditional pill based drug delivery like puncturing the blister.

This is also not dissimilar to ProPlus where the traditional card box has been replaced by a protective case. ProPlus sits somewhere between pharma and energy so is again a good reference for where RX ‘brands’ might head in the future.

These are both fairly simple containers, but MeadWestvaco’s ‘Shellpak’ takes this one step further and with a unique opening method the blister is truly child-proof but still provides blister protection along with a calendarised blister.

All of the above solutions are interesting, but more so because the material in the blister can also be light-weighted through less fear of puncturing the foil.

Coming back to pain relief for a moment but in a different format, the ClearRX bottle from Target in the US also answers challenges in pill delivery. Misreading of information and taking the wrong pills are big and potentially lethal issues for pharma, but ClearRX has colour coded rings to help you easily identify your pills as well as much larger label areas to aid in regimen communication, both economic ways to address the miscommunication. Now while this might be an RX product, since years it has also been an icon for good consumer centered design in pharma (and a leader in its class!).

In a different product area entirely, namely powders, even a simple solution like the moulded container, powder scoop and easy peel foil mean that Nutricia’s Nutrilon baby milk formula packaging can be opened, used and closed with one hand while balancing ‘junior’ in the other. Again a class-leading example.

Finally Strepsils also lies in this crossover space and their ‘Handy Tube’ has tackled the challenges with a blister head on by getting rid of it entirely! The tablets now come in a plastic tube doing away with the potential for blister failure and they even comment on the shift in experience in their communication: ‘The lozenges are tightly packed in an air-tight tube so there’s no fuss or fiddling with packaging’.

Naturally human

So we can see in the above that many pharma-brands are already listening more intently to the consumer’s needs and the result is invariably higher sales, stronger consumer connection and of course a better consumer experience. Good signs for the consumer, and the rest of pharma should sit up and take note, but interestingly this innovation also has a few market side effects which are worth noting:

Firstly the market is getting tougher for newcomers; the competition in branded-pharma is getting ever hotter which means new entrants have a bigger task to stand out and be credible.

Secondly the consumer’s demands are being well met in branded-pharma and it will not be long before they place the same demands on core pharma products meaning a bigger need of packaging innovation.

Finally, the products and packaging that were once overtly clinical are increasingly humanising and trading in emotional values familiar to consumers. They look more like brands and talk in a language that consumers can connect to and this enables better connection and ultimately might also aid compliance.

As pharma moves from RX to OTC and ultimately into the branded space, it has no choice really but to answer the consumer’s questions and class leaders like the above are showing the way. However this is no bad thing as after all, the end goal of pharma is not the supply-chain, but about you and me, consumers and humans.

James Whittaker, Head of 3D Branding, Design Bridge Amsterdam

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is now part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Alef de Jong from Koeweiden Postma and Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar.

This month the design panel had to judge the design of Landmarkt. LandMarkt is a chain of contemporary marketplaces specialized in tasty, natural and fresh products coming from your own region. Farmers directly sell their own products to the consumer enabled by the Landmarkt organisation. You can buy, taste and experience food in many ways. We’ve translated the critique for you here:

After an international career in FMCG, Farmersboy and Marketer of the year 2012, Harm-Jan van Dijk, wanted to get back to his roots; old, familiar, good, home grown products. In April 2011 he opened Landmarkt, a cheerful alternative to the supermarket, in Amsterdam, with another opening in Apeldoorn shortly after. Ping Pong design were commissioned to develop the visual identity.

Claire Parker, creative director at Design Bridge: “We all know that it’s what you say and do, as much as how you look and feel that builds a brand. From what I’ve seen then that is exactly what they are doing. Landmarkt have really connected with the truth at the heart of their story, expressing that as a personality that appears to inform their brand-world in a compelling and differentiated way. This is not just about just having a good idea, they have obviously been asking the right questions to uncover the insights that inform all of their brand decisions; from the people who work there to the information graphics and tone of voice. This feels like a brand that has a clear vision on what it wants to be. I’m just off to do some shopping myself – if they live up to the promise I’ve seen online then I’m looking forward to a refreshingly new experience.” Score: 8

Alef de Jong, strategist at Koeweiden Postma: “What a relief. Natural products from the region in a very contemporary way. Wonderful. The style is fresh and light and has a natural feel, as if made by the people of Landmarkt themselves. The house style is communicative, dynamic and executed with quality. The icing on the cake is the humour that is subtly employed. The result is that you get the feeling that you are buying authentic products with a good price/quality relationship. Very honest and successful.” Score: 9

Tom Dorresteijn, CEO of Studio Dumbar: “What I find delightful about the style is the individual character, the departure from the industry code. It’s often obvious that retail environments and brands are too studied and stylised and as a result lack character. This is a choice with character, such as the overall concept. That however leads to a footnote. The store (market) is decorated as if it’s not a commercial initiative. The visual identity corresponds with this, but perhaps adds too little to the whole, like a chameleon blending in to its environment. Although I understand that Landmarkt doesn’t want to be a brand store, the execution of the visual identity could have been more powerful in my opinion.” Score: 7

Here’s the original article in Dutch:

Marketing Tribune is a trade paper for marketing professionals. The magazine features current events in marketing through analysis, background articles and opinions. Topics are being explored in depth editorially by means of dossiers in the magazine and separate enclosures.

With expiries aplenty and pharma having to study more closely what its generic and OTC competition is doing – and of course much talk about engaging emotionally – even OTC branding hasn’t always got it right… Alexis Caught, our insight manager in Amsterdam, wrote a feature article for The DirectoryLive.com. This portal is a resource about the world of healthcare branding and marketing – offering a level of up-to-date insight into individual agencies working in healthcare and thought-leader pieces. We wanted to share the article here with you as it gives some interesting insights in OTC branding:

“I got sick recently, bleary eyes, runny nose, headache and sore throat, the full works. So what? I know, it happens to us all, and as such we all have our own coping strategies, whether that’s deny any sign of sickness and develop the mantra “No, I’m fine” or admit defeat and sleep it off in a haze of medicines.

What really struck me though, was the disparity between the majority of OTC medicinal brands and the consumer emotion state – vulnerable, fractious and tired. It’s a weird phenomena that even the most resilient and intelligent amongst us can, when ill, be reduced to a snotty, shivery mess desperate for something to make it better. So why do OTC brands insist on remaining as dry, emotionless brands, who’s clinical professionalism “TAKE THIS” orders us, rather than sympathises, that at best is instructional – at worst uncaring.

It’s long been a trend for  FMCG packaging with personality, cute hand drawn notes, informal and personal communications pieces, everything from your drinks to your mouthwash wants to chat to you. Even your washing detergents encourage you to caress and sniff them, wanting to give you a hug to show you how soft they make your linens. And yet OTC? OTC stands there…same as ever…unchanging and professional. Yes, I want to know you take your job seriously, and that you’re serious about quality, efficacy blah blah blah…but I want to know you’re serious about caring for me too.

It might sound odd to have a ‘favourite’ OTC brand, but I do, Night Nurse. A sticky green syrup, that by connecting with consumers through both efficacy and emotion has won a special place in the hearts of many Brits. When ever someone returns to the UK from Holland in the winter, “Could you get me some Night Nurse?” is a regular request from the Design Bridge British expats. It’s a rare brand that while being incredibly efficient (a warm, deep sleep free from any cold and flu symptoms is its promise) also delivers emotionally. “Night Nurse – she’s the one, the only remedy” sang the radio advert in the UK, while the pack coherently displays tick boxes of what it treats…summing them up with “and so aids restful sleep”. But it’s more than that, Night Nurse, it’s a caring brand down to its very name, a nurse, it is the caregiver who looks after you and, literally, nurses you better.

Calpol is another OTC brand linked with emotion in consumers minds. A nostalgic smile and fondness is common among many adults when thinking about Calpol, remembering the bright pink sweet syrup, its flavour (was it really strawberry, did we imagine that?), and perhaps most strongly, the smiling happy blonde ‘Calpol Kid’ on front of pack, beaming and healthy. You knew by taking Calpol it would make you feel better, you would smile and play like the Calpol kid again. Recently, Calpol’s pushed the emotion of its brand and product further and to great effect. Now, it’s no longer about a headache, it’s about not having to stop playing. Instead of referring to sickness, they use the softer, informal, colloquial phrase ‘poorly’ to describe children – a far cry from dry, authoritative hands-off pharma brands. They even go so far as in their adverts, to apologise to parents for making their kids better so quickly…enabling them to get back to making mess and having fun.

So while some brands are understanding that what we, as pathetic sick and feeble germ-ridden consumers, want is comfort and responding accordingly – other brands are realising not all consumers are the same, some want the opposite.
That’s where Anadin steps in, they connected to their consumer by responding to a specific consumer need and emotion state. Sometimes you don’t have time to be sick, people depend on you, work’s too busy so you just have to get on with it. Combined with product innovation (teaming pain killers with caffeine, to kill your pain and pick you back up – simple but brilliant) this understanding of consumers went into their brand and communication. It gave them a strong connection to their consumer as well as giving a sense of pride to their unsung hero consumers. “Anadin – for people who just get on with it” it became the brand that gave support and comfort to people who are too busy and don’t want to make a fuss.

These examples are readily available, mainstream OTC brands in the UK, leaders in the market and special to consumers…so why don’t more brands follow suit? Surely it’s an obvious no brainer, if your job is to make people feel better, then make them feel better! Emotions are just as important (if not more so) than people’s physical ailments. Which raises the question, why don’t more OTC brands care?”

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter this year’s Dog’s Bollocks Student Awards competition. This year, our student brief received a fantastic response, with over 100 entries coming from colleges not only in Britain, but further afield too. We were really impressed with the standard of entry this year, which made judging very hard.

Judging took place over three days, with our London studio voting for the shortlist, and the Creative Directors making the final decision on the winner and runners up.

Once again, the work was judged by our own internal criteria for determining creativity:

• The brief: Our final interpretation of the challenge
• Insight: The big idea or creative spark from consumer or brand truth or Eureka moment
• Confidence: Sense of purpose, strong point of view
• Inspirational: The Wow! Factor
• Craft skills: Typography, photography, illustration, attention to every detail
• Breakthrough in category: Challenging the category rules

David Annetts, Partnership Creative Director said:

“I really believe this has been the most successful DB student awards competition ever – both in the number of colleges that have entered, and the high standard of 100+ individual entries. The standard of creativity clearly hit a new level this year and made the final judging very difficult. Against the brief, Samantha Kerr from Norwich University College of Art stood out as the clear winner with her reinvention of Old Spice – taking Dad’s splash of choice out of the 20th century bathroom cabinet and boldly into 2012. Looking forward to meeting Samantha and the runners up!”

Click on the images below to view larger size.

Winner

Old Spice by Samantha Kerr
Norwich University College of Art

We were really drawn to this entry, because it embraces the truth of  what the product becomes, turning this perception in to a positive.
It’s the perfect fit, old world gentleman’s club turned on its head. A fresh angle with great tone and copywriting – with an idea for all communications.

Runners Up:

Sunny D by Alexander Harazim
Norwich University College of Art

We liked the honest, psychedelic execution here, and the fact that it wasn’t trying to be another Innocent – but proud and loud.

Spuds by Melissa May Ryall
Nottingham Trent University

“A great reappraisal of a staple in the supermarket. Adding real personality and warmth to an item that is only seen as a functional and basic item that consumers will always need, so why not sell them?! Bringing fun and small twists to the type of potato you can buy, bringing that character out through illustration and tone of voice, with even little outfits to top them off! An idea that has more than one dimension, with real substance, and extends beyond the packaging, but with added functionality in the way the packs are sealed and held.”
Emma Warner, Design Director

Angel Delight by Samantha Kerr
Norwich University College of Art

Another entry from our Winner! A well considered, quirky idea. Again, nice copywriting, with real depth and an engaging story.

City Cat by Alice Douglas-Deane
University College Falmouth

“Bang on the brief  - challenging the expectations of the cat food category. No product shot with a sprig of parsley here, rather a neat insightful idea understanding that many cat owners are city dwellers. Brought to life with cute personality reminiscent of Topcat and the Pink Panther with an added structural twist of pack stacking creating our hero’s nighttime cityscape.” Matt Thompson, Creative Director

Honorouble Mentions

Bud by Greg Deacon

Down to earth language. A strong thought in embracing the brand’s nickname in a bold and confident way.

Reggae Reggae sauce by Michael Law

A nice reinterpretation – all about the music.

Lavazza by Theo Inglis

Authentic Italian, strong execution, relevant and fits the brand.

Pretty Ugly Veg by Ashley Kinnad

Nice thought about embracing ugly in the supermarket, and an interesting issue to tackle.

Bermuda Rum by Nick Nieto

Dark and mysterious – really intriguing. Nice detail in the bottom of the bottle.

Fentimans by Will Meakins

A nice twist on the old-world brand Fentimans:

Allotinabox by Steve Burtonshaw

A great issue to tackle, and interesting solution combining the urban and natural.

Lea & Perrins by Chris Bird

Really makes heritage the hero, by bringing romantic copy to the front of pack in an engaging way.

Jacob’s Club by Clare Vickers

Great to see the brand name brought to life in a nostalgic way, and it works well across the range.

Fairy Bubbles by Max Cannon

A great new innovation which really disrupts the category.

Lipton Ice Tea by Jessica Duncan

Wonderful to see this Lipton product re-visit the truth of ice tea, that tea is at the heart of the product.

Tissue Pack by Kristina Farrands

A nice observation, executed very well. Very cute.

Brockmans Gin by Andy Copland

A nice twist on the product truth, executed well on pack. A nice visual pun.

Tropicana by Tom Laskowski 

Bright and cheerful, shows a great celebration of morning rituals.

The Dog’s Bollocks Student Competition gives us the chance to showcase and recognise the fantastic new talent that is emerging from art colleges and universities today. With so many inspiring entries, judging is becoming tougher every year. Congratulations to our winner Samantha Kerr, who wins a paid placement in our London studio, plus £400 cash and a trophy. Congratulations also to the runners up, and thanks again to everyone who entered.

Last year we employed two people that we met as a result of the Dog’s Bollocks Awards. You can read their stories here.

We’re looking forward to seeing the entries for next year’s competition!

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is now part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Alef de Jong from Koeweiden Postma and Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar.

Marketing Tribune is a trade paper for marketing professionals. The magazine features current events in marketing through analysis, background articles and opinions. Topics are being explored in depth editorially by means of dossiers in the magazine and separate enclosures.

The first ‘case to judge’ was ‘Albert Heijn to go’. Claessens Erdmann and the Cada Design Group were commissioned by Ahold Europe to develop the visual identity for their Dutch convenience store ‘Albert Heijn to go’. The new ‘Albert Heijn to go’ focuses on more food for immediate consumption, offering the commuter more convenience and positive energy. The interior of the store, the logo and product packaging have therefore undergone a metamorphosis. We’ve translated the critique for you here:

“It’s easy to see the intent behind the design especially within the interior signage and promotional displays. Everything is saying “high energy, quick but happy, no hassle – just shop and go”, but the sum of all the parts fails to add up. In a crowded urban environment the exterior signage should shout “I’m over here, come quickly” but it is recessive and dull, with the grey feeling more discount electronics than fresh food. Even the name doesn’t add up – all supermarkets are to go, surely this is about ‘on the go’? I’m left feeling that this was a concept originally rich in ideas that has been brought to life through compromise, a missed opportunity to do something driven from a true insight.” (5)

Alef de Jong, strategist Koeweiden Postma:

“I miss a story. What are they trying to say with the new formula? The logo looks like a speech balloon, but it isn’t. The rest of it seems almost random. I understand it should be positioned separately, but now it seems like an Albert Heijn B-brand. When I step into the shop all the colour makes me happy. The visual identity wants to communicate, but forgets to affect. The texts such as ‘good for everyone’ and ‘need a boost?’ leave no impression. I walk outside with the idea that more is needed to really create an impact.” (6)

Tom Dorresteijn, CEO of Studio Dumbar:

“It literally brings more colour into the store. Well done. Not shockingly innovative, but as you approach an upgrade: maintain what you like, change what hinders you. I have doubts about the exterior and logo. There is no link with AH on colour level. This is difficult to understand, in the end the formula is a logical addition to the supermarkets. Apart from that the speech bubble is quite a hackneyed image and the colour combination red / gray is pretty boring / dull and lacking the energy that Albert Heijn always has. It reminds me too much of Kruidvat.” (6-)

Here’s the original article in Dutch:

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our office in Amsterdam, was asked by Dutch magazine Fonk to give her view on trends in design. Here’s the full piece – written by Claire, about paint, sew, glitter and much more!

As a kid, I used to make everything. Paint, sew, glitter and glue, paper maché, if it was in a book and involved a bit of mess and being creative, I’d have a go. Not all were successes mind, often due to the fact that I can be impatient and waiting for things to dry was never a strong point of mine. But, craft I did, although I never really thought about it in that way, I wholeheartedly believe it most definitely set me off in the direction of my career in design. All through college we cut and stuck meticulously crafted mock ups of books and packs, creating with our hands the visions and designs in our heads, we created objects from scratch.

As I’ve got older, and my career has progressed and modern life gets in the way, a phenomenon I’m not alone in experiencing, making stuff still feels great. The pride of seeing your creation come forth… or the dry bemusement as it all crumbles and falls, connects me to something more, something older.

A return to older values – or just the desire to connect ourselves to something real, tangible – not technology – is something that is creeping back into the general conscious. Handmade, is the new trend that I’m most excited about, and one that I hope is here to stay. In its rawest form, it reminds us that we are all inherently makers, we all have hands which can craft wonderful things.

Handmade clothes have always been a desired premium, but coming through is a democratised notion of handmade, small labels. Businesses are valued in whole new ways for their limited batches, smaller ranges, one-offs and the personal touch. But it’s not just clothes, it’s in the resurgence of limited-run underground publications or ‘zines’, artisan bakeries and a new found enthusiasm for home-cooking and baking as an almost art form. Even supermarket ready meals are developing to encompass a handcrafted element, as pre-prepared meals come in handily labeled step by step components, enabling us to reconnect with our food and feel like we are cooking – crafting.

The culture of commercialism, where everything has to be new, the latest – the same culture that caused the financial crisis – has perhaps given way to a world where people are tired of living in identikit prefab homes. In this world, the old bedside table that wobbles and has a dent in, has a new cache, hand crafted it was cared about, it has a story, it’s part of you and you part of its story.

Stories, and this human connection, are things both increasingly lacking from modern life, where technology slowly erodes at human interaction but also enabled through the advent of social media. The internet, has connected a whole range of have-a-go-at-home crafting heroes, who’ve founded ties internationally with like-minded people to form online tribes and communities based around this common love. It’s people acting on this part nostalgia influenced feeling that is helping handmade become a fast growing trend.

The banding together of fellow crafters is seeing handmade come into a renaissance, brought about by the people, for the people. Etsy.com, a popular and groundbreaking website brings people together and offers them a platform to not only display their crafting abilities, but sell them and turn them into a profitable hobby. While not everyone may focus on crafting as a profitable sideline, people are brought together in many different ways, from the countless craft, baking and do-it-yourself blogs and websites popping up all over the internet, real life groups are forming too. The irreverently named Stitch & Bitch group in London, started as an online forum for young urbanites who were interested in taking up knitting, previously the lone hobby of retired grandmothers, and grew into a raucous get together that’s spawned other groups, where people not only share their skills and knowledge but use it as a common ground to forge new relationships.

These new relationships and incarnations of old hobbies are part of a growing trend for tangible experiences that people crave for. In an overly homogenised world, something that’s fleeting, transient has new depth, adding to the enjoyment of it for that moment. It’s in this vein that pop-up shops have reached a zenith, celebrating the limited, small nature, the specialness of that moment. Large brands too have been able to embrace this aspect of the handmade trend, with pop-up shops being perfect to showcase their limited edition ranges or to provide a tangible experience that benefits the consumers hands on experience and relationship with the brand. Hands on experiences are ever important for brands, first and foremost the packaging as the embodiment of your brand that is invited into your consumers home; design can help you fit in there and keep your space.

Just like the aforementioned wobbly bedside table being valued for its imperfections, handmade celebrates the imperfect for its realness, it was created with love and thought by people, not machines. But machinery’s involvement isn’t an immediate disqualification for this trend, a computer is operated by a person, one of the new-breed of independent ebook authors self-publishing online, or in my job, the talented creatives harnessing technology to brand hand-made design to packaging design, with just as much love and care. After all, machinery gave the cupcake craze, a lovechild of the handmade revolution, it’s newest innovation. Cult L.A bakery, Sprinkles, has developed the world’s first vending machines that 24 hours a day, serves cupcakes from its ‘cakehole’s in the wall’ in London and Beverly Hills. While this may sound the very opposite of the handmade trend, the cupcakes themselves are made fresh every few hours by people, each one is even iced by hand. Just as computers have enabled advances in design technology, now it brings a new, hands on experience, mixing nostalgia for childhood baked goods with modern technology.

This handmade approach to design, must be crafted honestly, true to the brand and its consumers, poorly executed designs would lack the emotional depth that makes this hand-made trend so great for businesses and brands. It provides a golden opportunity to develop genuine affection and brand loyalty by involving your consumer in the story of your brand, fulfilling them emotionally as they see themselves reflected in the ideologies, personality and design of your brand. At the pinnacle of packaging design and brand strategy, they can work together to emotionally intertwine brands and their consumers to near inseparable points, Brits and their Twinings Tea, Dutch and Venz hagelslag or Calvé Pindakaas. Hand-crafted is a trend that I really hope is here to stay, it gives so much opportunity, not just for beautiful design, but an opportunity to really mean something to consumers and be part of something that I, personally, think is timeless.

On 18 April, I spent the day judging the Packaging Design competition entries for this year’s D&AD Student Awards. Winners have now been announced, and their competition entries for this category can be seen here.

I wanted to set a brief that would be inspiring, challenging and multi-layered. Not just a straight packaging project, but the creation of a new brand – a reflection of the professional real world of branding and packaging and the blurring of boundaries in our industry.

In a nutshell, the brief was:

It’s time for a new generation of Scotch whisky. Leave behind the heather and weather, we want a 21st Century Scotch that challenges category convention and appeals to an international female consumer.

I was thrilled to see a record amount of entries come in from across the world. The students had all really dug deep to understand the category, gather insights and address issues.

The attention to detail, quality of thinking and, ultimately, the storytelling and naming skills shown across all winning projects were outstanding, and incredibly mature. The storytelling shown in the two entries shortlisted for a Baby Pencil award - Melissa Preston and Batya Raff  - was particularly impressive.

They all certainly created thought provoking category challengers! I look forward to meeting the winners at the awards ceremony on 26 June.

Asa Cook, Design Director joined me at this year’s panel, saying:

“It felt like a big responsibility for me because I can remember so vividly what it was like as a student and how much effort you put in to it. I was aware that there are so many entries and that proper attention would need to be paid to the thinking and depth of a design, looking at the detail. I wanted to make sure each entry was thoughtfully considered and that the panel was engaged by the student’s rationale.

We were quite taken aback by the sheer number of entries. In previous years it has been more challenging to judge this category because of a low response, but our brief was downloaded around 2000 times, and we had around 280 entries to judge.

We asked people specifically to break the rules and you don’t get much opportunity to do that. The real advantage of this being an agency rather than a client created brief is that we weren’t scared of what people would do to our brand, we wanted them to think differently. I was looking for designs that were innovative about the conventions of whisky, to see something that represented a big breakthrough in the category, and was forward-thinking.

I think the brief generated real excitement because it was open enough to inspire the imagination, while still having a clear deliverable and encouraging people to break category rules. We were surprised by the quality of research into the category and the standard of naming. One thing to remember: Just because your stuff didn’t get in the book, doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. It’s so difficult to win, everyone who entered this year should be proud of their work.”

Working together on the awards this year is part of the spirit of Design Bridge, as Graham concludes,

We believe firmly in growing our own talent at Design Bridge, and encouraging the next generation of creators. The D&AD Student awards and New Blood events are a fantastic way for us to give a little time, inspiration and encouragement back into education.

Well done you lot, great work!

Graham

Joost Lindeman, Client Business Director at our office in Amsterdam, was asked to write a column for the April issue of Dutch magazine Fonk. Joost discusses the growing gap that is created between consumers and consumer electronic brands. We are happy to share it here with you.

As Saturn is starting a new campaign aimed to convince consumers to buy all the latest innovations at their stores, I can’t stop thinking about the growing gap that is created between consumers and consumer electronic brands.

As innovations are happening so fast, consumers are really having difficulty playing catch up. It seems that consumers have given up on their desire to have the latest of the latest. Increasing numbers of consumers are becoming more selective and informed about their technology purchases. And as so many companies are fighting for their money, the consumer in many ways has the bargaining power; ‘unless you give me a brand I can’t do without – Apple, B&O, Bose – I am happy to switch’. New innovations can turn yesterday’s winners into today’s losers, eg Blackberry, Nokia and Sony.

I do believe that a lot of consumer electronic brands have not yet chosen the right path for long term, sustainable success. Can anybody explain me why do manufacturers still use names like Philips 37PFL7606H and Acer Aspire 5349-b814g50mi? Consumer electronics need to start building an emotional connection with their users. Yes they want to have the best and the latest, but their purchasing decisions are driven beyond ‘the rational’ of technology, they need to identify with the brand.

Brands seem to have lost sight of what it is consumers actually buy. I don’t think consumers buy product specifications only. Consumers buy on instinct, with specifications often confirming their ‘gut feel’ towards their instinctive choice.

It is surprising to see how consumer electronics allow themselves to be turned into commodities by retailers and online comparison sites. Here it is all about features, prices, availability and products. Instore we only notice the screaming price tags, the standard outer-packs and the lack of differentiation amongst the various offerings. Consumers are having a difficult choice in selecting something they really need. It is no surprise that trust and loyalty towards the manufacturers is decreasing, thereby creating another threat, private labels, which is exactly what Mediamarkt and Saturn are planning to launch.

Where are the brands? Why did they give the control out of hands? Why do they focus mostly on R&D and advertising and don’t care about the shopper experience? Having a great product doesn’t guarantee consumer loyalty in the long term. Connecting with consumers DOES.

Any brand that chooses to put the consumer experience and the brand story at the heart of everything, while significantly simplifying the consumer journey will commercially succeed.

As Sony battles its worst ever deficit and announces global redundancies, Monocle 24 radio guest contributor Simon Black talks about how the brand can move forward and offer something different to emerging markets. When managing issues like brand credibility, technology and innovation, leadership can be a difficult space to inhabit- click on the link above to hear Simon’s take on how competing with Apple through brilliantly designed products doesn’t have to be a losing proposition if you engage with the consumer’s environment.

We are delighted to announce Design Bridge has been crowned a global winner at Diageo’s Marketing Brilliance Awards, held on the 21st March in London.  The awards recognise Diageo’s continued move to embrace innovation in its brand campaigns.  Design Bridge won in the category of Design & Gifting for Mahiki Coconut, Bill Goodenough, Group Executive Chairman and Graham Shearsby, Group Creative Director attended the event to pick up our award.

From left: Andy Fennell, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo, Bill Goodenough, Group Executive Chairman, Design Bridge, Syl Saller, Global Innovation Director, Diageo, Graham Shearsby, Group Creative Director, Design Bridge Photo: Neil Turner/Timbismedia

Since launching in June Mahiki Coconut has created real excitement in the market and this will be its second award with hopefully more to come!  We are thrilled our design has been recognised by Diageo as the best in design and gifting across its global portfolio. Graham Shearsby, Group Creative Director, Design Bridge says,

“We are delighted to receive this award, it’s a testament to a great client-agency relationship and a belief in backing creativity, challenging conventions and bravely taking some risks.”

Andy Fennell, Diageo Chief Marketing Officer, commented,

“All the marketing recognised fundamentally changes the nature of our engagement with consumers through our brands…Our agencies have truly shown their skill and dexterity in developing innovative work that continues to build our brands. I am delighted to be able to recognise and celebrate their creative ideas and achievements.”

Frank Nas, Managing Director at our office in Amsterdam, was interviewed by leading financial Dutch newspaper ‘Het Financieele Dagblad’ on 6 March about his view on the current challenges to the threatened pharma sector and the opportunities for the industry as a whole. Here is a synopsis of the piece, translated from the Dutch version.

Pills beckon from the shelf

Now that more medication is on shelf, manufacturers are trying to seduce consumers.

Without warning, they appeared in the Etos (a Dutch chain of chemist), the I Say: packs. A line of 8 products, as yet, for home, garden and kitchen ailments such as fungal infections and vaginal dryness. The name and prominent Black/White photography stands out amid bland packs with incomprehensible texts. That is precisely the intention. “We want to distinguish ourselves”, says Pieternel Bouters of Medical Brands, the manufacturer in Amsterdam. “We have yet to see if it works, but if that is the case, the products will be launched in other countries such as England, France and Germany.”

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly selling their products through pharmacies, gas stations or supermarkets. It’s an attempt to protect their revenue stream now that many of their best-selling drugs are losing their patents or reimbursement and face competition from other brands and generics. When there is no physician or pharmacist involved, consumers are left to make the choice themselves. As a result, drug companies turn to agencies that have experience with consumer marketing. Frank Nas, Director of design agency Design Bridge in Amsterdam, has clearly observed this trend. “It’s easier for us to permeate Pharmaceutical companies. These types of assignments have without doubt doubled in the last two or three years.”

He understands their position though. The out-dated business model of the pharmaceutical industry follows stalls. With the loss of Blockbuster drugs, the enormous costs of research needed to develop new bestsellers, cannot be raised. The drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, Nas points out, announced thousands of layoffs last month when expensive new drugs did not make it to the market. Large pharmaceutical companies are still betting on the next blockbuster drug, but Nas thinks their time and money are better spent building their brands. ”There are almost no brands among the bestsellers.” In 2010, Lipitor was the only brand among the top ten, but in 2011 when it lost its’ protection, Pfizer saw profits immediately plummet to less than half their former value.

Standing at the self medication shelf, one can tell that the majority come straight from the world of the pharmacist says Nas. They are crammed with information on active ingredients and medical jargon. Not very suitable for the hurried Saturday morning shopper who just wants to find out quickly if Palergonium Sidoides drops can help his cold. Apps have since appeared on the market that aid consumers navigate the maze of self-care medication. In the US and UK where self-care is more developed than the Netherlands, there are already examples to be found of manufacturers that help steer customers with the help of packaging or product design.

The American brand Help Remedies is one such example, performing well in up-scale shops, hotels and drug stores. Fresh packaging, recognizable colour-coding, concise information and names that indicate exactly what the medication is intended to treat. Names such as “Help, I have an Aching body” or “Help, I have a headache” leave little room for confusion.

Better yet, says Nas, is to accentuate the solution, not the problem. Sominex, a sleeping aid from British manufacturer Actavis, leaps off the shelf by means of a striking design, yet it adds a positive emotion to it: ‘I want a good nights rest’ instead of ‘I cannot sleep.’

i-Flex, designed by Design Bridge for DSM, is a rosehip supplement that keeps the joints supple. The name in combination with an illustration of a Slinky on the packaging, (opposed to the usual images of painful joints), emphasizes the result: more freedom of movement. The design, differing from the usual images of painful joints, helped I-flex become the best selling brand in its segment in the first year of its introduction.

Some drug manufacturers make use of brand positioning, says Henry Neels, former director of drug manufacturer Wyeth in the Netherlands and now a consultant. “For consumers and patients, the advantage is that it is clear to them which products to use and there are no mistakes in use of the products. You often see this with OTC manufacturers, but it is not so obvious in prescription medication.”

Now that antacid prescriptions are no longer reimbursed, manufacturers of nonprescription drugs (OTC), have released a new generation of antacids on the market, such as Losecosan from Bayer. “It is too early to tell if consumers themselves will buy and pay for these antacids,” says Neels. “It’s an example that signals the beginning of the government plan for people to further manage their health care themselves.”

Nutricia directly approaches consumers or patients with regards to prescription medication, with a newly redesigned line of medical food products. The drinks, from which patients often live off for months, have been made friendlier, for example NutriniDrink now features pink elephants. If the product looks tastier, patients take their medication more dependably.

“I do not see many pharmaceuticals that have really taken on marketing yet,” says Bouter of Medical Brands. “I think they believe that the medical look works.” That may also apply to pharmacies. In any case, they had to properly explain the different message of the I Say: products. “It’s a positive approach. We believe that people would rather see a girl with a toe in her mouth than Schimpie (a character created to personify Fungus)’, she refers to an advertisement for a treatment of onychomycosis.

Joost Lindeman, Client Business Director at our office in Amsterdam, was asked to write a commercial review for the March issue of Dutch magazine Fonk. We’re happy to share it here with you:

Let’s have a look at the world of insurance companies. It is known as a very low involvement category. Which might seem strange as we are spending quite some money on it. It feels like a necessity.
To me it feels as though the companies themselves are responsible for this low interest. Their big campaigns seem to be the only real differentiator. In their actual offering – a range of  insurances and services –  few differences exist. And if they do, they are very much hidden, captured in the world of –er (better, cheaper, faster), thereby making it impossible to make people understand the benefit of favouring one over the other.

As such a small number (3 – 4%) of people seem to switch every year, one should wonder why most campaigns are so much focused on convincing people to change provider. Wouldn’t it be a better idea to spend all this money to help deepen the relationship with the customers you already have? It could even help establish happy customers that will promote you.

Recently new players like Ditzo, Allsecure and BrandNewDay have started to enter the market. Not being constrained by expensive organizational structures of the big boys (although they are partly owned by it), they tend to be more aggressive and focused, offering more flexibility and cheaper solutions. These newcomers have a strong focus on price and this is noticed in all their communication and touchpoints. Some are even very poorly designed. It probably is a tactic, but by stressing the price so much, people will not grow loyalty towards them. If price is the only real differentiator, sustainable, long term relationships will never be created.

I wonder whether this is something we want and need. As our babyboomers start to enjoy their pensions, long term job contracts start to disappear and we become more internationally mobile, a new personal approach might need to be considered, one that will grow people’s motivation from neutral to loyal. As life becomes less planned and more flexible, it is less likely that standard solutions will answer to people’s needs.
We need a partner in life to help us get most out of it. Here we need to consider a different route to market. One that is more personal. Have a look at a US based company State Farm who created a branded space called ‘Next Door’, a coffee bar in Chicago, where anyone, as one of its employees describes: ‘could ask questions about finances and insurances and get some answers. A spot to hang out, take classes, talk with financial coaches and fuel-up on great local coffee’.
They really want to learn what people really want. And this makes a powerful acquisition and relationship-building tool.

Sometimes there are branding challenges that come about for the most horrific of reasons. The tragic sinking of the Costa Concordia and the deaths of at least 25 people have, along with a more recent fire aboard another of their ships, presented the most challenging situations for the Costa cruising brand and its parent company – Carnival. In the end, agencies like ours have to work with these brands and businesses to ensure business continuity and give the people who work there the best chance of keeping their jobs and moving their businesses on whilst learning the lessons from what has gone before. Simon Black our Group Strategy Partner, muses over these issues on Midori House, the daily news review show on Monocle 24 Radio. Not all brand challenges are design and creative focused. Some are strategic from start to finish.