This is a lovely idea for a campaign to communicate environmental issues. These intricately cut leaf illustrations are part of a campaign to communicate how leaves absorb CO2, and was created by Leagas Delaney for Plant for the Planet. Found on Colossal.

Thanks to Chris for sharing the work of Fabrice Wittner. His recent works, Enlightened Souls, feature stencilled black paper which is back lit and then overlayed onto street scenes in New Zealand, initially as a response to the recent earthquake there. The same technique is being used in further projects in Vietnam and other locations. Check out the rest of his work here.

Cecilia Paredes works with her assistants to create these amazing photographs where she is both the subject and the photographer, seamlessly blending into the intricate patterns in the background. Using body paint, makeup and costume the pieces are meticulously staged so she practically vanishes into the background. Much of her work focuses around relocation and migration – check out more of her work here. Some of her work was shown at a recent 2012 LA Art Show, but you can see more of this series here. Thanks to Dan for finding this one.

Thanks to Iona for pointing out these slumped glasses by Loris & Livia. Nice name too – Tipsy, and they do look like they’ve drunk too much of their own contents.

This installation by artist Zadok Ben David is stunning – I wish it was on in London at the moment as I’d be down there in a flash. It’s made from 12,000 cut steel botanical illustrations which cover the floor of the gallery. From one side they appear in black and white, but from another angle they become a sea of colour. Found by Holly – check out more images and the video on Colossal.

Thanks to James for finding this great project by Niklas Roy, who we discovered makes some amazing inventions/art projects using electronic components. This one, entitled ‘A little piece of privacy’ was a lovely idea using a small piece of curtain. It made me smile, and it was great to see how it was made too.

Polish designer/artist Odiabe has created a visual animation of the motion of a drummer. The artist uses motion-tracked drumsticks which behave like a paintbrush to draw shapes in the air, and then they are turned into a 3D animation. More info on the video via Fast Co Design – found by Dan.

I stumbled across these paintings by Alyssa Monks whilst trawling various blogs this week and thought they were extraordinary. At a glance they seem photographic but then up close the painting style is beautiful, and I love the underwater ones.

Christian discovered the East London Furniture company, who make simple but rather gorgeous furniture from 100% recycled materials. We often use vintage or furniture made of recycled materials for our meeting rooms and cafe areas at Design Bridge, so this was an inspiring find, especially as it’s not far from our London office.

Our latest reception display in the London office is to celebrate 6 years of producing great work for KFC. The idea behind the display was to create a ‘family album’, to show a collection of memories, looking back over the range of work we’ve created over this time. We have many long-standing relationships with our clients, some of them we’re proud to say we’re still working with after 25 years.

Often, a new name for an entity (product, brand, company) is hard to agree on because the solution is too new, too unfamiliar. Brand owners can reject ideas without giving them time to catch their imaginations. I know that this is a common hazard that faces namers everywhere (I read their blogs).

How can we help brand owners see the potential in a name?
Repeated exposure to ideas is one of the most successful ways to solve the problem, to make new ideas more familiar. There’s empirical evidence of this.However, there’s more to it than that. Here are two key recommendations to make the process run more smoothly:

1. Don’t just design a nice logo and hope for the best.

The main argument for bringing design into the naming process early is simply that the name is just one part of the brand communication, that “brand language” is much more than the words used to describe a brand and that it is the combination of multiple elements which makes a brand. There’s no denying this, although I will always argue that the name is the keystone for everything the brand is.

The designer’s default solution is to create a logo design, to help to add something to the story. But this makes for a very protracted, wasteful and unproductive stage of work, especially if design solutions are needed for every candidate name to help the decision maker see the beauty of the words. I may have told you this before; making a word look good does not necessarily make it the right word. Not even if it is the smartest piece of design ever.

Good design is crucial (I’ll let you decide your own definition good, but take a look at the rest of this website for some hints and tips). If the argument is that a name is only part of the brand, then by the same token we all know, or should know, that a real brand is much more than a logo – an ‘identity’ is something much bigger.

2. Establish what the brand is about before giving it a name

How can I understand the merits of my word/words/characters/name if I can’t grasp what it is and why it works? How do I get everyone on board; to ensure that this is the right word? (Even after all the hopefuls have been investigated thoroughly for possible ownership).

There is a real need to convince stakeholders of the right name before doing any other ‘branding’. If you have that set in everyone’s mind, then you immediately give design the focus it needs, to allow them to put their energy and skill into exploring the permutations for one name. The right name.

The main method for increasing success for brand names should make designers happy, too. No, I’m not about to contradict myself! It is simply to develop a personality for the brand (or product etc.); have a rich understanding of what the brand personality is, what it really is, before you start naming.

Find ways to describe how a brand walks, talks and acts in words and pictures. Find out what its unique character is. Flesh it out with pictures; colour, type, symbols, illustration and photography, materials and textures are visual components of brand language; the elements which express an ownable tone of voice and visual vocabulary. Bring a brand to life.

Once you’ve done this is it much, much, much easier to work out what to call it. It is so much easier for stakeholders to see how a new name fits a brand if they can judge this against the characteristics they have played an active been part in developing. Because then the name has significance. New words have meaning and context, without a logo.

This means that teams can see how their brand lives and breathes and start to see the beauty of the words which fit the ideas behind the brand. This also helps to move a brand or product beyond mere functionality, opens up different kinds of ‘descriptive’ words.

Don’t worry about instant recognition of your name or brand. ‘Wordlessness’ may come to you one day; that perfect state when a brand is recognised by its symbol alone. Until then, I’ll let the designers dream of that and keep looking for great names that fit real brands.

Not brands which can’t breathe until they find a name.

Group Creative Director, Graham Shearsby will be rejoining the jury panel for the 2012 Pentawards.

As the one major international competition that really showcases outstanding global packaging work, Design Bridge has a valued and longstanding relationship with the Pentawards.  Since the second year of the competition, Design Directors from our Amsterdam studio have taken part in the judging process.  Graham will join an international jury of marketing and design managers from major companies, and leaders in design, which  are selected from previous winners.  Co-Founder Brigitte Evrard states:

“This is why we invited Graham, a multi Pentawards winner for many years, DesignBridge is considered one of the best design agencies in the world.”

This year the Pentawards is introducing a new Packaging Concepts category to offer students the opportuntity to enter.  The broader scope of the competition, which now offers a major platform for emerging global talent, reflects Design Bridge’s belief in championing the next generation, and we are very proud to be a part of it.

Thanks to Dan for finding this great idea by Anna Garforth, on her website. This recent project, Wandering Territory uses a 3D digital model of a bear, which has been turned into a 2D template, and made into 3D again. I love the reflective-but-non-reflective image used on the surface. She teamed up with packaging and display company Vinke, and the work was part of a show on at MOTI, in Breda, Holland. We’ve mentioned Anna’s work in a previous Friday Favourites – check out her baked typography work!

I love these hanging sculptures made from buttons, featured on the Toxel website, and created by Augusto Esquivel. Hundreds of buttons are hung together to create a wonderful dream-like version of every day objects. Thanks to Katie for finding this one. More images videos, and info on Augusto’s website.

Thanks to Christian for finding these schnapps bottles created by the design team behind the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin. The whole Michelberger brand look and feel is gorgeous as it is (see a few examples below), but they’ve recently teamed up with The Preussiche Spirituosen Manufaktur in Berlin, and branched out into drinks production to create their own bespoke products from the Michelberger Booze company. Found via Lovely Package.

Mel made me want to go out and buy wafers, after sharing this lovely design for Eat Me – a food packaging design book from Hong Kong publisher Victionary. Found on the Creative Review Blog

Holly always manages to find great typographic work. This week it was the lovely work of Nicolai Sclater, (found on his site Ornamental Conifer)who does brilliantly executed sign writing from the heart of London’s East End. Check out the hand painted signs on the leather jackets..

Thanks to Mat B for sharing these amazing hyperrealist paintings (yes, paintings! we couldn’t believe it either) by Pedro Campos. I’m just gutted I missed the 2011 London show, as judging by the size of them, they would be great to see in real life. Here are a few examples, but there’s a lot more on his website.

My personal favourite find this week has been the Jeff Koons collaboration to create packaging for Kiehl’s, featured on The Dieline. I’m not even a Kiehl’s fan, but I love Jeff Koons, and this gorgeous balloon-dog-esque lid makes me want to buy that product…

“What I’ve learned in my career is it’s product that matters, not the name.”

This is a big gauntlet thrown down by Ford marketing chief Jim Farley in a recent article from USA Today; a whole chicken and egg debate about the place in marketing of the brand name. Surely, no one would doubt the importance of a brand name? Would they?

Lets dig a bit deeper into what he’s actually saying. Basically, it seems to come down to brand names being irrelevant because Ford make fantastic products and that’s all that matters.
I think you’re wrong, Jimbo.

I would say that Mr F is a very practical man, but possibly not one with a huge imagination. I also think that he’s too close to the product. Too many manufacturers get caught up in what they make. They feel that their product is so good that it doesn’t need a name; doesn’t even need marketing, because it’s that good. The product is king, the rest is just window dressing. But, what’s this? There are other products I can choose from? How am I going to decide which one I should buy?

Motor companies virtually invented branding and image for heaven’s sake, so I don’t imagine that Mr F feels that branding is dead. He’s being disingenuous; Ford have a long heritage and lots of affection and nostalgia for their marques. However, he can’t just rely on the past. Consumers need to be able to differentiate models and see what’s new and exciting. They need to know how and where to trade up.
What he appears to be saying is that Ford, consumers and the media shouldn’t get hung up on sub-brand nomenclature and I can quite understand his reluctance to add complexity and a fancy naming system where they don’t need it.

Why do I think he is too close to the product? Because he understands the codes, the way the business talks about the product, the way they sell them in to the trade. The alphanumerics with M’s and X’s and Z’s and other sexy figures that appeal to certain people, mostly men, who have an interest in cars.

“What are you driving these days?”
“I just had my WX2ZZPi delivered.”
“Cool.”
It’s a simple question can pigeonhole you faster than a taste in folk music or Farah slacks. Men judge other men, and the quality of their driving, on their wheels. Sad but true.

A few alphanumeric car names are shorthand for a classic model, the sort of thing that we all might know (but probably choose not to). The rest is pub talk, for car anoraks, to impress with the size of your knowledge on automobiles. Mr F might be one of these men. He may expect that everyone knows the subtle differences available in every range. Hell, if you want to buy a car, you’ll go out of your way to find out the difference between a Number 1 and a Number 2, won’t you?

Or, it all might simply be that Big Jim is a champion for building brand desirability and myth through creating a veil of mystery and intrigue. No badges needed. The ‘Probe’ has cult status, doesn’t it? (Funnily enough, they don’t make that one any more).
Maybe, if the cars aren’t selling, they aren’t conjuring up the magic of the past. Maybe they are no longer relevant to consumers? If not enough has been done to make the brand special, should we blame the name, or blame what hasn’t been done to make what people want. Maybe it is time to consign a few brands to the scrap heap.

Names are there to help distinguish and differentiate. They are far from irrelevant. People buy ‘Ford’, they buy into ‘Lincoln’ or ‘Mustang’; but mostly they buy a lifestyle; the freedom of the road. They aspire to the next model up the food chain. Mr F, I am not a number, I am a free person with my own personality, reflected by my choice of car. I am my car.

But, I am not a Ford. I am much more than that. I am different from every other car.
Now, how am I going to tell people which kind of car I am?

Alexis Caught, Insight Manager at our Amsterdam office, wrote a column for Dutch magazine Fonk about commercials in December. Here’s a summary in English:

Brand ambassadors are tricky things, needing to emulate aspirational elements the brand would like to play up, excite and draw attention while also reflecting a realistic and attainable face for the brand. With these in mind, I find it quite strange watching the latest NS railways adverts, featuring Nick and Simon… and a rather unrealistic train-conductor.

At first thought, Nick and Simon may seem like a great celebrity endorsement for the train company, friendly, down to earth and Dutch through-and-through, I can’t help but see a huge flaw in the logic. Ask anybody what they want from their train companies, and guaranteed ‘reliable’ will be up there. For a brand that we depend on, we want reliability and expertise… not someone who can stand around trading half-jokes with celebrities. Furthermore, ask those same people what they think of the celebrity endorsement and I’m confident they’ll reply “as if they ever use public trains”. Endorsements like these, while they may be ‘current’ and draw attention from younger demographics, tend to fail at the basic level of being believable, consumers aren’t stupid, they can smell a marketing ploy a mile away and hate feeling like they’re being deceived.

For now, we will park the endorsement and accept it on the basis that it has some positives (however flawed) and focus on the third person featured in this advert, the wise-cracking NS train conductor. But what exactly is he supposed to be representative of, is he the NS brand personified? After all, he’s certainly unlike any train conductor I’ve ever met, usually all too intent on avoiding eye-contact and questions to have time to stop for some light-hearted banter.

NS are not a bad brand, and the key message of this advert, that their new ‘Always Favourable’ card allows you discounts what ever time you travel, is a good one, which is why it’s such a shame this advert misses the mark and almost does the brand a dis-service. The key to good branding is developing personality traits consumers relate to and want from you, reliable, trust-worthy, fair and expert would be perfect to communicate in an advert for NS, unfortunately hard to find in this advert.

Dutch humour is complex, the simplest way of describing it being ‘either on the mark, or off’ and this definitely misses the mark. Instead of being amusing, it seems dated, forced, uncomfortable and above all unnatural. Perhaps in future, NS should steer clear of trend-led adverts and focus on what makes them great, their core brand values, to influence their communications.

Mahiki Coconut has won a First Place statuette at the Mobius Awards. For over 40 years the Mobius Awards have honoured the most outstanding creativity across all media and design platforms in the world. Not only has Mahiki Coconut been awarded first place in the Food & Beverage packaging design category, it has been shortlisted for Best of Show. The winners of best in show will be announced on January 17th.

“One of those special projects” for Group Creative Director, Graham Shearsby,  Mahiki Coconut is the result of a strong relationship and belief in creative challenge with client, Diageo.  Steve Honour, Design Manager, Diageo affirms:

“This brand’s only been launched recently so it has done really well in sparking excitement and conversation – exactly what we wanted.”

A Mobius award is a hallmark of a very successful first year for the brand. Design Bridge is immensely proud and honoured. Mobius has recognised  the inspiring results of an outstanding partnership with our client, Diageo.

For some reason everyone was finding creative ideas relating to books this week, from 3D books, to sculptures made from old books. Maybe it was because The Joy of Books was also popping up all over various blogs this week, which is a great stop-frame animation created by a couple (and a bunch of volunteer helpers) who painstakingly filmed and rearranged books at the Type store in Toronto. What a great way to promote your favourite book store, encouraging people to go into store rather than shopping online for a change.  Found on Neatorama and lots of other places.

Then Holly shared these rather lovely 3D artbooks created by paper artist Ingrid Siliakus:

Then David R found these amazing landscapes sculpted out of old books, created by Guy Laramee, on the Abduzeedo website:

Then on another book related subject, Katie pointed me to this fantastic campaign from Wimpy in South Africa, where they came up with a great idea for showing their visually impaired customers that they had menus in Braille. Using the food as a way of sending the message, it was a great way for the brand to show that they cater for everyone, and have a sense of humour with it.