Corporate identity

Logos and the miracles behind it

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Zack Chia

I refer to the post on TechGYD (technology blog) on the creation of logos. These days many designers create logos based on its aesthetics value and less of the meaning behind it. What exactly makes up a good logo? Is it one with copious compliments or one with the right meanings behind it? Or is it how it was envisioned in the first place? Regardless, as creatives, one of the main things that significantly makes up a perfect logo is one that is not only brilliant in design, but also one with meanings so sophisticated yet meaningful for the brand they represent. Check out the link here from tech blog and see what these logos represents. Personally, I love the Apple logo and how it was created, along with IBM, Baskin Robbins, Unilever and Toyota.

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Zack Chia

A post from Trend Hunter aroused my interest for graphic identity by how it significantly deviate itself away from the usual boring look and feel. The experiment was done on Wigan Little Theatre’s logo where Sam Lane attempted to reconstruct the logo by disassembling it and rearranging it into unique layouts. The result is something new altogether. By using the existing logo, bearing its equity, the new design is a play of the old one. Interestingly, design can sometimes be convoluted yet so simple and adaptable. Again, this might just be another example of how we can tap on design thinking for our daily work or routines.

“We are at a critical point where rapid change is forcing us to look not just to new ways of solving problems but to new problems to solve.” – Tim Brown.

Beautiful Tea boxes

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Zack Chia

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One of the most amazing things in design that would evoke a sense of emotional attraction is the way we design the packaging of the products we market. In fact, how many times have you actually made a purchase because the item looks so appealing, so cute and so irresistible that you know you just have to own it for the sake of it? We are all guilty of doing that. These beautiful tea boxes are designed by Flora Chan. They are inspired by classic book titles and the packaging is amazing. I actually like the designs and the colors that comes with it. It comes with a bigger storage box to house all the other tea boxes in. Known as the set of six ‘Prologue Tea Co.’, it is one that has impeccable construction details with minimal design on the facade. It does however, give one the excitement to open it and explore the contents. The lovely book titles are designed into graphic labels which are tastefully sticked on the boxes. We have legendary titles like ‘Lolita’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’. So now, as a tea lover, Im sure the chances that you are a book lover would also be relatively high isn’t it? Enjoy your tea while you read.

Eat my business card!

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Zack Chia

As funny as it might sound, it is actually pretty interesting to have a business card that is edible. In fact, there is a fun element to it when we give a standard creative collateral, a little creative twist to it. Six Taste catering for this case has made the event an unforgettable one by creating their tasty business cards. I do agree that people tend to discard off the business cards they receive. However, to have people munching on one is very unusual. That alone would create an impression. After all, the purpose of a business card would be to create an impression on your first meeting. Interesting, unusual yet refreshing idea.

The Littlest Ad Agency

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Zack Chia

This easily qualify as one of the interesting business card I have seen for this year so far. While it does has some similarities to the idea that IKEA used for one their direct mailers, it is still interesting as the application is different. An ad agency called The Littlest Ad Agency just did these lovely business cards which open up to a lovely well illustrated character at her table. Cute and very lovely.

MTV it

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Zack Chia

Heres some amazing work by Motherbird, a creative agency based in Melbourne. These are really neat design work done up for MTV. I love the use of raw imagery and nice markerish typography. Certainly a new way to see MTV in a different angle. A more rebellious interpretation of the brand. Nice.

Google Drive icon – A design comparison

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Zack Chia

The Google drive icon comes as nothing foreign to most of us. I am sure many of us have used the Google drive for our work and would be very familiar with how the logo looks like. As you can see from both the icons above, there are some subtle yet significant changes to the logo. The logo on the left is the original Google Drive while the one on the right is one of the logos I chanced upon while browsing through Dribbble.com. You can check out the icon here. Personally, I think the logo on the right boosts a more refined look to the logo. This is a classic example where we can see how small subtle changes will affect the overall design integrity of a logo. There are more depth and well defined color gradients as compared to the original logo on the left. The new logo actually helps to elevate the design preventing it from looking too ‘flat’. Of course, it does change the corners from being sharp to rounded ones. Then again, I begin to wonder if Google would adopt new changes for their set of icons? Let me know if you think otherwise. Feel free to give your comments.

Euro 2016 logo

Posted on July 2, 2013July 2, 2013 by Zack Chia

Creating logos for corporate branding is an inherent part of a creative designer’s portfolio. Many creatives forsake creativity in an effort to submit to intransigent clients with mundane quality work so it is absolutely vital to ensure a good mutual relationship between both parties. I love how Portuguese studio Brandia Central put together a fine piece of work for the next European soccer championships. Early developments for the logo had already begun whilst the actual event is held in France 2016.

Developing a logo is no simple feat. It requires a great deal of synergy between both the clients and the designers to develop a logo that serves it’s purpose while maintaining it’s appeal. The studio came about an idea of ‘celebrating the art of football’ with three ‘Fs’ as it’s core idea: festivity, football, France. These are simple yet power values to instill for the event.

I personally like how they treat the logo and the little video which documents the design elements that accompanies it along. It shows a seamless experience of how the logo came about. There is so much life and energy in the video. At the end of the day, it is not just what’s nice, but what works.

Brand identity and their subtle transitions

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Zack Chia

Have you ever been under pressure from time to time to refresh your company’s corporate identity? Most businesses that have withstand the test of time, would definitely encourage you to make changes and improve your corporate identity. Take Pepsi Co. for example, they have been in the business of producing cola beverages since 1898. More info here. Take a good look at the changes in packaging for the soft drink can.

As you can probably see, even though it has gone through such a long heritage, the logo’s integrity seem rather consistent. In terms of it’s colors and its symbolic curves. Following their rich history, this provides a very iconic imagery in the minds of many. The bloggers at Bold Post have collated a cataloge of some of the popular soft drink cans and their corporate brand image transitions. Have a look and be surprised. Although there are changes to be made as times are changing, it is vital to keep track of the changes you make, keep polishing and fine tuning that identity with subtle changes one at a time. You would very soon see a rather evident change in the logo’s identity.

Click here to see the post. Have you been engaging in a creative agency to refresh your corporate identity? What are your views of the work produced? Feel free to drop in your comments on views and opinions of what you think.