Package Design

What Would These 12 Business Leaders Do Today?

David Brier — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:40:06 -0500

In business today, there's too much focus on what is bad, what is threatening, who did what to whom.

Imagination and innovation are our greatest weapons. Lack of using them is the only thing strong enough to stop any of us from achieving our goals.

Factually, we can each get more done in less time if we simply take note on establishing WHERE we are going.

Kissinger said, "If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere."

What Sexuality Taught Us About Branding (and Why Being Average Sucks)

David Brier — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:26:06 -0500

In branding as in life, “being average”
isn’t a goal.
It’s the barrier
to overcome on your way to brand excellence and distinction.

Possibly, one of our first
experiences with branding
occurred around the time we
became aware of our sexuality
when growing up.

After all, we
wanted to be noticed a little,
or a lot, and wanted to stand
apart from all the other
“options” available. We
wanted not to blend in but to
be noticed for being who we
were. Ahhh, branding at its
most innocent.

Becoming a Cause for Celebration

David Brier — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:20:43 -0400

Your brand must be a cause for celebration.

If it’s Ragu®, it’s a cause for celebrating home-style Italian flavor in a jar. If it’s Nike, it’s a cause for celebrating your inner Olympian (or eliminating the appearance of not looking like one). If it’s Haagen-Dazs®, it’s a cause for celebrating adult indulgence in a pint-sized portion. If it’s H&R Block®, it’s a cause for celebrating a faster (and, hopefully, higher) tax return. If it’s Dyson®, it’s a cause for celebrating no loss of suction.

Branding Humor for Professionals Who Need a Break

David Brier — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:02:47 -0400

Sometimes I am asked"How wide is your client base?"

(I've never tried this answer, but next opportunity, I might:)
"It depends, are we talking before or after Thanksgiving?"

Why I Chose Sound for my Tweets by David Brier

David Brier — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:30:46 -0400

I don't like to be limited to 140 characters. Just not my style. PLUS, I know my writing style doesn't always convey my inflection of what I am saying.

So, today, I launched B.R.A.N.D., an acronym which stands for Brier’s Recorded Audio Now Delivered offering "sound bites" from yours truly.

Why I created the BRANDS THAT DEFY GRAVITY group on LinkedIn by David Brier

David Brier — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:24:06 -0400

Where are the Most Successful Branding Professionals?
I have been honored to be considered by some a preeminent brand identity designer. Those that know me know I am—and have been—a passionate advocate of the power of design for the last 27 years in this business being fortunate enough to have created some of the most recognized and successful brands and identity solutions.

How to Check If Your Brand is a Me-Too Brand

David Brier — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:21:09 -0400

This one is short and sweet. The road to glory and riches in branding is paved with differentiation.
So, here is a rapid-fire checklist to see whether you're driving your brand successfully into the horizon or into branding hell:
   1.   Are you using the same "promises" as your competition?
   2.   Are you using the same design elements as your competition?
   3.   Is your basic approach to look, feel and overall design similar to your competition?

A Fast Thought for Fast Branding Professionals

David Brier — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:02:50 -0400

As business guru Tom Peters says, "You can't shrink your way to greatness."

If one wishes for more business, then one must increase one’s influence.

If one wants more customers, then help those around you.

Be an influence that inspires others. Or as Mahatma Ghandi would have tweeted on his iPhone while driving his Prius to a local food cafe, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Here's to living a life filled with “more.”

Why Clichés are Death in Branding

David Brier — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:22:42 -0400

I have yet to meet any CEO, business owner, marketing executive or entrepreneur who came to me stating, "I want to create something unremarkable, drab and uninspired."

Yet, without stating it, one could extrapolate that might be the intent.

Brand Aid: The Cure for Gravity and Media Noise

David Brier — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:19:53 -0400

Triviality vs. Relevance
Today’s companies need more marketing ammunition than ever. To help achieve that, answer this question.
Write down on a piece of paper: What does your company sell? Write this down.

Is a Brand Like Air?

David Brier — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:42:49 -0400

A brand is not merely “something that’s nice to have” any more than air is something good to inhale once in a while.

A brand is like air. Without it, you don’t survive. With it, you can live.

More to the point, a brand—like air—simply makes all the good stuff possible.

Why idsgn.org is the Best Design Site on the Web

David Brier — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:49:45 -0400

Let’s see. Design is about order, aesthetics, chaos, organization, look, feel, experience, common sense, uncommon sense, knowing when to zig, knowing when to zag, being willing to challenge, being willing to change your mind, being able to laugh, cry, get angry and be silly, knowing when to fight and above all knowing the best places in town to order in on a late night project.

Can Design be Music to the Eyes as well as the Ears?

David Brier — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:52:12 -0400

As so well put by Steve Jobs, "In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer. It's interior
decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me,
nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the
fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing
itself in successive outer layers of the product or service."

Henry Kissinger had a Point

David Brier — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:51:33 -0400

Kissinger said, "If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere."

Today's Greatest Threat in Business
In business today, I find there's too much focus on what is bad, what is threatening, who did what to whom.

Imagination and innovation are our greatest weapons. Lack of using them is the only thing strong enough to stop any of us from achieving our goals. Factually, we can each get more done in less time if we simply take note on establishing WHERE we are going.

Like Life, Branding Needs Vision Too

David Brier — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:44:08 -0400

The key ingredient
Branding, the art of distinguishing one product from the glut in an overstimulated marketplace, relies upon strategy, observation, design, planning, and the intelligent use of marketing skills. There is another key ingredient, too often overlooked, that makes the difference between a great brand and a mere commodity. What is it? Vision coupled with commitment.

Look at any great brand, or even more broadly, any worthwhile accomplishment.

Words We Live By: How Certain Brands Defy Gravity

David Brier — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:35:32 -0400

Shhh, Listen...
Words can influence, deflate, inflate or annihilate a company’s brand. Well in addition to the graphic element of smart design and an intelligently worked out marketing strategy are the slogans and taglines that often drive a company’s market presence.

A Slice of Culture
Let’s take a walk down memory lane. Do some of these ring any bells?

What is Your Logo Saying About You?

David Brier — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:54:43 -0400

Remember that unforgettable line from the movie The Princess Bride where the the evil Vizzini (performed hysterically by actor Wallace Shawn) states, “Ha ha, you fool!! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders!” (The rest of his line is irrelevant to this article but is provided for its humorous relief: “The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia; and only slightly less well known is this: Never go in against a Sicilian, when death is on the line!”)

Now onto the point of today's article.

Apple's Secret Branding Formula

David Brier — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:00:12 -0400

As many of you know, I am an avid fan of great branding.

Sometimes I find an article that succinctly isolates a point that I know clients and friends would find useful. Below is such an article and I've underscored the part I find very useful.

Here it is excerpted from the Brisbaine Times out of Australia:

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How a Brand Dies or How Not to Leave Your Brand to Fate

David Brier — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:32:22 -0400

Seen in the Wall Street Journal

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The "We've-Always-Done-It-This-Way" Trap

David Brier — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:43:29 -0400

Businesses often do “what’s worked.”

That’s a good practice, as long as it continues to work. Unfortunately, companies often recognize much too late that “what we’ve always done” isn’t working as it had in the past. This is generally accompanied by that “strong resistance to change” phenomenon seen in larger corporations or bureaucratic businesses.

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Pentagram Gooses the Grey Goose Brand [UPDATED]

Cliff Kuang — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:41:30 -0400

Pentragram--the powerhouse graphic design firm, with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies all the way down to chic restaurants--has redesigned Grey Goose vodka's packaging. The redesign, led by John Rushworth and Daniel Weil, has given the premium vodka a more refined image.

According to the firm:
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A Sustainable Brand Identity

Delia Bonfilio — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:05:56 -0500

So, what is a sustainable brand identity? Let's start by defining a Brand Identity. Fundamentally, your brand identity is the visual interpretation of your cause, business, or products. It is the way in which we recognize and distinguish one company from another. A brand identity typically consists of one or more of the following elements:
- a logotype (the typographic treatment of the business name)
- a logo (a graphic symbol or icon)
- a tagline (a short description or slogan)
- a color palette (one or more colors used in the above components)

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A Sustainable Concept

Delia Bonfilio — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:05:04 -0500

Originally, I started to write this entry about a Sustainable Brand Identity. But as I put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard, I realized that my opening paragraph deserved a bit more attention. It's about the importance of a sustainable concept behind the design. Think of it this way – sustainability can be applied to both the tangible and the intangible – the execution of the idea AND the idea itself.

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Making Sense Of It All: How to Promote Your Brand While Staying Sustainable

Delia Bonfilio — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:44:55 -0500

Every evening I come home and walk by a mountain of garbage from my building in this otherwise beautiful neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. It makes me think about my contribution to that, not only on a personal level but a professional one. As owner of a graphic design studio, I know all too well that half of the services we offer involve the design and development of stuff that ultimately ends up in the trash. They're things that are used to promote a product or service.

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