1. Fonts for Websites: Probably the #1 complaint of web designers is being forced to use web-safe fonts in an HTML environment, selection of which is extremely limited (14 to be exact). Much to my joy Typekit and Fontdeck were introduced as solutions to this limited number of web-safe fonts problem. These handy websites make it possible to use non-web safe fonts with a simple line of code. They way they work is that sign up and basically subscribe to their font library which are pretty expansive.  I have had the opportunity to use Typekit and was extremely satisfied with the results. It is a great way to enhance websites and a fantastic step forward for the future of web design.

2. Letterpress: Letterpress is like the little engine that could. As much as people tout that print is dead, letterpress manages to keep paper looking elegant and worthy of simple and beautiful design. Letterpress is a type of printing that involves pressing an inked letter or pattern block into a piece of paper leaving behind an impression in the paper. The effect is subtle but this unique aesthetic continues to be showcased on business cards, packaging and invitations as the go-to method for making the “best impression.”

3. Apple continues to pave the way: The iPad is the biggest selling gadget of last year, selling over 8 million of them. These touch screen tablets have been an overwhelming success for Apple. The minimal and sleek design seems to really resonate with consumers and has raised the bar as far as product design goes (it doesn’t hurt that the technology encased inside is incredible too). Along with this surge of tablets, designers and developers are continually coming together to create smart and intuitive interfaces and apps. The increased use of mobile devices (cell phones and tablets) is a growing trend and products will only continue to get smaller and faster.

4. Great design in product packaging: Packaging continues to be in my opinion, some of the most innovative and best design out there. As competition on the shelf heats up and consumers gravitate more towards the picking products based on design and packaging. Studies have shown that if two items are similarly priced, the consumer will purchase the one that has a better design. Brands such as Mrs. Meyers, Bausch + Lomb, Archer Farms continue to breakaway from conventional types of packaging and design. Check out the Dieline for a fantastic showcase and resource for packaging design.

5. Typography for Lawyers: This is a great website that does an excellent job of explaining typography in a thoughtful and practical way. It also gives a great overview on how to make documentation look better. It’s refreshing to see recognition of typography by the professional set and not just designers.

6. 30 Conversations on Design: This website is a great resource that is both inspiring and intriguing to watch. It centers around what 30 of the top designers answer is to a themed question.

Tumblr is a microblogging site that has been gaining popularity thanks to its super simple interface that allows users to post and more importantly share posts of interest easily.   Many media outlets  have started to use Tumblr as a tool to gain visibility and new traffic to their sites and blogs. Newsweek pioneered the way with many others such as NPR, Huffington Post, & the Economist jumping on the Tumblr band wagon. These companies have all been using the site to post condensed content that redirects readers to their main blogs and/or websites. This has helped them attract a newer audience almost daily.

If your blog or website views are coming to a lull you may want to look into signing up. Keep in mind as great as Tumblr is, it isn’t for everyone. Organizations that cater to mass audiences versus B2B may find more benefits to Tumblr. If you do decide to give Tumblr a whirl here are a few tips:

• Your Tumblr posts should be related to the content on your main site but not as intense.
• Try following Tumblr pages with similar content as yours.
• The more people you interact with on Tumblr the more people will interact with you (ensuring higher visibility to your brand and message.)

Following these simple guidelines and maybe Tumblr can have the blog views rolling in.

“Look what design can do for you” Award
Artyarns: A re-designed Artyarns logo came to light from it’s participation in American Express’s Project RE:Brand, where three small businesses were paired with a design firm in order to re-brand their company. Not unlike what we do here at Blue Daring. This particular initiative provided good coverage on the entire process of re-branding, from showing how business owners work with design experts to defining and executing what they want their brand to communicate. The result is a great logo and a good way for people, especially business owners to understand the impact and value of professional design.

“Social Networking brand refresh” Award
In an effort to hang on, myspace.com announced a new logo for it’s brand. My space is like the AOL of social networking, it doesn’t seem to go away and is often the punch line of jokes. But so far this comeback is looking good, the clever use of a space bracket instead of the word “space” is well-done and overall looks much more professional and polished then it’s predecessor. The site looks significantly better with a well-designed interface that is cleaner and easier to use with improved interactivity and added functionality.

“ Sweet” Award
Sheffield Honey Company: The Sheffield Honey Company is an artisan producer of premium quality local English honey and the finest beeswax products. The identity pays homage to Sheffield’s industrial history with the icon representing both a honeycomb with a drop of honey and an industrial nut (and bolt). The result is a beautifully understated and interesting logo with packaging that is equally nice.

“Best makeover of the year” Award
PwC: PricewaterhouseCoopers got a big brand refresh this year, going from it’s very long name to it’s initials of of PwC. The brand change  for one of the largest professional services firms was surely an undertaking, but successful in the end. The icon is thoughtful and extends itself out well to fully realized brand elements, the colors are bright and fun, and the more modern typography is well done.

“I bought it because of it’s packaging” Award
Kraken Rum: Everything about this bottle is superb. The beautiful black and cream label features a fantastical octopus and ship illustration with an elegant typographical enclosure logo. The unique bottle has a double handled top, embossed product name and slightly stout shape which makes it all the more interesting. This product surely stands out amongst it’s competitors and it is a tasty rum to boot.

The  new logo is significantly different from the former, going from the colorful and bold illustrative logo with the words Comedy Central  brandished atop of buildings/globe to a much more sterile and simple  word mark. That is not to say that simple is necessarily a bad thing, it is just a huge contrast for the look of the network. The strength of the new logo lies within the clever typography; a humorous wink of “central”  spelled backwards and is upside down. It is well done, but the choice of type in both its all-caps and proportion, looks a little like the Cartoon Network’s.

That aside, the icon is made up of two C’s, one backwards C surrounded by a smaller C. Already there has been speculation that it looks like the  copyright symbol, and I believe that was the actual intention. If you  look closely at the brightly colored branded pieces below, the C icon is superscripted in the corner as if they are trying to convey they are “copyrighting” comedy. It’s an interesting solution once the intention is realized maybe suffering from being a little too clever for its own good.  The logo by itself is a bit lackluster – within its branding it’s refreshing and comes to life. Overall it is a smart and subtle solution. Appropriate for the digital space that it will occupy for the next decade. Nowadays it is no longer about a static singular logo but more about being able a wrap a brand around constantly evolving content/media.  This logo does that successfully.

Video explaining the new logo and launch: http://www.comedycentral.com/jan2011/

In this video this flashes across the screen:
“We   should explain…Our logo has changed. No longer do you see the big   buildings and globe that quite literally said COMEDY CENTRAL on top of   it. Please welcome the new mark. We affectionately call it the   COMEDYMARK. It works WAY F*CKING better than that other one we had. Big   building y globe, you served us well, but we moved on.”

In  closing, a new logo for a beloved brand is always an uphill battle.  Unless of course the logo that is being updated is truly awful. In this  case it wasn’t.  Comedy Central is doing an excellent job launching it. Announcing the logo, showcasing how the brand is going to roll out  and defending both the new look and explaining the departure from the old look, is a very smart move.

A distinctive, modern-looking R logo is replacing the University’s current logotype. With its intersecting blend of greens and its unique folds, the new logo speaks to the ideas of diversity and community, important components of what the University stands for. “In the not-too-distant future, people will see the R and know immediately that it’s us,” said Roosevelt University President Chuck Middleton.
— Press Release

Along with the new logo is a refreshed seal. It has an emblematic torch that is a nod to their history and tradition. The seal is much more simplified, which I really like because seals are often over done and busy. But the focus here is really on the torch with the founding date and Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote “Dedicated to the Enlightenment of the Human Spirit.”

The brand is significantly more modern and sophisticated from it’s predecessor. Following in the footsteps of Phoenix University who populated the billboards with their “I am Phoenix” campaign, Roosevelt University’s branding and dynamic website is well targeted, dynamic and a nice compliment to the new logo design. The new home page has a rotating student gallery with stories and photos complimented with vibrant color and fun type to illustrate life on campus.

Other branding efforts is this great signage that are downtown:

Armed with a new logo, seal and website, I think that the future of Roosevelt University is looking bright. The new contemporary look will certainly get noticed and their equity will continue to rise. And hopefully other colleges and universities will recognize the value of re-branding and increased marketing efforts, and will call us when they are ready.

Hire Professionals! – Probably the number one step people feel they can bypass is hiring professionals to help them launch their brand. Most people avoid this step because they want to keep cost low. At first consultant fees may seem like a pretty penny but in actuality the money you will spend hiring experts is nothing compared to the money you could potentially lose by blindly going into a new venture. I recommend you seek out someone who can help you with the strategy of your launch as well as someone who can help with the look of your brand. In fact save yourself the hassle and hire a company that can do both!

Know your competition- Almost every wonderful idea you can think of belonged to someone else 5 minutes ago.  Competition is everywhere and it’s important to know whether you stand a chance in your market or not.  Research is critical in order to create a smart plan that stands out.

Strategic planning is your friend – Take your time to develop a thorough strategic plan. Most launches fail because the people behind them never bothered to create a plan. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a great idea which can sometimes lead to off-the-cuff decisions. Just remember all buried treasures require a map to get to them.

Baby steps- If your idea or product is as good as you think it is what’s the rush? There is no need to make a full investment right out the gate. A soft launch or test run to see how your new brand fares in low stakes situation will save you and your wallet from any unexpected curve balls.

Time to assess – Once you have taken all the above mentioned steps take a step back and assess what you have learned. If people are raving about your soft launch it’s a good time to start making a significant investment into your brand. Did your test run fizzle? Perhaps it’s time to tweak a few things and go for a round two.

Launching a brand can seem a little overwhelming but a good idea paired with a good plan is always a success.

Let’s lay the facts out, before I give you my two cents. We were hired to develop a brand identity after having a very fruitful and successful set of strategic planning engagements with our customer. We developed one round of concepts, the customer embraced one of the concepts. We refined it and they were happy. They then showed it to their board. The board thought it was not creative enough and suggested that our customer outsource. At this point, we told our customer that its ok, having multiple rounds of design is not uncommon. We will take their board’s thoughts into consideration and start again. We offered them a discount on the rework in order to stay within their original expectations of budget. Their response? Our board wants to outsource – thats it. We want more ideas on the identity, however they wanted to continue working with us on creating a brand system and collateral.

I am a fond believer in the democratization of talent and information that the internet creates. Throughout the years I’ve even engaged developers in Pakistan and India to support application development projects. I believe that outsourcing just seems like “out” sourcing now, but in reality it is just the first steps in a more important and meaningful global collaboration without borders and nationalistic illusions. (We need to stop thinking of ourselves as Indians, Americans, Serbians, etc and instead as citizens of the earth.)

A brand, however, is an incredibly delicate and powerful thing. It is the essence, the heart, the soul of an organization embodied in the absence of words. (No wonder we take ourselves so seriously here at Blue Daring). Its the one thing that people take away that allows them to recognize your work and your business again and again. That said, you don’t “crowdsource” or better yet, throw to the wind, your identity. Your identity is a careful process of creative and strategic collaboration, concepting, reworking and finally adoption. To allow something so intimate and important to be the subject of a desperate bidding war by out-of-work designers and would-be artists is a failure of vision and lack of responsibility.

Are these the rantings of a slighted vendor? Absolutely not. Not only were we paid for our work to date, but we walked away with a relationship intact. I respected my customer’s wish and they respected ours – they even committed to continue to speak highly of our work and talent. And let’s note… we are ALWAYS open to collaboration and being creative about work in order to get things done. We know that our value as a company is beyond simply design. Brand outsourcing, however, will never, ever, be the right thing to do. It’s the equivalent of having strangers dress you, speak for you and represent you in the course of your day. Needless to say when you are an organization representing tens of thousands of people – that is simply reckless.

Bottom line, I am happy that we did not answer to the dollar. It is never popular and sometimes costly to stand up in what you believe in. However, people who hire Blue Daring, hire us for truth, guidance and good advice. We better damn well have conviction.

All of this caught my attention because I am a graduate of MSU and am familiar with the Spartan brand. While I was in school, MSU had gone through a similar change in identity and iconogaphy without any fuss. I can’t help but wonder if this protest is because people truly dislike the logo or if the social networking bandwagon is at it again. Let us not forget that MSU is the 8th largest public university in the nation with an enrollment of 47,000. With that many people and the endless number of alumni and sports fans, it doesn’t take much to get people riled up. Does anyone remember what happen when MSU lost to Duke in the Final Four in 1999? Hello riot. Maybe this logo backlash is just another example of the mob mentality taking over just a bit.

This is not to say that standing up to bad design is not necessary… Look at what happened to Tropicana and IKEA. But when looking at the Spartan refresh my overall thought is that it could have been significantly worse. The changes are pretty subtle. The new icon is little bit more chunky but tougher and more warrior-like. You’d think sports fans would be pleased. As far as university sports logos go, this icon is pretty refined. It is without the usual bevel and emboss, heavy drop shadow, and thick outline.

According to a memo: “This logo is just a single element of a new comprehensive brand and graphic identity project undertaken by the Department of Athletics. They will be unveiling all elements of the new program in April. The new logo, and the other elements in the program, are the result of a two-year collaboration between MSU Athletics and a team of top designers from Nike.”

I predict that this will reach a fever pitch shortly and the new logo will still be quietly released as planned in April. I think that if people were to get behind something it should be about more fundamental things, like the rising cost of education at public universities, the overall quality of education, and allocation of school funds to diverse student endeavors. For example, maybe if more money was allocated to their art school, they would not need “top designers from Nike” and would instead use their internal resources and student talent and/or alumni for their creative and marketing endeavors.

Judging from most political campaign logos out there, my guess is that they are done by someone who “dabbles” in design and/or knows how to use Photoshop. Campaign materials is something they do on the side. But what value do amateur materials bring to an overall campaign? The campaign brand is something that needs to have strategy and a marketing plan behind it; it’s not just a logo. The way you choose the people that do your design and branding should be viewed the same way you hire the rest of your campaign staff. You will likely hire an intelligent staff of people with experience and expertise in areas that help you build a strong and smart campaign that will get you elected. The same should be said for the people that create your brand, they should have experience and expertise in design and branding. That expertise will translate into a unique, smart and noticeable campaign that will help you win. Case it point…Obama.

Creativity is all about re-arranging, re-inventing and re-thinking. Changing your perspective or seeing something new can help revitalize you and help you to work it out. At my fingertips, I have a fabulous city that is filled with films, bookstores, theaters, museums and music. I flex my design muscles by reading design blogs and magazines, following designers on twitter, and continually looking at sites to see what others are up to and talking about. There are also design groups and events to go to. Meeting and getting to know other designers is beneficial for many reasons, if not only to share nerdy design references.

I count myself lucky to be a creative professional. I love nothing more then having a great brainstorm session or coming up with a solid design solution. You get a runners high off of it, the creative endorphins kick in and you marvel at how fortunate you are to design for a living.