[7/9, 8:14 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *Intro*

[7/9, 8:18 PM] cre9tivedesgns: So many designers can draw a logo that looks great from a subjective
viewpoint, but if you can demonstrate your ability to craft a solution using objective information, your
work will be vastly more valuable to your clients.

[7/9, 8:19 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Like muck of anything we do in life, the results of our efforts are pretty
highly influenced by our level of preparation.

[7/9, 8:21 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Sounds a bit like the laws of physics, but modify it here to say that in
branding for every action there's an opposite and equal reaction, and it's so true.

[7/9, 8:22 PM] cre9tivedesgns: To create an exceptional visual brand, or before diving headlong into any
logo design project, you have to prepare through the process of discovery.

[7/9, 8:22 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *What you'll learn*

[7/9, 8:24 PM] cre9tivedesgns: You'll learn the five reasons an existing firm seeks out a designer for
rebranding and how you can spot them to make yourself a good candidate for the job.

[7/9, 8:24 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Once you start into a project, we'll discuss who all to talk to and what to
ask.

[7/9, 8:25 PM] cre9tivedesgns: We'll do a dive into determining brand personality and which of the 5
dimensions your client lean to.

[7/9, 8:26 PM] cre9tivedesgns: We'll immerse ourselves into out client's field and how to understand
their processes, objectives, and culture and those of their customers as well.

[7/9, 8:28 PM] cre9tivedesgns: We will talk about creating a *SWOT* analysis and how to visually edit
your clients persona and visual touch points.

[7/9, 8:29 PM] cre9tivedesgns: How to completely identify and review their competition and adjacent
fields.

[7/9, 8:29 PM] cre9tivedesgns: ... and create snapshots of each.

[7/9, 8:32 PM] cre9tivedesgns: And finally, we'll show you how to boil all these information into a design
brief to service your mutual road map replete with the results of your discovery and listing out the
objectives to lead you to an exceptional logo.

[7/9, 8:34 PM] cre9tivedesgns: In this course, I suspect one of the greatest discoveries will be the
confidence you build in your clients as you start your mission to build the foundation for an incredible
visual identity.

[7/9, 8:34 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *What to know*

[7/9, 8:36 PM] cre9tivedesgns: This course is designed to literally provide you with the tools you'll need
to master the process of preparation. I'm gifting you with the *form* that I use to gather information
during the discovery.

[7/9, 8:36 PM] cre9tivedesgns: I'll also provide you with a complete brief from the case used in this
course.

[7/9, 8:37 PM] cre9tivedesgns: It's one of my actual clients, so you too will be able to see the document
that manifests from this phase.

[7/9, 8:38 PM] cre9tivedesgns: They are pretty easy to work with and they've served me well for
years. �[7/10, 8:09 PM] cre9tivedesgns: CHAPTER ONE

*Understanding the why*

The breadth of brand impact.

[7/10, 8:10 PM] cre9tivedesgns: After the class, you will do your first assignment and you won't feel it
but you'll only have awareness.

[7/10, 8:11 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *Note*

[7/10, 8:13 PM] cre9tivedesgns: To a business owner, the idea of a logo may just seem like another item
to tick off their preparation list for opening their introduction of a new product.

[7/10, 8:14 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Very seldom is the client able to fully articulate what the value of a logo
or the creation of a robust visual brand really does.

[7/10, 8:15 PM] cre9tivedesgns: But that is excellent for you because it allows you the opportunity to
open the client's eyes to the real value of a strong identity.

[7/10, 8:18 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Even though your new client lives in a world packed to the gills with
exceptional brands, if you're not a designer or in marketing, much of how the brand impacts you could
be completely invisible.

[7/10, 8:21 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Opening their eyes to the layers of applications and considerations that
impact their buying decisions each day will help them start to imagine how their own brand could
become as equally deep and power.

[7/10, 8:22 PM] cre9tivedesgns: As fundamental as this conversation may sound, it's critical in
establishing expectations for the outcome from this process.

[7/10, 8:24 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Help your client crack open their first minutes of their day to help them
imagine just how inundative we are with branding and logos.[7/10, 8:28 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Now
lemme show you the daily life of one of the world's most renowned designers. From the time he wakes
up to the time he reaches the office.
[7/10, 8:29 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Most of us do this same thing but we fail to observe as the designers we
claim to be. Watch�
� �

[7/10, 8:31 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *It's 6:30am*

I wake up to my iPhone, I look at the screen and its icon so I can turn of the alarm.

[7/10, 8:31 PM] cre9tivedesgns: This is what catches his eye s ��

�

[7/10, 8:33 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *It's 6:33am*

I pop on my Sony radio, it's *npr* I hear the sonic logo from morning edition. The tone of the personality
voices.

[7/10, 8:35 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *He continues*

Let's say we skip the toiletries phase of my morning and by doing so I ignore about a dozen other brands
interactions but I'll leave some of these to your imagination.

[7/10, 8:36 PM] cre9tivedesgns: What he means is that as he enters the toilet he interacts with brands of
several companies and observes their logos while he does i t ��
�

[7/10, 8:37 PM] cre9tivedesgns: You know some toiletries here ���

[7/10, 8:38 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *6:45am*

Here's my new hair creme ��

�

[7/10, 8:39 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *He further explains*

I like the graphics on the tube. A little squint and it smells like iris. Feels good.

[7/10, 8:41 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *6:50am*

Head in to get dressed and a few of the labels that fill my closest and drawers.

[7/10, 8:43 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *6:55am*

The unlocking sound of my *Audi* , and the sound of the doors. The feel of the seat and the steering.
The smell of the car and the rev of the engine.

[7/10, 8:44 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *7:05am*

*Starbucks* ahead and there's the sign. Takes it and smell it as he drives through.

[7/10, 8:45 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *40 minutes* into my day and no need to push this exercise too far.
[7/10, 8:47 PM] cre9tivedesgns: You get the idea and these were honestly another hundred brand
interactions with radio commercials, fleet graphics, retail signage, billboards, and every other sort of
interactive touch point you can imagine.

[7/10, 8:50 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Without the proper preparation it would be easy for your client to under
value your efforts and the long-term impact they'll have as the Visual face of their organization.

[7/10, 8:51 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *Assignment*

Record all the brands you interact with tomorrow. From morning to evening.

[7/12, 8:07 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *The value of preparation and research*

[7/12, 8:07 PM] cre9tivedesgns: The most critical phase of any identity project happens before you even
start to draw lines.

[7/12, 8:09 PM] cre9tivedesgns: This period of preparation is what will determine the success of your
effort.

[7/12, 8:11 PM] cre9tivedesgns: It will provide the foundational information that'll differentiate a robust
and smartly targeted solution from a vacuous visual platform bereft if substance.

[7/12, 8:11 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Please use your dictionary if possible ����

[7/12, 8:13 PM] cre9tivedesgns: This is the difference between reading a book versus merely scanning
the synopsis. The juiciest details are always in margins, and they always create a better product.

[7/12, 8:15 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Discovery in any project is always a two-way street. Yes, it allows you to
fully focus on and better understand your client's objectives, but it does exactly the same thing for them.

[7/12, 8:17 PM] cre9tivedesgns: I've more than once heard clients claim this preparation is like taking
their company to a psychologist.

[7/12, 8:20 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Probing questions can sometimes be painful to answer, but they'll
ultimately help you and your client discover the same truths.

[7/12, 8:21 PM] cre9tivedesgns: It establishes a partnership between you, that allows for the optimal
outcome. Many times you'll find yourself working for a client that's new to you.

[7/12, 8:22 PM] cre9tivedesgns: It's the nature of our business.

[7/12, 8:22 PM] cre9tivedesgns: While you're launching into this process, you're meeting with folks and
building relationships with them at the same time.

[7/12, 8:24 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Asking appropriate and insightful questions during this discovery phase
builds confidence with your clients. Because there are often multiple individuals in these meetings, it's
also the perfect opportunity to create consensus.
[7/12, 8:25 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Your client may be surprised to discover not everyone on his or her
team always is of the same mind.

[7/12, 8:26 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Finally this process allows us to establish common objectives.

[7/12, 8:27 PM] cre9tivedesgns: After all you'd never start a road trip when your fellow travelers all had a
different destination in mind.

[7/12, 8:28 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Much as the process, the route and the method of transportation may
be flexible, but it's imperative the eventual objectives are defined before your journey begins.

[7/12, 8:30 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *CHAPTER TWO*

UNDERSTANDING CLIENT MOTIVATION.

_New ownership_

[7/12, 8:30 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Everything happens for a reason

[7/12, 8:32 PM] cre9tivedesgns: More than just platitudes, though I encourage you to think of this
statement as instructions or as a mantra that'll allow you forecast and better understand your future
work.

[7/12, 8:34 PM] cre9tivedesgns: If you recognize the reasons a client comes to you or anyone else for a
new identity, you have the advantage of positioning yourself for consideration when the need arises.

[7/12, 8:37 PM] cre9tivedesgns: The more identity work you do, them more often you'll see these
common motivations. Knowing what they are allows you to better understand the dynamics at play and
how to best serve those needs.

[7/12, 8:41 PM] cre9tivedesgns: If your client is a new entity from the ground up, the reasoning is fairly
evident, but you'll be surprised to discover that much of the visual branding that occurs fits into one of
*five categories*

[7/12, 8:46 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Category one

*New ownership*

There are several likely and very different scenarios here. At its most basic, new owners may want to put
their own mark on an organization. At the same time, good money has just been paid to acquire this
entity, so they recognize part of the investment is in the existing brand equity.

[7/12, 8:47 PM] cre9tivedesgns: They may be looking for a totally new solution, or one that's a
combination and leverage the old and the new.
[7/12, 8:51 PM] cre9tivedesgns: New ownership also opens up the possibility of a merger or an
acquisition. These opportunities can be more challenging with options as varied as one company being
absorbed wholly into another, and the first company vanishing from sight.

[7/12, 8:52 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Think cingular being absorbed by AT&T

[7/12, 8:53 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Or Sprint absorbing Nextel.

[7/12, 8:55 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Sometimes these opportunities are a bit more conflicted, when both
parties question a higher level of equity to the table.

[7/12, 8:58 PM] cre9tivedesgns: When *kraft* foods merged with H.J *Heinz* , the literal merging of two
well-known marks was a natural. *KraftHeinz*

[7/12, 9:00 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Other mergers like *United* and *Continental* *Airlines* led to a
Mash-up of forcing the United name into a mark crafted for Continental, not the ideal solution.

[7/12, 9:02 PM] cre9tivedesgns: *When you know these histories you client will know you are fit for the
job*

[7/12, 9:02 PM] cre9tivedesgns: **your clients

[7/12, 9:06 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Category two

*New leadership*

When new management is brought in, it's often means there isn't just a change of guard, but a change in
the way things are done.

[7/12, 9:07 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Maybe the old status quo wasn't working.

[7/12, 9:09 PM] cre9tivedesgns: To signal this shift, it's not unusual to see a change in the flag a
corporation carries into battle. This may be an excellent way to reinvigorate past markets and build
inroads with new.

[7/12, 9:11 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Tyson, the perennial poultry and protein supplier, found a new visual
identity and focused on the phrase, always moving forward, under the direction of the new CEO Tom
Hayes.

[7/12, 9:13 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Tyson's efforts to develop stronger corporate citizenship policies may
well have recognized the opportunity to shed some visual and dated baggage.

[7/12, 9:14 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Making note of the *management shifts* and why they are occurring
can help you pick up the cadence of brand and leadership fluctuation.

[7/12, 9:15 PM] cre9tivedesgns: In turn, those shift signal your opportunity to offer your own services at
a time when brand evaluation is top of mind.
[7/12, 9:16 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Category three

*Product shift*

[7/12, 9:17 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Tomorrow...

Questions. Keep them till tomorrow. Study this piece to night. I am building a designer that has
knowledge of the past and present �. I know they can build better future brands in Nigeria

Good night.

[7/14, 8:27 PM] cre9tivedesgns: We'll call that, their identity or branding effort. But over a period of time
customers need shift, products change, and audience move.

[7/14, 8:31 PM] cre9tivedesgns: And despite the fact that your ship's still cruising a true course, the
customers aren't where they used to be.

[7/14, 8:31 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Or maybe they are, but the ship's wheel has been readjusted several
times and frankly it's just time for a course correction

[7/14, 8:33 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Auto trader UK found itself in a similar situation. It had started as
magazine publication in 1977.

[7/14, 8:35 PM] cre9tivedesgns: But with its shift to purely digital, it now draws nearly 55 million visitors
a month, a dramatic statistical story in shifting from paper to an online digital resource.

[7/14, 8:36 PM] cre9tivedesgns: But the organization still utilized the mark harkening to the decade of its
birth with an airbrushed gradient.

[7/14, 8:38 PM] cre9tivedesgns: A refresh provided the assets needed to make the brand feel more at
home and updated to contemporary aesthetic without abandoning the legacy of a strong mar k ���

[7/14, 8:39 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Observe the slight improvement on the mar k�
� �

[7/14, 8:40 PM] cre9tivedesgns: A course correction is probably the most common challenge with any
*rebrand*.

[7/14, 8:42 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Over a period of time, and not really by any single action, the brand that
used to be dead on is beleaguered, tired, ineffectual and looks like it came from another generation, and
it did.

[7/14, 8:43 PM] cre9tivedesgns: So there, they are, the five common flags that signal a new logo or
brand update ���

[7/14, 8:43 PM] cre9tivedesgns: New ownership

New leadership
Product shift

Ethos shift

Course correction

[7/14, 8:44 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Understanding the motivation of the client that's looking for a new logo
or visual brand update is imperative to crafting an effective solution.

[7/14, 8:46 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Being in sync with their mindset from the beginning will help you
formulate your discovery process and reassures your client that you have a strong grip on the project
objectives.

[7/14, 8:49 PM] cre9tivedesgns: Next class is Chapter three

*Understanding clients business*. I'll stop here so I can prepare the resource I used for actual clients
job. So you can join me in the process and use them for your own personal projects.

[7/14, 9:37 PM] +234 813 103 1008: - Category 3 *Product Shift*

[7/14, 9:37 PM] +234 813 103 1008: A company and its product can come in every conceivable
combination. And when I say product it could be a tangible thing, or a service, or an app or a
membership, or nearly anything. And sometimes, the line between the company and its product can
become so blurred that it's hard to separate the two.

[7/14, 9:39 PM] +234 813 103 1008: A company like Sony manufactures hundreds of products across
broad categories, while many brands are so specifically focused on a single product that the brand and
the product are synonymous.

[7/14, 9:40 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Kleenex pretty much makes only kleenex. Otis makes only elevators.
Allstate sells only insurance. So tightly are the name and the product associated that a significant *shift
in the product often signals an opportunity to adjust the visual brand.*

[7/14, 9:41 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Example: If you're *Disney Movies Anywhere*. Just imagine you're
an app

[7/14, 9:42 PM] +234 813 103 1008: An online app that lets you see your purchased movies on the go,
you stick Disney's script D and the word mark *Disney Movies Anywhere*, no questions. Now, you want
to cut a deal that allows the movies from *four other* major studios on the app. you've got a significant
product shift. The product shift is an opportunity for change of logo. *Rebranding*.

[7/14, 9:43 PM] +234 813 103 1008: No longer Disney since other four have been added. The update
minus the Disney reference and a more ecumenical new mark. Product Shift influences a visual brand
when you're looking at a significant technology shift or a new method of delivery. It could be a new
recipe, or an entry into a new category.
[7/14, 9:43 PM] +234 813 103 1008: It may be reductive, where the organization is tightening their focus
or eliminating products, or maybe an expansion or consolidation of a category.

As long as it's a significant shift, it's not unusual to see a client herald it's arrival with a refresh or
redesign of their visual brand and logo.

[7/14, 9:43 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Category four

*Ethos shift*

[7/14, 9:43 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Since organizations are a living entity, it's not unusual for them to
undergo changes in their life time. Not too dissimilar from you or your friends you may know. The
difference is, as your beliefs or cultures shift over time you'll probably do as well. You may change your
hairstyle or expression you use, or your wardrobe goes through a shift from what you wore years ago.

[7/14, 9:44 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Carl's Junior/Hardee's looked back at a decade of building its name
on bikinis and burgers and after evaluation, committed to a new brand Ethos that focused on their
product *Burgers*. Adopting a position as pioneers of the great American burger, Carls publicly washed
their hands of the previous sins (Producing *bikinis*). In doing so their logo dropped its cartoonish and
embellished red highlights, to adopt a more serious and contrite tone in a change of demeanor.

[7/14, 9:45 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Domino's took a similar step when they publicly ridiculed
themselves with the comments of customers in what they termed the *Domino's Pizza Turnaround*.

[7/14, 9:45 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Making a public apology and a commitment of a top to bottom re-
evaluation of their product and services, marked a shift in their brand Ethos.

[7/14, 9:46 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Not surprising their market share increased and the introduction of
a new, more to the point logo, signaled the public's approval. An Ethos, whether its applies to a person
or a company, refers to the characteristics spirit or culture. It's the mood, the feeling, the tenor or
essence of that entity. with an organization, the wardrobe or hairstyle aren't as easy to change.

[7/14, 9:46 PM] +234 813 103 1008: Those external manifestation of an institutional shift are tied to the
company's visual representation. It's the logo, the packaging, the fleet graphics or products or any other
touch points that no longer represent this change in Ethos. This shift you'll identify is usually intangible.
It can be a shift in mission, or core objectives. It may manifest itself in a friendlier outreach, or an
emphasis on improved communications, where none had existed before.

[7/14, 9:46 PM] +234 813 103 1008: It could be a company that never had competition suddenly dealing
with new entries in the market, or kinder, gentler attitude. You'll recognize it when you see it. And
allowing that shift to be noticed may mean helping them shed their old wardrobe and helping them find
that new look to match.