20 œ theSun | MONDAY NOVEMBER 17 2008

media & marketing

associates its brand with and ensuring there is always an

Branding is about
winning. If someone wears
a Nike product, he or
she, to some degree,
will have an idea of
winning. That is how
clever brands work.”
He said brand
open communication, which is
open for interpretation.
When working on a project
like branding, we create layers of
structure.
The creative visual thinking is
all about solving communication

belonging: Olins
ideas are powerful problems, conceptualisation,
and without them, thinking out-of-the-box and
it is difficult to experimentation.
communicate the Start taking risk, which will
difference between challenge designers. Tear out
competitors, the rules and try something new,
especially if there is which enhances your creativity,
William Harald-Wong
little or no difference at and innovativeness.
by Angela Sargunan Kyoorius Design Yatra 2008 than what kind of all in terms of price and » Malaysian designer William
newsdesk@thesundaily.com conference at the Selangor Chinese plane and engine it has. quality of service. Harald-Wong, who specialises in
Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur “Although “But in terms of an the shaping of lifestyle experiences
A BRAND does not manifest last week. communication does contribute emotional idea and if you like for new Asian cities, communities,
itself only through symbols He was among 12 designers to the company’s branding, a brand, there is a public and brand spaces:
like a logo, but rather through from Malaysia, Australia, Britain what matters most for difference.” Culture plays an important
various elements like product, and Japan who spoke on various service-orientated In the world of element in influencing branding.
behaviour, communication and the aspects of designing. companies like mobile marketing, he Malaysians are beginning to
environment. This conference is being held as service providers is said there are take pride in their culture. It’s
As such, branding is about part of the activities for the annual the experience. huge differences no longer generic and many
belonging and Kancil Award to be held on Nov “Environmentally- between business designs are beginning to apply
demonstrating 28. dominated brands to consumer the “kampung-nised” concept
the sense of Olins, who is chairman are more suited brands and incorporating cultural elements
belonging of London Saffron Brand to hotels. Once a business to into their design, making
which is a Consultants, is one of customer walks business brands. it instantly recognisable as
fundamental the world’s leading into a five-star However, Malaysian.
manifestation practitioners in hotel lobby, the he disagrees » Graphic designer Kenya Hara
of the human corporate identity and environment sets the with the notion; from Japan, who is synonymous
condition. branding. idea most clearly and instead saying with the acclaimed art direction of
This was “In this states what the brand that there is a huge Muji, products created illustrating
the idea business, the key stands for.” Chris Lee difference between the concept of simplicity and
that leading is the way we Olins said branding is product and service elegance:
branding associate ourselves not about communication brands. I like the concept of design
consultant with products or entirely but there are a few brands “When a person eats an and it’s a unique philosophy of
Wally Olins services,” said Olins. that are genuinely communication ice-cream, the product experience constantly thinking of the future
expounded He said most driven like Coca-Cola for instance, will remain the same whereas for and being original and relating to
on at the corporations manifest where it has won numerous blind a service brand, every experience our own culture.
who they are through tests via its staggering, constant is different as you tend to deal with Despite Japan being known for
these elements but it is communication over the years. different people. This means when its tech savvy culture, Japan has a
important to identify the most To distinguish a product or operating in the service brand complex culture and Muji is able to
important element and brand service that offers similar price and environment, the major audience fit into this culture.
idea. functions, he said designers need you are dealing with is your own » Singaporean designer and
“For instance, BMW is a to get an idea, grab it and push it people,” he said. entrepreneur Chris Lee:
product-dominated brand home. Other views on branding and When designing for clients
where the logo does not have “For example, the Mercedes designing: or even for your own shops, it is
much prominence as the and BMW are very similar but the » Graphic designer Neville important to give them more than
look and feel, which is Mercedes brand emphasises on Brody, famous for his what they expect.
the brand idea,” he said. technological excellence whereas revolutionary work as art director For instance, a client like Frolic,
“Then there’s the BMW emphasises on having fun for The Face magazine: a soft yogurt brand, is associated
behaviour-dominated and a nice time. That is why the A designer’s main role is with a healthy snack.
brand such as cabs in Europe are Mercedes bringing a brand to life. He has Instead of the obvious healthy
an airline. What which are seen as a serious the ability to provide the “wow” approach, which was what the
matters most product and BMW will not fit element that jumps out in brands. client wanted, we gave it a new fun
is the person’s within the brand idea. It is important to understand the look that was catchy by adding a
experience rather “Another example is Nike which brand from the client’s perspective twist of excitement.
Wally Olins

New Avanza comes in

two ‘sporty’ variants
by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd, the assem-
bler and distributor of Toyota vehicles in
Terry Malaysia, unveiled its improved multi-
injury purpose vehicle (MPV) Avanza with two
new variants for the 1.5-litre model.
doubt as The MPV comes with fresh new
Chelsea looks on the exterior and interior, and
march on improved features. To offer more choices
to motorists, the Avanza line-up has
pg 35 been broadened with the addition of the
Avanza 1.5S A/T (Automatic Transmis-
sion) and Avanza 1.5E A/T.
The 1.5S model comes with an exte-
rior treatment which emphasises sporti-
ness, featuring a bumper design with an
integrated fog-light on each corner and
a distinctive front grille.
Along the sides, side
skirts (sill extensions)
visually lower
the car’s
a p p e a r-
ance all the way to the bumper, giving
it a sporty look.
The simple and practical looks for
the 1.3E, 1.5E and 1.5G model now have
a more dynamic appearance with the
frontal appearance boasting a bolder
front bumper design.
The Avanza 1.3E has a colour-keyed
grille finish while the 1.5E and 1.5G
have a chrome trim. For the Avanza
1.5 variants, there are chromed door
handles and rear garnish to enhance
exterior look.
The Avanza now has Toyota’s 1.5
litre or 1.3 litre VVT-i (Variable Valve Tim-
ing with intelligence) 4-cylinder petrol
engines and electronically controlled
automatic transmissions. The body of
the MPV is strengthened with Toyota’s
in-house safety standards – the Global
Outstanding Assessment certified body-
shell.
For the Avanza 1.5S and 1.5G, dual
SRS airbags are fitted in front and
ABS (anti-lock brakes) together with
electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD)
prevent skidding and ensure balanced
braking.
UMW managing director Kuah Kock
Heng said: “The Avanza was launched
four years ago and the model has been
extremely popular among Malaysian
buyers because of its affordable price,
proven Toyota quality and the fact that it
seats seven people comfortably.”
To date, over 110,000 units have been
sold nationwide,” he said at the launch
of the new model.