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Straydog nominated for Awwwards

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This past week, Vancouver’s Straydog Branding & Web Design studio launched Paladin Security’s new website. Today, we’re proud to announce we’ve been nominated for an Awwward for website design.

Awwwards recognizes and promotes the talent and effort of the best developers, designers and web agencies in the world. An international jury, made up of some of the most important designers, bloggers and Internet agencies, evaluates each site by means of a strict system of evaluation scoring them on a scale of 1 to 10 for their Design, Creativity, Usability and Content.

Paladin Security, Canada’s top security company came to Straydog in early 2012 with a motivation to fix the website’s SEO structure, its flow and to better showcase Paladin’s services. That notion grew however, when our branding experts at Straydog took a closer at their brand and website. Paladin is an innovative company with over 6,000 employees and they strive to continually be ahead of the curve, providing their customers and employees with exceptional service and security tools — their website did not reflect this.

Our strategy for the www.paladinsecurity.com Paladin Website was to go a step further, as branding experts we would offer far more than web design. It was critical in our minds to focus on their digital brand and align the web design and development as one.

The Digital Branding Involved
  • Using Graphic Design to consistently apply their Brand Identity
  • Reflecting a sense of innovation
  • Designing a consistent UI (user interface)
  • Developing a better UX (user experience)
  • Applying a similar tone-of-voice to all website content
  • Developing a photo style to be consistently applied in each page
  • Integrating Social Media & Video as part of their Brand DNA

Responsive-Website-Design-Paladin-Security

The Web Design Strategy

Our Brand Strategist Rob Barnett worked very closely with our lead web developer, devising a website strategy unlike anything else seen in the security industry.

Responsive

Responsive web design was the first consideration for the new site as it would give users a pleasant website experience and access to critical information whether they were on their Desktop computer, Laptop, Tablet or Smartphone. Being responsive aided in delivering a message of innovation and further emphasized the importance of their customers and employees to them.

Mega Menu

An important decision was information architecture, and how we would better showcase the content on the site. The first job was to organize the existing content and understand what new information would help tell their brand story. This would determine what would be primary and what would be secondary information. From there it was decided we would utilized a mega-menu for the navigation.

Mobile

Orientation and how the device is held or stationed became critically important in our design. We took a mobile first approach; starting small and progressively enhancing for larger devices and screens. Mobile devices force us to think differently about how we deliver web experiences. They present not only physical constraints in the form of smaller screens, touch enabled interfaces, lower band-width and smaller screens, but also practical constraints — We use mobile devices differently than desktop browsers. Mobile users are likely to be on the move, they’re after specific information, and they expect to interact with web pages in a certain way. With this knowledge we adjusted the Menu for mobile and scaled elements of the design so as to not overwhelm the mobile user.

CSS3

The next consideration was beautiful CSS. CSS3 allows us to push the boundaries of modern web design and for the Paladin design this meant; text-fade transitions, buttons, icons, typography, grids, floats, shadows and other subtle effects. As Rachelle designed subtle features and visual treats, Trent’s focus was using CSS to make it happen and ensure people using certain browsers did not get a second-class experience.

SEO

Search engine optimization was also on the list of must-have’s for the new Paladin website. We analyzed and fine-tuned the page speed and optimization with clean coding, image sprites, Drupal SEO modules and other necessary SEO steps.

The outcome was a cutting-edge website that we’re very proud of, but more importantly it resulted in a happy client!

Head over to Awwwards.com and VOTE for Paladin!

Awwwards-Vote-For-Paladin-Security-Straydog-Design-Firm-Vancouver

Learn More about Straydog’s Web Design Services [+]

 

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Wineries & Breweries Discuss How Great Package Design Affects Sales

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How can great package design lead to more sales and increased ROI? This weekend we interviewed a number or Wineries and Breweries at the Fraser Valley Cork & Keg to find out firsthand the affect of design on their sales.

What exactly happens when we find ourselves in an aisle with countless of products staring back at us? We start to compare, remember and associate…

Package-Design-Peter-Lehmann-Wine-Straydog-Package-Design-VancouverBrands are refreshing their packaging more frequently than ever before. According to a sales representative we spoke with from International Cellars, that represents Peter Lehmann Wines, there has been an remarkable push for creative package design in the past five years and she has seen firsthand how package design can significantly increase sales.

The increased frequency of brand and package re-designs brings the question of return on investment (ROI) into focus.

While ROI can be difficult to quantify as it relates to the design of the package, design’s specific impact on bottom line profit can, in fact, be extracted and quantified.

Package Design or Advertising?

If you’re in charge of managing the company budget, you may be wondering whether to focus on production efficiency, new products, advertising, package design or other efforts. In most cases, focusing on package design is significantly cheaper than on-going advertising, making the return on the design investment that much more impressive.

Package-Design-Brewery-Tree-Beach-Blonde-Straydog-Branding-VancouverWhile a package design endeavour may be less expensive than big ad campaigns, it has the largest reach and the most direct impact on sales. According to the territory representative at Tree Brewery, sales have steadily increased with the release of new products and with limited advertising, package design and product quality have been a distinguishing factor for Tree.

Brand identity and package design is seen by literally 100% of potential consumers, providing the last and most important opportunity to influence the sale. Moreover, consumers bring the package design home, allowing design to continue building positive brand associations at every usage occasion.

Package Design’s impact often outlasts three or four ad campaigns, and without physically calculating the ROI, this apparent impact proves design’s paramount value.

The Brand Reach

For brands to succeed, they must be enchanting. Through each touchpoint, whether it be package design, ads, messaging, or PR, brands work because they package emotions and attachments into an experience that actually lives in the world. Logos do some of this, packaging some more.

Package-Design-Blasted-Church-Wine-Straydog-Package-Design-VancouverThe team we spoke to from Blasted Church told us that package design plays a key role in the sales of their products and it’s been a key factor in their world-wide success. Blasted Church also expressed that in today’s new media frenzy, corporations should not stop at great branding and package design, their customers expect more and they must maintain relevance in this fast-paced market by utilizing Social Media and other Brand engagement methods.

[blockquote style=”default”]A true brand enchantment test transports all those notions into a completely new arena, where the consumer develops a preference for the brand and product.[/blockquote]

We also spoke to Kalala Wines, who said prior to a new label design, they often had to convince people to buy and list their wine, feeling that the old label design was hindering the brand’s image and story. With the new design, their Sales and Marketing Manager, Jessica Kuling, told us that product is capturing more attention, the sale is easier and they are selling with more confidence.

Package Design, Branding & Sales

Revitalizing a brand’s packaging presents opportunities for new and established companies to break out of the clutter and let their brand shine. For the great majority of new consumer products that don’t have finances for an end-to-end design, advertising and marketing platform, package design is the single most effective influencer for the brand.

Concluding our findings, we discovered that package design is a key-differentiator for sales, but there was another ever-present factor influencing the consumer… The initial favourable emotional response to package design was in each case reinforced by a familiar, confidence-inspiring brand story.

This brand and package design synergy was the essential element that led to increased sales, and depending on the enchantment-factor, meant the difference between a brand with good sales and one with great sales.

Learn More about Straydog’s Vancouver Package Design Studio [+]

 

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Branding Positioning & Microsoft

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Defining your brand’s position comes from the company’s identity — the starting point for a brand strategy. Companies who market their product or service without establishing their brand position are unlikely to achieve a return on investment.

Microsoft is a model example of a company with confused brand positioning. They sought the help of their marketing and design team instead of looking at the bigger picture — their brand.

Businesses investing in their brand must seek the help of branding experts vs. marketing or design experts. Branding is so much more than design, it’s about defining the DNA of your organization from the inside out; its personality, vision, mission, values, tone-of-voice and style. A well constructed brand identity and strategy will establish the brands position and define the landscape for media channels and marketing, both traditional and digital.

The right best position for your brand is one that is true to your organization and one that is perceived as the only solution to the target audience’s problem. This can establish the value of the brand and if it can be charged at a premium. Therefore, your brand is what your customers understand your brand as, the products or services they associate with your company and what they say.

It is not uncommon for companies think their brand and their products or services stand for something totally different than what a customer thinks. It’s also common for companies to spend too much time trying to be something they’re not.

The challenge for your brand is to have your customers know your brand and what it stands for. As microsoft continually struggles with defining their brand, they’re denoted as boring, confused and lacking style. Microsoft needs to spend time defining and embracing their true brand story, brand position, brand values and personality.

Afterall, if you don’t define your brand, your competitors and audience will happily do it for you.

 

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Top 10 Digital Brand Tools

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Keeping your brand on top of what’s popular and trending is not easy. With these top 10 tools your digital brand will be in-the-know and aware of what’s happening in the world instantly.

From hot keywords searches on Google to what’s trending on Twitter or Facebook and what’s going viral on YouTube this very moment. Day by day and even minute by minute. Never get left in the dark again!

Google Trends

With Google Trends, you can compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. Enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched on Google over time. This is great for looking at relevant terms, as well as the best time to start ramping up (or slowing down) your digital marketing efforts for any particular keyword phrase.

Google Trends Hot Searches

With Hot Searches, you can see a snapshot of what’s on the public’s collective mind by viewing a stream of the fastest-rising search queries of the day. Click on any top keyword, and you’ll see a search volume index chart showing searcher interest over the past 24 hours. You’ll also see snippets of the top Google results for that keyword for news, blogs, and Web searches. Perfect for looking at upcoming trends that might provide ranking and traffic opportunities.

Google Trends for Websites

Enter in a URL and see what else that site’s visitors are searching for, along with other sites they have visited. This gives you a good dose of competitive intelligence and visitor engagement and interests.

Google Insights for Search

Compare search results by location or time ranges and filter by geographical locations, search type (products, news, and images), and even by categories. Compare and filter up to five terms at a time. While raw search volume numbers are helpful to select one term over another, this information can help you target each phrase based on the specific search market. When and where the searches are being performed can be valuable information for targeted ad delivery.

Wordtracker Top Keywords

This provides two lists of the top 500 most searched keywords within the last 48 hours and 365 days. Search volume for each phrase is provided as well. Another tool that is good for looking out for upcoming trends for you to capitalize on for your brand’s Search Engine Optimization.

TweetStats

It features two charts that show what is trending on Twitter: one for today’s top 10 trends and another for currently trending. This information can help you get involved in the most important, vibrant, or talked about conversations of the day, opening up new avenues for networking and engagement.

Trendsmap

Want to know what people in your (or any) area are tweeting about? This shows trends based on geographical locations. Using this data, you can get in touch with local tweeters that share similar personal or business interests. Great local networking tool!

Like Button

Shows you what is being liked across the Internet right now. Filter by what is popular, news, entertainment, and much more. This is Facebook’s version of TweetStats, giving you a few more filtering options to narrow down your search to what is important to you or your business.

YouTube Trends Dashboard

The hottest videos on YouTube can be found on the Trends Dashboard. You can filter by location and age, sort by most shared or most viewed, and even compare how videos trend for different audiences. Not just for entertainment, these videos can also help you see what is catching people’s attention and what audience they most resonate with. Video demographic research!

BuzzFeed

Find out what content is getting socialized the most across the Web. View by category, drill down to the 20 most viral for the week, or see what’s just launching that’s making a buzz. This is another opportunity to see what people are talking about, what’s going viral, and to engage with the audience that’s most suited for your needs.

Check out our Vancouver branding & web design studio for more on digital branding!

 

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London 2012 Branding

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The logo needs little introduction, love it or hate it, you certainly recognize it. London branding and graphic design system.

The overall look of the 2012 games has been directed by McCann Worldgroup in collaboration with London’s organizing committee. Over the past 3 years they’ve collaborated with several designers, architects, advertisers, sponsors and others to implement an impressive visual identity that will be seen across the world.

The logo design is 2012, an instantly recognizable symbol and a universal form one already closely associated with the games in London. Unconventionally bold, deliberately spirited and unexpectedly dissonant, echoing london’s qualities of a modern, edgy city.

Containing neither sporting images nor pictures of London landmarks, the intent that the logo expresses that the games are more than london, more than sport. The games are for everyone, regardless of age, culture and language. The London logo is designed to be populated, to contain infills and images, so it is recognizable enough for everyone to feel and be part of London 2012.

The logo needs little introduction, love it or hate it, you certainly recognize it. Designed by wolff olins in 2007 the logo aimed to attract the attention of a young audience and enthuse them about the games imminent arrival to the british capital.

Wolff olins worked with london’s organizing committee (LOCOG ) to define a clear ambition for london 2012. These Olympic games are for everyone. They would call on people to challenge themselves – to try new things, to go
further, to discover new abilities. the brand we created supports this ambition.

For the first time ever, the olympic and paralympic games will share the same brand, using their own variant of the emblem. and in another first, the cultural olympiad will be able to share the brand. with the addition of the commercial partners, this will be the most cohesive olympic brand in history. new technology is being put in place to get everyone closer to the action and more deeply involved

The logo was already designed before alias became involved in the project, wolff olins had used our ‘klute’ typeface as its starting opine and because of this they thought it would be appropriate for us to design a typeface to accompany it.

The type was briefed and designed to work as a dramatic, powerful and characterful headline type, for use at large sizes, working within and supporting the logo’s pre-defined system of angles and shapes. the typeface does this by being linear and graphic rather than typographic, by capturing a spirit of simplicity, modernity and angular geometry.

As part of the mccann worldgroup, futurebrand’s role involved developing ‘the look’ of london 2012 and an developing an identity system that works across every touchpoint. from venues, signage, interior dressing, street dressing, ticket design, medal ribbons, the cars that would ferry athletes around; essentially every physical touch-point that spectators, sponsors, officials, the media and athletes would come into contact with during the course of london 2012, both in london and across the UK.

[blockquote style=”default”]the core idea was to use the lines and shards ­that the logo emanates, creating a ‘burst of energy’.­ [/blockquote]

The core idea was to use the lines and shards ­that the logo emanates, creating a ‘burst of energy.­ Whether the entire field of play with the seating becoming a huge graphic, or simply surrounding the olympic rings with the burst, printed on a coral on the field of play. it all goes back to the idea of a festival of human endeavour, with athletes pushing beyond their personal best

The grid is used in a flexible and dynamic way, creating shards patterns and textures that radiate from a central focal point. the joy of this graphic device is that it can be adapted across lots of different spaces and places yet remain clearly recognizable and consistent. this means we can tell a single design story, from the seating bowl designs to the patterning on the concourse.

The ensuing look is provocative, unexpected, distinctive and bursting with life. it captures the youthful spirit of london and the energy of the games. this core look has evolved to create separate but related identities for each of main sub brands that are a vital part of the london 2012 experience such as – games makers, get set programme, torch relay and london 2012 festival. each has to remain true to the core spirit of the games but develop a distinct take on it.

 

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Banksy for design gold

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Popular street artist, BANKSY will has something to say and is aiming for a Gold Medal at the London Olympics.

Banksy posted photos on his website of his latest works: “Hackney Welcomes the Olympics” and “Going for Mould.” Both stencils, locations unknown, are Olympic-themed and may trouble the International Olympic Committee which maintains an iron fist over Olympic branding, not to mention the British Transport Police (BTP), which have been busy arresting alleged street artists and banning them from coming within a mile of any Olympic venue.

The Guardian reported last week that the BTP had begun a pre-emptive sweep of alleged graffiti artists in preparation for the London Games. Street artists in London have also told the BBC that, “walls which they say have not been touched in years are now being cleaned off.”

If and when Banksy’s new pieces are found, officials may want to think twice about removing the world-renown artist’s work. This year an original Banksy artworks sold for over £400,000 at an auction in London. In the ever-present battle of street art vs. vandalism, Banksy’s form of self expression has grown from being viewed as a criminal act to a valuable commentary on society.

Don’t be fooled by the mattress: Banksy’s not taking it lying down. While the police round up graffiti artists – even those who only paint legally  – and ban them from public transport, bar them from within a mile of all Olympic venues, and make possession of spray paint illegal, there are hopes that we’re about to be treated to a proper campaign by the most powerful street artist of them all.

 

 

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Branding — Naming Styles

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The right name makes all the difference and there are several styles of naming that will help your brand resonate with your target audience, be memorable and help establish the company’s brand.

Descriptive

These names literally describe a brand’s offering. Often chosen when developing a suite of offerings under one larger brand. Descriptive names can sometimes cause confusion with your competition and they are also are very hard, if not impossible to get trademarked.

Google Maps
BMW 328i
Netflix

Acronyms/Abbreviations

Some companies may want to use long, descriptive name to identify who they are and what they do. Acronyms are often used to make longer names more friendly and easier to remember. In most cases, the customers are the ones who start using the acronym for their own convenience.

IKEA -Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd
UPS – United Parcel Service
MTV – Music Television

Conjoined

A conjoined brand name occurs when a brand name contains more than one than word to form something new. Typically, the combined name gives two different meanings or understanding to the new. It’s a good alternative to an acronym, especially if you don’t want to deliberately spell out what you do, and still be clear and inventive.

FedEx
PayPal
Coca-Cola

Neological (Invented)

Why not create a new word? Another approach is putting together morphemes—the smallest unit of language that carries meaning.

While descriptive brand names make it easy for potential customers to find your competitors, neological can make it difficult for customers to find you. But with the right marketing, it becomes VERY easy, as the name is unique from the competition. Remember when Google first came about and we all thought “That’s a strange name”. But with a good marketing strategy it is now so popular, it’s even been added to the dictionary!

Google
Kodak
Wii

Metaphorical

A metaphor is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects. In naming, it’s a great way to imbue a car brand, for example, with the attributes of an animal. These names are surrounded with emotional words or feelings on how they want their customers to feel or how they differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Starbucks
Jaguar
Apple

Historical

If a brand has equity in its heritage, use it. Consider the name of the founder, or the first product ever launched. This method often has great “legs” and allows for meaning to be unpacked for years.

Adidas
Johnson & Johnson
Smuckers

 

Conclusion

Don’t forget that a business name plays a significant role in your business, but like a logo it is only one piece of what creates a successful company and a lasting brand.

*Read more on Building Your Brand Foundation >

*Read more on Naming Styles >

*Read more on The Rules of Brand Naming >

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How to find Brand Influencers

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There is little doubt that a small but influential group of consumers can have a disproportionate effect on the reputation and success of companies and brands.

Think Twitter or Facebook – a smaller network of effective social media followers is far more powerful than a thousand twitter followers who do not provide any value. Brand influencers are crucial to reaching the community because they drive interactions. Brand influencers create a
word-of-mouth sensation, as 83% of consumers trust the opinion of a friend or respected figure over a advertisement.

What are brand influencers?

Brand influencers could be potential buyers or may be so-called “value-added influencers” such as journalists, academics, industry analysts, trendsetters or those with extensive social circles. If you can find these individuals, there are no limits to your brand’s reach.

How do you find brand influencers?

You need to start with a strategy. In order to have a strategy you must understand the players and therefore identify those who can maximize your influence. For years, advertising has trained marketers that noise equals success, which isn’t true. Getting the attention of influencers who have built authority with a target audience and have earned trust in communities relevant to specific businesses is what yields the best return.

Recent research conducted by Ipsos across 23 countries globally shows that Brand Influencers tend to be more highly educated than average, with above average income. They are also more socially active and informed. They are present in all age groups, young and old, but are more likely to be men than women in most countries – but not in all.

Types of brand influencers

  • Experts: These are the authorities in a certain subject, and people look to these experts for information, advice, and guidance.
  • Activists: influencers get involved, with their communities, political movements, charities and so on.
  • Connected: influencers have large social networks
  • Impact: influencers are looked up to and are trusted by others
  • Active minds: influencers have multiple and diverse interests
  • Trendsetters: influencers tend to be early adopters (or leavers) in markets
  • Conference and event speakers: Trusted & respected by others
  • Positional Influencer: is often in the person’s inner circle. Friends, family, spouses are all examples of positional influencers.

How to engage Brand Influencers

Social Media

Unlike direct marketing or old school PR, the goal of social media is to influence entire groups of people. The goal is not only to target one individual, but also his or her surrounding community. That is one of the reasons that, unlike direct marketing, the overall effectiveness of social media is not as easy to measure and has mixed opinions on value.

Connect with relevant brand influencers

Choose those with expertise, engage them and build a relationship. Talk to people who express a liking towards your business, if they say good things, get them involved.

Connect with negative brand influencers

If someone has a bad experience with your business or shows loss of interest, make certain to keep the dialogue going. Don’t just say, “Thank you.” and part ways, ask more questions and find out why — you may be able to change their mind.

In conclusion

The Brand Influencers are the antithesis of the passive consumer and will quickly translate their beliefs about your company into words and actions – and the effect of their opinions are likely be felt far and wide. Remember that you’ll have to give up control of your message and trust your influencers to tell the brand story through their words.

With instant technology such as social media, you have limited control of consumer conversations about your brand, but if you can focus on effective influencer strategies rather than effective control strategies, you will be infinitely more successful.

For more insights into Brand Influencer strategies, visit our Vancouver Branding Studio ->

 

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Brand Strategy for Startups

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Developing a brand strategy can be one of the most difficult steps when building your brand. It’s often the element that causes most businesses the biggest challenge, but it’s a vital step in creating your company identity.

As an entrepreneur you’ve taken a leap of faith in starting your own business. You’re on a purposeful path towards achieving your dreams.

While you’re putting together your business plan, you must consider a brand strategy too. Not only will it help you connect with your customers, but it will serve to be a continual reminder of your vision for startup success.

Capturing the reasons why you do what you do at the early stages of your business will help you share your story, inspire people to buy and give your employees a reason to get on board and be motivated.

Injecting more of YOU in your business

A brand strategy helps you to inject the YOU in your business. It helps you share how things should get done (brand values + mission statement), where you are heading (vision statement) and why people should care in the first place (purpose statement). Think of your brand strategy as a platform of your clearest thoughts.

Once you have articulated these statements, you can spread the word. Make it permanent
and visible for your employees and customers to see. And start living by your brand strategy every day.

A brand plan everyone can follow

As a leader, you’re wearing so many hats and some days you’ll feel like you’re spinning your wheels and not heading in the direction originally planned. As your business grows, you’ll face new challenges, difficult decisions and hopefully lots of great opportunities. Your brand serves as a truthful reminder of who you are and what you set out to do. The brand strategy provides the parameters around how to make the difficult decisions you will look back and be proud of. If your brand is authentic, it will keep your team on track.

Business plans will change, but your brand strategy will be the true north in your business.

5 things you need to know about brands

Have a long-term plan for your brand’s architecture.

The Brand Architecture establishes a strategic approach to the relationship between the various brands and sub-brands. Spending significant time up front defining your brand and how it will be affected when new products or services are added is critical for sub-brand success.

Never buy just a logo.

A brand is more than a logo, it is a messaging platform, a personality, and it includes many design elements such as a colour palette, font set, photography style and graphic elements which you will use consistently in marketing pieces, emails, presentations etc.

Logo design is not simply about “the look”

It’s not simply how pretty your logo is, how trendy or creatively it’s been executed, it’s about how well it communicates your brand’s strategy. When your logo speaks to what your brand is all about, only then can it stand the test of time.

Without proper research you can’t expect strategic work.

In order to deliver effective branding programs, we must be able to clearly understand the conditions surrounding the brand. This process cannot be done in a few hours and its not uncommon for the process to take several weeks, before anything is designed.

Your brand name it critical

Don’t be too hasty when it comes to choosing a brand name. The right name can make a huge difference and in today’s crowded marketplace arriving at a name that is available while being memorable and meaningful is quite challenging, which is why brand naming calls for a thorough strategy session.

Check out our Vancouver branding studio for more info – >

 

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