Design Digest #05
I often find myself looking for the right words. Not only because I'm torn between 3 languages, but because the right words can be really powerful. Especially in the world of brands, words make a world (!) of a difference. They can help rally people behind a strategy, give them something to believe in, or tell them what to expect. The paradox is that people tend to use many many words, instead of the right ones. But when it comes to brands, quality trumps quantity.
As a designer, my work has always been influenced by a desire to understand these words upon which brands are built – the mission, values, traits, purpose, and everything in between. That's the foundational language of brands, and ultimately, that's what needs to get through in everything a brand does, from its products to its visuals.
That's why I started a research column, → Brand Frameworks, where I examine today’s most disruptive companies. I look into their documents, websites, guidelines, and try to uncover the essence of their brand. My goal is to broaden my understanding of brands beyond those that I get to work with, and hopefully create a helpful showcase with this sort of foundational material that companies typically do not share.
Hope you like it.
David
Other things on my mind:
Project spotlight: Hulu rebranding
One of the most interesting aspects of the brand framework from Hulu is the design principles introduced by the agency DixonBaxi during the rebranding project in 2021. These principles are akin to personality traits, and appear to influence everything from external behaviors to design language, tone of voice, and motion principles. Take a look at the Design Guidelines – it’s worth it.
→ See case study by Dixon Baxi
→ Download Hulu Design Guidelines
Naming: Brand Names Report
Over the course of three years, about 22,769 people visited Brand New, a blog about brand identity, and voted on 131 different brand names, saying whether they thought they were great, fine, or bad. Rob Meyerson, from How Brands Are Built, took all these votes, and combined them with other data and expert input, to figure out what makes people like or dislike certain brand names and if there are any patterns or trends we can spot. It is pretty interesting.
→ Download Brand Names Report
Book: Designing Brand Identity
The 6th edition of this popular book about branding will be released in a couple of days. It demystifies branding providing a clear guide for creating strong and successful brands. This new edition includes new ideas, new case studies, and global perspectives for a fresh and forward-thinking approach.
→ Designing Brand Identity
Inspiration: SPACE10 by IKEA
IKEA's vision is "To create a better everyday life for the many people". SPACE10, a non-profit research lab fully funded by IKEA, operated fully aligned with this vision by conducting research, design projects, and providing a platform for exchange focused on improving the lives of people and the planet. Unfortunately, SPACE10 closed last year after nearly a decade of operation. Fortunately, they have kept their website online as a showcase of everything they did.
→ Explore SPACE10 website
AI developments: EMO by Alibaba
Researchers at Alibaba's Institute for Intelligent Computing have created a new AI system called "EMO" that can animate a single portrait photo and create realistic videos of the person talking or singing. If Midjourney and Sora had you concerned about implications in terms of fake news, the video above will make you panic.