One of my favorite classes to teach at the Academy is called "The Nature of Identity". Not only do the student have a few more classes under their belts, but it's a hell of a lot more fun to talk about branding for three hours than, say, grid-systems. The focus of the class, however, isn't your typical "logo design" class. Instead, we ask the students to manifest a renewed "soul" for their chosen company — to question what the brand is truly about. We even dip into a bit of Plato's Theory of Forms to reflect on what it means to know a thing (and who knows it best — and why).
For instance, National Geographic isn't simply selling a magazine, are they? They're really selling the idea of adventure and education. Or Victoria's Secret isn't just peddling underwear, but they're purveyors of sensuality. And when you boil it down to these basic elements, the new directions for a brand can be amazing. This class is often more about storytelling than the creation of an identifying mark... and it's certainly more than slapping said mark on a coffee cup, baseball hat and delivery van.
We ask the students, to choose a "dead, dying or defunct" brand, so Victoria's Secret really isn't on the table, but the options are still pretty wide and it's always a treat to see... And this term, the projects were some of the best yet — mainly because they were /all/ good. As an instructor, we take for grated that one or two projects will be at the top end of the curve — and likewise some at the bottom, but this crew delivered an unusually high caliber of work and I wanted to share it.
The main deliverable for the class is a book. Many of these were wonderfully covetable and I hope to have some photos to share soon. In the meantime, below are links to each of the student's projects — a simple website to give the project a virtual presence and a link to an issuu.com file which lets a reader page through the book in 2D, digital format. Take a look — there's some really great stuff.
[Kristen Libero's integration of the identity and graphic system for Sega]
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Howard Johnson's // by Stephanie Yu... This is an especially bold project for an otherwise very quiet designer. I think it's her best project yet and uses language in a way she's never done before to give a very appropriate tone to the book and brand.
link to site / link to book
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Barbasol // by Laura Donaldson... I'm really keen on the simple mark Laura developed as well as the upbeat verve the book took.
link to site / link to book
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Dr. Scholls (Scholls) // by Marsha Adibrata... like Stephanie, Marsha used language to evoke a new sense of style (and comfort) for this tired brand. The logo is pretty kick-ass, too.
link to site / link to book
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NewsCorp // by Mary Lowe... The was by far the most adventurous and topical of the bunch and Mary put together a great story about this dystopian future-focused brand that we've come to know more about in the news this past year.
link to site / link to book
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Sega // by Kristen Libero... This is the rare instance where all of the pieces really work in harmony: the mark, the graphic system, the color system and the physicality of the final piece.
link to site / link to book
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Girl Scouts of America // by Aino Horsma... At their onset, the values of GSA were pretty groundbreaking for their time, but as times have changed, they really haven't. Aino tells what might happen if they did.
link to site / link to book
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Fredericks of Hollywood // by Morgan Sterns... Looking back, Morgan identified "innovation" at the heart of Fredrick Mellinger's original brand and re-built it from there. Her use of photography is especially compelling.
link to site / link to book
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The Seagram Company // by Knut Synstad... Seagrams isn't just selling whiskey, but the opportunity to unwind and Knut unfolds this story in a bartender's guide sized brand book.
link to site / link to book
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Vanity Fair (VFair) by Cecilia Bissoli... Vanity Fair offered women comfort that lead to confidence. Jumping off from this point, what would the next generation of Vanity Fair offer? Cecilia explores this.
link to site / link to book
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AOL // by Alaine Anhalt... The internet provided a new access to information. At the forefront of this wave was AOL. Alaine outlines what this could look like for the next phase of AOL?
link to site / link to book
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Tupperware (TupperSystems) // by Eric Lo... If Tupperware can help you to organize your kitchen, why can't they take these same ideas to help you organise your life?
link to site / link to book
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Baskin-Robbins // by Eva Chan... Eva identifies "wonder" as a core-element of the Baskin Robbins brand and reenvisions a future that isn't all about ice-cream, but something more encompassing — fun.
link to site / link to book
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Smith + Wesson // by Alyson Payne... In the vein of "the pen is mightier than the sword" Alyson looks at the evolution of a firearms brand that doesn't involve firearms.
link to site / link to book
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