In 1934, Precision Optical Instruments set out to produce the best cameras in the world. Through their trial of manufacturing the name Kwanon was adopted after the Buddhist Goddess of mercy. The company had always wanted a global perspective and enlisted the help of a specialised advertising designer to simplify their logo featuring the Goddess with a scope to use a typeface never before seen in Europe or North America. The intention was to enter the market with a seemingly exotic product, encouraging the consumer to buy into something new and exciting.

With this logo trademarked in 1935 and slight name change to the now recognised Canon, the typeface was and is the basis for the brand. The company strived to make the logo as simplistic and memorable as possible and the development of the bolder lettering saw the logo we still recognise today debuted in 1956. The only noticeable change would be use of the red logo which perhaps represents development of technology through colour processes and digital technology, or could perhaps be a nod to the original processes of developing black and white photography in the red glow of a darkroom.

Canon is a brand that has held a clear identity for over 50 years and in 2010 assumed 44.5% of the DSLR Global Market Share.

Coming tomorrow….. Brand Evolution – Pepsi

If you missed yesterday’s Blog for Brand Evolution – Apple, click here!

The first Apple logo was designed in 1976 by Ronald Wayne. The logo depicts Isaac Newton sitting under a tree, an apple dangling precariously above his head. The phrase on the outside border reads “Newton… A Mind Forever Voyaging Through Strange Seas of Thought … Alone.”  Unsurprisingly, this logo only lasted a year before Steve Jobs commissioned graphic designer Rob Janoff to modernise and simplify the detailed and wordy approach to the first logo.

Janoff’s new design for Apple introduced the mutli coloured apple symbol that resonated with the company for 22 years up until 1998. The bite in the apple was implemented so people would know it was an apple and not a tomato and also lends itself to a play on words for a technological company (bite/byte) with their slogan back then being ‘Byte into an Apple’.

Asides from the Apple paying homage to the original design featuring Isaac Newton, there are many speculative views as to the use of the rainbow colours in the design. It is rumoured that Steve Jobs insisted on a colourful logo to ‘humanise’ the company, something purely eye catching, simple but interesting. Another theory is that as well as Newton, the Apple pays a degree of respect to the Mathematician Alan Turing who, through his work, is regarded as the father of computers. He committed suicide by eating an apple he had laced with cyanide with the rainbow colours representing his sexuality.

However, Janoff himself has said that there was no rhyme or reason behind the placement of the colors, noting that he wanted to have green at the top because that’s where the leaf was.

With the launch of the iMac in 1998 the logo was refined to the monochromatic logo, bolder and almost bluntly to the point. Apple had well and truly established who they were and what they did and didn’t need an over the top representation to show it. With such a pioneering company, understandably the multi coloured logo could have come across as a bit childish and out of sync with what the company stood for.  It’s also rumoured that around this time Apple were spending so much money on their development that the printing costs of the multi coloured apple were deemed not cost effective, hence the monochrome approach.

This logo quickly developed into the gradient chrome silver design that brands every Apple product on the market. It represents the achievements of the company to date and is one of the most recognised brand symbols in the world. Through all their development it is now the shape what identifies more than the colour, meaning an ease of branding whatever new product is on the horizon for Apple.

Coming tomorrow….. Brand Evolution – Canon

If you missed yesterday’s Introduction click here!

You know a brand has got it right when just the vision of their logo or mention of their name instantly associates with their brand values, clearly communicated across the world. With globally recognised brands there are no language barriers hindering the understanding of the company’s industry, values or product – the message is received in simple terms, symbolised through one icon.

It goes without saying that the development of the brand is crucial in evaluating the changes within the company and learning how to represent and re-represent the company to the consumer. Brand values are key in this process and it’s clear that the most successful businesses in today’s market think further than aesthetics when representing their brand.

All businesses begin the same, with a vision, objectives and a name. Quite quickly after this comes the process of portraying your competitive advantage to your target audience and a clear visual representation of your company is vital in doing this. By looking at some of the world’s biggest brands and the evolution of the logo that defines them we start to unravel their stories of development, growth and inspirations.

Over the next 5 days we will be posting histories of the following Brand’s logo development

1. Apple

2. Canon

3. Pepsi

4. Nike

5. Volkswagen

Be sure to check back to find out how these global brands have evolved through the years!

Ten years ago, when looking for a company you would of picked up the yellow pages. Now, it’s considered completely normal to simply ‘Google’ a company.

To have a website, is to be accessible to your customers at any time and, with the advances of smart phone technology, to be seen anywhere.

In the online search engine market, whilst Yahoo has climbed to 16.3 percent, rising for a second month in a row, and Microsoft has increased to 14.7 percent, Google has maintained its dominance with 64.8 percent of U.S. searches (August 2011, Comscore).

Google receives search requests from all over the world, even Antarctica, on a daily basis.

The majority of people see websites as an amalgamation of pictures and text on a screen. However, the view from the designer’s ‘window’ paints an entirely different picture, which stresses the importance of a designer’s knowledge and creativity in executing a unique and unforgettable website.

The creation and management of a website has many elements that need to be considered for its construction. Most importantly, the beginning of this process is centred on the site map. Through planning a site map you effectively map out sections of your website and the potential journey for your customers.

Three critical features that should be considered in the creation of any website. They can be manipulated for your target audience and provide great creative opportunities.

Once this framework is set out you can concentrate on the:

• Design and Animation
• Content and Layout
• Navigation

‘Researchers have found that the brain makes decisions in just a 20th of a second when viewing a web page.’ BBC News 2006

Unless the first impression is favourable, visitors may be clicking that ominous big red X, even before they fully understand what you’re offering.

There is a fine line between having a cluttered website, which stunts loading time, and a boring website that detracts user’s attention. This fine line is the holy grail of websites, and an experienced creative designer is pretty much the answer to your prayers. Bit strong? We don’t think so. After all you’ve only got 5 mini seconds to make the right impression!

This places great emphasis on the messages your design portrays; brilliant design, professional photography and artistic animation are all assets to any website. Capturing the users attention by taking them on an immediate visual journey will ensure further exploration of your website world.

Content and Layout

Content and layout are very important considerations. Once you’ve attracted someone, can you now engage with their mind and maintain their attention?
Think of it as a job interview – you’ve given the employer a positive first impression, but if you’ve got nothing to say, it’s futile.
Effective copy writing relating to relevant industry topics (key words) will enhance any website and importantly aid the efficiency of people finding your website.

It is estimated that 10.7 billion visits have originated from key word searches via Google.

Wolgarston High School is a comprehensive school for 13-18 year olds. It frequently provides updates regarding the schools news, events and other goings-on through a live news feed and an online interactive calendar.

The school accommodates 850+ students and this feature is an efficient and effective way to provide updates to parents and pupils (target audience) about the school’s past, present and future activities. The site also allows authorised people to reserve places at meetings or events.

Implementing features whereby you can engage with your target audience offers a cohesive marketing tool for brand awareness, brand engagement and sales. Through offering interesting, quality content and information you can guarantee repeat visits from users who find your website a great source of information.

Navigation

‘Studies by Forrester Research estimate that approximately 50% of potential sales are lost because visitors can’t find information and that 40 percent of users do not return to a site when their first visit is a negative experience.’

The way in which you allow your audience to navigate your website is essential. There are various navigational tools that can be employed, which aid in the design and ultimately the overall experience audiences have with your website.
All websites should be easy to browse and many popular websites, such as ebay, Tesco and Youtube, use ‘related feature’ links, which assess user’s previous searches to suggest further related items. You need to plan the journey your customers will take through the website and make the experience as easy and seamless as possible.

See how Technical Sales and Advisory Engineers have constructed their website to attract their audience and provide a clear and user friendly navigation panel

A website can totally revolutionise your marketing activity and with many generations quickly adopting the Internet, virtual engagement is becoming more and more popular. Drop us an email at info@edgecreativesolutions.com to see how we can help you in discovering what online marketing you could take advantage of.

Social Media: A Point of View

The overall rate of return on investment (ROI), in search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo, has declined 10% during the past three quarters of 2010

Estimates suggest in 2014 the amount of people browsing the Internet via mobile phones (smart phones and Android phones) will reach 1.83billion, surpassing PC browsing that will languish at 1.78billion.

6.5 million UK users are recorded on Facebook each month

The effort taken to tailor marketing messages to their audiences saw a 300% increase in the click through rates from advertisement to point of sale, i.e. website (Strategic Direction 2008).

This report will introduce the power of social media, discuss the impact of the Internet on mobiles and talks about understanding your target audience . 

Click to download the full report

The modern age of technology has given birth to mobile applications (apps). They have made, and are continuing to make, huge waves in how consumers interact with their mobile phones, which in turn has created huge marketing opportunities for brands.

There are two giants of the mobile application world, Apple and Google Android, but how have they got there?

Apple has become the most valued brand on the planet, with a total of $153.3 billion, and this is no fluke.

Since 2010, Apple’s brand value has increased 84%. The catalysts for this immense growth have been the iPad and iPhone 4. Both these devices have seamlessly amalgamated a number of features providing consumers with an entirely new and exciting world to interact with.

The critical success factor to the application industry has been the contributions made by third parties; people who have designed and built their own app’s to submit to the Apple or Google Android markets. These marketplaces are where the vast majority of applications are downloaded and are incredibly important marketing vehicles; critical in the distribution of applications.

Apple have had to develop several important technological facets; instrumental in the adoption of this new technology.

Bill Wong, Electronic Design, highlights important characteristics every smart phone requires to facilitate high performance applications.

• The fundamental operating system of the device must be sufficiently complex to allow application development
• The programming framework used by app developers must be flexible and provide endless opportunities
• The interface end users interact with must be swift and simple to use
• High-resolution touch screens & low-power high-performance multicore processing platforms are essential to the consumer’s experience

Take one browse around the Apple iPhone4 and you’ll witness just how all of the above have been ticked off with a massive marker pen!

Smart phones are paving the way for online interaction, engagement and entertainment. Online browsing via mobile devices is looking to surpass pc browsing by 2014, which demonstrates the sheer enormity in the shift by consumer’s to adopt this new technology.

Apple aims to pilot the take off of the app industry and knows that the investment in the relationships it builds, specifically with app developers, will fuel its flight.

The slogan was produced during the spring of 1939, prior to the devastation that ensued with the Second World War.

Trademarks give companies a secure identity, which can be in the form of text or a logo, which symbolise brand values. These ‘symbols’ play an essential role in the decision-making process from consumers.

“No matter what marketplace you operate in; no matter the size and scope of your firm; a registered trade mark is simply a must for your business.”

“It will protect, differentiate and add-value to what you do – and therefore make your business stand out in the crowd.”

Dr Jonathan Elms,

Institute for Retail Studies

There were three campaigns produced, which aimed to strengthen public resolve in the face of the World War. More than a million were printed, which read

‘Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory.’
The second declared, ‘Freedom Is In Peril’.

The third and final campaign intended to comfort and inspire the British population if ever an invasion by Nazi Germany was to threaten Britain’s borders.

‘Keep Calm and Carry On’

BBC News reports that 2.5 million copies had been produced and would be distributed across the country if Britain had been invaded. As we all know, Britain never was and thus they remained in storage throughout the war.

Until, 2000, when Stuart Manley, co-owner of Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland, stumbled upon these 5 words emblazoned on a poster with the crown of King George VI resting above the words, against a bold red background.

Poster’s and billboards were major mediums during those times in the same way television is now. Professor Aulich describes the poster and it’s meaning as having ‘universal appeal’.

The Guardian mentions that today you can buy Keep Calm and Carry On mugs, doormats, T-shirts, hoodies, cufflinks, baby clothes and it’s reported that even David Beckham has the T-shirt!

Stuart Manley has in March, 2009 had sold 41,000 posters. Mike Coop of keepcalmandcarryon.com estimates he is selling 300-500 products a week. Incidentally, Mike Coop, owner of Keep Calm and Carry On Ltd, is at the epicentre of the trademark row as he has monopolised the slogan and is enforcing it wherever other companies are infringing upon it.

Freelance:UK states that IP Group, who handles Intellectual Property, is looking to reclaim ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ as they feel the trademark rights held by Mr Coop are having a devastating effect on smaller retailers.

Mark Kingsley-Williams, founder of Trade Mark Direct, believes the slogan is ‘part of Britain’s heritage’ and that he has ‘no doubt that fairness and common sense will prevail’.

Let us know what you think about this piece of Great British History, and whether you think it should be trademarked or available to all retailers.

A Russian agency specializing in augmented reality solutions, teamed up with Topshop to create a virtual fitting room for the new “Dress up” collection.
Read the full article and watch the video here

After attending the Mostly Jazz Festival 2011 in Moseley Park, Birmingham and having the fun I did, this is definitely another event on my list to attend!!

The festival also holds a range of fun activities including fairground rides, music workshops and some Morris dancing!!

Find out more information here