How a letter is constructed.

Coca Cola History: Left to Right 1899 – 1900 – 1915 – 1916 – 1957 – 1986

An interesting image of how the Coca Cola bottle has changed over the years. One of the most recognisable brands in the world, this bottle is the classic representation of what a brand can mean to a company, probably more so than the slightly cheesey Advertising campaigns that they have run over the last few years. However it is an enduring/historic brand that will be with us for many years to come. Notice the logo, this has barely changed, rather tweaked every few years, because it sees its history as key to their brand.

The iStock style has become scorned upon, the illustration is safer than a nice rabbit, the photography in the main is bland. There may be a certain amount of risk taking/creativity, but the problem is these images just don’t sell as well, so soon no-one will produce it anymore. One photographer I know saves his best work for himself, and puts his ‘rubbish’ on iStock as it may bring in £15 every now and again.

iStock was a good resource for designers to get their hands on hi-res, reasonable quality imagery. But, like everything in this world, it has become easier for anyone to design, shoot, write and gain an audience – which is great, but conversely we have lost quality and, more importantly, we have lost creativity.

What’s next for iStock? Well, they are now moving into generic branding, where designers can supply generic logos for generic businesses around the globe. No real thought about what the logo needs to do, a simple ‘change the word to stick with an icon’. This will be fine for companies up to a certain level, but to be serious about your brand and making it work for you, you will still need expert skills and knowledge.

My advice? Fight the machine, or at least get the job done right.

In early 2008 Arena Group in Wakefield contacted me about their branding. They were competing in a technological marketplace with a brand that did not do the business justice. The existing logo was designed by one of the directors when the company first formed in 1991, and whilst initially it ‘did the job’, time and the business had moved on. Arena originally specialised in supplying photocopiers across the North of England, but over time had grown to become an all round office solutions provider, offering services in electronic document management, IT and consultancy, in addition to their thriving photocopier sales. Arena had a well respected standing in the market and wanted to sell on an assured quality of service.

The issue:

A tired and outdated brand, with weak formatting and typography. Within that brand however was a trusted icon, the Arena roundel, which was recognised by the company’s substantial client base. The business also needed to show it was integrated under one umbrella brand, whilst able to sell expertise and products to different markets, i.e. not just a ‘jack of all trades’.

Old Arena Logo

The process:

We worked closely with the client to establish what to keep in the Arena brand, what to dispense with and what to develop. To cut a long story short the roundel survived, with a design refinement, along with the name; otherwise it was a total brand overhaul.

A couple of the ideas

First came the initial concept stage where a few ideas were presented to the Arena Group Board. Two routes were chosen to take through to development stage where we would explore the segmentation of the brand.

After the development stage a final decision was made on the design route. We then tweaked, tested and polished the brand until everyone was happy. We tested different Pantone colours and redrew the font to make it unique to Arena. This was only the first stage of building the new brand; it is necessary to look after it and treat it with the greatest of respect wherever it appears on all future company communications/material/literature. This is where Arena are now.

The final Brand

A brand is not just a logo, it is an important business statement. The logo represents the brand, it is how people instantly recognise your brand and therefore your business and the quality it stands for. If your brand is not right, it will give a poor representation of your business and act as a detractor, no matter how great your product is. If you have the right brand, take care of it and use it in the correct way, it will become a trusted representation of your business and a significant factor in your success.