bloom's blog

Social responsibility: small steps do make a difference

We all know about the environmental threats to our planet. We read about melting ice caps, rising sea levels and most recently severe droughts. This is a familiar story. But what is actually being done about it?

Fortunately, the 10:10 campaign is leading the way. They’ve been telling us exactly how our business can reduce our carbon footprint by 10% year on year and it's working.

Specifically, 10:10 aims to cut operational emissions in four key areas; electricity, on-site fuel use, road transport and air travel.

10:10 originated as a simple solution to a big problem. Franny Armstrong founded the campaign in response to the vague targets set by the Climate Safety report, which called for an 80% cut in developed world emissions by 2050. Instead, Franny recognised the value of the more realistic target of a 10% cut by the end of 2010. And so, in September 2009, 10:10 was born with this explicit aim.

The 10:10 proposal has resonated with such a wide range of people on a global scale because it is simple and appealing, and yet offers tangible means to achieving lower carbon emissions.

Signing up is easy and once you’re on board, 10:10 pledge to:

- Provide you with the means to measure your own progress by entering your figures into an emissions reporting tool

- Explore alternative methods to help reduce your harder-to-measure emissions

- Encourage you to ensure that your staff, customers and suppliers are all involved

- Save your business money by using less energy and thus increasing your profits

At its core, 10:10 is a movement. It aims to expand support for the campaign in every direction possible from businesses and hospitals to schools and families. Consequently, 10:10 boasts over 115,000 participants in 186 countries, which is an incredible achievement for a movement that began under 2 years ago.

10:10’s 'How to cut carbon emissions' campaign is a shocking but incredibly effective way of demonstrating the urgency for action. The use of the words ‘no pressure’ is a sardonic way of emphasising that we must all act on climate change now.

Bloom signed up to the 10:10 initiative at the beginning of 2009. It is due to the tireless pursuit of our own Jemma Golby that we’ve already made some great progress. These are some of the small steps we’ve made along the way:

All our foam board is now made from recycled materials and is biodegradable

All our stationery is now supplied by the environmental stationary company Wiles Greenworld

We use FSC approved paper throughout the office.

We operate and support the ride to work scheme.

We’ve installed centralised bins in each office to discourage needless waste (inconvenient but very effective).

We have a strict policy to turn off lights, computers and office machinery each night.

Bloom still has some way to go but we are committed to reducing our carbon emisions by 10% each year. It's not about saving the planet overnight more the incremental steps that we can all sign up to that will ultimately make a difference.  

Lighting up the Opera House

As part of Vivid Sydney 2011 Festival of Light, Music and Ideas in June, the Sydney Opera House sails were bought to life through a stunning and immersive light projection. The show uses the iconic forms of and structure of the Opera House to great effect.

 

Light projections are an increasingly popular channel for experiential branding and are a beautiful way of connecting landmarks, open space and creative content. Here are few examples from the big brands that have done it well. Enjoy.

 

Adidas

 

Hyundai Accent

 

 

Fanta

 

 

A special gift from the Royal wedding

Bloomer Jason's father works on the Sandringham Estate, which clearly has its perks because he was given a slice of William and Catherine's wedding cake as a commemorative gift.  Whether it's from the original cake or just the same recipe we're not sure but apparently it smells like the best fruit cake in the world.  It also comes in a wonderful little tin, which was designed by Peter Windett of LRW design and Sally Mangum, a calligraphy artist. We think it's a beautiful design. Classic and a befitting keepsake of such a momentus occasion. The only question that remains is - do you eat it or keep it?

Brand Will & Kate

Royals are some of the oldest brands.  In the centuries before national tourist boards, royal courts were the primary advertisements for their kingdom.  The tone of the court influenced the realm’s style, behaviour and the economy.  Thus the Spanish Habsburgs’ love for horses fuelled a swift trade in the majestic beasts, while the Bourbon’s passion for fashion created a silk industry in France without equal on the Continent. 

Although they are no longer the sole representatives of brand Britain, the Windsor family undoubtedly still makes a valuable contribution to our economy. In particular the frenzy surrounding William and Catherine has helped give a boost to British brands and Britain as a brand.

In light of this we’d like to do a quick brand health check on the British royal family.  For the most part they are helping steer our economy out of a turbulent patch.  However there are a few concerns when it comes to the long-term future of brand Windsor, which cannot be divorced from brand Britain.

Will and Kate excelled themselves in Canada, but it was in Hollywood that they really made an impact.  There they filled a gap in the market, bringing gravitas and tradition to a land of manufactured glamour.  It was incredible that two twenty-somethings could make some of the world’s most powerful celebrities nervous.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are promoting exactly the right image for Britain right now. In the past we’ve been known for our imperial prowess, industrial ingenuity or Brit pop sound. But these are no longer niches we can own. Instead Will and Kate have helped create a new image for Britain, one that is regal yet accessible and, most importantly, incredibly well suited to Britain’s fastest growing industry – luxury.  

The roaring success of Burberry trenches and Mulberry Alexas is a testament to the unique international appeal of our luxury goods. They are understated with a distinctly British heritage, just like the royal couple.  It’s an image that the rest of the royal family can’t quite equal. The Queen commands great respect, but she is not accessible in the same way. Whereas Kate may have worn McQueen to her wedding but you can steal her style by shopping at High St chains like Reiss, Whistles and L.K. Bennett. Herein lies the secret to growing Britain’s luxury brands. The fashion houses should maintain an air of inaccessibility while quietly pushing entry-level products.  They are starting to do this but they need to emulate the size and scale of the Diors and Armanis of this world to reach their full potential as global brand powerhouses.

Brand Will and Kate have done an incredible job of boosting the profile of Britain and providing a very lucrative model of behavior for British brands to follow when overseas.  However there are a couple of lingering concerns. International commentators lack the same fondness for Charles that they have for his mother and son. The reception for Charles and Camilla was notably cooler two years ago when they toured Canada.  One wonders whether there is a danger of range cannibalization?  What will the opinion of Britain be when the Prince of Wales ascends the throne?  Perhaps some damage control needs to be done to prepare for that event.

Furthermore beneath all the admiration for Kate’s sparkling smile and tasteful tailoring, there are rumblings over whether she will ever reveal more of her personality to the public.  There are flashes of it but in front of the camera she appears to lack the emotional depth that we expect of brands nowadays. The tabloids have chosen to fill the vacuum with comparisons to Diana, which though complimentary are presumably upsetting. 

Will and Kate have made an excellent start but in order for them to have true longevity as a brand, Kate must come out from under Diana’s shadow, define her position and take her place as a brand advocate for modern Britain.

Chameleon Branding

Traditionally a brand identity is fixed because it encapsulates the core essence of the brand.  While multi-channel campaigns may come and go, the identity should remain consistent, updated every few decades to reflect contemporary cultural trends or a change in proposition.

But increasingly we’re seeing a lot of what we’ve termed ‘chameleon branding’, where the identity regularly morphs, usually subtly but sometimes quite radically, to suit its surroundings.

The earliest brands were literally just that, a mark of quality branded on the product.  The replication of the same marque was all-important.  But as branding has become increasingly sophisticated logos that remain the same all the time can seem a bit staid. By being continually exposed to the same symbol, consumers may even fail to really register it any more.  There is an obvious watch out here in that a brand must change without losing all sense of direction, but there are a number of advantages to a chameleon identity.

Make a statement  

When MTV first hit our screens in 1981 the brand broke all the rules.  It had no color guidelines and through countless iterations – from the messy, dirty to the furry and fruity – MTV rebelled against the corporate logos that dominated other television networks. In 2009 it rebranded, dropping ‘music television’ to reflect its new positioning as the home of content for Generation Y. The new logo has a cleaner line; it’s less graffiti, more graphic.  It retained the same flexible identity but began using it to represent MTV’s more commercial purpose. Instead of embodying a spirit of rebellion the logo became a frame for whatever program it was presently promoting.  Something for (almost) everyone

Like MTV, the London 2012 Olympics logo was designed to appeal to a younger demographic. The logo is meant to show that London is a bold, buzzing, multi-cultural city, with a forward-looking emphasis.  It’s the first Olympics logo to come in a variety of colours, intended to reflect the fact that the Games is for everyone (although presumably not for shy, retiring types) and apparently it will continue to evolve in the build up to the Olympics.  As well as symbolizing the energy and optimism that the Games are intended to inspire, the logo is also able to blend into a variety of settings, which allows it to work in harmony with a wide range of corporate sponsors.

 

Easy to use

The rebranding of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has transformed a somewhat tired looking marque into a really useful campaign tool. The anagram is legible but has a rugged confidence that suits the people that it represents.  The shape’s strength and simplicity means it can be replicated with ease and ensures that the logo has impact whatever colour or material is used. Anyone wanting to support the cause can easily fashion a compelling call to action. Inspire creativity

Inspired by the architecture of the university, the new logo for the Ontario College of Art and Design (which now prefers to be referred to in a RISD-esque fashion as the OCAD U) creates a marque that can be mass produced but which inspires rather than restricts student’s creativity by providing them with a window which they can fill with their creative thoughts.  The idea is that each year students are invited to contribute to the logo, over time forming a library of the way that design and aesthetics has changed. It works because it’s a strong form that’s well considered, but with a maximum of flexibility that is ideally suited to this particular kind of institution.

 

 

Segment the business

Chameleon logos can also serve a functional purpose, differentiating the various arms of the business.  This doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective, as FedEx demonstrates.

Add another dimension

The merger of two popular telecom providers in Austria, A1 and Telekom, gave them the opportunity to leave behind their very corporate logos and embrace something altogether more distinctive while simultaneously advertising the wealth of benefits that this marriage offered.

Warning: Chameleon branding is eye-catching but risky. You wouldn’t want the IAVA logos to start showing up in blood red for example.  Lack of coherence across the execution could result in the brand sending mixed messages, losing some of its impact in the process. 

The phone network, 3, seems to have fallen into this trap.  Originally its dynamic and multicolored logo announced its arrival as the communications network of the future.  However it has expanded into so many color combinations that it has lost all sense of direction, looking more like a tie-dye project gone wrong than a confident brand marque.

 

Chameleon branding is a great way to catch the consumer’s eye.  It relies heavily on a strong marque and a clear sense of why the identity is allowed to morph, but done well it can help give your brand an edge in the modern marketplace.

 

Bloom's favorite book covers pt.II

The suggestions for new book covers have been flooding in and a few of our favourites are posted to the right.  Let us know if we've missed any of your favorites.
We also stumbled across these cover designs by Jim Tierney, a Brooklyn-based illustrator.  His Jules Verne series beautifully echoes the author's imaginative fiction, just as all good covers should.

 

 

 

The News of the World: A brand disaster underpinned by human error

Brands make mistakes. Coke, one of the world’s most valuable brand, has made dozens of them in its 125 year history. Some have been big but harmless, as was the case with New Coke, while others had slightly more sinister undertones, for example their launch of Dasani water in the UK, with its toxic campaign and ingredients.  These failures were the result of human error and Coke suffered for a time but they picked themselves up and moved on. The News of the World scandal is a whole new level.  The phone hacking scandal was so much more than a mistake, it was a debacle, a catastrophe of epic proportions.

But amidst the outrage what seems to have been forgotten is the fact that it was numerous human mistakes that led to this point.  Of course we’re not defending what The News of the World did, it is clear that a number of journalists lost, or just plain ignored their moral compass.  However the huge difference in this case is that News International is making the brand the sacrificial lamb rather than acknowledging that human beings behind the brand make the decisions. The way the story has been reported, even the way James Murdoch spoke about it in his recent statement, it is as though The News of the World had taken on a life of its own, imbued with human powers of decision-making and judgement.  But the fact remains that because individuals were not held to account, they have brought down an 168 year old brand which was still hugely popular and brought in huge ad revenues, not to mention the sacrifice of 200 jobs, 197 of which apparently were not even around at the time of the original wrongdoing. 

To our knowledge no other brand in history has been terminated so swiftly (although reports suggest that it may resurface as the Sun on Sunday). It is a damning failure and a valuable lesson in the value of transparency and honesty in branding and business in general.

Well, that’s enough doom and gloom for today.  To lighten the mood we thought we’d run a little friendly competition.  What headline would you run for this Sunday’s final edition of The News of the World?  Post your replies in the comments box below.

 

New Talent

Our designers have been scouting around for the best of this summer's graduate shows and found some really great talent (most of which we're selfishly keeping to ourselves). 

We came across Emma Bennett an illustrator who not only has a fabulous portfolio but an excellent website and blog to match, a perfect example of how all graduates should market themselves.

Design trend: Looking to the past

Last week we posited that one of the reasons for Habitat’s demise was that its futuristic furniture was no longer to the public’s taste.  Increasingly in design we’re noticing a trend for reviving the old and making it relevant to the present.

A blast from the past

Since the mass fashion market exploded in the mid 20^th century every decade has had its own particular style – hippie in the 60’s, rockers in the 80’s, grunge in the 90’s. This century has certainly had its own style notes – leggings sadly being a defining feature – but increasingly fashion brands are reinventing the past for the present. Prada has done an exceptional job of this in their S/S 2011 campaign.   They’ve done more than just take influence from the 70’s, they’ve fully embraced the decade to create a retro collection that really stands out from the crowd. Modern Classic

Christian Louboutin has chosen to recreate a number of 17^th C portraits for his Fall collection. In doing so he has created a shorthand for ‘classic’, a statement that his shoes, a hallmark of the modern age, will stand the test of time. The age of ingenuity

Whether influenced by the Doctor Who revival or the imminent arrival of the final instalment of Harry Potter, we’re not sure, but Steampunk has become a thriving cult movement.  
Embodying a kind of neo-Victorianism Steampunk has spawned a whole culture, influencing everything from architecture to music to fashion. The movement’s appeal seems to stem from its roots in counterfactual history, which encourages followers to use their imagination and consider – what if?  Author G. D. Falksen, wearing a steampunk-styled arm prosthesis by Thomas Willeford, exemplifying one take on steampunk fashion.

The Golden Age

Despite many consumers having to tighten their purse strings, the upper echelons still have plenty of cash to splash.  However in an era where superstructures are a dime a dozen and 3D tvs are the norm it can be difficult to impress the jet set.  Yet the past is rarefied and can therefore form a compelling reference point.  The fog of time has a tendency to preserve only the most glamorous features, making the memory all the more precious. To this effect Van Cleef & Arpels have recently created a Bals de Légende collection of jewellery. Consisting of 160 unique pieces, the collection has been inspired by five of the most extravagant balls of the 20^th C.  Today equivalent events aren’t nearly as exclusive and many have been commercialised, making a celebration of a bygone era is even more fantastical for its rarity, you almost can’t help but be impressed.

A simpler life

The last couple of years have also seen growing support for The Prince of Wales’ rejections of modernist architecture and a long waiting list to buy a plot in Poundbury, his New Urbanism development on the edge of Cornwall.  Again this seems to stem from a desire to return, not to the extravagances of the past, but to a time when things were simpler and communities were smaller.

Breathing new life into an old brand

Brands are also tapping into the past.  The most recent example is the Little Chef redesign, which has leveraged one of the brand’s biggest assets - nostalgia.  The simplification of the marque helps the quirky chef to stand out even more.  Meanwhile the bright modern colours prevent it from looking dated, giving it greater longevity than the Hovis packs, which have arguably gone too far down the nostalgia route and now just look a bit dated.

The past can be used at all price points in a multitude of ways - to inspire, excite and engage. Furthermore it provides a short-hand of associations, meaning you don’t have to re-educate the consumer. It’s not suitable for every brand, but get it right and a strong emotional connection with the consumer will be your reward.