DAAKEPov

Playing Ketchup

Heinz Ketchup recently introduced ketchup lovers to a new way to enjoy their product. Their latest innovation is packaging that allows the choice of dipping or squeezing. While their press release claims this to be a monumental achievement, I do feel this is a great example of reintroducing a product that itself (the ketchup) hasn’t changed much since 1876. In order to keep advancing the brand’s image, these innovations can be very effective in staying in the minds of the consumer.

Getting It Wrong The First Time

Some people sit and stare at a blank screen until their eyes hurt. They just can’t put down the first word or draw the first line. Why? They’re afraid of getting it wrong. Well, guess what? We all get it wrong.
 
Designers don’t just design. They try something, then they try again, and again, often a dozen times or more. They aren’t seeking perfection. Their goal is organization, refinement and the discovery of new associations.
 

Does My Website Make Me Look Fat?

Back when you went *live*, your website was sooooo hot. It was lean, had the right balance of text and graphics, just a few clicks to everything anyone needed to know. Made you feel great, didn’t it?
 
What’s happened since then? Most likely, you’ve tooled and tweaked and added some pages here and there and maybe some more text and a few graphics and links and...  now that website doesn’t look so hot any more.
 

The Difference Between Art and Design

I read the other day a comparison of art and design. There are definitive shared characteristics, from their creative nature to relying upon the visual senses for interpretation. Both entertain. Both connect with their audience. But the author, John O’Nolan, worked very hard to point out their differences. Art inspires and is interpreted, while good design motivates and needs to be understood in a universal way. Makes sense.
 

What makes a great brand

A brand is the gut feeling you have when you think about a product or service. It’s not the product itself. Thus, a great product or service must come before a great brand. A magnificent identity and an elegant website won’t save the day when someone buys from you and is disappointed.

Design’s Duty is to be Daring

What’s it take to stand out in a crowd today? Besides a stepladder.

Bombarded by media messages from the moment we awake until our last text or tweet before bed, it’s become increasingly difficult to be noticed. Years ago, hippies and radicals used shock as their primary tactic. Some animal-rights groups still do. But what about today’s start-up companies and service providers? They need customers, not confrontation.

They need creativity.

Great Marketing Can’t Save Everything

Put Eddie Murphy’s name on the marquee and you’ve got a blockbuster, right? That’s what Hollywood used to think. Remember “The Adventures of Pluto Nash?” Few people do. The outer space comedy cost $100 million to make and market – and earned $8.9 million worldwide. Ouch. Probably why they tried to strip Pluto of planet status.

A big name doesn’t equal a big hit. It takes an engaging plot, strong writing, compelling photography, etc. If all the ingredients aren’t there, no amount of clever marketing can save it.

Due To Popular Demand... The Outtakes

For those of you who received our Holiday card in early December... here are a few outtakes from the photo. Thank you to all of you (75+) kind folks who questioned the legitimacy of our vertical jumps.

Looking Back on the Old Year

Maybe it was our relatively warm fall. Maybe it was the “instant winter” as we were hit by not one but two blizzards. But suddenly Christmas has come and gone, and here we are on the verge of another new year.

By way of this blog, I’ve tried over the past year to offer a fresh perspective on several design and marketing topics. We’ve given you our opinions and shared our thoughts and ideas. Now it’s your turn.

Capitalize on Universal Symbols

Does everything have to be new to be effective? It doesn’t work that way with symbols. Pretty much everyone recognizes a red octagon atop a post at the intersection of two streets. Same is true with the male and female symbols that differentiate between restrooms.

But what about websites? Should every link look the same? Should every symbol, nationally and internationally, indicate the same thing? Is it an effective use of the visual? Or is it another indication of the “dumbing down” of the masses? I wonder how the folks at Apple and Microsoft would answer.