Twilight steals Nina Ricci’s bottle design!

Friday’s Creative Review for Successful Graphic Designers

There’s only one thing to say about this: MORONS!

As is often the case when a movie becomes super-duper-popular, people will want to exploit it with merchandising. Twilight is no different.

Some genius decided to come out with a Twilight fragrance. Unfortunately for them, someone dropped the bottle ball. You would think that with all the money made through the film, they could afford to hire someone to design for them their very own bottle! Not rip off some other brand.

The first week of the New Year, everyone was buzzing about the design of the bottle for Twilight. It looked eerily familiar to another famous’ names bottle, Nina by Nina Ricci.

No surprise, Nina Ricci is suing. When all is said and done, it’s going to cost them more than if they’d hired a designer to come up with something original.

Check out the following pictures and see if you can spot the similarities. Nah, too easy! Spot the differences:

From Nina Ricci

And number 2, from Twilight:

 

The differences I see (I admit, I’m reaching on some of these!)

• The script that’s on the Twilight bottle is not on the Nina Ricci one
• The number of leaves (although I saw on another photo that it did have 3 of them for the Nina Ricci one, so it’s debatable.)
• Pretty obvious, the box.
• Maybe the color or the bottles
• Shape seems more “squished” on the Twilight bottle (I know, I’m reaching here)

T A K E  A W A Y S :

Did they really think no one was going to notice? Seriously? Especially a little thing called the internet?

Stating the obvious, but it obviously needs reiteration: It’s okay to get inspiration from someone but it’s not okay to flat out steal their design!

Maria’s musing: What’s the significance of the apple that both decided to use the same imagery? (Yes, I can ask the tough questions)

My 2 cents: I would have done the Twilight bottle as a drop of blood. Oooh, or a vial of “blood” Too kitsch? Obvious?

Technorati Tags: Blog

Keeping client files on hand to avoid going nuts!

Thursday’s Management Tip for Successful Graphic Designers

Sometimes being a graphic designer can be a little time consuming, especially when creating new jobs for old clients.

I don’t know about you, but I was constantly looking for information to do some of my design jobs. After all, it’s hard to keep track of info on each client: fonts, colors, graphics, etc… Sometimes when I’d get repeat jobs, it would be like starting over looking for the information I needed to get the job done.

Well, I started doing something that has saved a me a ton of time. And it’s very simple. I’ve started to keep a one page file on each of my clients.

Information you need to have on hand on each client:

1. Name
2. Company name
3. Name of contact(s)
4. Address
5. Contact numbers (telephone, cell / mobile, …)
6. E-mails
7. Websites
8. Blogs
9. Logo
10. Fonts
11. Colors (CMYK, RGB, Hex values)
12. Pictures that they own the rights to
13. Visual identity guidelines
14. Usernames / passwords (For websites, blogs, FTP, access to a database)

T A K E A W A Y S :

Taking a few minutes to set up a file on each of your client can save you a ton of time in the long run! And also ensures that you don’t make critical branding mistakes (like chosing the wrong colors).

But ultimately, it gives you more time to do what you love doing: designing!

Technorati Tags: Blog

Elements of a good brand (Have you got the look?)

Tuesday’s Design Tip for Successful Designers

Here’s the second part about creating an effective brand for you and your business.

So, picking up from yesterday’s post, I want to talk a little bit more about the aspects of a good brand.

It never ceases to amaze me that many freelance graphic designers don’t really spend much time on their branding. Most think that their work speaks for itself. It does, but up to a point.

Clients can tell a lot by the way you present yourself. The way you present yourself and your business speaks volumes about not only your talent, but your work ethics, professionalism, and what they can expect from doing business with you.

BUT, especially because you are a designer, you want to make a good impression and show that you know that branding is important.

Elements of a good brand:

• Starts with a good name for your business
• The style of design should match the expectations of your target audience
• Appropriate and professional logo, color(s), typography and copy
• Execution of the design (printing, paper selection, bindery) is directly related to what your audience expects (if they’re expecting cheap, make it look cheap. If they’re expecting high end, only high end finishes will do).
• Your attitude and the way you correspond with clients
• Marketing materials, paperwork, and stationery should all match and be “part of the same family.”
• Automated business policies, practices, and processes makes everything seamless.

T A K E A W A Y S :

A brand is more about communication than it is about design. It’s the feeling you are conveying to your audience. You can create a “good” brand, but it may not be an effective one. If you are going for a more upscale audience, having a “grunge” look may not be appropriate, even if its design is “good”.

I’ve heard it said that “image is everything.” If that’s true, and imagine is indeed everything, then make sure that the image is right.

Technorati Tags: Blog

How important is your brand?

Monday’s Promotion Tip for Successful Graphic Designers

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines branding as “the act of giving a company a particular design or symbol in order to advertise its products and services.” Simple, but most don’t do it.

We all know that a good brand communicates volumes about who you are and your business. It provides a sense of trust and goes a long way in establishing your competence and professionalism.

It’s especially important as a start-up. You don’t have a reputation built up and the credibility that comes from years of experience. Some people may be put off by that, and thus, less likely to invest. It’s a tougher sell, in other words. But a good brand comes along way in alleviating fears.

There’s an old saying in restaurant marketing “You sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Now obviously, the steak has to be good or else, in the end, it won’t matter. But initially it’s the sizzle that determines whether I’m going to order it or not. So, the quality of the steak is only important once I’ve ordered it. Because if the steak is not good, I’ll return it or never order it again.

Your first steps in creating your brand:

1. Consider who is your key audience (you may have a few target audiences, but who is your key?)
2. What message do you want to convey to them?
3. How can you back the message up?
4. How can you represent the message design-wise?
5. Implement the design throughout all your marketing and promotional materials.
6. Keep it simple! Make it easy on your target audience by only using 1 design throughout. Don’t have 10 variations of your logo! It confuses your audience and makes you look unorganized and unprofessional.

T A K E A W A Y S :

Be proactive rather than reactive in your branding.

Don’t just dive in and just wait and see if something sticks! Think of who you want as perfect clients and doing whatever it takes to clearly communicate to them. Really think it through.

You are trying to convey a feeling of what it will be like for prospects to deal with you and your company. What they can expect from you. Make it good!

Technorati Tags: Blog

Finally a movie for graphic designers: Helvetica

Friday’s Creative Review for Successful Graphic Designers

Helvetica was created in 1957 in Münchenstein, Switzerland. Created by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann at the Haas’sche Schriftgiesserei (or, the Haas type foundry) this sans-serif font was created to compete with the popular Akzidenz-Grotesk in the Swiss market.

As an homage for its 50th anniversary, (Helvetica turned 50 in 2007), director by Gary Hustwit made a movie/documentary about it. Yes, about the typeface! And it’s 80 minutes long.

I didn’t know what to expect when I bought the DVD a couple of months ago. I thought I might be bored watching the movie. It’s about 80 minutes and, honestly, I couldn’t figure out how they would have so much to say about Helvetica.

Turns out, there’s A LOT to say about Helvetica!

Helvetica solicits very strong feelings among typophiles. Designers and typographers either absolutely love it or totally hate it. This film examines both sides of that coin. And it got pretty heated and lively at times!

The film goes through the regular historical stuff about the typeface, shows us where it was created and the original drafts of the typeface. It then goes on to show us the everyday uses of it. I never really paid much attention to it, but when they showed us the uses, I was amazed!

Guaranteed you’ll look at Helvetica differently after watching this movie. I know I do.

What I loved about the movie

I loved the way it was shot. I really liked the way it was broken up and kept moving along by alternating between interviews and the common uses of the typeface.

“Helvetica” is comprised of conversations between director Gary Hustwit and leading graphic designers and typographers. It includes the likes of: Wim Crouwel, Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Michael Bierut,   Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, Lars Müller, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael C. Place of Build, Otmar Hoefer, Neville Brody, Danny van den Dungen, Manuel Krebs and Dimitri Bruni, Leslie Savan, and the greats Hermann Zapf, Massimo Vignelli.

Then between the interviews, he shows Helvetica in action. You’ll see it on store signs, street signs, posters, subways & buses ads and signs, government forms, instructional signs, newspapers, ads, and much, much more.

He literally travelled the globe: London, Zürich, Amsterdam, New York, Berlin (and the Berlin Wall), Frankfurt (with Manfred Schulz), and where it all began the former Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland.

In this movie, Gary Hustwit goes beyond the mere use of Helvetica in design. He delves into the psychology of advertising, marketing, the urban, and historial implications of Helvetica.

You’ll see exactly why some hail Helvetica as a wonderful neutral typeface that can be molded into expressing whatever you want it to. While others think it’s been overused, a “safe” choice, and is the easy way out.

T A K E A W A Y S :

One major takeaway is that I never understood how a typeface can be described as neutral, as Helvetica often has. Now, I do.

Helvetica can really take on any role: you can make it look any way you want it to. It can appear modern and clean, more severe and boxy, or straightforward and practical. What decides this is the content of your message and then choosing the correct weight, kerning, face, and size of the font.

Definitely worth seeing.

Technorati Tags: Blog

Next Page »