2009 Feltron Annual Report

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Nicholas Felton is a data obsessed designer from New York. Every year he creates an annual report, which is a record of his daily tasks and data for the year. Each year he comes up with a new way to display and present the data, with amazing results. Also check out Datum, which lets you collect, categorize and communicate your own data.

No Comments | Posted by Nick in Branding & Design

Pfizer Finesses Their Brand Identity

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Pfizer, “the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical company”, recently released a refreshed brand identity.  For most people the logo update will go unnoticed, but the overall brand identity (colors, fonts and design style) have been upgraded dramatically.  According to Siegel+Gale, the agency behind the design strategy, the new logo “signals positive change and forward momentum and asks people to take a fresh look at Pfizer because it is not the same company it was in 1991″ (the last time the logo was refreshed).

The most noticeable difference in the new logo is the oval shape, which was tilted to create a more dynamic arrangement.  Subtle changes to every character in the font have resulted in a more rounded, friendlier and soothing feel, with the biggest changes coming to the “z” and the “e”.

The new color palette is bold and fluorescent and contains a lot of visual energy.

Pfizer’s new identity also carries a strong circular theme, as evidenced in their new home page pictured above.  Overall, this is the right move for a global brand that has produced two of the most popular drugs in the world: Lipitor and Viagra.  The change positions them as a more progressive and lively brand that is helping to change lives for the better.  I applaud them on this strategic step and believe it’s a boost to their brand resonance.

No Comments | Tags: brand strategy, branding, rebrand
Posted by Nathan in Branding & Design

It Hertz So Good

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Hertz cast their shadow away and recently revealed a new brand identity.  While the old blocky letters were bold and unequivocal, thankfully, the sunshine yellow is still shining strong.  The new letters are a nice modern variation, with a rounder, friendlier feel.   I think it’s a good move to bring them out of the 80’s, but not radical enough to lose all the brand equity they have racked up over the years.

We’ll see if the public responds positively.  They definitely have room for improvement.  According to goodlogo.com, they rank 5.5 out of 10 based on 8000+ votes.

From a branding standpoint, they’ve done a stellar job of retaining the yellow and black color palette.  50+ years to be precise…

1 Comment | Tags: brand identity, brand strategy, logo design
Posted by Nathan in Branding & Design

New 9/11 Memorial Logo Revealed

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Now 8 years after that fateful day, limited progress has been made on the completion of a memorial and museum at ground zero.  Courtesy of Brand New, the image above shows a recent decision to shorten the lengthy name to simply “9/11 Memorial”.  From a branding standpoint, this makes it much easier for the public to “remember” its name.  The new logo solution is bold and simple, leaving the simple element of the blue towers as an impactful reminder of what actually happened.  Check out the official 9/11 Memorial site for tons of information on what’s coming.  We salute our fallen heroes.

No Comments | Tags: brand identity, brand name, brand strategy, logo design, rebrand
Posted by Nathan in Branding & Design

What comes first – The Web Design or SEO?

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

You could consider this question like the chicken & the egg controversy… and you’ll get a different answer from different internet experts. 

I am often amazed at some of the websites that Google ranks #1. The design is elementary and the content is irrelevant or somewhat spammy.  These websites all have a very high bounce rate.  Why? …because their website looks terrible.  Nobody will take a tacky, unprofessional site seriously – even if it is ranked #1 in Google.

Obviously, a website is nothing unless it is aesthetically pleasing.    BUT you can’t get too carried away with the appearance. 

A few years ago, people got carried away with the design aspect and created entire websites in flash.  Search engines don’t read flash.  So any content that was on a flash site was irrelevant.  The people who paid for an outrageously expensive, beautiful site were scratching their heads wondering why there was no traffic. This pretty website is nothing but a façade and the company will end up paying a fortune in Pay-Per-Click because their website is no where to be seen in the organic search.

So what is the answer? What comes first?  The truth is, they go hand in hand.  A website needs to be constructed with SEO tactics in mind.  The extra time and money spent to do initial SEO set-up (keyword research, META tag writing and keyword-rich content) will go a long way.

This is why I believe so strongly in working with companies that cover the whole online spectrum – from branding to web design to SEO to social media.  I don’t want to work for companies that only do SEO or that only do web design.  Both need to be mended together from the beginning, otherwise the website will only be partially successful.  COMPLETE online marketing campaigns, will make the most successful websites on the internet.

1 Comment | Tags: branding, Google, pay per click, SEO, web design
Posted by Jessica in Branding & Design, Online Marketing, Opinion