I’ve often heard it said that to have true success, you need to find inspiration in the things you see everyday. Well, one of the things I see everyday, and often overlook, is a large, cylindrical tube of Quaker Oats, apparently it holds 30 delicious bowls (but how do they know how big the bowls I own are?), but anyway. I have this cardboard tube sitting on a cabinet at my cubical for some time now, and to tell the the truth, I don’t really know why. I don’t even eat Quaker Oats. At this very moment, as I write this, I am eating a bowl of oatmeal that is some other brand that I enjoy more than Quaker, but each time I buy more oatmeal, I take the contents and pour them into this Quaker Oats container. There’s just something about it that’s comforting. It makes me feel like home. It’s like having an old photo of a grandparent at my desk, but at the same time, I find the thing incredibly creepy. For some unfound reason, I can’t explain why it’s so intriguing to me and why I keep it around.

It’s fairly basic packaging. Nothing to write home to mom about, so why am I writing about it…? No bells and whistles, no amber waves of grain, or Photoshopped ‘grain’ textures, just bold reds, and blues, some golden gradients for style, and a kindly, white-haired Quaker illustration…

…oooooooohh, that illustration…

It’s the kind of illustration that pops-up in dreams out of nowhere and scares the Bejezus out of you with his ‘Mona Lisa smile,’ which is as friendly as it is diabolical. There’s just something eerie about his smirk. Apparently the portrait is one of the oldest advertising mascots in America, and contrary to popular belief, does not depict William Penn. Created originally by Jim Nash in black and white in 1964 and then taken full color by Haddon Sundblom in 1972. Representing Quaker values of honesty, integrity, and purity, the rosie-cheeked Quaker elder is not supposed to be a portrait of anyone in particular.

So I guess there in lies the rub, the fact that he’s just there. He’s there and he’s just smiling. He has no identity. All we really know is that he’s a Quaker, and even the Quakers, who are now the Religious Society of Friends, don’t want him around (they lost the law suit, so he stays). He never changes. He’s like the Mona Lisa, and the frightening twins from the Shining all wrapped into one. For all eternity, he’ll be there, smiling, and that, I find creepy. The new Quaker campaign doesn’t help with my paranoia, either. It’s just weird to have a huge omnipotent Quaker portrait telling you to, “Go Humans Go.”

At the same time, however, I think he can be somewhat comforting and it’s what I find successful about the whole Quaker brand. Their identity has basically been the same for generations. Anyone who sees that illustration knows what product is being sold. Even if you hate the bland, cardboard taste of plain oatmeal, which I happen to love, the product and feeling toward it is still the same. It resonates with people. You’ll never see Quaker Oats NEW FORMULA or some other ridiculous campaign, like Crystal Pepsi. It will always be the same oatmeal that your dad ate, and his dad ate, and his dad, and so on and so forth. The Quaker Oats Guy then becomes a perfect symbol for the brand. He goes on day by day, staying true to his fundamentals, to what made Quaker a recognizable brand.

Even though I sometimes feel like he’s staring at me, in this twitter feed / TMZ / topsy-turvy / here-one-minute-gone-the-next world we live in, it can be nice to know that there’s always a familiar, welcoming smile within an arms-length…even if the contents inside are someone else’s.

EndNote: For the record, YES, I did just compare an illustration and identity for an oatmeal manufacturer to the Mona Lisa, one of the single greatest works of art, ever.

It’s been a long, busy summer and we here at Triple Strength have been inundated with work in both print and web, hence the blog silence. In between all the client work, we were able to spend some time on our own identity. First was with a re-imagining of the Triple Strength icon. In the past we’ve used the Triple Strength ‘Burst,’ but in moving forward, much like the astronauts and/or apemen in 2001: A Space Odyssey, branding will now be done with the TS ‘Monolith.’ The new identity symbolizes strength, stability, and structure. Enhancing these three ideals, supplementary graphics include elements such as diamond plate textures and tetris-style block accents. Further redesigns will be coming along as the days get shorter, and the leaves change from green to orange. Look for other new TS identity pieces such as brochures, marketing materials, and a completely redesigned web site in the coming months. We’ll also be putting forth extra effort to Brand3, in order to keep you posted on the latest happenings and goings on. So, as my new favorite player for the Cincinnati Bungles, Ocho-Uno, has said…get your popcorn ready!

Kevin himself sums it up best: “It’s like the typographic equivalent of showing up to brunch in a tuxedo that’s all rumpled because you were out the entire night before, carousing and merry-making, and making gentleman’s bets on the horses.”

He’s right—it does actually make you think of gentleman’s bets and coattails, and that’s what they were going for…a Victorian inspired serif. Kevin’s research for another project, a graphic novel version of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, included a lot of Victorian ornamentation. In fact, the name ‘Phaeton’ is a type of early 19th century carriage.

It’s not just pretty either, it has nearly 600 characters, ornate banners and even 49 glyphs for words like ‘and’, ‘the’ and ‘with’.  One of Cornell’s favorite features is the lowercase swash variants designed by Randy…”I’m also partial to the upper-case ‘K’. It’s hard to find a good ‘K’ sometimes, I use it a lot.”

For the most part Kevin drew the characters and Randy translated them into an actual font.  Phaeton started as a side project for both of them back in the Fall of 2008. They sent the beta version to Veer by May of 2009, and it was officially released two months later in July.

Fans of the font can look forward to another collaboration from the duo; a san-serif font to compliment Phaeton. No word on a time range yet, but based on this first project, it’s definitely something to keep an eye out for.

With the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver only hours away, and the Alpine Skiing qualifier already in full swing. I wanted to reflect upon the Olympic logo, which if you haven’t already, are going to be seeing a French-Canadian ton of, before the fortnight of games are over.

The logo is supposed to represent a monolithic Inuit character known as an Inukshuk. The Inuits were a tribe of people native to the Vancouver area. The name of the character is Illanaaq and it means friendship in Inuit. The illustration is chalk full of symbolism, which I guess, all Olympic logos are supposed to be. The green smiling head is for the coastal forests, the blue arms for the coast, the sky blue torso for the mountains, the red left leg is for the maple leaf, which, who doesn’t associate Canada with the maple leaf, and finally the yellow leg is for the sun. The CEO of the Vancouver Games said that the figure “reflects the sheer joy for winter sport and draws its strength from the true spirit of teamwork.” The ironic thing is that nothing about this identity equates with the speed, grace and athleticism of the Winter Games. My real question is what does the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man have to do with Alpine skiing, the Luge and speed skating. If you can’t tell, I’m not overly psyched on the 2010 Olympic logo. It seems as though the Inukshuk symbolizes so many things, but it missed out on the one that matters…sport.

I guess it could be worse, though. It could be as bad as the 2012 Summer Olympics logo from London, which looks like it could grace the cover of the newest Sex Pistols record. Stay tuned and enjoy the Games…

Best of all, the Charles Schwab brand is suddenly more vibrant. There’s an expanded color palette—a rainbow collection of chroma-rich hues—used to fill the oft repeated dialog balloons with passion comparable to an investor’s dream. The full spectrum of colors associated with the Schwab brand is indicative of the wide spectrum of investment strategies available to young and old, conservative and aggressive individual investors.

Charles Schwab now owns the dialog ballon just like Target owns the red bullseye. If you’re questioning whether  this discount brokerage firm’s claim to dialoging with investors is a credible one, visit their website and see for yourself. One nifty tool is the Schwab Portfolio Checkup that enables Schwab investors and non-Schwab investors alike to compare their current investments with their overall aims. If you have any other questions, just call Charles Schwab at 800-435-9050. They’ll be happy to talk with you!

Heidi has defended her decision to undergo all these procedures in order to create “the best me possible.” Statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery attest to the fact that many young women (19-34) also want to be their “best,” and go on to report the number of cosmetic-surgery procedures performed on females 18 and younger nearly doubled over the past decade. Girls no longer believe they have to play the hand they’ve been dealt – they can simply go out and buy a better face and a different body.

Reading the article and the subsequent comments the blog received in response, it made me think, what is beautiful? The term “Aesthetic Plastic Surgery” would lead you to believe the plastic surgery procedure will create a more aesthetically pleasing you. With breast augmentation and liposuction procedures growing by leaps and bounds, whose aesthetic standards are we conforming to?

I had lunch today with two women, both of who are experts in the field of combating the causes and effects of sexual violence. Along with their colleagues, they develop and disseminate best practice protocol for preventing SV and intervening in situations when it occurs. We’ve come to know each other working together on behalf of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the country’s authoritative resource assisting individuals and groups actively engaged on the front lines.

Until the 1960s and 70s victims of sexual violence, the majority being women, mostly suffered in silence. Then things gradually began changing—for the better. Thrust into the public spotlight by the feminist movement, sexual violence became the top priority of grass roots organizations springing up around the country. Rape crisis centers opened. Support groups formed. Ad campaigns fanned the flames by focusing public attention on this previously unspoken subject. Year after year, with increasing effectiveness, efforts like these dramatically improved the quality of life for countless individuals and families, and our society as a whole.

That’s why today the three of us are discussing a new NSVRC initiative to re-”frame” the topic of sexual violence. The concern of my two companions for the victims of sexual violence compels them to keep this subject firmly fixed in the nation’s consciousness. It’s an interesting proposition. How can the public’s deeply held worldviews and widely held assumptions be changed and refreshed so attention is refocused on an important subject like this one? To find out more, visit frameworksinstitute.org or even better, take the 20-minute tutorial.

The tough economic climate this year created a negative impact on many retailers. To combat their continued losses some retailers chose to offer a smaller inventory. Other retailers decided to move their sales earlier into the shopping season, instead of waiting for the rush to begin on Black Friday.  Both solutions helped to guarantee their sales, and create less of an overage when inventory time rolls around.

Other retailers were scrambling to make up lost sales through their online presence. Online shopping has become more prevalent and retailers are not above “baiting” you to their websites to secure the sale. In the past, the promise of Free Shipping and before Christmas Day Delivery was enough to inspire some shoppers to make their purchases with a particular retailer; now it seems that promise is not nearly enough to incentivize the online shopper to make the purchase.

In my own shopping ventures it seemed each retailer was ready to “one-up” the other and I found myself visiting site after site, comparing each incentive before finally making my purchase. When purchasing my mother’s perfume, did I prefer the FREE robe or did I want to receive a free cosmetic gift? Was I interested in  purchasing a “bundle” of pre-selected video games for my son, or did I want to pay full price on my own selection? Incentives were available on nearly every retailer’s site I visited throughout the season and I was only too happy to take advantage of what they had to offer.

I anticipate the “online-only” specials and online incentives will become more prevalent as the economy has more people shopping online at work, instead of dipping into personal time spending the day driving from store-to-store.  Also, with so many people facing unemployment, every dollar needs to stretch a little further than before and each shopper is looking for more “bang for the buck.”

With several gift cards in hand, I’m looking forward to see what incentives will be offered to me. Do you know of any spectacular online deals? If so, let me know – I’m only too happy to do my part for the economy.

Challenge: 3/4 of “boomers” will experience one (1) or more chronic conditions.

Challenge: 89% prefer to “age in place,” despite the possibility a spouse may suffer from a debilitating condition. An even larger percent of seniors anticipate technology will help them live longer, better, more independent lives even if they are unaware of what that technology may be or how it will help.

Solution: Diakon Smart Homes. Outfitted with the latest technological advances, Diakon Smart Homes are designed to enhance safety, particularly as older adults desire to grow older residing in their own homes.

Challenge: Create a way for people to learn about Diakon Smart Homes showcasing the technological advances and attractive living space designed to support this new idea of “Aging in Place.”

Too complex to be boiled down to a single bullet point, the solution for explaining the advantages of aging in a Smart Home was best accomplished by creating an intricate, multi-tiered virtual “in-home experience enabling website visitors to interact with and learn about these new inventions. It also required the time and talent contributions provided by a team of creative individuals. The result is groundbreaking. More importantly, it empowered the efforts of Diakon to inform and educate prospective residents.

The process started with a complex three-dimensional illustration of a Smart Home, rendered by our partners, the fine folks at FUSE FX out of Minneapolis. The illustration was scrutinized down to some of the most minute details. It needed to accurately display the new technologies which will revolutionize the way people thought about senior living. Medication Reminder Systems, Minimal Threshold Showers and Under-Counter Appliances were just some of the amenities featured. At one point, even the bed spread was changed because it wasn’t cozy enough. It was this attention to detail that would resonate with potential buyers.

Once the groundwork, pun intended, of getting a layout was finished, a way of introducing people to the different technologies of the home needed to be implemented. Though research has shown 85% of Baby Boomers are tech-savvy, the system needed to be accessible, intuitive, and practical. The resulting interactive animation makes it fun to experience Smart Homes technology—virtually. Moving throughout the home, an animated character would trigger room sensors signaling lights to turn on and off, as a room was entered or exited, all the while leaving a dotted trail showing the course of its path—harkening back to the days of Family Circus cartoons.

The next step was to create an interactive means for enabling website visitors to access specific information pertaining to Smart Home facilities. To achieve this, a series of navigation menus and drop-downs were designed to appear at the click of an icon. Easily understood, user-friendly icons were designed to encourage participation. Any solution too technical in appearance and the opposite might occur—scaring visitors away from discovering important benefits. Fun and easy to use, the interactive illustration is guaranteed not to become pure eye-candy.

In order to present this revolutionary system, a new website was created. Reportedly the first of its kind in the country, the new Diakon Smart Home website showcases and incorporates all the various features from the home. It is the ideal way for people who may be looking into retirement, to learn and familiarize themselves with this new initiative. It was and is the perfect marriage of form and function. As a young person just entering the work force, and nowhere near retirement, I often thought during work on this project that I wouldn’t mind having these amenities and technologies in my house. I mean, who doesn’t want lights to go on and off when they enter a room. They are definitely the future of senior living, and ultimately, living in general. It’s only a matter of time until houses look like that of the Jetsons. I can’t wait.

]]> http://brand3.triplestrength.com/2010/01/06/designing-for-the-future/feed/ 1 http://brand3.triplestrength.com/2010/01/04/a-tall-feat/ http://brand3.triplestrength.com/2010/01/04/a-tall-feat/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:52:29 +0000 Lance Dietrich http://brand3.triplestrength.com/?p=93

Although Burj Khalifa is twice as high as the Empire State Building it does share one thing in common with its half-pint predecessor. Construction of both buildings commenced during an unprecedented economic boom only to be completed in the midst of a depression. Let’s hope the new 2,717 ft. tower will stand tall through many economic upticks and downturns to come.

Previously known as Burj Dubai, the tower was renamed today during the grand opening ceremony in honor of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, ruler of oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. The new name is a well-deserved “thank you” to the sheik who pumped tens of billions of dollars into Dubai last year to help finance its enormous debts after the real estate bubble burst.

The height of the tower is staggering. It’s so big it’s nearly impossible to capture the building in a single photo. Talk about keystoning! A ground floor chiropractor could make a mint treating strained necks. Window washers will never run out of work. (There’s something like 24,000 windows!)

What sort of person desires to live at the top a half mile from terra firma—orbiting the planet? Someone does. Someone who can afford to live large is already residing up there enjoying their remote lookout in lavish style atop another monument to human ingenuity.

Here then the lofty giants that sway in the shadow of this new world’s tallest building:

#1 Burj Khalifa, Dubai : 2,217 ft. (828m)
#2 Shanghai World Finance Center, China : 1,615 ft. (492m)
#3 Taipei 101, Taiwan : 1,470 ft. (448m) (not including the antenna)
#4 Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia : 1,483 ft. (452m)
#5 Willis Tower (Formerly Sears Tower), Chicago, USA : 1,451 ft. (442.3m)
#8 2 International Finance Centre, Hong Kong, China : 1,358 ft. (413.8m)
#11 Empire State Building, New York, USA : 1,250 ft. (381m) (not including the antenna)