Design is art with function: it’s elegantly purposeful. By applying design thinking to creativity, you can create things that make a meaningful difference in the world – and that are specifically crafted for an audience who truly wants them. When you apply that same kind of thinking to business, you get results that go beyond ideas and into the realm of the viable. 

Design is art with function: it’s elegantly purposeful. By applying design thinking to creativity, you can create things that make a meaningful difference in the world – and that are specifically crafted for an audience who truly wants them. When you apply that same kind of thinking to business, you get results that go beyond ideas and into the realm of the viable.

There’s nothing wrong with innovation for innovation’s sake. But the problem comes when you try to grow a business out of something that doesn’t really need to exist. Design thinking reduces this risk – it’s a kind of idea insurance. The fundamental benefit of design thinking is that it ensures that you’re creating things that people actually want. 

Are you making something people want?

Design thinking creates successful brands.

The great thing about frameworks is that they’re translatable, transferable and scalable. The same design thinking approach used to develop a marketable product can be used in developing your business. 

It makes sense, after all – your products arise from the environment that created them. They’re the result of your business, and your business is the result of your products. It’s a symbiotic kind of relationship. The two go hand in hand, building and growing each other. 

All organizations are unique entities with their own philosophies and identities. Some identify these organically over the years, while others efficiently and industriously craft theirs from the get-go. The latter type are the design thinkers. The ones who understand the purpose and function of what they’re putting out into the world – and who build a brand accordingly. And the outcome is a brand that builds back. 

Let’s take The James and Ace hotels. Their dramatic expansion into the boutique hospitality market isn’t just luck and happenstance. Their artfully chosen locations, thematically unified decor and signature amenities result in the provision of a very particular experience being sought after by their savvy guests. They’re offering an experience by design – and that experience gives back to the company through the reiteration of its brand. 

Design is used from concept through to execution to craft a set of consumer expectations – and to ensure that they’re not only met, but met consistently. Because once a brand promise has been broken, that trust is gone. 

But when you have the support of design, those brand promises will be so deeply embedded in your organization that it won’t even be possible to break them if you tried.

Design thinking lets you scale and adapt. 

Design as it relates to visual identity is easy enough to conceptualize. But for businesses that are built entirely upon a foundation of design, the result is far more than just looks – instead, we’re talking about the intersection of form, function and philosophy. 

And when your organization is artfully positioned in the middle of this Venn diagram, you can re-evaluate, refine or even redefine what you stand for, what you do, and how you present it. A business predicated on design thinking is always reflecting on the function and purpose of what it’s putting out into the market. It’s always asking whether it’s making what people actually want. And as the needs of the market change, the business changes, too.

Take peer-to-peer delivery service Postmates as an example. When it launched amidst a crowded field of competitors in 2011, naysayers were bearish about its longevity. But the company’s offering – efficient delivery at the lowest possible price – was designed precisely with the market’s needs in mind. And it has continued to evolve as the market has, offering the new “Plus” and “Unlimited” features as a way of meeting newly arising customer requirements.

The upshot was improved vendor relationships, a larger customer base – and a business that continues to build an ever more sophisticated and granular response to an identified need.

Every business deserves design thinking.

Design is an act of creativity – but an elevated one. It walks the line between want and need, and fills gaps in our lives rather than trying to invent them. 

And when businesses begin to expand their notion of design beyond visual identity and into their underpinning identity and ethos, they’re perfectly positioned to fill those gaps by engineering useful, purposeful solutions to identified needs. 

When intelligent, thoughtful design provides the foundation for what you do, you no longer have to try to convince people to care about what it is you make or offer. Because your entire business model is all about making the things that people actually want.

The most powerful expressions of creativity are the ones that effectively communicate to audiences outside ourselves, and our ability to collaborate and create with others is what sets us apart from other species in a world that’s constantly in a state of change. But what does that mean? And what is the root of the nature of creativity?

The most powerful expressions of creativity are the ones that effectively communicate to audiences outside ourselves, and our ability to collaborate and create with others is what sets us apart from other species in a world that’s constantly in a state of change. But what does that mean? And what is the root of the nature of creativity?

The origins, meanings and execution of creativity is something that’s been hotly debated since the dawn of time. The only thing that seems certain is the concept of creativity has evolved alongside humankind as we’ve continued to grow as beings. The ancient Greeks had their own exploration into what it means to be creative. Through the Renaissance, creativity even became something of a philosophical process. In today’s society, we temper creativity and creative expression with intellectual, physiological and sometimes spiritual properties.

Creativity wasn’t actually named and recognized as a concept until 1926, when English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead finally denominated it as such. Even so, questions still remained. Creativity was – and is – emotional and impassioned, yet deeply cerebral and impossible to compartmentalize. Is it inherited? Is it a state of mind, or is it a process? Perhaps, most likely, it’s a careful and precise combination of each of these traits.

Despite our constant and deepening relationship with creativity, the ability to effectively define it and discern its origins remains elusive. As is often the case when we encounter something that defies description, we’ve begun to define creativity as something akin to divine communication – a spiritual channeling from a source that drives the planet forward, and teaches us an expanded form of self-expression.

However, Dr. Charles Limb disagrees with this notion. An MD, professor and Chief of Otology/Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at the University of California in San Francisco, Dr. Limb is one of many researchers eagerly pursuing the definition behind the concept of creativity. His findings suggest creativity isn’t a whimsical notion – in fact, he believes that the more creativity is practiced, the more prolific each proceeding creative endeavor becomes. So it’s not so much that creativity is a mythical communication as it is a muscle you must exercise, or a habit meant to be cultivated.

Dr. Limb is both a musician and surgeon, so his insight into creativity comes from a balanced space of understanding the neurological aspect behind creativity, as well as the mystical mindset that seems to be a hallmark of one’s creative nature. If you’re so inclined, we recommend watching Dr. Limb’s TED Talk – called “Building the Musical Muscle” – for further information on his research and how it correlates with the nature of creativity.

But getting back to our point: there are very real parallels between outside-the-box creative ingenuity and the disciplined process needed to turn ideas and possibilities into something tangible. We believe there’s a formula for creative success – and the key ingredients are time, patience and hard work.

If you had the ability to ask any one of history’s notable creatives how they achieved and accomplished their most decorated accolades, they’d likely tell you that creativity is part beast, part journey. It can be rigorous and time consuming, gut-wrenchingly painful, and at times, insanity-inducing madness. But in the end, it produces results – and it’s the results that matter.

French chemist Louis Pasteur famously stated, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” To disseminate further, that means talent, honed skill and thoughtful research overlap and funnel directly into imaginative leaps and bounds, effectively separating creativity from any other discipline. Mozart also proclaimed that hard work was the most central component to his creative process. All inherent talent aside, the act of creation is an arduous and often lengthy endeavor. The one thing it decidedly is not? Magic.

There’s still so much we need to understand about creativity and how it works. But as we continue to research and gain knowledge of our creative minds, it’s important to remain focused on the ultimate goal of being a creative: translating creativity into ideas, ideas into actions, and actions into final products that are groundbreaking and game-changing. It’s this philosophy and approach that drives us at STARMEN, where we continue to learn from and work with our creative minds to their utmost capabilities, and consistently redefine what it means to us to be creative.

Creativity doesn’t sleep. Neither do we. Whether mystical or practical, grounded or ethereal, we’ll continue to explore creativity and its inherent nature in every aspect of what we do. After all, isn’t that what creativity is all about?

Author and creative director Paul Arden articulated: “Do not try to win awards. Be true to your subject, and you will be far more likely to create something that is timeless. That's where the true art lies.” Our team at STARMEN agrees fervently with this sentiment from the famed Saatchi and Saatchi alum.

Author and creative director Paul Arden articulated: “Do not try to win awards. Be true to your subject, and you will be far more likely to create something that is timeless. That's where the true art lies.” Our team at STARMEN agrees fervently with this sentiment from the famed Saatchi and Saatchi alum.

Still, while the winning of awards never serves as our primary motivator, we make it a point to pay proper acknowledgement to every single accolade that comes through our firm. We’d be remiss if we did not maintain a sense of gratitude, and we believe this helps us remain firmly rooted in our craft, as well as consistently accountable to each new client endeavor we embark upon.

The W³ Awards is one awards program we particularly appreciate. Judged each year by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, the W³ is comprised of the industry’s top-tier professionals, assembled on an invitation-only basis. Judges come from companies and creative firms from all over the world, including Big Spaceship, Condé Nast, Disney, MTV, Wired, and more! Additionally, the W³ is the first awards program of its caliber wherein small agencies and international firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies. By removing team size as a mitigating factor, the judging process is able to focus solely on the work itself, allowing recognition to be fairly attributed to the creative and marketing professionals behind the best videos, sites, and marketing campaigns of the year regardless of where they’re based.

This past year, we received two Silver accolades from the W³ Awards for our work with nonprofit LA2DC (www.la2dc.org) in the category of Activism, and for fashion label, KAYAT Design, in the category of Fashion.

Submissions in the Website category are judged based on the following components: creativity, usability, navigation, functionality, visual design, and ease of use.

Through its rigorous evaluation process, the W³ honors its commitment to recognizing the best of the Web, and we are truly humbled by our inclusion in this year’s cycle.  These awards are a true testament to not only the solidity of our team, but the strength of our client partnerships as well. Such recognition is rarely achievable without all components working synchronistically toward their common goal.

It should come as no surprise that having an idea is one thing, and actualizing that idea is entirely another. Take it from us; many are the things that serve to stand in the way of an idea coming to fruition, and what's more, these obstacles can be the difference between a truly game changing idea that comes to fruition, and one that never sees light outside your office walls. 

Ideas are what drive us forward as a people. They are paramount to progress in art, in science, and in moral society, and that’s why our team at STARMEN is pleased to share its foolproof plan for getting those ideas off the ground!

It should come as no surprise that having an idea is one thing, and actualizing that idea is entirely another. Take it from us; many are the things that serve to stand in the way of an idea coming to fruition, and what's more, these obstacles can be the difference between a truly game changing idea that comes to fruition, and one that never sees light outside your office walls. 

Ideas drive society forward. They are paramount to progress in art, in science, and in moral society, and that’s why we are pleased to share our foolproof plan for getting those ideas off the ground!

First, stand firmly behind your concept

As a general rule of thumb, the best way to help your idea take flight is by standing squarely behind it, and going at it with gusto. Consider what makes this idea worth pursuing. What will it accomplish for the betterment of the team or client? What problems does this idea solve or current gaps does it fill? Only once you can truly advocate for your idea can you fully master the art of selling that vision to motivate others to stand with you behind the cause. 

Second, blueprint your plan of action

Once you have fully wrapped your mind around the idea, you’ll be in good shape to start mapping out the steps required, including the often underthought middle parts of materializing a new idea -- the part where creative exploration gives way to the meticulous, the tedious, and the nitty gritty. It is in this lengthy, drawn out period of tireless work that most great ideas tragically fizzle. Scott Belsky, author of Making Ideas Happen and founder of online portfolio platform Behance, dubs this part of an endeavor the “project plateau.” For artistically-driven individuals, this plateau can be particularly painstaking because it is the time when creativity is at a standstill, and laborious task management is at an all-time high. As Belsky adds, “To escape this pain, we generate a new idea (and abandon the one we were working on). This process can easily repeat itself ad infinitum, without us ever finishing anything meaningful.”

Team STARMEN ardently believes that careful planning and strategic delegating can help your project avoid such a fate. By mapping out the forecast of a project, you’re allowing those involved to have a clear picture of present status and next steps, which leaves little room for doubt or lingering notions of “how will this all come together?” What’s more, when everyone on the team is weighted only with tasks they are truly competent and capable of fulfilling, they’ll be more likely to come through, leaving the team as a whole running efficiently, and the project progressing on schedule.

“All great inventions emerge from a long sequence of small sparks; the first idea often isn’t all that good, but thanks to collaboration it later sparks another idea, or it’s reinterpreted in an unexpected way. Collaboration brings small sparks together to generate breakthrough innovation.”
— Scott Belsky

Now that your vision is clarified, and a plan of action’s in place, it's time to get going! 

Third, be patient

With all of the moving pieces required to materialize your idea, it’s imperative to constantly circle back to that all-important first step. Remember why you embarked on this journey to begin with, and you’ll be much less likely to make decisions in haste or try to rush tedious parts of the process. However, there are a few steps you can take to alleviate any doubts that your venture is moving toward its target. When holding meetings with team members, be sure to commence with each person reviewing next steps for his or her respective responsibilities, as well as a brief synopsis of what each person is taking away from the meeting. This recap should be no more than 20 or 30 seconds per person, and can save immeasurable time down the road because it will confirm not only the overall productivity of your meetings (whether or not goals, feedback, and notes are being clearly communicated, for instance), but it also will help hold individual team members accountable for what they are working on.

Fourth, remain focused

This idea, with you at its helm, is premised on a single, solitary concept. Reduce cluttering that vision by remediating new ideas to the backburner. There may come a time and a place for new endeavors to roll out, and when that time comes, those new ideas will deserve the same undivided attention as the one presently before you. 

Another excellent way to remain aligned with your objectives? “Avoid a reactionary workflow,” Belsky iterates. In a typical workday, we’re inundated with messages -- from our social apps, text messages, array of email accounts, and instant messengers -- and that’s not even considering phone calls and interpersonal conversations. As such, we, as professionals, are suspended in a constant state of reaction, responding to these various entities with little time leftover for proactivity -- which is essential to moving whatever we’re working on forward. To counter this, schedule yourself time each day where you’re totally unplugged to incoming communication, and can focus on outgoing productivity. There is a time and a place for conversation and connectivity, but progress is what truly moves ideas from ethereal into the ether of reality.

Any opportunity to furnish a campaign with our strategic and creative faculties is motivated first and foremost by the utmost in client satisfaction. However, while it goes without saying that the receipt of awards is an entirely subsidiary form of gratification, we also appreciate the opportunity that competition provides for us to truly fine tune our craft. 

Any opportunity to furnish a campaign with our strategic and creative faculties is motivated first and foremost by the utmost in client satisfaction. However, while it goes without saying that the receipt of awards is an entirely subsidiary form of gratification, we also appreciate the opportunity that competition provides for us to truly fine tune our craft. 

We are pleased to announce that we were awarded a series of accolades in the latest cycle of the Communicator Awards. Honoring excellence in marketing and communication, this organization is one of the largest of its kind, receiving over 6,000 entries each year from all over the world. The prestige associated with the Communicator Awards offers recipients “proof and validation that their work is highly regarded by their peers within the industry.” This recognition speaks deeply to our insatiable creative energy, and relentless pursuit of excellence as a team.

The Awards

The Communicator Awards are sanctioned by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, and the panel of judges is derived from an invitation-only “who’s who” assembly of over 600 of the world’s most esteemed professionals from the media, communications, marketing, and creative fields. Judges represent an array of the top media firms, including: Disney, Condé Nast, MTV, Time, Yahoo!, and more! Beyond innovation and craft, the Communicator Awards seeks the ability of a project to truly move its audience — to emotion, to action. 

Our agency was fortunate to receive nods in last year’s cycle, and in 2014, the Communicator Awards has again honored our agency with a series of Silver Awards of Distinction. 

"The key is to greet each new client endeavor with a fresh reverence for its unique challenges. No branding project should ever be approached formulaically because what makes a brand different from another of its kind what should be isolated, cultivated, and celebrated to create growth for that brand."
— Armen David, Executive Director

Our work with Linda May Properties has been a frequent award-winner, and from this year’s Communicator Awards, we’ve been recognized for a commercial campaign showcasing our client’s exemplary standing in its field of international real estate, an online video campaign, as well as website development in both the Real Estate and Specialty categories.  Additionally, our work with LA2DC (www.la2dc.org) — a nonprofit dedicated to awareness of world genocide — received an award for website development in the Activism category.

The meaning behind these awards is two-fold: not only do they serve to commemorate our valued client relationships, but they affirm our core abilities as a team.

Looking Onward

Above all else, we know that to be successful in our field is to remain suspended in a state of constant effervescence, with our ingenuity as vibrant as our work ethic. The industry authority held by the members of the Communicator Awards is unmatched in terms of its collective experience, and subjecting our work to such expert scrutiny is but one of the many avenues through which we seek to grow. Moving forward, we are excited about new opportunities to serve as proprietors of creative and strategic excellence for all we work with.

Let us preface the forthcoming by stating that the meaning behind our recent win at the 2014 Horizon Interactive Awards is two-fold. First, over the course of its thirteen entry seasons, this award has become one of the most distinguished in the field of interactive and creative media. So it goes without saying that having our work recognized by an organization so renowned by our industry is truly the sincerest of honors. 

Let us preface the forthcoming by stating that the meaning behind our recent win at the 2014 Horizon Interactive Awards is two-fold. First, over the course of its thirteen entry seasons, this award has become one of the most distinguished in the field of interactive and creative media. So it goes without saying that having our work recognized by an organization so renowned by our industry is truly the sincerest of honors. 

Secondly, the rigor required to be competitive in the Horizon Interactive Awards is a nod not only to our final product, but to the tremendous discipline of the whole STARMEN team.  

The 2014 award cycle was one of stringent competition. Over 1,200 entries were received from over 27 countries around the world, including: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and almost all 50 of the United States of America.

This magnitude of competition holds us to the highest of standards, and brings all the more meaning to the receipt of these awards for our team.

The Awards

We are truly honored to have not one, but two, of our recent projects honored in this award cycle. 

For our work on the Linda May Properties website, we’ve earned a Gold award. Our work with Linda May has also been honored with the Summit Emerging Media ‘Innovator’ Award, as well as the ‘Best in Class’ Award from the Interactive Media Awards.

As well, we’ve earned a Silver award for our work with L.A. Banquets. With each of these awards comes a celebration of a very valued client relationship, as well as a testament to the truly prolific nature of collaboration. 

Why We’re Honored

Perhaps one of the most significant things about a Horizon win is the circumstances under which it is received. The panel of judges spans all levels of the interactive media field, and so submissions are evaluated by industry peers whose qualifications stem from their very own active participation in the different avenues of this wonderfully creative, multi-faceted line of work. In addition to creatives and developers are project and account focused individuals who represent the importance of a final product being not just beautiful and engaging, but truly at the height of usability.

The pride we feel for our work is trumped only by an overwhelming sense of humility. We’re honored to have been a part of such outstanding client projects, and welcome you to reach out if we can be of service to yours. 

We’re pleased to announce our work on the Linda May Properties “Live Your Luxury” campaign has received recognition from the AVA Digital Awards. This project has previously been the recipient of awards from other organizations, including the distinction of Best in Class from the IMA Awards. We are deeply honored by this most recent recognition: a Platinum Award for excellence in website design and development, as well as a Gold Award for our “Live Your Luxury” video marketing campaign.

We’re pleased to announce our work on the Linda May Properties “Live Your Luxury” campaign has received recognition from the AVA Digital Awards. This project has previously been the recipient of awards from other organizations, including the distinction of Best in Class from the IMA Awards. We are deeply honored by this most recent recognition: a Platinum Award for excellence in website design and development, as well as a Gold Award for our “Live Your Luxury” video marketing campaign.

While it is with great pride that we accept these accolades, we would be remiss if we did not pay proper tribute to the journey itself. You see, the AVA Digital Awards is a competition that focuses not just on the end-product, but on the planning, conceptualizing, creative direction, design, and overall production process of digital campaigns of all shapes and sizes. Honoring remarkable work at every stage of the process is the hallmark of these awards’ unique significance to our agency, and we - as a collective agency - owe this honor to each individual facet of our team.

The Significance

Renowned for their stringent standards and internationally-acclaimed credibility, the AVA Awards are judged annually by the Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals. 

Each piece is evaluated and judged on individual merit in contrast to other awards programs where entrants are judged in relation to other submissions in their categories. 

This practice only lends further credence to the overall significance of these awards because it is evidence our work is prolific in its own right, on its own terms, regardless of other projects taking place elsewhere.

The Journey

Our biggest challenge with Linda May Properties was that it faced an industry with a rapidly expanding digital presence. We created the “Live Your Luxury” campaign in an effort to not only enhance perceptions of the Client’s brand in the minds of existing and future clientele, but to allow the company to maintain its competitive edge in an increasingly web-based marketplace. 

We knew immediately that a successful campaign for Linda May would equate to one squarely rooted in the company’s long reign at the height of its industry. The firm has consistently been ranked within the top 1% of Coldwell Bankers Realtors® internationally, and so our work necessarily built on that momentum. Our Client’s quality of work speaks for itself, and so our aim was not to build a site and marketing campaign that spoke not more loudly or boastfully, but more wisely, about our Client’s stature in its field. The resulting “Live Your Luxury” is an elegant yet succinct expression of this merit.

As a successful web presence becomes increasingly paramount in today’s modern marketplace, so too does the need for a sharp, well-defined message. And from these needs, the “Live Your Luxury” campaign was born to not only provide our Client with an attractive, functional tool to facilitate business, but with a carefully crafted communication apparatus, one that would speak both to its values and relentless, “always on” ethic.

We are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish on behalf of our Client, and incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to further sharpen our toolset in the process.

We find that our insatiable pursuit of excellence necessitates continued evolution, and such is the primary reason we enter our work into competitions like the AVA Awards. Relentless in this endeavor, we find that placing our proudest pieces in line for public scrutiny forces us to produce our best work, and we’re steadfastly aligned with the philosophy that excellence isn’t a stagnant milestone. Instead, it is a constantly advancing finish line requiring a tenacity of spirit, and a constantly evolving repository of skills and ideas. 

Innovation is perhaps the cornerstone of our modern society, and for good reason. Innovation helps us progress; it heals us, enriches us, and entertains us. It connects us as a people in ways prior generations could never have dreamed. But all too frequently, marketers with raw ambition aim to catapult their campaigns into fresh, new territories simply to be the newest or the most different, all without a clear motive in mind.

Innovation is perhaps the cornerstone of our modern society, and for good reason. Innovation helps us progress; it heals us, enriches us, and entertains us. It connects us as a people in ways prior generations could never have dreamed. But all too frequently, marketers with raw ambition aim to catapult their campaigns into fresh, new territories simply to be the newest or the most different, all without a clear motive in mind.

Perhaps one of the biggest buzzwords across industries today, innovation is the driving force of thousands of initiatives embarked upon each year by companies and their marketing teams, big and small. Yet for the thousands of new companies and products put forth into the marketplace, very few stick around long enough to make a huge impact in the way we as humans live our lives. That’s because most self-proclaimed innovators are eagerly in pursuit of the what without a truly impassioned why.

Simon Sinek outlines this point very poignantly with his concept of the Golden Circle. Perhaps the key takeaway from Sinek’s concept is this: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” 

As an agency, we work to develop strategies for our clients that expand on this very principle. We recommend our clients aim to answer the following before they embark on any new marketing or branding campaign. Not only does it allow them to get to the root of the why behind their innovational work, but it also saves them the hassle of needing to realign an already in-motion project later down the line:

1. Why is my company important or special to its industry?*
   
2. Why should a customer choose my product over others in the marketplace, and what benefits does my product have over the competition?
   
3. Why should existing and potential customers align themselves with my company?
   

*This is perhaps one of the most important questions your company could ever hope to answer because it is the single-most important factor in assessing your necessity and relevance to your industry.

Innovation is an intangible what, qualitative in nature, and therefore cannot be measured by the numerical data you’ll no doubt reference to assess your campaign’s success. Thus, innovation on its own will not suffice as a motivational tool for any initiative. 

Instead, consider the ultimate customer experience that could be had with your brand and the output from your innovational endeavor. Ultimately, you most likely want to enhance the user’s life in one way or another. But how, and again, why? 

For this reason, we believe that at every step of the brand development process, checking the pulse of a project’s decisions is crucial. The appropriate answer to any choice driving a creative or content process should never be “because that’s what everyone else is doing”. Riding the coattails of another shop’s innovation will always, without fail, lead you farther away from what’s truly authentic for your company, and lead you closer to the clutter.

In marketing, like in life, it’s often all too tempting to take the road of least resistance. At the end of the day, opting to ride the coattails of another organization means one essential thing for your brand: someone else is not only in the lead (leaving you in its shadow), but that leader is also in the driver’s seat, dictating the journey for yours, despite the inherent company to company idiosyncrasies.

And so, we believe that only by first identifying the why behind your company’s what can your organization truly experience authentic brand growth. When people can align themselves with your company’s values and innovational spirit, they will care about your company’s output.

We believe the key reason to buck the trends lies in that very point. The things that make your company unique to its industry are the very points that justify your company’s existence and relevance to its market. But in marketing, foregoing the tried and true in search of a new idea or way of communicating with consumers can mean the difference between a campaign that merely satisfies the status quo and one that is truly groundbreaking.

We're honored to have received an Innovator Award from Summit International's Emerging Media Awards (EMA) in the Real Estate/Neighborhood/Community Website category for our re-brand of Linda May Properties. But the reason why we're proud to have received 'Innovator' might surprise you.

We're honored to have received an Innovator Award from Summit International's Emerging Media Awards (EMA) in the Real Estate/Neighborhood/Community Website category for our re-brand of Linda May Properties. But the reason why we're proud to have received 'Innovator' might surprise you.

The Real Value of Receiving 'Innovator'

We enter these meritorious international competitions frequently; We want our work reviewed by some of the world's best design, marketing, interactive media, and branding professionals because we know that each of the major competitions has high standards of excellence. Holding our work up to these high standards helps us to grow. This latest award is tangible proof that we're at the top of the best brand development firms out there. Our participation helps hold us accountable to our own high standards, and to our clients, and that is extremely gratifying.

The other aspect of gaining endorsements from the major competitions is that it provides us with the opportunity to celebrate our client relationships and our clients' own excellence. For example, our web branding of Linda May Properties — a luxury real estate company in Beverly Hills that has been in the top 1% for the last 12 years — has not only earned the Summit EMA Innovator Award, but also a MarCom Awards Platinum, the Davey Awards Silver for Visual Appeal, a W3 Awards Silver for Creative Excellence on the Web, and Interactive Media Awards Best In Class in the Real Estate category. Our clients are at the forefront of every win. When STARMEN wins these awards, our clients gain accolades, and increased exposure as well.

Pushing the Bounds of Creative Excellence

Summit's Emerging Media Awards are threefold: Visionary, Innovator, and Leader. Winning Innovator is even more precious given the fact that Summit's 2014 Emerging Media Awards cycle included over 1,200 entries from numerous countries, with only a mere 7% of entrants earning recognition.

"The Summit Emerging Media Awards (Summit EMA) evolved through a need to recognize and celebrate creativity, innovation and those pushing the bounds of creative excellence in all forms of emerging media," states the Summit International Awards website.

The EMA is open to marketers, coders, designers, developers, innovators, visionaries, and leaders in the exciting realm of digital media. The EMA recognizes entries that introduce new methods, as well as entrants who are thought leaders in emerging media, and demonstrate excellence on the web via apps, videos, mobile sites, and social media.

Summit provides the theatre for boutique firms to compete on a global stage with its international panel of judges, and entries from all over the world. Judges (representing small, medium, and large firms) and universities, all recognized in their fields, hail from institutions and specialties the world over.

All said, this year we're planning to continue to submit our work to the major award entities for invaluable feedback and validation. As a solution-oriented agency, we love helping clients transform challenges into opportunities. And who knows? Maybe the work we do for you will earn prestigious recognition too!

Contact us today to kick-start a future campaign win.

We believe that the only way to predict the future is to create it. And at our core, we are an agency dedicated to the creation of positive change through strategic brand development.

We believe that the only way to predict the future is to create it. And at our core, we are an agency dedicated to the creation of positive change through strategic brand development.

In 2015, we want to find even more ways to bring positivity and success to our clients, specifically in the way of branding. Our approach to business design and brand building will include more diverse and intensive marketing strategies, bolder brand stories, and more personal digital experiences. Whether you are a start-up, consumer product, B2B enterprise, or a non-profit, branding affects how customers perceive and relate to your brand.

Our 4 Guiding Principles to Making Brands Work in 2015:

Sharing Compelling Brand Stories

When it comes to branding, one thing hasn't changed in decades, if not centuries of advertising: compelling brand stories are crucial to success. Growth takes strategy, and every strategy needs a compelling story to heighten emotion that results in a desired preference. We continue to strive to create wonderful, entertaining, inspiring and unforgettable brand stories for our clients with the use of top-notch copywriting, design, research, and technology that evokes emotion. So, as 2015 brings even more innovative and memorable digital advancements to the forefront of our culture, we will embrace them wholeheartedly for the good of ourselves and those who trust us to build and grow their brands.

Humanizing the Digital Experience

Our narrative continues to support the idea that branding and design is all about getting personal. Getting hands-on is always a challenge in this exciting digital age, but we plan to accept the challenge and come out on top. In a crowded marketplace, companies should always be looking for ways to connect emotionally with customers, and to become irreplaceable. We will focus closely on collaboration this year so that we can discover and utilize the best ideas from listening to our partners - not just hearing them. Some of the best ideas for our strategies synchronize a personal connection between consumers and our work. At the height of every campaign, we want to feel the satisfaction of knowing that we've sparked a real, positive emotional response in the hearts of our audience.

Mobilizing Brand Experience

Creative genius can strike on variety of wavelengths or devices, anywhere - anytime. Yes, it is totally possible, and we offer ourselves as proof. When you work with great clients like we do, it's easy to come up with awesome ideas day-in and day-out - but without the ability to share content and brand stories, what good are they? This year, we want to work our existing creative process into new, mobile-based strategies. The more, the merrier!

Design Thinking Fuels Strategic Innovation

Design thinking is the search for the magical balance between business and art; structure and chaos; intuition and logic; concept and execution; playfulness and formality; and control and empowerment. It's all about creative ideas - and then knowing how to execute on them. We have the resources, the ideas and the knowledge. And this year we will continue to build powerful strategies that benefits both our clients and our team so that the question always remains, "That worked well! What's next?"

Looking Ahead

Has your company evaluated its 2015 branding goals? When you collaborate with us, you'll be at the forefront of your industry when it comes to understanding and deciding when branding is needed, and if a rebranding is the best option. We want to help you create the new standardization in the midst of a creative ever-changing culture.

What are your big branding challenges this year and how may we help you? Contact us here https://www.starmenusa.com/contact

Read more on our blog http://www.starmenusa.com/blog/

We are deeply honored to have won MarCom’s Platinum and Gold in the website category. Our web branding of Linda May Properties — a consistent award-winner — took the Platinum, while our website for Anoush Catering —another frequent award winner — earned the Gold.

We are deeply honored to have won MarCom’s Platinum and Gold in the website category. Our web branding of Linda May Properties — a consistent award-winner — took the Platinum, while our website for Anoush Catering —another frequent award winner — earned the Gold.

Accuracy, Fairness and Credibility

From individuals to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies, the MarCom Awards is the largest of its kind in the world with over 6,000 entries each year. The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) provides the judges, who are known for their accuracy, fairness, and credibility. Even professional organizations that run their own competitions enter their work in the MarCom Awards which is a true testament to MarCom’s reputation.

One notable difference between the MarCom Awards and other competitions is that the application process does not require any written description of the project’s value by the entrants, because the judges want to base their perception of the creative excellence and value of the entry on the entry itself, rather than on the entrant’s imaginative description of the project’s value.

Judging Criteria: Quality, Creativity and Resourcefulness

With MarCom, the size and reputation of the entrants don’t matter, as the work is judged on its merit alone. The entry’s perceived budget is also taken into consideration by the judges. There’s something really thrilling about accomplishing a lot with less, as well as the innovative use of resources at hand.

Judging takes place over an intense, two-month period in ‘judging rooms’ in Washington, D.C. and Dallas, Texas. The judges are senior-level, experienced marketing professionals who are either freelancers or have their own company.

It’s All About Brand Strategy

Linda May Properties’ branding challenge was that they’ve been Coldwell Banker’s top luxury real estate seller for years, which made them the primary target of their competition (and the competition’s increasing digital agility). Linda May Properties needed to refresh their brand in the minds and hearts of their existing and potential clienteles, and increase engagement with their audience. We were compelled to create the extraordinary “Live Your Luxury” experience for visitors to the website — the web videos we produced were of primary importance to this end.

Anoush Catering had a different sort of branding challenge, in that its sister company, LA Banquets, an event venue company, was well-known, but people didn’t realize that Anoush catered offsite events, too. Anoush needed to make sure their target audience understood the robust catering side of their business. Our approach included a visual focus on Anoush’s fusion fare, most of which is based on Mediterranean cuisine, and on their offsite venues.

Transforming Challenges to Golden Opportunities

We say, “Bring it on!” No matter what your branding challenge may be, there is a powerful solution. We’ll take that challenge head on, and turn it into an opportunity for your brand identity to convey you clearly and engagingly. That positions you to be as good as you truly are, which compels your targets to take action. We’d be honored to help you meet your branding challenges for a stronger brand position.

Winning the Davey Awards’ Silver for Visual Appeal is thrilling, but the visual appeal of our “Live Your Luxury” campaign for Linda May Properties — a top 1% international luxury real estate team in Beverly Hills — is only the tip of the branding-berg. Nine-tenths of the campaign lies in its cohesive strategy, designed to compel people to feel Linda May Properties' expertise within the luxury real estate industry, along with their personalized care, and their “always on” mentality.

Winning the Davey Awards’ Silver for Visual Appeal is thrilling, but the visual appeal of our “Live Your Luxury” campaign for Linda May Properties — a top 1% international luxury real estate team in Beverly Hills — is only the tip of the branding-berg. Nine-tenths of the campaign lies in its cohesive strategy, designed to compel people to feelLinda May Properties' expertise within the luxury real estate industry, along with their personalized care, and their “always on” mentality.

The Largest and Most Prestigious Awards Competition for the “Davids” of Creativity

In its 10th year, the Davey Awards honors the best web, design, video, advertising, and mobile from small firms worldwide. The advertising and interactive agencies that entered their creative in the Davey Awards cannot exceed $25 million in annual billings.

The Judges and the Judging

The Davey is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. AIVA members include executives from organizations such as Condé Nast, Disney, GE, Keller Crescent, Microsoft, Monster.com, MTV, Push, Publicis, Sesame Workshops, The Marketing Store, Worktank, Yahoo!, and many more.

The judges evaluate the distinctiveness of each entrants’ creative, and award both gold and silver in each the different categories.

One Big Idea and a Little Rock

The Davey Awards statuette — approximately one foot tall and 5 pounds — is custom-designed and handcrafted to represent a modern interpretation of the David and Goliath story icons, a fitting tribute to the accomplishment of all of the Davey winners. As Davey Awards states, “one big idea and a little rock” can fearlessly slay a giant brand identity challenge.

In the case of our campaign for Linda May Properties, the informiddable giant was its own sustained success, which had ‘inspired’ its competition to step up its game. Our client needed to remain visible and audible to its existing clients, while attaining and holding onto potential clients in the digital realm. If you’re facing a giant (or three), let us know how we can help.

We’re exceptionally proud to have earned W3 Awards’ Silver for Creative Excellence on the Web for the videos we produced as part of our integrated branding campaign for Coldwell Bankers Realtors® Linda May Properties, a top 1% international luxury real estate team located in Beverly Hills.

We’re exceptionally proud to have earned W3 Awards’ Silver for Creative Excellence on the Web for the videos we produced as part of our integrated branding campaign for Coldwell Bankers Realtors® Linda May Properties, a top 1% international luxury real estate team located in Beverly Hills.

The W3 judged the videos on content, technical execution, implementation, and overall experience.

W3 Levels the Playing Field

When it comes to the W3 Awards, size doesn’t matter. The W3 is the first major web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms, and everyone in between. Small firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies and international agencies.

Sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), the W3 panel of judges is amassed from an elite group of professionals from the acclaimed media, interactive, advertising and marketing worlds. AIVA members include executives from AgencyNet, AvatarLabs, Big Spaceship, Block Media, Condé Nast, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Fry Hammond Barr, Microsoft, MTV Networks, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Wired, Yahoo! and many others. Simply put, the judges are highly qualified, which makes winning all the more significant.

The Challenge

The big challenge with branding Linda May Properties was that their success inspires the competition. They’ve been in the top 1% of Coldwell Bankers Realtors® internationally for the last 28 years. With the rise of social networkingand increasing industry shift toward the web, competing teams were beginning to implement a variety of technologies to enhance their brand exposure locally and internationally. Thus, our client needed an integrated, well-defined campaign — one that superseded those of the competition, in order to establish new clientele, and cultivate long-term relationships with existing clients.

The Key to Our Client’s Success Led Us to the Solution

Linda May Properties’ team, with each member playing a strategic role in ensuring a smooth process from client inquiry to beyond the close of escrow, is its key differentiator. People buy from people, and if there is an entire team of experts working on the client’s behalf as is the case at Linda May, all the better.

To position their brand, we created videos that introduced their core team of experts with complete transparency. It was this opacity that painted an instantly embraceable portrait of their unwavering customer care, personalized attention to detail, highest ethics, legal understanding, and unparalleled strategic marketing expertise in the field of luxury real estate.

This transparency personalizes the real estate experience, imprinting Linda May Properties’ brand in the hearts and minds of their target market, and winning us W3’s Silver for Creative Excellence on the Web.

All successful marketing initiatives begin with a comprehensive brand strategy focused on customer experience, which is why Linda May Properties’ brand identity has been so successful. In addition to earning W3’s Silver for Creative Excellence on the Web, our “Live Your Luxury” campaign for Linda May Properties won the 2014 Interactive Media Award’s™ Best In Class in the Real Estate category.

What are your big branding challenges, and how may we help you? We welcome you to let us know!

We’re deeply honored to have won Summit International Awards’ Platinum for Marketing Effectiveness in the website category for our branding of Anoush Catering, Southern California’s premier Mediterranean caterer.

We’re deeply honored to have won Summit International Awards’ Platinum for Marketing Effectiveness in the website category for our branding of Anoush Catering, Southern California’s premier Mediterranean caterer.

Beyond the Ordinary to the Extraordinary

Summit International Awards (SIA) was created to honor agencies that have exceeded the usual fare to create something truly impactful. SIA is one of the oldest and most prestigious organizations to administer marketing awards, using stringent evaluation criteria with blind judging processes.

The Judging Criteria

The judges evaluate whether the creative successfully influences, changes or reinforces the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of the target audience. The Marketing Effectiveness Award judges weighed the strength of both the big idea and the creative approach. They also took into account the strategic planning used to overcome barriers, as well as how the creative execution of the website moved the audience closer to action.

The Challenge

For the past 27 years, Anoush Catering has been well-known as the place to fulfill your catering and venue needs but remained unrecognized for its international, Mediterranean-inspired food. This challenge limited the Anoush business model from flourishing as a catering company outside of its sister company, LA Banquets (previously known as 'Anoush Banquet Halls'). With the rise of LA Banquets, Anoush needed a well-defined catering brand positioning to establish a new clientele outside of its venue business.

The Opportunity

With the introduction of its sister company, Anoush discovered an opportunity to maximize its catering business by repositioning itself as a qualified catering company that can serve alongside its available wedding venues and banquet halls, as well as partner exclusively with off-site venues.

The Solution

Our focus was on establishing the Anoush brand as a premier, full-service catering company for large-scale events, and to highlight their exceptional partnerships with notable venues across Southern California.

The strategy was to present Anoush’s credibility and recognition as a leader in providing quality food and event services. We also needed to highlight the Mediterranean culture without alienating a mainstream audience. We embraced Anoush’s values as a family-owned business, and their family-centered culture brand. Lastly, we needed to convey Anoush’s vibrant personality and enhance employee, chef, and partner engagement.

Anoush Catering’s website had to satisfy two criteria. First, it had to function as an online lead generation tool. To do this, we had to simplify the user’s experience in order to get them to contact Anoush as quickly as possible. The second, was to illustrate the Anoush story, and reinforce the brand's culture.

Well-Earned Platinum

We’re grateful for organizations like Summit International Awards. Their rigorous standards elevate our industry, as well as promote innovation.

The importance of brand development and strategy is so often overlooked, but in the case of Anoush Catering, strategic rebranding with business objectives overcame an enormous obstacle to expanding their business.

We feel extremely honored to have won the 2014 Interactive Media Awards™ Best In Class Real Estate category for the website and video we created for Linda May Properties. Entries were judged by an impressive lineup of IMC members, and submissions were scored for their usability, feature functionality, content, aesthetics, and cross-browser compatibility. The Best In Class title is only awarded to contenders that receive a close to perfect score on every scale.

We feel extremely honored to have won the 2014 Interactive Media Awards™ Best In Class Real Estate category for the website and video we created for Linda May Properties. Entries were judged by an impressive lineup of  IMC members, and submissions were scored for their usability, feature functionality, content, aesthetics, and cross-browser compatibility. The Best In Class title is only awarded to contenders that receive a close to perfect score on every scale.

IMC is a nonprofit organization founded by leading web professionals in New York City. Their mission is to promote the best practices, and push the leading edge in website design, application development, usability engineering, privacy protection, e-commerce security, accessibility, standards, advertising, publishing, and corporate communications.

Recognition Begins With Our Clients

Consistently ranked in the top 1% of Coldwell Banker Realtors® internationally, Linda May Properties needed to distinguish and exude their luxury brand of pristine standards, well-earned credentials, extraordinary experience, and unparalleled customer care. Linda May and her business partner, Guy Levy, asked us to develop a rebranding campaign that showcases their reputation as preeminent luxury real estate specialists. From understanding their target market to storyboards to messaging, we developed the "Live Your Luxury" campaign, which was adapted to their digital and traditional media touchpoints.

Every effort you make to communicate with your market either enhances or dulls their perception of your brand. In order for your company’s identity to stand out across all media platforms, an intentional and cohesive campaign is needed.

For Linda May Properties, we saw the website as “home base” for the "Live Your Luxury" campaign. This platform would best convey their team’s distinction, prominent name in real estate, and encourage interaction with its growing global audience. Utilizing a clean, media-centric layout, our team strategized to develop and produce a branded video series that communicated the team’s unique client-broker process, or, as Linda May herself refers to it – its philosophy.

Recognition Valued

The Best In Class Interactive Media Award™ is living proof that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Linda May Properties and our team of professionals converged to create something truly impactful.

To learn more about STARMEN’S award-winning work, click here.

Client satisfaction is our gold standard, but being recognized by the prestigious Hermes Creative Awards for our digital advertising work for One Dress A Day feels pretty wonderful, too. While client satisfaction is our real reward, we’re deeply appreciative that our work won a Hermes’ Gold. 

Client satisfaction is our gold standard, but being recognized by the prestigious Hermes Creative Awards for our digital advertising work for One Dress A Day feels pretty wonderful, too. While client satisfaction is our real reward, we’re deeply appreciative that our work won a Hermes’ Gold.

“Honoring the messengers and creators of traditional and emerging media,” the Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals. Hermes judges, members of the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), examine each entry from the standpoint of concept, writing, design, and media. The judges viewed and assessed over 5,500 entries in the 2014 competition. 

One Dress A Day is an online clothing retailer that aims to help foster better fashion decisions at a faster pace by releasing one new, unique dress each day of the year on its website. The award recognizes our work to create a digital campaign for the company's launch in 2013. We created the concept and design for the advertisement with the client's goals in mind to successfully launch the brand, stand out to viewers on websites, and drive traffic to the new site. As the featured advertisement on People.com, our campaign exceeded traffic expectations and sign-ups on the teaser site. These web leads created the initial user-base, and equipped One Dress A Day with the opportunity to further "win" the loyalty needed for their brand's growth.

Want to know how STARMEN helps brands earn awards? Contact us today to learn more. 

Brands are beginning to wrap around people in every which way. Much like a first introduction to another person, a consumer's relationship with your brand is launched from the first impression. So, what makes this initial interaction so memorable and impactful? When crafting a brand experience that people can identify with, it comes down to the integrated combination of business strategy and design. 

Brands are beginning to wrap around people in every which way. Much like a first introduction to another person, a consumer's relationship with your brand is launched from the first impression. So, what makes this initial interaction so memorable and impactful? When crafting a brand experience that people can identify with, it comes down to the integrated combination of business strategy and design. 

Take your street smarts — what you know about your customers, the market place, and everything else in between— and apply it to design. The world is cluttered with it (consumers can’t escape it). So, the challenge is to stand out from the noise. But how? With intelligent, well-thought out design concepts that leave the best first impression, as well as communicate properties in line with your business strategy.

The number of people who are embracing Instagram and Pinterest is exploding — even Twitter and Facebook are shifting to more dynamic, well-designed interfaces with a stronger emphasis on photos and videos — because visual content has the biggest impact.

However, design must marry business strategy in the art of visual communication. A brand might need to be adaptable, and appeal to a large range of clients, and that’s where the strategy might get a bit trickier. The goal then becomes to take the core of a brand, and communicate it in a way that appeals to a wide array of people. 

As the adage goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. People's immediate response to your brand design will influence them to either take action or walk away.  You can throw together a hip logo, but it’s only going to stick when it is communicating what is at the heart of your brand. Does your brand tell a visual story? Does it elicit a sentient response?

So, you know that expert design strategy is needed to create a powerful brand, but integrating your business strategy builds a strong foundation, from which you can launch all your marketing initiatives. We are a brand innovation factory, and possess the experience and knowledge required to merge your business strategy with design, so that you can reach your branding goals. Let’s talk.

The start of 2014 brought a wave of accomplishments at STARMEN. We’re pleased to share that our video for "Discover Your Path" won two Telly Award Bronzes for Best Promotional Branding and Cause Marketing.

The start of 2014 brought a wave of accomplishments at STARMEN. We’re pleased to share that our video for "Discover Your Path" won two Telly Award Bronzes for Best Promotional Branding and Cause Marketing.

The Telly Award is the premier award honoring the finest film and video productions, groundbreaking web videos, commercials and films, as well as outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs. Now in its 35th year, the Tellys are embracing an atypical judging process. Rather than competing against other work, entries are now being judged solely based on their creative merit as individual submissions. The judging panel consists of members from the Silver Telly Council, a distinguished group of media professionals dedicated to upholding the fundamentals upon which the competition was established. Another intriguing detail about the Telly Awards is that its trophy statuettes are designed by the same firm that does the Oscars and Emmys.

Our video for "Discover Your Path" was also awarded Best In Class at the 2013 Interactive Media Awards. Check out the case study, here.

Creating award-winning work is always our goal here at STARMEN, but when two of our clients, Hampton Inn and Discover Your Path, each earned a distinguished accolade in the Interactive Media Awards we were particularly excited. Both organizations launched a revitalized website to highlight their refreshed brand identity, and we’re so glad to have been involved in each of these respective endeavors.

Creating award-winning work is always our goal here at STARMEN, but when two of our clients, Hampton Inn and Discover Your Path, each earned a distinguished accolade in the Interactive Media Awards we were particularly excited. Both organizations launched a revitalized website to highlight their refreshed brand identity, and we’re so glad to have been involved in each of these respective endeavors.

Check in at Hampton Inn

When Hampton Inn approached us about redesigning their website, we wanted to assess their objectives for consideration during the design process. The goal was to create a microsite linking to Hilton’s booking system that would increase online bookings, and further enhance their digital presence. The new site specifically aimed to distinguish the Sherman Oaks location as a unique destination by highlighting local attractions, and using bold hotel imagery.

We utilized a clean layout with easy navigation to let potential guests easily find the information they were looking for. To help people get a feel for the Hampton experience, we added photo galleries for all room types and amenities. We then took it a step further, and incorporated interactive tours for every room so users can enjoy a virtual 360 before even checking in. We’re thrilled that the new site earned the Outstanding Achievement Award for Travel/ Tourism by the IMAs!

Discovering yourself with DYP

When faced with adversity, what’s the best thing to do? According to former Olympian contender, Heather Hennessy Howell, and Dodgers pitcher, JP Howell, you should stay positive, and exercise your strength to overcome life’s obstacles. This dynamic duo have triumphed over some incredibly difficult personal challenges, the culmination of which inspired them to co-found Discover Your Path (DYP). DYP encourages youth to achieve their goals by making good decisions, and staying focused.

Heather and JP wanted to share their journeys in a highly visual way, so we produced a branded video that lets users “Discover DYP.” Along with the video, we rolled out ‘PathPacks’ — a kit with t-shirts, journals, and other swag, including daily reminders to remain on a positive path. The website also features tools to help kids get involved, and connect with each other’s stories. DYP’s rebranded website earned IMA’s Best in Class title in the IMA Charity category!

Congratulations to Hampton Inn and Discover Your Path on these prestigious achievements!

Check out our newly remodeled offices featured on OfficeSnapshots.com, a popular blog that reaches more than 300,000 readers each month from around the globe. Office Snapshots showcases architecture and design firms who have recently completed office projects.

Enjoy!

Photography by our friend Vince Robbins

STARMEN realized they needed a space that reflected their vision for the company: a creative lab that would encourage forward-thinking creativity, while honoring their distinct location in a historic building on Hollywood Blvd. The transformation, over the course of four months, took their modest 1,000 square foot operation, and opened it up into a lofty 2,500 square foot space, complete with an immaculately modern conference room, a communal “creative laboratory,” and an open floor-plan for their entry lobby and reception area. Generally muted/neutral colors are complimented with well-chosen vibrant colors sparsely placed throughout; the decor reflects a sense of modern minimalism with a few artifacts and images that highlight the historic epicenter of Hollywood.

Sleek, clean design with exposed light bulbs, modern furniture, and defined straight lines throughout common area.

Hanging trophy shelf display containing dozens of various awards for design, communications and strategy.

Reclaimed wood reception desk.

Retro artifacts including antique typewriter, vintage radio, and cash register.

Oversized wall print of the Hollywood hills including vintage “Hollywoodland” sign of the 1920’s (to compliment the offices stunning view of the current Hollywood sign).

Large whiteboards and glass surfaces in every room to encourage creative brainstorming and idea sharing.

Lobby projection wall with rotating imagery and information that reflects up-to-date industry happenings.

Creative “laboratory” with communal workspace, reclaimed laboratory lamps, and a life- sized wall print of Thomas Edison’s former lab.

Original dark hardwood floors that contrast with the openness of the walls, windows, and art work.

View the full article, here, on OfficeSnapshots.com, a popular blog that reaches more than 300,000 readers each month from around the globe. Office Snapshots showcases architecture and design firms who have recently completed office projects.

Enjoy!

Photography by our friend Vince Robbins

We picked up 3 silver trophies recently at the 2013 W3 Awards and Davey Awards, demonstrating our versatility in creative brand marketing.

We picked up 3 silver trophies recently at the 2013 W3 Awards and Davey Awards, demonstrating our versatility in creative brand marketing.

The W3 Awards and the Davey Awards both received over 4,000 entries from dozens of countries. The W3s honor excellence in websites, web marketing, and web video, while the Daveys pay homage to the best small firms, agencies and companies around the globe. Both competitions are judged by the International Academy of Visual Arts, a members-only organization of leading creative professionals. The IAVA is a virtual ‘who’s who’ among the entertainment and advertising industry, including Condé Nast, Disney, GE, Keller Crescent, Microsoft, Monster.com, MTV, Publicis, and Yahoo.

Hampton Inn & Suites

W3 Awards: Silver Winner, Websites- Hotel and Lodging

As part of the renowned Hilton Hotels brand, Hampton Inn wanted a unique website that would help distinguish them from other hotels, and increase online visibility. We designed and developed a microsite that linked to Hilton’s booking system and highlighted the hotel’s local attractions, complete with new photo galleries, and interactive 360-degree virtual tours. 

Minus Zero "Results. Finally."

Davey Awards: Silver Winner, Online Film and Video - Videography/Cinematography

When Minus Zero set out to refresh their brand identity, one element we had to include on their new website homepage was a video to immediately inform users about the company's mission and vision. The video needed to support the brand ideology of “Leaving Nothing to Chance,” so we incorporated a few key clips of CEO Sabastian Huynh with poignant imagery and audio.

Tamrac.com

Davey Awards: Silver Winner, Websites - Consumer Products/Services

A leading manufacturer of camera bags, Tamrac approached us for a refreshed website, which would easily guide photographers through the purchasing decision. We built a customized platform with an interactive product catalog, dealer locator, and dealer login resource center. The result was a visually inspiring experience, and one we’re proud of. 

These wins come on the heels of a few noteworthy events here at STARMEN. We were recently featured in the LA Business Journal, and had a party at our newly renovated offices, celebrating our growth as an agency. As we close out 2013, a year that has brought us new challenging projects, we look forward to an exciting 2014.

We are so grateful for everyone on our team who made these award-winning projects come to life, and, of course, none of it would be possible without our amazing clients who continue to push us to do our best!

MARKETING: STARMEN ditches fixed-rate jobs for retainer relationships.

MARKETING: STARMEN ditches fixed-rate jobs for retainer relationships.

STARMEN is excited to announce that our work with charitable organization Discover Your Path has recently been awarded the Gold award in the latest cycle of the International Competition for Marketing & Communications Professionals (also known as the MarCom Awards). While this isn’t the first award this endeavor has received, the receipt of a Gold MarCom brings with it a very special, very gratifying sort of satisfaction.

STARMEN is excited to announce that our work with charitable organization Discover Your Path has recently been awarded the Gold award in the latest cycle of the International Competition for Marketing & Communications Professionals (also known as the MarCom Awards). While this isn’t the first award this endeavor has received, the receipt of a Gold MarCom brings with it a very special, very gratifying sort of satisfaction.

For over two decades, the MarCom statuette has endured as a very esteemed symbol of distinction within the marketing and communications industries. The MarCom Awards is the largest competition of its kind with over 6,000 entry submissions received and evaluated each year, and its trophy graces the shelves and cases of some of the most prominent firms in the world. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t clarify that this award’s lofty prestige isn’t the only reason we’re celebrating!

First and foremost, we’re pleased at the opportunity to honor our clients at Discover Your Path with yet another esteemed distinction. Having also received the Best in Class title from the 2013 Interactive Media Awards, Discover Your Path is the brainchild of former Olympic contender Heather Hennessy Howell and Dodgers pitcher JP Howell. The nonprofit organization aims to inspire youth to set and attain goals through sound decision-making. The Howells tasked our team with reappropriating their online presence with a fresh design that would lend itself further in the encouragement of the children they work with. The components we produced included a new brand identity, an intuitive, user-friendly site design, a branded video inviting users to “Discover DYP”, as well as PathPacks, bundles of promotional material featuring daily reminders that were given out at Dodger games to further encourage choosing a positive path. These components combined created a truly powerful directive, and we’re extremely proud that the work continues to receive such prestigious recognition.

As a branding agency based in Hollywood, we're aware that you don't always need an excuse to party. But sometimes you have a solid reason to celebrate, and here at STARMEN, we certainly do! 

After scoring over 12 design awards this year, we wanted to pause and thank the people who made it all possible- our clients and creative team. Their support allows us to do what we love and take risks. To show our appreciation, we hosted a private event for a night of Re/VISION, a chance to celebrate the past and preview our future with the people who matter most to us.

As a branding agency based in Hollywood, we're aware that you don't always need an excuse to party. But sometimes you have a solid reason to celebrate, and here at STARMEN, we certainly do! 

After scoring over 12 design awards this year, we wanted to pause, and thank the people who made it all possible- our clients and creative team. Their support allows us to do what we love, and take risks. To show our appreciation, we hosted a private event for a night of Re/VISION, a chance to celebrate the past, and preview our future with the people who matter most to us.

In addition to honoring our clients and team, we were excited to present our recently remodeled office. We wanted to complement the historic features of our building by fusing some elements of classic Hollywood into the decor. Since the area has such a rich history and background, we decided to reach out to the people who know the area best - the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. They put us in touch with a company that dug through their archives to unearth the perfect photos for our walls. Originally shot back in 1923, these images were scanned at a high resolution to create custom black and white landscapes. The aerial view of the Hollywoodland sign is a trip back in time, and we have no doubt that Harry Chandler, the LA Times publisher who built the sign, would be proud to see his work displayed on our lobby wall. Though the sign was a $21,000 billboard for Chandler's real estate development, and has since evolved in both appearance and meaning, its iconic message will always remain: "This is a place where magic is possible, where dreams can come true."

It's All About the Details

As a design agency, we believe that love is in the details. Some of our favorite details in the office are ones that adorn the lobby. And most of them are functional, in addition to being artful and unique. The vintage Vista 500 tube radio that sits among our bookshelves provides an ambiance that hasn't been felt for over 50 years. The new acoustic gramophone also radiates tunes as an iPad is nested inside (a great blend of vintage and modern technology). Our 1920s cash register did likely function at one point, but now collects glances instead of bills, and weighs a lot more than you would guess. An old typewriter reminds us that instead of typing away on our smooth iMacs, our industry's ancestors once used those bold, bulky keys for communication.

The Dramatic Before and After Changes

During construction, we knocked down the wall to our neighboring suite, and created a fresh and open floor plan, complete with a new lobby and lounge area, creative lab, and meeting room.

STARMEN looks forward to continued growth, and an even bigger office to accompany that growth in the years to come!

We feel very grateful that as our team here at STARMEN grows, so does our awards list! We recently received 2 Summit awards for our work with Minus Zero and DirecTV.

We feel very grateful that as our team here at STARMEN grows, so does our awards list! We recently received 2 Summit awards for our work with Minus Zero and DirecTV.

Since 1994, the Summit Creative Awards has enabled creative firms to receive the recognition they deserve. This international advertising competition offers participants a unique opportunity to showcase their talents alongside similarly positioned agencies, and to have their work judged by experts in the advertising field. This year, the Summit Awards received entries from over 50 countries across 5 continents. The competition is geared toward smaller and mid-size agencies that produce great work, but are normally overshadowed by large companies with significant budgets. The Summit Awards gives smaller agencies a chance to earn some deserved recognition among their industry peers.

Submissions were judged on concept and execution in design, broadcast, and interactive media by judging panels comprised of industry professionals from across the globe. Judges included entities like Wieden & Kennedy, Tribal DDB, Grey Advertising, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Y&R, The Art Institute, New York University, Leo Burnett, Ogilvy & Mather, and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Gold Award: Minus Zero, Product/Service Promotion Video

Minus Zero recently approached us to redesign and rebrand their online presence. In addition to refreshing their identity, we developed, filmed, and edited a video to be featured on their new website homepage. The video introduces users to the company’s CEO, Sabastian Hunyh, and gives a brief overview about Minus Zero.

Our objective for the video was to create a story-driven piece that would help define the brand, and engage users on the new website. We steered clear of the dry “corporate” video feel, and instead captured the essence of their new identity: passionate, exuberant, and results oriented. The executives we were targeting don’t merely sit behind desks — they embrace a sports-like mentality, love taking risks, and are design-oriented.

To showcase these attributes, we incorporated a few key points from their “Leaving Nothing to Chance” brand platform, and combined them with bold images, clips, and audio. The result was a visually-rich portrait of Minus Zero that we’re proud of, and it marks our first award for video production!

Silver Award: DirecTV, Entertainment website (Roguemedia.tv microsite)

When DirecTV launched their first television series, Rogue, they wanted a digital press kit that would give users a behind-the-scenes look at photos, cast/crew bios, and full episodes. We created a microsite to match the dark and ominous tone of the show using a “skeuomorphic” approach with textures like paperclips, manila folders, and wood. DirecTV also wanted the site to be viewable from mobile devices, so we implemented an adaptive design with a custom content management system. See the work, here.

We are grateful to have such an amazing roster of clients, as well as the talented team to support them. Creating award-winning work is always our goal, so we are grateful for these two recent awards from the Summit International Awards!

The way you learn it in marketing school, marketing is a science. How could it not be, with all that jargon that puts everything into neat compartments? Unique Selling Proposition. Positioning. Niches. The four Ps. The Marketing Mix. All those rules of advertising and copywriting. Close fast and early.

The way you learn it in marketing school, marketing is a science. How could it not be, with all that jargon that puts everything into neat compartments? Unique Selling Proposition. Positioning. Niches. The four Ps. The Marketing Mix. All those rules of advertising and copywriting. Close fast and early.

So if marketing is a science, how come some people do it better than others?

Scientific method says, in essence, that if two researchers do the same experiment in the same way, they should get the same result. When that happens a couple of times, then the first person who did it is said to be scientifically correct. Does that happen in marketing?

Of course not.

But we all have the same tools. Market research. Public relations. Publications, such as brochures and newsletters. Seminars and speeches. Advertising. Direct mail and telemarketing. Even networking.

We all know the same things to do. Publicity. Newsletters and brochures. Niche marketing. Client surveys. And so on.

Yet, all results are not equal. Some firms emerge as giants, and others, including those that started in business at the same time as the giants, either go out of business or are still two-professional firms.

Why? What are the variables that make a difference in the same thing?

Or then, too, maybe marketing isn't a science. Maybe it's an art.

Maybe one firm, in looking at its markets and its market research, understands better what it sees than does its competitors. Maybe one firm, more than others, is better able to relate the needs of the marketplace to what it does in its own practice.

Or the public relations director of one firm is more imaginative than his or her colleagues in other firms, or better understands what the media want and the process of supplying that want, or is more truly conversant in the language of the firm's profession -- and so gets more publicity for his firm than his or her counterparts get for theirs.

Or the marketing director or partner of one firm has a broader view of potential markets than can be defined in simplistic niche marketing. Or one firm understands better than others how to use seminars more effectively as business tools. Or the partners of a firm are more organized in pursuing contacts with bankers or lawyers or accountants who are in a position to recommend business, and are better trained and enabled in converting prospects into clients.

Ah, that's the art of it. Not the jargon. Not the words.

True, even art has formal structures, and basics that must be learned. But in the final analysis, it's the art that wins, not the formal structure and the jargon.

If you want to succeed in marketing, then, don't hire the scientist. Hire the artist.

This article was reposted with permission from Bruce W. Marcos, via the Marcus Letter.

It’s been a warm summer, and things are hot over here at STARMEN. Right on the heels of the Horizon Awards, STARMEN was awarded 7 trophies from the 19th annual Communicator Awards! The competition receives entries from both small and large agencies from all over the globe. Self-touted as “the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence among communications professionals,” the Communicator Awards received over 6,000 entries this year. Winners were chosen based on quality of the entry, regardless of company or agency size or project budget.

It’s been a warm summer, and things are hot over here at STARMEN. Right on the heels of the Horizon Awards, STARMEN was awarded 7 trophies from the 19th annual Communicator Awards! The competition receives entries from both small and large agencies from all over the globe. Self-touted as “the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence among communications professionals,” the Communicator Awards received over 6,000 entries this year. Winners were chosen based on quality of the entry, regardless of company or agency size or project budget.

The competition is overseen and judged by the International Academy of Visual Arts, an exclusive organization comprised of 600+ executives from marketing, advertising, and media firms. IAVA members include professionals from Condé Nast, Coach, Disney, MTV Networks, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Time, Inc, Victoria's Secret, Wired, and Yahoo. Another cool detail about this particular competition is the fact that the trophies are made by RS Owens, the company that produces the Oscar and Emmy awards!

We were also psyched to see our integrated design efforts score some recognition. We won silver trophies for corporate identity in the logo and package design categories, as well as brochure design. Creatively-designed packaging and brochures help make brands more memorable, and we’re proud that both our interactive and traditional branding efforts earned a spot on our growing list of award-winning achievements:

Check out the winners!

• Chadburry - Gold Winner, Fashion Websites Category

Chadburry is a European-based fashion designer and manufacturer of handcrafted menswear, and won in the Fashion Websites category. (click to view website)

• 1999 Avenue of the Stars - Silver Winner, Real Estate Websites Category

1999 boasts an exclusive real estate hotspot in Century City, and took home a win for Real Estate Websites. (click to view website)

• Esmond Natural - Silver Winner, Corporate Identity Print Category

Esmond Natural embraces an “East meets West” approach to their nutritional supplements, and won for Package Design in the Corporate Identity Print category. (click to view website)

• J/P Haitian Relief Organization - Silver Winner, Charitable Organization/Non-Profit Websites Category

• Juel Park - Silver Winner, Visual Appeal Websites Category

Juel Park is a renowned designer of haute couture lingerie, catering to A-list celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, and won for Visual Appeal Websites. (click to view website)

• LA Banquets - Silver Winner, Corporate Identity Print Category

LA Banquets is a premiere banqueting destination in Los Angeles, and won for Brochure Design in the Corporate Identity Print category. (click to view website)

• Minus Zero - Silver Winner, Corporate Identity Print Category

Minus Zero offers corporate leadership and training to senior executives, and won for Logo Design in the Corporate Identity Print category. (click to view website)

Contact STARMEN today to start your own award-winning campaign.

After winding down an exciting 2012 with 12 trophies from the W3 Awards and Davey Awards, STARMEN is gearing up for summer on an equally bright note. We recently took home 4 wins from the 11th annual Horizon Interactive Awards! The international competition was created to recognize excellence in the interactive media field. This year, there was some tough competition, as the Horizon Awards received thousands of submissions from nearly all 50 states and 25 countries across the globe. 

We’re particularly thrilled about this recognition, not just because the statuettes are shiny and handsome, but because this competition embraces a unique approach to judging. The panelists aren’t just design experts — they’re our industry peers — other digital media professionals with varying skillsets and capabilities. In addition to an end-user panel, the judging crew included Creative Directors, Chris Nation of Hitcents and Flavio Masson, of 10012.com. That meant the designs couldn’t just look nice, they had to function well, and with purpose. Here at STARMEN, we always keep functionality at the forefront of our creative process. Aesthetics are meaningless unless they offer a creative and strategic solution. We are honored for the awards bestowed on us for our work on the following campaigns:

After winding down an exciting 2012 with 12 trophies from the W3 Awards and Davey Awards, STARMEN is gearing up for summer on an equally bright note. We recently took home 4 wins from the 11th annual Horizon Interactive Awards! The international competition was created to recognize excellence in the interactive media field. This year, there was some tough competition, as the Horizon Awards received thousands of submissions from nearly all 50 states and 25 countries. 

We’re particularly thrilled about this recognition, not just because the statuettes are shiny and handsome, but because this competition embraces a unique approach to judging. The panelists aren’t just design experts — they’re our industry peers — other digital media professionals with varying skillsets and capabilities. In addition to an end-user panel, the judging crew included Creative Directors, Chris Nation of Hitcents and Flavio Masson, of 10012.com. That meant the designs couldn’t just look nice, they had to function well, and with purpose. Here at STARMEN, we always keep functionality at the forefront of our creative process. Aesthetics are meaningless unless they offer a creative and strategic solution. We are honored for the awards bestowed on us for our work on the following campaigns:

And the awards go to...

J/P Haitian Relief Organization provides relief and emergency services in Haiti. Following the catastrophic earthquake in 2010, J/P HRO immediately stepped in with rescue efforts. In anticipation of their 2 year anniversary, J/P HRO partnered with us to launch a completely redesigned website. We focused on a new design and strategy for a web experience that would visually communicate the mission of the organization through film and video.

John Foley provides individual and corporate leadership training. Best known for their inspirational keynotes, the company has worked with some of the biggest brands worldwide. We are grateful to be a part of John's 'Glad To Be Here' team, and the experience challenged us to maximize our performance. The website gives readers a taste of what John’s incredible presentations can offer executive and management teams across industries.

Our Creative Director, Anthony Wiktor, designed an alternative movie poster for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln." Wiktor also designed a campaign around his creative concept, which was quite a contrast from the film's actual marketing campaign. "I wanted to use a darker tone to create a more dramatic visual that matched the feel of the film," says Anthony. The poster is now featured on the Lincoln movie website.

Win #4 is a Gold Award for our own website in the Self Promotional Website category.

Click here to read the full press release about the awards from the Horizon Interactive Awards.

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? No doubt, but it usually takes a lot of sweet talk to close the deal.

I'm talking about product marketing, of course. (I bet you thought this was a late Valentine's Day blog.) A lot of us do fall in love with products at an initial glance. Apple can make us crave an iWhatever before we know what it actually does. One glimpse of the Alfa Romeo 4C definitely got my Italian pulse racing. Of course, art and design-based products (fashion, furniture, even foods) can spark desire with just a picture.

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? No doubt, but it usually takes a lot of sweet talk to close the deal.

I'm talking about product marketing, of course. (I bet you thought this was a late Valentine's Day blog.) A lot of us do fall in love with products at an initial glance. Apple can make us crave an iWhatever before we know what it actually does. One glimpse of the Alfa Romeo 4C definitely got my Italian pulse racing. Of course, art and design-based products (fashion, furniture, even foods) can spark desire with just a picture.

It makes sense, since more of the human brain is wired for visual processing than for verbal processing. For us designers, it's likely much more. That's why social media is taking a visual turn: Donna Moritz at Socially Sorted created the following infographic (an image, of course) to illustrate this shift:

Those are some great stats with some great tips as well.

In the classic AIDA funnel, an attractive image can get the customer's Attention and Interest and even fill them with Desire, but getting customers to actually take Action usually requires much more, especially with complex, high-commitment products like cars. Sure, I love the new Alfa Romeo 4C, but even if I had the money to buy one right now, I'd want to read detailed comparisons between it and my other favorite Ferrari and Maserati models.

The same goes for products like real estate, vacation destinations, even designer outfits. The vast majority of us need to read more before we put down our money or sign on the bottom line. As a designer by training, I'm the first to hype the impact of visual media. You must have great photos and design in Web-based marketing — but don't throw out the words. You still need great writing to persuade commitment-phobes, justify premium pricing (particularly for startups and new products), and get customers to buy more. (Not to mention the fact that Google's search engine still favors basic text over images.)

In social media terms, I say yes, you should use great photography and designs on Pinterest or Facebook to entice customers. But when they click to the destination site, I encourage you to use all the words you need to sell the features, benefits, special offers, and your company brand and background.

That's because in marketing, as in romance, most people need a lot of words between love at first sight and saying "I do." Or as the Italians say... mi sono innamorato. I'm in love.

Through their "Create" campaign, Adonit, a cutting edge consumer creative-technology start-up, is redefining the way we think of "creators." By assembling a group of leading artists, designers, engineers, writers, educators and entrepreneurs, Adonit is seeking to highlight how people across the creative spectrum are using technology to expand productivity and creation in their respective crafts.

Through their "Create" campaign, Adonit, a cutting edge consumer creative-technology start-up, is redefining the way we think of "creators." By assembling a group of leading artists, designers, engineers, writers, educators and entrepreneurs, Adonit is seeking to highlight how people across the creative spectrum are using technology to expand productivity and creation in their respective crafts.

In the field of design, they're tapping into the visionary mind of Starmen's Creative Director, Anthony Wiktor, to better understand his unique creative process.

It's human nature to Create. Early on in life we seek out tools to help us grow ideas into reality. We start with crayons and building blocks, and later in life progress to paint brushes and protractors. We are more than consumers. We are all creators at heart, and to create in today’s digital world, we need tools that empower us to make, build, and develop our ideas. -Adonit.net

Anthony, who is featured in Adonit's new commercial, teamed up with the start-up to offer a fresh perspective on the concepts and practical technological application of graphic design, content strategy, and web development."I was honored to work with Adonit and I appreciate the opportunity to be recognized outside of my technical abilities," Anthony said, "first and foremost I'm a creator. I'm an artist."

Adonit absolutely agrees, and, in fact, this very idea as the springboard for their new campaign: "We believe creativity is found in more than just artists, painters, and musicians. Creators are anyone searching for new solutions to get more out of life."

Anthony's favorite Adonit tool is the JotFlip, a precision stylus and fine pen. Check out the full line of Adonit products at Adonit.net and start creating!!

Can you remember the last website you’ve visited? Unless it’s Facebook or another website you visit often, chances are you don’t remember much about it. 

There are 644 million active websites on the Internet, but most of these websites are so poorly designed that people don’t want to revisit them. Don’t be one of those websites! You want to create a memorable online experience for your visitors, and to have them keep coming back for more. 

Can you remember the last website you’ve visited? Unless it’s Facebook or another website you visit often, chances are you don’t remember much about it. 

There are 644 million active websites on the Internet, but most of these websites are so poorly designed that people don’t want to revisit them. Don’t be one of those websites! You want to create a memorable online experience for your visitors, and to have them keep coming back for more. 

Your website needs to be easy to navigate, as well as provide some value to your visitors. You can go the extra mile, and implement a few design tricks to make your visitors remember your website more than any other website with similar content. 

Here are 5 useful web design tips that can help you improve the overall customer experience on your website.

1. State your website's purpose in one or two sentences.

From Wholesalesuppliesplus.com

The average visitor spends 10-20 seconds on a website before leaving it. It’s your job to use that time to grab your visitors’ attention, and to make them stay on your site longer. What better way to do that than to tell them why they’re there? Use beautiful (but legible!) typography to clearly explain your website in a sentence or two, and place it near the top of the website. To increase the chances of it being read, you can bold, color, or italicize the text. Nothing makes a visitor leave faster than a website that forces them to scroll around to look for its purpose.

2. Create a catchy, memorable URL.

Okay, this one isn’t exactly a design element, but it’s such a good trick that we don’t want to exclude it from the list. People almost always remember a catchy URL. For example, if you’re selling snowboards, you could go with something like 'addictedtosnow.com.' Sure beats a dull URL like onlinestore.com/products/snowboards, doesn’t it? If you already have a URL, you could still create a catchy one, and redirect it to your original site. 

3. Add personality to your website.

From Zipcar.com

Your company or product's personality should be immediately and prominently communicated on your home page. Some of the best websites out there have some sort of personality or theme throughout the site. Even Google has one! If your website is purely informational, people won’t identify with it, and they’ll end up forgetting it. You want to engage your visitors, and let them know what kind of personality your brand has. You can incorporate some personality into your website with the colors, pictures, or even the overall design itself. 

4. Great photography.

From McDonalds.com

Using photos as a design element and central piece in web design is a great way to visually communicate your message to the viewers as well as adding more depth into the design. The two most popular ways of using photos in a web layout are using a large photo as your background, and using a "key" photo as the central focus on the page such as Apple.com. Remember, when using photos in your layout, they can really give your website an added visual element, as well as depth and space. On the other side of things, if the photo is of poor quality, clichè or unappealing, it can bring down the entire look of the web page.

Include captions for your images.

Did you know that people read image captions more than they read anything else? People often read image captions to judge whether or not the related content is worth reading. Make your captions witty and memorable!

5. Use bold, light colors.

From Babyclothes.com

A website with a light foreground on top of a light background often looks clean and simple. That makes the viewer feel at ease, and makes navigation easier. Typically, people prefer and stay longer on sites that use light colors and backgrounds as opposed to dark ones.

These are not inflexible rules, rather, they are insights based on our years of experience in designing websites. Ultimately, it’s your brand which will decide the best direction your website design should venture in.

Interested in learning more about how web design can improve your business?

Contact us, and see how we can improve it.

Our creative, hard-working team is proud of the 3 awards that STARMEN recently received in the 8th Annual 2012 Davey Awards. The wins were announced earlier this month in New York by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, the organization behind the Davey Awards.  

Our creative, hard-working team is proud of the 3 awards that STARMEN recently received in the 8th Annual 2012 Davey Awards. The wins were announced earlier this month in New York by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, the organization behind the Davey Awards.  

This honor comes on the heels of receiving 6 wins in the 2012 W3 Awards, and being named ‘Top Web Design Agency’ in Los Angeles by Web Designer Magazine. 

Self-touted as the "first major awards competition specifically for smaller firms", the Davey Awards pride themselves on acknowledging outstanding work from companies that have talent, but can't necessarily compete against industry "Goliaths." This year, the Daveys received almost 4,000 entries from agencies, firms, and companies across the globe. 

While the competition honors smaller firms, the awards are judged by an impressive roster of panelists that comprise the International Academy of Visual Arts. IAVA members include professionals from Yahoo!, Estee Lauder, Wired, Insight Interactive, The Webby Awards, Bath & Body Works, Brandweek, Polo Ralph Lauren, ADWEEK, Alloy, Coach, iNDELIBLE, MTV, Victoria’s Secret, HBO, and many others.

Head to www.daveyawards.com for a complete list of Davey winners and check out our award-winning websites below.

Chadburry.com: Gold for Best  Fashion Website

Chadburry's line of luxury men’s fashion is crafted in Europe using only the highest quality materials. Their modern and stylish essence is captured perfectly on their website, utilizing "Mr. Chadburry." 

Causetag.com: Silver for Best Charitable Organization/ Non-Profit Mobile Marketing

Causetag rewards both brands and retailers through their "Buy One, Give One" loyalty program. Customers are able to scan a code with their mobile device to participate, and every item donated by retailers is tax-deductible. 

We also won a Silver Davey for our very own website www.starmenusa.com!

Click here to read the full press release further describing these awards.

STARMEN’s site was recently featured on WebDesignLedger.com, one of the most popular blogs for web designers and Internet creatives. You can read more about it in 21 Examples of Big Photography in Web Design. We're so proud that starmenusa.com was considered "an excellent example" of web design, among many other beautiful examples.

STARMEN’s site was recently featured on WebDesignLedger.com, one of the most popular blogs for web designers and Internet creatives. You can read more about it in 21 Examples of Big Photography in Web Design. We're so proud that starmenusa.com was considered "an excellent example" of web design, among many other beautiful examples.

Our approach to web design, which you'll see in our work, has always included the extensive use of photography, as it is a good way to get your viewers’ attention, making your site memorable, as well as visually interesting.

Special thanks to the amazing Giselle Muller for submitting our site to the WebDesignLedger!

What an honor! We're excited to share that we've taken home 2 Gold Awards and 4 Silver Awards from the 7th Annual W3 Award Competition!

Check out the winners inside!

What an honor! We're excited to share that we've taken home 2 Gold Awards and 4 Silver Awards from the 7th Annual W3 Award Competition!

We're thrilled to share that we've been awarded with 2 Gold and 4 Silver Awards at the 7th Annual W3 Awards! The W3 is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms.

This year the W3 received over 3,000 entries from top companies and agencies worldwide. The W3 AWARDS honors outstanding websites, web marketing, web video, and mobile apps created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers, and creators worldwide. Being selected a W3 Winner is a tremendous achievement, and we are honored to receive these wins! 

These accolades follow STARMEN being named “#1 Rated Web-Design Agency in Los Angeles” by Web Designer Magazine earlier this summer.

Visit www.w3award.com for a complete list of W3 AWARD winners, and check out our award-winning websites below.

Chadburry.com: Gold for 'Best Fashion Website' and 'Best Visual Appeal'

Chadburry makes finely crafted, interesting, and unique menswear. The Swedish brand has a strong connection with the classical ideologies of precision tailoring, while also adopting a very modern view on texture, colour, and character. The fabrics are hand selected, and are manufactured in Europe.

JPHRO.org: Silver for ‘Best Charitable/Non-Profit Website’ and ‘Best Homepage Design’

J/P Haitian Relief Organization is dedicated to saving lives, and bringing sustainable programs to the Haitian people quickly and effectively. Following the devastating earthquake of 2010, J/P HRO began working immediately on the ground to make an impact in Haiti. J/P HRO works with both governmental and non-governmental agencies to deliver immediate results where the need is greatest.

Yellow is a cheerful color. Ask anybody. It’s bright, warm, and refreshing, just like the sun. It’s an innocent color…

Or is it?

Yellow is a cheerful color. Ask anybody. It’s bright, warm, and refreshing, just like the sun. It’s an innocent color…

Or is it?

Yellow is actually quite manipulative. It plays tricks on your brain. When you see yellow, your brain releases more serotonin – a chemical that naturally lifts your mood. Yellow makes you feel good… purposefully.

Yellow isn’t the only color that influences your mind. All colors do. Ever since the beginning of time, colors have been holding a lot of power over us – more power than you think. They evoke a lot of emotions from us, and it was only recently that marketers started taking advantage of that.  

Always pay attention to color when designing your brand.

Colors play a huge role in brand design. Gone are the days when a company could simply slap together a color scheme, and say, “That looks pretty, let’s use it.” Today, designing a brand takes a lot of thought, work, and manpower. In fact, there is an entire industry devoted to brand design, and color psychology plays a huge part in this end.

According to a 2004 study conducted by the Seoul International Color Expo, the color of a logo increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent. When asked about the importance of color when making purchasing decisions, 84.7 percent of total respondents admitted that color was one of the main reasons they chose one brand over another.

Green ketchup can teach us something.

Remember when Heinz made their ketchup green back in 2001? That caused the highest sales spike in Heinz’s history. The ‘EZ Squirt Blastin’ Green’ ketchup flew off the shelves during its first seven months on the market. More than 10 million bottles were sold. It didn’t matter whether the ketchup was Heinz or a store brand. It didn’t matter whether or not the ketchup contained preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup. It didn’t matter how much more expensive the ketchup was compared to another brand. People saw green ketchup, and they wanted it. 

Yes, green ketchup was different, but its success wasn’t attributed to the coolness factor. It’s because the ketchup was green. Green is a calming color that’s known to be associated with growth, nature, and wellness. Compare that to the standard color for ketchup, red – a color that provokes impulsiveness and excitement. While grocery shopping, if you had a choice between a food product that stimulated a faster heartbeat and rapid breathing or a food product that evoked feelings of healthiness and wholesomeness, which one would you choose?

Our biology cause us to react to color on an instinctual level.

Color is the very first thing people register instinctively when seeing your logo, website, product, or advertisement. It’s extremely important that you use the right colors to grab their attention, because, on average, most products have only one-twentieth of a second to hold a person’s interest before he or she moves on to the next one. If your color scheme seems displeasing or irrelevant to what your potential customers are looking for, you could lose them in a nanosecond. 

Color is, and will always be, a very powerful marketing tool because, in the words of Pablo Picasso, “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”

As an Illinois native and history buff since the 3rd grade, naturally I've had a fascination with one of the greatest political figures in American history, the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. 

When I found out Steven Spielberg was planning to make an epic film on the last days of his intense life, I knew it was going to be something big, iconic, something I wanted to be a part of, well... I got my chance. Entertainment Weekly released this first photo of Daniel Day-Lewis as 'Lincoln'. First, I was amazed at the resemblence of Day-Lewis' as the commander in chief and then excited because it was exactly the iconic image I knew would make for a great movie poster.

Click below... see the "one-sheet"! 

I'd long been planning to use my creative skills to interpret this legendary story of Lincoln to promote the film and I knew it would all start with an iconic image. Below you'll see the still from the film that was released, keep in mind at the time, a poster for the film had not been created. All I had was this image and a bunch of ideas to running through my mind. Below, you'll see how I created an iconic poster  or 'one-sheet' out of this single image to establish the branding campaign for the film.

The Poster (One-Sheet Concept)

Click here to view full-size version.

About the Design

This darker, more dramatic alternative to the final poster (which has now been released) uses a familiar profile image of Daniel Day-Lewis that is forward facing similar to the iconic profile of Lincoln seen on the "penny". My artistic approach to using a darker black background gives more contrast to Lincoln's stern, determined expression. Overall the viewer is left with a dramatic visual that aims to connect poster to the dramaticism of film.

Finally, after a closer look, you'll notice Lincoln's actual signature being used as the title or 'logo' for the film. I felt it was a fitting authentic touch, no typeface (like the predictable Trajan) can achieve.

Social Media - Facebook Fan Page

Outdoor Advertising Campaign

London's 2012 Summer Olympic logo has received quite a bit of backlash, but we, as a design agency, like the new logo, shown below:

London's 2012 Summer Olympic logo has received quite a bit of backlash, but we, as a design agency, like the new logo, shown below:

A recent New York Times article titled "There's Little to Love in 2012 Olympics logo" describes objections to the new logo. “The London 2012 logo caused such a storm at its launch in 2007, that it became an exception. Garish colors, aggressive shapes, and dodgy typography were just a few of its design crimes,” stated Alice Rawsthorn of the New York Times.

We at STARMEN disagree with the opposition to the new logo; as designers and branding experts ourselves, we understand that there is meaning behind all creative visual communication. If you watch the video below, and spend some time looking at the work the agency put behind creating the logo, you'll begin to see how it makes sense. Fast Company’s article “The Surprisingly Smart Strategy Behind London’s Infamous Olympic Branding” defends the "surprisingly smart strategy" the famed UK brand consultancy Wolff Olins used as it created London's 2012 Olympic branding campaign. But before you make your own judgments on what they did, keep in mind Wally Olins wrote the book on branding (literally). When it comes to branding, he's masterminded some of the most memorable creative campaigns in recent years. Mr. Olins is a true genius in our industry, having coined the phrase "making brands work".

What are your thoughts on this controversial logo? Decide for yourself. Click here to read the full story behind the Olympics branding on FastCoDesign.com.

If interested, check out some of these alternative logos sent to the BBC from those in the UK.

Continue below to read the full article!

We are proud that UK-based ‘Web Designer’ Magazine just named STARMEN the #1 Web Design Agency in Los Angeles, selecting our agency over larger, more established agencies throughout this great city.

Published in the magazine's June issue #196, the ranking notes that Starmen "uses the many facets of digital communication and technology to facilitate measurable brand growth and produce results. It strives to produce high-impact digital campaigns and create brand experiences that engage, inspire and entertain."

As our Executive Director, Armen David, states, "We're totally thrilled by this recognition, especially considering the amazing competition in L.A." Creative Director Anthony Wiktor added, "Credit goes to our clients who make it easy to do great work."

View and download STARMEN's article on WebDesignMag.co.uk, here.

‘Web Designer’ magazine is the industry's best publication and news source for the latest in web design. Filled with tons of articles and tips including: CSS3 effects, Adobe CS6, and more! Learn more at WebDesignMag.co.uk.

We can think of so many ways to keep the right side of our brains active, but these 29 are a great starting off point!

Thanks to Anna @Dalziel+Pow for sharing.

We can think of so many ways to keep the right side of our brains active, but these 29 are a great starting off point!

Thanks to Anna @Dalziel+Pow for sharing.

The New Year always sparks a renewed interest in making changes! As a business, this should include taking a closer look at your brand – both from your perspective, and from your audience’s. Some questions to consider: How do your customers perceive your brand? Is it aligned with how you see yourself? Do people hear and understand exactly what your brand is saying?

There’s always room for improvement. Starting with these three strategies, you can help strengthen your brand in 2012!

The New Year always sparks a renewed interest in making changes! As a business, this should include taking a closer look at your brand – both from your perspective, and from your audience’s. Some questions to consider: How do your customers perceive your brand? Is it aligned with how you see yourself? Do people hear and understand exactly what your brand is saying?

There’s always room for improvement. Starting with these three strategies, you can help strengthen your brand in 2012!

Build a Consistent Brand

Consistency is the name of the game in brand identity. Do you think Coke and Apple became what they are by not showing the same ‘face’ to everyone, everywhere? The more consistent your brand is across all customer touch points, the more likely it can create a powerful impression, and be easily recognized by the target market.

One of the most important (yet often overlooked) aspects of branding is that it MUST remain consistent through all communication channels. From business cards and collateral pieces to your online marketing tools, there should always be a clear, consistent look and feel to everything you present.

Innovate Your Brand and Image

Keeping your brand up-to-date doesn’t mean changing it to stay current with every trend or fad. However, being attuned to what is happening in your industry, as well as what appeals to your target demographic, should play an important part in the evolution of your brand! 

With 2012 upon us, it might just be the right time to consider modernizing the visual image of your brand in terms of logo, tagline, typography, color palette, and design. Small changes, tweaks, and updates can re-energize an existing customer, and catch the eye of a new one! This is one step in the right direction towards staying ahead of your competition, and becoming a category leader.

Be Social, Diversify Your Online Presence

Being online today means much more than simply having a website. If you are not on Facebook and Twitter or don’t have a content rich blog, you might as well not exist in the eyes of the consumer. Your online presence speaks volumes to those who will buy from you. A successful social media engagement model is not about spitting out corporate messages, but instead focuses on developing a two-way dialog with your audience. Of course, you’ll want to make sure your brand’s ‘voice,’ through status updates, tweets, and blog posts, is aligned with your brand. Aim to be human in the social space.

As design professionals, we spend considerable time each and every day thinking about influence.

Of course, we’re continuously developing new strategies for how we can help our clients generate influence. Yet, we also devote much thought into how consumers influence others in an increasingly connected world.

As design professionals, we spend considerable time each and every day thinking about influence.

Of course, we’re continuously developing new strategies for how we can help our clients generate influence. Yet, we also devote much thought into how consumers influence others in an increasingly connected world.

In the short film, Influencers, written and directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, we get a snapshot of New York’s most influential and creative individuals who are defining today's pop culture. Influencers seeks to identify and explain not only who the influencers are, but also what makes them so compelling. Youthful, confident, fearless early-adopters are those who are now shaping our buying decisions, the music we listen to, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and even how we communicate with each other. These people can swiftly embrace something not mainstream (a drink, a brand, music), and make it wildly popular – all through the power of viral communications.

Unlike the celebrity-endorsed Nineties, today’s influencers are not bought or paid by a brand to wear/drink/talk about their product.  Rather, influencers embrace a product that they believe in, and then the buzz begins. This profound change has dramatically shifted power back into the hands of consumers. Being able to express likes and dislikes to a global audience is transforming the very essence of marketing and brand strategy.

Who are the influencers in your industry?

Have you identified who is talking about your product, sharing details about their customer experience, or tweeting about your service? If not, you could be missing out on valuable opportunities to reach out to your market. Are you ready to learn more about leveraging the power of influencers? Creativity is contagious...

It’s time to clear up a common misconception: the words "logo" and "brand" are not interchangeable terms. In fact, they are not the same thing at all! 

One of our industry's top mentors and brand gurus, Marty Neumeier, dispelled this myth in his book “The Brand Gap,” stating that "A brand is not a logo, an identity or a product.” A brand is a gut feeling, a consumer's emotions about a particular company or product. The logo is a visual representation of that company or product, one facet among many that culminate in the brand experience. However, it isn’t the brand itself. Your brand comprises everything that defines your company – who you are, what you do, where you want to be, and what you believe in. This is far more than a creative image, as an expertly designed logo is worthless if your brand is terrible.

It’s time to clear up a common misconception: the words "logo" and "brand" are not interchangeable terms. In fact, they are not the same thing at all!  

One of our industry's top mentors and brand gurus, Marty Neumeier, dispelled this myth in his book “The Brand Gap,” stating that "A brand is not a logo, an identity or a product.” A brand is a gut feeling, a consumer's emotions about a particular company or product. The logo is a visual representation of that company or product, one facet among many that culminate in the brand experience. However, it isn’t the brand itself. Your brand comprises everything that defines your company – who you are, what you do, where you want to be, and what you believe in. This is far more than a creative image, as an expertly designed logo is worthless if your brand is terrible.

Think of one of the world’s most recognized logo icons – the Apple apple. Would the logo be as powerful for its company if the products produced weren’t so spectacular? If the company didn’t continually push the technological envelope, bringing cutting edge products to market, the Apple logo would have little recognition. Apple is wildly popular with consumers, its products are easy to use and understand, and it has incredible marketing strategy, and the union of these factors has resulted in a very powerful brand. The Apple logo itself is just a visual representation of this message.

So, if you’re considering having a new logo developed, you may actually want to start with a review of your brand, including what your brand is truly saying about your business. From there, you can start looking at the elements that support what you’re trying to project beyond just a pretty image on your website!

If you're hungry for more on this topic check out one of our favorite books, “Your Brand Is Not Your Logo: It Is an Experience that Lives in Your Customer's Gut by Robert Brunner, Stewart Emery & Russ Hall.”

There is certainly a difference between ‘design thinking’ and ‘designing.’  We hail Helen Walters’ article in Fast Company “Design Thinking Isn’t a Miracle Cure, But Here’s How it Helps” as a must read, especially for anyone in our industry! According to Walters, “design thinking is not fairy dust; you do not get to skip steps to magically solve a challenge.”

There is certainly a difference between ‘design thinking’ and ‘designing.’  We hail Helen Walters’ article in Fast Company “Design Thinking Isn’t a Miracle Cure, But Here’s How it Helps” as a must read, especially for anyone in our industry! According to Walters, “design thinking is not fairy dust; you do not get to skip steps to magically solve a challenge.”

Design thinking is a strategic tool.

Design thinking is a way of applying rigor to the creative and business processes to arrive at the best possible outcome. Design thinking is never static, it is a multidiscipline approach that strategizes and structures ideas to deliver breakthrough experiences. 

STARMEN's Approach to Design Thinking

· Establish the what, how and who:
      - What are you getting to/answering?
      - How are you going to set the journey, and leverage everyone’s talents?
      - Who is the facilitator to manage on generative ideas, strategic business cases, and tactical deployment?

· Encourage the team to ‘think outside the box,’ looking at things a bit differently.

· Frame the journey through the consumer or customer’s eyes.

· Maintain focus, but be careful to avoid tunnel vision. Design thinking is about navigating the unknown with a candle – observing and moving forward on the best journey of discovery – not a flashlight that lights up the clearest, most direct path.

The world's largest coffee company, and one of its most beloved brands, just stirred up a bold new roast of its identity.  Starbucks unveiled an updated version of its iconic logo, which had remained unchanged since 1992. The simplified logo focuses on its mermaid symbol, and removes the company name from around the border of the "Siren." That's right, Starbucks no longer feels the need to reinforce its name.

The world's largest coffee company, and one of its most beloved brands, just stirred up a bold new roast of its identity.  Starbucks unveiled an updated version of its iconic logo, which had remained unchanged since 1992. The simplified logo focuses on its mermaid symbol, and removes the company name from around the border of the "Siren." That's right, Starbucks no longer feels the need to reinforce its name.

The new wordless logo features nothing more than its real star, the Siren, transcending the emblem from logo to ‘Lovemark.’ A term coined by Kevin Roberts, brand genius and CEO of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, who writes, “Lovemarks transcend brands, they deliver beyond your expectations of great performance, and they inspire 'Loyalty Beyond Reason’.” Transcending the Starbucks brand seems to be the new focus for Chief Executive Officer, Howard Schultz, who plans to evolve Starbucks into the future to ‘think beyond coffee.’ The world is changing, and Starbucks is changing along with it.  It is not changing the ‘essence of the experience,' but rather, enhancing the connection with its customers.  

Overall, the visual simplicity makes a meaningful impact, and the new focus on brand extension makes perfect sense. Those of you who think dropping the name wasn't such a good idea might fancy a read of “Starbucks’ Serves Up a Very Dumb Idea.” What remains uncontested is that Starbucks believes its best days are ahead of them, and it's going to be exciting to see how the new identity system evolves into Starbucks’ future plans.

Take a peak into the ‘Future of Starbucks’ or learn more about the power of lovemarks.

We at STARMEN are not ones to jump on 'bandwagons', whether the subject matter is politics, celebrity gossip, sports, or business. However, we're all aboard the latest bandwagon traveling along Gap's tracks to logo disaster. Gap’s new logo and branding campaign have widely been referred to as the “Gapgate controversy,” a questionable attempt at designing a new logo, and an even more tasteless approach at trying to market it. There has been way too much recent attention around the new Gap logo, and as a result, we've decided to come up with our own visual ‘solution.’

We at STARMEN are not ones to jump on 'bandwagons', whether the subject matter is politics, celebrity gossip, sports, or business. However, we're all aboard the latest bandwagon traveling along Gap's tracks to logo disaster. Gap’s new logo and branding campaign have widely been referred to as the “Gapgate controversy,” a questionable attempt at designing a new logo, and an even more tasteless approach at trying to market it. There has been way too much recent attention around the new Gap logo, and as a result, we've decided to come up with our own visual ‘solution.’

Gap has been successful at engaging and sustaining a loyal audience by constantly staying fresh in all aspects of its brand (fashion, marketing, advertising, etc.). Unfortunately, Gap’s revenue and image have waned. Sales at GAP stores (including Old Navy and Banana Republic) have been declining (-8% in 2009), but blaming the economy would be missing the mark entirely.  Gap’s problem is not its logo; it is its brand.

A Brand Panic Move

One of our favorite mottos is “Your logo is not your brand.” This is a message that we communicate to our clients frequently. Gap did not follow this philosophy, rolling out its new logo last week, which appeared to be more of a panic-driven move than a strategized one, as no real design thinking was evident. Some chalk this sudden change up as a response to declining sales, but as Abe Sauer from Brandchannel states, “the Gap brand decided to change the one valuable element it has going for it.” Customers seeing this new change just don't appear to be feeling it. This is a typical mistake most high-profile brands make in an effort to create a valuable 'change.’ Just ask Pepsi how they feel about the whole Tropicana mess. With very notable brands, a complete brand identity redesign or even just a change to the logo can be the hardest task for any design firm. Laird + Partners has done some great work for Gap in past years, but not this time. 

Louise Callagy, a Gap spokeswoman, explained the new logo was intended to be the latest ‘evolution’ for the brand, and added that it had been for the last two years. Callagy explains her position, stating that "[The new logo] is more contemporary and current, and honors the heritage of the Gap brand, but takes the blue box forward." We don’t agree; there is absolutely nothing new about using the typeface Helvetica. (Just ask Eric Spiekermann.) 

Our Solution

The creative team at STARMEN came up with a realistic, achievable solution for Gap. In honor of the 'heritage' that Gap eagerly wants to embrace, we reflected on the first Gap logo and store back in 1969, and found a new way of embracing Gap's original essence in a contemporary marketplace — something with a similar mainstream flexibility as seen in MTV's logo redesign. Rather than being simply an 'add-on', this logo becomes more 'integrated' with the brand campaign, allowing Gap to align its brand initiatives with its loyal customers. Rather than placing the retro typeface proportionally in the center of the iconic square shape, we dramatically enlarged it to bleed over the edges. The clean, bold, organic lowercase font gives Gap a fresh new energy that's both friendly and inviting. We believe that our approach gives the logo opportunity to fuse the distinctive Gap imagery, and the square shape demonstrates the flexibility of the new branding. So, what do you think of our alternative? More importantly, what do you think of Gap's perspective? We want to hear your thoughts... and we'd love to hear from you, Gap!

By no means are we saying that the above solution is 'the solution.’ We understand that there is a deeper problem with Gap, and it's not just with their logo, but rather their overall brand. However, as creatives, we couldn't help but offer our recommendations for what their logo could be.

UPDATE: As many of you may be aware, Gap pulled the aforementioned new logo just as quickly as they put it up. There probably won't be much long-term damage to the brand, but our hope is that Gap will know how to approach the whole brand identity redesign more holistically by focusing on the brand itself and not just the logo.

8 Criterion For Facebook Page Marketing Success

Social media marketing has become a hot topic amongst brand marketers and businesses who are looking to establish themselves within a social network. As a means to promote their products and services at low cost, a lot of marketers are turning to Facebook. But it's knowing how to use the platform, currently the most popular social network out there, that really makes all the difference to your bottomline.

8 Criterion For Facebook Page Marketing Success

Social media marketing has become a hot topic amongst brand marketers and businesses who are looking to establish themselves within a social network. As a means to promote their products and services at low cost, a lot of marketers are turning to Facebook. But it's knowing how to use the platform, currently the most popular social network out there, that really makes all the difference to your bottomline.

The proper use of Facebook goes beyond simply setting up an account. Rather, your focus must become more strategic in terms of interactivity with your audience, and this means taking the right steps to increase engagement, and promote peer-to-peer interactions. Simply stated, if a brand makes its community happy, then it has the option to start generating business revenue.

The Altimeter Group compiled data by analyzing companies' posts, comments and 'likes' on Facebook, and began to saw a clear pattern emerge. From this research, they've compiled the following 8 criterion for establishing a truly meaningful presence on the platform:

1. Set community expectations.
2. Provide cohesive branding.
3. Be up to date.
4. Live authentically.
5. Participate in dialogue.
6. Enable peer-to-peer interactions.
7. Foster advocacy.
8. Solicit a ‘call to action’.

So, now that you know the key elements of creating a stand-out social media presence on Facebook, how is your business going to execute a plan aligned with this paradigm? At STARMEN, we are social media experts, taking brands from content to commerce by using a unique approach that bridges people stories to product stories through social media and branded content. 

Google and Typekit both released some great news last week. First, Google announced that they are releasing high-quality open source fonts, deemed “Google Fonts,” in the Google Font Directory. They also went so far as to release Google Font API, an HTML-based tool that enables users to implement any of these fonts into a site with the level of ease to which we have been accustomed to from Google.

Google and Typekit both released some great news last week. First, Google announced that they are releasing high-quality open source fonts, deemed “Google Fonts,” in the Google Font Directory. They also went so far as to release Google Font API, an HTML-based tool that enables users to implement any of these fonts into a site with the level of ease to which we have been accustomed to from Google.

But, wait! It gets better! Typekit and Google announced the release of a Web Font Loader to smooth out any issues when putting Google Fonts to use.

The Web Font Loader puts the developer in control of how web fonts are handled by various browsers. The API fires JavaScript events at certain points, for example, when the web font completes downloading. With these events, developers can control how web fonts behave on a site so that they download consistently across all browsers. In addition, developers can set the fallback font's size to more closely match the web font, so content doesn't reflow after loading. Furthermore, the Web Font Loader is designed to make it easy to switch between different providers of web fonts, including Google, Typekit, and others. The code is modular, and we expect to see modules for other major web font providers in coming weeks.

To see an example of Google’s web fonts in the flesh, visit Smashing Magazine.

To download these open source fonts, visit the Google Font Directory.

The newly revamped, flash-based HBO.com features enhanced interactive and video features, personal dashboard.

Our good friends over at HBO have relaunched their website, HBO.com, adding interactive features and enhanced video support. The HBO Go web site itself is visually stunning, with lots of full-screen visuals for each of the featured TV shows, movies, and other bits of programming that scroll once a user is logged in. Browsing through the different featured sections — Movies, Series, Comedy, Sports, Documentaries, and Late Night — is quick and painless, with each offering up an easy-to-navigate interface for choosing between titles. Users can customize the viewing experience by choosing between cover, grid, and list modes of viewing available content.

The newly revamped, flash-based HBO.com features enhanced interactive and video features, personal dashboard.

Our good friends over at HBO have relaunched their website, HBO.com, adding interactive features and enhanced video support. The HBO Go web site itself is visually stunning, with lots of full-screen visuals for each of the featured TV shows, movies, and other bits of programming that scroll once a user is logged in. Browsing through the different featured sections — Movies, Series, Comedy, Sports, Documentaries, and Late Night — is quick and painless, with each offering up an easy-to-navigate interface for choosing between titles. Users can customize the viewing experience by choosing between cover, grid, and list modes of viewing available content.

Here's a quick list of the site's key expanded features:

• Streaming video – high quality videos of HBO shows in full-screen resolution — regardless of monitor size — that provide users with more of a TV-watching experience than a PC-viewing experience
• Enhanced schedule – easy to use accessibility from every page on the site
• Community – ability to upload your photo, create a personal identity, and establish a unique voice by posting comments and stories throughout the site
• Shareability – ability to share content with friends in and outside of the HBO community, with a robust set of share tools that includes e-mail, video embed, and post functionality
• Personal dashboard – ability to create a dashboard of favorites, plus bookmark discussions, clips, and even get recommendations for new content based on favored programs

Overall, we think this is a prime example of how entertainment companies can expand their online presence in today's digital age. HBO.com uses the best in web design techniques in conjuction with the latest technology to accomplish an optimal viewing and experience for its users. We believe that the HBO approach can set a standard of design for companies who stream video content online.

As an award-winning creative agency specializing in brand design, we are proud to announce the redesign of the STARMEN web site. But ‘redesign’ doesn't really cover it. We’ve made more than an aesthetic adjustment or surface-level change, we’ve ‘refreshed’ internally and externally. The new starmenusa.com reflects our new ideas, fresh thinking, and innovative approach to our clients’ brands, as well as our latest design work. 

As an award-winning creative agency specializing in brand design, we are proud to announce the redesign of the STARMEN website. But ‘redesign’ doesn't really cover it. More than an aesthetic adjustment or surface-level change, we’ve ‘refreshed’ both internally and externally. The new starmenusa.com reflects our new ideas, fresh thinking, and innovative approach to our clients’ brands, as well as our latest design work. 

Our LA headquarters are buzzing with excitement! This site has been a labor of love, created with synchronized hard work, absolute enthusiasm, and meticulous attention to effective design. What remains unchanged is our unwavering resolve: We are here to produce solid, valuable results for you! Now, we just look even better!

We warmly invite you to visit our new site, and enjoy our latest work.

Before Angels became synonymous with lingerie, Hollywood’s elite wore intimates by Juel Park. Established in the Roaring Twenties, Juel Park designed luxury under garments for prominent female stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Ava Gardner, Mae West, Lauren Bacall, and Katharine Hepburn.  With Juel Park’s rich history and breathtaking lingerie, STARMEN is proud to sponsor Juel Park’s relaunch here in Hollywood.

Before Angels became synonymous with lingerie, Hollywood’s elite wore intimates by Juel Park. Established in the Roaring Twenties, Juel Park designed luxury under garments for prominent female stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Ava Gardner, Mae West, Lauren Bacall, and Katharine Hepburn.  With Juel Park’s rich history and breathtaking lingerie, STARMEN is proud to sponsor Juel Park’s relaunch here in Hollywood.

To honor and remember both the proud survivors and fallen victims of breast cancer, proceeds from the Juel Park event will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

More details on the Juel Park event can be found here.

As technology advances and the industry grows, so do we. STARMEN designers and tech enthusiasts are excited to bring you our new iPhone site!  We’ve always been believers in simplicity, and our new optimized mobile format is exactly that — simple and straightforward. Even on your iPhone, we’re here to make your brand work!

As technology advances and the industry grows, so do we. STARMEN designers and tech enthusiasts are excited to bring you our new iPhone site!  We’ve always been believers in simplicity, and our new optimized mobile format is exactly that — simple and straightforward. Even on your iPhone, we’re here to make your brand work!

Explore our new platform!  Read about our agency, map our location, or shoot us an e-mail. Let us know how we can help you — we’re here for you and your brand!