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?

What’s in a name? Turns out, when it comes to branding, quite a lot. 

True, a name is not the substance of your company. But in a world where nearly every industry is experiencing inconceivable overcrowding, it simply doesn’t do your business any favors to have a misinformed brand name. 

What’s in a name? Turns out, when it comes to branding, quite a lot. 

True, a name is not the substance of your company. But in a world where nearly every industry is experiencing inconceivable overcrowding, it simply doesn’t do your business any favors to have a misinformed brand name. 

The first rule of naming a brand is...

There are no rules! That’s right. There is no comprehensive set of rules that can globally apply to the naming of all brands. The enterprise of naming a brand could go in a number of directions — expressive like Yahoo!, descriptive like Coffee Bean, General Motors, or Toys R Us, or completely esoteric a la Zappos, Google, or Prius. 

But rest assured, there is a method to this seemingly mad endeavor, and our team at STARMEN hopes to shed light on this typically daunting process. 

Go broad or go home.

Naming a brand is as much a science as it is an art, so experimentation and trial-and-error exploration should always be heavily exercised. Thousands — or even hundreds of thousands — of names are oftentimes considered by today’s top naming firms before a winning alias is arrived at. 

“You can be cautious or you can be creative (but there’s no such thing as a cautious creative).
A creative thinker must be fearless. If you’re more tentative than decisive, if you’re more cautious
than creative, you’ll never be an innovative business leader,
and certainly not a great communicator. A cautious creative is an oxymoron.”
 —  George Lois

If this sounds dispiriting, we offer the following perspective. Your brand name is the designation your company and its products will carry through the course of its operation for the foreseeable — hopefully very long-term — future. Your name is what consumers in your marketplace will use to identify your products when discussing them with friends and making purchasing decisions. Your name will also be the first point of contact for customers new to your brand, and it can make or break buying decisions when circumstances preclude all other components of your brand strategy (its visual presentation, its social activity, and so on). With this kind of pull, it is worth your while to heavily screen potential names. Eventually, with due diligence, the right fit will grow more apparent, and you’ll be thankful you held out.

People will question your brand name. Let them.

Much like naming a baby, naming a brand opens up the floor for debate and criticism. People will like, dislike, or even feel indifferent to a name. But, so what? 

Brand naming guru, Hayes Roth, echos this sentiment in his work, and in an interview with The Atlantic. "I was interviewed multiple times when iPad was announced because it sounded to everybody like feminine products," Mr. Roth explains. "I was asked, 'Is this a disaster? Will it sink Apple?' I said it fit with their conventions. A week later, people saw the product and nobody asked the question again." 

At at the end of the day, the quality of your product will speak much more loudly and pervasively than your name ever could.  A name carries with it a certain nuanced suggestive power, but it doesn’t actually employ the key elements of your brand’s personality — its behaviors, its values, or its look and feel.

Nurture your brand, and it will grow into its own. Let it.

Ever met a newborn, learnt its name, and thought, “But… he doesn’t look like a ____.” That’s because the association we, as non-newborns, have grown to assign certain nomenclatures has yet to be established in fresh little lives. The same is true for a brand new brand. Given time, it will grow to acquire an ample repository of personality and attributes, and its name will become as much a part of that complexion as anything else. Which leads us to our final point…

Remember: your brand is a tactile, kinesthetic summation of many working parts.

Nurture it. Grace it with a logo that reflects its personality. Indoctrinate it with your company’s mission, values, and objectives. Remember that your brand is not a static entity, but a dynamic one, and the retribution you take is equal to the investment you make.

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 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/

Photo credit: Adweek.com

Most people assume that extending their brand’s reach to the masses will be astronomically expensive, costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. General opinion suggests that the more embraceable the brand messaging is, the more it will cost. However, this is no longer necessarily the case.

In this day and age, brand messages travel at the speed of a click, with content being consumed on an array of different devices, and across platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Google+. Create compelling messaging in the right format, and it won’t be your brand doing the heavy lifting. Instead, the people your message reaches will evangelize your brand through all of their own communication channels. 

Photo credit: Adweek.com

Most people assume that extending their brand’s reach to the masses will be astronomically expensive, costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. General opinion suggests that the more embraceable the brand messaging is, the more it will cost. However, this is no longer necessarily the case.

In this day and age, brand messages travel at the speed of a click, with content being consumed on an array of different devices, and across platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Google+. Create compelling messaging in the right format, and it won’t be your brand doing the heavy lifting. Instead, the people your message reaches will evangelize your brand through all of their own communication channels. 

Catalyzing word of mouth ‘buzz’ is the new, smarter and less expensive way to generate and promote brand awareness. In today's beautifully integrated world, it’s more viable than ever to create compelling content economically. Crowdsourcing king, Frito-Lay, developed 'Crash the Super Bowl', an annual commercial competition wherein entrants submit their homegrown commercials for a chance at a monetary win, and the chance to see their work aired during that year's game. This is a win-win situation for the Doritos brand that enables them to cut production costs almost entirely (apart from airtime, and the monetary portion of the prize package), all while dramatically increasing brand awareness, community, and loyalty.

In another campaign, Chevy partnered with MoFilm’s creative community, inviting filmmakers to create their own 30 and 60-second spots highlighting ‘significant human moments’ with the Chevy brand, with the winning commercial airing alongside other Chevy spots during the Academy Awards telecast. The ultimate example of ‘spend less, win big,’ though, is a Tesla commercial called ‘Modern Spaceship’ that two recent college grads — James Khabushani, 25, and RJ Collins, 24 — made on their own for $1,500. Tesla and CEO Elon Musk loved the spec commercial, and the project garnered tons of publicity for James and RJ, who created the commercial in one 12-hour day using their friend’s home and Tesla Model S.

These case studies stand as a true testament to the fact that you simply no longer need to spend big bucks to create quality brand awareness. An evolving and innovative generation is using technology to produce content of the highest quality at an extremely low cost, and usergenerated content is a wonderful way to build a communal relationship with your marketplace. We’d love to help your brand shine, and be über-sharable across platforms … affordably.

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

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!

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.

AIGA’s sold-out Professional Series talk, ‘The Importance of Studio Culture & Identity,’ was held at Continuum’s work-space in Venice Beach.  The discussion brought together STARMEN’s Executive Director, Armen David, as well as Braven Greenelsh, Candice Brokeshire, Michael Stinson, and moderator Eduardo Braniff (CEO of Imagination the Americas).

AIGA’s sold-out Professional Series talk, ‘The Importance of Studio Culture & Identity,’ was held at Continuum’s work-space in Venice Beach.  The discussion brought together STARMEN’s Executive Director, Armen David, as well as Braven Greenelsh, Candice Brokeshire, Michael Stinson, and moderator Eduardo Braniff (CEO of Imagination the Americas).

Armen defined his studio's culture as "a group of like-minded individuals that share unique qualities and purpose.” According to Armen, “Culture is not possible without thought leadership. It starts with a well-defined platform; Mission, vision, and values are essential to defining culture that produces long-term advantage and sustainability.” He also believes that culture is dynamic, and must be embraced, not managed.

The Professional Series comprises conversations about today's business of design. Professionals and entrepreneurs from a range of design enterprises gather to discuss how each are growing their businesses through financial modeling, business development, recruitment and retention, innovation practices and, above all, great design.

Photos by PaulDimalanta.com

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.

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...

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.

During our daily industry readings, we came across a refreshing article titled “Our Biggest Brands Can No Longer Be Managed By Nerds,” by brand consultant Tom Hinkes. Companies have been scaling back recently on creatively-led brand solutions, and focusing more on the numbers approach. It was refreshing to hear from a well-respected and experienced brand marketer that great marketing requires a balance of both strategy and creative.

During our daily industry readings, we came across a refreshing article titled “Our Biggest Brands Can No Longer Be Managed By Nerds,” by brand consultant Tom Hinkes. Companies have been scaling back recently on creatively-led brand solutions, and focusing more on the numbers approach. It was refreshing to hear from a well-respected and experienced brand marketer that great marketing requires a balance of both strategy and creative.

More Data Is Not Better Data

“Marketing departments used to be the creative engines powering successful corporations. Now they're overrun by number-crunching nerds. As a direct consequence, despite all the conspicuous focus on "change management," the way brands respond to change in the marketplace has deteriorated. A McKinsey Quarterly article several years ago argued that the key to "better branding" is to build brands "more scientifically." If managers would combine "forward-looking market segmentation" with structural-equation modeling, they could "build a better brand more efficiently." In short: more data, more regressions and more conjoint analysis mean the "brand crisis" is solved. But fluency with buzz words and expertise with spreadsheets do not guarantee brand-marketing competence.”

-Tom Hinkes, AdAge.com

We agree that there is a need for consumer research, but brand marketing is not an exact science, and therefore cannot be driven solely by metrics or statistics. We approach brand marketing with the analysis, discipline and detail it requires, but also with the emotion, vision and creativity that feed a brand’s sustained success.

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.

In response to the devastating January 12th earthquake in Haiti, the team at STARMEN Design Group has rallied to spread the word, and make it easier to support American Red Cross relief efforts through the creation of a donation microsite. Urgency is needed to assist those affected by this disaster, especially the thousands of abandoned children who are now without homes. Join us, and show your support by donating to the less fortunate during these tragic times. Be a part of the solution, and provide help for the relief effort through the American Red Cross today!

View the microsite, and donate here. Your donations and support are greatly appreciated!

In response to the devastating January 12th earthquake in Haiti, the team at STARMEN Design Group has rallied to spread the word, and make it easier to support American Red Cross relief efforts through the creation of a donation microsite. Urgency is needed to assist those affected by this disaster, especially the thousands of abandoned children who are now without homes. Join us, and show your support by donating to the less fortunate during these tragic times. Be a part of the solution, and provide help for the relief effort through the American Red Cross today!

View the microsite, and donate here. Your donations and support are greatly appreciated!