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

Facebook? Perhaps. Twitter? Maybe. Blog? Absolutely!

Blogs began as basic, often tawdry online diaries fueled by caffeine and wine. Some launched writing careers, but most simply enabled their authors to vent views or scratch creative itches. As the blogging craze grew, however, many corporate marketers adopted blogs to provide regular company updates and insights, and, almost as quickly, many marketers abandoned them. The reason? Regularly writing articles turned out to be challenging and time consuming; writing articles that attracted readers proved to be even more difficult. After all, who wants to read a corporation’s diary? So when Twitter and other microblogging platforms came along, corporate communicators happily replaced their 500-words of weekly wisdom with concise 140-character tweets.

And that's when marketers discovered the real value of blogs.

For businesses, blogs serve multiple purposes that Twitter can’t come close to serving. In fact, many corporations are now discovering that it’s actually harder to create a worthwhile Twitter account. So now we’re seeing a blog revival. Below are 3 key reasons why blogging boosts business:

Facebook? Perhaps. Twitter? Maybe. Blog? Absolutely!

Blogs began as basic, often tawdry online diaries fueled by caffeine and wine. Some launched writing careers, but most simply enabled their authors to vent views or scratch creative itches. As the blogging craze grew, however, many corporate marketers adopted blogs to provide regular company updates and insights, and, almost as quickly, many marketers abandoned them. The reason? Regularly writing articles turned out to be challenging and time consuming; writing articles that attracted readers proved to be even more difficult. After all, who wants to read a corporation’s diary? So, when Twitter and other microblogging platforms came along, corporate communicators happily replaced their 500-words of weekly wisdom with concise 140-character tweets.

And that's when marketers discovered the real value of blogs.

For businesses, blogs serve multiple purposes that Twitter can’t come close to satisfying. In fact, many corporations are now discovering that it’s actually harder to create a worthwhile Twitter account, and we’re, in fact, seeing a blog revival. Below are 3 key reasons why blogging boosts business:

1. Blogs build better business brands.

It’s hard to provide much brand value in a tweet. As we have seen with some brands, with Twitter, it’s easier to make a brand-damaging mistake with an ‘accidental’ tweet than it is to build your image and reputation in 140 characters.

With blogs, you get all the words you need to communicate your business’ fully fleshed-out personality in a way that suits your brand, and appeals to your customers. And since full-length articles take more time and attention to create, you’re far less likely to “accidentally” publish a brand-damaging blogpost than a misbegotten tweet.

Blogging also enables you to demonstrate your expertise; you can show that you’re not just a product or service provider, you’re an actual expert in your field. And you can do so not by ‘flaunting’ your knowledge, but by providing valuable advice, and insights to your customers.

Blog posts should be delivered in a conversational tone (like this blogpost) — not in a stiff ‘corporate’ voice, and definitely not in the form of press releases — a conversational tone makes your business appear more personable.

It’s also critical to maintain professional standards when blogging. A hastily-assembled (not to mention ‘abandoned’) blog, or a blog post filled with empty hype or unimportant info can do more harm than good. And by all means, don’t be boring! As advertising legend, David Ogilvy, once said, “You can’t bore people into buying your product” — or into reading anything you ever write again.

2. Blogs give you the goods to get social.

One challenge that many marketers face with social media is simply finding something to say. Simply talking about yourself or your products every day turns you into a drone. (See the David Ogilvy quote above.) But using your social media to talk about irrelevant matters (the weather or holidays) is a waste of time and resources.

With regular blogs, you now have something of value to share on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Sharing a value-filled article with a relevant LinkedIn Group is a great way to drive potential customers to your website, which is exactly what you want to do with social media: drive all those fans, friends, and followers to your website (never the other way around).

Note that this sharing is critical for building a blog readership. The problem with the early business blogs is that marketers just built them, and assumed that readers would come. Now they realize that they have to get the articles out there. That’s why it’s important to have both social media and a blog operating side-by-side, working together to attract your customers.

3. Google loves blogs.

Google and other search engines will someday recognize photos and videos, but in the meantime, they want words, words, and more words. Blogs, of course, provide plenty of words — including keywords and phrases that your customers might be plugging into search engines. Indeed, many customers type in entire questions into search engines, so sometimes a great blog format is a Q&A.

What makes blog posts even more search-engine friendly is that they’re fresh. Google tends to favor websites that have been recently updated, therefore it is important to provide fresh content regularly.

Something else that Google loves is backlinks, which are the links from other sites to your site. If you have a blogpost that’s valuable and compelling, it may attract backlinks. In addition, it may get shared on social media, and that also helps boost search-engine results.

Finally, Google favors ‘high quality’ content. Google determines this by watching human behavior. Those backlinks and social shares are one sign that your content is valuable. Another sign is how long customers spend on your page, and whether they click on anything while they’re there. (Google can track all this when you install Google Analytics on your site.) A high quality blog post will guarantee that visitors will spend more than a few seconds on your site.

So, Let’s Get It Started…

Now that you see what blogs can do for your business, designate specific writers or an agency to create regular posts that are both relevant and valuable to your customers and your brand. In addition, consider inviting guest bloggers to provide fresh content while attracting their fans. These individuals often have significant followerships of their own, which means that fresh new eyes will be drawn to your site.

Don’t worry if your readership numbers don’t explode overnight. Blog posts are long-tail content, meaning that they might not get discovered until months or even years later. In the meantime, all those blog posts will provide a wealth of content that boosts your brand, gives you something to socialize about, and keeps Google well fed.

Happy blogging!

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.

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!

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.

We were excited to be a part of DISH International's social media initiative by developing and launching a series of branded YouTube channels to target their long list of language communities. ‘DISH Filipino,’ the first of DISH International’s channels that we designed, includes a custom video slider, drop down menus, and custom banner feature. 

We were excited to be a part of DISH International's social media initiative by developing and launching a series of branded YouTube channels to target their long list of language communities. ‘DISH Filipino,’ the first of DISH International’s channels that we designed, includes a custom video slider, drop down menus, and custom banner feature. 

Creating a Brand's Desitination on YouTube

Brand Channels on YouTube allow marketers to create a brandable and customized interface on YouTube where they can connect and create persistent relationships with their customers. Brand Channels act as a distribution outlet for video content, and as a destination for users to engage with your brand. The design of your channel page should reflect your brand identity.

As you can see in the case of DISH International, we customized the channel theme and design to reflect the brand that has been established on the DISH Filipino TV website. Though the 'art of branding' is critical to your channel's visual presence, the success of your channel is largely dependent on the content that you upload.

Visit YouTube.com for more best practices!

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...

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. 

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.