We don’t like our own work.

 

Really? Yes. And here’s why that's a good thing.

The reason we say this because we believe that what an individual ‘likes’ or ‘dislikes’ isn’t the most effective criteria in judging a design’s success.

 

Instead, we believe that each piece of design has a specific message and target audience and it’s the communication of this message, in the most appropriate visual form, that should always take precedence over an individual’s personal design preferences.

 

This mind set has won favour with a hugely diverse range of clients and is the reason why we can work as easily with a snowboard manufacturer as we can with a global financial institution.

 

So, whilst we might not ‘like’ every piece of work we produce, we, and more importantly our clients, certainly think that they are all examples of effective design. And that’s far more valuable.

We only specialize in one area. Creativity.

Although it seems unlikely at first glance; the methodology we use to create an illustration for a snowboard is exactly the same as we use to create branding for a financial institution.

 

What makes each client or project unique is understanding the message or feeling that needs to be communicated to the target audience. So, whilst the message and its execution will always differ, the approach doesn’t.

 

We start by seeking to understand three key aspects:

 

The Client’s Message

Who is the client? How are they perceived by the audience? How would they like to be perceived? What is the message the want to communicate? What is the best medium to communicate the message

 

The Marketplace

Whilst a design concept needs to be relevant to the client, it also needs to work within the context of the marketplace. If a brand marque communicates the value of a brand successfully, but is difficult to distinguish from a competitor’s brand, then the design has failed.

 

A brand needs to sit in a predefined a position within its sector and this is why understanding the marketplace is vital.

 

The Audience

Who are they? Where are they? How do they view the client? How do they view the client’s competitors? What influences their decisions? What is the most effective way to engage them?

 

Once we understand these three factors we can start devising a strategy to produce a creative solution that will engage the audience; whether it’s a snowboard or a logo.

 

How we think differently: Brand Identity for Martin Edwards Printers

This project is an excellent example of thinking differently. Renowned printers Martin Edwards told us the wanted a new ‘logo’ that would help them stand out from the competition.

 

However, given that all their competitors had very similar brand marques, we suggested that not having a ‘logo’ would help them stand out far more.

 

Through our conversations with Martin Edwards and their clients a theme emerged that as well as producing high quality print this brand’s unique quality was the personality and attitude running through the entire company.

 

Martin Edwards are down-to-earth, easy to speak to, happy to offer advice and generally very nice people to work with. And communicating these values became the primary aim.

 

Our solution was to create 10 statements; each communicating a reason as to why a potential client should work with Martin Edwards. Given that the majority of the branding would be printed matter and that Martin Edwards are a printers we were of the belief that the design shouldn’t overpower the quality of the print.

 

We used a purely typographical treatment to convey the messages in a friendly manner and metallic inks to highlight the quality of the print.

 

Each item of stationery had several variations, each with a different statement and colour, giving the identity an organic feel in the sense that giving out four business cards at a meeting would result in each recipient having a different card, but the same contact details.

© Copyright Phunction Ltd. 2016

  •  

We don’t like our own work.

Really? Yes.

And here’s why that's a good thing.

 

The reason we say this because we believe that what an individual ‘likes’ or ‘dislikes’ isn’t the most effective criteria in judging a design’s success.

 

Instead, we believe that each piece of design has a specific message and target audience and it’s the communication of this message, in the most appropriate visual form, that should always take precedence over an individual’s personal design preferences.

 

This mind set has won favour with a hugely diverse range of clients and is the reason why we can work as easily with a snowboard manufacturer as we can with a global financial institution.

 

So, whilst we might not ‘like’ every piece of work we produce, we, and more importantly our clients, certainly think that they are all examples of effective design. And that’s far more valuable.

We only specialize in one area.

Creativity.

 

Although it seems unlikely at first glance; the methodology we use to create an illustration for a snowboard is exactly the same as we use to create branding for a financial institution.

 

What makes each client or project unique is understanding the message or feeling that needs to be communicated to the target audience. So, whilst the message and its execution will always differ, the approach doesn’t.

 

We start by seeking to understand three key aspects:

 

The Client’s Message

Who is the client? How are they perceived by the audience? How would they like to be perceived? What is the message the want to communicate? What is the best medium to communicate the message

 

The Marketplace

Whilst a design concept needs to be relevant to the client, it also needs to work within the context of the marketplace. If a brand marque communicates the value of a brand successfully, but is difficult to distinguish from a competitor’s brand, then the design has failed.

 

A brand needs to sit in a predefined a position within its sector and this is why understanding the marketplace is vital.

 

The Audience

Who are they? Where are they? How do they view the client? How do they view the client’s competitors? What influences their decisions? What is the most effective way to engage them?

 

Once we understand these three factors we can start devising a strategy to produce a creative solution that will engage the audience; whether it’s a snowboard or a logo.

 

How we think differently: 

Brand Identity for Martin Edwards Printers

 

This project is an excellent example of thinking differently. Renowned printers Martin Edwards told us the wanted a new ‘logo’ that would help them stand out from the competition.

 

However, given that all their competitors had very similar brand marques, we suggested that not having a ‘logo’ would help them stand out far more.

 

Through our conversations with Martin Edwards and their clients a theme emerged that as well as producing high quality print this brand’s unique quality was the personality and attitude running through the entire company.

 

Martin Edwards are down-to-earth, easy to speak to, happy to offer advice and generally very nice people to work with. And communicating these values became the primary aim.

 

Our solution was to create 10 statements; each communicating a reason as to why a potential client should work with Martin Edwards. Given that the majority of the branding would be printed matter and that Martin Edwards are a printers we were of the belief that the design shouldn’t overpower the quality of the print.

 

We used a purely typographical treatment to convey the messages in a friendly manner and metallic inks to highlight the quality of the print.

 

Each item of stationery had several variations, each with a different statement and colour, giving the identity an organic feel in the sense that giving out four business cards at a meeting would result in each recipient having a different card, but the same contact details.

© Copyright Phunction Ltd. 2016