Resource Branding & Design

Your Brand as a Character

bryan — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:14:46 +0000

“Former Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats tweeted a number of valuable storytelling rules during her time at the animation studio.” I came across this article recently and while reading, I realized that when Pixar develops a character, they are essentially building a brand. Or vice versa, when we create a brand, we are essentially giving a voice to a character. A brand can be tested with the same checklist. See what you think.

You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

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Digital vs Print

bryan — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:37:26 +0000

Our lives have become more and more digital where much of our day is experienced through some sort of digital device which has replaced the more traditionally valued craft of print. Even though print is tactile and physical, digital better represents the natural world and print represents the human process.

How can that be? Humans developed both technologies and I’ve never seen a bobcat using a laptop, but here’s why: Print is static, constant and is seen the same by anybody who picks up the final piece. The colors match from piece to piece, the dimensions don’t change and the substrate is constant. This is how humans see their world, we try to build objects that last forever with minimal maintenance. Our cars, homes and cities are built to be permanent. We’re bummed when we have to paint the house, a road gets a pothole or our car car starts to rust. Conversely, the rest of nature is ever-changing. Animals build temporary shelters or do constant maintenance, they adapt as necessary and never complain about traffic.

Our digital lives reflect this constant change and update to keep up with a changing world as well as with every possible device that will display the project. Different monitors, browsers, lighting, settings, and mobile devices are just a few of things that need to be thought about during design. Digital brands understand this. Facebook, twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest all change their content every second of every day. Sites regularly update the UI to become better or just more current, Apps constantly update to be sure they work on the latest software version and to fix glitches.

All while print continues to chug away at what it does best, be predictable in its output. There is a place for both in our lives and I for one hope that print never dies, but how can we use print to better offset the daily deluge of emails, updates, and posts that have become more and more part of our lives?

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21DAYS | DAY 352

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:26:14 +0000

Sometimes, in the course of your professional life, you meet someone who has an impact long beyond that initial connection. I met Jerry Burns over 20 years ago. Since then, we have collaborated on projects for everything from Fortune 50′s to Non-Profits down to the smallest of boutique companies. He comes to work every day with a get it done attitude, coupled with a fierce commitment to creating beautiful images that resonate. So, I was honored when he asked me to participate in his 21DAYS project. Beginning on Jan. 1st, 2012, he committed himself to shooting a portrait every day. On Dec. 31st he will finish with 365 portraits on the books. The project was designed as a test, a labour of love and a measure of one’s perseverance. You will see an amazing array of people from all walks of life. It’s a testament to one man’s determination to keep the work ethic wheels turning and the creative fires burning.

Thanks for the inspiration Jerry.

Enjoy the full 21DAYS project archive HERE.
And you can see more examples of Jerry’s work at studioburns.com.

Posted by Rick Grimsley, Design Director

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Cheers To A Happy & Healthy 2012!

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:20:57 +0000

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REBRAND OR REFRESH?THE RESOURCE JOURNEY REVEALED.

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:00:23 +0000

Embarking on a brand refresh for a company is never an easy exercise, especially if that company happens to be your own. After 12 successful years in business, Resource needed a brand refresh that reflected our growth and evolution as a company. But that need also generated some important questions. Did we want a revolutionary or evolutionary change in our identity? How should we differentiate ourselves from our competition and create messaging that would resonate with our current and future clients? And most importantly, what would we communicate as the essence of what we believe and practice on a daily basis as a company? Fortunately, we had a well-defined and objective process in our back pocket to assist in finding those answers.
Our journey began with kitchen coffee talks, group lunches and snack-fueled discussions at the big board. Over time our process led us step-by-step through analysis, definition, and the development of our evolved positioning, the benchmark from which we would develop all facets of our new brand.
Simplify. Say directly who and what you are. We were formerly known as Resource Real Estate Marketing. But our brand process indicated that the name no longer expressed the essence of what we really provide for clients. So we retained the aspects of our brand with the most equity: the Resource name along with the signature brand green – then added “Branding & Design” to properly position the company. Fonts were explored and customized, while our new positioning was integrated into the design of the mark. In addition, we created the Resource Circle R as a complementary branding device that can be used in a variety of interesting ways.
A new, extended color palette was created, giving us broader options to work with as we made color choices for identity components as well as our new space. New space? Because we love a good challenge we decided to add a move to new office space into the rebranding process!
With our logomark and color palette in place, we commissioned Atlanta artist and good friend, Mark Boomershine, to paint our new logo on canvas – as a work of art that welcomes visitors and sets the tone for our comfortable and collaborative new space.
We believe in using the many mediums available to express brand. So much of what we create now exists only in the digital realm, but when appropriate we still love the tactile impression of elegant papers and quality processes. Beautiful embossing and debossing of our Circle R gave us tasteful options to choose from.
We know and live by the power of first impressions. Thick, letterpressed cards with our debossed R on the back make a favorable impression and set a tone that notes our attention to details and craftsmanship.

With the brand foundation in place, the print identity was extended to all components. In addition, we created brand templates for presentation materials and RFPs.
As part of our brand extension, we also created a texture palette. These patterns and textures would play a role in the look and feel of web site and the buildout of our new space. We’re slightly obsessed with burlap.
A custom brand icon set was designed for use in our proposals and presentations. Curious about their meaning? Contact us for an RFP and all icon secrets will be revealed.
The Resource site was designed to serve as our primary brand touchpoint, and gives viewers insight into how we work and think. The tone of the site is friendly, the look is open and clean, and it provides an excellent platform for displaying our personality as well as capabilities.
The new space was designed to be bright, open and collaborative. Brand touches are spread throughout the office with the use of color, textures and finishes. We love to have visitors at our new space so please stop by and see us!
Our constant desire for chocolate led us to create the Resource brand M&M’s gift jar. And if you’re here on a very special day, one of Woody’s world famous Resource green margaritas could magically appear in the kitchen.

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THE RESOURCE JOURNEY REVEALED. appeared first on Resource Branding & Design.