AW Capabilities Month Visual Branding Week in Review
Welcome to Addison Whitney Capabilities Month!
Throughout the month of March, we will be designating one week where we will be highlighting one of Addison Whitney’s capabilities – visual branding, verbal branding, market research and brand strategy – via brand salsa and our social media channels.
This week, we focused on Visual Branding, which encompasses the visual aspects of your branding portfolio. In this special edition of the AW Rewind, we will take a look back at the visual branding-focused brand salsa posts from this week!
What is Visual Branding?
But what is Visual Branding? What does it mean to you? For all of us at Addison Whitney, it’s much more than just pretty pictures.
You only get one first impression; what is yours worth to you? A strong visual identity sets the tone for your brand, and at Addison Whitney, we specialize in understanding the impact and implications that design has on your business. Read more...
AW Capabilities Month Case Study Wednesday: Darden Restaurants
As one of the leading global branding firms, Addison Whitney is behind some of the world’s strongest and most iconic brands. We’re proud of the work we do for all of our clients and love sharing our stories, especially our visual branding experience. That’s why this week’s “Case Study Wednesday”, where we highlight one of our amazing clients and the work we have done with them, will focus on our visual branding work!
Our case study this week highlights Addison Whitney’s work with Darden Restaurants. Addison Whitney has had the privilege of an ongoing relationship with Darden Restaurants, owner of the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant and Bahama Breeze chains. Read More...
When is the Right Time to Change Your Logo?
When is the right time to change your logo? Or, should the question be, is there always a “right” time?
When it comes to branding, the visual aspect is crucial to success. It is the first thing that is seen, and as consumers and audience members to a brand message, a successful visual branding product can propel a brand to success. When a visual brand is successful, it acts as a foundation for the complete brand package. Read More...
Don’t forget, you can stay up-to-date with everything from Addison Whitney by joining the conversation with us on our social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.
Want to get exposed to real projects and attain real-life knowledge and skills vital for success in visual branding? Click here for information about interning with the Addison Whitney visual branding team!
When is the Right Time to Change Your Logo?
Welcome to Addison Whitney Capabilities Month! Throughout the month of March, we will be designating one week where we will be highlighting one of Addison Whitney’s capabilities – visual branding, verbal branding, market research and brand strategy - via brand salsa and our social media channels.
This week, we are focusing on Visual Branding, which encompasses the visual aspects of your branding portfolio.
When is the right time to change your logo? Or, should the question be, is there always a “right” time?
When it comes to branding, the visual aspect is crucial to success. It is the first thing that is seen, and as consumers and audience members to a brand message, a successful visual branding product can propel a brand to success. When a visual brand is successful, it acts as a foundation for the complete brand package.
When a company is looking into making a change to their visual branding, the first question they need to ask themselves is why – why do they feel a change is needed, and why now? Many brands get swept up in the notion of change for change’s sake, or start looking around at other visual rebrands and feel they need to do the same to keep up.
Two important factors to consider when looking at a logo redesign are to picture the final product across all of the different platforms where it will be featured, and to examine how the logo fits in with the whole picture of your branding – how well does it compliment your brand name, tagline and overall corporate identity.
Logo design is a piece of the branding puzzle, and when companies lose sight of this and make the logo the only aspect of their branding, they are left with a visual component that may look nice, but has no weight or meaning behind it.
As Cathleen Foley, Addison Whitney’s Manager of Visual Branding, puts it, “A good logo fits within the larger picture.” She recommends that a company’s new logo should stand the test of time, and more importantly the test of change. Instead of adopting the latest trend, make sure it helps tell the brand story.
To illustrate this point, simply look at the logos that are deemed “iconic,” the ones that are looked to as the standards for how a lasting visual identity should be done. What do they have in common? They all are simple, flexible logos that convey what the brand is trying to say without overshadowing the overall branding message.
The Nike swoosh for instance is one of the most simple and yet most recognized logos in the world. Nike hasn’t had to change this aspect of their brand even while they have undergone some shifts in their branding portfolio because the logo speaks to who Nike is and can adapt to the many messages that it is included in for the company.
The moral of the story is that logo redesign shouldn’t be scheduled like your next meeting – there shouldn’t be an email reminder that pops up and tells you that “Logo Redesign” is beginning in 15 minutes. It should come as a piece, albeit a very important one, to the branding puzzle. If the piece is out of place, the puzzle can’t be completed and the branding will miss out, but if visual fits, then it can be the driving force behind successful branding.
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Want to get exposed to real projects and attain real-life knowledge and skills vital for success in visual branding? Click here for information about interning with the Addison Whitney visual branding team!
AW Capabilities Month Case Study Wednesday: Darden Restaurants
Welcome to Addison Whitney Capabilities Month! Throughout the month of March, we will be designating one week where we will be highlighting one of Addison Whitney’s capabilities – visual branding, verbal branding, market research and brand strategy - via brand salsa and our social media channels.
This week, we are focusing on Visual Branding, which encompasses the visual aspects of your branding portfolio.
As one of the leading global branding firms, Addison Whitney is behind some of the world’s strongest and most iconic brands. We’re proud of the work we do for all of our clients and love sharing our stories, especially our visual branding experience. That’s why this week's “Case Study Wednesday”, where we highlight one of our amazing clients and the work we have done with them, will focus on our visual branding work!
Our case study this week highlights Addison Whitney's work with Darden Restaurants:
Addison Whitney has had the privilege of an ongoing relationship with Darden Restaurants, owner of the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant and Bahama Breeze chains.
Olive Garden
The Olive Garden project presented the challenge of updating its corporate image to be reflective of its new positioning as an authentic, rustic, family-oriented restaurant. Consumer research revealed that the current corporate identity projected an outdated feel. To overcome this challenge, we leveraged the Olive Garden name equity and created more sophisticated script lettering in a modern font.
Several icons to complement the new Olive Garden look were tested; however, the warm feel and vibrant colors of the grapes were a consistent favorite. The distinctive grape icon was implemented on signage, menus, place mats, take-out items and promotional materials, and it serves as a memorable, stand-alone symbol for the restaurant chain.
We also developed and implemented a corporate standards program for Olive Garden.
Bahama Breeze
Our work with Bahama Breeze was a little different. Because the restaurant experienced extraordinary growth and success in such a short time, inconsistencies arose in its corporate identity.
We evaluated the corporate visual brand identity, including the logo, color, image, interior decor and collateral usage in order to appropriately recommend strategic options for a visual brand consolidation. We recommended a logo evolution to provide the opportunity to establish a stronger corporate identity portfolio while still maintaining the positive aspects of the logo. We also established the graphic standards content for the Bahama Breeze Brand Visualization Guide.
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Want to get exposed to real projects and attain real-life knowledge and skills vital for success in visual branding? Click here for information about interning with the Addison Whitney visual branding team!
AW Capabilities Month: What is Visual Branding?
Welcome to Addison Whitney Capabilities Month! Throughout the month of March, we will be designating one week where we will be highlighting one of Addison Whitney’s capabilities – visual branding, verbal branding, market research and brand strategy - via brand salsa and our social media channels.
This week, we are focusing on Visual Branding, which encompasses the visual aspects of your branding portfolio.
But what is Visual Branding? What does it mean to you? Make sure to join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #AWCapabilitiesMonth.
For all of us at Addison Whitney, it's much more than just pretty pictures
You only get one first impression; what is yours worth to you? A strong visual identity sets the tone for your brand, and at Addison Whitney, we specialize in understanding the impact and implications that design has on your business.
Visual Branding includes:
- Corporate Identity Development
- Logo Development
- Brand Standards
- Identity and Stationery Systems
- Package Design
Our designers are problem solvers and strategic thinkers. We approach each project with a refined balance of creative vision and strategic foresight resulting in a singular, memorable design that encompasses the essence of your brand.
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Want to get exposed to real projects and attain real-life knowledge and skills vital for success in visual branding? Click here for information about interning with the Addison Whitney visual branding team!
Welcome to Addison Whitney Capabilities Month!
Throughout the month of March, we will be designating one week where we will be highlighting one of Addison Whitney’s capabilities – visual branding, verbal branding, market research and brand strategy - via brand salsa and our social media channels.
We invite you all to join the discussion with us on any of the content platforms, and hopefully we can inform and give you a better picture of some of our specialized areas!
The schedule for Capabilities Month will be:
- Visual Branding: Week of March 2nd
- Verbal Branding: Week of March 9th
- Brand Strategy: Week of March 16th
- Market Research: Week of March 23rd
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.