We start by listening.

We listen and engage in deep dialogue to try and get the clearest sense of the vision of the company. We try to get to the core of what we represent. It typically requires digging beyond the typical mission statement and often requires speaking to the owner or CEO of the company, because they have the clearest vision for not only who the company is, but where it’s going. It’s from this conversation that we can start the design process.

Communicating the core of the company is an essential part of every single initiative.

After understanding the objectives of the specific project and the core vision of the company, ideas begin to manifest that we have to react to. Reacting intuitively and viscerally to conversations have consistently resulted in solutions that connect with customers in an emotional level. When you react to your intuition, you allow the audience to use theirs as well and bring them in. That’s something that data just can’t do.

Once we’ve reached a point where we feel represents those core values of the company, we then will bring in the market research to compare against our current solution. From the insights of understanding the customer better, we can see if what we’ve already done is in line with the customers’ views. If we need to, we’ll adjust what we’ve developed in order to both communicate the core message, but also connect with the consumer insights. Therefore, we can get the best of both worlds.

This is a great example of how design can affect your perception of a product. This Little Printer provides a personalize mini newspaper printed on a roll, but delivers it with a smile.

The other day, Paul Stonier shared with us the video below and it sparked a great conversation. We all fell in love with the little face and how it transforms the object from a utility to into your little assistant. Just imagine the product without that face. The body of the rest of the product is incredibly pragmatic. There is some nice simplicity to it, but the interaction would be very cold.

This product also speaks to why it’s important to involve design and branding into the stage of product development. In most cases, a company would come to a design firm with the product already developed and have the firm brand the product as is. Therefore, including something like this smile may have been too late.

There is also something interesting to recognize here; while with everything accessible on our phones and computers, there is less and less of an interaction with paper. There is something very intimate about paper that screens simply have not been able to replicate. The size of the roll helps with this too. The size of the prints are just the right size; not too big to feel like you are at work with a letter size sheet of paper that you are wasting most of the paper with, yet not too small that you struggle with it.

How would you use the Little Printer?

Hello Little Printer, available 2012 from BERG on Vimeo.

For me, building context begins with building a relationship with a client. I can’t begin to build context if I don’t know and understand the client and their business.

A client I’ve worked with before is involved in a new venture, and he hired me to design the branding, marketing, and positioning materials. But before I could begin the design process, I had to learn more – from the client – about the new business. I asked him to tell me about the industry, current market competition, future competition, and business plan. This information helps me build only part of the context, however. In order to really build context, I also need to understand my client’s emotional connection to the business, so I asked him questions that helped me understand the core essence of why this business inspires him.

This first step in building context is absolutely essential for me to do my best work. A one-to-one relationship with the owner, president, or CEO of the company helps me meld my creative process with the client’s vision. From there, I can build a strong context for the company’s branding materials, and design with heart.

Good taste is hard to describe. At MRA, we think it’s present in our body of work. As Mr. Glass says, it takes time to develop good taste, and we’ve been working at it for over 30 years. We work hard at staying current and contemporary, and run current trends through our experienced sensibilities (our “good taste machine”) to meet clients’ needs. We’re very aware of the pitfalls of following trends, because of the possibility of being “trendy”, which isn’t always in good taste.

An example of this is the recent Abercrombie & Fitch/Jersey Shore brand clash. A&F asked the JS guys to stop wearing their fashions on-air, because of the negative public perception of the brand the show might be creating. Granted, it all might be a publicity stunt, but it’s the ultimate irony – both brands promote the same buffed male image, but A&F is running like crazy from JS because of JS’ lack of good taste.

Having roots in traditional graphic design, MRA creates brand identities for the contemporary world while never losing sight of good taste. The pioneers of design are the voices of good taste and sophistication we listen to when developing creative solutions.

What do you think constitutes good taste? Please comment, we’d love to hear your opinions!

Recent website analytics show that this blog and our LinkedIn page are increasing visits to our website, and that people are staying at the site longer. That’s good, but it hasn’t yet generated any new business. Next week we’ll add a monthly email update to the mix, and it will be interesting to see how that performs.

I may be quiet and introspective, but I’m not the most patient person in the world. I want this experiment to work quickly, for MRA and our clients. We’re trying out social media and understand that our ability to provide these services will be judged by how well we do for ourselves. And that’s scary. What if this doesn’t work for us? What if social media marketing only works for businesses that make widgets? Or something more consumer-based, like clothes?

Speaking of clothes, the skeptic in me likens this experiment to Hans Christian Andersen’s tale about the emperor and his new clothes. Is social media marketing a con sold to us by new media “tailors”, or is it something more? We’re trying to find out if the emperor has no clothes, and as we go along, we’re going to let everyone know what we learn. Stay tuned!

For some time, MRA has employed two important social media tools: a state-of-the-art website, and this blog. But the reality is that most potential customers don’t know that that we – or these things – exist. How can we introduce ourselves, drive people to the website to look at our work, read the blog, and then contact us for an appointment? In the next several months, we’re going to try two things:

1.  A LinkedIn page. We’re working hard to get connected to businesses, non-profits, and individuals who we think might be interested in our design services. It’s easy to find potential contacts on LinkedIn, and just about everyone we ask for a connection says “yes”. The page features regular updates, informing the people we’re connected to about a website update, new blog post, newsletter, or local news item about our work. As of this writing, we’re connected to 148 people, and making new connections every day.
2. An e-newsletter. Lots of businesses and non-profits use regular or periodic newsletters to market their products. MRA works with one local non-profit whose membership increased 600% in their first year of producing a weekly e-newsletter! We’re going to start with a monthly publication, using the Constant Contact service. Look for the first one at the end of July. Our goal is to provide current and potential clients with an “inside look” into the work we do, and an opportunity to get to know us better. With that in mind, each newsletter will feature a video interview with me (gulp!), and examples of our work and process. We hope the e-newsletter will help communicate the caring way we approach our work.

As we experiment with these tools, we’ll be asking for your feedback. So please let us know what you think!

We’ve always trusted a friend’s recommendation over something we read in a brochure. People now ask their facebook friends for recommendations on which vet to take their pet to, share experiences with photos taken on their mobile phones, and recommend books, films, and vacation spots. With this shift, the expectation is that you care about your friends and provide them with the respect and esteem to which they feel entitled.

We at Marc Rubin Associates welcome this shift. Anyone who knows Marc knows that he brings his heart to every piece of work he creates. Since 1976, Marc has been not only conceptually and financially invested in the work, but emotionally as well. We think you can see this in the work and that it provides a sound foundation for communicating the dedication and respect with which you serve your customers. We care about your business success and work to provide you with ideas and designs that will connect with the public on an emotional level.

Designing with heart makes good business sense. Connecting with the public on an emotional level increases the breadth and strength of brand loyalty, which in turn increases the lifetime value of a customer. Therefore, when you’re investing in design with heart, the return is more deeply felt, measuring well beyond the dollar.

To all of our dear customers, we are grateful. Thank you.

A brand’s story is expressed through the following:

• Color
• Typography
• Shape
• Voice
• Imagery
• History
• Sound
• Smell
• Taste
• Last, but not least…Your Experiences & Memories

All of these elements provide a context in which we conjure up a system of values that represent your brand. This is also why it is critical to have a consistent voice and message across all communication channels in order to send a clear message. If an advertisement does not feel like the same brand as its website, this can result in a loss of equity, credibility and effectiveness which translates into loss of value, sales and profits. Therefore, next time you are thinking about your logo, we ask you to consider your brand and how it all works together. Let’s chat about it. We’d love to hear from you.