inside envision

The Last Advertising Agency on Earth

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:51:00 -0700

I was tipped off to this video by Nick Sloggett, our new Art Director. It's a perfect commentary on the fate that awaits agencies that don't change with the times.

–Greg

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Bach Would Be Proud

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:30:00 -0700

I can't even imagine how much work went into making this commercial. Then again, Bach had over 20 children, so I guess he's accustomed to having his name attached to hard work.

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Words Not Needed

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:45:00 -0700

I originally came across this fantastic ad while browsing Think Smart Designs. This just shows that, in advertising, simplicity can send a clear message. There's no mistaking the message that's trying to be sent. Too often, ads are brained to death…sometimes by the client and sometimes by the creatives. Words aren't always the driving force behind the message.

OK, so there are a few tiny words stuck in the bottom corner. :)

–Greg

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Holiday Reflections - Happy Holidays from The Envision Group

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:43:00 -0800

See the full gallery on Posterous

We had a little fun with our holiday greeting this year. Check it out ---> Get festive!

Happy holidays from all of us to all of you. Here's to an amazing 2011!

–Greg

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True Stories Behind Car Company Logos

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:54:00 -0800

The following was emailed to me and I'm not sure of the source. So, apologies to the original author.

–Greg

Did a wallpaper pattern in a Paris hotel room inspire the famous Chevrolet Bowtie emblem? Does the blue and white BMW roundel really symbolize a propeller and sky? And was the Porsche logo first sketched on a napkin in a New York City restaurant? In the world of automobile logos, truth can be stranger than fiction—though a good story can go a long way toward embellishing a brand’s corporate identity.

From Ferrari’s Prancing Horse to Cadillac’s crest, automobile logos appear on everything from steering wheel hubs to giant billboards, and even the lapel pins on the suits of company executives. This kind of flexibility is one of the design elements needed for an effective and strong logo, says Jack Gernsheimer, Creative Director of Partners Design Inc. and author of Designing Logos: The Process of Creating Symbols that Endure.

With over 40 years of advertising experience and more than 500 logos to his credit, Mr. Gernsheimer believes it’s essential to look long-term and to keep things simple when designing a logo. “Not getting too trendy with the type or color” is vital, he says. “When you design a logo, ideally it should endure for decades.” For many automakers, the roots of their logos stretch back over a century and contain enough symbolism and intrigue to fill a Dan Brown novel.

Automotive Pioneers

Tragedy plays a role in a popular myth surrounding the famous intertwined double-R logo of British luxury automaker Rolls-Royce. The company’s founders, Sir Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls, originally used red lettering for the emblem that combined the first initial of their last names. Legend has it the color was changed, from red to black, in a mark of respect after the death of Sir Henry Royce in 1933. In reality, black lettering was simply considered more becoming of a prestigious luxury car. The timing of the color change was pure chance.

Rolls Royce’s second iconic emblem, the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, is linked to a similarly tragic (but in this case, entirely true) tale. Designed by Charles Sykes in 1911, the model for the emblem was Miss Eleanor Thornton, the personal secretary of John Scott Montagu, the 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and friend of company co-founder Charles Stewart Rolls. In 1915, Miss Thornton died at sea while traveling to India. Yet for almost 100 years her likeness has graced every Spirit of Ecstasy.

The origins of some automotive logos begin even before the dawn of the automobile. TheMercedes-Benz three-pointed star is commonly known to symbolize the use of the company’s engines on land, sea and air. But the star first appeared on a personal note written in 1872 from company founder, Gottlieb Daimler, to his wife. Mr. Daimler used a three-pointed star to mark the location of his family’s new home in the town of Deutz, Germany. His sons adapted the emblem as the Mercedes-Benz logo from 1910 onward.

One of the best known emblems of all time, Ferrari’s Prancing Horse first appeared on warplanes flown by Francesco Baracca, an aviator and hero of World War I. In 1923, Enzo Ferrari met Francesco’s parents after a race, where they suggested Ferrari use their son’s prancing horse badge on his race cars—both for good luck, and as an homage to Francesco, who died before the war ended. A yellow background was added (it’s the official color of Enzo Ferrari’s hometown of Modena, Italy) and the horse’s tail was redesigned to point upward.

In the case of BMW, myth (and savvy marketing) has fooled generations into linking the company’s logo with an aviation theme. “A German advertising agency in the 1920s produced an ad that showed the [BMW] roundel against the spinning propeller of an airplane to reflect the company’s origins as an aircraft engine manufacturer,” says Dave Buchko, company spokesman for BMW North America. “That, it seems now, turns out to be urban myth.” While it’s true that BMW manufactured airplane engines, the blue and white logo represented the colors of the Bavarian flag, not a stylized propeller and sky.

American Ingenuity

Had it not been for a talkative spouse, the Chevy Bowtie emblem could have claimed one the strangest design origins. Louis Chevrolet said the famous emblem was inspired by a wallpaper pattern in his hotel room during a visit to Paris in 1908. The story would have been considered fact, had it not been for Mr. Chevrolet’s wife. She later said her husband had seen an advertisement featuring a similarly shaped logo in a Sunday supplement. Eye-catching design—and careful evolution—is a theme found in many American car company logos.

The Cadillac crest is the coat of arms of French military commander and explorer, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701. Simplified and streamlined over the years, the basic style remains intact. “It’s so distinctive, you don’t want to give that away,” says Anne Marie Webb, Design Manager for GM’s Global Brand Identity. When updating one of GM’s brand logos, Webb says she always considers elements “that made it recognizable and strong.” Even then, cultural differences must be considered. The Buick Tri-Shield emblem is monochromatic in every country except China, where the logo maintains red, blue and grey coloring. “They felt [color] had a more premium feel,” explains Webb.

Changing times can also bring big changes in a logo. For more than 80 years, Chrysler has used a wide range of badges featuring ribbon seals, or ribbon seals with wings. But in 1962, Chrysler Chairman Lynn Townsend wanted a more modern and less fussy corporate logo. According to Chrysler’s archives, out of approximately 700 designs, Townsend selected the Pentastar. Many assumed the design symbolized the five divisions of the company (circa the early 1960s). It didn’t; the design simply looked good.

Lawyers, Latin and Luck

Some car company logos owe their existence to legalities and economies of scale. In 1909, having left the company bearing his name, August Horch established a second automobile company in Zwickau, Germany. But with his name already in use, Horch had a serious problem. He couldn’t legally name his new company after himself. However, when translated into Latin, "Horch"—which means "hark"—became the lawyer-friendly "Audi." The four interlinked Audi rings came about in 1932, when four struggling automakers joined together under the corporate banner of Auto Union. These companies included Audi, DKW, Wanderer and, ironically, the original Horch.

Volvo also has Latin roots. Meaning “I roll,” the name was taken from a brand of ball bearings before it was applied to the Swedish automaker in 1924. The Volvo logo is the Roman symbol for iron—symbolizing a warrior’s shield and spear. The diagonal streak across the grille was originally only a mounting point for the badge, but is now “almost as much a brand ID as our iron symbol,” says Daniel Johnston, Product Communications Manager at Volvo Cars North America.

Good luck—and an easier to pronounce name—played a role in the creation of the Toyotanameplate in 1936. In the book Toyota: A History of the First 50 Years, company founder Kiichiro Toyoda “ran a contest for suggestions for a new Toyoda logo. There were over 20,000 entries. The winning entry consisted of katakana characters in a design that imparted a sense of speed… “Toyoda” became “Toyota” because as a design it was esthetically superior and because the number of strokes needed to write it was eight, which in Japan is a felicitous number, suggestive of increasing prosperity.”

Statues, Stars, and Smart Cars

Inspiration for a name and logo can come from careful consumer research, legal loopholes or, in some cases, by looking at the surrounding environment. The Maserati brothers took inspiration for their company’s trident logo from the statue of Neptune in the central square of Bologna, Italy, where Maserati was originally headquartered. The trident with Maserati script below was sketched by Mario, an artist, who also happened to be the only Maserati brother never actively involved in the design or engineering of cars.

Inspiration for the Subaru name literally came from the heavens—or more precisely, the Japanese name of a star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Six of the stars are visible to the naked eye and—in keeping with corporate identity—this matches the six companies which combined to form Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru’s parent company. The Hyundai name has an even simpler explanation. In Korean it means “modern,” while the company’s logo is a stylized “H” that also represents two people, the company and customer, shaking hands.

The Smart name seems to speak for itself, no translation needed. It actually happens to be an acronym of Swatch (the Swiss watch company that was a partner during the early stages of the company), Mercedes (the brand’s current custodian), and “Art.” The company’s logo signifies compact, with a “C,” and forward thinking with an arrow emblem.

Plot Twists

When it comes to the origin of an iconic logo, the same car company can sometimes have two variations of the same story. That holds true with Porsche, and the truth behind the German sports car manufacturer’s eye-catching emblem. According to a spokesperson with Porsche Cars North America, an extremely influential automobile distributor, Max Hoffman, met with Ferry Porsche in a New York City restaurant in 1951. The discussion moved on to Hoffman’s belief that Porsche needed a powerful logo, something distinctive and elegant. A rough sketch was made then and there, on a dinner napkin.

Yet the story from Porsche Germany differs from this colorful explanation. Max Hoffman did ask Ferry Porsche for a logo, but the emblem was designed by Porsche engineer Franz Xaver Reimspiess—and most definitely not sketched on a napkin somewhere in Manhattan. Does it matter who is right or wrong? Probably not.

A tall tale never hurts, especially when it involves two companies known for building some of the most exotic cars in the world. Car enthusiasts love to stoke the rivalry between Lamborghini and Ferrari, even down to the minutiae of the Lamborghini logo. The design of the gold and black emblem was led by company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, and the bull located in the center stands for his astrological sign (Taurus). Legend has it that Mr. Lamborghini purposefully copied the Ferrari shield, then reversed that company’s yellow and black color scheme to prod the ego of Enzo Ferrari.

With the key protagonists having passed away, there is probably no way to know for certain how much of this is true. “To our knowledge, this is just a rumor,” said a spokesperson for Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. “The only way to confirm would have been to ask Mr. Lamborghini himself.”

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Plants, Produce, People…and a Peacock

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:04:00 -0700

I'm loving these photos by Cecelia Webber. Fantastic! (These were emailed to me with no credit to who the photographer was. Thanks to Jacob Pritchard for tipping me off to who took them.)

See the full gallery on Posterous

–Greg

P.S. – If these photos just look like normal shots, look closer. They're people, people!

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Amazing Pencil Art

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:07:00 -0700

When I was a kid, I remember seeing photos of very intricate paintings that someone had done on pieces of rice. The artist had used brushes that were made from a single strand of camel hair. This fascinated me. Well, call me impressed again. I may have to get myself a box of No. 2 pencils and some very small tools and give this a try.

See the full gallery on Posterous

–Greg

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Vintage Insurance Advertisements

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:34:00 -0700

It's always fun to check out vintage ads to see how products were positioned decades ago. (Guinness is medicinal? Really?) Check out some of these insurance ads from the wayback machine! The original blog post can be found here.

See the full gallery on Posterous

-Greg

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Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh)

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:35:00 -0700

This video, in its original form, has been on YouTube for a while. But, it has recently been updated with new statistics. Even if you've watched it before, it's worth taking another look.

–Greg

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Diamond Quotes

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:12:00 -0700

Those of you who are not rabidly following the world cup, or obsessively and morosely watching reruns of the 2009 season on the NFL Network (I’m talking about you, Mr. Hillmer-Poole) have probably noticed that the baseball season is in full swing. Some of us who work by Coors Field have noticed more than others…particularly during rush hour after an afternoon game.

Baseball, unlike more exciting sports, allows for a great deal of standing about and chatting, and is therefore a rich resource for snappy one-liners. Here are a few gems collected by Project Muse® for the 16^th volume of their publication, NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture.

Diamond Quotes

“The human hand is made complete by the addition of a baseball.”
Paul Dickson

“The only way to prove you’re a good sport is to lose.”
Ernie Banks

“With those who don’t give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can’t think of anything to say to them.”
Art Hill

“Catching a fly ball is a pleasure, but knowing what to do with it after you catch it is a business.”
Tommy Henrich

“Most ball games are lost, not won.”
Casey Stengel

“When you are ten, you know more about your team than you ever will know again.”
Dan Shaughnessy

“There are three things the average man thinks he can do better than anyone else: build a fire, run a hotel, and manage a baseball team.”
Rocky Bridges

“They used to say, ‘If we find a good black player, we’ll sign him.’ They was lying.”
Cool Papa Bell

“These are uncertain times. We cannot be content to rest on yesterday’s laurels. These are times when we must strengthen rather than let down those standards which have stood in such good stead in crises that are past. Baseball cannot be selfish, or irresponsible, or lax. Neither can the men who operate it.”
Branch Rickey

“There isn’t enough mustard in the world to cover Reggie Jackson.”
Darold Knowles

“I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it.”
Rogers Hornsby

“For someone whose roots in America were strong but only inches deep, and who had no experience, such as a Catholic child might, of an awesome hierarchy that was real and felt, baseball was a kind of secular church that reached into every class and region of the nation and bound millions upon millions of us together in common concerns, loyalties, rituals, enthusiasms, and antagonisms. Baseball made me understand what patriotism was about, at its best.”
Philip Roth

“Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.”
Leo Durocher

“The purpose of baseball in life is not to teach us how to win; but rather to show us that even though we are going to eventually lose to successfully delay the last loss of our season.”
Bill Kirwin

—Lisa

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Score Yourself an iPad or $500 Cash

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:37:00 -0700

Things here at The Envision Group are plugging right along. While we've definitely seen an upturn in the economy (as I hope you have), we're still looking to add to our client roster. If you or any of your colleagues may have a need for our services, let's chat. We're a small, primarily B2B, branding agency that has done great work for clients in virtually any industry imaginable. I'd welcome the opportunity to tell you more about us if you don't have a firm grasp on what we do. Or, you can visit our website at:

http://www.envision-grp.com/

Oh, there's something in it for you as well! If any of your referrals turn into business ($5,000 net+), you'll score yourself an iPad (or $500 if you don't want the iPad).

You scratch our back. We'll scratch yours. It's pretty straight forward.

If you're looking for new business, let me know what you're looking for and I'd be happy to go through my contacts and toss some leads your way.

Let's work together to do our part to turn this economy around.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Just email us at info@envision-grp.com or call 303.843.9777.

Regards, Greg McBride

P.S. - If you haven't heard, we just launched a new advertising product specifically targeted at the hospitality space. You can watch the video at:

http://www.steamyourmessage.com/show_me.html

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Skateboard Art!

Mon, 17 May 2010 20:14:00 -0700

I recently came across the work of Japanese artists Harumaki and Hirosher. Their Skate and Destroy series transforms scratched, cracked, bent and worn skateboards into sculptures. This is a great way to encourage recycling by reusing old skateboard decks. If you’d like to see more, visit the artists' website here.

—Sara

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Old Spice Swagger

Wed, 12 May 2010 15:00:00 -0700

Old Spice has just rolled out a trendy and sophisticated new look for their product, Red Zone, adding the word "Swagger" to the label. So, before working out, I walked into the grocery store, picked up an Old Spice Swagger deodorant, paid for the item, and headed off to the gym. Once I opened the cap, I literally started singing, "♬ I'm putting my swag oooooonnnnnnn yeeeeeyaaaahhh! ♬" I'm not normally into hip hop, but I guess I am now! Enjoy!

—Tristan

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I Was There

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:38:00 -0700

Push IQ agency has created a fantastic identity package and video promotion for Peace Corps @ 50 (Peace Corps 50th Anniversary). The site emphasizes events that occurred over 50 years in the Peace Corps. It contains stories of individual, devoted volunteers, who share experiences about their exciting journey. If you would like to know more about Peace Corps @ 50, check out their website. Enjoy!

—Tristan

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Marketing Effectiveness Experiment

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:11:00 -0700

Because I think that the children are our future, and also good guinea pigs, I devised a sophisticated plan to gauge the effectiveness of ads in some popular women’s magazines. I sat my daughter and her two cousins down at the kitchen table, gave them each an InStyle magazine, and instructed them to pick their favorite ad.

Subject #1
Name: Lucy
Age: 8
Grade: 3rd
Favorite Ad: Godiva Chocolate

What is your ad selling?
Go-deeva Chocolate. They are selling chocolate.

What is the call to action?
I don’t know what that is.

What does the ad want you to do?
I don’t know. There aren’t any words.

What is their offer?
Chocolate?

How will you get the chocolate?
Go to Go-deeva.com.

Will you visit Godiva.com?
Maybe I will go there. I don’t know. Probably not.

Will you buy their chocolate?
If I have money some day, I would get it online.

When would that be?
When I’m a grown-up.

Why is this your favorite ad?
Because I like chocolate.

Conclusion: Without any direct call to action, or obvious way to procure the product, Lucy is uninterested in actively seeking it out for deliberate purchase until adulthood. However, the time that we spent discussing the ad may inspire some recall in her the next time she is at the mall and walks past the Godiva shop. So was the ad successful, or does Godiva Chocolate owe me for that new share of Lucy’s mind I just earned them?

Subject #2
Name: Anna
Age: 7
Grade: 1st
Favorite Ad: House of Dereon

What is your ad selling?
I don’t know what this ad is for.

What is the call to action?
House of De-…I can’t read that. I am only a little kid.

What does the ad want you to do?
Go to Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.com. Oh! This ad is for clothes.

What is their offer?
They are offering clothes

Do you know who that is?
Lady Gaga?

It’s Beyonce.
Who’s Beyonce?

She sings “Single Ladies.”
Oh, she’s a Chipette.

Will you buy these clothes?
When I grow up. Those clothes are too big for me. And I don’t have any money.

How much do you think this dress costs?
$99.

Why is this your favorite ad?
I like the color green.

Conclusion: Although Anna precociously demonstrates brand recognition for both Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales, she is so unfamiliar with Beyonce and her empire of offerings that any equity is completely lost on the seven-year-old. Does this demonstrate that House of Dereon needs to step up their marketing efforts to first grade girls in Colorado? Probably not, but Anna’s gravitation towards the color of the dress reiterates once again that women respond to green in advertising.

Subject #3
Name: Blake
Age: 8
Grade: 3rd
Favorite Ad: peoplepets.com

What is your ad selling?
People Pets.

What is that?
Peoplepets.com

But what IS it?
Where you go to peoplepets.com.

But what is peoplepets.com?
An ad?

And what are they advertising?
They are advertising pets.

You think that this is an ad for pets?
OH! It’s a WEBSITE about pets!

What is the call to action?
Visit peoplepets.com today!

What is their offer?
You can see pets.

Will you go to this website?
Maybe next year. I will remember and go.

Why is this your favorite ad?
Cute doggie.

Conclusion: This ad must be considered the most successful of the three. Blake will only wait a year to visit peoplepets.com, as opposed to waiting ten, as her counterparts have planned. The clear call to action, unvarnished list of offerings, and (the master stroke) the adorable pug create a classic marketing trifecta, against which the audience is defenseless.

Results: Blake wins.

—Lisa

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What You May Have Missed…

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:33:00 -0700

:::: Typography Game ::::

There's a new game for typography geeks.

"From I Love Typography comes the long-awaited, the definitive Font Game for iPhone & iPod Touch. Guaranteed to be absolutely the most fun you’ll have with fonts anywhere, any time, any place. Think you know your Arial from your Helvetica, your sans from your sans serifs?" – Appsolute.ly

(via @inspiredmag)

:::: New $100 Bill Released by U.S. Treasury ::::

"The U.S. Treasury refreshes its currency every once in a while to stay a step ahead of counterfeiters, and this time they’re refreshing the new $100 bill. The new bill will contain a security feature called Motion, where each bill will contain up to 650,000 microlenses embedded in the printing which will allow for an underlying image to shift when the bill is moved." – TechVert

(via @DesignerDepot)

:::: Tiny Totem Sculptures On Crayons ::::

"Artist, tinkerer and collector of dolls, Diem Chau meticulously carves characters into Crayons." – KidRobot

– Leigh (@kotobuki711)

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Reveal'd | Give Your Message Some Steam

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:18:00 -0700

Steam...the power behind the engines of our industrial age has been harnessed once again in a revolutionary new method of environmentally-friendly marketing. We proudly introduce Reveal'd patent-pending invisible etching. Through a proprietary process, Reveal'd makes it possible to conceal your message or graphic invisibly on any glass or mirrored surface, and then reveal it with the subtle application of steam. The effect is truly magical, and must be seen to be believed! Visit http://www.steamyourmessage.com to learn more. Or, email us at info@steamyourmessage.com.

We just set up our Twitter account, so feel free to follow @steammessage.

If you know of any hotels or other businesses who may be interested in Reveal'd, feel free to send us a tip. We pay referral commissions, so you'll be thanked in cold, hard cash if you lead turns into business.

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Tweets You May Have Missed...

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:49:00 -0700

Each day there are upwards of 50M tweets (that's 600 tweets per second) being shared via the 75M+ users on Twitter.

How many of those tweets are by creatives? Who knows. One thing is for sure, the resources being provided through social media are seemingly infinite.

Here's a handful of inspiring linkage...

:::: AT&T ad campaign ::::

Conceptually these ads are successful in conveying both the accessibility of the brand and in specifying international coverage areas. And all without going anywhere near "ethnic" stock photography. Brilliant. (via @designyoutrust)

:::: CSS3 in Transition ::::

The CSS animated color shift effect is only viewable in Safari or Google Chrome right now, but well worth a browser download. (via @TrentWalton)

:::: Starbucks April Fool's Spoof ::::

On April 1st, Starbucks "officially" introduced two new sizes... the Plenta™ (128 fl oz) and the Micra™ (2 fl oz). Being an environmentally conscious brand they included suggestions for post-enjoyment container usage. Of course, the monstrous Plenta could be used as a popcorn receptacle, rain hat, perennial planter, lampshade or yoga block. The itsy-bitsy Micra could serve as a convenient milk dish for kittens, soft boiled egg cup or paper clip holder.

Making fun of your brand - where appropriate - can truly be a fantastic marketing tool.

We'll share more new and noteworthy tweets soon...

– Leigh

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Typography as Art

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:42:00 -0700

House Industries type foundry never ceases to impress and inspire with their masterful silkscreen creations. Especially when it comes to their use of layering techniques and typography as image. Their latest limited edition tour posters for John Mayer are no exception. They created a rich typographic effect by layering metallic copper, white and fluorescent red inks on French Paper’s Steel Blue Construction stock. The font used on the posters comes from their Photo-Lettering collection.

House Industries also produced “ready to hang” birch plywood units for the LA show.

I've followed the creative force that is Delaware-based House Industries since my college days in Maryland. What I love most about their brand is that they are so much more than just another type foundry. Their artistic passion and attention to detail is apparent in everything they create. And of course, their typographic skills are killer. I suggest heading over to the House Industries show & tell blog for creative inspiration.

– Leigh, the newest member of The Envision Group team, fresh from the east coast.

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Happy Spring From The Envision Group!

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:02:31 -0700

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