The brief was to create a marque that would:

• Link to the concept of different strands making up the whole

• Capture the idea of movement and energy

• Keep traditional focus/heritage with a modern edge reflecting the uniqueness of the organisation.

Stand set out to create a marque that captured the variety of courses on offer at the Conservatoire. We started by trying to find a constant - a visual link between the disciplines. We found this link in the visual language of multi-track sequencers. Software such as Logic, Final Cut Pro or GarageBand use multiple lanes of information to capture performances. We immediately caught onto the notion of channels (bass, drums, vocals, video, scripts and scenes) representing the various department disciplines - which all come together to form the overall performance - the Conservatoire.

The final marque is a vertical representation of these multi-track lanes, forming the letters R, C and S. This is intentionally discreet. The grid also represents Glasgow - the Conservatoire’s home. Customised serif typography was chosen to balance and soften the geometric nature of the graphic and this sans/serif interplay is applied throughout the brand literature.

As the brand design developed, stakeholders found meaning in different elements of the vertical blocks - each representing a different discipline of the Conservatoire. We believe that the identity means something different to each individual.

Starbucks is a brand that tweaks my somethings, it means something to me.

First view of the new id left me a bit non-plussed and actually pretty disappointed, BUT - (thinking about it for a couple of minutes) actually I think it makes a whole load of sense  - simplified and bolder - siren becomes hero - it was a  bit recessive before. Green is the colour of Starbucks - black has gone - probably means that they can save some money on print and give them a wee CSR angle. New ID feels like it’s coming  early seventies America, which is obviously where Starbucks is from, so it’s got authenticity, fresh new modernity and stand-out - I’d wear the t-shirt. Only downside is that I’m not sure that losing the word ‘Starbucks’ makes a lot of sense (losing coffee does), I’d like to see how it rolls out across all point’s of connection - LIKE  how does it work on outlet fascia and more importantly, how does it work in its expanding grocery portfolio?

Look forward to seeing more.

News just in…Our redesign of (what was previously Prospect Magazine, now) Urban Realm won Best Magazine Design (Business & Professional) and Scottish Magazine of the Year at last night’s PPA Scotland Magazine Awards.

More images and a bit of background on the redesign to follow.  Watch this space.

With a minimum of two years’ agency experience you’ll already have a good grounding in how an agency works, the key processes used, how to manage projects and work with clients to deliver great results.

You may be a super-keen, talented Account Executive looking for your next move up the career ladder; we’re not fussed about job titles.  Talent, passion and a willingness to learn is what counts.

If you want to find out more about this opportunity then drop us a line, saying in no more than 100 words what you could bring to the role.

The email address is studio[at]stand-united[dot]co[dot]uk

I’ve just watched this fascinating talk from the lovely John Grant at this year’s PSFK conference.  In it, he discusses a more interesting, and frankly plausible, explanation for how innovation really comes about.

It’s simple when you think about it: innovation comes about from looking at what might seem like an ugly, difficult or ‘unworthy’ issue from a different perspective.

He cites examples as varied as eBay, the Grameen Bank (the micro-credit institution founded in Bangladesh in the 1970s), The Discovery Channel, The Big Issue and IKEA as ways of illustrating the value of asking ‘what’s neglected?’ when looking for innovation.  Taking McKinsey’s latest list of tech-enabled trends as an amusing starting point, John Grant explores a more interesting and more human approach to innovation which starts at the bottom of the pyramid with something ugly and neglected not, as might be expected, at the pinnacle with the question ‘what’s next?’

The points he makes particularly resonated with me because of a really interesting project that we’ve been working on with NESTA, (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), the independent body with a mission to make the UK more innovative.  Through a two-year pilot programme called Age Unlimited Scotland, NESTA wants to work with people in their 50s and 60s in Scotland who have the spark of a great idea to improve their community.  This alternative approach to social entrepreneurship takes the value of the life experience people aged 50+ have gained and marries it with the need to address the implications of an ageing population.  

So, if you know anyone over 50 who could put their skills to use in order to help their community then let them know about Age Unlimited Scotland.  

Columba 1400’s purpose is simple; to help young people from tough realities realise that they already have the inner greatness and confidence to transform their own lives.

Columba 1400 has been established for ten years, working from its headquarters in Staffin, Skye, and has recently added a second centre in a truly inspirational setting at Ardoch, Loch Lomond. They offer programmes for children and adults from the corporate world, sometimes working alongside to benefit each other.

Stand were present at the opening, along with the charities patron HRH The Princess Royaland a wealth of trustees, sponsors, supporters and graduates from the programs.

The new identity looked fantastic flying in the wind, and we look forward to rolling it outacross their website and other corporate materials in the coming months.

Billboard Magazine video instalation from Marcos Kotlhar on Vimeo.

Why do Japanese DJs just make everything look instantly appealing?This engaging piece of film is to promote Nike’s new Free Run+ shoe which claims to be so flexible that it’s as close you can get to barefoot running.I’m off to Achilles Heel tomorrow to invest in a new pair of running trainers before the Women’s 10k next week.  I’ll see what they say about these bad boys.Oh, and I love how they had to put this caveat on the endframe: 

http://www.lowsalt.org.uk/vestigespark.html