Context is important when we look back at the history of branding and design.

In the 1960’s and early 70’s, American Corporate identity was heavily influenced by the Swiss International Style, the wordmark having largely replaced pictorial representation of companies and brands. Recall, Vignelli introduced American Airlines to Helvetica in 1967, and Rand streamlined IBM in 1956. But, as we’ve come to better understand, trends provide the perfect opportunity to Zag, which is exactly what WolffOlins did across the pond. 

As the logotype became pervasive, WolffOlins, founded in 1965, convinced paint manufacturer Hadfields to trademark an illustration of a fox. However, they did maintain the obligatory Akidenz Grotesk logotype to accompany the curious fellow. It wasn’t until 1972 that they eschewed sans-serif altogether for the construction company Bovis. In addition, Wolff pitched an intricate illustration of a hummingbird. The client had been expecting “a bull or some other metaphor for male physical strength.” As one could imagine, strength is what every other company in the trade represented. The hummingbird, instead, could act as a metaphor that symbolized and represented a company focused on delicate precision. It was the perfect Zag.

Wolff admits, though, that the idea was nearly lost due to his inability or, perhaps, unwillingness to sell the concept. After listening to the presentation, Bovis chairman, Sir Keith Joseph, asked for an explanation of the hummingbird. Wolff responded that he “just really liked it.”

When I first read Beatrice Warde’s 1930 lecture on printing, “The Crystal Goblet” (in Helen Armstrongs’ crucial  Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field, 2009), I thought, fuck that shit.

Mind you, I was just a few years removed from design education at Syracuse, a concept school with heavy Swiss influences. My heroes at the time were the antithesis of my schooling — Stefan Sagmeister, David Carson, and Art Chantry. All designers who used expressive typography (albeit in extremely different ways) to communicate powerful messages on an emotional level. Their work had profound influence in the field, and lead to a personal epiphany: the objective of graphic design in the 21st Century wasn’t to plaster the world with Univers. Plus, they were winning design awards up the wazoo.

Perhaps I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

For context, Warde was a scholar, writer, and historian for typography. In 1930, she was the marketing manager for the British Monotype Corporation. A monumental influence in the design industry, she championed higher printing standards, revival typefaces like Bodoni (hooray!) and new fonts like Gill Sans (woof!). But make no mistake, it was Warde’s vocation to hawk fonts to print shops throughout Europe, and she did that through lectures and essays.

“The Crystal Goblet,” then, was a metaphor used to convince printers and advertising agencies that typography aught to be treated like a crystal clear glass, beautifully constructed, yet transparent. Warde explains, “There is only one thing in the world that is capable of stirring and altering men’s minds to the same extent, and that is the coherent expression of thought.” It’s an easy argument that transparent typography allows for a seamless transferal of message, hence, clearer communication.

She continues, “If you agree with this, you will agree with my one main idea, i.e., that the most important thing about printing is that it conveys thought, ideas, images, from one mind to other minds.” In retrospect, how could 25-year-old me have ever argued with this idea?

With all due respect to Weingart, Greiman, McCoy — any designer with a penchant for typographic fashion, really — Beatrice Warde’s unforgiving lecture aught to be recited in all design classes today, a short Zoom meeting being sufficient. Not because designer’s opinions or preferences don’t matter — in many cases, they most certainly do — but because the underlying lesson is extremely relevant. That is, compelling ideas should be communicated clearly to the intended audience.

Of course, questions remain: whose message deserves clarity, and what content constitutes the intellectual criteria for such important communication? In the words of the late Michael Jackson:

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
Na-na-na, na-na-na
(No chance this song doesn’t get stuck in your head today.)

In other words, start internally. Check out your social media feeds: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. Your online portfolio. Have an idea worth sharing? Make it clearer. If you are in the business of communicating messages for brands or other people, this isn’t a novel idea. However, we live in the Golden age of Typography, with literally thousands of more fonts to choose from than Warde’s audience. Selecting an inappropriate typeface has never been easier. Drop some typographic knowledge with your clients on why clean, transparent typography is so important today.

Expressive typography isn’t dying. There are an abundance of designers using type in really interesting and progressive ways. But clean type is timeless. There exists a place in the designer’s toolkit for both. Fair warning: not all designers are created equal. And not every designer possesses the skill set, or the right client, to appropriately fuck with good ideas, and clear communication. And to those, might I suggest occasionally taking a sip from the Crystal Goblet?

Introducing 4 ways brands can shift their marketing approach to keep up with Private Label success

Branded packaged goods have dominated retail for almost a century, while private-label products have been seen as the lower-quality value option for thrifty shoppers who sacrifice quality to keep a few extra bucks in their pockets. But things are changing: Private label brands are set to double sales growth (3.8%) vs. national brands in 2020 and are forecasted to capture 25% of dollars in the next 10 years.  This growth is driven by shoppers’ shift in mindset about the quality of private label brands and the propensity towards greater value regardless of the state of the economy. 

So, why the shift? Retailers are getting smarter – they’re investing in higher-quality manufacturing, implementing more efficient logistical processes and leveraging their ownership of shopper data. These changes are resulting in 25-30% higher profit margins from their brands vs. national brands and are giving retailers more control over their suppliers. 

What does this mean? A partner is now alsoa competitor. 

In this hyper-competitive retail landscape, one of the biggest challenges we face is navigating the shelf at retailers whose growth strategies depend heavily on promoting their own brands. In years past, brands needed to align their own objectives with retailer objectives, marry their targets with the retailer’s shopper, and show how their brand could grow the category. Now, we need to strategize ways in which the brand grows the category at the retailer without directly competing against private label. A tough job got tougher. But, with a little homework and some creative strategies, this challenge becomes a huge opportunity.  Read below to find out ways we're suggesting to combat.

Importantly, keep in mind that these are just a few thought starters to combat the steal of share private label brands are starting to take. As we head into 2020, there remains ample room for ideation, but developing innovative strategies to address retailers’ increased focus on private label will become a critical component in shopper agency-national brand relationships.The key, in almost every solution, will be to arm the agency and your client with in-depth knowledge of the retailer, with transparency and visibility in order to react in a timely fashion. Understand that private label – while a growing competitive threat – can provide clients with an incredible opportunity to connect with shoppers.