Posted by Andrew Thomas
Earlier this year we helped Eco Design Centre develop an understanding of how they can share their data, convey confident communications about who they are and what they do as an organisation. Concluding with a number of 30 second ads made by the Eco Design Centre team, which was great because it really got the whole team thinking about who they are and what they do as an organisation.
Following on from the strategy project we have been working with the team over the last month or so to design and develop a new website that will allow them flexibility to explain their services, relationships with private, public and educational sectors and give them the tools to publish all that rich data online.
You can visit the website and find out more about Eco Design Centre at www.ecodesigncentre.org
We've worked closely with National Theatre Wales since their first year launched in November 2009, developing their destination website and working with their digital channels. More recently, over the last couple of months we have extend our work into their online community.
Originally developed and maintained by Native HQ, the National Theatre Wales community has been produced using Ning, a social network platform. We were asked to develop the style and format of the tools provided by Ning in order to enhance the user's experience of online community. Working with established platforms, such as Ning will always bring constraints, conflict and issues surrounding compatibility following technical workarounds that are needed to develop the online tools to fit in with the community and National Theatre Wales' brand experience. It was important that these technical challenges did not take precedence over the brief, the user's experience was the main issue in hand.
With National Theatre Wales and Native HQ, we identified core areas and functions within the community, which were already in existence through the tools provided by Ning, but not easily identified by the users. Working with National Theatre Wales brand guidelines, we developed a series of graphical elements and colour distinctions where these Ning tools were broken down and became instinctive navigational elements for users.
The redeveloped community was pushed live early Monday morning, followed by some minor teething problems and will be officially announced to National Theatre Wales community in the coming days.
You can view and join in with the National Theatre Wales community at http://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/ or take a look at National Theatre Wales' forthcoming performances at http://nationaltheatrewales.org/
A few weeks ago Elin was working on the research phase of a branding project, an element of that research surrounded minimal, clinical and colourful website design. Being Hoffi's resident geek and having worked in interactive design for well over the last decade I've built up quite a repository of directories and sites which I visit to stay up-to-date and generally get excited by the latest trends and technology. I thought it would be a nice idea to publish some links here, not only for us, but also for our friends and customers to see what's current in digital brand communication.
Last weekend saw a thrilling weekend of Rugby in this years Six Nations. A historic win Italy over France, Scotland losing narrowly to England, and in Cardiff, Wales beating Ireland through a controversial try. During game day, Cardiff transforms into a busy, cosmopolitan city full of colour and noise. For many it is a perfect opportunity to try and sell or advertise their business or brand. So who better to advertise during a game day than Under Armour – shirt manufacturer for Wales national team. On the thursday before the game Under Armour brought in a cargo crate to expand the experience of Under Armour to the people of Cardiff.
The area around the crate had been setup with loads of physical training challenges – from running and jumping competitions to skipping with huge ropes. The area was always really busy and there seemed to be a real buzz with music being pumped out all day. In all it was a well thought out event – pulling on key brand values of Under Armour and a great way to give someone a brand experience that went beyond a traditional billboard advert or flyer. Indeed while there were jerseys available to be viewed (and I think bought). It was much more about giving the customer an experience and a memory of Under Amour as being "Engineered to Perform".
So after a very loud evening of revelry (Wales did win after all), I woke up and went to get some breakfast. As I walked past the area where the Cargo Crate had once occupied I came across the below rubbish and mess. Sand bags that had weighted down banners and wood that had stopped the crate touching the new paving stones had all been left behind. So for me it left me with a sad memory of the event. One that I had thought was really cool and enjoyable. On a more interesting level I wonder how this translates to the brand of Under Armour and how deep do things go. While the whole company began through the pursuit to develop a superior t-shirt, it seems the question should be – at any cost??
It also seems to sum up a use and discard approach to the experience and a deep lack of understanding that for a sponsor of a National Jersey you dont's leave rubbish in their capital – or anywhere for that matter. For me there was a real breakdown in the Under Armour experience and the service that had been so high has now crashed.
Over the last few months we have been developing the brand and communication materials for an exhibition that we are working on. The exhibition taking place later this year in Manchester, will showcase the history, culture and customisation of Harley Davidson motorcycles. Here's a quick taster that saw its way over to the Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show 2011 in Dublin. Keep an eye on the blog for more information about the exhibition.
