Watch Out!

Studio 23 has taken a turn inward and created a set of watch faces for ourselves to test our design skills at a minimalist format. We chose the Amazfit Bip as a platform which is an inexpensive watch that allows for a fair amount of customization and has features for tracking pulse, weather, steps, mileage, and day, date, and of course, time. Working in the small space of a watch face presents many design issues. While the watch can display a lot of data, it became clear early on that as more information is displayed, it became more difficult to read. Unimportant numbers competed with more critical information and, ultimately, we found ourselves gravitating toward simpler, more visual faces. Other metrics are still available via swiping on the watch, but the primary messaging we’ve chosen to display is the time.

We also gravitated to analog faces for their intrinsic simplicity though the we are fond of the digital face with analog second hand. in the middle design. One interesting design note is that since the analog hands are virtual, in some cases we’ve reduced those to a simple marker that travels around the outside of the face rather than a true second hand. This allows us to keep the appearance of an analog watch while introducing something a bit unexpected. We’ve also included our signature orange 23 on several of the faces right where it belongs—between the 2 and the 3. Above are our favorites from the design exercise and if you’d like to download and install any of these faces on your Amazfit Bip, contact us. If you want to see more of our designs, you’ll just have to watch out.

An Official Update to a Premier Brand

Longtime client Official Sports wanted to update its signature U.S. Soccer referee uniform to a modern, clean look using premiere materials and addressing some of the limitations of their previous shirt. As a trail and ultra runner, Studio 23 owner Lee Willett had some strong ideas about what a referee would want in a performance shirt and set to work. While the company could have worked with a standard clothing designer, they understood the importance that the shirt had as a cornerstone of their brand and wanted to make sure that whatever the new design was, it would maintain a visual link to their current shirt.

The core branding element of the previous uniform was a repeating pattern of a pair of thin and thick stripes running the length of the shirt from shoulder to waist. Among other things, this meant that each component of the shirt was die-sub printed separately so that the stripes aligned but the process of imprinting altered the base material performance capabilities. Since, regardless of the design, we knew the shirt needed to perform like a champ, we looked for alternatives that would allow us to retain the stripe but limit the printing. We developed over a dozen alternative designs showing different collars, pocket openings, shirt closures, and stripe details. In the end, Official Sports and USSF decided to implement a design with a half zip front, slim spread collar, ventilated side panels with subtle chevron design, and an inset stripe detailing on front, back, and sleeves as a nod to the original shirt.

The final design is cleaner, looks more athletic, and has been well received by referees throughout the country. It retains the signature double stripe as a graphic element and thus insures continuity of the brand. But as for how it looks, you make the call. See it at OfficialSports.com

Linking Cultures Through Visual Iconography

Visual Identity for a Cultural Institution

Connecticuti Eesti Kool, the Connecticut Estonian School, a learning institution primarily devoted to passing on Estonian cultural traditions to school-aged children throughout Connecticut, wanted to build a brand that was professional but not stuffy, traditional but playful. Though the school had been founded in 1951 several years after the second world war as a place to share and promote Estonian culture among recent emigrants and their children, there had never been a formal identity developed, no previously-conceived iconography to work with.

So, our first task was to research commonalities between Estonia and Connecticut—iconography, colors, visual forms, plants, and animals. Early on, we saw that the white oak was an important icon in Estonian culture and the state tree of Connecticut and this gave us our start. We developed a number of sketches including whole trees, acorns, and leaves and, ultimately, arrived at a solution that combined a series of leaves of various sizes to represent the growth of the students in the program. Colors were chosen to mirror the Estonian flag and a shield icon was used as a way to communicate tradition and education. A number of lockups were created that could be used in horizontal formats, vertical formats, on shirts and other promotional items, and an official seal that would be reserved for ceremonial and institutional purposes only. In addition, social media badges and email graphics were rolled out for the school to use on all of its accounts and emails.

While the school is just implementing the system now, they’ve been pleased with the reaction they’ve received from their audience. We here at Studio 23 think that’s very Kool.

The Importance of Visual Storytelling

I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately extolling the virtues of storytelling in marketing. Generally, these articles tend to revolve around a brand using stories as a motivational tool to encourage potential customers to interact, buy, or contact. Unless you’re Christopher Nolan, we tend to think of storytelling as a narrative, linear, start-to-finish path from opening sentence to close, unfolding over time. But successful storytelling can be more than that. A single, flat, static image can convey an entire story and, at its best, can form an iconic communicative tool that can be used to motivate and move.

Take for example the 1967 Flower Power photograph by Bernie Boston of a young man in a turtleneck sweater placing flowers into the barrels of the guns of National Guardsmen at a war protest on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The black-and-white image tells a story of conflict and peaceful protest, of defiance and culture clash. Similarly, the “Tank Man” photo taken by Jeff Widener in 1989 showing a sole man stopping an advance of a column of tanks in Beijing, illustrates the power of a single image to tell a story. Like the Flower Power image, it communicates defiance, opposition, and protest, of one versus many, of civilian versus military, of individuality versus the collective. These single images tell powerful stories that connect us viewers to the events unfolding before our eyes.

But not all visual storytelling is about protest and conflict. Cartoonists have always known that a well-crafted illustration can tell a story in a single frame. Nast’s depictions of Boss Tweed at the end of the 19th century are justly credited with bringing him and his corrupt Tammany Hall cronies down. As Tweed famously said, “I don’t care a straw for your newspaper articles. My constituents can’t read. But they can’t help seeing them damn pictures.”

Today, we live in a society where the generation and dissemination of photos is as easy as clicking a button on our phones. Most photos posted to Instagram are simple documentary photos—this is my dinner, this is me with my friends, this is a sunset on the beach. They’re fine and can be beautiful but often lack the storytelling of a truly compelling image.

Have a look at the “Distracted Boyfriend” image that has become a meme. It tells a story at a single glance and people all over the internet have modified it again and again to tell other stories, their stories. While funny, the image is a great example of how a simple image can tell a story that’s larger than the frame of the photo and how it can be used to communicate larger issues.

Why is this stuff important?

Sometimes it’s important that a photograph serve as a means to document something tangible. A photo of a model wearing a shirt on an e-commerce site should properly document how that shirt looks when warn, for example. But many times clients miss out on the opportunity to communicate a larger, more nuanced story to an audience because they’re only thinking that a photo should only do just that—document. Photographs on a restaurant website shouldn’t just document the food, they should tell the story of the place, the people, the energy of the environment. Photos of a college campus should not just document the buildings and people but should show lively interaction, show the context within the larger world, and should communicate the story and mission of the school to the prospective student, donor, or alum. In business, visual storytelling has the opportunity to connect and resonate with potential customers, employees, partners, and investors, by communicating the uniqueness of your business and differentiating it from competitors through simple, powerful, and effective means.

And, after all, don’t you want your story told?

Judging a Book by its Cover: The 2019 U.S. Budget

The fiscal year 2019 budget proposal was recently released by the Trump administration and the cover reveals much about the contents and its focus. The overall design of the cover could be anything, really, so any critique will certainly seem like nit-picking to some—after all the layout doesn’t affect the numbers inside so why does the design even matter? But it is precisely because the design lacks constraints that makes this the perfect opportunity to ensure that it is well done.

WHAT THAT TITLE SAYS

An American Budget. I’ve tried to find as many past budgets as I could and have yet to see one that refers to the budget as an “American” budget. More typically, they’ve been called “Budget of the U.S. Government.” By labeling this an American budget, the administration is trying to use nationalism to woo acceptance of this document. It is easy to disagree with the U.S. Government, less so with America which implies a far greater scope.

For example, you may love your country but disagree with your government, that is an American tradition, but if you criticize “An American Budget,” you are criticizing America. Would that mean you are in jeopardy of being called treasonous? At a time when legislators who don’t clap for the president are called that, then perhaps.

Above the headline sits the qualifier, “Efficient, Effective, Accountable,” which aims to reassure the reader that the budget inside reflects these ideals. Unfortunately, it does not contain other qualifiers such as “Balanced,” “Non-Partisan,” “Equitable,” “Impartial,” “Civil,” “Forward-thinking,” or even “Fair.” Perhaps the inclusion of any of those words is for the best since they would have been seen by many only as ironic.

A FITTING DESIGN

As for the formal design of the cover, what does that communicate? First, the typeface for the title is Merriweather bold, designed by Sorkin Type Co. in 2010 and available free via Google fonts. The Sans Serif fonts appear to be Open Sans, another free font available from Google. The administration’s theme of making America great again proposes that we should buy American as a way to invest in our country’s future but by using free fonts instead of purchasing American-made ones, they’re choosing to not lead by example. While not an exorbitant expense by any stretch of the imagination, type design is a laborious process and type designers should be paid for their time and efforts.

The centered layout is a safe, if boring, choice. It looks like the cover of a hundred other books that will never be read. But the contemporary fonts used in this traditional layout are insincere and communicate a faux traditionalism—a look that wants to have the gravitas of a historical document without the sensitivity and understanding to achieve it. The use of the presidential seal screened in the background reinforces the theme that equates being an American with nationalism and the unquestioning loyalty to its iconography—symbols, flags, and seals. Contrast that to the covers of the 2016 and 2017 budgets with their images of a bridge and a mountain. The bridge reminds us that part of the budget funds infrastructure and the mountain reminds us that part of the budget protects and defends our national resources. There is no such message with the 2019 cover.

The covers from 2012 and 2013 are without imagery but are designed to communicate efficiency and economy (instead of having to state that as additional text). The sans serif font feels modern and the hierarchy of messaging emphasizes “budget” over all else. The presidential seal here feels like a stamp of approval, as a personal validation of the budget and not as a larger-than-the-cover symbol of what it means to be American. These are quiet, thoughtful, and well-designed utilitarian covers.

PRODUCTION COSTS

Hopefully, all of these are printed on 100% recycled paper using soy inks on environmentally-friendly presses but I can’t tell. The 2016 and 2107 covers appear to have been printed in one color to minimize cost. The 2012 and 2013 may have also been printed in one color as well, certainly that is the most economical means of reproduction. Contrast that to the 2019 cover with at least two colors (both blues, one bright, one dull). That extra color adds an extra printing plate, more time to register the press, some added waste as a result, and increases the cost to the job some.

But I’m sure those extra costs are in the budget.

 

Contextual Typography and the (Sorta) Fake History of Real News

The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune, aside from being trusted news sources, share a common design element—the mastheads use a similar type style. Why?

A little typographic history

Johannes Gutenburg is credited with the creation of the movable type printing press in Europe around 1438. While wood block printing was common in the 1300s, the innovations that Gutenburg made—oil-based inks, movable and reusable type, a matrix to enable the moulding of new type blocks—allowed for the mass production of books and would lead to the proliferation and democratization of information on a scale never seen before.

His printing types were based on the handwritten texts of Western Europe and particularly of his native Germany at the time so that his books would be indistinguishable from the more labor-intensive, hand-copied manuscripts. At the time, Europe was in the middle of the Gothic architectural style with its pointed arches and flying buttress colonnades and these designs influenced the handwriting style. Text became more condensed, more stylized, and the result was Blackletter, also known as  Textura (and the reason we call written passages of words “text” today).

The earliest newspapers date to 1605 in Germany and used that same traditional texture font, though, as the printing technology spread and Gothic styles gave way to the Renaissance, other regions developed fonts that bore resemblance to their local handwriting. In Italy and France, for example, their early typefaces were based on humanistic scripts, and to our eyes, look very familiar.

But why would a German publication from 1605 affect the mastheads of today’s newspapers?

In a word—tradition. By the time the first printing presses were running in the colonies, the style of Gothic revival had spread in architecture. Initial caps in publications and manuscripts drew on that style as inspiration. The Declaration of Independence begins with Gothic-inspired calligraphy before transitioning to a humanistic script. The famous “We the People” from the constitution is also a form of Gothic-inspired calligraphy.

When modern newspapers began publication (the New York Times was first published in 1851), they adopted mastheads that conveyed a sense of historical significance, tradition, importance, and trust to their readers. Though Gothic Blackletter writing hadn’t been popular on a large scale in 300 years, they adopted the forms in their mastheads as a means of conveying these qualities. We still associate the Blackletter style with ideas of tradition, trust, and importance today and, after all, isn’t that what we want from our news sources?

One dark note to the Gothic letter forms—because of their German heritage, they were a favorite of the Nazis and, today, are often seen in neo-Nazi and white supremacist literature, symbology, and tattoos. Clearly, these Gothic forms convey a lot of meaning with regard to their historical context and, viewed through the lens of history, may signify very different things to different groups. A sense of history and tradition, yes, but who’s history and which traditions the reader will have to decide.

SOTU and the Paradox of Craft in the Digital Age

This week, the president of the United States invited visitors to his State of the Uniom address. That’s not my typo, that’s his. How can this happen?Carelessness? Laziness? Inexperience? Something else?

What does it take to make sure an official communication from the president of the United States is spelled correctly? Very little, so it’s revealing that such a high-profile invitation can have such an easy, yet high-profile, mistake. Sure, some would argue, particularly those who are the president’s supporters, that it doesn’t matter, that the message is clear and it’s just a silly typo.

But it does matter. Words matter. Spelling matters. Details matter. Accidents will always happen, mistakes will always be made, but that doesn’t mean we should accept them as inevitable. Most likely, judging by the quality of the ticket I’ve seen, the ticket was set up in Microsoft Word and may have been printed in-house by someone who has no particular skills in typography, design, proofreading, or any number of other useful skills that could have prevented this error. And therein lies the problem. Aside from the misspelling, the last line of text, the time, is touching the border, it is also set in all caps (P.M.) when the rest of that block is upper- and lowercase. There is an awkward mix of fonts from that scroll text that says House of Representatives to the small caps (and not true small caps at that) for the Admit Bearer block, the Gothic 115th Congress block and the upper- and lowercase text elsewhere. In fact, if we want to go deeper, the 115 is too widely spaced, the “th” sits too high, and non-lining numbers would have made a better choice for the date and time compared to the lowercase context.

But these things are overlooked. There was a time that to produce a ticket such as this would mean a professional typographer would either compose a block of cold metal or hand-engrave the artwork into metal. Both processes are time consuming and require skills to execute well. Engravers and typographers were never rich. Those professions were not ones that people did who did not love their craft. But because their jobs required a considerable amount of labor (wielding trays of lead type, cranking a proofing press, cleaning up afterwards), they made sure what they did was right the first time.

But today, computers allow us to create things like this invitation without having to learn the craft of doing so. The computer makes straight lines and can set text in different fonts, at different sizes, using different weights, but it lacks the judgement, the skill, of guaranteeing the finished piece is done well. And so that duty falls to the unskilled operator, often working for little money, who is not a typographer, editor, designer, printer, or proofreader. Paradoxically, the computer allows for the creation of things of great precision, but of little craft.

It is sad that the president of the United States is leading the charge into a world where craft is lost, where “meh” suffices. We all deserve better.

The original ticket:

Our redesign:

 

 

Chief Wahoo, the Cleveland Indians, and the Religious Nature of Brands

The Cleveland Indians announced that they were retiring their mascot, Chief Wahoo, after the 2018 season. The mascot had come under increasing criticism for being a racist depiction of native Americans and the club decided that it was time for him to go. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a furor erupted from loyal fans who were angry at the move. To those, Chief Wahoo isn’t racist, but an icon of their culture, part of their core identity.

At a time when our society has largely replaced religion with political affiliation and culture with brand, sports teams often occupy a special hallowed place in the hearts and minds of fans. If athletes are deities, stadiums are churches, and teams are our new religions, is it any wonder that fans say prayers at the bottom of the 9th hoping for a home run? The fervent nature of our attachments to these brands, though, means we can often be blinded to their cultural insensitivity. To admit that a beloved icon is racially charged is to admit our own racism and, so, many will simply deny such racism exists, defending what they find familiar.

But defending racism is never appropriate. Cleveland Indian fans deserve, and should demand, better. Chief Wahoo should be laid to rest along with other racially-charged symbols like the Confederate Flag, blackface, and others. Instead of trying to defend Chief Wahoo, fans should demand the club develop a brand that portrays Cleveland in a positive light, as a forward-thinking, culturally aware and dynamic city. Maybe in his departure, that’s one lesson we can all learn from the Chief.

Full disclosure—I grew up rooting for the Cleveland Indians and have fond memories being taken to games at Cleveland Stadium with my father. As an eight-year-old baseball fan, I never saw Chief Wahoo as a racist symbol, only as a symbol of my favorite team. But I’m not eight anymore. He’s a racist depiction of a native American and needs to go. Well done Cleveland Indians for understanding this.

Designing for Other People’s Customers

Most companies create their website with user experience in mind—they make it easy for visitors to do what they want—but they miss the opportunity to create a site to guide the visitor into doing what the company wants. The goals of the visitor to a website are not necessarily the same for the visitor and the company. The visitor may be looking for information, doing research for a future possible purchase. The company, on the other hand, wants to make a sale, collect data, or provide a service. How can you turn a website visitor into a customer? Through good design.

Let’s take a look at four main criteria we can use to judge whether a design will aid in turning a prospect into a customer.

Content

  • Is your message clear? Interesting? Does it speak to the visitor?
  • Do you offer clear pathways for the visitor to follow?
  • Do you offer clear calls-to-action to take additional steps? Do you give the visitor multiple options (such as “Learn more” and “Sign up today?”)
  • Is the language appropriate? Is it gender biased? Could it offend?

Experience

  • Is the site easy to navigate? Are terms understandable and unique?
  • Are calls-to-action similar throughout the site? Is like content grouped by function?
  • Is the site responsive? Can it be navigated on phone, tablet desktop?
  • Is the site free of visual clutter? Is content organized in digestible “screens?”
  • Is the site navigable in adverse conditions? The visually impaired? Screen reading?
  • Is the content searchable? Is it well-organized? Tagged? Categorized?
  • Can the visitor make a direct connection to your company?

Technology

  • Is the technology you’re using appropriate for the visitor?
  • Does the site require technology that is not universal?
  • Is the site manageable by your staff in a timely manner?
  • Is it secure?
  • If you’re collecting visitor’s data, do you have a privacy policy that outlines the scope of what you do with the information?

Aesthetics

  • Does the site appeal to your prospect?
  • Are the images appropriate? Unique? Identifiable as your brand?
  • Are the colors and fonts used identifiable as your brand?
  • Do the colors and fonts aid the visitor in doing what you want?
  • Can the visitor scale the fonts (in case of the visually impaired)? Do the colors work for someone who is colorblind? Is it ADA compliant?
  • Do you prioritize information content and flow on smaller devices?

How does your online communication stack up? There are always trade-offs to be made in creating a website. A page that is aesthetically appealing might sacrifice legibility of the content to a certain degree, but in the end the site may be more effective. We call this disfluency.

Disfluency is the act of making something less clear, of slowing down the process of interacting with a page, in order to attain longer interaction and greater retention. Disfluency is just one of the tools we can use to help turn prospects into customers. To find out more, contact Studio 23. We’re ready when you are.

 

More Thoughts on Education

How do you promote a school? How do you attract prospects? And how do you turn prospects into applicants?

Since many educational institutions are tuition-driven, attracting prospects is typically the goal of most communication strategies. But how? And what should your message be? There are a few key attributes that every school has in varying degrees that prospects use to decide where they’d like to apply. To find out what these are, often a simple, informal focus group of incoming students can help the institution understand what attracted them, and help focus future messaging. Brand attributes that a school should review are:

  • Campus
    Is your school a sprawling parkland or part of the urban jungle? Do you have acres of open space or are you a cluster of buildings in an urban setting? Are there natural or historical features that distinguish your campus from others?
  • Alumni
    Who are your alumni? Are some well-known? Successful? Have they gone on to do interesting things? What do they earn on graduation? What rate do they graduate? And how strong and wide of a network do they form?
  • Faculty
    Who are your faculty today? In the past? Are any well-known? Are they mostly seasoned professionals that teach part-time, a course a week? Are they mostly full-time faculty committed to teaching and research?
  • Resources
    What special resources do you offer students? Are you a tech center endowed with the latest technology? Do you have athletic facilities that can train Olympic athletes? Do you have a world-class museum down the street? Do you have industry professionals working cooperatively with your programs?
  • Location
    What is unique about your location? Do you have snow-covered mountains? A sunny climate? A sandy beach? Access to cultural institutions? Are you able to attract prospects internationally or are you a regional draw because of convenience?
  • Academics
    What programs do you offer? Do you have a broad scope or an educational speciality? Is your strength in academic rigor? Vocational training? Are there programs you want to fill or grow?
  • Social
    What do you offer students socially? Do you have a well-respected football team with games every weekend? Is your school’s sports programs important to attracting students? Is the Greek system a large part of campus life? Is your campus in a rural setting where students make their own fun? Are you in an urban center where there’s a party every night? Are there special events that your school is known for?
  • Reputation/Mission
    Are you Ivy League? A local choice? Big Ten school with strong athletic programs? A party school with a laid-back attitude? A liberal arts powerhouse full of free-thinkers? A college that was historically a choice for minorities or women? Are you religiously affiliated?
  • Cost
    Are you a top-tier college worth every penny? Are you a good value for local students? Are you the best mix of tuition and income—the best value for your prospects?

Every school is evaluated by prospects based on these criteria and the criteria vary in importance by student. For some, a park-like campus of a liberal arts school in Southern California that offers a variety of interesting courses is the way to go. For others, the big city excitement of a New York school with its access to professionals in a creative field is a better choice. Or for some, a grassy campus outside of an urban center at a school that’s less expensive but well-respected fills the need. No school can be everything to every student and knowing your strengths is crucial to establishing your message. Understanding how to adapt your promotional materials for the greatest impact is what Studio 23 does best.

We create communication strategies and implement designs that attract prospects but we don’t stop there. We create designs—whether online or off—that make it easy for prospects to connect to clients. Our single-minded goal is always to focus the prospects on becoming applicants, and applicants becoming students.