Tuesday, 9 October 2012

The collaberation brief I will be doing with max is based on our trip to the states, specifically San Francisco and the Bay area. This means we have loads of primary research to go along with any secondary research we need to support our fairly expansive knowlege. the issuu document are some photographs taken at some of the more alternative places to be visisted in the area.

Monday, 8 October 2012

Creative Review - Studio Dumbar rebrands Alzheimer Nederland

Studio Dumbar rebrands Alzheimer Nederland

Posted by Patrick Burgoyne, 8 October 2012, 10:15 Permalink Comments (0)

Studio Dumbar recently completed a typically vibrant new identity scheme for Alzheimer Nederland. The studio talk us through the thinking behind the work

CR: Why was the decision taken to rebrand Alzheimer Nederland? What were the key elements of the brief?
SD: "The previous identity [above] was rather grim-looking. The basic colour was dark green and the symbol was a tree that was partly without leaves, a few bare twigs. The meaning was unclear. And more important: most people thought of it as a negative symbol."

CR: What research did you do for the project?
SD: "Alzheimer Nederland researched the identity. Besides the negative connotation with the previous symbol, it also showed that only a few people knew it or related it to Alzheimer Nederland. Our own research focused on the visual behavior, communication and use of symbols of Alzheimer-related organizations around the world and comparable NGOs in the Netherlands."

Various Alzheimer charity logos from (from top) the UK, US, France, Australia and Belgium

CR: Can you talk us through the key elements of the identity and why they were felt appropriate, particularly the 'vanishing point' idea? [See video above]
SD: "The vanishing point in the typography is the most crucial element of the whole identity. They are used as a layer on all communication media. The words and phrases are legible, but not at first instance.

People immediately feel the meaning of it, because Alzheimer is an afwul process in which you lose grip of reality around you. Words enable you as a person to communicate with other people, and the world. They are your main tool to connect to everything around you. If this tool slowly vanishes, your whole connection with the outside world vanishes. This exactly the effect of Alzheimer's. In an average of seven years, people loose touch completely and finally die.

The main challenge was to refer to this harsh reality, but at the same time create an identity that has a sense of positivism. After all, the objective of the whole redesign is for Alzheimer Nederland to raise more funds. Only scientific research can bring the prospect of a solution to the disease and the foundation is very ambitious in its target to raise research budgets. For this, it needs to have more impact.

For the colour palette, a number of bright colours have been selected. They add a lively element and moreover, people with Alzheimer are able to register bright colours much better. The editorial typography and layouts are clear and straighforward.
The photography uses the element of time, an essential factor in Alzheimer. It shows people in a sequence of shots instead of only one photo. A secondary advantage of this approach is, that it avoids the discussion if people either look either too happy or too sad; you can use different shots."

CR: What are the typefaces used?
SD: "For all headlines and vanishing point typography we used Raisonne AN by Benjamin Critton, Colofon Font Foundry and MT Plantin by Robert Granjon for all body text."

CR: What kind of reaction has the project has had so far?
SD: "The response from the circle of patients, relatives and volunteers was heartwarmingly positive. This was quite a challenge because people who are involved with the disease and the patients are not primarily interested in design. That made us very happy. It means we reached the 'double happiness' we're always aiming for: the strategic objectives of the client are achieved with a design-concept that is full of power and beauty."
See more of Studio Dumbar's work here

Alzheimer's is such a difficult, sensitive subject that creating an identity for an organisation dealing with the issue and getting the tone right must be very tricky. Not only do you have to communicate to those who either themselves have the condition or who have relatives affected by it, you also have to energise staff and volunteers and attract funds. As the examples from other countries above show, most tend toward images of support while both the French logo and the previous Dutch mark employ the somewhat clunky metaphor of falling leaves to suggest the gradual onset of dementia.
Studio Dumbar's vanishing point is also quite an obvious allusion but it is executed with typical panache and verve, especially in motion. The use of photography in the supporting literature and on the website (below) is particularly strong. The main logotype, with its combination of the 'a' mark and charity name, ensures that there is no doubt what this mark is for (which supposedly was a problem with the old one) and rids the organisation of the dull, institutional feel that afflicts many charities in this area. This feels like an organisation with a positive, energetic approach to tackling one of the most challenging conditions of our times.

Liz Earle Natural Cosmetics

Liz Earl Natural Cosmetics

Being a botanically-based beauty company, we’re working to improve our environmental impact in everything we do. We know we’re not perfect, but we are making steady progress on our journey to become a greener business. Read about the latest steps we’ve taken.

Our ingredients

Sourcing the highest quality naturally active ingredients is fundamental to the Liz Earle range, but their source must be ethical too. That’s why we have our Jennifer Hirsch, In-house Botanist, who researches sustainable, fairly traded ingredients from sources that support local ecosystems, ensuring their impact on the environment is as minimal as possible.
While we try to use organically certified ingredients wherever possible, sometimes the quality simply doesn’t live up to that of a non-organic ingredient or may require that it travels for long distances to reach us, in which case we would opt to buy locally. Certification may also be challenging and impractical for small producers. If an ingredient is grown in line with organic principles we will use it, certified or not: at the end of the day, what represents all of the consideration, debate and research we do is the name Liz Earle on every product.

Our packaging

Many of our products are already made from easily recyclable materials such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene teraphthalate (PET). We are constantly looking for ways to make our packaging greener.

Our newsletters

We love sharing our news with you, but we also know we have a responsibility to reduce our environmental impact. That’s why we use recycled paper and paper sourced from sustainably managed forests in all our communications. In addition, our newsletters and leaflets are now printed using 100% vegetable inks and solvent free varnishes, which are better for the environment.

Our home: The Green House

The Green House is our head office, based in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. We designed this visionary building to include many environmentally-friendly innovations, including geo-thermal heating, which uses the natural heat from the ground to keep us warm (and cool) and a facility to harvest rain water, which is then filtered into our bathrooms to flush our toilets.
Movement and sensory timers ensure our lighting automatically turns off when there is no-one in the room, recycled paper is used across the building, and all our kitchen waste is composted on site.
Our newly purchased woodland, located next to The Green House, is being managed as a natural habitat to encourage local flora and fauna, and as a resource for local schools.

Expert advice

Our in-house Environmental Advisor, Geoff Day, is responsible for overseeing and advising the company on all environmental issues related to our business. Stay up to date on the latest news from Geoff in his blog, and read The Green House diary to find out more about life on our Island home.

Accreditations

We have recently achieved ISO14001 certification, the internationally recognised environmental management system accredited by an independent body. This helps us to account for the environmental impact of every aspect of our business, from the packaging of our products to the light bulbs we use.

Education and community

As well as educating our employees on the importance of environmental awareness, we also communicate green tips and advice in our weekly internal communications.
Last year we launched our environmental schools seminar, which helps to inform and inspire the wider community about the collective benefits of greener living. This seminar is now set to become an annual event.
We welcome your feedback about any aspect of our business. Please contact us with any queries or comments.