The Power of Storytelling and Imagination
As a brand designer working in Melbourne, I constantly search for inspiration, unique experiences and creativity that keeps my mind fresh and active. In a world where we are so used to our routines, financial concerns and limited daily time, I see it important for everyone to sit down and re-evaluate what they are really doing everyday. As we go about our busy days, with everything we have and everything we have to do, we are often blinded to the wonderful things around us.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In a way this cute short film Out of Sight calls for all brand owners and marketers to spend some time in their imaginary world. To explore their market context from a totally different perspective to see what it may trigger in terms of more evocative story telling or customer engagement. Try creating a fantasy script for your brand. One where there is a villian, a hero (…yes your brand) and a wonderful uplifting narrative playing out. Let your imagination loose and I am sure you will find a way to add some depth and magic to how your brand engages….oh and don’t forget the dog!

Tim Wood
Design Creative

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A feel-good Burger Brand
South African fast food brand Wimpy Burgers have come-up with a promotional brand gesture that has both underscored their inclusive positioning and created a real buzz. The story goes that Wimpy wanted to let visually impaired people know they offered braille menus. So to spread the word they created braille burgers that blind people could actually read.

With the help of their fine-fingered burger chefs Wimpy took sesame seeds and meticulously placed them onto their burger buns so that the seeds formed braille. The braille seeds spell-out what kind of burger the customer has in their hands, such as; ’100% pure beef burger made for you’.

Being a cynical brand builder, I can’t help but wonder how much of the motivation for this gesture lies in helping the vision impaired to have a life filled with the joys of Wimpy Burgers, and how much of it is simply about creating brand buzz. At the end of the brand day I’m not sure it matters where the motivation comes from, there are no losers here, just a great brand communications campaign, and almost certainly more Wimpy burgers bought.

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Brand Designer and Burger Aficionado
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All images are stills of ‘wimpy braille burger’ video
Agency: metropolitanrepublic
Art director: Dale Mullany
Copywriter: Keith Manning
Creative director: Wes Phelan
Director: Will Collinson
Music: Loyiso Madinga
Photographer: Mike & Nick
Retoucher: Darren Bell

Having just spent three weeks in California over the holiday period, I couldn’t help but marvel at the wide array of creative expressions seen in the every day.  From the impressive graffiti and street art in San Francisco, to the high end museums and art galleries in Los Angeles, there was something for everyone.  On my travels, I came cross a truly unique creative project which I wanted to share. Creative Future is a creative publication and art project, featuring some of the most talented and inspiring individuals in the art and design industry.  The purpose behind the project was to create a handcrafted quality product that’s not only a creative publication, but also an artwork in itself.

Creative Future first launched in September 2010 by 18 year old Danish art student, Christian Andersen.  Recently interviewed for Cool Hunting, Anderson gave some insights into the reasons behind the magazine and the creative process.  Working out of his room in his parents’ basement, Andersen spends “hours upon hours” creating what he thinks of more as an art project than a magazine, with a goal to “inspire and lift the creative spirits within.” Having just released the second edition, Andersen is very much the major operating act behind each issue, but says that, overall, “Creative Future is really a collaborative project, because it’s formed by everyone who’s been a part of the creative process since the first pencil line was drawn.”

When the team create an issue of Creative Future they go through a long process, choosing the right materials for the issue. Every magazine they have put out so far has literally been put together by hand. And that’s one of the major reasons why they think each magazine is an artwork in itself. None of them are exactly the same. Besides that, the artist responsible for the main feature of each issue gets the chance to design the cover and an exclusive item for the project. In this issue Aaron De La Cruz hand-painted 50 limited puzzles to include in Issue #2, all hand-numbered and signed in his studio in San Francisco. Anderson feels it is those kinds of things that makes Creative Future special.

It’s not just another magazine featuring a couple of articles and interviews. The team put hours upon hours into the small details of each the issue, by experimenting with different design techniques, types of paper and packaging. That is also why they don’t set a specific release date for our publications before they are 100% satisfied with the content and look. They don’t want to compromise if it affects the quality of the publication.

The publication is a perfect example of how important it is to truly love what you do, and how magical passion can be when allowed to prosper.  The Creative Future team are looking to create a truly unique and memorable brand with a product that does more than simply exist.  It seeks to inspire its readers to be more.

If you want some advice on how you can bring something exceptional into your brand, why not give us a call?

Nikki Williams
Director of Brand Projects

We Love Pop-Up Retail
There’s something about retail experiences popping-up in spaces that were previously public thoroughfares that creates an irresistible energy and attraction. The right offer, appearing magically in the path of the right consumer with the right brand proposition and brand identity creates a dissonance for consumers that is both compelling and inspiring. ‘Snackbox’, a shipping container turned modern canteen has recently popped-up in New York’s Times Square.

Montreal-based firms Aedifica and Muvbox teamed up to create ‘Snackbox’, created for restauranteur Jonathan Morr, owner of well respected eateries; Republic and BONDST. Snackbox serves-up iconic New York street food with a gourmet flair. The menu is described as “American street food,” featuring hot dogs, pastries, pretzels, coffee, etc. fare typically found at the ubiquitous food carts around NY. But like all great retail food brands, Snackbox has a specialty – hot dogs. The dogs are all-beef, seasoned and smoked, steamed and then finished on a griddle and served with homemade sauces. Makes my mouth water just typing that.

The bold black and white graphics contrast the colorful environment, while the dimensions of the container are just large enough to work as a food vending station. Twenty feet (six meters) long, the box is movable and entirely self-sufficient. Working off the gird, a fresh and grey water supply tank is embedded into the floor. The power comes from hybrid energy systems, combining electric batteries and a generator. In the winter, the recuperating heat from the generator is used to heat the interior for the staff, optimizing the small space. For the service area, the a section of the wall pivots upward, transforming from a closed entity into a bar with an awning. The quick transformation allows the vendor to open and close in minutes.

all images © cesar nicolescu

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Designer with a Voracious Appetite for Retail Brands
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A festive Design Inspiration
US type foundry and designers of retro inspiration House Industries have provided the perfect Christmas inspiration for brand and graphic designers around the world. Based around the illustration style of legendary type and design icon Alexander Girard, House Industries have added to their collection of Alphabet Blocks and type faces. Perfect Christmas gifts for those hard to please designers and type enthusiasts.

Alexander Girard Nativity Set: $800
Based on an Alexander Girard wood panel illustration, House Industries created this three dimensional tribute to Girard’s fascination with nativities from solid maple and replenishable Michigan-grown basswood. The Alexander Girard Nativity is entirely printed by hand in our Grand Rapids, Michigan shop. Each hand-assembled set represents nearly 100 separate screen pulls.

• 13 Pieces
• Solid Maple Pieces
• Stable is replenishable Michigan-grown, kiln-dried basswood
• Non-toxic, child-safe inks
• Made in the USA!
• Pieces 1″ (2.5 cm) to 7.75″ (19.5 cm) tall
• Stable 11.75″ x 4″ x 8.75″ (30 cm x 10 cm x 22 cm)
• Special reusable storage box

We’ve got a set of the blocks ourselves.

The Very Best Brand Experiences are Integrated
One of the problems we see with most online brand expressions is that they’re seen as only that – online brand expressions. It’s when online brand communication integrates seamlessly with the brand in the real world that the magic kicks-in.

A ripping example of new technology combining with the the good-ol’ real world is this CD promotion for Canadian band Jive Talk for their CD – ’123 Jump’.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There’s plenty of new and interesting technology around – QR codes being just one – but it’s only when you see them combining so seamlessly such as with this project you get a sense of just how powerful a brand gesture they can create.

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Designer of Integrated Brand Communications
For monthly updates of our thinking, click here to receive our free Brand Newsletter

Jive Talk Project Credits
Agency: Rethink http://www.rethinkcanada.com
Photographer: Haruki Noguchi
Illustrator: Chairman Ting http://www.chairmanting.com
Programmer and Animator: Ken Malley

Listen to more from Jive Talk – http://jivetalk.bandcamp.com/album/123-jump

When it Comes to Brand, few Not-for-Profits Really Hit the Mark.
As a rule, not-for-profit organisations fall short of the mark when it comes to sophisticated brand development. Given the hugely competitive environment they play in, a clearly differentiated brand proposition provides a critical platform on which to build an effective brand. Then there are the organisations whose brands operate on another level altogether. These brands don’t see themselves as part of an unsophisticated market, but have a sense of who they are and how they’re unique within their very DNA. For these organisations connect with their market at the level all great brands do, and as a result, are the real bright lights in this category.

Global not-for-profit Movember is a leading example of this type of organisation. From it’s inception as a small charity in Australia, Movember intuitively understood how to weave cool and charity together, tapping into the mo-vibe in a way more akin to a fashion brand. The result is they’ve grown to a truly international organisation at the speed of lightening. This year Movember is celebrated in 14 countries, having raised over $36m as I write, and we’re not half way through the month.

Movember has a multi dimensional brand that is connecting with a huge league of Mo-bros around the world. Each element from the brand identity to the website design and social media program to commercial sponsorship is carefully crafted. And this year, they have added the powerful medium of film making to their brand communications mix. We’ve long been a fan of film as brandertainment, but few examples exist of truly entertaining content such as these short documentaries created for Movember under the theme of Craft and Pride: Movember is back in 2011 with a nod to the country gentleman and life in the great outdoors. Men with an appreciation of natural quality, craftsmanship and the simple pleasures in life will be roaming proud across the country, sporting facial finery; a genuine and authentic moustache.

Here’s a taste of the series – watch and enjoy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At Truly Deeply we have a special affinity with not-for-profit organisations and their brands. We raise more than $20,000 each year for local charity through our Art with Heart event, and have worked with many not for profit organisations to position their brands for success. If you’re a not-for-profit, looking to take your brand to the next level, why not get in touch, we’d love to make a difference to how you go about making a difference.

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Brand Creator & Grower of Facial Hair
For monthly updates of our thinking, click here to receive our free Brand Newsletter

Today we proudly unveil our new brand identity design for Inspired Gift Cards.
A new Australian online retailer, Inspired Gift Cards provides an innovative solution to the gift-giving headache, and is just in time for Christmas!

Inspired Gift Cards provides a wide selection of gift vouchers from leading retailers, top restaurants, premium brands and unique experience providers. The gift can then be personalized, wrapped and delivered. However, the real beauty of this service is the inspired gift card that enables the receiver to choose their own gift from the exact retailer, service or experience they want.

Truly Deeply developed the brand strategy, name, identity, packaging and web design.

The brand proposition of ‘gifting magical moments’ focuses the brand on connecting the giver and receiver, and aims to make the whole experience of gifting special and memorable.

“The brand design is all about connecting and engaging with a broad range of customers as well as the recipients of the gift cards. A big part of the design challenge was to wrap what is essentially a functional product in a visual identity that captures the excitement of giving as well as receiving”, says David Ansett, Founder of Truly Deeply.

“Truly Deeply was instrumental in the development of our brand, values, personality and proposition and created a visual language that really appeals to our audience. It is clearly differentiated, more sophisticated than our competitors and everyone comments on how much they love the design”, says Sue Jackson, Executive Chairman, Inspired Gift Cards.

The website went live this week and already has more than sixty brands to choose from including Apple, Myer, Westfield, Harvey Norman, Bunnings, JB Hifi, Smiggle, Pandora, Red Balloon and Rydges Hotels – with many more to join the fold soon. You can search by brand, occasion and category or give an inspired gift card and let the receiver choose.

To see the website, Click here.

Two Bronze Awards and Two Highly Commended Awards.

On Friday October 14th the winners for the 2011 Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (MADC) Awards were announced. The annual MADC Awards celebrate excellence across a range of advertising and design categories, encompassing print, radio, television and ambient media.

We were thrilled to see that the Truly Deeply ’My Right Arm’ 2010 IGNITE Awards Poster took out the Bronze award for The MADC Award for Best Typography and also received a further Bronze award for The MADC Award for Best Illustration for the ‘Spudbar Visual Language’.

Above: ‘My Right Arm’ 2010 IGNITE Awards Poster

Typographer: Lachlan McDougall
Executive Creative Director: David Ansett
Creative Director: Derek Carroll
Copywriter: David Ansett
Account Team: Dominic Guthrie
Retoucher: Rachel O’Brien
Illustrator: Lachlan McDougall

Above: Spudbar Visual Language

Illustration: Veronica Fever
Creative Director: Derek Carroll
Art Director: David Ansett
Copywriter: David Ansett, Peter Singline
Account Team: Malcolm Harvey
Retoucher: Rachel O’Brien
Designger: Lachlan McDougall, Cassandra Gill
Typographer: Lachlan McDougall, Cassandra Gil

We were equally as thrilled to receive two Highly Commended Awards for The MADC Award for Best Corporate Identity Design for the ‘Spudbar Packaging’ and one in The MADC Award for Best Miscellaneous Design category again for ‘Spudbar’.

If you’d like your brand communications to grab the spotlight and be the talk of the town then why not give us a call.

Dominic Guthrie
Client Account Director

Street art of Continental Europe.
On my recent trip to Europe the rich quality and diversity of the street art caught my eye. In my mind there’s no doubt that stencil, spray and paste-up art has matured to become it’s own credible art form. The visual language of the art I saw was hugely varied in form, style and message. I snapped a stack of what I came across and hope you enjoy it.

The first pic (above) was shot in the canals district of Amsterdam, as were many of the pics below.

These two were in a park on a hill above Prague…

The following beauty was snapped in Italy on the streets of Florence.

Pretty sure this one was from Florence as well…

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Brand Designer & Part Time Street Art Junkie
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