gracefultaylor

Gender Target marketing - The Venus and Mars Question

2012-03-01T21:56:00.006-08:00

I know a man who, when he needs a new pair of shoes, puts it off for as long as possible. When someone in his life finally insists that he can’t leave the house because his shoes are so embarrassing, he reluctantly finds a shoe shop, gets in and out of there as quickly as possible with a new pair of shoes and arrives home to imbibe a stiff drink. The whole time he looks like he’d rather be eating glass. I, on the other hand, can happily browse for shoes for hours or days at a time, buying pairs I don’t actually need but I simply must have. One day I will have an outfit that they’re perfect for.

Above: the super sucessful Old Spice ad campaign, targeting "women" to sell products to "men", for insight into the campaign creation click here

We like to joke about it, but a cliché is always based in truth. There really are some major differences between the way men and women behave psychologically, socially and as consumers. So it pays to understand those differences in more detail before committing time and money to your marketing campaign. Especially when you consider that the average consumer receives about 1500 brand messages a day. You have to be smart to stand out.

There are physical reasons for the fact that men are generally more mathematically-minded than women, why women are generally better at managing complexity, why men aren’t that great at talking about their feelings and why women occasionally suck at catching a ball. It’s all about the brain.

Men’s brains are about 10% bigger but it seems, from studies at the University of California-Irvine, that this is because men have more ‘grey matter’, which forms the brain’s different processing centres, while women have more ‘white matter’, which serves as wiring to connect the different centres. This may be why women handle complexity and multi-tasking better than men. And why men are less relational in their thinking. Men prefer black/white, yes/no scenarios while women are much more likely to say “It depends”.

Above: Very clever breast cancer awareness campaign - even super heros get brest cancer, click here for details

Men are also more left-hemisphere dominant, while women have a more even balance between the two hemispheres. So men are generally more task-oriented while women are more intuitive. The part of the brain that controls
numerical brain function is bigger in men, so they’re generally better at maths. (Not fair. ) But women have bigger limbic systems, which helps them get in touch with their emotions. And you can blame the thicker parietal region in the female brain for those ball-handling skills; it means women are less adept at mentally rotating objects and it therefore affects their spatial awareness.

But what does all this mean for marketing strategy?

Think about store layout. Men will desire and easily navigate a direct path to a product, women will be happy to browse through the whole shop and go off on tangents. Men tend to buy individual items while women think in ensembles.

Above: Highly contraversal California milk ad campaign that sparked huge debate and critism,
click here for more info

Think about key messages. Men want direct answers about a product; women focus more on how it will make them feel. Men are less likely to remember something from last year; women have better verbal memory and will recall what they’ve seen and heard about your product or a competitor’s.

It can’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. Men really are from Mars and women from Venus. Or, as the French say, vive la difference!

Grace xx
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Further Reading:

9 differences between the male and female brain

Marketing to men

His Brain Her Brain

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Life’s a picture

2012-02-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

For Melbourne photographer Tania Jovanovic, the turning point in her career came when she stopped being a rock band and catalogue photographer and followed a passion to visit Cuba.

“I’d always wanted to go there,” she told The Graceful Taylor in a recent interview. “I learned the language really fast because I wanted it so much. And I loved it.”

She took a camera, of course, but only as a travel accessory. “I had no plan to be an artist photographer.” Then, back home again and showing others the photos from her trip, she realised that she’d produced some extraordinary images.

“People encouraged me to put them into a book, so I decided to go back a second time with the intent to photograph the people. I wanted to get them working.”

She sure did that. We adore these images, from her first book Cuba Que Bolá, which is now in its third edition.

Tania has a second Cuban book, Retrato De Los Santos, documenting the year she spent living with the people who practise Santeria, or voodoo. “They were poor. It wasn’t nice. It wasn’t romantic. It was really hard. It left me with some horrible impressions, but also some amazing ones.”

Her Cuban work is “a few years ago now, but I’d like to go back. I want to take my children”.

Speaking of children, The Graceful Taylor is mightily partial to Tania’s portraits of siblings and school groups. If only there’d been a Tania Jovanovic when we were at school, we’d be tempted to bring out the old school photos with pride instead of embarrassment...

Asked how she gets such honest photos, Tania says “I take lots of shots. And I can feel that moment when they break down from the pose. That’s the moment I want. I wear them down until I get it!”

Although she says she’d prefer her kids went down a less artistic path, Tania finishes by saying that she loves “the people contact. I get to communicate with the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. The best thing about my job is that it changes every day.” Sounds like a pretty good life!

Check out Tania’s body of work on her website. And next time you need a photo to be proud of, you know where to go.

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The past is the story of now

2012-01-11T18:18:00.000-08:00

Dale Campisi, co-founder of the Melbourne-based publishing pearl Arcade Publications, has just told The Graceful Taylor why he’s so fascinated by the past. It’s “the story of now, you know; it’s the reason why.”

Clearly a fan of time travel, Dale quotes the early 1990s TV show Quantum Leap, with Scott Bakula in the role of a time-travelling Fonzie, as part of the inspiration for Arcade’s focus on the stories of Melbourne’s past. Launched in 2007 with a biography of EW Cole and his book arcade, this divine small press has found a growing niche market for its beautifully designed A6 books and related must-attend events that bring the history of Melbourne to glorious life.

Dale began Arcade Publications with fellow publisher/editor Rose Michael after they’d both spent years in the publishing industry. Keen to find their own path, they brought in designers Michael Brady and Peter Daniel and the distinguishing characteristic of Arcade’s titles took shape; their size.

Like the little gems of stories told within their pages, the A6 size of each book is a testament to the enduring pleasure and attractiveness of small things. They’re fit for devouring. And The Graceful Taylor is partial to the odd devouring...

... We digress. The size is of course a point of difference. “We ... wanted to challenge established publishing norms,” says Dale. “It’s an interesting editorial and design challenge.” The associated events also set this press apart, especially the walking tours of Melbourne that link to their published stories.

With so many fabulously quirky characters populating Melbourne’s past, The Graceful Taylor is keen to know: does Dale have a favourite? EW Cole rates a strong mention, and so does the devilishly handsome and possibly narcissistic choccy maker Macpherson Robertson. Anyone who makes chocolate gets our vote too. And, just to show that history can also be recent, the singular Don Dunstan, former South Australian Premier, appeals to Dale for the delightful fact that he resigned after sleeping 40 hours straight. And because he wrote a cookbook while being Premier.

At least it wasn’t called Sh*t on my Hands, the aptly named parenting guide which is a recent publication. We’re keen to learn what’s afoot in 2012 and excited to discover that there’ll be a title by culinary author Charmaine O'Brien on Melbourne's nineteenth century cafe scene, a verse history about a baby farmer by the inimitable Judith Rodriguez, and a biography by Jenny Sinclair about Edward Oxford, a man who tried to assassinate Queen Victoria, then moved to Australia after 20 years in an insane asylum. We did attract the right sort of people to our shores, didn’t we?

If you’ve not discovered Arcade Publications, The Graceful Taylor respectfully suggests that you hot-foot it to the website now. As Dale says, “...history for me is vivid and fun and memorable - as life should be. “ Bless.

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The key to Grace

2012-01-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

We’re very proud that Grace has just been included in a new book, Conversations with Creative Women, published by Creative Women’s Circle. So if you’ve ever wanted to know what makes our talented creative leader tick...

The Graceful Taylor even learned a few tidbits about Ms. G that we didn’t know – like there isn’t anything she can’t tell you about rubber car hoses.

Now we bet you’re interested! The book’s available in limited edition. Check it out here.

And go go Grace!

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Welcome to T&G’s very own art exhibition, Revamp.

2011-10-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

The road to a final creative concept is littered with alternative routes and unforeseen sidesteps. While not to be the final destination, these detours represent the ideas that get us there.

Rather than let them languish in the archives, we’ve freshened up a selection of these designs to present as an insight into our process and a reflection of the creativity of our designers. Further pulling back the curtain, we’re presenting them in our studio, right in the heart of our engine room.

The exhibition opened last Thursday night and will run until next Thursday 20 October 2011. Please view the artworks here online alternatively call the office on 03 9416 2566 to make a time to visit the office during office hours until Thursday 20 October. Purchases can be made over the phone or in person by credit card. All proceeds will be donated to Mind Australia. For more ordering information click here

All Profits go to Mind Australia. Mind is a leading provider of consumer-focused mental health services in Victoria and South Australia. Mind works with people experiencing mental health difficulties, to help them live well in the community.

ABOVE: 18. Pride of Shoes

Illustrated by Jane Roberts and Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 15. Soul Sista

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 13. The Odd Couple

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 16. She Got The Boot

Illustrated by Jane Roberts, Art Directed by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 17. Single white female

Illustrated by Jane Roberts, Art Directed by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 02. Friends 4 Eva

Illustrated by Jane Roberts - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 30. Full Hand

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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28. Typefaces

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 27. Typeface

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 10. Star Jump

Illustrated by Simon Taylor, Art Directed by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 29. I Think A Lot Of Thoughts

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 30. Full Hand

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 09. Baggage

Illustrated by Jane Roberts & Grace Camobreco Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 06. Christmas 02 (Also available as an unframed A1 print)

Illustrated by Jane Roberts - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 05. Christmas 01 (Also available as an unframed A1 print)

Illustrated by Jane Roberts - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 19. Wall Flower

Illustrated by Alysha Sandow, Art Directed by Grace Camobreco - Media: Mixed - Ink & Digital

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ABOVE: 23. A Spot of Passion

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 21. Public Display of Affection

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 22. Rash of Emotion

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 07. What the Rorschach? (Also available as an unframed A1 print)

Illustrated by Simon Taylor, Art Directed by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 08. Taylored Blob (Also available as an unframed A1 print)

Illustrated by Simon Taylor - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 12. Ms Pantalette

Illustrated by Alysha Sandow Media: Digital - Media: Pencil

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ABOVE: 01. Scrambled eggs

Illustrated by Jane Roberts, Art Directed by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 03. Baked goods

Illustrated by Simon Taylor, Art Directed by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 31. Round and round and round and round and round and round

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco and Jane Roberts - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 04. Deep Blue Sound

Illustrated by Alysha Sandow - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 33. Flower face

Styled and Art Directed by Jane Roberts, photographed by Andrew Gough - Media: Photography

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ABOVE: 32. Bucket of Flowers

Styled and Art Directed by Jane Roberts, photographed by Andrew Gough - Media: Photography

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ABOVE: 24. Girl with Kaleidoscope Eye

Illustrated by Grace Camobreco - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 26. Impossible Enigma

Illustrated by Jane Roberts - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 25. Coffee Brothers

Illustrated by Simon Taylor - Media: Digital

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ABOVE: 20. The Girl in the Tucker Bag

Illustrated by Alysha Sandow - Media: Mixed - Ink & Digital

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amazing work! well done!!! by Betty & Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15407772722845585696noreply@blogger.com

Grace asks: does colour really exist?

2011-08-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well, yes and no. The banana in my fruit bowl is yellow to me. But it might not be yellow to you. In fact, neuroscientist Beau Lotto says that, when it comes to colour, we’re all delusional!

Light is real. It can be measured. But colour doesn’t actually exist. It’s completely manufactured in our brains. We use our memories to help us know what colour something is, and we have strong emotional associations with certain colours.

For example, in an experiment designed by Beau Lotto, nearly every adult assigned yellow to happiness, blue to sadness and red to anger. (Kids were similar, but a bit less predictable.)

There’s also an emotional association between colour and sound, with most people, including kids, thinking of lower notes as dark blue and higher notes as bright yellow.

Even though these relationships don’t exist in nature, human beings have, over time, developed a kind of memory that this is the case.

And we can use that to our advantage in branding and marketing. When you want to create an emotional association with your brand, it pays to think about the colour of that emotion, and the sound of that emotion.

For more info, and to read the full description of Beau’s experiment, head to the BBC website.

iIllustration by Gwenola Carrere

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And you thought flowers were for vases

2011-08-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Clearly these people beg to differ. They may however have been influenced by Madam Peripatie, the German photographer who put together this beautiful and strangely disturbing collection. Check out her website for more extraordinary images. We love them all!

Discovered thanks to the always excellent yellowtrace blog.

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Food that looks good must be good for you

2011-07-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, it’s winter and our thoughts have turned to warm kitchens and cosy dinners by the fire. Grace keeps finding great combinations of food and art to satisfy her twin passions and what’s a girl to do but share the love?

Her latest find is the Great Food series from Penguin – the best food writing from the past 400 years (mutton anyone?) with an exquisite set of book covers by renowned cover designer Coralie Bickford-Smith.

You can get an overview of the series here, and a closer look at CB-Smith’s stunning work on her website. She’s a fave of ours and you’ll see why.

Now, the menu for tonight is:

Asparagus Pudding

Mutton Kidneys, Musketeers' style (merci M. Dumas)

Shrewsbury Cakes and Ginger Cream

Buono appetito!

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An urban mirage

2011-07-09T01:38:00.000-07:00

I’m often inspired by artists who transport me to another perspective. This amazing photographic installation in a Stockholm city square from Swedish artist Erik Johanssen looks so real it gives me goosebumps! What a fabulous, unexpected gift to the city’s workers and visitors!

I love the end result, but I’m also impressed and fascinated by how he’s overcome the technical challenges. In his blog, Johanssen describes the work involved in selecting the right perspective, triumphing over the limitations of his equipment, and respecting the time it would take to achieve a quality result.

It reminds me that, in my own work, the best result can never be rushed and it’s so worth taking the rime to get it right.

Discovered via Cup of Jo.

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so incredible! by katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00623023112312115413noreply@blogger.com

Why the right branding is critical

2011-06-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

The mere exposure effect is not a Hollywood blockbuster starring Matt Damon (although now that we’ve had the idea…)

It’s a well-known psychological phenomenon that says humans prefer certain things simply because they’re familiar. Anyone who’s tried to make headway a market dominated by one or two brands will know what we mean. Creating familiarity through repetition is critical in the marketing mix.

This was proven in a fascinating study, published in the British Medical Journal a few years ago. The study looked at whether branding could actually make a difference in how effective people thought their headache tablets were. No prizes for guessing – it did!

The women in the study reported that their headaches were relieved more effectively by the branded tablet that they knew and trusted than by the unbranded one, even though some of the branded tablets were actually placebos and some of the unbranded ones were real headache tablets.

In other words, the brand had an analgesic effect on the women as powerful as the active ingredients in the actual headache tablet. And while you might think that, after some time the headache would reappear, the effect was actually even stronger when more time had elapsed.

So next time you’re thinking about your own branding, think about the mere exposure effect and the power of the mind to preference what we already know.

To view some examples of the Taylor & Grace branding work click here

Campaign below designed by the very talented Christine Wisnieski for the The 34th Cleveland International Film Festival

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sewn up

2011-06-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

You can always rely on artists to identify the gaps in society and fill them…in this case, literally!

Maybe Juliana Santacruz Herrera was sick of tripping in the potholes in her local arrondissement. Or maybe when she looked up as she walked along the streets of Paris she despaired of the sea of grey at her feet. Whatever inspired her, we LOVE her response. The colour and softness of these rivulets and puddles of yarn against the hard rock is pure artistic inspiration.

She’s one to watch.

discovered via: design milk

The rewards of random surfing

2011-04-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hard though it is to believe, Grace had a spare moment the other day, and she spent it indulging in a fave pastime; randomly searching the net for little gems to bring to us. This is why we love her! (And also because she’s talented and warm and witty…)

She rang me very excitedly about her latest find, Scottish illustrator and animator, Lesley Barnes. And I know why. Lesley’s work is brilliantly colourful, deeply layered, beautifully drawn and with an infectious sense of fun. Her video work is stunning too. Check out her site and blog.

Here mr. kitly!

2011-03-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

It’s not a pussy cat, although it’s named after one, and if you’re lucky when you visit you may meet the eponymous and ever so elegant feline in person.

mr. kitly is a fab new shop and gallery, tucked away above an old fabric store on evocative Sydney Road. It announces it’s presence on the street with an absolutely gorgeous vintage-inspired floral carpeted staircase. Wonderfully enticing!

Climb the stairs and enter mr. kitly’s world: a stunning selection of Japanese inspired art, ceramics, crafts, books, magazines & plants. Grace’s idea of heaven.

There’s an online store too, but it’s worth the trip to Brunswick to indulge in everything else this pulsing part of Melbourne can offer.

We love Brunswick, and we love mr. kitly!

Broadsheet creates the ultimate coffee heaven - A pop up coffee shop

2011-02-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that Grace likes her coffee. In fact we often share a morning brew as we peruse our favourite daily read, Broadsheet. (If you haven’t found out about Broadsheet yet, check it out here, it’s a little shiny gem!)

So imagine Grace’s excitement when I told her that the clever Broadsheet bods are opening a pop up café for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (March 4-14). And, like late-night telemarketing, it just gets better. The café will be run by some of the best coffee-dudes in Melbourne – Dead Man Espresso, Market Lane, Proud Mary, Seven Seeds, Five Senses and The Premises. Sigh. We are in coffee heaven.

Stay tuned to the Broadsheet website for details of the location, and daily events like cuppings and tastings. See you there!

Above: Dead Man Espresso 36 Market Lane, South Melbourne

Above: Proud Mary, 172 Oxford Street, Collingwood

Above: The Premises - 202 Bellair Street, Kensington

iPad, therefore iAm

2011-02-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

So you have a Mac (or not). An iPhone (or not). Jury still out on whether you absolutely, positively need an iPad? I say go for it.

My current obsession is the magazine apps – while the Australian publishers aren’t yet on board, those overseas that leapt first are defining the possibilities of the medium. And they’re pretty extensive.

Above: The New Yorker Ipad App

Text and image suddenly become interactive, so now as I read the words or view the photos of an article I can go deeper into, say, a 360º rendering of a product, or a video showing me how it looks in motion, or a more extensive audio interview with the maker, or to hear testimonials from customers. I can link directly to a related website, I can shop at an online store, I can find the answer to my questions immediately. The image rendering is exquisite, the colours stunningly rich. I’m really excited about the possibilities.

Above: UK Vogue Ipad App

The marketing potential for advertisers in these publications is enormous, with the option to integrate multiple swipe screens of information into every ad, direct linking to websites and online stores - even integrating music & and film to tell a story.

Here’s a few of my current favourite reads:

The New Yorker

The Martha Stuart lifestyle magazine

UK Vogue

Marie Claire Fashion A to Z

Above: The Martha Stuart ipad lifestyle magazines

Flood Aid – how social media can help

2011-01-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Like everyone else, the Graceful Taylor has been shocked by the scale and ferocity of the floods across Queensland and Victoria. It’s been a hard start to 2011 for many people. Yet it’s the crisis moments which can also produce great innovation and ingenuity. And it’s social media which can break down physical borders and let the whole world help.

Our online marketing expert Teresa Sperti has been involved in the development of a website, floodaid.com.au, which simply puts two groups of people in touch with each other: those who need help, and those who can offer help. Sounds easy, but anyone who’s built a website will know that getting it right is hard work. And the story of how this simple, effective, well-designed creature was born in less than 72 hours is a lesson in the power of social media to be so much more than a celebrity giving shopping advice.

Floodaid was put together by a bunch of young Queenslanders who could see that the existing online resources were struggling to cope with the scale of the flood disaster. An online callout elicited 500 responses in less than 12 hours from techies around the world. They narrowed this to a team of 30 people from 9 countries and the website went live less than 60 hours later. All for free.

And they didn’t sacrifice design in their need for speed. We love the logo!

Check it out, and please share it widely. The internet is a wondrous thing.

Happy New Year!

Jingle bells, this stuff sells…

2010-11-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

We love Chrissy. The one time of the year when excessive shopping is not only sanctioned, it’s de rigeur.

We love the flushed and happy faces on people who’ve found the perfect gift for Aunty Maude, the triumphant set of the shoulders on those who’ve solved the problem of buying the kids exactly what they want while managing to spend equally on each of them.

Dammit, Christmas shopping is a challenge beyond any round-the-world race, any mistress-chef puff pastry test. Its satisfaction levels are up there with scaling Mount Everest or swimming Bass Strait.

And it’s all about knowing where to go. Here, for your perusing (and shopping) pleasure, are Grace’s hot tips for the best online Chrissy shopping this season.

Go forth and shop!

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Hard to Find

Like a high-end shopping mall with boutiques each selling unique, beautifully-designed gifts, you’ll find something for everyone on this cool new site. Grace is coveting these cushions.

Above: $79.95 - shipping included - Chez Moi Cushion: Paris 4

Above: $79.95 - shipping included - Chez Moi Cushion: Myope

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Messy Fish - Via Etsy

An old favourite, on etsy you can buy and sell. The range is enormous, the quality exquisite. We love these messyfish quirky illustrations toys and textiles.

Above: Flann $45.00 USD

Above: Padovimbro G $45.00 USD

Above: Alfonso B $45.00 USD

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Earth Tribe

Want to make sure that your gifts are green? Go to earthtribe, where everything is about supporting a clean planet and fair choices. And beautiful design.

Above: Quilt cover: $250

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Pony Rider

Any site that tells you you’re allowed to use the good linen everyday gets our vote. Ponyrider is about the simple, everyday pleasures of life.

Above: $64.00 AUD - Sliced Player Cushion Cover

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Ink Posters

Something for the wall? These limited edition screen prints are a fantastic price.

Above: Posters are limited edition screen prints - £55 each

Alexa Meade – 2D or not 2D?

2010-11-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

Trompe l’oeil literally means mistake of the eye, trick of the eye. Washington-based artist Alexa Meade has fun with our perceptions in these vivid 2D images by painting directly onto fully-fleshed, 3D models.

At first we’re sure we’re looking at a painting. Then we realise it’s a photo of someone who lives and breathes in three dimensions, and has been painted like a walking 2D image.

Fab, thought-provoking; a great statement on the power of perception in our image-driven world.

Check out the rest of her work here.

Discovered via one of our favourite blog reads cup of Jo

Still life as we (don’t) know it

2010-10-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

This week’s meet and greet: Carl Kleiner, Swedish photographer.

A master of the still life, he creates striking, powerful images across fashion, food and advertising, often through the deconstruction of objects into something fun, cheeky and exploding with colour. And his work has a strongly graphic quality that we just love.

Check out his blog – no words, all pictures, and it speaks volumes!

ABOVE: Carl Kleiner was commissioned to photograph recipes for Ikea's new book Homemade is best.

Shooting the ingredients - such a novel idea, this project is a true example of food meets art.

Our love affair with paper continues…

2010-10-01T04:18:00.000-07:00

And this time it’s the uber-talented Swedish fashion designer Bea Szenfeld, who creates exquisite fashion collections entirely out of paper. Using glue, needle and thread, pleating, a fertile imagination and, it must be said, extraordinary skill, her latest collection draws on the folklore of the sea. We’re particularly in love with the south sea pearls – they would grace the Graceful Taylor’s long neck, think you not?

Discovered via Beautiful Decay

Sustainababy - A new identity is born

2010-09-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend and client Laura McIlwaine came to us about a year ago with a brief: she was starting an online business called Sustainababy and she wanted an identity for the business that would drive sales and, in an instant, convey her company’s core values.

Sustainababy sells environmentally-friendly baby products, sourced from all over the world and linked by one core value: environmental sustainability. Laura wanted the company’s identity to be fresh, stylish, modern and uncluttered. She wanted a site that was easy to navigate, whose colours reflected both the sustainable theme of the business and the target market of parents caring for their baby.

Above: ideas & concept exploration

According to Laura, “the process was really easy. Grace sent through a design brief template to fill in that I completed and sent back, along with examples of websites I liked and didn’t like and why. She had such fun with it she sent me back 7 options! I narrowed that down to 2 or 3, then asked trusted friends and family for feedback. There was one clear favourite.”

Here’s the design presentation we sent Laura.

We then worked on the website and sent through three options to Laura. “I went with one straight away,” says Laura, “and the feedback from customers and advertisers alike is that they love it! It’s easy to use and showcases the products beautifully. The logo also gets loads of positive feedback from the customers who see it at our local market.”

And the best feedback for us is when a client says, as Laura has, “I love the finished product. It’s exactly what I wanted even though I didn’t know what I wanted!” visit the site here

Body painting to save lives

2010-09-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

This smart and sassy ad campaign by DDB Singapore for breast cancer awareness is an example of a simple idea brilliantly executed – the essence of great marketing. Notice the subtle changes in copy from poster to poster. Once the message is clear, it can be reinforced in so many ways.

On top of that, they’ve used humour, something we’ve talked about before as an incredibly effective way to reach your audience, particularly to generate emotional buy-in. And as this is a campaign aimed at achieving behaviour change, an emotional response is critical.

Thanks to theinspirationroom.com for the images.

And to all the women out there and the men who love them…

A treasure chest of historical Australian graphic design

2010-09-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is fantastic! Re:collection is a showcase of Australian graphic design from 1960–1980, but a warning before you click on the link – we haven’t been able to stop marveling at the talent of these great Aussie designers and get back to our own work!

Chapeau to Dominic Hofstede, whose labour of love has created a site that we predict graphic designers will turn to for years to come, for inspiration and for sheer pleasure! You’ll be amazed at how contemporary many of the designs feel. Just goes to show that good design is timeless. Enjoy.

Above: Arts Victoria Poster / Cato Hibberd / 1975

Above: Pioneer Sugar Mills 1968 Annual Report / Alistair Morrison / 1968

Above: Folklore of the Australian Railwaymen / Andreas Schmid / 1971

Above: 2 x linear logos / Emery & Cato / 1980

Above: AILA 83 Poster / Emery Vincent Associates / 1983
__

Above: Epicurean 56 / Les Mason / 1975

Above: Disposable Eating Sets / Cato Hibberd Hawksby / 1980s

Above: McPherson’s catalogue / Frank Eidlitz / 1960s

Above: Philanthropic Trusts cover / Alison Forbes / 1972

Above: Ducats Milk / Heinz Grunwald / 1980s

Above: The Split cover / unknown designer / 1972

Above: OZ Issue 1 / Martin Sharp / 1967
__

Above: Transperth bus ticket / Les Mason / 1980s

Chiharu Shiota: Sculptured Emotion

2010-08-27T05:07:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our current obsession – Japanese-born, Berlin-based artist Chiharu Shiota. As you know we love being inspired by artists who take something ordinary and transform it into something extraordinary. Using simple objects – string, shoes, beds, chairs, fabric – Chiharu Shiota creates sculptural installations that are the physical embodiments of emotion. This is her latest work. Wonderful and full of wonder.

Discovered via YellowTrace Images via the Chiharu Shiota website

The power of good

2010-08-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

Another election nearly over. And the arts barely rated a mention yet again. So here’s an inspiring reminder of how important the work of artists is, not just to create beauty and to express ideas, but to transform communities. How we wish that the pollies got it!

The artists Haas&Hahn had a dream to paint a hillside favela in Rio de Janiero. That’s a slum area, usually rife with young people who have few options beyond drugs and crime. Using an ingenious concept of expanding rays,

they were able to fill this normally depressing area with fabulous colour.

Best of all, they got the young people of the community involved, teaching them new skills, paying them a wage and providing hope of a better pathway through life.

Above: Before

It’s a huge project, with about 7000 m2 of hillside to cover, but these guys won’t stop until they’re finished. Right now they’re asking for donations to help them make it all the way up the hill. If you’ve been inspired, like us, even by a project so far away, here’s the details.

Discovered via OhJoy Images via the Favela Painting website

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Chiharu Shiota: Sculptured Emotion

The power of good