Design on The Findings Report

Dollar Shave Club: Part III

Sat, 11 May 2013 03:50:00 +0000

When I was doing interviews for the release of Brand Real, I was frequently asked which brands are “doing it right?” It’s a tricky question. The response from most is “Apple.” I purposefully don’t say that. I look for great branding in unexpected places. And it was about this time last year that I started talking about Dollar Shave Club. Like many others, I was struck by the introductory video that went viral and made the company an instant sensation on YouTube. But I liked DSC for more reason than a clever video. I became a member and I was delighted by the consistency of branding at every touch point in the experience—from web to package.

What If Hipsters Designed Brand Logos?

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:28:00 +0000

The Hipster movement has unleashed a deluge of bland, purposefully unbranded branding into the world. Startups and established companies are embracing ubiquitous graphic motifs and generic typefaces. The trend led a clever Tumblr site to imagine what if hipsters designed famous brand logos?

Follow the link to see some of their laughable variations on brands you’ve known and loved for years.

Dollar Shave Club, Part II

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 01:36:00 +0000

Last week I shared a video introduction to Dollar Shave Club. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one sharing the video because it became a viral sensation. But the real reason I posted it was because I see the seeds of a very interesting brand. It offers a simple promise: a convenient way to get a quality shave at a low price. It has wrapped that offering into a brand with plenty of personality. The video is only a starting point. Check out some of the other parts of their brand system.

Why is Black Friday Black?

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:21:29 +0000

You can’t surf the web, listen to the radio or watch TV today without hearing some reference to Black Friday—the day after Thanksgiving here in the States and one of the busiest shopping days in the holiday season. Shoppers love Black Friday because there is an opportunity to find massive discounts. That’s why people are willing to line up in front of stores the night before.

But how is it that Black was chosen as the name for this annual discount ritual? Conventional wisdom says its because the one-day sales hit from this day can put a retailer “into the black.” But that seems an odd reason to attract shoppers. You’d half expect them to react to Red Friday, a day when you’d expect prices to be slashed. Then again, red has perhaps some negative connotations of its own. Perhaps Red Friday is better suited to a massive discount on Stephen King novels. But the color Black doesn’t always conjure a positive association . For example, Black Flag is a line of insecticides. It’s a brand name that earns your purchase because it is guaranteed to kill.