Shared Solutions is a forum to promote academic partnerships, and Back On Course is a service for people that have withdrawn from higher education before completing their studies, and offers support for returning into education.

Pixel8 provided logo design, web design and content management systems for both projects.

The websites are now live at www.sharedsolutions.ac.uk and www.backoncourse.ac.uk

Jamie Watson, Account Director at Pixel8 said, “It’s great to be working with such a progressive organisation on these exciting projects. We look forward to opening up this relationship further in the future”.

Branding can do several useful things, all of which help to ensure the success of the product or service. In essence, a good brand aims to fulfil the following hallmarks:

Reinforcement of a good reputation

Encourage customer loyalty

Assure quality

Convey a perception of greater worth

Bring about a sense of affirmation

Brand reputations are often synonymous with how they reside in the customers mind.

How do we use visual tools to enhance a brand?

In the successful brand development, we look to a few key areas to determine whether their strategy is easily recognisable and also succinct within their target market. When we look to refresh a brand, we consider the brand positioning, i.e. defining where the brand is most relevant in terms of colour, tone of voice, product/service and age range.

We also look to how we visually tell the story of the brand, whether it’s a complete revamp, or just an evolution of an established brand, making the appropriate design decisions can be the difference between taking the brand forward, adding value and credibility, or not doing the brand justice.

In design terms, we look to incorporate every aspect of research that we undertake so that we can make informed decisions about how to approach the design process.

Being able to associate and distinguish brands by visual impact is of key relevance in any brand awareness exercise, ultimately, we familiarise ourselves with brand identity in visual terms more than we do any other way, therefore communicating the right message by the use of subtle colour combinations and form is perhaps the core importance to any successful brand development process.

Why is colour so important in the branding process?

One of the most important and perhaps impacting factors of branding is colour. Colour is a sensation, produced by the brain, by the light which enters the eye; and that while a sensation of a particular colour is usually triggered by our eyes, receiving light of a particular composition, many other psychological and physiological factors also contribute. Understanding the complexities of colour is an essential influencing factor when assigning colour themes to a brand based on their hallmarks and guiding principles.

Taking this into consideration, we have developed a study whereby we are able to utilize the theory of past colour experts, along with brand placement in order to assign colour themes that are appropriate for their requirements and the role they will inevitably undertake within a brand. In acknowledging our perceptions and emotional interactions with colour we are able to influenced by its psychological properties, our own experience is based primarily on how receptive we are to changing colour environments and/or colour schemes, coding, visual and verbal communication.

Case Study – Evolution of Coca Cola brand design

Coca Cola is a great example of how the established elements of the brand have been echoed in their current brand aesthetic. Derived from a solely black typographic logo, the diagram above demonstrates how the Coca Cola brand has gone from minimal tweaks and changes to complete movement away from traditional serif font, almost performing a full circle before arriving at their present day design, which ironically, is more or less identical in form to the logo in use in the 40’s.

Here we are able to see that the introduction of colour enhances the brand, the red has been chosen carefully to depict the appropriate emotional connotations with the brand, also with the font style being revived from 60 years ago, this helps to reinforce the long established successful nature of the Coca Cola brand. It’s easily recognisable down to the fact that it has gone through an evolutionary process as opposed to a revolutionary one. A nod to the past whilst maintaining the core hallmarks of a brand moving towards the future.

Overview

The study of colour is complex, made difficult by its variety of attributes, which include the aesthetic, psychological, physiological, associative and symbolic nature of our own personal interactions with it. When the eyes see’s colour it is immediately stimulated, the spontaneous nature of this reaction instinctively seeks to reproduce another, alongside the original, this infinite process aids us in the comprehension of the whole chromatic scale.

Our practice is supported by the integration of colour theory, based on pioneers of their field, we are able to structure our colour navigation using the processes outlined by Isaac Newton and Goethe, both of whom studied colour extensively and are responsible for outlining the correct use of colour alongside its complementaries.

Johannes Itten, a pioneer of colour strategies, devised 7 simple methodologies for coordinating colours by utilising the hue’s contrasting properties. Using the basic principles outlined by these, we are able to determine the relationships between appropriate colour applications, which will make the process of identifying a new accent colour(s) as accurate as possible.

In many ways, colour drives our decisions within the context of brand development, enabling us to create a brand that resonates with the hallmarks and guiding principles. Having re-organised the priorities of the colours and made distinctions between their application, we are able to develop an informed guide as to how best to implement new/revised colours into the brand process going forward.

By exploring the theoretical implications of colour and combining it with the brand hallmarks we are able to make an informed decision on the appropriation of the revised colour palette. The ability to identify the specific colour groups that will work successfully is perhaps one of the most pivotal elements in defining a brand.

For more information please visit brand design or call the Pixel8 Branding Agency in Manchester on 0161 228 6489 – 0845 230 1336 or contact us by e-mail today.

football4football.com is an educational website aimed at players and fans of all ages and offers exclusive video footage of interviews with top stars, who talk personally about their lives in football.

Pixel8, which has two former members of the Manchester United Merchandising creative team amongst its personnel, was appointed to create the football4football logo and branding, then to design and build a fully content managed website featuring media rich content.

Video clips on the website include Ryan Giggs talking about football boots and supplements, Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong encouraging kids to finish school and revealing his love of pasta, and Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher talking about the importance of his dad’s support.

The website will regularly be updated with new video content from big name footballers, coaches, sports dieticians and physios. football4football.com also features sections on nutrition, training, injuries and equipment.

Jamie Watson, joint managing director of Pixel8 said, “football4football.com offers young players, parents and fans a real insight into the professional sport. We have created a brand and built a website that is easily accessible to everyone from the six-year-old who plays for his primary school, up to parents and grandparents of footie mad teenagers.”

Former Ajax and Feyenoord midfielder Dean Gorré, who has been involved from the start of the website’s development, added, “football4football.com offers a unique platform for top players and other participants in the game to give something back. Visitors to the site will see the top names in football talking candidly in exclusive interviews about subjects important to young fans, players and their parents.”

football4football.com was launched at a star studded party at Hanson Hall in the footballer belt of Nether Alderley in Cheshire. In attendance were Everton forward Louis Saha, Stoke City midfielder Salif Diao, Gabriel Obertan from Manchester United along with Manchester United first team coach René Meulensteen and retired players Steve Watson (Newcastle United, Everton, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion) and David Thompson (Liverpool, Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers etc).

Visit the new website now at www.football4football.com

Pixel8 was the only UK agency on the four-strong pitch list, beating competition from top USA branding agencies for the six figure contract from InterContinental Hotels Group.

The contract is for a brand refresh for InterContinental Group’s international boutique brand Hotel Indigo, ahead of three UK hotel launches in 2010.

The six figure win has led to the appointment of three new members of staff for Pixel8, which was founded 11 years ago by joint managing director Nigel Daws, former lead graphic designer at Manchester United Merchandising Ltd.

Pixel8, which is based in Manchester’s creative Northern Quarter, will report to Ed Thorne, Director Global Brand Management for Hotel Indigo at InterContinental Hotels Group’s Atlanta offices.

Speaking about how a small Manchester agency ended up on a pitch list with three major US players, Pixel8 joint managing director Jamie Watson said, “Ed Thorne was previously a Global Brand Manager for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts based in London, he was impressed with our portfolio but at the time there was no immediate need for our services.

“Four years later, we got a call from Atlanta asking us to pitch. We didn’t know at the time that we would be the only UK agency on the pitch list.”

On selecting Pixel8, Ed said, “Hotel Indigo is an international brand and it was vital that the agency we chose could think globally. Pixel8 demonstrated a more outward looking focus than its US counterparts and gave us greater confidence that they could align our brand all over the world.

“Pixel8 has a proven track record in design and branding and was able to demonstrate a greater degree of flexibility than the larger agencies. Their ability to tell the brand story of Hotel Indigo through identity design was exemplary, and their reasoning for making the branding changes was a clear winner.

“I have a personal preference for smaller branding agencies as they offer better access to the senior figures. Once I showed Pixel8’s proposal to the Atlanta-based senior management team, I had no trouble convincing them that this Manchester agency would deliver the highest calibre of work.”

Pixel8 joint managing director Nigel Daws said, “Pixel8’s background in working for well known brands was integral to demonstrating that we fully understand the guiding principles behind brand development.

“Working with InterContinental Hotels Group gives us the credibility we need to engage with other global brands. This win has already led to more work from other US companies and will lead to other exciting opportunities within the InterContinental Hotels Group.”

In addition to defining the brand identity, Pixel8 has been contracted to prepare guidelines for all in-hotel materials and develop tool kits to help deliver the look and feel across the internationally franchised brand.

The other competing agencies on the pitch list were Boston and Los Angeles-based Design Continuum, San Francisco’s Marshall Strategy and Brand Logic, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles.

About Hotel Indigo and InterContinental Hotels

Worldwide 33 Hotel Indigos have opened since 2004 and most of the hotels are pet friendly. Several Hotel Indigos host Canine Cocktails events where local residents, hotel guests and their pets get together and enjoy treats for all! Cocktail selections for pet owners may include “Salty Dogs” and “Greyhounds”, whilst the four-legged visitors get to grips with canine bacon treats.

Hotel Indigo offers boutique accommodations in an unconventional and unpretentious setting. Cozy, airy and inviting guestrooms with oversized beds, plush bedding, pillow top mattresses, throw pillows, area rugs, signature murals and spa-inspired bathrooms with walk-in showers, vessel sink, hair dryer and Aveda products.

London’s Paddington is home of the UK’s first Hotel Indigo and three more UK hotels are scheduled to open in London, Glasgow and Liverpool in 2010. A further seven hotels launches are planned this year including Vancouver and Shanghai, and additional hotels in New York and Atlanta. One night’s stay in a Hotel Indigo costs between £110-£170.

InterContinental Hotel Group’s other brands include Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites. Its portfolio currently offers over 621,000 rooms worldwide.

For more information please visit Hotel Indigo on Facebook, twitter or at HotelIndigo.com

Sorrymate wanted to inject some vitality into their brand, but to keep elements of their existing logo design. Pixel8 immediately understood that the client wanted the brand refreshed, and not completely changed.

Initial branding design concepts were quickly developed, and Pixel8’s logo design team created a new version of the Sorrymate logo featuring a biker’s helmet with a cracked visor. The new logo and brand design concepts were shown on storyboards to the client who was really pleased with the look and feel of their new branding.

The new logo was then applied as a stand-alone icon across all other print advertising, marketing materials and business stationary. Pixel8 also developed a credit card style SMIDSY (Sorry mate, I didn’t see you) card for bikers to carry in case of an accident.

Pixel8’s exhibition design team got to work creating a 16 panel exhibition stand for a Sorrymate exhibit at the NEC in Birmingham, this included wraparound artwork for the exhibitions’ stand counters. The exhibition graphics were printing in-house on Pixel8’s large format printers.

To complete the new branding, Pixel8’s web designers developed a new website for Sorrymate which is now live at www.sorrymate.com

To see all the final branding designs please visit the Sorrymate design portfolio.

If your company is looking at rebranding, you may find our branding questions answered blog helpful. For more information, please call Pixel8 in Manchester on 0161 228 6489 – 0845 230 1336 or contact us by email

Developing successful rebranding strategies is at the core of Pixel8’s business. Joint managing director Jamie Watson answers questions about corporate branding.

What can rebranding bring to a business and what are the driving factors behind a rebranding exercise?

More often than not, small and medium sized businesses (SME) need a brand refresh rather than a total rebrand. Small businesses, especially fast growing ones, find that their branding no longer represents what they do and where they want to be after two to three years.

Brand positioning, company strategy and vision changes over time but SME’s are in the fortunate position of being able to react quickly, and refresh their brand every few years.

SME’s can move faster than larger companies and a brand refresh is much less expensive and disruptive for a smaller company. For example, next time they need to order a box of printed stationary, they can simply change the branding to represent the refreshed look. It should very much be seen as evolution as opposed to revolution.

Without frequent brand refresh, a brand will hold a company back and make it seem smaller than it is. You want your brand to represent where you want to be in a few years time – not where you were a few years ago.

Can you outline a successful and a not so successful rebranding exercise, and give your view on why one rebranding was more successful than the other?

Royal Mail rebranding itself as Consignia in 2001 has to be one of the all time worst rebrands. The public and the media lambasted the new brand from the moment it was revealed and a hasty retreat followed. Costing £2million, the new brand identity was in place for only 16 months, before the “Royal Mail” name reappeared. Consumers identified with Royal Mail and its heritage. The key to refreshing a brand is to keep the best bits, which Royal Mail had failed to do.

What are the fundamental steps you should take before undertaking any rebranding of your business?

You must be sure about your brand positioning now, how it’s evolved and most importantly, where you want your company to be in the future.

This is a process a SME should go through every two to three years, but there are no rules! The faster a company is changing the faster the brand needs to evolve.

Expensive market research is not so relevant to an SME becuase most SME owners tend to have an intuitive feel for their business and for their customers. Companies should look at growth, where you can add value, think about your competitors, your strengths and what’s achievable in the next few years. Owner managers often know their customers well and personal feedback is far more valuable that expensive research.

What are components of a good rebranding? How does the logo, typeface, copy, advertising etc all work together to create the new brand image?

All these elements work together as part of a good brand refresh.

Typeface needs to work on both paper and on the web. Logos need to work in two colour as well as full colour and in all different sizes, from a business card to a 24-sheet poster.

It’s important not to get too hung up on the logo design, which most people think is the key component of any brand re-fresh.  The important part is that everything works together to reposition the business.

Can smaller companies benefit from rebranding their business?

Refreshing yes, re-branding no.

Smaller businesses can refresh their brand much more cost effectively and quicker than large corporate brands. A brand refresh should be budgeted for every few years to stay ahead of the game. It does not have to involve any major changes to the company, but simply to update the brand so it reflects the evolution of the business.

Do you think that SME’s would benefit from expanding their branding?

Sub-brand development is very important as a company grows and moves forward.  Small businesses often make the mistake of concentrating only on the umbrella brand and not differentiating their product or service groups. This can be confusing to both salespeople and to customers.

Identifying the benefits of the product mix and differentiating each product or category is essential.  It’s all too often impossible to understand what a business actually does.

SME’s need to start to think of brand development not as changing their logo, but as reviewing, defining, differentiating their offer.

How should a business approach revitalising their brand without destroying or risking the key values of their existing brand?

A company can revitalise their brand without destroying it with a brand refresh, rather than a total rebrand. A refresh tidies up the brand and updates it to represent where the business and the brand is heading, without losing its distinctiveness and identity. This is a very important point as businesses should always keep the best elements of their exiting branding.

Owner-managers often fall into the trap of identifying the best bits based on their feeling as opposed to the reality of the situation.

What are the pitfalls that smaller businesses fall into when looking at rebranding their company?

The major pitfall is spending too much money. A brand refresh is not a one-off event. Companies need to refresh their brands every few years and to regularly budget for it.

Fear is another major factor. Many SME’s that we work with are initially scared to define their product mix and take a smoke and mirrors attitude towards their offer. I think they believe they are staying flexible by being vague about the nature of their products or services, when in fact; they are simply failing to communicate about their products and services.

A pitfall of not regularly refreshing your brand is that your business will look small. SME’s need to punch above their weight to compete and if you still look the same as you did five years ago, your brand is not reflecting how your company has grown and matured.

Brand can be a very emotive thing for an owner-manager – their business is their baby!  Good feedback from customers ensures they are focusing on the best parts of the business, and changing those that have become obsolete.

How can large corporations save time and money managing their brands?

Online brand guides save time and money and are the fastest way to update brand information or any new requirements. Pixel8 designed Manchester United’s online brand guide and it’s been a complete success.

For examples of Pixel8’s corporate branding designs, please see our portfolios for:

Gap Consulting – Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold partner

Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust – Not for profit sports centres

sorrymate – Motor bike accident solicitors

LiveWire – Packaging design software

Tipton Training – Dr. Paul Tipton dental training

For more information about rebranding your company, please call Jamie Watson at Pixel8 in Manchester on 0161 228 6489 – 0845 230 1336 or contact us by email

The web design and corporate branding teams at Pixel8 in Manchester have launched a new brand and a new website for a UK business locations portal.

locations4business provides comprehensive and comparable information on all potential business locations in the UK. It’s a one-stop-shop for companies within and outside the UK looking to establish new business operations.

The website helps existing companies, start ups and investors to find the best locations for their organisation and provides detailed information required to make an initial evaluation.

Pixel8 created the brand identity, a new logo design, the website design and web development of a CMS system and an integrated database.

The new website be found at www.locations4business.com

Once this was approved, our first task was printing out a selection of deep red swatches, so that decorators could colour match for the paint for the walls, to tie in with the brand identity.

After this was completed, work began with the Pixel8 design team creating artwork for a larger Starters Orders logo. The logo was digitally printed in colour directly onto a 10mm Foamcor panel, measuring 700mm wide by 430mm high. It was then fitted to the wall using 20mm stand off fixings.

As with any canteen, an essential requirement is menu panels! Our graphic design team were supplied with items to be featured on double-sided panels. One side with a regular menu for non-event days, and the reverse side was a meal deal menu for Manchester City match days.

There are 5 menu panels altogether, all designed to be in keeping with the Starters Orders brand identity – using elements like the star, stripes and fonts. Each panel measured 700mm wide by 920mm high, digitally printed full colour onto 10mm black Foamcor panels, complete with holes and hooks for attaching to the wall. This made it easy for staff members to turn the menu over for the relevant days.

The canteen is now almost complete. Furnishings are in place and we have just been asked to create artwork to ‘brand up’ the tabletops.

To see more of Pixel8’s design and branding work for the Starters Orders café including our graphic designs for the café interior, embroidery designs for uniforms, printed logo cups and confectionary bags, please visit our Starters Orders design portfolio.

The Pixel8 graphic design agency in Manchester has designed and printed large format vinyl graphics and graphic designs on canvas for Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust.

The Trust, which manages 19 sports facilities in Manchester, went through a massive gym refurbishment at two of its locations, Sportcity and Belle Vue leisure centre.

As the incumbent design agency for Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust, Pixel8 we were on hand to enhance the Trust’s brand awareness at both venues; and also to help with installing the large format graphics.

Pixel8 were asked to use the “swoosh” element from the brands logo design to create a full colour, large format printed vinyl graphic design, to be placed  on one wall, and a single colour vinyl graphic design on the facing wall at the Belle Vue venue. The full colour printed vinyl graphic design measured over 26ft wide, whilst the single colour graphic design measured over 40ft wide. Both of these graphics stand 11ft high.

Large format printed vinyl graphic designs were also installed at Sportcity. The first in the main gym area measured 30ft long and over 6ft high above a large mirror. The second was applied to the upstairs gym area, it measured over 17ft wide by 13ft high.

As a finishing touch, Pixel8’s design team created full colour artwork for a series of ‘inspirational’ graphic designs on canvas featuring images of people working out in the gym.

All of the full colour designs were printed in-house using Pixel8’s large format colour printers.

Pixel8 will be providing additional large format graphic designs for the Trusts’ remaining 17 gyms in Manchester as each one is refurbished.

For more information please call the Pixel8 design agency in Manchester on 0161 228 6489, 0845 230 1336, contact us by e-mail or visit our graphic design portfolio.