Hey there!
Welcome to The Creative Box! This newsletter is your go-to source for all things related to creating and refining your brand image.
Here’s what we’ll explore in today’s edition:
The logo mistake holding your business back and costing you $$$
7UP’s new and UPlifting brand identity
A useful selection of resources to take your brand to the next level
Deep Dive Of The Week
Do you want to be known for how good your logo is?
Or for how well your brand & product are built?
It’s a great question to ask yourself, and really it is an obvious option.
Now, before I call all the keyboard warriors, let me explain:
People recognise Apple for their great products
People recognise Coco Cola for the positive brand image
People recognise Nike for it’s motivating and inspiring brand
Does this mean their logos does not matter?
Of course not.
In fact I design logos myself.
A logo is critical when it comes to branding.
It acts as an identifier, allows you to distinguish yourself from the competition, allows people to recall your brand, and reveals a bit about your personality.
BUT…
is it the MOST important thing in a brand?
Absolutely not.
And here’s where I see a lot of business owners make a mistake of focusing too much on ONLY their logo.
As a result they start neglecting other areas of their brand such as the strategy, vision, offer, and brand communication.
They believe that having a logo like Nike or Apple will get you to the great heights of success.
Sorry to break it to you, but that’s not how it works.
Investing in your strategy, Identity, messaging, and marketing does.
Those are the things that will make you money.
What should you be doing instead?
Define your why:
This is the part where you ask yourself, "Why the heck am I doing this?" Figure out what problems you're solving and what makes you stand out from the crowd. Knowing your why will help you create a brand that speaks to your target audience.
Create a brand personality:
What's your brand's vibe? Do you want to be seen as fun and playful, or more sophisticated and high-end? Deciding on your brand's personality will help you stay consistent across all your marketing channels.Design your logo:
Your logo is your brand's costume - it needs to be unique, memorable, and instantly recognisable. Keep it simple but distinctive, and make sure it represents your brand personality.Build your identity:
This is where you bring it all together. Your brand identity includes everything from your website and social media to your ads and packaging. Make sure everything looks and feels cohesive, and stay true to your brand's personality and messaging.
Design Dissection
In each edition of The Creative Box, I share my thoughts on the latest developments in the design and branding Industry.
Today I’ll be reviewing the 7UP’s BOLD new identity.
Now, If you’ve been following me for a while then you know I love BOLD.
Something that’s vibrant, punchy, and turn’s heads.
That’s exactly what 7UP’s new identity does.
Btw, they re branded 7 years later. Ironic innit?
The Good
Alright, let's give it up for 7UP's rebrand! They've managed to strike a balance between modern and retro.
It’s not easy to do that.
The semi 2D shadow on the "7" is like a fine work of art.
I also love how they carried it over to other areas of the brand, like the typography.
The new slogan “New Get Up. Same 7UP” is clever too. Though I have to admit it took me a while to understand it.
Once I did it was like solving a riddle and you feel like a genius.
Another solid thing to mention is the familiar look and feel. I talked about this in the last newsletter too when WhatsApp re branded.
It’s crucial to keep existing elements of a brand before rebranding. 7UP does a great job here keeping all the existing assets to retain that look and feel.
The Improvements
There's always room for improvement.
In this case, the stand-alone design of the red circle with "UP." looks slightly off-brand.
Without the iconic green color and look It doesn’t feel a part of the 7UP brand.
Overall, though, I've got nothing but good things to say about this re brand. It's like a refreshing sip of 7UP on a hot summer day.
Designer's Toolkit
Tilt Neon - A nice rounded, playful, and modern font. Rare to find something like this.
Unblast - My go-to site for finding free mockups, text effects, and other vector files.
Lazy - A nice note-taking tool to capture information. Bonus points for the website design.
Logobook - A super cool website with lots of filters and inspirations.
Origami - A new tool for designing modern interfaces, built and used by designers at Facebook.
If these newsletters are starting to feel like a snooze fest, it's time to hit the unsubscribe button.
No hard feelings though, we'll still be friends even if my emails aren't your cup of tea.
Until next week 👋
Cheers,
Ashar