Tag: branding

Lean Bean – brand identity

Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

Lean Bean approached us to create a unique brand identity as the business was faced with significant growth across Dublin and Ireland. Lean Bean is a well-established Fresh Food Outlet in the centre of Dublin, serving up some of the tastiest breakfast and lunch time meals on the island. Reputation soon spread of the fast, fresh offering across the city and demand for the product dictated an increase in stores. With this in the pipe-line the owner of Lean Bean realised opportunity to re-define and re-state the brand purpose, look and feel and communications. With the naming already in the mix it was our job to deliver an identity to reflect the reputation and truthfully communicate this forward-thinking delicious offering.

In their own words:

Founded in 2017, Lean Bean is a destination for healthy food served fast. To us healthy means real food made from scratch. Lean Bean was built on the idea that today people are time poor and the food on offer is of low nutritional value. We want to change that by providing real food, real fast at an affordable price. We believe education around food is very important to our success and that people are actively making more health-conscious decisions.

First off was the logo. We created a unique word mark based on a Stencil font which provides a sense of tradition, sophistication and modernity. The way the letters fall in the stacked version of the logo allowed the typography to play over the line ever so slightly to create an interesting, stand out identity. Paired with the traditional stencil style mark we introduced a modern san-serif to bring harmony in the brand across headlines, menus and body copy that was to be used. Clarity between the two typefaces is important as you will see throughout the menu and website, a natural yin and yang balance really elevates the brand and gives it strength to roll out across any medium required. 

Following the craft of the word mark we created a colour scheme to suit the offering and attract the right audience. Numerous concepts were put forward but the pairing of the fresh ‘lemon’ and the strong ‘teal’ working together provided something completely new for the industry landscape. Teal’s of course reflective of the green ingredients with the hint of Lemon to freshen things up across the brand. The completed palette is extremely ‘fresh’ and packs a real punch when placed in front of the fantastic plates, ingredients, drinks and interiors at Lean Bean.

One of Lean Beans mantra’s is sustainability, as seen here:

Sustainability

We are always trying to reduce our carbon footprint. Over 90% of all our packaging is now compostable with some of the remaining being used from either plant based or recycled plant-based material which is 90% less carbon.

This Lean Bean ethos of sustainability sparked an idea for a new style to accompany the word mark and colour palette. With this in mind we created a unique set of bespoke illustrations which are intertwined across brand textures, backgrounds, interiors and the website. The illustrations are hand-sketched and really bring an air of sustainability to the whole brand personality. This in toe we wanted to introduce a strapline to sum this up. Eat Smart was born. Eat smart encompasses once again the brand ethos of Scratch Cooking, Transparency, Healthy Living and great food. We felt it was a much easier was of letting the customer know that ‘we do healthy food’ and encouraging them to join the food revolution. 

Lean Bean very much is a revolution in fast food and we continue to work with them in the brand roll out and evolution of the business.

Westville Hotel – brand identity

Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

The Westville Hotel is a longstanding boutique hotel situated in the heart of Enniskillen. For many years the Westville has grown in popularity for its diverse range of high spec rooms, service and entertainment, not to mention food outlets across the town. With success comes change and the owners at the Westville realised that now was the time to re-state exactly who the Westville are and what it means to stay there. So they approached Kaizen about doing a new Brand Identity for them.

In their own words:

A Superbly Stylish Boutique Hotel in Fermanagh

Perfectly located in the heart of Enniskillen’s waterside historic quarter, The Westville Hotel is a sophisticated, yet understated, boutique destination – offering everything to the contemporary, discerning guest, including a Terrace restaurant, beautifully spacious and comfortable rooms, a stylish WV Bar matched with the warmest, welcoming service.

A great focus for the Hotel was to attract the Instagram generation, making the boutique experience much more in tune with key experiences across Enniskillen all the while having a hotel where you want to stay in, eat drink and Instagram! This brief for the designers was a dream for some of our keen city breakers and self -proclaimed hipsters within the studio. This was an opportunity to create a really ‘cool’ and unique brand identity for the type of people that, well… we are. Adventure seekers, young professionals with a genuine passion for where they stay and what they do at the weekend, interested in their surroundings, food, drink and experiences.

Language

First-off we re-stated exactly what it was the Westville offered. Through language we we’re able to set the scene on how the brand identity would develop throughout the hotel’s communications. We introduced the line ‘Stay and Explore’ as the overall purpose of the Westville. This strapline opened up a world of visuals both for the hotel and Enniskillen with a lovely link to the tourism opportunity for the area surrounding the Westville, from the caves to the lakes we’ve got this covered.

Typography

The brand identity takes its form from a classic but very modern type family ‘Condor’. With a series of customisations, cuts, raises, kerning and craft in the type we created the unique word mark for the Westville. The type is a natural evolution from their previous logo but completely simplifies the identity for 2020 and beyond, making it a lot more flexible and removing a lot of the previous symbols, stars and even the word ‘hotel’ was removed with the aim of producing a modernised version of the mark. As well as the language we really wanted to introduce a symbol that reflected the strapline and purpose – hence the ‘Westville wave’ was introduced. A simple glyph, taken and customised which sits beautifully above the W. The wave is reflective of the lakes, the water and the fact that Enniskillen is in fact an island locked in by water. This opportunity to tell this story was a no-brainer for the design and roll out of the brand. The wave is utilised as a pattern system throughout the interior, brand assets and marketing as you will see. This symbol also made way for 3 beautifully drawn badges that feature across the brand, all three highlighting the Stay and Explore message. 

Art Direction

Art direction for the Westville was as important as the new brand mark. We introduced a stylised, hipster photography direction and colour palette which pair beautifully with the mark and bring an air of freshness to the brand which is reflected in the interior and brand accents across the hotel. We provided concept across the entire hotel offering, from website to door hangers, bottled water and towels, this project has been a real passion project for the studio and we love to continue to work on the brand as it develops, rolls out and evolves. We love seeing brands we work on out in the wild and cannot recommend enough paying the newly branded Westville.

    At Kaizen Brand Evolution we understand the difficulties that brands face in evolving their brand and in keeping it fresh. If you’d like to find out more about what we can offer you can visit our brand identity page. Alternatively, you can get in touch via our contact form or by calling 028 9507 2007

    Boundary CrossFit – brand identity

    Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

    Understanding the Brand

    The newest player in the CrossFit arena, ‘Boundary CrossFit’ came to us to create create a unique brand identity and system to showcase their brand new high-end facility, to help them prepare it for launch and growth within the industry. Their ambition was to achieve a modern, bold narrative that would pay homage to the raw industrial nature of the sport but also the physical interiors within the gym itself.

      The Logo Build

      The vast majority of us have heard of or have some kind of idea about what CrossFit is. For those who don’t CrossFit in recent years has become much more than just a choice of exercise. The growing CrossFit brand has become a culture amongst likeminded passionate individuals. We felt that this was a primary message we needed to get across through the Boundary Brand Identity Narrative. We needed to pay homage to the people who commit and support these gyms. We wanted to capture the spirit of these individuals and their culture and lifestyle.

      The brandmark was created with the brand name at the soul of its direction. The term ‘ Boundary’ illustrates a conflicting ideology it can reflect a division, a defense mechanism, but also a sense of place, a sense of strength.

      The word itself has such a powerful narrative that it was an organic development that the brand mark would be a strong typographic word mark.

      The logo is set in a modern Flat-Sided san serif typeface, a style also known as ‘gaspipe’. The modular letters evoke modernity and industrialism. The type led brandmark visualises the feeling of the word ‘Boundary’ and encapsulates the narrative of the brand. To further project the narrative of the brand an organic underline was incorporated to bring a softer contrast to the modular typemark. To amalgamate the strength of the word with the raw passion and commitment to the people who belong within it. 

      This notion of a warrior, war paint, the raw grit and dedication associated with the physically experience of the brand. The underline creates a device that can be used throughout the brand roll out as a visual sense of the word ‘bound’ to create metaphors and links through visual assets. The line device also enables ‘Crossfit’ to be neatly combined within the logo but also easily removed when needed and to ensure brand longevity. This strong typographic approach creates a unique typographic identity, which will become a natural association to the ‘Boundary’ brand.

      The strength evoked within the logo helps to resonate with the desired audience of the brand. There is an immediate connection to the name ‘Boundary’ and the visual depiction of the meaning of the word throughout the type. This typographic language that will be used throughout the brand roll out creates a direct and powerful connection to audience the brand is trying to attract. A loyal client base who share like-minded goals, who are passionate about being a part of the ‘Boundary’ culture. 

      Photography

      A creative direction for the photography was developed to further enhance the narrative of the brand. It is people focused to give the audience a true reflection of the ‘Boundary’ culture and to ensure the right people invest in that culture. The imagery depicts loyalty to the brand a common visual trend associated with the sports industry and the nature of the CrossFit community. Promoting through imagery of branded sportswear and to evoke this sense of belonging and passion. To showcase the hard work, dedication and passion valued by the ‘Boundary’ brand. 

      An image treatment has also been developed for the brand to create gritty, high contrast visuals that portray movement and energy. Contrast plays a primary role within the narrative of the ‘Boundary’ brand, with the confident stand alone brandmark the physical experience of the brand needed to be further introduced throughout the brand imagery as a storytelling device to stand out within a crowed industry.

      Brand Colour

      The brand colours will primarily be black and white to reflect a modern and minimal tone of voice. However, to achieve the contrast and successfully reflect the brand values associated with this industry and its audience a warm red palette was introduced as a secondary colour device for the brand to utilise. 

      Red is a strong colour that has a direct cultural connotation to passion and love, but also has conflicting meanings of jeopardy or boundaries, and in this case over coming these physical boundaries the blood, the sweat and the tears reflective of the industry and resonates with the target audience.

      Brand Language

      To further enhance the brand narrative of unity and strength we developed a tagline to define Boundary as its own culture, the unity of the people who experience it ‘Bound by Passion’.

      Typography is one of the main devices used within this brand. The modular san serif typeface that not only gives life to the brandmark, will also encapsulate the entire brand story. The large type family allows us to utilize the typeface throughout. 

      Kaizen Brand Evolution

      At Kaizen Brand Evolution we understand the difficulties that brands face in evolving their brand and in keeping it fresh. If you’d like to find out more about what we can offer you can visit our brand identity page. Alternatively, you can get in touch via our contact form or by calling 028 9507 2007.

      BeyondHR – Brand identity

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      BeyondHR focus on a relationships based approach to Human Resources, their headquarters are based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, with another office based in Glasgow, Scotland. Previously named Personnel and Training Services (PTS), our rebranding project was undertaken to reposition the business within the market.

      Their name PTS, was out-dated for the marketplace, we took this opportunity to rename, to allow the company to engage with its audiences in today’s world. Starting wide, we went through over 50 names each with reasoning on why the name was relevant. We then refined, short-listing down to seven.

      The chosen name ‘BeyondHR’ was a fantastic metaphor for the business with lots of branding potential.

      Understanding the Brand

      We looked at the industry landscape and noticed the majority were very corporate, and didn’t seem very approachable for a business which dealt with people. A lot of the logos didn’t give you much of a hint of what they do. We seen this as one of the challenges we had for BeyondHR, as we needed the business to look approachable, friendly and tell you what they do.

      Our goal within the BeyondHR rebranding was to create a trustworthy brand, which kept inline with their core values of focusing on relationship.

      Brand Audit – Brief

      To create a brand identity for BeyondHR incorporating the new name with a clever, friendly visual direction. The new identity would become the face for the brand and reflect the core values of BeyondHR. The brand will position the business as the go to HR company when you need them the most. The brand allows flexibility to evolve over time. BeyondHR wanted to reach out to smaller businesses, as they want to make Human Resources more approachable.

      Like many brands we create at Kaizen Brand Evolution we have created a branding system which makes it simple for anyone in the business to be able to use. We show the client how the brand works and how it can be utilised. BeyondHR’s brand was developed from research we gathered from multiple sources to make sure we understood the industry we are designing for. We took elements from our research and we created three independent brand concepts that fully reflected the marketplace BeyondHR operate in. Each had a unique value proposition so BeyondHR could visualise their brand potential, after refinement of the chosen brand concept, we are rolling this out across a range of deliverables both offline and across digital media.

      The Logo Build

      The logo type was created using elements ‘BeyondHR’ + ‘Support’ + ‘Eye’ + ‘People’. From this we built a clever device, which houses a person in the negative space of the ‘O’. This represents that BeyondHR are people centric in everything that it does. We wanted people to smile when they discover the person in the logo, and hopefully smile when they engage with BeyondHR. The device will be used throughout the branding system from housing different icons depending on the sub-brands/services they offer.

      Each element of the brand has been thoroughly looked at, from brand campaigns to lanyards to how the coffee mugs would look like.

      We introduced a vibrant colour palette to use against a contrasting navy, the colours used per sub-brand each have their purpose in the brand, the red is used as it shows leadership and suggests stability; the teal is used as it’s more softer for training purposes and represents knowledge; the yellow is used as its friendly and approachable, perfect for recruiting; and finally the green is associated with healing and protection.

      Brand Language

      We created the approachable brand, we needed a tagline which helps define what BeyondHR does as the brand language is just as important as the visual identity. “We’re People People”.

      Whiterock Finance – Brand identity

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Whiterock Finance are an independent alternative funding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Previously named Whiterock Capital Partners, our brand audit project was undertaken to reposition the business within current and new markets.

      Traditionally such businesses are branded in a manner akin to an accountancy practice and of course this adds strength to the diligence requirement of such a process. However for many entrepreneurs or business owners, this traditional look may be misunderstood for a variety of reasons.

      Our goal within the Whiterock Finance audit was to create an engaging, dynamic brand, that retained the heritage of an established, trusted and extremely well respected business.

      Understanding the Brand

      In the process of understanding the Whiterock Finance brand and its products/services, we were led to the many clients they have supported with the Growth Loan Fund and Growth Loan Fund II. Entrepreneurial, growth driven and ambitious companies who are making a huge impact in each of their sectors was the common theme and from this it was very clear to identify the personas of key markets.

      We created three independent brand concepts that fully reflected the marketplace Whiterock operate in. Each had a unique value proposition and while design is objective, the selection process is of course subjective. After refinement of the chosen brand, we are now rolling this out across a suit of deliverables both online and across digital media.

      What is Alternative Finance?

      Alternative Finance is an umbrella term that covers any type of finance that does not come from a mainstream provider, such as a bank. It is not a mortgage, but a considered loan for use as investment within your company.

      Whiterock Finance support local businesses with ambition that can demonstrate sales and profitability growth.

      Brand Audit – Brief

      To create a new and engaging brand identity for Whiterock Finance, incorporating the new name with a smart, modern and visual direction. The new identity will become the voice of the brand and reflect the core values that Whiterock Finance represents. The new brand will also position Whiterock Finance as the premier alternative finance option for entrepreneurs seeking growth in their businesses across Northern Ireland. The new brand will be flexible for growth, perhaps in Scotland and the mainland. The brand will be attractive not only to entrepreneurs but to major investors across the water and fit in with their brand library.

      The Logo Build

      The logo was created using elements ‘W’ + ‘ Whiterock’ + ‘Money clip’. From this we built a clever Rock device crafted from the negative space of the logo. This represents a strong foundation to help support your business. The device will be used to throughout the branding system from housing photography, to use as an arrow to point to the language or to be placed as a white rock when the logo can’t be used.

      Each element of the brand has been well thought out from the colours, layout and the typography. We used a typeface, which can be legible from size, with subtle curves in the letters to tie back to the curved logo.

      We introduced a clean colour palette inspired by the coast, using a sunset yellow and rock grey with contrasting bright colours used to add more depth to the brand. These colours were used when we updated the Growth Fund logos too so they updated in the style of the new brand.

      Brand Language

      The brand language was critical, as it had to be corporate and approachable. Some of the language created was, “We invest in the brave”,” We invest in the ambitious”, “Alternative, Intelligent Finance” and “Grow your business”.

      As well as the branding system, we produced a range of visuals to show them how the brand could be used across different mediums; including adshels, brochures, signage, business cards, lanyards, mugs and online presence. When you see how all the brand elements are brought together it’s clear to see the cohesion. With this brand structure, Whiterock Finance will stand out from the rest of competition. 

      With Whiterock Finance we built a strong brand that works for the business and for their clients. We throughly enjoyed working with the Directors on this exciting project and look forward to working with them to evolve the brand even further.

      International brand coverage at the National Stadium

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Wednesday past saw the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers start with Northern Ireland winning 2-0 over Estonia. Yeooow! Now that that’s out of the way, some of our studio was in attendance for the match and were treated to the visual delights of some of our recent creative adorning pitchside branding and corporate boxes.

      Grafton Recruitment

      First up was our recent brand audit for Grafton Recruitment. New sponsors of the Irish Football Associations Family stand, our brand audit was in full display across multiple sites across the stadium. It was great to see the brand activated in such a prominent manner and the new trinity mark displayed perfectly beyond the brand itself.

      Working with an established brand such as Grafton Recruitment we must always be mindful of the heritage of the brand while positioning it perfectly to meet the company ambitions. This island of Ireland recruitment company has huge plans and we’re delighted to be apart of their brand journey. As part of this brand audit, we presented campaign messaging, photography and typography styling alongside brand guidelines and a suite of B2B and B2C marketing materials. In addition, we created the “Trinity” mark you see prominently behind the logo in the photos here. This mark frames the logo and provides an opportunity for perfect placement in a variety of uses.

      toalsbet.com

      With a brand going live to the world via the Euro 2020 qualifiers is a hugely exciting moment for us as well as the entire team at toalsbet.com. This established bookmakers here in Northern Ireland has over 50 stores across the province and is one of the leading independent family own bookies around. We were tasked with establishing the new toalsbet.com brand focusing on the opportunities surrounding bookmakers online. Developing the brand narrative, campaign messaging and of course the logo itself, we have positioned the toalsbet.com brand in the perfect position to communicate effectively to its target audience.

      The brand is currently rolling out across new stores within Northern Ireland and soon to be live on their toalsbet.com betting platform.

      Northern Ireland’s Euro 2020 Campaign Design

      As a branding and graphic design studio, we’re delighted to support our national businesses and National team. We were invited to pitch creative for Northern Ireland’s 2020 campaign and while we were unsuccessful in this project, being in the mix with international branding and design agencies is a great place to be. We’ve just seen the new creative all across Belfast on billboards and it is a great campaign.

      Here’s to the next 12 months and Good Luck to the Northern Ireland team.

      How important is a Brand?

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      We’ll start with the obvious: Branding is very, very important for any business. There isn’t any ‘might’ or ‘could be’, it just IS. But why is it important? What does a brand do for you and your business exactly? Within this article we are going to take a look at exactly that, helping to give you a better understanding of why Brands are important and why you need one if you haven’t already.

      Firstly, what exactly is a Brand? What is Branding? In the conventional sense, branding is where a company creates everything that will identify them, from their name to their logo and colours that will be encompassed within this. A brand is something that makes a business easily identifiable from others that work within the same industry as them. But a brand is also so much more than this, as it becomes everything you do as a business. All of your actions will be viewed not as individuals, but as a whole under one BRAND.

      A Brand is important because, as previously stated, it helps set you apart from your competitors and tells customers why they should do business with you, over someone else who is offering more or less the same product or service. You build your brand from the ground up, not only the way you see it but also in the way that you want to be perceived by others, because due to how much your brand encompasses of your business, it is how you will become recognised and viewed by everybody, not only those within your industry.

      One of the most important aspects of your brand is that of your logo, so it is vital that you get it right, but also that it makes sense in the message you are trying to get across. Your logo will essentially become the face of your company before you ever employees. The logo that you choose therefore needs to be professional, as people will immediately begin to view you in a professional manner, someone that they can trust and want to do business with. It is important at this stage that you put the investment in and get a professional graphic designer to do this for you, instead of someone who might be able to give you what you want. A professional will be able to take everything that you already have and everything that you want to achieve and bring this into a logo that is going to match your business, help to bring you success and ultimately help to bring you a positive ROI.

      What you will ultimately want to achieve from your business, is for it to bring in customers and for them to buy your products or use your services. A strong brand will undoubtedly help with this. It will help to generate new customers because it instantly creates a positive impression of you. Again, similar to having a professional logo, having an excellent overall brand means people are more likely to do business with you. From this, begins the word of mouth process as the popularity of your brand spreads from person to person, helping to increase the number of customers that you have and ultimately the amount of profit you are pulling in.

      A great brand isn’t just for the benefit of customers, however, as you will immediately notice that it benefits your employees, or that they show improvement, especially if you have recently rebranded and are showing a renew sense commitment to your brand, your goals and your cause. Employees will have greater satisfaction and sense of pride in saying that they work for you, making them happier to come to work and making the workplace a better place overall.

      Finally, another advantage of having an excellent brand is the fact you will be given respect in the market you are involved in. You are more likely to get business again from those you have worked with, but also more likely to be taken seriously by competitors, as they can see that you are serious about what you are doing. Strong branding will help to give the impression that you are an industry expert, even if you are only starting out.

      We hope that by reading this you have seen the importance of a brand and just how much it can help nearly every aspect of your business, both day to day and long term. To follow up on this, we are holding an an event on the 22nd of February titled, “When is the right time to rebrand” this will aim to show you when is the perfect time and help you through the process. Tickets can be purchased right here for only £5: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/when-is-a-good-time-to-rebrand-tickets-54847035961

      If you feel that you are in need of some branding work, feel free to give us a call on 028 9507 2007 or send us an email at studio@kaizenbrandevolution.com, we’d love to have a chat.

      Apples & Mermaids Round-Up

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      At the end of January, we here at Kaizen Brand Evolution held our first event/workshop of the year, titled Apples & Mermaids. This was a workshop detailing the importance the logos play in our lives and just how important they are to businesses everywhere, no matter what industry they are in. The event took place in The Mac, Belfast which we can only say had a fantastic set-up for us.

      Ryan Stanfield, our very own Design Director, was the speaker during the event, taking us through what logos mean to us and also how we are influenced by them. For example, is there a brand that you are faithful to and won’t deviate from even if someone else is offering a similar product at a cheaper price? Think perhaps shoe or trainer manufacturers. If you are always buying Adidas trainers, you are less likely going to buy anything that Nike might have to offer. The same can be said for Vans and Converse. It is usually one or the other. However, if you remove the logo from these products and do a test, you might find that your loyalties change. This is because it is all to do with the brand and logo that we see, the logo that we feel a connection with.

      Those that attended the event were also given the opportunity to put their own design skills to the test, being given an exercise where they had to try and figure out what symbol, font and colours best suited a certain company. The point of this was to show those in attendance the process that goes into creating a logo for a company and how much else there is involved, rather than just sketching something and saying it is okay. It is vital to look at what industry you are in and see what would go well. But it is also important to look at what other people in the same industry are doing.

      At the end of the morning, guests had the chance to ask Ryan some questions, getting further insight into his knowledge and also help with understanding some of their own projects that they are undertaking. As well as this, they had the opportunity to chat with some other team members who were in attendance.

      It was a great morning had by all and we can’t thank everyone who came enough, helping to make it so. We are now in full preparation mode for our next upcoming event, “When is a good time to rebrand” taking place on 22nd of February in The Academy Restaurant. If you would like to buy tickets, you can do so right here: http://bit.ly/rebrandtime

      If you feel that you are in need of some inspiration and help with your current branding project or perhaps you are a company just starting out, then please do not hesitate to contact us either by email at studio@kaizenbrandevolution.com or else by phone on 028 9057 2007 to get your next project underway.

      Town – brand development, website design & social media

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      When branding a new venue, whether restaurant, hotel, nightclub or bar, thee are considerations we must make as your branding partner. Our initial discussion will focus on customer demographics, market opportunities and the heritage of the business in the case of a bran audit or brand refresh. After meeting with the owners of Town, Leixlip we were blown away by their passion and drive within the hospitality trade in Co.Kildare. They had a vision for the bar / restaurant and we were engaged to bring that vision to life through: Brand Strategy, Brand Identity Design, Logo Design, Menu Design, Website Design and a social media launch campaign.

      About Town, Leixlip

      Town is a bar based in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, Ireland. They loved the idea of being the ‘Talk of the Town’ bar as this would be great for a ‘Town’ campaign they can work with and evolve over time. We explored diffident uses for brand language, which could easily evolve over time. Their target audience would be locals who would head into Dublin for a night out. They were inspired by well known neighbourhood bars in the likes of Dublin and Manchester and aimed to bring it back to Leixlip so punters could get the same experience and not having to travel as far, back in their home town. A place you can go for your coffee meetings, family dinners to having a night out partying on the dance floor with your friends. 

      Town is “More than just a bar”.

      Town approached Kaizen Brand Evolution to create a brand for their bar because they wanted to create a bar for everyone in the local community. Town’s approach was creating a friendly bar for all generations of the Leixlip community. They needed a branding system, which worked for everyone. It had to feel homely after it all it was a Town in their hometown. Town is a bar that would rely heavily on their social media to advertise their events each night and mid week offers. The Brand would have to work particularly well on social media platforms as most of their audience would be on these, to create a social media friendly brand we looked at how other bars across the globe used social media to promote their business. 

      We created the branding system in way, so it’s simple for Town to use. It had to also stand out from their competitors but mainly be consistent. To get the brand identity for Town, we gathered our research of places the owners of Town liked. We took elements from our research then we crafted 3 concepts, which were all unique created to tell the story of Town. 

      We Partner Your Interiors Team

      We worked closely with the interior designer to make sure the brand worked with the interiors and to complement the building. We introduced a contemporary colour palette for the brand, using a rich blue, teal and gold with contrasting pinks from the floral elements used to add more depth to the brand.

      Crafting the TOWN mark had to represent a place for everyone with some character. The Mark had to feel established, friendly and Town had to you make you feel like you belong, a place where you can go for a morning coffee, or grab a bite to eat or have a really good time with your mates, it had to feel like a place you never have to leave as it’s all under one roof. This is where it ties back to he underpin for Town, “More than just a bar”. 

      Brand Language is Critical

      The brand language had to be simple, but unique to Town. “Fancy a G&T”, “It’s T-time” and “Down to a-T” using the T mark, which can easily evolve for future adverting promotions. The language is playful, and it’s simple. 

      Brand Development Is Just The Start

      As well as the branding system we produced a range of visuals to show them how the brand could be used across different mediums; including work uniform, menus, hand stamps, glassware, and online presence. When you see how all the brand elements are brought together it’s clear to see how well the brand works as a whole. With this brand structure, Town will stand out from the rest of competition.

      Website Development

      With any branding project we must further consider its reach beyond the conceptualisations presented. We look at all manner of print and digital mediums the brand is to shown on and develop these further in line with the brand strategy. For most in the hospitality sector, the main focus of attention moves from brand to website development. As you can see from the graphic above, we have captured the essence of the brand and brought to life a new website for the thriving business.

      We enjoyed working with Town on this branding project and we look forward to seeing the branding used across social media, the branding paired with the interiors of the bar and we are excited to be part of the Town evolution.

      Start a Branding Project

      Want to start a bar, restaurant or nightclub branding project of your own? We’d be delighted to have a chat. You can get in touch with us on +44 289507 2007 or you can get in touch with us via the contact form below

      [contact-form-7 id=”2934″ title=”Blog Post – Branding Blog Post”]

      The Number 3 – Brand Identity

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      The Number Three is a traditional Bar & Restaurant based in Limerick with a contemporary audience. Previously trading as Tom & Jerry’s it has since changed owners, the new proprietors wanted a brand to reflect the new services that they would have to offer of food and drink as well as live music. The name Number Three comes from the location on Glenworth Street.  The logo’s mark is tasked to show that the business serves food as well as alcohol through iconography, we have interpreted the request across the logo with the symbolisation of beer, drinks and food brought into the logo. The most important message was food/drink and bringing that together for the new bar and therefore we came up with the tagline ‘Pub & Grub’ this shows the traditional Irish side with the slang term ‘grub’ meaning food, as well as the pub element. As the new owners are starting out fresh they wanted the logo to look contemporary but with the old Irish feel to fit in with the local community of Limerick and the industry landscape. Kaizen Brand Evolution had to create a logo that was adaptable for the future that didn’t fit in with trends so that it could be timeless and stand alone for the business and stay classic for the duration of the bar’s lifespan.

      The No 3. logo design uses a timeless cursive styled font with vector illustrations of wheat, barley the types used in beer making, there is also wine bottles to symbolise the pub and drinking aspect. We have also used the iconography of a knife and fork to show the grub side, the style is a contemporary vector design around the framing to show food and drink together. The logo is a established with the colour scheme gold and dark green to give an old traditional feel of Irish food and drink in Limerick. The logo shape is in a circle with the iconography crafted around it, the circle breaks for the wheat and barley at each end to come to show. It gives that traditional friendly vibe with a modern take on it with the vector illustrations. The photography and art direction style is comfort and homely atmosphere with a sepia filter, showing good live music with also traditional connotations.

      The No. 3 logo comes in two versions, the circular version with iconography and main 3 typography as well as the longer version with ‘The Number Three’ in landscape for signage for the front of the bar. For the rollout of The No. 3 logo, it will be used on glass etching for the glass windows which will work well for the etching typography for the number three, signage for the front of the bar and interiors, mirrors, doors, food and drink menus, social media. The interior designer will be working alongside the brand for the No.3 to give that homely traditional but feel inside with booths, picture frames, high stools, a long bar and wooden interiors everything you would expect to see in your typical traditional Irish bar. We look forward to working with The No.3 across all of the deliverables and seeing the brand live in Limerick, we wish the owners the best of luck in their new venture.

      United Wines – Brand Identity

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      United Wine Merchants approached the brand team at Kaizen Brand Evolution with the objective of repositioning their brand identity and communications to be more in line with their unique service, product and reputation. With over 36 years in business, United Wines have moved with the times in terms of their product portfolio and brand associations, however, their own brand has remained unchanged. Today the company is modern, forward-thinking, and upholds a formidable reputation. With this said it deserved an identity to truly represent them.

      In their own words:

      United Wine Merchants incorporating HEINEKEN NI is a dedicated Agency led wholesale business within the Licensed Trade servicing the entire On and Off Trade.  As a subsidiary of HEINEKEN IRELAND, we are the licensed wholesale company responsible for developing the HEINEKEN portfolio including Orchard Thieves across Northern Ireland. Now in our 34th year of operation, we pride ourselves on our market leading and award-winning portfolio of Beers, Wines, Spirits, and Soft Drinks. Beyond timely supply and reliable delivery, we have got a range of marketing support and an experienced sales team to help you select the right range for your customers. We can design your wine lists, supply POS and provide your staff with product training as our Sales and Marketing team are all WSET qualified.

      The team at Kaizen Brand Evolution created 3 unique brand designs for United Wine Merchants, each one exploring separate USP’s and reflections of their current standing in the marketplace. From colour variation, negative space, wine hints and some contemporary type styles we aimed to flex our creative skills in this brand audit, after all, it has been 30 years since the current branding, time for us to show potential. The new, chosen brand mark incorporates modernity, negative space and a clear, focused typestyle. The colour palette is reflective of their current ‘wine palette’ with a great balance of a highlight and base ‘berry purple.’ Each element of the logo represents truthfully the ambition United Wines set us from the outset. You will also notice that the word “merchants’ has been removed from the primary, simply for simplicity. When referring to the company people tend to drop the Merchants, so we dropped it.

      Language plays an important role in the new brand direction for United Wines.  We put together a language style for the brand to take forward, one which highlights their USP’s but one that has an almost tongue in cheek wordplay. Statements such as ‘from harvest for beer fest’ for ‘forward thinking drink’ set the brand apart from local and national competitors. Setting this tone of voice at the beginning of the new brands journey will pave the way for how the brand communicates on and offline, short and sweet…but engaging. The company and staff at United Wines are extremely personable and friendly so the language guide was set to reflect not only their products and service but their people – something that United Wines pride themselves on.

      We directed the artistic and photographic style for the new branding using process, ingredients and the art of creating the products they sell at United Wines – rather that typical product imagery or cheesy stock imagery. The new visual narrative for the company has depth and explores the story of their products.

      We are extremely proud of the United Wines rebrand and continue to roll the branding and design out across digital and printed materials. The new United Wines website is under development in the Kaizen Brand Evolution studio as well as the new internal office and vehicle livery which we are excited to see live and kicking. If you feel your business is in need of a rebrand or repositioning to represent your service or product accurately simply get in touch with our award winning brand experts at studio@kaizenbrandevolution.com

      Sports Medicine NI – Branding

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Sports Medicine NI approached Kaizen Brand Evolution wishing to create a new brand to go with their new premises in Windsor Park. In their own words “Sports Medicine NI offers a comprehensive management service for athlete injury and health. Using our in-house sports science and medicine experts, we are able to provide a holistic team approach to guide the athlete on their journey to health and performance. Whether you are an international athlete, a coach, sports club/association or simply someone who enjoys being active, we are able to provide tailored support to recover from injury, regain health and remain healthy to achieve your sporting goals. Our specialists have experience in working with athletes and teams at the highest level and can bring that expertise to address your specific problem in one venue, simplifying the process, increasing the communication and reducing the cost.”

      Sports Medicine NI target market is anyone who has been injured through physical activity or someone who takes part in physical activity or competitive sport. Their ideal customer would be a regular gym player or an amateur sports player, coach or schools player. Sports Medicine NI provides expert advice on all athlete injury, illness and performance. The aim of Sports Medicine NI is to get the player back into the game and for them to stay in the game. They specialise in physiotherapy, exercise physiology, sports psychology, sports nutrition, strength and conditioning and sports medicine, with touch points also in radiology, surgery and other specialities.

      From this excellent brief from the client we were able to use this terminology for the language and strapline, this came as the key brand pillars of “Injury, Health, Performance”. For the key narrative, “Getting you back in the game” ‘helping you stay in the game’ and ‘succeed in the game’ was thought of as it covers all of the key touch points for the clients ideal market. The positive messaging shows what Sports Medicine NI can do for you throughout your sporting career. This is paired up with an inline font to highlight the words, back and stay and also in keeping with the logo design.

      The Sports Medicine NI logo is made up of lines symbolising the many lines on a track or pitch, and an arrow is crafted in the M to show positivity and moving forward. The logo used a friendly soft san serif font – Effra – which is approachable and corporate at the same time. A key element in the rebrand was to have a smaller version of the logo using the SM only which can be used with and without Sports Medicine NI to the right-hand side. The colour scheme used is a cobalt blue, bright yellow and turquoise as the brand colours. The colours are bright, they stand out and are also current, as well as being representative of a sports brand such as Nike and Adidas. Additional colours of navy, pink and red are used to highlight six key sections within the brand. Throughout the brand rollout, the arrow is used in the M in the SM NI logo to denote the forward thinking and moving forward, which is very important in a athletes life, especially if they have suffered from injury.

      The photography used within the brand is bright and full of colour, showcasing athletes taking part in their chosen sports, as Sports Medicine NI has clients from all manner of different sports. We have used a diverse range from swimming to karate, as well as the most popular sports such as football, boxing and rugby.

      The brand rollout has been visualised on a number of different deliverables including billboards, website and social media, business stationery, flyers, signage and uniform. We enjoyed greatly working on this project and we look forward to continuing working with Sports Medicine NI as their brand rolls out.

      How much does a rebrand cost?

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      How much does a rebrand cost?

      This cost of a rebrand is reflective of how much value it can bring to your business. In order for us as brand designers to evaluate this, it is very important to understand what you hope the rebrand can achieve for you. Your ambition and goals will determine the outcome and the cost value. For instance, you may need your rebrand to simply sell more to one specific audience, case in point – a restaurant wishing to attract more vegans – we would perform a rebrand with a clear and direct focus allowing the customer to see immediate results appealing to their new vegan audience. In the same vein, you may wish to increase your turnover by 15%, a clear goal for us as designers to evaluate and analyse your business in great depth to ensure we are targeting and communicating to the right people at the right buying level. This process is far more in-depth and can take place over a number of weeks before we actually begin the design process. Market analysis, client and business profiling exercises as well as gaining a deeper understanding of a company are all part of this. With this higher sense of your company purpose, we can accurately craft a rebrand to suit your goals and ensure success in all communications, paving a clear way for all future marketing and brand activity.

      If you have clear goals then we as brand designers can determine a true value that a re-brand can have for your business and intern develop a tailored cost package to suit your needs. Believe it or not, there are no clear ways of pricing a re-brand as every one’s needs and goals are different, from the goal of attracting a new customer to increasing company turnover by 15%, raising the entire bottom line of a business your re-brand will do what you need it to do. Of course we have a fair idea following a brief of how much it could possibly cost to perform a rebrand and to what level to pitch a quote, however we always break down the price against what we have discussed in order to reach your business ambition, so you receive no nasty surprises.

      Investment is a business necessity that we are a familiar with. Investing in store/building fit-outs, staff training, product development or vehicle fleets we are comfortable with these investments as of course, they show immediate results right in front of your eyes, instantly. When you hand over money for a car, the car is there in front of you to drive away, you can drive it, smell it and use it as it is supposed to be used. Investing in your brand correctly, by engaging a brand design agency such as Kaizen Brand Evolution who will take time realising the potential and delivering results through creativity will set your business apart from competitors, aid the decision-making process with consumers, increase reputation and be a true reflection of what you have to offer. Branding is an investment that you will always see results from, from year to year, an investment that will continue to evolve and give your business the platform it needs to succeed when faced with tough competition.

      If you are interested in finding out how much a rebrand of your company would be, setting your ambitions for the business and reaching your goals talk to one of our team at Kaizen Brand Evolution and we will be able to take you through, step by step how much of an investment you will need to make in order to reach your objectives. Give us a call on +44 (0)28 9507 2007 or get us by email via our contact form

      The benefits of the rebrand

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      One of the most powerful and effective times to re-brand is when a business sees a great change in circumstance, a takeover, a merger a new product line or direction. The benefits of rebranding now are so you have the opportunity to communicate truthfully exactly what the change means to the business and express exactly what it is and how you are going to do it differently. A re-brand can reposition a company’s reputation, re-establish a failing business, make relevant what was a tired product or service and increase or develop a new interest in a business and its purpose. There are many factors but there are three main benefits that a re-brand can have for a company or service.

      Refresh

      A rebrand completely refreshes a business from the ground up. A new identity and re-brand project with pull the truth out from under the surface and find out what really sets you apart from the competitors and rival companies. With this understanding the re-brand with truthfully express (through logo, language and art direction) what it means to work with you as a business. USP’s are brought to the forefront, how you work differently and what makes you unique as a company can all be expressed in your re-brand. A successful re-brand will not follow design trends but assess who you are, what you do, why you are here and who you are here for. Ambition setting allows a design team to realise your potential through branding and communications. A re-brand is not simply there to impress your customers but also your team, your loyal staff who have been sitting under the same masthead for a number of years now have a voice during the research stage with the brand agency. Involvement and belief from your team will benefit brand culture internally and appeal greatly to those ideal candidates – we all want the best people to work for us and your brand and culture is an important factor in that decision-making process – would you want to drop in a CV to a tired, lacklustre looking brand? Or would it make more sense to engage with a brand that speaks your language?

      Relevance

      A rebrand can make a tired product or service relevant in today’s marketplace, tap into the mindset of modern consumers and engage relevantly. Your product or service might be the best, the strongest the most efficient, but if the branding, packaging or shop front isn’t relevant to todays consumer or shall we say ‘attractive’ then you can easily lose interest to young, bright and bold competition. Perhaps their product or services isn’t nearly as good as yours but they, of course, are relevant. This is a key attribute of a re-brand – to re-establish your brand/logo/packaging/website – whatever communication or brand exposure you have to become relevant to the right consumer.

      Restate

      To restate what you ‘now’ do is a fantastic benefit of a rebrand as it gives you a new opportunity to restate all of the lovely new things you have to off that perhaps customers might not know about – your new lines of products, your new technological advance, your new building or premises these are all seismic shifts in your business and through the power or identity, language and artdirectionn – the milestones of a rebrand you can restate your offering to your audience and restate it correctly with intrigue and excitement.

      There are many reasons a re-brand can is beneficial, and the proof is in the pudding. Get in touch with the Kaizen Brand Evolution team to talk further if you feel like you might be ready to re-brand.

      McQuillan Companies – Brand Identity

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      McQuillan companies approached the branding team at Kaizen Brand Evolution to re-position and revitalise their brand identity. The family-owned business is well established across Northern Ireland and is specialists in civil engineering, quarrying, waste management and outdoor cleaning services to name a few. McQuillan Companies have a large presence on the road, their vehicles being instantly recognisable, a lot of which is down to their unique colour palette, something that the branding team had to keep in mind throughout the brand audit. Auditing a brand is our way of truthfully expressing the business offering today, whilst retaining loyal clients brand understanding and improving brand touchpoints (such as vehicle livery) we aim to create a brand purpose that keeps the business relevant and exciting for new and potential future clients.

      McQuillan Companies – in their own words:

      McQuillan Companies are a Northern Ireland based family run business which incorporates a diverse range of activities including civil engineering, demolition, quarrying, hazardous and non-hazardous waste management, outdoor cleaning services and analytical chemistry. A fourth generation business operating for over 100 years through the parent company John McQuillan Contracts, the McQuillan Companies name is synonymous with quality and excellence throughout our various divisions.

      Getting started we focussed our research and investigation to forward-thinking, modern brands in the engineering, construction and land service industry – looking to London, New York and further afield. With brand learning’s from across the globe we built a solid understanding of what branding was working and not working in this industrial landscape. Following initial research and mood boarding, we filtered the findings down into 3 solid directions and began brand planning.

      We initially developed the narrative before jumping into the design for McQuillan Companies. The narrative on this occasion was ‘Here for tomorrow’ – a modern, forward-thinking strapline for a modern, forward thinking business who are, in effect working on making tomorrow a better, safer place to live. We purposely avoided building or construction clichés so that the narrative was widespread across the entire company intern breeding a positive brand culture – essentially this narrative has legs to be flexible across different business facets.

      We now needed a logo mark that reflected what we were talking about in the narrative. The McQuillan monogram stems from the idea of engineering and overall solid work that the company undertake. The new logo is a strong, trustworthy mark that brings together the initials of the family name and visualises the industry – simply. Our goal for any brand undertaking is to simplify, make brands that people get, without the use of selfish design techniques or trends. The logo proves successful when used across brand materials and especially in the brand livery and uniforms. Alongside the new mark, we introduced a structured contemporary typeface that suits the tone of voice and industry of McQuillan Companies. The flexibility of the new identity becomes apparent across the different business sectors where the company sector is simply introduced to the stacked lettering in each instance. Throughout the new branding, we have directed the new photography style, using modern dramatic images of the work in progress as well as team members in situ.

      The crescendo of the brand audit was the re-design and use of the new branding across the vehicles. The vehicles that define a McQuillan job have been reinvented for future use and business growth, utilising the flexibility of the new logo mark and brand narrative they suitably stand out on the roads and truthfully represent the businesses heritage and future.

      It was a pleasure working on the brand audit for McQuillan Companies and we look forward to rolling out the brand collateral in the not too distant future.

      GB Poultry Brand Development

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      The family business of GB Poultry contacted Kaizen Brand Evolution wanting to their refresh the identity of their well known brand. GB stands for Gregory Bell which is the family name of the business established since 1982 that has been passed down the generations. In their own words “GB Poultry Ltd is a family owned business based in Crossgar in the rolling countryside of County Down”. There are 7 Directors in the company, all from the Bell family who are personally involved and committed to the general day to day running and operating of the business. An EC Approved Cutting plant and are guided by DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs). Supplying a wide range of Whole Chicken, Flash Fried Chicken, Sauces, Cooked Chicken, Turkeys and other meat products. GB Poultry wanted to modernise their brand and bring it into the future as they are leading in their field of poultry in Ireland. Supplying to outlets such as Boojum, Pallas Foods and Henderson a refresh of brand is what they wanted to align with their customers aspirations.

      One of the main USPs that GB Poultry wanted to bring across is that they are from Crossgar, a small village in County Down, we travelled down to their offices and were met by fields upon fields! They are very proud of where they come from therefore we have come up with the tagline ‘A Taste of Crossgar’ as an important part of narrative of their brand. This brings in the origin of the product and also links to the taste of which is also developed in Crossgar.

      The previous logo consisted of a cooked chicken and a wreath, similar to your traditional styled butchers, our creative studio updated this with a modern rounded typeface which gives connotations of friendly and approachability. We created a custom vector illustration of a chicken to match the rounded typeface. We have selected the colour scheme of a dark grey and light blue palette which gives a refreshing difference from their usual red and green branding. We have used the colour separation of the blue and white two toned logo for the GB and the Poultry text.

      When we travelled to Crossgar we noticed the beautiful landscape around it, we captured this by creating a custom illustration of fields with trees, tractors and chickens in it that can be rolled across their branding. We used textures and muted colour palette for this to utilise the brand and the modern logo, they bring across the farm aspect of the brand. GB Poultry have several products requiring packaging design, this includes sauces, flash fried chicken and cooked chicken which flavours they create themselves. The flash fried chicken products are readily available from most local shops, make sure you try them out. We have visualised up three different types of products, sauces, salt & chilli chicken goujons and breaded chicken burgers using three different colour schemes to define the different products. The packaging is a sticker on the products which sit on shelf with all of their competitors therefore the bright colours of blues will stand out. The brand roll out includes tone of voice, business stationery, packaging, vehicle graphics and signage.

      We greatly enjoyed working with Bell family on their brand refresh for GB Poultry and we are looking forward to seeing the packaging roll out and the well known vans on the road.

      Belfast Mens Health Logo Design

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Belfast Men’s Health Group (BMHG) is made up a group of people across the community of Belfast and volunteer organisations across Northern Ireland, all with a strong interest in the health and well being of men, by raising awareness of all the main health issues relevant to men and sharing events of interest across Greater Belfast.

      BMHG provide a range of information shared by experts who really are experts in their fields. Organising meet up events, provide videos, podcasts and even hosting competitions, they want men to really feel good about themselves and to look after others. BMHG want to make sure there is access to all the relevant information where ever you are.

      In their words:

      “Belfast Men’s Health Group is a made up of representatives across statutory, community and volunteer organisations across Belfast with a strong interest in the health and well-being of men. Each year we celebrate Men’s Health Week and International Men’s Health Day by organise events to raise awareness of health issues that are relevant to men. We also work with other agencies at other health events to raise further awareness. We are developing the work of the group and a website to further evidence of our ambitions.”

      Initially approaching Kaizen Brand Evolution on a website, designed to help them share a range of media and information to a wider audience, our working relationship grew. After our first studio meeting, BMHG noticed our wall of clients and our portfolio of work, it was at this point they decided to rebrand their logo as they felt it was outdated, and it wasn’t communicating the tone of their current direction.

      BMHG wanted a logo that worked along side the Northern Health and Social Care Trust branding, they wanted it look like a sub brand to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and to feel like a brand you can really trust with some sensitive topics within the health and general well being of men.

      Hoping to show people that they were a Belfast based organisation, whilst also hinting at what they stand for. They also didn’t want a logo that was too clinical, so this became our challenge to produce a mark, which would become instantly recognisable, corporate and memorable to men across Belfast.

      We created a device using the B for Belfast, removing the counters and replacing with the cross for health. The colours are more of a muted blue, which when in use is quite corporate and masculine. The B+ device could be used as a window what information BMHG has to offer, the logo will work well online, email signatures, on t-shirts, beanies and also work on pop up banners, and flyers for events. The use of blue helps the logo have confidence, and feels trust worthy.

      We are also creating a website for Belfast Men’s Health Group which will be their audience’s digital handbook for anything and everything they need to know about Men’s Health and well-being. The website will include a range of videos, podcasts, blogs and links to other websites in a visual and clear manner, to help men understand the importance of good health and uniting together. The site will be launching during Men’s Health Week in September 2018.

      It will be great to see how their new logo will be used around Belfast, knowing they are helping Men across Greater Belfast.

      Day & Age – Brand Development

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Day and Age, creators of short films, use video to make sure the little moments are never forgotten. Kathryn approached Kaizen Brand Evolution when she wanted to steer Day and Age in a new direction, when she wanted to hand her brand identity over to safe hands for an all over evaluation, and when she wanted to evolve her business.

      Starting from a young age Kathryn was capturing videos for weddings, corporate insights and family events. Day and Age is now pushing forward to new areas of film, looking to create memorable films that become powerful memory aids. Focusing on making memories and treasuring each moment, whether it be for promotion or an event, a memory for someone that may forget, or even just to give as a gift – Kathryn creates the most beautiful and effective videos.

      To display this evolution of the business, we took the Day and Age brand and re-focused it. A brand that will appeal to the current, the new, and the expanding target audience. Kathryn and ourselves agreed that that bold and fitting name of the business should remain, everything else we could assess, address and push in the right direction.  

      Throughout the process, it was clear what Day and Age represented and what it would bring to each of its clients-memories. A Day and Age film would provide a beautiful memory aid and so much more. With memories, nostalgia and capturing the moment in mind, we came up with the suitable brand language that would surround the brand. The strapline ‘Memory Studio’ helped give definition to the name, explaining exactly what Day and Age is. They create memories and help you ‘Remember each day’.  

      The brand identity itself was provided as a wordmark and an abbreviated device ‘D and A’ to apply throughout any brand extensions. We found the connection between the initials of the brand and term ‘DNA’ riveting. Day and Age’s main aim is to celebrate families and individuals, all about the ‘DNA’. Displaying this connection subtly through the abbreviated device meant the ‘Day and Age’ name still held prevalence.  The versatile device can be applied in many different ways to connect you directly back to the Day and Age name while highlighting the ‘DNA’ or ‘D and A’. We used the combination of a rounded and modern font to reflect personality, approachability and style, a brand that you would want to work with and trust.

      The colour palette and imagery came naturally from the Day and Age films.  Using all stills from taken footage, we could see how well the brand would work. We applied a soft and neutral colour palette to compliment the brand identity, language and each film. Not to distract, but to honour the nature of the brand and each film. 

      We are now seeing the brand come together to display a clear focus and direction, the direction that Day and Age were and are aiming for. The new Identity is tailored to evolving clients, through narrative, identity and finally the implementation, whilst still appealing to a greater audience. Day and Age creates memories, but it can also still cater to and appeal to any possible film seeking client.

      We continue to work with Day and Age, rolling out their new brand across various different forms of stationery and promotional materials. The new brand is coming to life and complimenting all the great work that we are seeing from Day and Age. It is a pleasure to work with such elegant content and now a new brand that compliments that content. We look forward to seeing where the business and new brand goes from here.

      Graze, Belfast – Brand Audit & Logo Refresh

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Graze is a restaurant based in Ballyhackamore, East Belfast. They love serving tasty little dishes (also know as tapas). These dishes are full of flavours using quality local produce, paired with your favourite wines. Graze is a great place to enjoy your tapas as they have created an atmosphere that is comfortable, friendly and the ideal place for people who just love great quality food and drink. Graze has made a name for themselves because of their special fish dishes, which change daily, based on the catch that morning.

      In their own words:
      “The Graze experience is about more than just food. A sincere effort to educate our staff on all aspects of food and wine culture is the basis for our service philosophy. We take great pride in our relaxed style of service and our welcoming staff at Graze go to great lengths to make diners feel at ease, comfortable and well taken care of.”

      As well as the restaurant serving tapas & wine, Graze has the Lounge; soft lighting, with dark interiors and comfortable seating makes the Lounge feel relaxing. It’s known for their range of local Gins, craft beers and ciders.

      Graze really know how to make your experience extra special; with their resident mixologist, who will make you some amazing drinks and cocktails.

      Graze love their Gins so much they have their own Gin Club. Get involved in their monthly club where you can try 5 new gins, and shown how you can serve them up yourself.

      Graze approached Kaizen Brand Evolution to create a brand audit for their restaurant because they wanted a brand which was consistent, and reached a new audience of late 20’s early 30 year olds. Graze’s approach has always been simple, so we felt we needed to create a branding system, which would be easy to use. They will be able to use across all of their marketing for both online and offline. It had to be simple for them to use. It had to stand out from their competitors and it most of all had to be consistent.

      To create a brand that really represents Graze and develop a brand identity really needed. The previous brand and the food didn’t pair well so we took inspiration from everything within Graze, from the dishes they serve to the colours used in the interiors of the restaurant.

      The Graze brand combines a word mark with a personality, a popping friendly colour palette and referencing the tiles they have in their interior. We developed a tone of voice which is friendly, and sounds familiar, it reminds you to “Enjoy the little things” in life and to cherish those moments with friends, family and to be surrounded by great food and drink.

      As well as the branding system we produced a range of visuals to show them how the brand could be used across different mediums; including work uniform (aprons and chef jackets), interior signage, exterior signage and menus.

      I enjoyed working with Graze on this branding project; I can’t wait to see the branding all over social media and Ballyhackamore. I’d like to see Graze develop into a restaurant, where people come from all over to try their tapas and gin.

      I hope Graze sets the mark for what tapas should really be all about.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Dawn

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1.What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?

      The main thing it’s taught me is adaptability. The world of design is fast moving and it’s so important to evolve with it and to be able to work on a wide range of projects. It’s also taught me that you can’t just think like a designer making pretty pictures, you have to think like a marketeer, an advertiser, a strategist, an accountant, a business owner and a consumer to ensure you get the best and most effective results for your client. Oh and it has to look good too.

      2.Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?

      Burford. It’s not one I use all the time, but it’s a really creative typeface that you use by building layers. It consists of base layers, top layers and bottom layers that you can have a lot of fun with. It would definitely keep me entertained and give me something to do if I was stuck on a desert island!

      3.What do you use for motivation inside the studio?

      When I’m in need of some serious motivation, there’s nothing for it but headphones and heavy tunes. Anything from ASIWYFA, Daft Punk, Royal Blood, Muse or Biffy Clyro depending on how I’m feeling.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?

      I’ve been following/stalking Morag Myerscough on Instagram since I was at her talk in Offset last year. I love her use of bright colours and typography. I really want to decorate my house in this style, but I might need to invest in some super strength sunglasses first.

      5. What are you listening to in work today?

      Today I’ve had a bit of 6 music with Father John Misty, and The Vaccines, Temples, and um Justin Bieber on Spotify. I have a very eclectic taste in music. Don’t judge.

      6.Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out?

      The Late Night Art Bus Tour is absolutely brilliant and definitely worth checking out. The bus takes you round various galleries and street art in Belfast, often to places you’d never think of going to. Some of the stops even include a glass of wine, so it’s a super night out, very inspiring and great craic.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them.

      Sadly, I’m currently petless. I did have 3 goldfish but it didn’t end well. Nuff said.

      Code Fixer – Branding

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Codefixer are a small web design and development company based on the Malone Road, Belfast. They design websites for a range of clients  across many different industries all over Ireland. Codefixer are one of the few companies that specialise in Google Ad words, SEO friendly websites and Analytics. Having this all under one roof helps give you the ultimate package for your business. They make the whole experience very easy for your business and needs.

      In their own words:

      “Codefixer offers a comprehensive range of first class web design and development solutions including e-commerce and WordPress, that coupled with our extensive skillset in SEO and Pay Per Click helps all types of websites punch above their weight.

      Whether you are a small to medium sized business, a start-up to a multi million pound online business we’re confident that we can help you improve and get more of out your online business. Our success is due to our hunger to succeed and provide web solutions that exceed client expectations.”

      Codefixer came to Kaizen Brand Evolution wanting a new look to their brand. The old brand was out-dated and didn’t match the professionalism and years of experience Codefixer had. It just looked cheap and amateurish and this was so far from the truth. In fact they have been in this industry for just over 15 years. Codefixer wanted a refreshing logo that would set them apart from the industry landscape. They needed to look like a professional web design studio who you want to look after your online presence. As being a company who works with the internet they are potentially competing in global market not just local. The current brand doesn’t do Codefixer and justice.

      Our approach was to create a memorable logo, which is future-proof; we wanted it to say exactly what sector they were in without looking like your typical web design company. We created a logo that would easily develop into a brand with sub logos.

      In the meantime it had to be a logo that covered all basis of what Codefixer do into an eye-catching design, which prominently worked across all screens from mobile devices to desktop.

      The mark is a inspired by the language of code. A main object is written in square brackets ‘code’ followed by an instruction ‘fixer’ in this case. This language is written in lowercase (computers don’t understand uppercase). The [code]fixer mark can easily be written when the logo isn’t present on any device and will become instantly recognisable. The use of azure blue helps reach out to more corporate clients. This blue makes the business feel trust worthing and reliable.

      The new logo will be used on social media, Linked In, their own website and possible print materials.

      I believe the new mark will help them get the business and clients they want for their business.  The logo will be able to work well for training course and possible coding events in the future in Belfast and across Ireland.

       

      Active Health – Brand Development

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Holywood based Active Health Solutions approached the team at Kaizen Brand Evolution to reposition their brand identity to tie in with their plans to build a new website and a re-fit to their facility on Hibernia Street. Investment into their online service and internal facilities sparked the requirement to refresh their entire brand identity from their logo mark to their brand purpose and narrative. Active Health Solutions required a fresh, contemporary brand audit that reflected their ambitions for the business and a brand that spoke to new and existing clientele.

      In their own words:

      We are a company of passionate health care professionals providing a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to healthcare from our bespoke clinic in Holywood, County Down. Our mix of services include Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Chiropody, Massage Therapy, Pilates, Personal Training, as well as the provision of Occupational Physiotherapy to a number of large companies and organisations across Northern Ireland and Ireland.

      Active Health Solutions was started in 2006 by husband and wife team David & Rachel Saligari who are both are highly trained Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Specialists who met while completing their Masters of Manual Therapy in Perth, Western Australia. They and their clinical staff pride themselves on providing the most up to date and evidence based treatments available. Whatever your requirements, you will be directed to the health care professional within the company with the expertise to solve your problems and achieve your goals.

      Utilising their own description of Active Health Solutions we crafted a brand narrative and identity that would help re-position the business as market leaders, experts and forward thinkers. The first port of call was the logo mark itself. In a brand audit we retain and refresh rather that re-invent. This ‘refresh’ was a modern take on their existing mark, a contemporary word mark with considered typographic detailing using the ‘sportier’ glyphs found in ITC Avant Garde along with a simplistic ‘Plus’ brand device that the business can introduce as a nod to the health industry as well as reflecting that they are a physiotherapy business at the core “PLUS’ so much more. A key piece of the audit was also to remove the word ‘solutions’ from the primary brand mark – this decision came into play rather early in the design process, we felt that ‘solutions’ was too generic a word to describe the full set of services on offer at Active Health. This was an easy removal for the business owners as most clients refer to the business as ‘Active Health’.

      We introduced the narrative ‘Activate your Health’ to use across all branded touch points both online an in print. Activate your health is a direct call to action for the brand and acts on its own as almost a sub brand for the business to use around the building, on advertising and in any promotional material they produce. With the logo mark and brand language set in place the colour palette and photography direction was next in completion of the brand audit. The colour palette reflects the previous branding, rather than using a primary lime green, we have introduced a pastel scheme to accompany a beautiful blue grey. The colour symbolises renewal and growth, addressing the key selling points of Active Health Solutions. The photography direction is focussed, dramatic and telling of the services carried out at Active Health – we wanted to move away from the traditional stock photography direction of clients smiling in a clinical environment, something that this market is saturated in. The imagery is much more though provoking and speciality focussed.

      Active Health are currently working on refreshing their website with us, creating an informative, user friendly experience online, all reflective of their service in store.

      Mongey Communications – Branding

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Mongey Communications tasked the Kaizen Brand Evolution studio with a full company rebrand of their hugely successful communications business based in Co. Kildare. The work that Mongey carry out is instantly recognisable across the island of Ireland with reach across audio and visual in some of the most prestigious sporting and high profile events across Ireland, not to mention their security communications and audio work. Mongey communications reputation is exceptional, however their brand identity was falling behind. We created a new brand purpose for the business including strong brand narrative, ident and brand vision for future growth and success.

      In their own words:

      Mongey Communications , founded by brothers David and Cyril Mongey is built on over 30 years worth of experience in the sound and communications market. Operating throughout Ireland, the company has the commitment, resources and experience needed to provide a comprehensive audio-visual and communications solution for any event, project or venue.

      We have developed an enviable reputation in providing AV and communications solutions for the event industry in Ireland in the sporting, cultural and entertainment arenas.

      We are experts at providing first rate audio-video solutions. This is our job. We have been doing this for the past 20 years at some of the biggest events Ireland has ever witnessed, from the hugely successful Ryder Cup in 2006 to all the rugby and soccer internationals in Landsdowne Road and Croke Park.”

      Our first challenge was the name, we believed that the name Mongey stood alone in its own right as a recognisable name, so we decided to drop the ‘communications’ from the brand paving the way for a simple, clever mark. As we investigated further with narrative and storytelling for Mongey we introduced the ‘MORE” concept. More audio, More visual, More CCTV for example. This alliteration makes the Mongey name synonymous with More than communications. This new strapline also aids Mongey for growth and introduction of new technologies, which the company pride themselves on. Any new technique of communicating to audiences Mongey is an early adapter, from Walkie Talkies to drone work they are a progressive, contemporary business with focus on the future. All of these business attributes have been considered in the new branding for Mongey.

      The new Mongey mark is very much an audit of the original abbreviation “MC” that they used as their brand identity for many years, we felt this was the best approach for the business, to recognise success by treating the logo mark as a contemporary 21st century brand system with modern values. The M becomes the device for the brand and evokes the sense of the Mongey personal touch. This personal ‘signature’ style was crucial in reflecting how the Mongey business is very much a family business, a subtle but relatable hint. The remaining word mark takes a very modern, structured approach. Increased kerning and valued space between letters in the mark improve its visibility on screen and in print. We have retained the original Mongey red palette and introduced a beautiful Teal palette to work alongside it, as well as a brand image library full of high impact, abstract photos. The photo direction is an important factor in the new Mongey brand as it propels Mongey as a stand out communications company. Competitors traditionally use images of their actual equipment, screens and speakers we have focused on the experience that Mongey brings to a project with bright, dramatic shots of fibre optics, close ups of audio systems and even high impact visuals of the types of events that Mongey has experience of working in.

      The brand itself has extensive reach across Ireland which we as a studio are excited about, from Croke Park to Kingspan Stadium the Mongey brand is now prepared to soar across Ireland successfully. It was a pleasure to work on and we look forward to continuing the brand roll out across print and digital.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Dean

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?

      From only being here a week, I’ve noticed how fast-paced the studio can be, you always need to be on the ball.

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?

      Odd place to use a typeface; I love geometric typefaces, I’d take LL Circular, it’s fun, and has character…

      3. What do you use for motivation inside the studio?

      Flicking through some design books, drinking coffee (black, no sugar) and being surrounded by creative people.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?

      I’ve been stalking Tony Futura over a year now. He’s a fantastic conceptual artist, creating tongue in cheek visuals. It’s different.

      5. What are you listening to in work today?

      Today I’ve listening to Eric Prydz (he’s coming to Belfast in June) always puts me in a happy mood, love his visual work to (GMUNK). I usually try to sneak in some hard house and hardcore.

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out? 

      I’m looking forward to an exhibition called ‘The Museum of the Moon’ (W5). It on 10th Feb to 4th March. It involves a massive installation of the Moon. I’m get excited by new uses of technology.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them.

      Heidi and Kitkat, Heidi’s a cross between a Dachshund and a Bichon, then there’s Kitkat (Chunky). She’s a massive cat.

      Poppogoblin

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Poppogoblin are a healthy focussed café/juice bar situated on Alfred St, Belfast. They have garnered a reputation for fantastic, delicious healthy alternatives for lunch and for having warm friendly staff that make the entire experience with Poppogoblin one to remember. The owners approached Kaizen Brand Evolution to re-position the branding for plans to refresh the business alongside an interior fit out and a unique Poppogoblin juice range. The businesses reputation an integral part of their offering, which became apparent in our own research into customer, reviews on trip advisor and the broad social media landscape. One thing that was reoccurring was the focus on how the customers where blown away by how friendly and lovely the staff were in Poppogoblin, which immediately set them apart from competitors and highlights their brand purpose. With the brand purpose in mind we made sure to include hints to the unique offering in their brand identity, narrative and tone of voice.

      The brand mark itself reveals a smile in the typography, which is paired alongside a re-draw of their infamous lotus flower. The ‘smile’ in the typography immediately triggers a sense of positivity and the experience that Poppogoblin offers as a destination – you’re going to leave smiling. To balance the re-enforce the logo mark we introduced the strapline ‘eat smart, smile more’ – a strapline that sets the tone for the entire re-brand. You can now see as the brand launches in their signage, on their menus and even on their newly launched food truck – ‘eat smart, smile more’ is as dominant in the design as the logo itself, highlighting the power language can play on your brand.

      Colour choice was a delight for Poppogoblin, healthy modern pastels we’ll call them help extend the brand reach to the modern diner without isolated a particular gender or mind-set. You can dine in Poppogoblin if you are vegan, veggie, and carnivore – any palette really so we kept the colour scheme open and friendly as to represent the brand purpose fully. Photography plays a role in telling the brand story of Poppogoblin to which we called upon one of our favourite Architectural, interior and food photographers Donal McCann. Donal’s shots extend the brand direction fantastically, capturing the warmth and friendly atmosphere as well as the beautiful food and drinks on offer.

      Brand launch began some months ago in the background of the shop façade. Behind the scenes our team were building the full responsive website for Poppogoblin as well as preparing the social media channels for launch. The website utilises Donal McCann’s photo-shoot alongside beautiful typography, layout and brand placement. The full screen imagery on the site play a hug roll in telling the brand story and giving you a taste of the Poppogoblin experience on your desktop, on your mobile, anywhere really. We ensured that the brand roll out kept on track with the vision from the branding exercise. This extended into quality control with signage companies, interior fit out teams, vehicle wrap companies and juice bottle label manufacturers. We always like to keep a close eye on things as roll out happens, acting as full brand guardians as a brand starts to launch. This process and relationship with a brand extends our reach and expertise in the branding process and ensures that your investment in the brand is realised and achieved correctly as agreed.

      Poppogoblin is a fantastic case study for us a brand designers, the brand itself highlights how every aspect of your brand can be considered for maximum purpose. The Poppogoblin brand identity, language and brand guidelines are all set in place for a bright future.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Ciara

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?

      Other than all the practical do’s and don’ts, form and function.  Working in Kaizen Brand Evolution has taught me a lot about the customer focus, everyone has a different eye, therefor, see’s things differently, something you have to always keep in mind.

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?

      Brandon Grotesque is hot. It would totally be my sidekick. So versatile, friendly, strong…

      3. What do you use for motivation inside the studio? 

      I find working in a studio with a group of talented designers motivational. I can look around the room at any time and be impressed, interested and motivated by all the amazing work going on around me. That and some heavy tunes.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?

      I am always stalking every designer. Recently I have been obsessing over Young Jerks. I’d recommend anyone to check out their work.

      5. What are you listening to in work today?

      I hate to admit it, but DJ Ryan Stanfield has usually got the best mix on. If I need to focus, I will usually listen to some small angsty band or Little Mix.

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out? 

      I am so proud of Belfast and how well the creative scene has blossomed the last few years, there is a beautiful new mural every few months. The Black box puts on a walking tour and exhibition of Belfast street art, I’d love to go.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them.

      My favourite thing in the world is my cat Kitty. She is small, black, and very noisy. She always has her tongue out, unless she is drinking milk or giving kisses.

      Naturally Rosie

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0
      Rosie came to Kaizen Brand Evolution seeking a brand for her Naturally Rosie naturally hand-made animal products, a balm for animals paws, an oil for fur and a toothpaste for their gums. Rosie has been selling her products at local craft fairs around Northern Ireland and wanted an established identity to make her stand out in the market and progress to sell on Etsy, Folksy and Amazon. We have produced a brand that is ready for the high end shelves and incorporates the values that her product is all about.
      We created the logo for Rosie bringing in her name into the imagery, incorporating a rose and lavender to bring across the natural handmade iconography, as all of her products are made out of naturally grown ingredients and lavender is one of the main ingredients in most of her products. The logo is modern, using a minimalistic typeface with her ingredients represented in icon format that will be recognisable in the craft market. The brand language for Naturally Rosie ‘Nourish Your Furry Friends’ is a friendly message to show her target audience that she caters for all types of animals with her products and they are like a spa treatment for them. Throughout the brand roll out we have highlighted her iconography to represent her products, these are tested on humans, natural ingredients and hand-made with love, each of these three pillars were matched with a sketched icon to represent them. To show the softness and friendly nature of Rosie’s products we have used watercolour sketches of ingredients and a muted pastel colour scheme of light pink, blue and navy. We have also incorporated textures of rose gold and paper texture to uplift these colours and give an organic feel. The photography plays a large part as it shows warm colour tones with happy pets with their owners. The image library is made up of cats, horses and dogs used to show that the product is for all types of animals.
      ‘A Tail Waggin’ Treat’ and ‘A Perfect Present’ language has also been added to emphasis the ‘Nourish Your Furry Friends’ encouraging that this is a special treat for your favourite pet but it also has health benefits. For each product we have also created a symbol so that each product can be easily identified for Rosie’s clients. The Wham Balm we have used an icon of paw print to represent the animals paws, the Tell Tail Oil we have used an droplet to represent the oil and for the Gums+Tums we have used a tooth icon. Each product design comes in three different scents, therefore three different colour schemes have been added to distinguish. Stress is a scent with lavender ingredients to soothe and calm the pet down, to reflect this we have used the colour violet, sleepy which is to help your pet slumber is denoted by the colour green as it is associated with sleep. Fussy is non scented therefore we have used a natural tone for this one. The watercolours also represent the ingredients used in each product. The white minimal packaging design deliberately shows the products clean and pure derivatives. 
      Naturally Rosie presentation collateral has included stationery, bags, tags, advertising, stall graphics, social media concepts and web development. We have visualised these in a loving engaging way with kind colour scheme to engage her target market. It has been a pleasure to work with Rosie on her new branding for Naturally Rosie and we look forward to seeing her in our next local craft fair and beyond!

      Punchestown Racecourse

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Punchestown approached Kaizen Brand Evolution to perform a re-brand for their established and celebrated racecourse and entertainment venue. We re-positioned the Punchestown brand by creating an engaging narrative and strategy for the business. With focus on the new ‘Town’ campaign we developed a suite of versatile straplines to use across the new brand roll out and marketing campaigns.

      The Punchestown Festival is considered amongst the Racing community as the equivalent to the Wimbledon of Tennis and the Augusta of Golf. The best of the best from far and wide and the entire annual racing season compete at Punchestown. The sheer audience and exposure of the Punchestown brand provided the need to keep their identity and advertising fresh and representative of their unique offering.

      There is a deep history at Punchestown Racecourse, which helped immensely in the craft of the brand narrative, from the famous horses, trainers and events that have taken place there is much more than meets the eye at Punchestown. The racecourse is not only synonymous with racing, there is so much more to the venue, from music festivals, corporate catering, family days, hospitality and new years celebrations to name a few.

      We felt that the best way for us to communicate the wider offering was to generate a campaign that’s going to be immediately representative of the brand and evoke the emotions and sense that you feel when attending events at the racecourse. This is where the “TOWN” campaign was born. Developing the campaign narrative from the courses namesake, presented potential mileage for the brand and its campaigns immediately and it seemed like an organic development for the branding. With the TOWN campaign decided upon we generated a suite of potential Irish colloquialisms, sayings and relative straplines that would become the driving force behind the new brand identity. ‘Get out of town’ was a saying that marries a few points at once, which we explored on launch.

      The idea of getting out of Dublin Town to visit Punchestown is the initial response to this phrase, however we’ve blended a traditional Irish colloquialism in the messaging “get out of town’ also gets used when you’re surprised to hear or see something. i.e. ‘I got a new Ferrari handed to me by my boss’ – the response would be “get out of town’. So the narrative bar was set, to communicate on two levels and engage vocally through the brand materials.

      With the narrative and strategy in place we could work the craft of the logo and brand materials. The logo, which features the Punchestown Fox (identifiable through the years across each variation their brand history) has been brought into the 21st century with the use of a fresh new type family and custom fox mascot, who sits neatly above the TOWN letters, harking back to the narrative and campaign messaging.

      We introduced a contemporary colour palette for the brand, keeping yet improving on the notorious Punchestown red we added a seasonal suite of colours to be used across the festival graphics, easily identifiable with the likes of Spring, Summer, Autumn Winter festival days. The colour flexibility has really strengthened the brand materials and creates an immediate association with a time of year at Punchestown. Primary colours explore pairings that compliment the Punchestown red, gold and a deep navy.

      Once the brand elements are married together it is clear to see the visual results of the successful re-brand, which now addresses the ambition of Punchestown as a business. The new brand identity and campaigns stand out from their local and national competitors. Everything from the strategy, narrative, identity, implementation and management of the brand has been considered and carefully treated to ensure absolute success as the brand evolves. We absolutely loved working on this brand as a studio and we continue to work with Punchestown as brand guardians and as the racing seasons come around.

      Watch Tech

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Watch Portfolio Management is a well-established business specialising in financial guidance with many clients reaching from the UK to Australia. Watch Portfolio Management is based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and is known for their financial advice that leads businesses that have gone into insolvency to find solutions. This, however, is no longer the case! Watch Portfolio Management decided they would approach Kaizen Brand Evolution to create an identity for their cutting edge software, that they primarily would use for daily tasks, as going forward they would like to be seen as a financial software business. This software is to be called Watch Tech. The interface is easy to use and finds information fast making it the best financial insolvency software on the market.

      To creating the brands identity we needed to first fully understand the industry landscape that Watch Tech would be positioning itself alongside. We researched and developed clear directions to take our brand ideas based on Watch Tech’s potential competitors in the financial, security and tech sectors. Learning from our research we found what was working and what wasn’t necessarily relevant moving forward with the creation of Watch Tech’s identity. It became clear that a simple, modern identity would be best to represent this brand effectively.

      Now that our styling has been determined from our research the identity soon followed. A potential branding direction that we explored was revitalising Watch Portfolio Managements shield to link Watch Tech to it’s heritage, as well as to show the software’s strength and durability when it comes to protecting your financial well being. However, the brand chosen to represent Watch Tech was our identity representing “financial growth”. This mark, illustrating a positive outlook, is a meaningful graphic that lends itself to the company’s primary objective for its clients. The brand mark uses three primary bars linked by two diagonal bars in the background giving a ribboning effect to shape into a “W” ultimately representing Watch Tech. Looking back on our research we decided to use a corporate typeface in a variety of weights to blend with our modern brand mark. This typeface joined with our brand mark comes together to create our Watch Tech Logo.

      Following the design of the brands elements we were able to focus more on what our brands message would be. Watch Tech is really the first financial insolvency software to come onto the market and we decided “Pioneering financial insolvency software” would be a good direction for their brand language. Our taglines to follow this direction are “faster, stronger.” and “better, smarter.” to illustrate how superior this software is in comparison to other financial insolvency software’s and its main selling points the software can provide. Leading from this language our imagery shows the idea of exploration and moving forward to illustrate Watch Techs brand message.

      With our logo and language already decided the next step in our process is to show our strategy in regards to how the logo would be implemented. The new Watch Tech logo is a strong shape with distinguishing features making it recognisable individually. It’s because of this that we decided to use the outlined shape of the brand mark as a device to house imagery. Imagery on print, signage and online would follow this strategy or be full bleed with the brand mark positioned accordingly alongside our brand messages. We didn’t just create a new brand identity for a piece of software we created a new platform and style for a new business to follow going forward.

      Join us for our next Brand Masterclass

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      A few months ago we hosted our first ever brand masterclass in association with Women in Business NI.

      It was so successful that we’ve decided to host a few more masterclass sessions, starting with our “3 Steps to a Successful Brand” workshop on 29th September. Our masterclass will take place at the Thinking Cup on Lisburn Road from 9am to 10.30am, and tickets are free! Tickets are available to book now, just visit our event page here to book your place.

      Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a long established business, having a strong brand presence and strategy will set you apart from the competition and help you grow your business. Our workshop will take you though the key elements of a successful brand, from logo and language through to longevity across all channels.

      This session will cover:

      • What a brand is and why it’s so important
      • The key difference between a logo and a brand
      • The importance of a brand strategy for business growth
      • How language can impact and shape your brand perception
      • Key tools for building your brand online

      This masterclass is perfect for those with a new business who need guidance to build their brand from the ground up. It is also helpful for businesses who have been established for a few years but who would like to evolve their brand and take their business to the next level.

      We’ll be providing tea, coffee and refreshments from 8.30am if you’d like to come along early for a bit of breakfast and networking. We hope to see you there!

      The Cookie Jar

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      The Cookie Jar is a well-established bakery situated in the beautiful surroundings of the Mourne Mountains. Since 1965 The Cookie Jar have been baking some of the country’s best known breads and sweet treats, from Wheaten bread to Soda bread, Fruit Bannock and beyond they have built on their Grandmothers fame across Northern Ireland and kept true to her original recipes. To this day owner James has kept every recipe his grandmother created the same, as they were in the 60’s – a testament to the quality of the products. From their premises in Newcastle, County Down The Cookie Jar noticed that there was high demand for their traditional Irish baking outside of the bakery shop and across the world. Ex-pats living in Australia, America and Europe seek the traditional baked taste of home and The Cookie Jar was happy to help. The power to re-create your favourite Wheaten, Soda, Scones and much more from your home, no matter where you are in the globe spawned the idea of ‘Bake your own’ – The Cookie Jar’s solution, in the form of ingredient packages. The ingredients simply need water and oil added in order to re-create the beautiful taste of home, still with James’ Grandmothers original recipe. With increased interest and success of selling and shipping the ‘Bake your own’ model required a brand identity as well as some packaging design.

      In creating the brand identity we needed a narrative for the brand that immediately told the brand story before a logo or package is seen. How do we sum up a traditional bakery that is famous for their product in Newcastle, Co. Down – Mourne and Bread. Mourne and Bread is the lead narrative that sets the foundation for the brand identity and tone of voice. Mourne and Bread addresses the surroundings in which the bread is created and recognises the tradition and nod to being ‘born and bred’ in the Mournes.

      Now that we have the narrative the identity would soon follow. We created a brand mark that remembers the old identity through a revised wheat icon as well as bringing the texture of the work surfaces in the bakery to the type design. The textured type instantly tells the tale of the bakery and once paired with the new, improved colour palette the entire mark communicates as a fresh, contemporary identity. We created both stacked and horizontal logotypes for versatility across the branding both in print, signage and online.

      Marketing and promotion for The Cookie Jar allowed us to build upon the narrative, copy and art direction – from ‘Mourne and Bread’ to ‘up here it’s bread into us’ and gorgeous, epic shots of the Mournes and dramatic bread shots the branding, when pieced together is very powerful.

      Following the design and marriage of all branding elements we were able to focus on how the ‘Bake your own’ packaging would appear. Taking into account the direction of marketing material and storytelling across the brand we wanted this to continue. Utilising the ‘Bake your own’ theme we designed the packaging to reflect the homemade feel and resonate with the ‘crafty’ audience who would be baking the breads and mixes. We introduced scenic Mourne illustrations and photography to the package design as well as a contemporary ‘way-finding’ icon set to be used as the product list develops.

      We not only got to develop a fantastic brand identity and strategy but we also had the pleasure of creating some of the delicious breads and scones in the studio. The ingredient bags make it so easy and believe me the results are delicious – personally I had the Wheaten Bread and Scones and both are incredible, highly recommend you try out The Cookie Jar.

       

       

      Jane McClenaghan

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Jane McClenaghan owner of Vital Nutrition – Northern Irelands leading nutrition and healthy lifestyle brand approached Kaizen Brand Evolution to create an identity for herself in preparation for Jane’s evolution as a leading, national healthy lifestyle consultant. Jane has featured as part of Centra’s most recent influencer campaign and has appeared on BBC and numerous Food events across the province. Jane’s ambition is to be the figurehead for healthy living and nutrition, increasing her media coverage and crafting her ‘influencer’ brand presence.

      The first step in the creative process was to fully understand the industry landscape that Jane aims to position herself as a stand-alone influencer. We researched and developed clear brand narratives based on Jane’s ambition and potential competitors in the healthy living/eating arena. Learning what is working and not necessarily working for some of the top brands was extremely important in the creation of Jane’s brand. As well as retaining the brand name ‘Jane McClenaghan’ we wanted to explore further options for her as a business, much like the way some influencers use nick names or brand names to trade under. Names such as Zoella, I Quit Sugar and Little Green Spoon have achieved major success from this approach. As one branding option we renamed Jane and presented her with “Nutrijane” as a potential brand direction – using this naming we seen potential for a clever brand strategy which would position her brand alongside the ‘quirky’ engaging names out there. In the end we stuck with Jane McClenaghan and plan to use Nutrijane throughout the brand emails and possible URL for her new website – so no idea un-used.

      We designed a contemporary brand system for Jane McClenaghan to use across all of her marketing material both on and offline. We introduced a leaf to the word mark using negative space in the A to achieve instant brand recognition – summing up Jane’s offering and business objectives. Simplicity is the best policy here and when applied to type the negative space really speaks volumes for the entire brand identity. The logo itself positions the brand on the higher end of online influencers such as HEMSLEY + HEMSLEY, and Deliciously Ella which immediately resonates with Jane’s target audience. The unique blend of classic typography and clever brand language pulls the brand together in an engaging, visual fashion. We introduced a bold colour palette that reflects Jane’s colourful personality as well as the visually attractive meal plans she creates at events and on her online webinars. Taking influence from the bright palette of some of the key ingredients she like to use mirrors throughout the brand not just in her logo but in her very own, custom brand iconography set which will feature as a way finding system throughout her cookbook design and her website.

      We created Jane’s brand language and tone of voice to reflect her offering in a clever concise way. Statements like “Health to thrive” and “I’m here for the good of your health” have spawned from the creative writing process for the brand. When married together the brand language and logo mark successfully tell her brand story.

      Following the identity and language creation we implemented the branding on a number of deliverables that Jane has plans to release over the coming months as the brand is launched. From cookbook designs to event design and branded collateral for conferences we visualised how successful the identity can be across all of her needs with the colour palette and brand language constantly making an appearance, strengthening the identity as a whole.

      It was a pleasure to work on the branding for Jane and we look forward to the roll out as she continues to evolve and increase her brand reach. Next phase is realising her new website and social media channels.

      Little Hands Little Feet

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Little Hands Little Feet are a leading day-care and afterschool facility that pride themselves on providing a fun, safe environment right in the heart of South Belfast. We’ve been working with Little Hands Little Feet for a number of years, from the development of their internal graphics and collateral to their external wall designs on their mobile classrooms. At the beginning of the year Little Hands Little Feet approached the team at Kaizen Brand Evolution to audit their brand. They felt that their brand presence needed revived both in print and online and wanted to lead the way in their marketplace. We were first tasked to solidify the LHLF brand at first by creating a set of brand guidelines for the business, setting the tone for the brand and providing a clear guide of how it should be handled in print and digitally.

      We created the brand guidelines for LHLF revitalising the personality and brand culture of the workforce and experience that the children have when attending through design. We re-set the logo and brand colour palette to reflect a more fun brand outlook and overall contemporary brand identity. We provided the owners with a hard copy brand ‘bible’ outlining the new direction, palette, typographic direction and photography style. With this set in place we were then able to proceed with a new image library, branded collateral and web design.

      Our in-house photographer visited Little Hands Little Feet for a photo shoot with the aim of capturing the creative, exciting environment at LHLF. The shoot spanned each room available on the premises as well as the interactivity the staff have with the children. The shoot was bright, colourful and messy at some points, which added to the new brand direction. Following a shortlisting process the new image library has began rolling out across a number of items from Interlocking Folder designs to event calendars supplied to exiting and potential parents.

      With the new brand guidelines and photo shoot in place the next stage of the brand audit was the website design and build. The owners wanted the new Little Hands Little Feet website to reflect contemporary web trends utilising the new photography and colour palette in creating a highly visualy, engaging experience for existing and potential customer alike. We designed and built a clean, photo-led website with optimisation in tablet and mobile environments. Each page of the new site provides the user with an engaging, informative and playful experience, much similar to the offerings available at Little Hands Little Feet. New typographic styles and colour palettes have been introduced throughout the new site reflective of the new brand guidelines. (*The investment in brand guidelines at the early stages provides a solid foundation for the evolution of the brand and shows how the brand should be rolled out and controlled. They provide the designers and business owners with a clear understanding of progression and brand use which is agreed upon by both parties before any collateral is created or designed.) Navigating through the new site the use of white space provides clarity and support to the fantastic new photography. The new Little Hands Little Feet website stands out amongst the industry landscape highlighting how adapting and auditing your brand both on and offline can seriously affect your business for the better.

      The brand audit of Little Hands Little Feet ensures consistency across the entire brand collateral. The audit highlights brand values clearly and concisely across all new and future brand exposure. With brand consistency comes trust and trust in a brand is one of the key elements for growth and brand sustainability.

      Visit website: littlehandslittlefeet.org

      Loco Pizza

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Loco approached Kaizen Brand Evolution to create a contemporary brand identity, menus, website and interior graphics for their fresh new pizza place situated in the East Point Entertainment Village, Dundonald. Loco’s mantra ‘mad about pizza’ highlights their passion for great tasting, hearty pizza. Not just your run of the mill pizza joint, Loco aims to cater for the masses. No matter how you like your pizza fix Loco caters for groups, parties, children’s parties, take away, table service and walk ins all which are welcome come lunch or dinner. Boasting a range of non-pizza items such as burgers, wings, salads & dessert pizza’s they’ve got you covered whatever your preference.

      With all things considered and the target audience identified we created a brand identity that is fun, engaging and a bit mad. Textured, disjointed type flows through the Loco brand reinforcing the strapline ‘mad about pizza’ and with the addition of a brand language sporting slogans such as ‘in pizza we crust’ we created a platform for an engaging tone of voice. The branding balances hand-made design and modern graphics successfully, establishing the business as the stand out Pizza offering in Northern Ireland. Our research and development into Pizza restaurant branding provided some obvious results such pizza illustrations and Italian themes. We wanted to create a brand that was unique and one that would stand out amongst the crowd. When you visit Loco you will not see an Italian flag or any cliché pizza illustrations featured in the interiors or menus. The owners came to Kaizen Brand Evolution to create something different, an identity that would stand the test of time and one that customers could easily buy in to.

      As well as the new logo mark and brand identity for Loco we created all aspects of the brand roll-out for launch such as the menus, website (coming soon), interior way finding system, window graphics, social media posts, napkin designs, table toppers, loyalty cards, over-bags, pizza boxes, receipts, t-shirts and custom wallpaper for the interiors. Loco have a great understanding of the importance of branding and utilising the team at Kaizen Brand Evolution as their brand guardians. We offer this service to all of our clients and when it comes to rolling out branding we, as the creators of the brand can oversee any aspects of print and digital materials that may be needed.

      A key element of the Loco brand is the new website which we are completing as I write this blog post. We have focussed on the user experience for the design of the Loco site, creating a one-page site where most content can be viewed through a scroll of the mouse as soon as you land on the site loco.pizza. Utilising the stunning food photography of Fergus Jordan at White Cloud Photographic we created the site with the vision of prioritising the mobile experience following research into the users preference when visiting restaurant sites 80% of which where viewed on mobile. This knowledge then sets the precedent for the likes of portrait imagery, clean, concise typography and user interface design that is visually engaging. We look forward to the roll out of the site across mobile and desktop in the up and coming weeks.

      It was a pleasure working on the branding and roll out of Loco and as another hospitality brand features in the Kaizen Brand Evolution portfolio we are excited for the future of Northern Irelands eateries. From our experience branding some of the countries leading hospitality brands, Northern Ireland has so much to offer whatever your taste and Loco is certainly top of the list when it comes to Pizza!

      www.Loco.pizza

      Branding Solv-ed

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Solv got in touch with us with plans to undertake a brand audit. They required an update to the established identity to keep them ahead of the curve. Solv pride themselves on offering a personal service. Engineers turn up on time, wearing smart company uniform, driving one of their spotless vans and carrying company I.D. They will always carry out work to the highest standard and they are highly experienced and qualified in their respective trades. With this in mind, we were able to create an identity refresh.

      We looked at a number of areas in Solv’s brand identity when performing the audit, from their logo to their tone of voice and art direction. We wanted to retain Solv’s core audience and increase brand confidence through the refresh. There are a few brand elements that we wanted to co-exist with the new direction, the Solv red and the brand personality. The red Solv vehicles are instantly recognisable across Northern Ireland, which we did not want to lose. We recognised that the red also associated with the fantastic reputation of the engineers, service and company, so it had to stay.

      We began with a logo refresh, removing the word ‘group’ from the primary logo. We typeset the new logo in Vag Rounded, a similar but more sustainable typeface to use across the brand collateral. The introduction of Vag Rounded also provided a more circular and fluid logo mark. This small incremental change immediately secured an overall consistency with the brand language, brochures and vehicle graphics all now have a set typographic style. We also found a more suitable positioning for the registered trademark logo. One of the main objectives of the Solv audit was to simplify, we kept this mind-set when approaching all brand collateral.

      As well as the logo design we developed a strapline to support the new brand direction. “Energy as always,” a simple & positive piece of copy that embodies the businesses brand pillars. Energy as always now features as a core part of the brand identity appearing on all printed material and vehicle graphics. The statement immediately shapes the audience perception of what Solv is all about, Energy. Whether it’s hot energy (oil and gas), cold energy (air conditioning) or green energy Solv’s team of specialists are here to help.

      We created separate colour palettes and tag lines for each of the three brand pillars of Solv: Air Temperature, Heat and Environment. Feel the heat, Easy Breezy and Go Green. These digestible tag lines breakdown the services for the customers and make communications between the business and clients much more transparent. They also reinforce the already established brand personality.

      The new brand elements were placed into a brand guidelines booklet for the business moving forward. It was imperative that the new brand direction was followed and some straightforward brand guidelines for staff and marketing were an essential addition to the audit.

      The first piece of work in delivering the brand audit was the design of their fleet of vehicles, the red vans. We re-designed the vans in the new style, utilising the new brand guidelines, type styles and copywriting. We have also designed a number of advertising campaigns for Solv in the new brand style, which will be rolled out to the fullest in the coming months.

      This was a fantastic project to be involved in and we continue to develop our working relationship with Solv. Recognising that your brand identity may need a refresh or audit is a fantastic way of keeping your brand fresh, relevant and adaptable to market trends. Get in touch with the team at Kaizen Brand Evolution if you feel your brand needs a facelift.

      Branding The Future

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      We were approached by Adam / Founder and Director of the Future 17 Conference to develop a new brand identity and strategy for the up and coming tech conference for teens. Future was born out of frustration at the lack of tech events aimed at teenagers and was therefore created with the sole aim of inspiring the next generation of tech leaders.

      After their first event, which hosted speakers from TIME’s list of most influential teens, they are now hosting Future17, a one-day tech conference and hackathon that aims to inspire Northern Ireland’s teenagers to get more involved in the tech industry. By using a unique model and organising a tech conference around a hackathon, they ensure that attendees get the most from this experience: not only will they be able to develop their skills first-hand by ‘hacking’ together a product, but they will also receive talks from some of the leading people in the technology industry today. The ultimate aim of the event is not only to inspire the next generation of tech leaders but also to make teens see code as more than lines and squiggles on a screen and appreciate it for the magic that it is. This founder has his sights set on a number of high-profile digital superstars to lead the conference to be held in the Titanic Building, Belfast.

      We set the new Future 17 tone of voice around the primary mission of ‘developing greatness’ which symbolises the over arching theme of the event, inspiring the future of tech and digital/online developers. In keeping with the younger, teen target audience we aimed to create a brand identity that communicated effectively with this age group as well as potential sponsors. Adam, the founder has already secured solid investment from the likes of Twitter, Kainos and the MCS Group, all championing this growing industry in Northern Ireland. With this in mind, we created a clever brand mark utilising the ascender in the ‘F’ device with it’s own speech bubble mark. This subtle device speaks volumes across all marketing material on and offline. It immediately visualises the essence of the talks at the conference and is easily adapted across the brand.

      As well as the primary ‘F’ mark we introduced an additional, more fluid ‘F’ device built from a data map concept. This secondary ‘F’ is used across the brand in more abstract, high impact fashion. The founder of Future 17 thought that this additional device spoke volumes across marketing material and liked how versatile it became when rolled out across the conference graphics on stage and delegate material. All in all, there are two key components to this brand, the contemporary primary brand mark using the speech bubble in the F Ascender and the ‘Data Map’ F which adapts the playful, secondary colour palette.

      In keeping with the contemporary brand identity, we introduced Calibre as the brand typeface. The surge of circular typefaces in 2016 has been incredible and this one in particular fitted perfectly with the Future 17 ident, clean, concise, on trend. The supporting imagery with the Future 17 brand was chosen to inspire and intrigue, high impact scenic photography of skylines and the night sky symbolising the potential of the delegates and their future impact in tech.

      We are extremely pleased with the final branding of the Future 17 conference and look forward to the roll out as the build up begins for 2017. Here’s to the future of tech in Northern Ireland. If you are interested in attending the Future 17 conference please follow the link below for tickets and any further information. http://www.future17.co/

      WYOBTTWD…

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Here at Kaizen Brand Evolution we are big music and fashion fans, so are eager to participate in this year’s ‘Wear Your Old Band T-Shirt To Work Day’ by Radio 6 on the 25th November.

      We have our tees picked out, pressed and ready. It’s sparked a debate on our favourite albums that go with them, here’s an insight into our eclectic studio taste.

      Ryan: Album – ‘Down in Albion’ by Babyshambles

      For Band t-shirt day I’ll be wearing my Babyshambles – Pete Doherty, Heart Tattoo – T-shirt from their Irish Tour in April 2006 / Spring & Airbrake / Belfast

      I kept this t-shirt as a memento to this epic gig! I had a pint with the band before their set, lit one of Pete Doherty’s cigarettes for him while he was on stage and appeared the next day on page 3 of the Irish News (which I still have) with Pete Doherty and Kate Moss on a feature about the band playing in Belfast.

      ‘Down in Albion’ is no doubt my favourite Babyshambles album. When I hear ‘Killamangiro’ it brings me back to my old student flat behind Auntie Annie’s where my mate and I started the band ‘The Couth.’ I’m still a massive fan of Babyshambles and the Libertines!

      Lynsay: Album – ‘Stone Roses’ by Stone Roses
      Painted by band member John Squire, the style harking to Jackson Pollock and the May 1968 riots in Paris, the chaos in the picture is balanced with the subtle placement of pattern that can be found in Squires current artworks. It’s my favourite, so much so, that my birthday present to me was the jacket. The chaos symbolises their handling of later events in their career, decorating those who had wronged them, homes and offices in paint, as “that’s the way people deal with things in Manchester”.

      One of the first things a Roses fan will ask you when you meet them is, “first, or second album?”, I’m in the first camp, with ‘I Wanna be Adored’ still giving shivers.

      I’m choosing the Phoenix Park T-Shirt over the classic ‘Lemon’ due to typesetting, I love green, and my friends and I got pit tickets and we were so close we could have licked him!

      Shaleen: Album – ‘The Script’ by The Script
      I listen to quite a lot of different music so deciding on a T-Shirt for Band T-Shirt day was quite difficult. My favourite bands would be Maroon 5 and The Script, who have the advantage as I’ve been to see them live in concert. One of my favourite songs would ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ but I generally love most of their songs. But I also love older music bands like The Beatles and Queen.

      Jordan: Album – ‘Gutter Phenomenon’ by Every Time I Die
      I wish I was wearing an Every Time I Die T-shirt for band T-shirt day, because that would mean the one that was ripped off my back at one of their gigs would still be intact. I loved that shirt! My favourite album of theirs is ‘Gutter Phenomenon’, because it’s just so heavy, riffs for days.

      Vicki: Album – ‘Ill Communication’ by Beastie Boys
      I don’t listen to that much music these days unless you count movie soundtracks. I don’t have that many band t-shirts (always too pricey for me, who loves a freebie!) In saying that, I still have and love my Calling tee. I was obsessed with them as a teen; finding out Alex Band was related to Charles Band, director of the ‘Puppet Master’ horror movie franchise, only made it worse! For the big day though, I have acquired and repurposed a Beastie Boys Tee, which you can see how here  here. I wasn’t as big a fan when I was younger, but finding myself really enjoying their music as an adult.

      Lizi: Album – ‘Spice’ by Spice Girls
      I haven’t really been a music lover or a groupie and loved one particular band and any band that has been cool and hip. I have always just liked any music just by the song, so picking my favourite band for band t-shirt day has been hard. I just go with the flow when it comes to music!

      When I was little I always wanted to be part of the Spice Girls (I know, cool right!) Sporty Spice was my favourite and I knew every song and dance move there was!

      Design of the Boojum Food Truck

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      This month in Kaizen Brand Evolution we had the pleasure of working on the concepts and design of Boojum’s brand new offering –The Boojum Food Truck. The Food truck is now available for bookings across the whole of Ireland for events, festivals, weddings and pretty much any party you can think of. The food truck craze has taken America by storm and the owners of Boojum felt that Ireland was the perfect place to launch their own!

      We created the campaign, additional web pages and Food truck design itself for the launch and already it has had major bookings for festivals and events across the province. ‘You see me rollin’ is the lead campaign for the food truck encompassing the rolling of the burrito and the food truck rolling down the road. The vehicle design is big, bold and extremely eye catching. The branding was also ‘rolled’ out across video, print and digital campaigns. We are, as always very proud of the work done and wish the Boojum food truck all the success it deserves.

      Staying Healthy by Working Together

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Slim’s Healthy Kitchen is one of the longest standing clients on the Kaizen Brand Evolution roster. Since their fruition, we have developed the brand, from the brand identity, tone of voice and brand personality to their website, social media design, menus and interiors. Our working relationship has strengthened as the business has continued to grow significantly, with the opening of 4 new restaurants in the Belfast area and now a new venture into all of the DW Fitness Clubs. Slim’s Healthy Kitchen continues to develop and evolve their brand with us and the understanding of the brand values is what makes our business, and theirs, truly successful. When we received news that Slim’s garnered a contract with DW Fitness Clubs to open the Express model across all stores in Ireland, United Kingdom and Scotland we were absolutely thrilled for their business.

      The past two weeks has seen the launch of the Slim’s Healthy Kitchen brand in DW Fitness Clubs across Northern Ireland and with our help, we have delivered the Slim’s brand experience in this new venue. Brand consistency across the DW roll out was imperative and with the design of Digital menus for screens behind the counter, interior graphics for the restaurant, promotional material such as flyers, pop-up banners and social media posts we have set the standard for future Slim’s Health Kitchen Express roll-outs.

      We worked closely with the marketing and management team at Slim’s Healthy Kitchen in the design of the new menu for DW Fitness Clubs. The brief was to attract and engage gym users, parents of children using gym facilities and appeal to personal trainers alike. We designed and developed a series of high impact graphic devices and colour schemes, bringing the screen menus to life. The brand personality is highlighted in the Slim’s Express model, use of contemporary graphic design utilising standout illustrations, high impact photography and personable brand language.

      Along with the new menu design, we had to adapt the Slim’s Healthy Kitchen brand to suit the interiors of each DW Fitness Club. We created a series of branded vinyl signage, which can be seen throughout each location on counter fronts, window displays and feature walls. Vinyl signage is a great way of displaying brand identities, language and offers across the store especially on this project we were able to brand the already existing unit rather quickly. In addition to the vinyl signage we created and designed a series of internal posters for the restaurant. For the poster designs, we called upon local photographer Fergus Jordan (Whitecloud Photographic) who produced a beautiful series of stylised food photography showcasing the offering at DW Fitness Clubs. The imagery reflected the brand values for the Express Store fantastically using bright, eye-catching backdrops as well as some extremely creative food styling shots. The mix of high-end photography, graphic design, typographic design and illustration really sets Slim’s Healthy Kitchen apart from their competitors. The introduction of the branding into the DW Fitness Clubs has completely transformed the way healthy food and drink is now offered in this fast paced environment.

      With the success of the first four Slim’s Express restaurants opening across DW Fitness Clubs Northern Ireland in Boucher Road Belfast, Bangor, Newtownabbey and Londonderry we are excited to evolve the brand even further as Gary McIldowney prepares to take over the DW Fitness Clubs restaurant offering across the United Kingdom and Scotland. Slim’s Healthy Kitchen is the perfect example of brand evolution, highlighting our own business model that together we are creative change makers, achieving big results from small changes over time well spent with clients. The Slim’s Healthy Kitchen brand has never been as strong as the business continues to grows, so do we.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Shaleen

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?
      In the few months that I’ve been at Kaizen Brand Evolution, I have learnt about presenting for design and how to present a client’s brief back to them and the best way to show outcomes. While working in Kaizen Brand Evolution I have learnt a lot about print and setting up different documents for print. I feel this is invaluable as it is something that will be used in all aspects of design.

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?
      Helvetica, it’s my go to typeface as it is reliable, bold and can be used in all different weights for everything.

      3. What do you use for motivation inside the studio? 
      On a Friday here at Kaizen Brand Evolution we have a boojum, haha that keeps me motivated throughout the week. More motivation around the studio is the showcase of Kaizen Brand Evolutions work on our walls, seeing the brands that we have worked on and the creative solutions is very inspiring to see.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?
      My favourite designer is Jessica Walsh, I first heard her speak at OFFSET in my first year of University and I follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

      5. What are you listening to in work today?
      I listen to a mixture of everything, usually a bit of Beyoncé.

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out? 
      David Sherry at the Golden Thread Gallery, looks like an interesting exhibition I’m hoping to go to it this weekend.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them.
      I have a dog called Buddy, he’s old and quite stupid, I live on a farm and he likes to chase cows around the wrong direction.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Ryan

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry? 
      Reputation is everything, building a good reputation across industry in invaluable and keeping the creative momentum simply nurtures the reputation.

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you? 
      Helvetica Neue – the family. I know! But stranded on a desert Island, a neutral typeface with great clarity, no intrinsic meaning would be of great comfort to me.

      3. What do you use for motivation inside the studio? 
      An eclectic mix of playlists on Spotify, caffeine and surfing Behance.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently? 
      I love the work coming out of Barcelona at the minute, particularly Mucho. Check ’em out.

      5. What are you listening to in work today?
      Nirvana – Nevermind as it’s the 25th anniversary.

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out? 
      Keith Wilson: Calendar, at the Mac. Looking at the cultural status of sculpture, considering how ideas develop from studio to public presentation.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them.
      I have a crazy cockapoo called Riley and a very chilled cat called Obi. They’re best friends, oddly.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Lizi

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?
      KBE has taught me to always push myself to do the best – What I personally think is best for the design project I am undertaking.

      It has also taught me that every day, every client will be different in the design industry.

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?
      Why is there a design studio on a desert island? That’s what I am wondering first of all? …But if I was to bring a typeface with me it would be Futura. I would bring this because it works well with most design projects and is very reliable. It always has a slight retro feel to it, which I love.

      3. What do you use for motivation inside the studio?
      When I want to get motivated in the studio, I will plug in my headphones and zone out from the rest of the world, however the odd sweet or two also helps me, my favourites is Squashies incase anyone would like to know.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?
      I wouldn’t say stalk, but I love the web designer Sarah Parmenter, I love everything she creates, it is always so lovely!

      5. What are you listening to in work today?
      We usually have to listen to whatever Ryan puts on in the studio… Sometimes I will request the occasional Disney number but at the moment we are listening to the playlist Throwback Thursday #nostalgic.

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out?
      Oliver Jeffers was in the Ulster Hall recently doing a book signing who does lovely, cute illustrations (examples Lost and Found book). Also, Belfast Design Week is coming up in November which should be interesting and filled with lots of talent and creativity.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them
      As most people know I am a bit cat crazy – so of course I have a cat. She’s called Nala, she is the cutest thing ever, but also very crazy. Sometimes she will follow me to the bus on my way to work and try to get on with me (which is so embarrassing) or even just sit on top of my head just when she feels like it. I have plenty of stories about her which I talk about a lot in the office, but that’s for another time!

      Meet our evolutionaries – Jordan

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?
      Probably how to manage time more effectively. There are so many things going on in the studio ranging right the way through from client graphic design work, photography and our own internal brand that I always try to take a step back from the work and ensure that what is being done is in the best interests of the client, whether that is ourselves or someone else.

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?
      Garamond Premiere Pro! I don’t know whether this typeface would be particularly useful on a desert island but it is definitely my favourite out there. Its classic shape works equally well in lower case for body copy or in the small caps case for detail text and sub headers. I always find that it gives a real sense of class to whatever publication or project it’s used in. I suppose in that sense if I were stranded I could imagine it was part of a big adventure book all set in the classic typeface.

      3. What keeps you motivated?
      The sheer range of clients that we work with means that we can experiment a lot with different styles and ways of communicating as we try to find the unique voice of a brand. I suppose this means I never really get bored as every job presents a new problem or task, which needs to be overcome in a visually pleasing way.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?
      There is a company from Argentina called ‘Hola Bosque’ who are really inspiring for me because of how the use colour. Everything they do is bursting off the screen with ingenious combinations that always seem so obvious until you try to do it yourself. They are primarily an illustration studio, which means that their style is very handmade and organic, which, combined with the colours make for a brilliant result.

      5. What are you listening to in work today?
      I really love music, and having played in a kind of post-punk band for a few years I developed a taste for the heavier guitar riff bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Refused, but both my Dad and brother have great taste in music and send regular recommendations my way. Most recently I am going back to what my Dad played in the car when I was younger, a mix of Steely Dan and Sting. But I will listen to anything that catches my ear. One of my new favourites is ‘Dreams’ by Beck from the new FIFA 16 soundtrack.

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out?
      The most recent exhibition’s that I have seen were all on Culture Night 2016. There is always a plethora of events, shoes and performances to go and see so I don’t think I could choose my favourite from the night, but if I had to say it would probably have been the people from Flamenco Fino. Brilliant dancing and music.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them.
      I have a cat and a dog, Evee and Catty… Try to guess which one is which. They are both very old now but still in great shape, Evee especially. She is 15 years old and still going strong, but the best thing about her is that she is just so well behaved. Only barks when she needs let in from outside and loves a good hug. Catty is like any well respected cat would be, totally aloof until she needs something, then she’s all over you.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Lynsay

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?
      That it is the team that you build around you and the studio culture that you craft that can be credited for the success of a studio. It’s that, that helps cultivate creativity. Clients then feel the passion and positivity toward their projects in pitches, gaining trust in the process. At Kaizen Brand Evolution, we have an amazing team!

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?
      Helvetica. Sounds standard, but I love a bit of symmetry and it would bring a bit of order to the island, born fixer!

      3. What do you use for motivation inside the studio?
      Diet Coke! The real thing that motivates me most is being engaged in a client meeting when I know we can really help make a difference to their business, when I can see a solution using design intervention to create change.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?
      I’ve mainly been creeping on Wayne Hemmingway as I’ve been furniture shopping. Also been checking out D.A.D.D.Y. to stalk at OFFSET 2017.

      5. What are you listening to in work today?
      I only had a chance for a brief headphones moment today before the studio day started, it was to listen to and watch the trailer for the documentary ‘Oasis: Supersonic’. Nostalgic old footage and a very young Kate Moss. The studio today has mainly played Nirvana to mark the 25 years since Nevermind. New Warpaint album for the journey home.

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out?
      The Hockney exhibition at the Mac was a must for me after seeing the documentary at QFT a couple of years back. Turned out expensive for a free exhibit as I’d been looking for a sofa at the time and it led me to buy a Hockney inspired range. It’s very true in what he says, that there are ways of looking, it’s just a question of how hard.

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them
      Currently two cats named Mickey and Mallory, after M&M Knox in ‘Natural Born Killers’. More often, they get called ‘the black one’ and ‘the other one’, as they are more natural born scaredy cats. Rescued from a centre after spending their first 7 months in a cage they hadn’t been used to human contact or touch, and so are taking alot of time and patience to become domesticated. ‘The other one’ is now brave enough to be stroked, but only in the dark.

      Meet our evolutionaries – Vicki

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      1. What has working in Kaizen Brand Evolution taught you about the design industry?
      You need to be fast, accurate and very, very good. I learn so much each day in the studio, and thankfully have a supportive and talented and patient team to teach me. 

      2. Desert Island Design Studio, which typeface would you bring with you?
      Century Gothic, nice, friendly and versatile font. I feel if ‘Wilson’ had been written in Century Gothic, he would have been more lively!

      3. What do you use for motivation inside the studio?
      Coffee, some more coffee, oh and some more coffee.

      4. Any designers you have been stalking online recently?
      ‘I love dust’ I enjoy the biker persona they have and everything they do is loud and proud. I have a real soft spot for Chip Kidd, who doesn’t love the guy who created the Jurassic Park logo! His Ted Talks are really helpful and inspirational. I mostly stalk illustrators, mostly. Such as Steve Simpson (who I am a little obsessed with and literally stalked at OFFSET) Oliver Jeffers who just had a book signing at the Ulster Museum. Love local guys like Stephen Maurice Graham and Peter Strain. And a big fan of Chiara Bautista’s sketching. Her mix of music lyrics and emotionally charged imagery is delightful. I still check in to Deviant Art every now and again for a nosey too. 

      5. What are you listening to in work today?
      A mix of Eminem – ‘Rap God’ and Childish Gambino gets me motivated in the studio, and in the gym. For a calm down session I love Blood Orange – ‘Cupid Deluxe’ and anything by Devotchka. 

      6. Any exhibitions in Belfast recently that are worth checking out?
      David Hockney in the Mac, first time his work has been exhibited here, and marks a major turning point for art exhibits in NI. Late Night Art is always fun for free wine and a look at what’s happening each month. 

      7. What’s your pet called? Tell us about them
      Henry the cat. He had a bad tummy when he was young and a bad name ‘Henry’, named after some footballer. We just pronounce it differently now.       He is all better and eats constantly, has a little extra flab to carry around. 

      GHBranded Culture Night 2016

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Thank you to everyone who came down to GHBranded for Culture Night 2016. Super fun night branding your Social Media accounts! Everyone’s photos can be found here:

      bit.ly/GHBrandedPhotos

      Please tag, link and share your images, and of course use them as your profile pics!

      We hope that those who came down enjoyed a taste of the expertise in design and branding offered by Kaizen Brand Evolution at our pop-up studio. The event opened up the experience of branding by offering advice on Social Media, staging a professional profile image with a choice of backgrounds to suit your personality, as well as taglines to suit your aim online. From Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn to Tinder we catered for all. Our own Snapchat Geo Filter on the night received over 17k views, not too shabby!

      Our experienced designers in our Lisburn Road studio are here to help on a more permanent basis, to raise companies online profiles with strategic planning and reporting. We hope you keep us in mind for your next brand update, or when you decide to start up your own business.

      To learn more about us, or view our portfolio of brands that we have created, pop over to: kaizenbrandevolution.com/portfolio

      Get Twitter Branded

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      On Friday 16 September Culture Night Belfast 2016, we are offering to “Get Him/Her Branded”.

      Kaizen Brand Evolution raises the profiles of clients we work with and so we are setting up a mini version of our process to enhance people’s online profiles on the night. Whether it’s to document the night with friends, for dating, or to have a killer LinkedIn image for that new job. On the night we’ll be offering personal taglines, and to have your picture taken in Cotton Court Galleries in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. So come, down, get involved, Get Him/Her Branded!

      Image and brand personality has never been so pivotal for businesses in the public domain on social media. Before the event we thought we would go through a few top tips for branding your companies social media accounts.

      Twitter:

      It’s a conversation, plain and simple. If your business holds a lot of events, or is conversation focused, Twitter will work well for you. Use Twitter to network in a more informal way. It isn’t about how many followers you have, but how many are engaging with you and your content. This is true for all social media, but more so of Twitter. Talk with people not at them, and you will see a big difference.

      Use hash-tags to join other conversations and reach a wider audience. When you visit or host events, Twitter can help get the party started both before and during the event, you can create a buzz and reach more potential customers with your chatter.

      On the night use our hash-tag chalkboard board to speak your mind in your profile photos, and start some conversations. Chatting to people in all areas whether it’s show off knowledge of your business or your passion for your work, it’s a sure fire way of getting noticed on Twitter.

      Keep up to date on our event on our Facebook event page: bit.ly/GHBranded

      Get Instagram Branded

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      On Friday 16 September Culture Night Belfast 2016, we are offering to “Get Him/Her Branded”.

      Kaizen Brand Evolution raises the profiles of clients we work with and so we are setting up a mini version of our process to enhance people’s online profiles on the night. Whether it’s to document the night with friends, for dating, or to have a killer LinkedIn image for that new job. On the night we’ll be offering personal taglines, and to have your picture taken in Cotton Court Galleries in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. So come, down, get involved, Get Him/Her Branded!

      Image and brand personality has never been so pivotal for businesses in the public domain on social media. Before the event we thought we would go through a few top tips for branding your companies social media accounts.

      Instagram:

      Instagram is the vogue of social media, it’s all about beautiful well composed photos and videos. It’s all about aesthetics. Most prominent is food, fashion and fitness. If your company is any of these then Instagram is your main Social Media account.

      Your imagery should be well composed, stick to the rule of thirds (Draw a 3×3 grid and place all object of interest onto the lines). Stick to them strictly and make sure your posts are beautiful and interesting! Filters can seem passé fast, so make sure you are up to date with new filters and try downloading apps with different filters to try out.

      Like all social media accounts, being a little bit different can go a long way. Keep your hash-tags low, and put links and hash-tags in comments rather than the main body of text, as links won’t work on posts.

      Keep up to date on our event on our Facebook event page: bit.ly/GHBranded

      Get Facebook Branded

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      On Friday 16 September Culture Night Belfast 2016, we are offering to “Get Him/Her Branded”.

      Kaizen Brand Evolution raises the profiles of clients we work with and so we are setting up a mini version of our process to enhance people’s online profiles on the night. Whether it’s to document the night with friends, for dating, or to have a killer LinkedIn image for that new job. On the night we’ll be offering personal taglines, and to have your picture taken in Cotton Court Galleries in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. So come, down, get involved, Get Him/Her Branded!

      Image and brand personality has never been so pivotal for businesses in the public domain on social media. Before the event we thought we would go through a few top tips for branding your companies social media accounts. Let’s start with…

      Facebook:

      Is your personal story and public space to show the world what you’re about. Every business should have a Facebook page, as it is the number one social media platform. Think of it as the ‘Yellow Pages’, you need to be in it to be found and trusted. It’s best to make your Facebook profile picture the same as opposed to changing it regularly. However change your cover images to show what you’re up to.

      Your posts shouldn’t sell directly, they should tell your business story. What’s interesting about your company? What can you add to people’s lives on a daily basis that will interest and engage them?

      An engaged audience leads to brand advocacy and that leads to sales, without ever having to post an offer, gimmick, or sales pitch.

      Keep up to date on our event on our Facebook event page: bit.ly/GHBranded

      Panacea in Vogue and online

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      We love seeing a brand do so well from its fruition in the Kaizen Brand Evolution Studio. Working closely with Panacea Drinks in their brand evolution has proven a massive success for the company with features in Vogue magazine, tastings from The Body Coach, Joe Wicks and growth in London and Ireland.

      This week we see the launch of the brand new Panacea website. We use a contemporary site design that reflects the needs of the customer through interactive blogs, visually engaging page layouts and insight to the product and lifestyle. The site boasts a straightforward user experience from start to finish, setting Panacea Drinks ahead of their competitors, paving the way for healthy, pro-biotic water-kefir in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

      The website follows as a part of Panacea’s brand strategy moving forward. As brand guardians to Panacea we ensure the direction is on point and communicating with the target audience as it grows. We are proud to continue working with this innovative brand as it reaches the masses.

      View the new site here: www.panaceadrinks.com

      Shebelle’s Brand Identity

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0
      Shebelle required a brand identity to reflect high end, ethically sourced hair extensions and associated beauty products. During a temple ritual in India women donate their hair to the gods. The temples used to burn this high quality human hair but now they auction it on the open market and channel the profits back into community projects. The hair is locally made into wefts and Shebelle only chooses product from companies with proven ethical standards in manufacture, employee relations and charity work, especially the education of women and girls. The products that enrich the hair are derived from andiroba oil found wild in South and Central America and in Africa. This blend of quality ingredients and ethical sourcing was the foundation for a strong branding position.

       

      We designed a luxurious, contemporary brand identity that sets Shebelle apart from their competitors. Patterns, photography and colour play their part in telling the story with each product having a separate, localised illustration. Traditional Indian, African and South American patterns weave through the packaging and marketing materials. The product launch is set for launch in late Summer 2016.

      Vandal opening night

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Nothing gives us more pleasure than to see a brand created in the Kaizen Brand Evolution go live. Working with the management at White’s Tavern we designed the brand identity for Vandal.

      On Friday night the Kaizen Brand Evolution team had the pleasure of being invited to Belfast hottest new bar/eatery. Vandal is located on the first floor of White’s Tavern and boasts a brand new type of crowd that you wouldn’t usually associate with the lovely, traditional surroundings of White’s Tavern. Vandal taps into the glory years with a cool twist – 90’s throwback design echoed through the branding, interior and whole experience really. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. You immediately associate with the Vandal brand, it transports back to a time when mortgage payments and car insurance meant nothing and all you cared about was your high score in Donkey Kong on the Super Nintendo and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Great alcoholic shakes and deep-dish pizza making the experience a full circle success. We can’t wait to go back.

      Babble Brand Identity

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Babble required a forward thinking brand identity that showcased them as the one stop shop for a career in the call centre industry. As well as the launch of their Babble Jobs brand (online jobs board) they required an accompanying brand that would speak to the user across social media, for ‘Babble Social.’

      We developed a contemporary, playful brand identity for Babble Jobs and Babble Social. Introducing ‘Barry’ – The Babbling Parrot, Babble’s Brand Mascot. Barry encompasses the user of the jobs board and social, he’s a well-travelled, chatty high flyer. Barry is seen across all collateral and acts as the voice of the company. A pleasure to work on and as the brand evolves Barry really starts to come to life.

      Boojum, Cinco De Mayo

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Boojum approached us to create a concept for the launch of their new ‘Win a trip to Mexico’ Campaign for Cinco De Mayo. We developed an online and printed campaign strategy that revolved around a ‘holiday tag.’ Using the tag as the device to drive the campaign it was clearly linked to the Holiday theme and strategically, ‘Tagging friends’ on social media became the staple of the competition. The tag also appears at the final stages of the competition where Boojum hold a special night where finalists have the chance to find a printed ‘Boojum Tag’ inside a Burrito on the night of the draw. Corona where the main partner in the holiday give away and we introduced some hashtag’s to coincide with the competition #boojum5demayo and #boojum&corona. The competition has proved very successful in driving new traffic to the main site www.boojummex.com (design by us) and raising brand awareness across Ireland.

      Brand evolution of White’s Tavern

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      The owners of the White’s Tavern came to us with an idea to brand the floor above the traditional Irish pub into a one of a kind bar/eatery. Stepping away from the long-standing tradition of White’s the new addition was to be tailored to a young professional audience, which would become a place of nostalgia and happiness with an edge.

      We delivered a striking brand identity for the new venture titled ‘Vandal.’ Vandal’s identity is a nod to nineties street art and culture. Through considered graphic design, the bright colours, patterns and hand drawn typeface are tributes to the 90’s theme with a contemporary treatment. The theme continues throughout signage, menus, wall graphics and online.

      Talking Brand

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Senior designer Ryan Stanfield popped into BBC Radio Ulster ‘Good Morning Ulster’ this morning to talk brand.

      How it’s come about

      It has been built on a solid foundation of 6 years of creativity, the studio was producing work across the island of Ireland and beyond, but was an unsung hero. We wanted to give the creative team and our clients a voice, a brand that could tell the story of who we are and what we do.

      Why is what you do important

      I believe it is important to effect change for the better. That is what design does. It intervenes to create a preferred state. It’s the ethos of Kaizen Brand Evolution and how we help our clients in business.

      What will Kaizen Brand Evolution offer?

      “In two words creative change. The ability to evolve in an ever changing and competitive marketplace. To continually engage with both internal and external audiences both visually and through brand language. We offer ideas and thinking on brand that can find output both in print and digital formats to reach the most fitting solution to the design problem. We offer a way forward.”

      “We have recently converted our first floor into a studio space, allowing collaborative thinking from the designers, a break out meeting area, and reception to ask how you’d like your cuppa.”

      “We are currently fortunate to work with a wide spectrum of clients, from charities to media moguls and everything in between. Our designers find themselves getting under the skin of many industries, believing that the value of design comes in knowing how businesses work in order to help find the right solutions to make creative change.”

      “In terms of recruitment, we have just welcomed a new account manager, as well as someone to look after the numbers, and are in the process of sourcing a highly talented designer to join our gang.”

      Why are brands important

      Brand are incredibly important. Ultimately they are visual story tellers, they build consumer confidence and speak on behalf of your company. The visual language and tone of voice crafted for your brand will engage with your audience, build that audience and sell to that audience.

      International Society of Typographic Designers 2016

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      I travelled to DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) Grangegorman last weekend, 5 March 2016 for the Annual ISTD (International Society of Typographic Designers) Student Assessment. Every year design students from across Ireland take part in what Erik Spiekermenn described ‘The Most rigorous and honest assessment in the world. No personal likes/dislikes can affect the outcomes.’ The students answer one of 5 ISTD briefs to which they may use a number of mediums and outcomes. When assessing we look for strong concept with comprehensive typographic exploration.

      On arrival we have a chance to grab some breakfast and catch up before beginning the assessments. This year I was paired with Jamie Murphy from Salvage Press, a typographer and letterpress printer and all round great guy. The briefs are outlined below.

      Project 1: A life’s work

      Celebrate the life’s work of Adrian Frutiger. Create a prestigious ‘publication’ (digital/physical or both) that celebrates the life and work of Adrian Frutiger.

      Project 2: The Undiscovered Country…

      ‘Stare death in the face’ and find out everything there is to know about it. Consider international, societal, scientific, religious, historical, statistical, cultural, literary and poetic touch-points within your research, before determining your approach.

      Project 3: Visualising Music

      Using Philip Glass’ opera Einstein on the Beach as your source material, you are asked to investigate different ways of making visual typographic notations in order to create a music score for this work.

      Project 4: Eye Witness

      Your task is to translate a written, first person account of a significant event, into a typographic experience that is designed as a site-specific installation in the gallery of your choice.

      Project 5: And the winner is…

      Celebrate the Nobel Prize. You may wish to propose the design for a suite of publications that highlight the various categories of awards; perhaps a prestigious publication that investigates the life and work of a selection of Nobel Laureates; or a very focused approach looking at a specific category e.g. the prize for literature.

      Yet again the standard of work for Ireland is exceptional with a number of students passing the bar and one merit awarded from myself and Jamie. I thoroughly enjoy the assessments and believe that this institution greatly benefits the design community, raising standards in typographic practice across the globe.

      Girl Power

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Kaizen Brand Evolution join Women in Business

      We are excited to be part of Women in Business, one of the largest and ever growing business network’s for females in Northern Ireland. Lynsay from a design perspective, and Glenda from sales are new members joining many of our entrepreneurial clients. This gives us an amazing opportunity to network with local business as well as engage with new starts. An added benefit is the mentor programme, allowing our team to both mentor and be mentored to gain invaluable experience in the business world we contribute to. Looking forward to our first event and introduction to a great initiative. We’ll be sure to keep you posted!

      Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Valuing brand with Robert Bau

      Tuesday saw the alarm clocks set for 3.30am for Glenda and Lynsay as they embarked on a road trip to Dublin to attend a workshop hosted by the Institute of Designer’s Ireland with guest speaker Robert Bau, heavy-weight strategist and thought leader. Once fuelled with coffee and pastries courtesy of Brooks Hotel, they settled down to a compelling talk on the application of business strategy to selling and quantifying the value of design. Attended by mixed disciplines from interior design, packaging and ourselves from the point of view of brand and digital, the room was able to apply the theories to their own sectors within the design industry. It is easy to fall into a assumed pattern when pitching design and overlook the analysis of brief and predicted outcomes that as designers we all do, but don’t always communicate well or quantify as a valuable outcome of the process. The knowledge we gained in invaluable, both to our own company strategy as well as how we can help our clients. I feel a studio shared learning workshop coming on!

      The value of Design

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      At Kaizen Brand Evolution it’s our job to communicate our skills and services eloquently to our clients. Selling a “non-tangible” product makes our jobs harder initially, but much easier upon completion when the work speaks for itself. Our Client Showcase page is our most visited web page, it shows live projects that have seen major success and growth from our approach of comprehensive brand design and strategic thinking. The Client Showcase page gives an understanding of the level of work we undertake daily for clients all over Belfast, Ireland and beyond. Graphic Design is not just about making something pretty, but rather creating elements that will enhance the business function they are working for. Great design should communicate a brand’s personality confidently and coherently. It’s much more than designing a logo. It’s about telling the brand’s story, communicating and engaging directly with your audience to raise the bottom line of their business.

      Our team of experienced and award-winning designers here in Belfast can help you outsmart the competition from small changes in your brand, to complete brand & design packages. If you think your brand requires some design intervention, please get in touch on 028 9507 2007, or studio@kaizenbrandevolution.com to arrange an appointment. Click here to find out more about graphic design Belfast

      Hisssssssss!!! They’re Coming!

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      This week our creative team have been having some fun coming up with campaign ideas to make Sprite as synonymous to St Patrick’s day as Coke is to Christmas. After a brainstorming session that aired ideas across the team we channeled our thinking and agreed on a direction we felt carried weight. The narrative of our concept: It is written that St. Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland, chasing them into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast he was undertaking on top of a hill. It has recently been proven that this legend has a twist (of lemon and Lime)… THEY’RE BACK!!! We built our campaign around the Hisssssssss!!! sound when you open a can or bottle of Sprite, that this sound could save the day by deterring the snakes back from whence they came. This is the perfect opportunity for our team to flex their creative muscles with ideas from ambient flash mob the ‘Worm’ dance offs to 3 sided ring pulls on cans to win cash prizes. Screens in the studio this week are a sea of Green!

      Web Design for Boojum, Belfast, Dublin and Galway

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Ireland’s premier burrito bar and Mexican fast food restaurant Boojum, are firm favourites in the KBE studio. Friday is most definitely a Boojum day, as is Monday and a regular late night. We’re fully fledged #boojumaddicts and proud. When the team behind Boojum engaged us to redevelop their online portal, this was one project we were happy to sink our teeth into.

      Puns aside, Boojum operate across the Island of Ireland, north and south. The brand appeals to such a diverse demographic that we hand to be mindful of this while retaining the charm and character of the brand, that has been crafted over the last 10 years.

      Attention was also paid to the usability of the website both behind desks and on the move. We ensured the site was fully responsive to enable flawless delivery on the move. Web traffic and user experience has increased greatly within the first few months of the launch.

      Relax… you’re almost there

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      The next time you are travelling from Belfast international airport we hope you are well Fed & Watered! Our brief was to inject some soul into the outlet whilst protecting the balance of the customers perception of a high end offering at BIA. Expressing personality and character was key. The name, logo and colour palette was to remain, but our role was to evolve the brand to next level.

      The project was progressed in line with the interior designers vision and also liaising with the signage supplier on materials to meet the clients timelines and budget for the project.

      Firstly, we researched other restaurants to help benchmark the project visually. We created mood boards of materials and layout styles to make sure both designer and client were in agreement on the overall look and feel. Once we were exposed to the architects plans we adapted the mood boards to align the brand.

      This resulted in chosen fonts, colour palettes and textures that informed the menus, signage and printed communication in the outlet. The brand now talks to the customer with humour at each touch point, maintaining a quality standard yet opening dialogue to build a longer lasting relationship with the customer. From a commercial point of view, it was important to visualise the food deals to reduce customer decision time and make the menu more simplistic to increase sales and upsell products.

      The brand assets are solid, and can now be rolled out across other Fed & Watered outlets nationally, strengthening brand confidence and consistency across the portfolio.

      Client Quote from press link

      “Since its conception the brand has gone from strength to strength, with further outlets opening in Exeter Airport and the landmark Obel Building in Belfast. While the brand and the offering have evolved over the past four years, we took the decision earlier this year to execute a more significant brand refresh. The first part of the project was to work with our designers to reconsider the logo and associated corporate livery.” The updated brand assets have future-proofed this part of our business, and will now be rolled out across our other Fed & Watered outlets, thus strengthening brand confidence and consistency across the portfolio,” she added.

      Press Links – http://www.nibusinessnow.co.uk/enhanced-offering-at-fed-watered-takes-off-at-belfast-international/

      http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/ni-business-news/mount-charles-wins-major-international-airport-contract-1-7080977

      http://www.belfastairport.com/blog-news/2015/november/mount-charles-wins-major-contract-at-international-airport

      Ministry of Sound Pitch – CD Cover Design

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Kaizen Brand Evolution were asked to develop design concepts for the release of two of Ministry of Sounds new CD releases – Throwback and the Ibiza Sessions 2015. We designed the concepts from brief and were successfully awarded positioning of the design roster for Ministry of Sound, a global client with extensive reach. CD cover design has always been a sort of Holy Grail in the design industry and working with such a big player in the music industry is a pleasure. Featured are the design concepts supplied by the team at Kaizen Brand Evolution, contemporary, detailed scenes echoing the themes of each CD. The artwork had considerations for small size outlets such as iTunes and other mobile retail outlets, so big type was a must The designs were rolled out across TV advertisements and featured in all of the top music retailers including the big supermarkets. Ministry of Sound are an absolute pleasure to work with, keep an eye out for the Kaizen Brand Evolution stamp of excellence in any of their future releases.

      Boost – St Patrick’s Day

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Boost St Patricks Day Graphic Design

      With Boost Energy Drinks being a market leader in independent retailers across Ireland they approached Kaizen Brand Evolution to develop an advertising campaign to link St Patrick’s Day with Boost. We set out to develop a campaign based around luck. From this idea ‘Boost your luck’ was born. This campaign message has the positive connotations that derive from essence of Boosts Brand, the idea of luck is already set in stone with the Irish Holiday and how do you make the day better? With a Boost of course. The typography and imagery was then designed in the bright green / a change of pace from the blues that are usually associated with Boost, and rolled out across in store printed materials and online campaigns. The success of the campaign has secured Boost Energy Drinks as one of Kaizen Brand Evolution’s top clients.

      Buns on the Run!

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      French Village Bakery Delivery Fleet

      French Village Bakery are expanding their fleet of livery to deliver their tempting treats from the bakery to their Botanic Bistro and across Northern Ireland to their hospitality clients. Our brand team worked on concepts to translate the French Village Bakery style across the vehicles. After a site visit witnessing the bakers at their craft, delicately placing each embellishment by hand, we knew it was important that this art was not lost. The blue striped treatment with logo ribbon holder is a nod to traditional patisserie packaging to communicate the fresh handmade goods that French Village Bakery create daily. It’s subtle placement, not overpowering the vehicle, is the professional feel that the client required when arriving at corporate catering events and weddings. Our senior design Ryan Stanfield visualised and created artwork across a range of vehicle sizes, liaising with the vinyl print and applicator for quality control. We think they look très bon!

      Ooh & Aah Bakery

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Little Treats NI were an established baking company with plans to re-launch a cookie-based company known as ‘Ooh & Aah’. Their tastes for brand direction lay in contemporary French design and with this we pitched 3 brand concepts. The Ooh & Aah brand uses contemporary typography as their mark and is housed in a number of badges and devices across their product range. Clean, minimal and pastille colours were the flavour of the brand and high end baking utensils acted as the backdrop. The owners launched the brand at the Balmoral Show 2015 where we created ambient printed materials showcasing the brand direction and messages. They created custom cookies which were sold in a ‘pizza box’ style packaging all designed in Kaizen Brand Evolution. The success of their products and branding has now led them to commissioning an eCommerce website with Kaizen Brand Evolution where you can select any cookie topping for any cookie occasion. A tasty project that continues to grow with us.

      Bakehouse Belfast – Branding

      Posted on by YBmMqGwLx0

      Bakehouse Belfast approached Kaizen Brand Evolution for a branding project to set them apart as the top B2B supplier of baked goods across Ireland. Already established in some of the countries top hotels they required a fresh brand that would be rolled out across packaging, marketing materials, menus and eventually plans to open a café/patisserie. We pitched 3 contemporary brand directions for the company to which they chose the wheat’ mark with accompanying distressed text logo, echoing the hand made aspect of the business. We designed the packaging for their initial stand alone protein bar using a mix of bold raspberry and mint green colour palette. The brand personality cam in the naming of some of their best selling products, for instance their apple pie was re-named ‘Granny’s hand made apple tart.’ We wanted to use ‘Belfast-ism’s’ for each product and reflect the companies Belfast heritage. All copy going forward would use this approach and set them apart from their competitors.