Corporate Identity

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Package Design Firm

In “Key Considerations When Vetting Your Strategic Partner,” we determined how you should vet your strategic design agency by exploring the three tiers of strategic requirements. Design Thinking Strategy, focused primarily on how to link the package design to underlying, unrealized opportunities in the marketplace. Brand Strategy includes a wide range of strategic tools, from positioning, […]

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How to Simplify the Banking Experience for Customers

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

With so much access to information these days, decisions can be hard. We are all generally more informed, but there are also more options to consider, opinions to hear, and claims to be validated. Simplification can help address this issue, and many industries have leveraged it in their branding and business strategies in order to

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How to Foster a Strong Retail Brand Culture

Corporate Identity / Sebastian Maynard

Great retail brands such as Starbucks, Apple, Harley Davidson and Zappos have prospered by effectively aligning their internal corporate culture with the needs of their most loyal customers. A strong culture ensures that every brand representative the customer interacts with, over the phone, in person or online, is consistently delivering cultural values that are aligned

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Worksheet: Benchmark Marketing for Banks (and How to Use It)

Leave a Comment / Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

The banking industry is in an era of tumultuous change to say the least. It makes logical sense to look at your competitors, but what exactly are you looking for? Knowing how to mitigate the risk and optimize the return on investment for such huge initiatives requires a lot of background work from the start,

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New Visual Identity for Chinese University

Jean-Pierre Lacroix

On September 28, 2018, SLD hosted a successful training session in China, outlining the new visual identity for the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University. Led by Teddy Ma, Managing Director at SLD, the training session for Tsinghua PBCSF employees highlighted the three aspects of the recently launched project, including the purpose of the upgrade, design

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Creating an Ethical Branding Strategy that Matters to Consumers

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

Is your brand ethical? Does it have a cause or purpose that its people truly believe in and are committed to? Or are its initiatives primarily marketing techniques? In recent years, many brands have had to assess their ethics and impacts on society as customers demand more transparency, and become increasingly concerned about environmental, political,

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Four Strategies for Creating a Compelling Brand Story Villain

Leave a Comment / Brand Engagement / Sebastian Maynard

Who doesn’t love a great bad guy? As brands embrace storytelling, it’s important to define the villain who is vanquished by the product or service you provide. In this white paper we explore how brands are using the idea of the villain and some key tips on how to leverage this character for your brand.

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Which Type of Design Research Should You Use?

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

So, you are ready to introduce a new design for your brand. It looks modern and appealing, and you think it will create a strong impact. But how can you be sure that your customers feel the same way and that this design resonates with them? Reflecting on how you, or your agency, developed and

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Five Important Factors in Achieving Brand Authenticity

Retail / Sebastian Maynard

The importance of brand authenticity came to the forefront more than ten years ago when demographers started to raise awareness of the buying power of Millennials. With the failure of banks in 2008, and many corporate scandals making the headlines, it’s not surprising Millennials were looking for brands that were authentic and approachable. The Mirriam-Webster

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Branch Formats and Archetypes for the Future

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

Banks are transforming their branches at an unprecedented rate – but will they get it right? Given the enormous amount of time and resources these projects require, it is critical that they be carefully considered as more than just an aesthetic update. New branch formats are emerging based on the idea that expedience is what

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Renovate or Relocate? Six Things to Consider

Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

Retailers and food operators are finding it harder to find new locations with strong growth potential, as much of the population growth is happening in congested urban centers, and the majority of great locations are already occupied. This phenomenon is not limited to North America, as many countries have too many stores, and are seeing

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Is Your Business Targeting the Right Personas?

Leave a Comment / Retail / Sebastian Maynard

The importance of customer personas is becoming increasingly recognized as personalization becomes more possible, and specificity wins sales. But how exactly do you develop customer personas, and how detailed should they be? In this whitepaper we describe the process of developing personas and explain how to communicate them to your team. Fill out the form

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How to Convert Customers into Brand Ambassadors

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

In my book, Desire by Design, I cover in great length the power of fans in driving desire for brands. What I have learned over the many years of helping brands remain relevant is the fact that for any brand, whether it’s toothpaste or a new high-end car, having brand ambassadors promoting your product is

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Creating Customer Personas for Banks

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

There is a growing realization amongst financial institutions that the one-size-fits-all approach is coming to an end, and the importance of defining customers beyond conventional criteria is now paramount. One way to do this is by developing customer personas. This allows for more focused marketing and merchandising, and also ensures that all efforts are targeting the ideal

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Emerging Industry Disruption Trends and New Business Models

Retail / Sebastian Maynard

Every industry, from trucking to healthcare, is being disrupted by non-traditional competitors, or by direct competitors that have reinvented their business model. To ensure relevancy, it is critical to create effective strategies and to understand the driving factors fuelling this disruption. Disruption happens in two different varieties, each driven by specific dynamics in the marketplace.

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Four Disruptive Trends that Will Threaten Your Brand’s Relevancy

Leave a Comment / Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

Disruptive forces have been causing chaos in virtually every industry, and the retail world has been staggering to catch up. Some brands are ahead of the curve, innovating and growing while others still have some work to do. In this whitepaper we will explore some trends that are challenging current value propositions in order of

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Defining Your Bank’s Personality with the Big Five

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

When we meet someone new, their appearance, voice, and behavior quickly form our first impressions. As we interact more with that person, their traits and flaws become clearer. So, if your bank was a person, who would it be? This anthropomorphic question can help clarify your brand identity. It can also help your customers relate

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Packaging Design: Why Typography Matters For Branding Success

Packaging Design / Sebastian Maynard

Consumers may find it difficult to navigate the aisles of a grocery store, and trying to find the right product may feel like a game of Where’s Waldo? Consumer purchasing decisions are frequently influenced not by the name of the brand or the price of the product, but by the packaging in which the product

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Why Retail Brands Need Cross-Functional Thinking

Leave a Comment / Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

Your product is not your product anymore. Your brand experience is the real product you are selling. The good or service your customers pay for makes up one part of that experience – but increasingly, what makes a brand stand out is something quite different. An immersive experience is one that wows customers and at

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The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

For many years, banks have contributed to established charities, sponsored artistic events and institutions and, in many cases, created their own foundations or charities. However, Millennial and Generation Z consumers are less likely than previous generations to view these efforts as being authentic, and they may have a point. These contributions, many of which come with tax benefits and

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Questions to Ask When Hiring a Package Design Firm

How to Simplify the Banking Experience for Customers

How to Foster a Strong Retail Brand Culture

Worksheet: Benchmark Marketing for Banks (and How to Use It)

New Visual Identity for Chinese University

Creating an Ethical Branding Strategy that Matters to Consumers

Four Strategies for Creating a Compelling Brand Story Villain

Which Type of Design Research Should You Use?

Five Important Factors in Achieving Brand Authenticity

Branch Formats and Archetypes for the Future

Renovate or Relocate? Six Things to Consider

Is Your Business Targeting the Right Personas?

How to Convert Customers into Brand Ambassadors

Creating Customer Personas for Banks

Emerging Industry Disruption Trends and New Business Models

Four Disruptive Trends that Will Threaten Your Brand’s Relevancy

Defining Your Bank’s Personality with the Big Five

Packaging Design: Why Typography Matters For Branding Success

Why Retail Brands Need Cross-Functional Thinking

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