BEDC Mayor's Lunch Poster designed by Clover Road.

If you are interested in finding out more about this great event, click here to go to BEDC’s website.

Your Branding, Design and Marketing

If you have a need for branding, graphic design or marketing, let’s connect. I understand that you want a creative agency that takes the time to listen to you and provide you with creative solutions that help you stand out from competitors and stand out to prospects.

If you enjoy…

• Peace of mind knowing that you can relax and not feel like you have to provide all the solutions to get the job done right
• Standing out from the crowd, having comfort in knowing that your specific industries’ concerns will be addressed
• The ability to budget accurately and concisely, knowing that the price quoted is the price you are paying

Then we need to talk. Thank you.

Ciao,
Robert Scozzari RGD

Caroline Family Health Team is a state-of-the art, full-service family medical facility. They have recently moved into a remarkable space and now require new branding and signage.

Ciao,
Robert Scozzari

Ahh Toyota.

Now that’s a branding nightmare. Amongst other nightmares. In the middle of the biggest automobile recall in history and one of the biggest branding wounds in history, Toyota is going to have to do some serious repair work to it’s brand. Luckily for them, prior to this mess they got themselves in, they had one of the strongest brands in the world with some of the highest customer satisfaction rates of any company. So I have one question in all of this that I have not seen anywhere else: Where is Lexus going to be in all of this?

You see, Lexus is owned by Toyota. It is their luxury line of automobiles. But Toyota does something unique that specifically becomes beneficial in a time like this.

Toyota and Lexus are sibling brands. Two brands that share common parents, but have their own unique characteristics. If you did not have prior knowledge of Lexus being owned by Toyota, there is no way to discover that relationship by looking at the brands. There is no indication of the Toyota brand at the Lexus site and as far as most Lexus owners believe, they are two separate companies.

Toyota could have easily called their luxury line of autos Toyota Lux or Toyota Tops. But they didn’t. Lexus now, is in a very fortunate situation. Luckily for them, their brand is going to hold up quite well in this situation. Now, does that mean that sales are not going to decrease fro Lexus? It’s too soon to tell. But it does mean that there is going to be much less brand repair to the Lexus line than there will be to the Toyota line.

What this means for you, the business owner and marketer:

Most business owners and marketers are inclined to name all sub-brands with an inclusion of the parent brand name. But that’s not always the best situation. By separating the brands, the two brands can co-exist without confusing and diluting the other brand, especially if they serve two different markets. I believe the Lexus name will save Toyota millions of dollars in brand repair, only because the brands are separated.

If your business includes sub-brands, I’d love to help you to determine a branding strategy that works best for you and your business.

What do you think?

Are you a Toyota or a Lexus owner? What do you think about the Lexus brand? Do you think they will suffer as a result of the Toyota fiasco? Let me know, leave a comment below.

Ciao,
Robert Scozzari RGD

This new partnership is exciting as Clover Road has the opportunity to contribute to the economic development of Burlington Ontario.

Ciao,
Robert Scozzari RGD

2012 Olympic Logo caused much controversy

The 2014 Winter Olympics has officially revealed it’s new logo recently. The new logotype is a very simple, easy to read and identify. I have to be honest, I’m not blown away by it. I do think the play with the “hi” and the “14″ is interesting. To be honest, I think its far too safe. I think they are trying desperately to not stir the pot after 2012 logo caused so much controversy.

Here is a close up of the new 2014 Olympic Logo…

What do you think? Let me know.

Ciao,

Robert Scozzari RGD

Something that’s important to Clover Road and I know is important to my clients is creating brands and specifically design collateral that is at peace with the environment. Now, I’m not going to start a debate on global warming, but I am going to talk about providing products and marketing collateral that does not pollute the Earth even further and uses as few chemicals as possible.

I love paper products. I love receiving and holding a well designed promotional item. I especially love designing them. I believe it leaves a lasting impression. While digital is great, and it has it’s place. Good old fashioned analogue printed collateral goes a long way. Paper selection is a vital component to the impact of your printed item. It also has a huge impact on your brand positioning. Different papers say different things.

A part of the paper selection is choosing a paper content with the right amount of recycled fibers. When you select paper for your print collateral, if you are interested in making sure that you are choosing the right paper, I have created a little guide to let you know what is what.

Two types of fibers.

There are two types of paper fibers, virgin fibers and recycled fibers. Virgin fibers are paper fibers that come from wood chips that have been chemically treated and reduced to fibers. Papers made from virgin fibers use the most resources and cut down the most trees. Recycled Fibers on the other hand are created from recycled papers. There are two types of recycled fibers.

Two types of recycled fibers.

Recycled fibers can be broken down into two categories as well. Pre-consumer waste and Post-consumer waste. Pre-consumer is paper fibers which have not made it to the consumer. Often times this is paper that is on the cutting floor of the paper mill. Post-consumer waste is paper that has been delivered to the consumer and then recycled in a typical recycling program that you would have in your neighborhood with your blue box.

Finding the right balance.

Now the key to selection of the recycled content is finding the right balance that gives the look and feel that you are looking for, that reduces the impact of your business on the environment. If you are interested in ensuring that your next round of print collateral is as light on the environment as possible, let me know. I can show you diferent paper samples and swatches. We can work out a plan that fits in with your organization’s eco-policies.

Ciao,

Robert Scozzari RGD

Well, that’s what Kraft did with a new, more spreadable version of it’s famous Vegemite. Boy, did things go wrong. I myself, have never had the pleasure of Vegemite on toast. Nor am I sure if I ever would want to. But if I were to ever find myself on a vacation in the friendly Australia, perhaps I would at least give it a try.

So here is what happened. They held this contest to name a new version of Vegemite. This new version of Vegemite is more spreadable as it is mixed with cream cheese. The contest happened. Can you guess what the winning name was? This was a name that was chosen by the fans and voted as the number one name.

The name was, “iSnack 2.0″

Wow, that name sure sucked. Mmmmm… Lets have some toast with iSnack two point-oh-on it. Yea, it bombed. The Australian media and press and blogosphere had a Field-day with it. Eventually Kraft rolled back the brand and started the whole process all over again, and rightfully so.

So what happened the second time around? The second time, I think they got it a bit better. After the epic fail, they finaly came up with a new name.

Vegemite Cheesybite

Now that, is a great name. You don’t get a more descriptive and easy to remember name than that. Well, OK, it’s better than iSnack 2.0.

what does a business owner need to learn from this?

Well for one, It’s not always a good idea to run a contest to get cheap creative work, while it may get you some publicity, you are trusting the fate or your business and brand in the hands of people who do not have a full scope if what is involved. This little adventure from Kraft, probably cost the company a few millions. I always recommend hiring a professional that is experienced in what you need, whether that’s naming a product or creating a poster or what-ever you may need.

Take a look at these businesses and if you are looking for someone good and reliable, let me know and I’ll hook you up. If you are missing from this list, my apologies, send me a note or leave a comment.

• Book Keeping/Accounting
• Business Law
• Chiropractor
• Commercial Real Estate
• Electrical Solutions for Events
• Florist
• General Contractor
• Global Shipping and Logistics
• In-Home Medical Service
• Life, Health and Disability Insurance
• Mortgage Broker
• Publishing
• Residential Real Estate Sales
• Sign Making
• Tax Accountant
• Travel Consultant
• Virtual Assistant

Thanks,
Robert Scozzari

Old Williams Coffee Pub

New Williams Fresh Cafe

For those of you that are not familiar, Williams is a local cafe and eatery. I think their greatest asset is the free internet that they offer. This has allowed them to become the local meeting place for business folk all around. If you were to go into any Williams during work hours, you are always going to find countless laptops opened and numerous meetings taking place. The old branding and positioning was focussed around the cafe experience. It was important and a good strategy ten years ago, but that time has passed.

Lately, I’ve noticed that the food selections have been getting better, and healthier. Just the other day, I had a lunch meeting at Williams and enjoyed an excellent Minestrone Soup and California Salad. They were both excellent and I would eat there again anytime.

Focussed on being a coffee pub, they were fighting with Starbucks and Tim Hortons, with coffee which was mediocre at best, that wasn’t a battle that they could win.

With the rebranding and repositioning, it looks like they want to be known as a healthy food choice as well as a great place to sit and meet friends. Overall, I think the new repositioning is fantastic and believe it will help them to grow.

They should have called me first

Overall, I like the new look and the new positioning. I think it’s clean and refreshing, which serves them very well if they want to now be know for fresh and healthy food. I have one critique however. That leaf that blends into the word “Fresh”. Its too… too clip art. It does not serve well as an icon that only Williams can use. If you were to separate the leaf and put it beside the millions of other green leaves that are in logos all over the world, would it stand out as being Williams’ leaf? I don’t think so. Unfortunately, I think that leaves them with an icon that is totally dependent on being a part of the entire logo to be identified as Williams.

Had they created an icon that was theirs and theirs only, it would have been better for them. Look at other food chains, McDonalds’ golden arches or East Side Mario’s Statue of Liberty with the Tomato. When you see those icons, there is no disputing where they belong. Williams could have benefitted with something a bit more unique. But they didn’t call me, so all I can do is blog about it.

What do you think?

Do you like the new rebranding and positioning ? Do you like the new logo? Let me know.

Ciao

Millcroft Vs. Michaels logo

Recently, I was driving to go visit a client. My eye was caught by a logo on a sign for a local golf club, Millcroft Golf and Country club. So I gracefully stopped my car and snapped this photo. What caught my eye was not what it was, but what it wasn’t. You see, for a split second, I thought I was looking at a sign for the retailer Michaels Arts and Craft store.

Now, as you look at the two signs below, it’s obvious why, for a split second, I thought I was looking at Michaels. The two fonts are very similar. The colours are identical. The word length are similar. The shape of the word is similar. The footprint is similar. The only way to diferentiate the two logos, is to read them.

What, read them. Duh. You may be thinking, that’s enought to diferntiate them, isn’t it? After all, they say two diferent things. One says Millcroft and the other says Michaels. What’s your problem Rob?

Oh, wait, let me add in, that the Micheals logo you see above, has actually been redesigned, here is the new logo.

The redesign for Micheals kind of helps the situation a bit. But only for Michaels, not Millcroft. Let’s not forget though, in case you didn’t know, that Michaels has also been very slow to change the store fronts to the new logo. So the old one is still fresh in people’s minds.

You see, people don’t read logos. At the blink of an eye, eyes observe the shapes, convert them into electrical data, the brain reads this data, references it’s huge database of other brands, symbols, shapes and makes it’s best attempt to identify the item being observed. This happens in a split second as 99% of the viewers are driving past at 90Km/h. In this case, and I beleive most cases, this logo will be identified as Michaels.

You may be wondering, who has the problem? Millcroft or Michaels? Well, I think it’s Millcroft that has the branding problem. And here is why…

• Michaels is a very large chain retailer. – A logo should never look similar to a highly recognized chain store’s logo.
• Michaels’ old logo is still very recognized. I’m not sure who exactly was here first, but the Michaels version carries more recognition, hands down.
• The font itself is a non modified type treatment. It’s always a very bad idea to simply use a word, typed out in a font that anyone can purchase and use for their logo. It results in other similar logos that are very easy to duplicate
• The colour of the logo is generic. Nothing stands out about his logo
• Nothing of the Millcroft brand identity diferentiates itself from anything, let alone other golf clubs. A logo identity should be the face of what diferentiates you from your competitors
• This sign looks like a retail store, not a golf club

Moral # 1 of the story is never ever have a logo that is only text from a font that anyone can use.
Moral # 2 of the story is if your logo looks too much like another more recognized brand, change yours

My personal feelings are that if Millcroft were to improve it’s brand/logo identity and communicate what makes it different from other golf clubs, it would greatly improve it’s annual revenue. They should be able to position themselves to be one of the leading clubs in the area.

Ciao,
Robert Scozzari