Monthly Archive for December, 2008

IKEA’s Philosophy

Published on 2008-12-18 in Communication, Design, Interior and Product. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .


Speaking of “IKEA”, what does that you remind of? This is the general image that is a huge North European home furnishing store that sells reasonable and sophisticated designed furniture, and the image that many people hold would be that logo and large building colored only blue and yellow. The company has been using the colors to get publicity for their identity because the colors represent the Swedish flag and IKEA originated as a small variety store in the country. The founder Ingvar Kamprad was only 17 at that time and lived on a farm named Elmtaryd in Agunnaryd, and is now over 80, yet he still supports the company. The name IKEA is an abbreviation of “Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd”. Now the company has become the biggest chain furniture shop in the world, which has 278 stores in 36 countries. It has been expanding their business into the world and also it is one of the few store chains located in Israel and in other Middle Eastern nations.



IKEA safeguards their basic business idea, “Democratic Design” that means “to create a better everyday life for people”. That is evident in their product’s design and low prices. Is there any company that highlights their prices with more confidence than IKEA? Their advertisements include posters, commercials(see one example)and magazine, is very simply designed with only numbers representing prices and an interesting image. Other information about products such as size, colors and specific benefits to attract consumers, is totally eliminated from their ads. Looking at their way to display, the most noticeable things are signs displaying prices. Although general’s shop would try to display products by using lights and flowers, etc, to make them look as beautiful as possible, IKEA never does that. This is because they think it is wasteful spending and above all, they have big pride and confidence in their high quality products with and they seem to be aware people know that. IKEA does several things to sell at as low prices as possible. First of all, they decide on a price first before they design a new product although it is an uncommon way. Secondly, they try to cut labor costs, so consumers have got to serve themselves at IKEA shops, there are no service clerks to carry baggage for customers. Therefore all products of IKEA are packaged compactly and are RTA (ready to assemble). In fact, IKEA failed in one venture in Japan because of their lack of service. However, it is popular in Japan now.



IKEA’s concept is shown in the design of their products as well, which are designed simply to be able to suit any type of room. The atmosphere created by colors and materials of their products; blond woods, natural clothing, paintless finishing, would be warm and refreshing. This is related to the climate in Sweden, which is somber all the year round, and they need to create a mood like the sunlight comes into their house. As for IKEA’s designers, they are required many things, not only to design products with good function and visual but also to think about the environment. Products they design are able to be flat and stack in order to reduce the mount of package to transport and the number of tracks that eliminate carbon dioxide.

Thus, IKEA’s business basic idea “Democratic Design” applies to all sides from people’s lives to world environmental problems. Behind this background is that they have searched for best life style of Swedish people who living in harsh weather and natural environments. This would be only one reason IKEA has engaged people’s hearts and minds and been accepted by many people in the world. IKEA wasn’t accepted in Japan, but it actually become popular now. This would be because Japanese people could understand the true meaning of “Democratic” of their policy through their way thinking about costumers seriously. IKEA would much more reach Japan in the future.

HONDA SPIRITS

Published on 2008-12-18 in Communication. 0 Comments

History

HONDA was started in 1946 in Shizuoka, Japan. The founder was Souichiro Honda. Company name is origin by the founder name. HONDA is known as a car and motorbike company but they make airplanes, farmer’s goods and ships. HONDA spreads out to sells parts to abroad form early time. HONDA started to spread to the world in early time. They are unfolding to 53 countries now.

The LOGO


HONDA logo is a swing. The wing logo history was started from 1948. They used Nike Liberty image for motorcycle emblem and company’s in-house magazine. The founder was obsessive about HONDA company image “launching out into the world”. Their logo has changed many times. It was drawn Nike body and wing detail in early logo. The wing logo was decided as a corporate logo mark formally in 1968. Present wing mark that was unification in 1988 which year was anniversary 40 years from HONDA was established. There were many type of wing mark until 1988.

The color

Red is the corporate color of HONDA. When HONDA participated in F1, the car have to be painted a national color; Honda wanted to be painted gold, but it was already used the other country so they chose white but white was used by Germany so they decided to panit national flag color. And the founder; Souichiro Honda, he love red.

The products


HONDA makes a lot of kind of products from airplane to small goods. I would like to focus to motorbikes. HONDA makes scooters such as super cub to motorcycle. They make many various motorcycles. Their motorcycle characteristic point that is wind flow feeling design like their logo; wing.


The advertisement


Their motorcycle advertisements are make difference by their targets. We can understand they take care of their targets. It can to say their products, for example crea scoopy is obviously their target girls so they choose soft colors and girl image for their image for website. They cast popular teenage stars for their TV commercial.

On the other hand their target is man who love motorcycles that engine displacement is over750cc. They don’t use human models, they only use their products photo. They used one point color with red for this kind of target from early time.


The uniform


HONDA sales lady wear white uniform that have gold Honda logo on left plastron.

Their uniform was renewal in 2005. HONDA products are using black and strong color so their white simple uniform stand out in shop. It is made two parts, skirt and blouse. Their uniform is all white from high heel to blouse but scarf is green. The uniform can see only welcome plaza in Aoyama Tokyo.

Shinichiro Arakawa who is fashion designer, he collaboration with HONDA. He designs for daily wear and HRC formal uniform in 2002. H-FREE that is HONDA apparel shop was renewal in 2007. He produced this shop. He participated to make campaign poster “Do you have a HONDA?” Although his design was used HONDA color red, black and white.


The interior


This is 2007 Tokyo motor show HONDA booth. This was made by Tansei display. It was thought to stand out from far because motor show is taken place other brands. We can understand HONDA booth due to contrast red and white. The booth was wide space to see that was easy to enter into this booth and if this part crowd, we can see comfortably. Their motorcycles were displayed on higher than our standing place. We can see easier because that is

Unique Corporate Identity

Published on 2008-12-18 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

TELUS Corporation is a one of the leading telecommunication companies in Canada, which provides a full range of communications products and services including telephone, television and Internet service provider. Telus Communication, origin of TELUS, was established in 1990 in Alberta. The name TELUS is created from combining “telecommunications” and “university”. It was fully founded in 1999 with the merger of two telephone operating companies: Telus in Alberta and BCTel in British Columbia. Since, then it became a second largest telecommunication company with a 22% market share within six weeks in Canada. It was succeed because of the designers were intelligent enough to make the company proper identities through logo, and advertising campaign. Indeed, we are exposed to a number of advertisements everyday; one estimation has reached to the number of 3,000. It seems like numerous, but how many of them actually stay in your mind?

Lippincott, worldwide branding firm, was assigned to redesign TELUS branding. At this time, the image of the company was old-fashioned, slow-moving, and governmental, which were not intended of TELUS. Lippincott was called for to innovate those old images. Moreover, their goal was to be seen as open, accessible, responsive, dynamic, trusted, and uniquely Albertan. TELUS’s new corporate identity was used in all signs, uniforms, vehicles, and advertising materials to communicate its unified image and that huge exposure improved its awareness. TELUS was just recognized by 10% of Alberta residents in 1996. However, with Lippincott’s efforts the reorganization increased up to 60% within just 6 weeks.

The fundamental element of creating corporate identity is a logo, which tells many things. The typeface of the TELIS logo is Neue Helvetica that provides modern and forward looking. It is colored in green and blue most of the time. Those are both cool colors in which shows the company’s trustfulness. Furthermore, both of colors are representing richness of natural environment in Alberta. The logo are used often as it is, however, sometimes a short line follows right after. The Slogan “the future is friendly” is used in their TV commercial as well as in other media, which is fairly easy to read and remember, also the slogan tells us their main goal: friendliness.

Now, let’s look at the commercial. In 1999, TAXI Canada Inc., an advertisement and design firm in Toronto, started this series of advertisement using vibrantly colored animals on white background with light weighted blue text. Many kind of animals appeared since then. Started with red-eyed tree flog leaping free of a jar. TELUS continued this campaign for 9 years and that proves how influential the campaign is. They’ve appointed many kind of animals such as: lizard, hippopotamus, parrot, chameleon, peacock, piglet, turtle, lady bug, flamingo, tropical fish, and so on. All works are consistently renewed in prints and web advertisements. Practically, it is everywhere. For example, on the local busses, inside of malls, and on their working van. The advertisements are exposed to numerals of people. The colorful animals and white backland is already became identity of TELUS.


There is one more identical element for TELUS, colors. They use their logo colors, blue and green, constantly in every related objects. Interior of retail shop show that distinctly. The pictures above are TELUS Mobility’s flagship store. It is located in stylish urban venue in Toronto. Clean and sophisticated atmosphere is created with vibrant hues and transparent materials to attract shoppers. Shoppers can try out the mobile phone at the white bar counter along the perimeter wall in privacy. Moreover, there are sofa and lounge table inside of the store where customer can await comfortably. These facts are creating inviting and friendly image of the company. Fine photograph of flower is printed on wall hugely, which is another signature of TELUS. Combining nature source and artificial materials like acrylic is very like TELUS advertisement campaign so people can tell that store is TELUS immediately.

TELUS is very active with social events. They have supported many sports events such as TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler, BC and they also sponsored the construction of Telus Park at Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna as well as Big White and Lake Louise Mountain Resort in Banff in 2007. Since, winter sports are so common in Canada supporting these sports give people positive image and relationship into their daily life. In addition to that TELUS also sponsors a minor league baseball stadium in Edmonton, and Crankwoex mountain bike festival. Furthermore, they also donate over $8 million to each Science World in Vancouver, Calgary Science Centre and Odyssium in Edmonton. All of them are now renamed as TELUS World of Science.


Lippincott and TAXI were very successful to communicate their company image through their logo and advertisements that appears in products, services, posters, TV commercials and every other media of advertising, and corporate culture. TELUS succeeded to have concrete image for the company as well as their products and service they provide.

Pizza Hut

Published on 2008-12-15 in Design and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The shop story began in 1958; it is located in Kansas at the Wichita State University Campus. The shop was founded by Frank and Dan Carney, 2 brothers who studied at the university. They borrowed $600 from their mother and opened the small pizza shop. The shop is still functional in Wichita, Kansas. The first pizza shop roof was red and symmetrical. The small shop has a small signboard, so they could only use eight letters. They decided “Pizza (five letters)” and “Hut (three letters)”. The company name came from “Hut” =small house, but sometimes people mistook it to be understands “Hat”; it’s a funny story. Now the company became franchise chain Yum! Brands, Inc., ( http://www.yum.com/ ). The company included these shops, KFC, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The chain is spread over 100 countries, and manages over 34,000 shops in the world.


Their motto is use safe ingredient to create handmade pizzas. They want to delivery “Yum! ” = smiling face. Their basis of activity is “FHH&H”= which means Fresh, Healthy, Handmade, Hospitality. Each shop’s pizza dough is made from flour, and baked. They also made with special attention to the fresh ingredients. Their business center is a delivery service, so they great care to cordial hospitality to customer.


The first logotype used roman type and red color on the mark, because their shop roof was red. So, the logotype represents their cozy shop. The logotype was designed by Landor associates  http://www.landor.com/). Now they have changed logotype, and use a freehand font and add a yellow line and green dot part of the letter.



The company advertisement created BBDO  http://www.bbdo.com/worldwide) an advertising agency. The print was funny and the catch phrase is “Hate late?” it’s about Pizza Hut delivery service.


Pizza Hut put on logo mark every media, menu, packaging, delivery vehicle. These things used red and black color, the colors are trademark the company.

Pizza hut took part in some activities. One is the “MOTTAINAI” movement  http://www.mottainai.info/english/). The movement grapples with the “3R, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They approved of MOTTAINAI movement. A part of the activities, they created wrapping cloth the earnings donated tree planting activities it called “Greenbelt movement”. Also they created gardening set used by dam soil. The soil deteriorated impoundment power, so we had to dispose of the soil. They wanted to use the soil effectively, so they made the kit. One more thing, the company participated in “World Hunger Relief Week”. They collect fund-raising and the money is contributed to WFP  http://www.wfp.org/english/ ).


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