A Crash Course in Smart Design in Branding

Friends often ask: what makes for good design? How do you make something look cool? Design is something PR pros heavily emphasize, but hardly talk about. The reason being that design is usually something innate that’s hard to put into words. That being said, this is my attempt to put into words the basic elements of design that seem to work best.

Don’t complicate things. Think of your favorite brands. Logos are probably coming to mind. It is amazing what simplicity can do for design, no? The Apple logo, for example, seems quite obvious— it’s an apple. We know it’s an apple, not a tomato, because of the bite mark. But people who are not necessarily design oriented, maybe potential clients, might want to embellish or add detail and color to something that already speaks for itself. As cliché as it may sound: sometimes less really is more. The simple silhouette of an apple creates a more sophisticated, forward thinking look, which is the image that Apple wants to portray. Apple wants consumers to feel like they are sophisticated and forward thinking when they buy or use their products. You’re probably reading this on your MacBook or iPad screen right now—feeling pretty cool, huh? The simplicity and intuitive quality of their products’ design is part of what has made the company such a success.

Say what you mean to say and say it over and over. To go along with simplicity, clarity and consistency are key. In everything you do, be true to your brand and your brand’s voice. If your company’s image is quirky, have a witty voice to go along with it. It’ll help you stand out. Consumers should know as soon as they look at your product or promotional item, like a flyer or even business card, what the message is and who it’s coming from. The more you see a logo, a font or a color, the more you associate it with that brand or product. Burn that logo image into the consumers’ head. Well, not literally, of course. Also, don’t get too font- or color-happy— 3, max, is effective. This fosters brand awareness. After a while, consumers will begin to recognize your logo the way we now recognize the beloved Starbucks logo without “Starbucks Coffee” spelled out around it. Be clear in the messages you relay to your consumers. Copy should be concise. Get to the point, fast. In a world where we might barely skim over a 150-character tweet, we don’t have time to read through dense copy. Know exactly what you’re trying to say and what you’re trying to convince your consumers of. The language should be conversational and easy to understand. It should be visible and legible from a distance. Copy and design go hand-in-hand. White space is good; we like white space. The less copy, the better looking the design will be and the more likely consumers will be to actually stop and look at or, if you’re lucky, actually read it.

Choose the right colors. Black and white is always a classic combination. It creates a striking contrast that’s easy to read. Yellow and black are also eye-catching. Complimentary colors (red and green; blue and orange; yellow and purple) look good, but can irritate the eye if used in copy and make it difficult to read. Red can make for an intense and attractive background. Blue is appealing to most people, but should be avoided for food products or restaurants. It doesn’t do much for our appetites. We like edible colors (When was the last time you had something blue to eat?). Warm colors and green are good. Green can be fresh and cool color choice. It is important to understand basic color psychology because consumers immediately associate colors with certain moods or memories. It’s also important to understand cultural differences when it comes to color and shapes or symbols, whether you’re trying to appeal to a diverse group of young hipsters who are looking for something trendy to do, or a group of older, grumpier immigrant women looking for groceries on their shopping list.

Know where we’re looking.  Our eye is immediately drawn to certain places. One-third down the way of this sheet paper, for example. Repetition, lines and frames can lead our eye in a certain direction. One basic and easy rule of composition is the “Rule of Thirds”. Draw an imaginary tic-tac-toe board on your design and try to place what you want people to focus on in the places where those imaginary lines cross.

The trick is that even if you didn’t get gold stars for your artwork in elementary school, you can still learn the basic principles of good design. Good design is about being smart, and if you’re trying to sell or promote something smart design is important. You know what looks good. So, next time you see something you like, really look at it and ask yourself why it looks good. Why were you drawn to it? And then go download yourself a free month’s trial of InDesign and go bananas.

Street Style: ATX

 

While Texas may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of fashionable places, our state’s capital happens to be one of the hippest cities in country. Cool people flock to Austin for its local food, boutiques, and especially for music festivals like Austin City Limits and SXSW. Just last month Fashion’s Collective tweeted “it’s like Fashion Week’s been transplanted to SXSW” in Austin. Celebrities and socialites like Alexa Chung can be seen strolling downtown and on South Congress. Lucky for me, Austin is only 100 miles away—a mere one and a half hour drive. Although I didn’t get to go to Austin for SXSW, I did go in February to see what the cool people were wearing and scout out potential trends. After incessantly bugging people for their photos and snapping close to a hundred pictures, I narrowed them down to the coolest of the cool and spotted a trend I really haven’t seen noticed anywhere else yet: plastic sunglasses in playful primary colors. Think Jean-Charles de Castelbajac or maybe Jeremy Scott. They don’t have to be wayfarers, but they have to be big. They’re an easy (and potentially inexpensive) way to make a bold statement or add some color to your ensemble. For extra cool points, top it off with a bright-colored hat like a couple of these Austinites have done.

The March Issue Trend Scan: Harper's Bazaar

We all saw, (or at least heard of, I hope) 2009’s The September Issue with infamous Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who exposed the amount of time and work that goes into the September issue, fashion’s biggest magazine. What you may have not learned from the documentary is that March is the second most important issue. Months of preparation and a couple hundred pages of ads go into it— for Harper’s Bazaar, about 15% more ads. Their March issue is exciting for another reason this year: the launch of their redesign. The Harper’s Bazaar makeover includes: an inch more of thicker pages, more white space, new typography and less emphasis on celebrity. It’s the first time the magazine has been revamped in a decade, and its new editorial aesthetic seems to be consistent with the new tailored minimalism we’re seeing on runways.

This season, less is more. This all-encompassing trend includes a color blocking, straight clean lines and silhouettes, smooth and soft fabrics, well tailored and relaxed fits, wide leg pants, vests and even peplum. I know, it sounds like a lot. But it’s really quite simple: more and more we want to be cool, comfortable and able to seamlessly transition from work to play. It seems only logical that our clothes are becoming more and more minimalistic. There is an emphasis on quality in tailoring and fabrics and a strong influence from menswear: especially with all of the vests and wide-leg pants. For a more feminine shape, try peplum. It’s not old fashioned; more subtle modern versions of it are everywhere. It can complement your shape and accentuate your hips, in a good way, of course. For jewelry, think modern art deco and geometric tribal-inspired. Gold, black and jewel-tones against soft simple silhouettes makes for a chic 2012 get-up.

    

The beach is an obvious muse for summer, but it is nevertheless a gorgeous place to go and to emulate through fashion. From the moment I began flipping through the March Harper’s, the sea-inspired trend was evident. Chanel’s ocean foam-like dresses, McQueen’s corals and even the spread with the long, loose ruffled summer dresses reminded me of ocean waves, brilliantly colored coral reefs and, to some extent, the smooth wavy lines of Antonio Gaudi’s “sandcastle” architecture. This trend extends into beauty and accessories, too: deep turquoise blue glitter eye makeup, pearls and mermaid-chic shell clutch purses graced the Harper’s pages. To interpret this trend in a less literal way, you could incorporate coral nail polishes into your look. Try Nars shimmer nail polish in “Orgasm”. Speaking of mani-pedis, now is probably a great time to get one so you can sport some ankle-strap heels. Ankle-strap shoes are one of my favorite trends this season. A thick strap on a chunky heel can add a little femme fatale feel and a thin strap on a pointy-toed Mary Jane can add a feminine touch, which would be either a great contrast with a menswear-inspired ensemble or a nice complement to peplum.

       

Mode of Morocco

From Marrakesh to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

For several curious reasons, I have always been drawn to Morocco—its deep reds, pinks, yellows and blues, its art and architecture, its fashion and even its smell. Funny thing is, I have yet to actually go there. The truth is that since hippies and artists invaded the country (well, mostly just Marrakesh) in the seventies, Marrakech became a trendy and sought-after travel destination and Moroccan culture, or mutations of it, has saturated our own culture.

An early pioneer to take inspiration from this art hub was none other than fashion’s favorite Parisian: Yves Saint Laurent. Although, he is originally from Algeria, it wasn’t until 1966 that he truly discovered the beauty of his North African roots. Yves Saint Laurent moved to Morocco with his partner Pierre Bergé and the two of them fell in love with the place, making the famously beautiful Majorelle Gardens, which is now a tourist site, their home.

Saint Laurent watched these exotic people closely and reworked traditional Moroccan dress like the kaftan, the jellaba, the jabador, the burnous and the tarbouch into new sleek silhouettes in vibrant colors that became his signature. These were unlike traditional kaftans; they were rare and if Moroccans wore them, they were only seen by husbands and covered by jellabas when the women left their homes. Much of Saint Laurent’s henna patterns and rich embroidery is taken from traditional bridal wear, and is symbolic of warding off evil from the bride.

Soon after Saint Laurent visited, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Vogue editors, models and, most notably, designer Jean Paul Gaultier flocked to Marrakech and returned to the West with powerful impressions. Gaultier was quickly sending menswear inspired by Moroccan culture down his runways. The rest of the design world quickly followed and by the 80s, Morocco was a clear reference for many artists and creative types— and continues to be one today.

2009 saw a comeback of 70s-style Moroccan trend, with jabellas, turbans and slouchy silhouettes everywhere from Ralph Lauren to Dries Van Noten. In 2010, Sex and the City 2 was released, and was kind of a bust, but more of an inspirations to fashionistas everywhere—with beautiful scenes from Abu Dhabi, which is not quite Morocco, but has a similar artisan luxury and the same Islamic-inspired design themes. In 2011 Stefano Pilati had model Arizona Muse pose in a 30s style villa for YSL’s Spring advertising campaign. Most recently, Jean Paul Gaultier recreated his Moroccan looks from the 80s in his Spring 2012 collection.

So, how can you get in on this trend and what’s the best way to work a Casablanca-inspired look or stylish caftan into your wardrobe? You need a relaxed silhouette: maybe a silky jumpsuit, beaded dress or embroidered scarf. Be sure you have the right colors: dark red, bright blue or yellow. Extravagant gold or turquoise, almost tribal-looking jewelry is a must. If you’re feeling particularly bold, try a turban.

Rastafashion: Dissecting a Style Tribe

Bob Marley and his reggae music is nothing less than mainstream. His face and message has been immortalized on T-shirts, posters and the like. I own a couple of Bob Marley T-shirts and I didn’t have to go far to find them—just a quick trip to my local Hot Topic or even Target.

We associate Bob Marley with peaceful rebellion and… well, marijuana use. However, for Bob Marley, marijuana was less than a leisure activity—it was a part of his religion. It is used for religious meditation, to heighten the sense of community with each other and God. Among Rastafarians it is commonly referred to as “wisdom weed,” “holy herb” or one of several slang words. Their dialect, known as “lyaric” is a rejection of English, which they consider to be a colonial language. The Rastafari movement, whose followers are best known for their thick, long natty dreadlocks and signature color combination of green, gold, red and black.

We usually think of these as “Jamaican colors”. Although this movement is rooted in Jamaica, these are the colors of the Ethiopian flag as it was during the 1930 reign of King Halle Selassie I, believed to be a reincarnation of God, or “Jah”. Rastafarians commonly refer to Jah as “I and I” to signify the unity and equality of man and the Holy Spirit. Their main source of scripture is the Bible, interpreted in an Afro-Centric way. They believe that their God will save their people from slavery and exile and return them to the holy land Zion, Africa, and more specifically, Ethiopia.

Several proponents of this movement, including Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley have been highly political figures. They revere Jesus Christ, but believe that Europeans of Babylon corrupted his teachings. Thus, they reject abortion and contraception seeing it as a way for Europeans to control the black population.

As part of their religious beliefs, they follow a strict “I-tal” diet, meaning natural and clean, which restricts them from consuming pork, alcohol, milk and coffee, which are impure. In accordance with the Bible, they do not cut their hair and instead allow it to grow long and coil it into dreadlocks.

This is a hairstyle that might look familiar—blonde renditions of it were seen on the 2012 runways of MaxMara and more recently, Chanel. In the last couple of years we’ve seen Chanel Iman sport green, gold and red tie die in a Rastafarian inspired Blumarine collection and Rasta hats on models at Gwen Stefani’s Fall 2011 L.A.M.B. collection and on superstars like Rihanna. She was seen wearing one and carrying a purse with a jeweled marijuana leaf on it.

Although the mainstream public can sometimes misconceive the intentions of the Rastafari movement, it is music moguls like Bob Marley, his sons and even Rihanna, to some extent, who have molded this young, international movement.

Yoko Ono: Music Muse & Style Icon

In 1966 Beatles star John Lennon stepped into Yoko Ono’s art gallery where he met her for the first time. She handed him a note that simply said, “breathe”. From this moment on, this elegantly outrageous woman has inspired so many intellectual, political and creative minds to this day.

Avant-garde artist, musician and peace activist—love her or hate her, you can’t deny the significant influence of Yoko Ono on pop culture today. Her feminist and humanistic influence over music is uncanny. Just as she inspired lover John Lennon to write Imagine, a Beatles favorite, she has inspired fashion in every way from runways to street style for the last four decades.

Although her style has slowly evolved from her 80s shield style Porsche sunglasses to the androgynous, simplistic, well tailored suits she wears today, it is her wildly unkempt hair and floppy 70s hats that has remained her signature and seems to resonate the most with young hipsters of our times. One thing that has remained consistent: her love of hats and all-black, all-white ensembles. Don’t tell me you can’t see the blatant similarities between these paparazzi shots of her with hubbie John Lennon in 1969 and current street style photos.

2011, especially, was an ode to Ono on the runways. The 70s trend was everywhere from Marc Jacobs in New York City to Roberto Cavalli in Milan and this trend is still trickling through mainstream and fast fashion outlets now.

Young successful designers like Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler claim Yoko Ono’s spectacularly long hair and millinery of the sixties and seventies as inspiration for their designs. There seems to be something special about Ono’s restless independent spirit that attracts people to her (Nelson). Similarly, Lady Gaga makes it known that she is highly influenced by Ono, in both her music and fashion. The two controversial artists even performed together in Los Angeles in 2010. That’s right Gaga fans, you have Yoko Ono to thank… partly.

Yoko Ono’s job description extends to so many things, including professional muse (how’d you like to add that to your resume). In 2009 she collaborated with designers from Threeasfour, who happen to be buddies with her son Sean Lennon. For their Spring 2010 collection, they drew prints and the soundtrack from Yoko Ono’s art and music.

In this instance, Ono’s influence on fashion was quite literal. As was her influence over collections from Gucci, Emilio Pucci and even American Apparel. In most cases, however, many of us emulate her style unintentionally, almost as if she has become an integral part of our culture.

Black is Back: Targeting the African American Market

With Obama in the white house, Oprah Winfrey with her OWN network and fabulously gorgeous models like Chanel Iman on the pages of Vogue, it couldn’t be more obvious that companies must realize the incredible presence the African American demographic and the buying power that they have: $1 trillion annually. If Black America was a country, it would rank 17^th largest in the world, just before Australia.

After the 2008 election, African Americans gained significant cultural pride and by seeing more positive image of themselves, became hopeful and more likely to spend money on luxury items to celebrate their accomplishments. Who wouldn’t want to imitate First Lady Michelle Obama, or “Commander in Chic,” as former Essence Magazine editor Mikki Taylor so cleverly put it.

African Americans have much more brand awareness than the average consumer. Women are feeling particularly empowered by success and treating themselves. These women are gatekeepers; they are three times more likely to be head of their household and make buying decisions compared to the general population and are indulging in luxury cars, jewelry, fashion, personal services and technology.

Speaking of technology, 25% of African Americans use Twitter—a very high percentage, higher than any other race in the country. Black America is very digitally connected. They are more likely to own a smartphone, to click on smartphone ads, watch video, use apps and manage their finances on their smartphone. As merchandisers, especially in the South where many African Americans live, this is vital insight that we must take to help us tweet wisely.

Another media outlet that African Americans pay attention to is television. What exactly are they watching? TBS, TNT, VH1 and CNN. These are mainstream channels and because Black America is a mainstream audience, it is important to treat them that way and not over-target. For example, black casting is not enough; characters and models must be culturally relevant and also diverse, since black skin tones, body sizes and hair types are extremely varied. These consumers must be able to see someone with similar characteristics rocking the product before hopping on the bandwagon themselves. Another mistake is when advertisers use urban slang or hip-hop music for unrelated products like food or retail.

So how do we sell retail to this market? Perhaps we should look to current African American fashion icons. As much as I hate to love Tyra Banks, I can’t deny the fact that she is a cultural icon and even a household name, along with other black models like Alek Wek. And this market is not restricted to women’s wear. One of my favorite street style blogs, Street Etiquette, features two style savvy black men living in New York: Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs. Another one of my favorites, rapper Kanye West recently launched his own (unfortunately underwhelming) fashion line. And although it was not well received, it is an understatement to say that high fashion is taking cues from mainstream African American musicians like him and his “Watch the Throne” counterpart Jay-Z and wife Beyoncé.

Shuttle Stop Street Style

What I absolutely admire about Denola is that he is constantly breaking the rules of what we college students have deemed to be a socially acceptable dress code (casual T-shirts and Nike shorts). My mother always told me it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed, but on days like today when I have exams and a million things to worry about, fashion is not my number one priority. 

Denola, on the other hand, doesn’t dress a day without a bow tie or blazer for me to gush over. Not to mention, he is quite confidently rocking those red jeans, which seem to be a red hot trend right now. One thing he’s wearing that I haven’t really seen anywhere else lately is those John Lennon-esque round sunglasses. Don’t know if I’d be able to pull them off but he is definitely making them look good! Lastly, I must credit his bags– YSL gym bag and Kenneth Cole messenger.

See this post on PresiOsoForecasting.com

Echo Deco

Flapper fashion of the 1920s was all about glitz and glamour and this fabulous decade is back on the runways, ladies, so hike up your hemlines to just above the knee. The 20s saw a feeling of freedom; both attitudes and silhouettes were loose and women took fashion inspiration from Hollywood film. Style was simple, sexy and romantic all at once.

After seeing Marion Cotillard’s free-spirited character in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and stills of Carey Mulligan clad in Ashley Olsen’s diamond Tiffany & Co. dress from the set of 2012’s The Great Gatsby, it was no surprise when Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2012 runway was an ode to the infamously decadent Gatsby character Daisy Buchanan.

Drapey drop-waist dresses, bare arms, cutaway tops, beads and fringes were all the roar at several runway shows, including Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Alberta Ferretti, Etro, Marni and Chloe. And it’s not just dresses, the revival of the jazz age is bringing art deco with it— stylish skyscraper heels and bold graphic accessories are showing up on the streets too.

Perhaps recent economic pick-up has us feeling fabulous or maybe female rapper Azealia Banks’ uncensored style is bringing on another Harlem renaissance. Either way, it’s time to lose those holiday hips and slip into something sleek and ever so 20s chic!