Caricature of the day | An ophthalmologist who needs an eye exam

Evidently this ophthalmologist isn’t using the right glasses to see the real problems in his country. Caricature by Jean Gouders in Cartoon Movement

Inspiration: Lebanon Spring Blog

Quotes + Thoughts | Einstein on nurturing and sustaining an inquisitive mind

“I have no special talents. I am passionately curious.”  

~ Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)

Quotes + Thoughts | On Life [1]

“Life is really short. Your time here is finite and your days are calculated. Live it up! Travel more, travel often, getting lost is the best way to find yourself. Dream. Everything that’s real today was a dream yesterday. Explore new places. Fail often, fail fast. Create memories. Meet new people. Write your story.  Live a fast paced life but don’t forget to pause and reflect every now and then. Have fun. Money is the root of (almost) all evil good so make lots of money. Don’t judge anyone. Savor every bite. Appreciate differences, this world would be a boring place without them. Taste is the most captivating sense of all. Cherish every meal. Be aware of what’s happening around you. Love is the purest form of all emotions. Love completely, genuinely, and honestly. Change is the only constant in life, embrace it with open arms. Zoom out often, a different perspective will help.”  

~ The Maddiction Manifesto

Inspiration: Maddiction

Quotes + Thoughts | On empowered citizens

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  

~ Margaret Mead – American cultural
anthropologist (1901 – 1978)

Inspiration: Collective Good

The Circular Economy – giving businesses something good to think about…

The Circular Economy 100 is an initiative from the US-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation which a global platform bringing together leading companies, emerging innovators and regions to accelerate the transition to a circular economy over a 1000-day (3 year) period.

The Circular Economy 100 aims to provide members with privileged access to a range of academic and practical tools, leveraging the Foundation’s existing knowledge base, education assets, ongoing research efforts and insight into other companies’ experience and learning from case studies.

To find out more about the Circular Economy 100 with information on how to apply:
http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.o­rg/business/ce100

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation believes that the circular economy provides a coherent framework for systems level re-design and as such offers us an opportunity to harness innovation and creativity to enable a positive, restorative economy.

Here you will find a series of articles to help familiarise yourself with the circular economy model, its principles, related schools of thought, and an overview of circular economy news from around the world…

The linear ‘take, make, dispose’ model relies on large quantities of easily accessible resources and energy, and as such is increasingly unfit for the reality in which it operates. Working towards efficiency—a reduction of resources and fossil energy consumed per unit of manufacturing output—will not alter the finite nature of their stocks but can only delay the inevitable. A change of the entire operating system seems necessary

There’s a world of opportunity to re-think and re-design the way we make stuff.

‘Re-Thinking Progress’ explores how through a change in perspective we can re-design the way our economy works – designing products that can be ‘made to be made again’ and powering the system with renewable energy. It questions whether with creativity and innovation we can build a restorative economy.

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Hotel Branding | ALTternative brand-building route to target Gen Y [4]

Still on Canadian boutique hotel company, ALT Hotels that promotes itself through their cheeky “We Do Less” campaign. ALT Hotels which may be low on amenities and facilities, but no doubt high on personality and attitude, demonstrates how it stays relevant to Gen Y, offering the right product for the money.

Montreal-based Groupe Germain Hospitalite with ALT Hotels, a line of boutique hotels targeting Gen Y, with their “We Do Less” campaign. Designed by TAXI Creative Agency, Montréal

ALT Hotels is part of Montréal-based Groupe Germain Hospitalité, Canada’s leading boutique hotel player. Much like San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels, Groupe Germain Hospitalité focuses on individually designed smaller boutique hotels that offer character and personalized service in well designed environments.

To see my other blog post on ALT Hotels, please click here. ALT Hotels target Gen-Y, and stays relevant by understanding the right brand communication.

ALT Hotels are a unique alternative to conventional hotels. They are an innovative no-frills-chic concept combining modern design and eco-friendly features at the same affordable rate, every day, all year round. ALT does not follow the established norms and is off the hotel industry’s beaten track. At ALT, we like to say that the essentials enrich the experience. Watch and discover a world of ALT!

Logo + Corporate Identity | Blob and free-form doppelgängers

Ubigeo Inmobiliaria Realtor Services, Colombia; London-based Metia Digital Agency, with offices in NYC, Seattle, Austin, and Singapore; National Kidney Foundation, USA. Bezeq International, Israel’s leading internet and international telecommunications services provider company, Pelephone, Israeli Telco (a Bezeq subsidiary); Rede BLH (Rede Brasileira de Bancos de Leite Humano), Brazil; Japan-based TOSOH Chemical Company and Related Equipment; Regione Lombardia (Lombardy Region), Italy; Zentrick, The Netherlands; Vinci Construction Services, France; Eclipse Aerospace, USA; CSG (Consorci Sanitari del Garraf), Garraf Consortium of Hospitals and Clinics, Catalan Province, Spain; Blood Watch, a public healthcare program from NSW Government, Australia; CDV (Children of Domestic Violence), a Non Profit Organization that fights for the cause of children of domestic violence, NYC, USA; The Australia Heart Foundation; Give a Child a Helmet, a fund raising and community project for children in Vietnam from Global Giving; Actieplan Aaltjesbeheersing, The Netherlands; Hacienda Zuleta, a small Inn in Quito, Ecuador that promotes Planeta Sostenible (Sustainble Planet) practices, Ecuador; Banca Unnim (part of BBVA Banking Group), Catalunya Province, Spain; AgVeritas by XS Inc, Data Analysis, North Carolina, USA; Mozy, Online Data Backup and Cloud Computing Services, USA; Hochschule RheinMain, University of Applied Sciences, Wiesbaden, Russelsheim, Germany; Weblink International Hosting and Web-based Services, Indianapolis, IN, USA; HubSpot, an inbound marketing software platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers; TLB, Text Link Brokers; Enercell, a house brand from Radio Shack, USA; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Tokyo, Japan; Canvas Business Application, USA; Red Cell Marketing, Düsseldorf, Germany; Adobe Air from Acrobat, USA; Guimarães 2012, European City of Culture, Guimarães, Portugal; Omnes Capital, a Venture Capital Firm, Paris, France; Logo Design Finalist for UK Customer Experience Awards 2013, UK; Chemical Surfboards & Surf Apparel, USA; Schaefer Marketing Solutions, Social Media Marketing, Knoxville, TN, USA; Spark Modern Fireplaces, USA; Prépa-Langues Eurostages, French Language School, France; Heartbeat – La Chaine de L’Espoir, Beirut, Lebanon; The Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies, Washington DC, USA; McLean County Chamber of Commerce, Bloomington, IN, USA; Etisalat (Emirates Telecommunications Corporation), a UAE-based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Tripbod, Social Media-based Travel Platform, London, UK; FRII, Internet Service Provider, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Coggins Promotional Marketing Services, Savannah, GA, USA; The ASI Show, Ad Specialty Industry’s Meeting Event, Various Locations across USA; Alpha Project, Christian Faith Program, North Blackburn, VIC, Australia; Weber Shandwick Public Relations Firm, NYC, USA; Telenor Group is a Norwegian multinational telecommunications company headquartered at Fornebu in Bærum, close to Oslo. It is one of the world’s largest mobile telecommunications companies with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia; Goldfish Online Journal from Goldsmiths University of London, UK; Kansas City, Missouri-based, Water.org, a Non Profit Organization that works to promote water-based problem and alleviate poverty in Least Developed Countries by solving the challenge of water shortage and water accessibility. CRC for Water Sensitive Cities, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Nabi Tablets, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 

The art of capturing an entire company’s ideas, ethos, knowledge and the future in one logo and corporate identity is an integral part of visual branding. Of course there’s more to branding than meets the eye!

Most of today’s organizations are well-versed in this most fundamental of branding-building exercises. Some are still struggling to design an identity that best represents their values and positive traits, while others come up with eerily similar-looking looking designs, albeit representing vastly different organizations, across a multitude of industries and countries.

Logo + Corporate Identity | Doodles galore

Reliance Staffing & Recruiting, with four offices across Virginia, USA; Evisu, Japanese Fashion Brand of Casual Attire and Shoes; Bern Capital Impressions, old logo of Investment and Tourism Promotion Board of Bern (Wirtschaftsraum Bern), the Capital of Switzerland (this old logo featured the river Aar that flows through the city; ArcelorMittal, London-based Integrated Steel & Mining Company;  Logo Blink, a Blog on Branding and Logo Design; Ontario Centres of Excellence, Canada; Gxcentrik Design, Creative Agency from Gabrielle Laporte, Toronto, Canada; Open Source Media Framework; USA; Enterprise Ireland, the Irish economic development agency focused on promoting Irish-owned businesses; Emerald Group Publishing Ltd., the world’s leading scholarly publisher of journals and books in business and management, Bingley, UK; Inmobiliaria Vitalia, Real Estate Co., Chile; NYC-based Tower Watson, Global HR Consulting Co.; Tomnay Noble, a Singapore-based Executive Search Co.; Smartphone Application Hub, Canada; Consell Comarcal del Pla de l’Estany (Estany City Council), Estany, Catalonian Province, Spain. 

The art of capturing an entire company’s ideas, ethos, knowledge and the future in one logo and corporate identity is an integral part of visual branding. Of course there’s more to branding than meets the eye!

Most of today’s organizations are well-versed in this most fundamental of branding-building exercises. Some are still struggling to design an identity that best represents their values and positive traits, while others come up with eerily similar-looking looking designs, albeit representing vastly different organizations, across a multitude of industries and countries.

Logo + Corporate Identity | Slit circle doppelgängers

Qiming Venture Capital Firm, with offices in Shanghai and Beijing; Quartus Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Services, San Diego, CA, USA; iQuate, IT Co., Dublin, Ireland; Quintiles, contract research company providing clinical research services for global biotech and pharmaceutical clients, San Diego, CA, USA; The Ohlmann Group PR Company, Dayton, OH, USA; Bank of Singapore. 

The art of capturing an entire company’s ideas, ethos, knowledge and the future in one logo and corporate identity is an integral part of visual branding. Of course there’s more to branding than meets the eye!

Most of today’s organizations are well-versed in this most fundamental of branding-building exercises. Some are still struggling to design an identity that best represents their values and positive traits, while others come up with eerily similar-looking looking designs, albeit representing vastly different organizations, across a multitude of industries and countries.

Hotel Branding | Marriott Rebranding [1]

I’m currently working on a brand strategy project for a major Indonesian property and hotel development company. We’ve been tasked with strengthening their hotel portfolio and brand architecture, repositom their existing hotels and crestong new hotel brands to better compete in Indonesia’s fast growing travel indistry. In the process, we’ve conducted extensive research on the subject of hotels, hotel brand strategy and rebranding (read: brand repositioning). Asia’s expanding economy, across virtually the entire region is witnessing a rise of a middle class that is fast acquiring a taste of travel, fueling a hotel boom from Tashkent to Tegal. The growth of new hotel development is spurned in large part to the explosive growth fo LCC’s (Low Cost Carriers = Budget Airlines), where more people are traveling then ever before, in all the main travel categories of business and leisure travel.

One of world’s biggest hotel companies, US-based Marriott Hotels & Resorts, recently announced a major rebranding exercise. This is a breath of fresh air as Marriott is better known for rather staid and safe hotels that excels at providing good quality accomodation, but is lacking in the “personality department”. The Marriott name is synonymous with consistent quality of hotels across all key hotel categories, from limited service, full service, long/extended-stay, to resorts and time-shares.

Marriott does, however, have a unique “secret sauce” for its business formula, owning hotel brands that very few people are aware of, like Ritz Carlton and Bulgari. Brands that don’t carry any direct association with the Marriott marquee.

I love the copy for Marriott’s accompanying new campaign entitled “Travel Brilliantly“:

This is not a hotel. It’s an idea that travel should be brilliant. The promise of space as expansive as your imagination. This is not business as usual. It’s a new take on taking a meeting. A new way to inspire, create, and yes… dream. Becuase it’s not only about where you’re staying. It’s about where you’re going. Marriott, travel brilliantly.

Inspiration: Branding Business from RiechesBaird Brand Consulting, Los Angeles; Skift