Pre-Ramble:  I’ve been torn this last week or so between blogging about brand-identity/innovation/strategy-related topics and gushing over the upcoming royal wedding (T- minus 2 days!!!).  Well, thanks to one of my London readers (right there with a front row seat on all the action), I can do both! 

Mug shot – In my last post (April 24th), I told you all about the awesome royal mug I had ordered in commemoration of the Big Day (not it at right).  As you will recall, the piece (referred to on its website by the clunky term ”tankard”), sports a very elaborate design involving swoopy looping fonts and elegant botanically inspired patterns in dusty powder blue and gold leaf. Very formal and traditional, and perfectly reflecting the very formal and traditional vibe of the royal British monarchy.

Then, ZING!  This morning in my inbox is a note from the London reader along with a link to the website of Dhub, a design agency (based in London) which has taken a new tack on royal wedding commemorative collections design.  As detailed on their site, the Dhub designers wanted to create something more “significant and modern,” … presenting “designs that take into consideration the Facebook generation, popular culture and modern design … a brand that identifies with and is relevant to the 20th century … ”

“The Royal family has changed shape and form over the years and in 2011 they appear as a totally different force from the previous years of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. The Royal family are now a global phenomenon, the press allow the public to see them in a more down to earth and human light, no longer will the Royal family be regarded as elite, they are representative of traditional British culture, but there lies the failing of the current design approach to the celebration of the Royal Wedding this year. The British culture is now about opportunity, energy, creativity, youth, style and perfection.”

One look at their crisp, engaging solutions (example shown above and on website) demonstrates that they have succeeded in a big way!  Each of the designs incorporates the royal couple’s initials (Kate’s is, of course, team favorite, a “K”!) and simple, iconic crown images rendered in combinations of Union Jack red, white and blue.  The results are just the right mix of traditional cues and “creative, youthful and vibrant” elements. 

Well done, chaps … and a timely find in light of growing sentiment that the youthful and vibrant young Prince William is potentially “in danger of over-shadowing his far less popular father, Prince Charles,” the next in line for the throne.  Anthony Faiola at the Washington Post describes the challenges ahead for the “idiosyncratic Prince Charles,” citing recent public opinion polls that reveal a popularity gap between father and son … 46% percent of respondents believe that Prince Charles should step aside. 

The Take-Away:  At this point, matters around succession to the crown are protected by law; nonetheless, the dichotomy represents an interesting dilemma for the royal “brand” and highlights the value of relevance in a constantly evolving world and marketplace.  “Brand William” would be nothing without the foundational heritage established by the kings and queens who have worn the crown before him, however, it is the British monarchy that will be irreparably diminished if they fail to embrace, in some meaningful way, this free pass into ”creative, youthful and vibrant” royal relevance for the 21st century.

Post-Note:  Thanks for the tip, London reader! (And if you happen to score a snappy photo of the royal K & W, feel free to send that over as well!!)

Pre-Ramble:  Sure, it’s going to be the most over-hyped, over-covered, over-everything-ed event of the decade/century/of all time … but there’s a reason for that — it’s awesome!! 

The royal wedding is in just five short days and we can only imagine the mess on the royal dining room table as the Queen Mother and her ladies-in-waiting prepare the royal table favors for the 1,900 esteemed guests.  That’s a boat-load of royal candied almonds. 

Royal protocol – Actually, like the rest of the royal fanfare, there is probably some prescribed protocol for such things as listed in the Royal Wedding Handbook under royal table favors … like tiny royal horse-drawn-carriage refrigerator magnets, or tiny bejeweled scepters …

While I have not personally been invited to witness the royal nuptials, I am not one to let such details keep me from marking the occasion in a proper manner.  Last week I placed my order for an Official Royal Wedding Commemorative Tankard (a.k.a. coffee mug) — !  That’s it shown above.

Stunning, isn’t it?! 

I trust that my piece of royal hoopla will be arriving in due time for the festivities – 4:30 a.m. sharp Friday morning. I will be sitting stateside, … in my royal jammies, … sipping fresh hot … coffee (sorry blokes, tea is just too weak and boring) out of my fancy gilded cup – pinkie extended.

The Take-Away:  Brilliant!! Cheerio, pip, pip and all that!

Pre-Ramble: As an ex-graphic designer, I always have my eye out for stuff I would put in my “wish-I-had-designed-that” pile. 

The IBM Smarter Planet campaign is all that …  It’s engaging, concise, bold, versatile yet cohesive, playful yet meaningful, colorful and memorable. 

Centered in the clean white space of a full-page ad, the circular shape of the main image attracts the eye, while five uniform cartoon lines (resembling the hair of “Wilson,” the soccer ball in the movie “Castaway”) bring an element of excitement and energy.  

The award-winning series was developed in 2009 by ad agency Ogilvy & Mather to showcase the IBM business platform of products and services. 

“The ‘smart planet’ thought came out of a speech by the CEO of IBM, which is always a good place to start! At the agency we began noodling around with ideas based on this, and one day one of our junior art directors came up with this beautiful graphic icon of a planet with little “think rays” popping out of the top. It looked like the planet just got smart.

Not only was it a great idea, but it also opened up a completely new visual language for IBM—one based on graphic design. As the campaign developed, we started collaborating with some amazing new contemporary graphic artists, like IBM used to
do with people like Paul Rand, Eliot Noyes, and Charles and Ray Eames.”

Always room for a “new visual language” — especially one that gives graphic artists room to show their stuff.

The Take-Away: I love this campaign!  I love encountering it while leafing through the newspaper — BAM!!  Good design — In your face! … And, it doesn’t hurt that today’s version (shown above) looks like a giant sparkling jewel (… smiley face icon with “think rays” here … ).

Pre-Ramble:  Nothing fires me up more than an article titled, “How to Fire Up U.S. Innovation” (WSJ, 4/12/11) … As an adult-onset geek, the mere thought of things being innovated makes my heart beat a little bit faster. 

In the piece, Vinton Cerf, chief Internet evangelist (?) at Google, lays out a few key dynamics that factor into a highly functioning innovation “ecosystem” including freedom to pursue ideas, freedom to fail, freedom to access information, and also the freedom to “keep attracting the best talent from abroad” (in a good way).

In addition to singing the praises of tight, innovation-spawning relationships between academia and the marketplace, Cerf also suggests that a significant retooling of U.S. K-12 education around the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and an increase in the rock-star status of engineering and science are crucial elements in the quest to get the homefires of innovation started.

“The American public focuses more on sports and entertainment figures and less on the scientists and engineers whose innovations make our lives easier, safer, healthier and more productive … Our successful scientists and engineers should be made more visible and their voices heard more often …

… [And, we need to] refresh and invigorate interest in and regard for science and engineering in our youth … Young people should understand and experience the thrill of science and discovery.

Like many, Cerf advocates for a comprehensive, collaborative effort to expand school and extra-curricular opportunities for young people in math, engineering and science.  He cites success stories like the FIRST robotics program, NASA’s 50-year partnership with the National Science Teachers Association, and Google’s own recently launched global Science Fair. Each of these programs is part of a critical education pipeline that provides opportunities for students to work with experienced scientists and engineers and allows them to learn first-hand.

“We need to help [children] do real science, not just read about it, through collaborative tools that help mentors and students to interact … children learn best by seeing and doing … ”

The Take-Away:  Sounds like a plan!  However, as Chief Cerf and his colleagues are well aware, expanded school and extra-curricular opportunities for young people that’s heavy on “seeing and doing” will take more than a snappy website and a box of rose-colored goggles.  At least part of the innovation equation includes: 1) a winning strategy; 2) a couple of relevant, high-profile champions; 3) a force of infectiously fabulous teacher/mentors; and, 4) piles of money.

Post Note:  While we’re at it, let’s innovate a way to motivate kids to be fascinated by the world around them.  Is there an app for that?  As Cerf suggests, maybe we need a little PR push to Twitter-up some action …  Wonder if Snooki’s agent is available?

Pre:Ramble:  “All right Mr. De Mille, I’m ready for my close-up … ” … I’m pretty sure that even Norma Desmond wouldn’t be caught camera-ready for this gig – shots taken by mounting small inexpensive cameras to nearly anything – helmets, hang-glider wings, surfboards, dirt bikes, etc. 

Created by a company called GoPro, these water-tight digital cameras are about the size of a deck of cards and weigh just six ounces.  ”Hero Cameras” as they are called, start at $260 for a version that shoots high-quality, high-definition video.  GoPro’s founder and CEO, surfer Nick Woodman, describes the product’s appeal … 

“A big part of the [product's] appeal is that people can pivot the cameras to be aimed at themselves while they’re surfing or doing some other activity and easily share them on Facebook or YouTube … a huge enabler for that type of ego satisfaction.”

I’m sure the images taken from such unique perspectives are amazing. In still shots of Mr. Woodman riding the surf in a challenging, splashy, outdoor environment, the sense of immediacy is nearly disorienting.   (Actually, the placement of the camera in one of the photos makes Woodman’s palm and big toe look disproportionally large … an effect which is likely less apparent when the whole intrepid scene is in motion.)

Holy Monkey-Cam – David Letterman is probably a big GoPro customer … using the versatile units for his snarky hidden camera bits.  And speaking of bits, GoPro cameras have also been popular with wildlife photographers.  The rugged design and comparatively low cost have made them the go-to technology for getting “bite-shots” — scenes from inside the mouths of fierce critters like seals, sharks, polar bears and alligators. 

The GoPro line was initially sold in surf shops, motorcycle stores and sporting goods outlets … Soon they’ll be available at a Best Buy near you!

The Take-Away:  Great! I’m sure I can find some novel household uses for my very own GoPro camera … maybe I can clip it to a random sock in the laundry hamper and see where it ends up. 

Pre-Ramble:  Plenty, that’s what!  A friend of mine … well, an admired acquaintance really, is a partner in Pollywog, “an unconventional branding agency” … an enterprise that comes up with highly purposeful/catchy names for businesses, organizations, products, services, events – you name it. (heh.)

Made up of creative professionals from some of the world’s largest advertising and marketing agencies, the group positions a successful name as an investment in a key piece of “intellectual property”… an invaluable foundation for any new business. 

To that end, Pollywog has developed a patent-pending “power positioning process” that “reveals the essence of a brand, sets the tone and stakes out a place in your customer’s mind that no other brand occupies.”  They cite 17 key characteristics that give a name its power …  

“These key traits help us determine which names will be the most effective in the marketplace. A “Power Name” has impact, high memorability and a solid connection to your brand promise … [it] creates a buzz and makes people want to tell others about your brand …”

Successful names are:

•  instantly understood
• unique
• engaging; provoking interest
• high impact
• easily remembered
• very different from competitors’ names
• readily spread by word of mouth
• a factor that boosts the effectiveness of all marketing communications/materials
• inextricably connected to the brand itself

 (Clearly, my blog and the essence of my writer-ness could benefit from an investment of this sort … But, I digress … )

The proof is in the pudding.  Last week, Saint Paul Public Schools and the City of Saint Paul announced the launch of a network of nonprofit organizations, city departments and other community partners offering out-of-school-time opportunities for kids. The program promotes and coordinates over seventy after-school youth development programs currently available in the Saint Paul metro area … programs that feature arts, athletics, science, leadership, multi-cultural and other academically and socially relevant activities. The new community network is called “Sprockets.”  

Sprockets!  What a great name! And, yup, it was developed by the Pollywog team.

Owning to the Pollywog brand promise, this multi-faceted name really has teeth. Not only fun to say, Sprockets immediately conjures up all sorts of colorful, interlocking, moving, bits and pieces … I can almost see and hear the blinking and beeping emmanating from the essence of the word.  It invokes a sense of playfulness, hands-on energy, tinkering … curiosity and wonderment.  The concept of interlocking movement also reflects the structure of the community network itself, hundreds of resources all linked together, humming and whirring in a dynamic web of high-quality enrichment opportunities for kids.

The Take-Away:  Well done!  And, beyond the glow of a successful naming exercise, the Sprockets project brings way more to the party than immediately apparent.  Mired in a series of budget cuts, union issues, declining enrollment and a persistent and staggering gap in achievement between student groups, the Sprockets “power name” provides a very strong platform and hopeful ray of sunshine that the strife-ridden local education environment can use as a flash-point to spark a fresh approach to things.

Let’s hope that in addition to engaging and inspiring struggling students in our urban education environment, the vibrant, value-add of the Sprockets brand can give a much-needed extra-curricular boost to the tone and essence of the struggling district leadership as well.

Post-Note:  I’d link you to the new Sprockets website, but there apparently isn’t one yet.  Hope the visual branding (logo, website, communications materials, etc.) can pay off the A+ power name.

Post-Post-Note:  Oops, … looks like there IS a Sprockets website … we’ll save the critique on that for another day.