Harleys

24 February | Thoughts

Time to get personal

Our generation has grown up surrounded by consumer culture. We get it. In a brand-saturated world, companies must work harder than ever to stand out – and sometimes that means being willing to push the boundaries of conventional advertising.

The growth of an increasingly liberal culture coupled with the rise of the online arena has bred a new kind of consumer – one who responds to more ‘human’ brands. It’s a trend known as Maturialism: exposing people to more challenging, uncensored ideas.

For business owners, this means thinking beyond conventional offerings. There has never been a better time for being bold with brand image, nor a greater market for unusual, outspoken material with personality and wit.

Here are some examples of modern brands which have embraced the more provocative side of marketing:

• Antonio Federici Italian Gelato combines an image of a pregnant nun eating ice-cream with the tagline ‘Immaculately Conceived’.
• Saint & Sinner, an Australian wine company, label their wines in the style of vintage phone booth calling cards.
• Spanish clothing brand Desigual ran an offer at its stores in Madrid and Barcelona, where customers who arrived semi-naked were rewarded with free clothing.
• Gwilym Davies, 2009 World Barista Champion and owner of the Prufrock coffee house in London, created a new take on the traditional customer loyalty card with a customer disloyalty card, encouraging customers to try coffee at other independent stores.

Brand identity is important, but so is brand humanity. In a world full of faceless corporations, it’s nice to come across something different now and again.

13 February | News

The talent of tomorrow

The Harleys Design Award is back for its 12^th year in a partnership between Harleys and the City of Bristol College. This year’s client is the West of England Sport Trust (Wesport).

Forming a module of the college’s FdA in Graphic Design with Interactive Multimedia course, the award gives students the opportunity to experience and respond to a live client brief. The project is mutually beneficial, providing value for the organisation as well as the students.

This April, Wesport will be launching a new initiative called Talent Hubs, designed to support and inspire talented sportspeople between the ages of 12 and 15. Through weekly training sessions, the scheme aims to provide them with the core skills necessary to help them move forward in their chosen discipline.

The task allotted to the college design students is to develop a strong, creative identity for the Talent Hubs campaign using a range of promotional materials, from posters and business cards to t-shirts and water bottles. If successful, the new brand will be used to promote the scheme across the South West.

“The Harleys Design Award is a great opportunity for the students to build on their creative skills within a professional context,” explains Ken Hale, Creative Director at Harleys. “It enables them to apply the design principles they’ve learnt to a corporate identity, whilst at the same time making a valuable contribution to a worthwhile cause.”

“The previous students set a high standard in 2011, and we are very much looking forward to seeing what is produced this year.”