Ideas * AgencyBel

20/20 Design Trends

08/05/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding, teaching

While none of us had 2020 vision for what this year would bring, there’s no denying that – even in the face of a global crisis – creativity always prevails.

In lockdown, all we had to distract and entertain ourselves with our social media, streaming xservices, online shopping, gaming and video conferences. Our US Election campaign was forced online, movies were released straight to iTunes, and Amazon reported North American sales were up 29%.

So what are the trends that are emerging as of mid-year?

Happy Small Business Client

I was referred to agencyBEL through my attorney when he helped me realize the person I was working with wasn't elevating my brand. Switching was the best decision I have ever made! Laura's out of the box thinking, innovative style to brand marketing and strategy has elevated my company's brand and direction to the next level. I am MORE than satisfied with the work thus far! We are half way through my project, and I could not be happier. I highly recommend agencyBEL to anyone looking to elevate their brand to the next level.

Nadege Montplaisir, Nurse Practioner, NYOTA Medical Footcare

05/24/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding

Brand Positioning in a Pandemic

05/20/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding

With customer spend dropping, and uncertainty threatening to tank the economy, CEOs and entrepreneurs might find their focus veering towards protecting the profit line.

However, as many successful companies are beginning to learn, it’s how you position your brand in these challenging times that will decide whether you survive this crisis.

All disasters, no matter how significant, eventually come to an end.

Your brand and how you position yourself when the world is dissolving into chaos is what will stick most in the minds of your consumers for years to come.

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Four Keys to Develop a Brand aligned with the Company

05/19/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding

Business strategy and brand strategy are two sides of the same coin. The way we understand branding and its association with business has begun a transformation process allowing a better adaptation to new challenges –and also old ones which have regained prominence.

#branding #business #transformation #Covid #strategy #logo #brand #branding studio #logo design #company logo #design for branding #branding agency #graphic design #business logo #designing a brand #personal branding #cool designs #cool logos #rebrand

Conscious Leaders with a Heart

05/15/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding, teaching

You might think that crises tend to bring out the worst in people. But in fact, crises cause us to view leaders as more charismatic and effective than we normally do. The Harvard Business Review just shared in the article, “How CEOs Can Lead Selflessly Through a Crisis” that CEOs have been stepping up to support their employees during this pandemic.

For example, even though all of Patagonia’s stores are closed, CEO Yvon Chouinard has announced that the company will continue to pay all employees, leading some to conclude that the values-driven organization will survive the pandemic while other organizations will fail. Other CEOs who have committed to no layoffs include Hearst CEO Steven Swartz, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, Citigroup CEO Mike Corbat, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, Visa CEO Alfred F. Kelly Jr., and FedEx CEO Frederick Smith, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins.

The Cost of Bad Design

05/12/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding, teaching

In 2003 Nokia designed the strangest looking phone, Nokia 7600 which looked like a teardrop. This phone had a standard size screen for that time but figuring out how to hold this phone or fit into your pocket was a great labyrinth. Single-handed texting on this phone was out of the question. Plus it had excessive weight with a very poor display. No doubt this product was a huge flop. Through the years Nokia has lost its market and this can be credited to designing such inconvenient handsets to some extent. Bad designs hurt your business. Maybe you don’t see the effects right away but in the long run, you will realize that you are losing customers. If the customer does not know how to use your product they will find an alternative to it. If your designers are not prototyping and testing their design that leads to bug fixes in the development phase or even worse in production which cost 10 times or 100 time more respectively.

Consistency is Key

05/05/2020 Identity and Branding

Nothing is more confusing (and irritating!) than inconsistent branding. If you’re going for a flirty fun vibe, it won’t make much sense to have a black website with dark purple text. If you’re going for ultra-professional, sequins and glitter everywhere just won’t work.

People should be able to recognize your brand in every aspect of your business. From your social media accounts to your email signature, your flow needs to be on point.

The Era of a Conscious Brand

04/28/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding

So what’s next? Agency Bel is exploring how brands will evolve in the decade ahead. Throughout history, pandemics have accelerated change, and the Indian author Arundhati Roy has written that this pandemic should be a portal to a better way of doing things.

So what does this mean for brands? Deep in the crisis, we all live in a fog of uncertainty, with an undertow of anxiety. Our mood hovers between holiday and calamity. So it’s hard to get a clear head.

AgencyBel provides strategy and design for Organizer Brand Refresh

03/31/2020 brand strategy, Identity and Branding

Agency Bel specializes in brand refreshes. Making old new again! Dots & Stripes Organizing is a full-service organizing and decluttering firm based in Boston. They came to use with an old logo and lagging presence in the space. Sometimes it pays to clean up your own space~!

(re)ignite your Brand

11/21/2018 brand strategy, Identity and Branding, teaching

Recently I spoke to a group of entrepreneurs at a 2-hour workshop designed to educate, inspire and help them understand how to approach building a powerful brand from the inside out. This event was hosted by Marketing and PR expert Robin Samora.
Attendees learned . . .

+ About crucial brand building elements

+ How to look at Your Brand Purpose and how you are different

+ How to imagine what Your Bold Vision may or may not be