Well, it has been nearly six-months since Starbuck’s Coffee Company implemented their re-branding and celebrated their fortieth-anniversary. Thus, as the changeover throughout their stores is underway, the stylish new Starbucks-Green-Siren makes it’s debut, by way of new signage, cups, print-collateral, and other marketing materials. Yes, after forty years of revolutionizing the coffee industry, and even creating their own vernacular and ethos, the Starbuck’s logo has reached new and epic status, lending to a stand-alone logo without the needed copy for name recognition. Pepsi, Apple, AT&T and Nike are some of the immediate brands that come-to-mind, that encompass this same quality.  While somewhat understated in it’s communication, the Starbuck’s Siren was originally borrowed from a well know literary piece you might of heard of, Moby Dick!

While some may find the re-brand or brand-update unnecessary, design geeks and branding folks like us, find it interesting and rather refreshing. Looking at the various iterations of their logo over the last forty-years, they have created a heritage of updating as trends change, along with the needs and vision of the company. Thus, from a design, marketing, and business perspective, it seems to make sense. You can read more about it here, if you did not see the initial online announcement from Starbucks!

So as you all wait in line in the morning at your local Starbucks, via drive-through or herd-like-cattle in their dining area in for your stylish cup-o-joe, what is the consensus regarding the new look? We would love to hear from you! Join in the conversation below and leave a comment.  It seems everybody has an opinion about Starbucks and we’re curious if you have found the new look as refreshing as we have.

“FOR COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONALS AND DESIGN NERDS LIKE ME, THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME. WATCHING THE REACTION TO ANY NEW LOGO IS FASCINATING, BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN HOLD SUCH PASSIONATE ATTACHMENTS TO THESE MARKS. THE COMMENTS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND BLOG POSTS WERE DECIDEDLY MIXED – SOME OF YOU DON’T LIKE THE NEW LOOK AT ALL, SOME OF YOU THINK YOU’LL LOVE IT ONCE YOU GET USED TO IT.”

—Thomas P. / Interactive Content Manager / Starbucks

Delicate Soles are the ultra-portable, ultra-fashionable solution to agonizing high heel shoes.  As the owner, Quinn Martinez, puts it, “Delicate Soles fit in your purse, and in your lifestyle.  You simply grab your favorite tote, roll your delicate soles, and go have some fun.”

Quinn is a repeat customer of Kalos Interactive Design [learn more here], so when he approached me with the Delicate Soles concept I was eager and excited to help him turn his vision into reality.  Over the last few months I helped Quinn create and exciting new branding identity,  organize a photo shoot, and create a captivating interactive site that uniquely suits his target market.

Some of the innovative goodies on the Delicate Soles site include: Papervision 3D effects, stunning imagery, and a cutting edge Adobe Flash audio visualizer.

For those of you that know me, you know that I want to leave the world a little better than I found it.  That’s why I want to point out that Quinn, and his wife Jessica, feel the same way.  Delicate Soles will donate a portion of all sales to Share Your Soles. This wonderful charity provides shoes to children in some of the worlds most impoverished countries.  So please walk responsibility and give your feet some love!  Delicate Soles will be available very soon, stay tuned for more!

HIGH HEELS + SORE TOES = DELICATE SOLES

Always considered therapy, but have an aversion to doctors? With AskAnAlly.com, the doctor comes to you. You never have to leave your couch while you visit Dr. Jane’s surprisingly cozy interactive office. Play in the waiting room (home page) by composing music and drawing on an old school Etch-A-Sketch. Most importantly, ask anonymous questions or browse the archives; either way, stop searching and get answers.

Most people become wary at the very mention of therapy, psychoanalysis, or psychiatry. Often referred to as “quacks,” members of the psychology field are dismissed as a superfluous group of doctorate holding intellectuals. I personally disagree with this philosophy, arguing that an entire branch of medicine can’t be `wrong. However, I will project that therapy is a very personal and confidential service that is hard to discuss. In fact, it is such a touchy subject that many who have a desire to seek help, are often afraid to take the first step.

I was immediately drawn to Dr. Jane’s innovated concept about online therapy. It is such a non-threatening approach to such a sensitive topic. I really like that there are a few different levels of therapy you can explore just on the site itself. The least invasive option is the archive, which allows you to browse through past anonymous questions and answers. If you are looking for more, there is an area to submit your own personal questions and get real answers from a certified therapist. If the website isn’t enough, or you’re ready to go face to face, it’s possible to make an appointment for an in-person session with Dr. Jane.

I am also really into the website itself. There is something about the design, which has an unusual calming effect I wouldn’t expect to experience from a website. The “waiting room” homepage is really clever idea that makes you smile. It’s a great way to set the tone and set the user at ease. I love interactive websites, and this one makes me feel like I am having a genuine experience. I don’t have a need for Ask An Ally right now, but it’s always good to keep in mind when I have questions that can’t be answered. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t really fun to play on the Etch-A-Sketch.

view project : : AskAnAlly

How does one take roughly 30 different stock photos, a few original photos, and a specific communicative theme and make them all work harmoniously to manifest a singular, uniform scene? The short answer is lots of digital painting, lot’s of isolating, lots of levels, and lots and lots of layers. The long answer, however, has more to do with principles of classic art composition and some background in visual storytelling techniques. Let’s dissect a little and dive in.

Scrolling from left to right, observe the overall feel and color scheme. On the extreme left, we see mountain bikers in a rugged, dry setting with dirt-trail colors and tones. Scrolling right, the scene progressively becomes green and blue, and very lush, crisp and clean. Perhaps this was inspired by my experiences on the saddle of both cycling disciplines. Even merely analyzing the tire of my mountain bike, my instinct was to imagine red clay and rough terrain, as mimicked by the rugged plateaus and steep angles of the appropriately outfitted tire. On the road bike, the tire is clean and streamlined. This is not only in the sense of the tire being smooth and narrow, it also has a sense of being a far more expansive and fluent ellipse. Such features remind me of the fluid curves of a winding paved road and the sleek appearance of a landscape filled with pointed greenery. This overall transition in color palette is also a transition in tactile response and in mood. On a side note, I’d like to point out that I have ridden my mountain bike on clean pavement surrounded by greenery many times. But whenever I have, I always felt a little out of place. And I’ve ridden a road bike on mountain trails… but that was called Cyclocross, and that is just all-around crazy on too many levels. Never mind feeling out of place there. That’s the whole idea of the sport.

Having established a visual story, some key elements were needed to identify the primary topics of the site. Click on the mountain bikers and you are directed to the mountain biking section of the site. Click on the information sign and you are directed to information about Littleton Cyclery. Click on the attractive woman wearing noticeable gear in the foreground and you are in the gear and accessories section. the concept applies to all clickable objects. It appears at a glance that these objects all tie in to the scene rather seamlessly, but each of thee objects come from very different source materials. Different photographers, different lighting, different colors, even different grain patterns. To get everything to sing one song, some real Photoshop finesse is needed. This is where a background in classical art technique becomes necessary. The single most unifying features of each object in the cohesive whole is the contrast, saturation, and grain pattern. The overall scene is rather rich in color. Shading has a short gamut, with the darkest shading being a strong, abrupt black. This is all the result of modifying and exaggerating the values of each object to the point where they all appear to have similar shading and contrast. It is not photo-real, but it ties everything together. The final touch is to run each and every graphic component through a very minor grain filter. The intensity of the grain should be as minimal as possible, but done to the point where everything is consistent.

There are many more steps and calculations involved in creating a complex, faux-3D interface like this. But the key factors are the same as with any compelling image. A still image should create movement with it’s composition. And a composition should be defined by the story it wishes to tell. From conceptualization to Photoshop to Flash implementation, those principles were the guiding authority on every decision.

view project : : Littleton Cyclery Version 01

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