At first, the notion of branding a wedding sounds somewhat cold for such an emotional and personal event.  Branding, in a traditional sense, is typically associated with companies who use logos, colors and imagery to identify themselves to consumers and set their organization apart from competitors.  However, many couples employ some sort of branding techniques into their wedding whether they planned to or not.

Leading up to our wedding last year and even after the event, my wife and I received a lot of questions on the process we used to choose colors, produce invites and create the atmosphere we envisioned.  With our one year anniversary approaching (July 25th to be exact), I thought this would be a good time to share some of our techniques and analyze the process of branding as it relates to a wedding.

Applying the concept of branding to wedding

A brand image is the attributes one associates with a brand.  Almost as important, this imagery is how the brand owner (the couple) wants the consumer (guests) to perceive the brand.  The perception of your event is influenced by every piece of communication and every detail associated with the wedding.  The way your brand is crafted is not only an insight into the personalities of the bride and groom, but will also give subtle clues as to the tone of the big day.  For example, is the dress formal or casual?  Will the atmosphere be traditional or more laid back?  Most of these elements arise naturally due to the tastes and wishes of the couple.  However, it is important to recognize your ability to influence perception by being aware of the message you are sending.

When my wife and I first began the planning process, we didn’t set out to distinguish our event by plastering a logo over everything we did.  Rather, we wanted to create a feel that was both different from what we had seen and representative of our personalities.

The colors

For many couples, the color palette is one of the first decisions to be made.   This is sometimes due to necessity since attire typically takes several months to coordinate.  But this is also one of the first preferences to be chosen because color is a defining characteristic when it comes to setting the mood of a brand.  Most people have universal beliefs about the emotions associated with certain colors – reds are passionate, blues are calming and yellows are cheery.  Color palettes are typically selected due to the season of the event (pastels in the spring) or simply personal preference.  Because colors from the chosen attire are typically carried through to the invitations, flowers and decorations, it is important to understand the perception that color choices carry.  For example, if you planning a more formal wedding, dark bold colors are a better choice than bright colors.

Our colors were chosen due to the time of year (mid summer) and because we wanted to convey a more casual atmosphere.  We chose a palette consisting of dark blues, a garden green and shades of cream and light tan.

This article will be the first in a series of reviews on Adobe’s recent release of Creative Suite 5. I have been using CS5 for a little over two weeks now and, with Photoshop being my most used application so far, this seemed like a logical place to start.

Photoshop is no doubt the flagship of Adobe’s creative empire. For that reason, there was a great deal of buzz surrounding some new features presented in Photoshop CS5. I won’t attempt to address every new feature because, frankly, I don’t see myself using several of them.

Performance

I put this category first not because it was the most hyped addition of the new release, but because it was the most intriguing feature to me. As a Photoshop user for over 8 years now, it can be difficult to step back and create a wish list for features that will improve workflow – after all, if there is an action that needs to be accomplished, you have to use the tools as your disposal. One aspect of the program that is not as difficult to pinpoint is performance issues while using the program. Every designer has a horror story about a Photoshop crash and it seemed that CS4 became notorious for crashing on quit, quitting while performing routine tasks and basically closing down whenever it wasn’t happy.  So when Adobe announced that CS5 would carry 64-bit support, I was anxious to test out the potential speed and stability boost.  Before installing CS5, I ran an informal test on one of my larger Photoshop files so I would have a basis of comparison (I’m running a 2.53 HGz Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro with 4 GB of RAM).  Using CS4, the 245 MB Photoshop file took 41 seconds to open.  After upgrading, I did my best to replicate the conditions of the first test and opened the same file again.  Using CS5, the file took 34 seconds to open – a fairly substantial difference.  I ran similar tests when saving and closing large Photoshop files and, although the discrepancy wasn’t as large, CS5 definitely outperformed its predecessor.

Last week, I came upon a video of a TEDx talk with a very resounding message that could effectively be applied to many facets of the marketing world. The talk was given by Simon Sinek, an advertising professional and author of the book Start With Why (see the bottom of this post for the full video).

The premise of Sinek’s message was centered around the idea of a golden circle consisting of a why, how and what.  Sinek’s assertion is that innovators like Apple don’t win over hoards of loyal fanboys by selling them on the what - in this case a well designed, user friendly laptop.  Rather Apple gets consumers to purchase their products by getting them to believe what they believe:

Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo.  We believe in thinking differently.  (Sinek on Apple’s philosophy of doing business and answering the Why)

So the difference in this technique, which has paid huge dividends for Apple, and the traditional marketing approach is how the company maneuvers through this golden circle.  Rather than beginning on the outside of the circle and selling computers on the basis of hardware specifications, unibody designs and glossy screens, Apple builds a following by starting in the center with the why.  They target the portion of the population that also considers themselves to think differently and then moves outward on the circle, using the how and why as benefits to rationalize purchase decisions.

Although I have spent more time in the digital design world as of late, my background and passion is in print. When compared to its digital counterpart, printed design holds a distinct advantage when it comes to a more complete sensory experience. While devices like the iPad close the gap in terms of allowing a user to interact with media, it is hard to beat being able to touch, see and manipulate and printed piece. With UI design being the trendy label to apply to website, desktop and mobile applications, it is easy to overlook the fact that printed mediums require equally important considerations for how the end user will interact with a project. In order to achieve a finished project that truly leverages the advantages of a printed piece, it is important to realize that the design process starts far before the first pixel is placed.

Below is the typical process that I take before beginning a new print project. And granted, it took some trial and error (and a few more errors) to perfect this method.

Find a (Good) Printer

I believe this step should happen in the earliest possible stage of a concept. Many designers probably have a select few printers that they use and trust so that relationship can certainly help jump start this stage. However, in the case that you are working in an unfamiliar territory (possible production challenges, unfamiliar substrate etc), it is always a good idea to have a conversation with your printer first. Of the various reliable printers I have worked with, they all have one thing in common – experience. The printing industry seems to attract people who love the craft and have been perfecting it for years. This experience can be of great benefit to you when it comes time to hash out a plan. Because chances are, whatever angle you are contemplating with your project, they have done something similar and can offer valuable advice as to potential challenges and the probability of a successful outcome.

Finding the right printer for a project can be the tricky part. Even if you don’t yet know the particulars of your project, a broad overview can be enough to initiate a conversation with a printer. Whether it’s an annual report, multi-page brochure or invitation, your project brief should be enough to determine if you have found the right printer for the job. In your initial meeting, there are several topics that you can visit to help assess a printer’s capability:

• Experience. As I mentioned above, this can go a long way in determining the success of a project. How long the account representative been in the industry or with the company? How about the pressman?

• Samples of Work. Most printers are happy to show off their latest creations.  In fact, you may end up getting a full blown lecture on intricacies of controlling dot gain on press.  Ask to see samples in several different categories – books, brochures, flyers, litho, flexo etc.

• Clients.  What well-known local or national companies trust that printer to produce their annual sales kit?  They may not be willing or able to disclose their full client list, but this can give you a good indication of their reliability.

I’m excited to be launching my new blog as a part of Level 23 Creative!  Having this creative outlet is something I have had on my list for quite some time.  However, when contemplating the details of the blog venture, I would always come back to the question that I’d imagine most people ask themselves: “What the heck am I going to write about?”

Like many in the design community, I have an ever-growing list of resources that I consult daily for inspiration, new techniques and commentary from some of the industry’s most experienced professionals.  This highly organic community is one aspect that is very unique to the design industry.  Access to instructional sites like PSD Tuts and Net Tuts help foster learning from within the very platform that many designers are working to improve – in this case the web.  Resources such as Dribbble, which asks designers to showcase their work in a Twitter-esque 120,000 pixels or less, encourages collaboration and critique as a means of improving various forms of visual communication.

I can definitively say that I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without the help from many of these online outlets.  These resources have allowed me to grow as a designer and learn from some of the best.  The more I explored these resources, the more my “what to write about” dilemma came into focus.  This pay it forward mentality is the most definitive reason that creatives are able to consistently create compelling design.  Of course, a large chunk of the process derives from a designers’ natural talent and ability to self-motivate; but there is no question that even the most experienced designers benefit from outside perspectives and collaboration with like-minded individuals.  There was my answer.  I write about what I know, the mistakes I’ve made, the things that have worked and the things that haven’t – all in an effort to enhance this wealth of resources that designers have at their fingertips.

Allow me to echo some of the thoughts from my About page.  For the past three years, I have been an in-house designer for Evergreen Packaging.  While in-house creative teams typically have fewer manpower resources than their agency counterparts, I have been fortunate enough to greatly benefit from this position.  Working within a smaller creative team has allowed me to learn and experiment with a broad variety of disciplines including print, web, identity, 3D modeling, photography, interactive design and video production. I love learning new techniques and teaching others so the articles on this site will vary across different design disciplines.

This blog is my effort to give back to the design community (and anyone else who wants to listen) by providing tutorials, tips and stories drawn from personal experience.  I’m excited to get started so look forward to the first “official” post coming in a few days!