What's the best thing since sliced bread? Well, sliced bread.

WARNING: This post may induce hunger!

It's National Bread Week, and to us in the studio, there is not much that beats a good sandwich. With that in mind we decided to have a look at some of the recent marketing campaigns in the bread industry.

But first, a few crumbs of information

- According to the Bakers Federation, 11 million loaves of bread are sold every day in the UK! Tweet this!

- 80% of all bread sold in the UK comes from large brands, e.g. Kingsmill, Warburtons and Hovis. Only 3% comes from craft and high street bakeries. The other 17% is made in store in supermarkets.

- On the continent, the tables are turned, the majority of bread consumed is produced by craft bakeries.

It's pretty clear that bread is big business here in the UK, and it is no surprise that some of the biggest bread manufacturers have used some creative marketing techniques over the years to ensure they stay firmly in our hearts, homes and stomachs!

122 years of Hovis



In 2008 Hovis released a TV advert that rivaled John Lewis' calibre of 'mini movie' style advertisements. By showing the most significant events in the UK over the last 122 years, the advert was able to grab the attention of bread lovers of all ages and backgrounds all over Britain.


Kingsmill becomes Queensmill

Bread fit for a Queen

2012 saw Great Britain celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and no doubt there was many-a-sandwich to be had at the numerous street parties that took place up and down the country. Kingsmill decided to celebrate in it's own way by changing the name of the brand, to befit the current monarch more suitably, for a brief period of time.

The image that got crust lovers everywhere excited!

Warburtons' April Fool becomes a reality

Most recently, Warburtons released an image of an 'All-Ends' loaf as an April Fools prank. The campaign was supposed to end there, but over 1000 people took to social media to share their excitement for this 'product'. Due to the response, Warburtons have now produced a limited number of these crust-filled loaves and is sending them to their biggest crust enthusiasts.


Don't forget the local guys!

As exciting as a feature length advert, or a gimmick bread loaf is, it's important to remember your local bakers, who work hard every day to provide you with something special, such as that super crusty, yet soft in the middle baguette to slice up with your soup. Sometimes their greatest form of advertising is that fresh bread smell that catches you on your way past, and who can resist that? Via Vecchia in York, at the top of the Shambles, is a great example of this, and the bread is snapped up so quickly if you blink you'll miss it!

Still local to Yorkshire, but taking on the supermarkets with their bloomer, brown and seeded loaves are Jackson's Bakery, based in Hull. It's great to see Yorkshire on the national map for yet another great product!

So if you're a total bread-head, take advantage of National Bread Week and try something new! If you're just a fan of the humble slice, you could always consider doing something a bit creative, like this:

The ultimate geek toast!

We'd love to hear about your favourite bakeries, and about your favourite bread, tweet us @ubd_studio, or leave a comment below.
 




Source of Information:
http://www.bakersfederation.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=48
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/04/15/warburtons-responds-social-media-launching-all-ends-loaf

Creative Copyright- Facts, thoughts and opinions

So, you have an amazing logo / jingle / piece of art, or anything you've created really, and you want to use it, but you're scared people are going to copy it, what do you do? Having worked with a number of past and current clients, regarding their Intellectual Property, Trade mark and registered status, it got us thinking that people should know more. We've also seen several articles lately that highlight the dangers of not protecting your work and IP. It's a hot topic in the media and it's definitely worth you considering your options about building equity in your business.


Taking the confusion out of copyright

However, what you need to do to protect your work can be somewhat confusing. After quick glance at the IPO, (Intellectual Property Office), website it became clear that it's not a simple case of 'copyright':

- Copyright: protects arts including music, literary works, dance, artworks, layouts for books etc and recordings or broadcasts of any work (music etc.). A copyright protects any medium of a piece of work, meaning that it cannot be copied in any form. Although there is no official system for copyright, the IPO suggest either sending yourself a special delivery letter with the work inside, and leave it unopened, or lodging your work with a bank, (this is not legally binding, but would provide evidence in court). Note that copyrights only protect the actually work, not the thoughts or ideas behind it. You can display that you wish to copyright your work by adding the © symbol. It is also advised to include your name and the year from which you wish to protect your work. A piece of work may have more than one copyright attached to it. A great, yet complicated example of this can be found here, regarding the highly irritating, but super catchy 'Friday' by Rebecca Black.

- Trade marks: otherwise known as your brand. The IPO define a trade mark as "a sign which can distinguish your goods and services from those of your competitors...It can be for example words, logos or a combination of both." The only way to register a trade mark is with the IPO. Although you may have registered your company name with Companies House, you may not be able to use this in your trade mark, the IPO provide a lot more information on this issue here.

- Registered Design: according to the IPO, the legal definition of a design is "the appearance of the whole or part of a product resulting from the features of, in particular, the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture or materials of the product or ornamentation." In the graphic design and branding world, this type of protection is suitable for packaging, graphic symbols, and typefaces. Designs can only be registered with the IPO, in the same way trade marks can.

- Design Right: just like copyrights do not need to be registered, neither do design rights. However design rights only protect the 3D shape and configuration of a product, not the surface patterns or other 2-dimensional aspects of the product. The IPO recommends taking similar precautions to that when protecting your copyright, e.g. mailing yourself a copy of your design and leaving it sealed.

- Patent: a patent is specifically for new inventions and protects "how things work, what they do, how they do it, what they are made of and how they are made." Patents are granted under strict guidelines, information on which can be found on the IPO website here.

The IPO also provide information on other rights regarding intellectual property, these can be found here.

Lessons learned from Leather Bags

Whether its logos, patterns or actual products, copyright infringement is serious, and can be seriously damaging to the owner of a copyright. Take, for example, the case of The Cambridge Satchel Company. It would seem obvious to assume that the brand would face problems with counterfeit products coming from overseas, however it might surprise you to hear that the company's own suppliers were using Cambridge Satchel leather and putting their own labels on the bags under a different brand name! Furthermore, it was discovered that fake social network sites had been created for the company, causing confusion for customers; a deception technique known as 'cybersquatting'.


Cultivating, or capping, creativity?

In the UK, copyright protection can last upwards of 50 years, depending on the type of material being protected. There are arguments for and against this length of time. Some claim that long copyrights increase creativity by providing protection to the creator, which is becoming more of an issue with the ease of sharing in the current digital climate. However, the point has been raised that these extended periods of protection make it difficult to revive or protect older material, as it can be difficult to find the original copyright holder in order to gain permission to use the work. Others claim that nowadays copyright is only used to protect publishing companies / record labels, not the content creators themselves.
  
These arguments raise interesting points. However, we believe, especially in the case of the individual or the independent business, copyright is essential, and trademarking must be seriously considered. Both provide protection for you and your brand from your reputation being damaged by cybersquatting or other fraudulent activities. Protecting yourself now is a lot cheaper than a legal battle later!

So how safe are you?




Sources of Information:
http://www.lawlawlandblog.com/2011/04/copyright_battles_on_friday_fu.html
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-about.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-about/t-whatis.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/design/d-about/d-whatis.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/design/d-about/d-designright.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/patent/p-about/p-whatis.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/otherprotect.htm
http://www.law.com/corporatecounsel/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202590116493&A_Handbag_Maker_Battles_Counterfeits_and_Copyright_Copycats
http://www.economist.com/node/15868004
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-about/t-whatis/t-companies.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/c-basicfacts.pdf

Business cards are big business! Part 1

Once again we've been trawling the internet for inspiration, and an image caught our attention. This time it's all about business cards:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Our personal favourite comes from Lego, we'd love to have Lego figures of us! Which is your favourite?

Your business card is the part of your brand that your potential customer / contact takes away with them. It's likely they have a whole wallet / folder of them, especially at a networking event. So how do you make sure it's you they are wanting to work with, rather than your competitor?

Getting everything you want to convey onto your business card is tough, so it's all to easy to put too much on there. Having the right balance is crucial. You don't want to overwhelm somone with a mass of information on a tiny piece of card, but nor do you want to leave them confused as to what you actually do, and more importantly, what you can do for them.
 
In some cases your name, a punchy strapline, and a phone number is all you need, in others an address, website, email address, and a Twitter handle may be more appropriate. Some even claim that your contact details are not even that important, with your company name there on the card, Google can fill in the blanks. Some people advise that you should only use one side of your business card, on the other you should leave space for people to write notes about you and your company. But we advise you at least put your logo on it, then no matter which way up your business card is, people know who it belongs to.

Nowadays it's not enough for a business card to stand out just visually. People appreciate business cards that feel, or even smell different! And there is no reason why your business card should adhere to a certain size and shape, your imagination is your only limit!

Do you have a business card that you feel stands out from the crowd? Tweet us a picture @ubd_studio!


Sources of information:
http://www.stickybranding.com/business-cards-make-a-statement/
http://www.steamfeed.com/your-business-card-is-your-first-impression/ 

World Book Day

We love to read! And that's why we're very excited that it's World Book Day! We also love the printed page which is a fantastic excuse to write a post.  Some of us are bigger bookworms than others, but we thought that we'd share with you what we are all reading at the moment:

Owen is a bit of a busy body and is currently reading three books at the same time! The books Owen is reading give you a brilliant insight into his personality. First of all, he likes to learn about, (and drink), beer, so it makes sense that he would be reading Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery. Owen also likes quirky and unusual things so there is no doubt why A History of the World in 100 Objects is right up his street. And finally, as you probably all know, Owen is a graphic designer, therefore his interest in the biography of legend Herb Lubalin, an American designer, is pretty obvious.

Lucy is a big bookworm, she is reading two books at the moment. Because she got so many books for Christmas, (including the Game of Thrones boxset!), she has only just got around to reading Life of Pi, and is refusing to watch the film until she has completed the book! She is also reading The Power, a book about the power of positive thinking.

Annabel and Ross are, quite sensibly, only reading one book each at the moment. Annabel is currently reading The Great Gatsby and Ross is reading a book by Stefan Sagmeister.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Of course a story couldnt be a story without a great narrative, but sometimes you need something more, and that's where illustration takes over. We have worked with some very talented illustrators over the years, especially in the last few weeks on the Doodle Day posts. Below is a great video from the World Book Day website, featuring Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart, an illustrator and a writer, who work together to create fantasy worlds and creatures. They way they work is quite fascinating.


Storycraft, Chris Riddell, Paul Stewart from World Book Day on Vimeo.

Did you know World Book Day is celebrated in over 100 countries, and that the event is now in it's 16th year?! And although the World Book Day is specifically aimed at children, we think you're never too old, or too young to enjoy a good book.

Are you celebrating World Book Day? Or are you enjoying a really good book at the moment? Give us a tweet @ubd_studio.

Gone are the days of the humble box

Here at United by Design we love quirky packaging. A link on Facebook captured our attention and got us looking at some innovative packaging ideas. After a little more digging around on the internet we came up with this slideshow of packaging ideas that got us talking, laughing, and thinking, exactly what good packaging should do:



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

We think these are great, which one is your favourite?

It is quite clear to us that in a world where innovation is king and standing out from the crowd is key to success, it is no longer enough to just have a good product. Sure, without a good product you have nothing, but without the tools to sell it, then you just have a lot of product, and not a lot of pennies! Your brand packaging is what makes your product great; it’s what sells it. Packaging should say, “Hey, you, look at me! Pick me up! I am better than that product there, look at my exciting packaging!” Ok, so packaging doesn’t really talk, but a picture is worth 1,000 words, and your packaging needs to tell your consumer everything your product has to offer. It needs to ooze personality and help tell the brand story.

So you’re happy with your product, you think it’s the bee’s knees, but the masses don’t seem to agree with you, what do you do? You need to get some insight from market research, from the people who buy your product but also those who don't, to find out why they don't! Then you need to look at category cues, your competition, those who do amazingly well – so you can benchmark and of course look at your brand story and see how you can express it to entice and draw people in.

Never be afraid to change things! This may be through evolution or perhaps you need to employ and more aggressive approach and innovate in your sector. Do not be afraid to do thing differently to help differentiate! It will ultimately help you to develop your business. Gain insight and act on it!

Take SLOEmotion for example. We continue to enjoy work with the team to evolve their company and the way they do things – ‘evolution rather than revolution’. The basics were already there, a great, award winning product and a signature bottle shape. United by Design has brought the SLOEmotion range of products together, whilst differentiating between the various spirits (gin, vodka, brandy, whiskey), using category cues to help instant recognition; the characteristics that people associate with certain products, e.g red is associated with vodka and purple with sloe gin. The distinctive shape of the SLOEmotion 35cl bottles enabled us to extend the brand to a large 70cl size and a gift range of 5cl bottle, all accentuate the originality of the SLOEmotion brand story. Focussing on finer details such as the hedgerow sprig, strap-line, and focus on the actual fruit help the consumer to be clear on what they are buying.

We also helped to reduce packaging costs for the truffle ranges by designing a generic signature box with a range of product stickers depending on the contents of the box. It’s these simple yet effective ideas that make all the difference in such a competitive market for a business that is thinking about the bottom line as well as making profits!



Early last year we worked closely with the company to launch a new product that’s packaging design has a completely different feel to the others that have been developed to date. SLOEmotion No. 7 fruit cup (gin based mixer) has a fun and fresh design but is still easily identifiable as a SLOEmotion product. Compared to its competitors it has a contemporary design that makes it stand out on the shelves. SLOEmotion have embraced change and challenged the norm to help them define themselves in a very competitive market where other companies have lead for a long time and other brands have decided to create 'me too' products that look lifeless and very much a lesser product due to the strength of the brand leader. This approach, although calculated, is enabling SLOEmotion to make a name for themselves as being different – in a good way!



What we’re really getting at is that packaging no longer just serves as a means of housing a product, it’s a strategic design process, and to get ahead you really have to ‘think outside the box’ (see what we did there?).



Images from: 
http://humorcamp.com/view/6251/
www.thedieline.com

It turns out we do doodle!

It's been a week since we posted about National Doodle Day, and it turns out you guys really like to doodle! So much so that we are here doing a follow up post for those who sent us doodles in the last week:

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Credits:
1. Tom Woolley
2 - 4. John Kilburn
5. Ben Kirchner
6 - 12. Paul Oakley
13. Simon Henshaw
14 - 24. Kate Pankhurst

Thank you to these brilliant and super talented illustrator friends for taking the time to send us these awesome doodles!

We are really pleased that we are able to support Epilepsy Action through the simple act of doodling. The campaign helped to raise over £14,500 for Epilepsy Action! 

We'd just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who got involved with us to support this cause. 

If you have any more doodles we would love to see them, we might even make it a regular feature! Tweet us @ubd_studio

Let's keep on doodling!

Love? Consumerism? Or because we love consumerism?

Cupcakes in the studio (baked by Lucy)

So it's that time of year again, when people go out of their way to show that special someone how much they care with an overpriced teddy bear or a dozen red roses that cost a fortune. Valentine's Day causes such a stir, with retail businesses loving every second of our need to find the perfect card and gift. Quite often we do this last minute, despite the weeks of warnings around us in every shop we visit.







But why Valentine's Day? Where did it come from? 
And why are we so 'in love' with it?
 
The origins of Valentine's Day could go as far back as the Roman Times, however there are many stories of St. Valentine, and so the true roots of the day of love are still a mystery. Written Valentine's started to increase in popularity in the 1400s, and in the UK the day has been celebrated since the 17th Century.

Now, in the 21st Century the once humble sentiment of Valentine's Day is worth millions of pounds. According to EZBOB, you can expect the average consumer to be spending around £76 on gifts and cards. And if that consumer is female, she may even be buying gifts for her children, pets, or her friends!

Buying in to Valentine's
 
The biggest money maker is cards, with 60% of money spent on Valentine's Day lining the pockets of companies such as Hallmark. But florists, restaurants, and confectioners also get their fair share of revenue. Amazon are even offering same-day-delivery on the day itself, for those forgetful ones amongst us!

We buy into it every year, but are we doing it because we want to treat the one we love, or because it's forced down our necks? Valentine's Day is consumerism in its perfect form, everyone scrambling over each other to wow their significant others with gifts, driven by the hype caused by retailers. And, let's face it, we're all suckers for a good gimmick. But, as The Gauntlet points out, isn't every purchase decision you make just consumerism? The car you drive, your choice of coffee shop, the shoes on your feet, you had been given choices for all these items, and consumerism lead your decisions.

Let's look at it from the other perspective: brands. Without a brand, you have no identity, and without an identity, you're not very likely to have a consumer, let alone lots of them! And without a consumer, how do you expect to take advantage of consumerism? The simple answer is you can't. Your brand is everything! It will cause people to dismiss you or inspire them to queue down the street. Getting it right is paramount, especially when it's a necessity to stand out from the crowd, and on a day like Valentine's Day, that is a must!

If you feel like having a consumerism-free Valentine's Day, why not strip it back and make something for that special person in your life, or those special people if you're all about sharing the love. Here in the studio we are celebrating with cupcakes!

We hope that whatever you decide to do, you have a lovely day. Tweet us with you plans @ubd_studio


Sources of information:
http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/
http://www.thegauntlet.ca/story/valentines-day-and-consumerism
http://www.ezbob.com/valentines-day-consumerism-at-its-best/