In order to properly answer this question, we must dispel a few myths about branding first.

Myth #1: Your brand is not your product.

Myth #2: Your brand is not your logo.

Myth #3: Branding is not marketing or advertising.

So what exactly is branding?

Branding is an authentic promise aligned with your company to be a promise delivery system.

The 4 pillars of a strong, lasting brand are:

1. Be authentic.

2. Be compelling.

3. Be distinctive.

4. Be excellent.

To identify, extract and refine the four pillars of a brand, a company must ask itself a few fundamental questions, such as, “Do you know who you are?” and “Do you know what your strategic positioning should be?” However, most companies (without a background in this stuff) don’t know where to begin. That’s where we come in.

As a brand consultancy, there are several packages / services that we offer depending on company size, budget and level of existing brand clarity, that will help companies identify “who they are”. 

You certainly don’t want to move forward full steam developing a brand before you’ve asked yourself the important questions and gained clarity on your essence and vision.

For larger clients, with several key decision makers, we recommend a full day or half day branding workshop. These sessions are fun-filled days set with a casual tone where we group the team in a circle of chairs with no desks (to eliminate barriers and encourage the flow of ideas). We conduct a series of exercises, starting with a brief education session, moving into brainstorming sessions, small group exercises and worksheets to be filled out by each staff member individually. Post-workshop, we asses the data to find patterns that will direct the brand decisions visually, verbally and otherwise.

Shown above: Sneak peaks at a couple of our worksheets, including the Naming Worksheet and the Characteristic Spectrum.

For smaller companies that don’t have the budget or time for this kind of in-depth process, we start with an in person discovery session. In this meeting, we go through a series of questions to identify who you are as a company, what your strengths and weaknesses are, who your competitors are and what your current goals are, to name a few key points.

After we’ve gathered the essentials, we conduct additional research to help guide your brand look and feel. Several logo design options are explored internally amongst our team and refined, eliminated or expanded upon prior to presentation. Six to Ten initial directions are presented for review (though smaller packages are available with less options if budget is a primary driving force).

Below are a few pages from the initial presentation and the options explored that resulted in the final blue and black version.

We give our clients a 24-48 hour window to review the presentation and provide feedback. This time frame eliminates knee-jerk reactions and allows clients to share the logo options with key team members to get a consensus before responding. We allot for 2 rounds of changes, whether these be structural (a change to the icon / illustration) or a font or color change, we work with you to achieve a brand identity that reflects who you are as a company and relates to your target audience.

Once the logo is finalized, we bundle up a package of several different file types that can be used for print, web and digital communication. This package includes CMYK, RGB, PMS and Pantone versions of the logo, as well as Black & White variations.

In addition to Logo Design, Skybox Creative offers Company Naming, Tagline Writing, Branding Standards Guides (Basic or Extended), Stationery Package design (Business Cards, Letterhead and Envelope Design) and more. A Branding Standards Guide is a PDF booklet outlining brand specifications to ensure consistency for internal and external communication. Every major brand has a Standards Guide, this document is typically 3-50+ pages and outlines usage details such as minimum size requirements, acceptable reversed out treatments (how it should look on a colored background), font families, colors and more. We recommend a minimum of 3-5 pages to identify key branding standards. Each package we offer is custom tailored to fit the client’s needs and budget.

From logo design to supporting branding materials and defining standards, Skybox Creative can elevate your brand to new heights. We specialize in both the development of new brands as well as the revitalization of existing brands (rebranding), to view samples of our work, please visit our branding portfolio.

Our Account Managers love to help… If you have any questions or to get a quote on your upcoming branding project, get in touch with us today! info@skyboxcreative.com or call (619) 381-3825

by Angelina Sereno

Cygnus Broadband offers the highest quality mobile multimedia experience, so it’s critical that their brand image reflects that. Skybox Creative stepped in to rebrand the company; from logo redesign to business cards, website to PowerPoint and more.

Prior to starting the rebranding campaign, Skybox had a discovery session to understand the key elements of the brand that were working and what needed to change. The image below shows the brand and web design prior to the redesign.

BEFORE

The term Cygnus means swan, symbolizing the flawless grace with which the technology plays the most complex content on your mobile device. There was already some brand equity established with the color palette, icon and name, so Skybox had to build on that to create a contemporary brand image that communicates “technology”.

We switched to a lowercase font to give the brand a more consumer, friendly feel since the end product is consumer oriented rather than just B2B. The swan icon was updated with a unified symbol, wings that symbolize “wifi” technology, and a deepened red to give the brand a different level of sophistication. The newly designed icon can be seen on the web screenshot below (or on the client’s site here: www.cygnusbroadband.com).

For the website structure and design, we took a long hard look at the technology itself and asked ourselves: What is the core value here? Sometimes the most complex technologies and businesses have very simple answers. In this case, the seamless streaming of rich media to mobile devices that have a hard time keeping up with the demands of a constantly “engaged” technology based world. In the very first meeting between Skybox and Cygnus, a demo of the before/after video sample had us sold. Immediately we knew, this video sample needs to take center stage… why talk about it if you can show it. There is no denying the difference.

Cygnus Boradband Web Design + Branding - AFTER

Cygnus Boradband Interior Web Page Design - AFTER

This technology, if adopted by both network providers and cell phone manufacturers, allows up to 25% more simultaneous streams of rich media content for users within the same region no matter how “bogged down” the network is. The pico cell technology is intelligent enough to break up complex data streams and allow more bandwidth to the users who need it most. We were able to funnel this tech-heavy concept into an easy-to-understand message through our copywriting and supporting graphic imagery.

We combined custom illustrative elements with impactful photography to give the brand a lasting impression, from the clever pop-ups to represent data usage on the technology page (www.cygnusbroadband.com/technology), to the social video icons bursting out from the phone on the newsroom page (www.cygnusbroadband.com/newsroom/news), to the fun paper airplane and unique map illustration on the contact us page (www.cygnusbroadband.com/contact-us), the Cygnus brand communicates mobile expertise and innovation at every step!

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

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by Angelina Sereno

“Green” is practically a brand in itself. It’s a label put on products from lightbulbs to SUVs that always brings with it its own design considerations. Images of palm fronds and panda bears used to say ecology, but now, with the green explosion, companies are looking for less literal, more creative ways to say they care about the planet. The San Diego web design and branding firm, Skybox Creative was brought in to bring the brand to life.

We approached their branding from a holistic perspective taking into account everything from product name – “Save me” which is short for “Save Mother Earth” – to their logo design, packaging design and temporary landing page/web page. Each one of our design choices support the feel and philosophy of the company.

Simple Design

Skybox Creative chose a clean, simple and (literally) green design scheme that underscores the company’s eco-friendly message. Their logo features smooth lines, a friendly font and creative use of batteries inside the lettering. The tone of the company is clear – the lower-case lettering tell us that they’re young and fresh and the clever use of batteries inside the letter “m” speaks to a fun and friendly attitude. Their tagline, too, “Save a battery. Save the planet.” is short and sweet – see how simple their green solution is?

The web design color choices underscore the simplicity of the product and the mission. A white backdrop with green and charcoal lettering makes for an easy to read, clean website.

Custom Info Graphics

Save Me’s website makes great use of fun, friendly graphics. We created custom “How it Works” illustrations that are bold and completely stylized to match the look and feel of the brand. Save Me’s overall message that saving the planet can be easy is clearly communicated throughout the brand materials. The illustrations are clean and simple, like the rest of the company’s design. And the Info graphics – the single icons against green circles anchor the page with color, without veering from the clean and clear design look of the company.

Maybe Kermit was wrong. Maybe it IS easy being green. At least Save Me makes it look that way.

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

If less is sometimes more, then nothing is sometimes everything. When designing a logo — whether it’s for web or print –  memorable is key. And as you think about branding your company or launching your print or web design campaigns, one of the most memorable ways to approach logo design is to consider the negative space.

Negative space logo design makes the background a part of the overall design by creating a shape or form using the background color. A number of brands big and small – established and up-and-coming – have created striking and memorable logos with negative space design. They do it in two ways.

Suggest an Image

Probably the most famous example of negative space logo design is the FedEx logo.  Corporate colors, simple font — the logo looks simple. But look again. The white space in “Ex” creates an arrow…pretty clever, huh? This “power of suggestion” design touches subtly on the theme or vibe of a company without hitting the viewer over the head. Negative space is perfect for this kind of “read between the lines” logo design. Another great example is Bull Entertainment — menacing horns just visible in the B!

Create a Complete Image

The other way to go with negative space in logo design is to use it as part of the whole image, or to create a complete form that pops out.

For more inspiring examples of negative space design in logos and web, check out Web Design Ledger.

There’s something about making the viewer do a little figuring that makes them just a little bit more invested in the final image. It feels good to figure something out, and with negative space design, there’s a definitive click of recognition. Look no further than the image that’s gone viral by the billions in the last week to see how negative space can resonate: An iconic tribute to the genius behind Apple, Steve Jobs

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

Part Brand Development, part “Product Evolution”, Skybox Creative gets hands on with Vigor Systems Inc. to help create their new product line: Advertio™. From naming to logo development, product design, packaging design, vendor coordination and more, Skybox Creative assisted in the making the product launch a reality.

A pre-NAB celebration at Vigor Systems Inc. allowed the team to revel our combined hard work. The team even had an Advertio™ cake made to have a little fun! Our client is attending NAB Las Vegas this week to roll out the new products to potential clients.

Vigor Systems Inc. currently provides custom video solutions for clients such as Warner Bros., CBS and Ascent Media, just to name a few.

For more information on Skybox Creative’s services, such as Brand Development, Product Evolution, Custom Web Development and more, please email us at info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619-381-3825.

There has been much discussion and debate around the proposed launch of the revised Starbucks Brand Identity. I’ve been involved in forums and branding groups that have been discussing the topic over the last few months and have heard a lot of conflicting opinions on the topic.

I stepped into Starbucks yesterday to grab an afternoon Mocha and witnessed the brand roll out first hand, from the signage on the door, to the gift cards, mugs, sleeves, coffee packaging and more, the new logo was everywhere (except the cups, strangely enough)… these things take time. As any company knows, the roll out of a re-branding campaign takes time to implement, leaving old logos floating around for months and sometimes years. Think about the overhaul of such a decision in a large corporate entity like Starbucks! On the inside, we’re talking letterhead, corporate binders, internal communication documents, email signatures, etc. On the consumer side, there is each individual store to overhaul (all 17,009 of them) along with ad campaigns, packaging, promotional items, etc. This is no easy task!

Personally, I love the new logo, I think it is a natural evolution of any iconic brand to morph into a more simplified and memorable stamp that speaks for the name. Look at Nike, a classic example of an icon that no longer needs a name, this shows the power of symbolism and brand recognition. It certainly didn’t happen over night though, the powerhouse has been at it for 40 years… longer than I’ve been on this planet!

What do you think of the new brand? Better or worse? Let us know your thoughts below!

Questions? Email us at info@skyboxcreative.com

Skybox Creative, Inc. – Elevate your business with iconic brand + web design.

by Angelina Sereno

In the Fall of 2010, an associate from Canyon Crest Academy approached Skybox Creative to donate a logo design for their school’s burgeoning new business, The Nest, an on-campus café. Canyon Crest Academy, a non-profit organization, was hoping to find the right creative fit and a company who believed in their mission to help build a safe and comfortable atmosphere where teens and faculty can come together to enjoy coffee and healthy food without ever having to leave campus. The Nest is the first student run café in the San Dieguito Union High School District.

Although the logo development process is an extremely meticulous and time consuming collaboration of planning and design, Skybox believes in giving back when the opportunity presents itself and we were excited to provide our services to The Nest and CCA.

Demographics: Their target market is students ages 14+ and teachers ages 25+ that buy school food and/or go off campus to buy lunch, and people that would like to purchase coffee any time of day.

Marketing Strategies: Their marketing strategies include but are not limited to announcements and bulletins to have more of the student body aware of the new café, a website where we they blog about new items or deals in the café, and merchandise, mugs, etc. that are available for purchase in the café.

Look and Feel: The Nest wanted their coffee shop to be seen as innovative, friendly, comfortable, and a place that provides quality food and services.

To come up with the right logo direction that fulfilled both their vision and an appropriate, lasting representation of The Nest, Skybox Creative explored multiple color palettes and graphic styles that were fresh, modern and playful for the youthful demographic.

Several font options were considered from fun and bouncy to more simple and classic.

We decided to omit the bird on the final version and kept the logo simple. Drawing on the name, we blended a coffee cup into the nest image. We used earth tones and added leaves to the nest to subtly convey an eco-friendly vibe. The final font has a youthful energy with curvy lines and twists, yet is still very classic and professional.

There are two versions of the final logo. One on a deep brown background and one that can be used on white.

The Nest was extremely pleased with the end result, and is planning for branded signage and T-shirts in 2011. For more information about Skybox Creative, or to view our portfolio, please visit www.skyboxcreative.com

CLIENT
LifeSource BioSolutions, LLC.

CHALLENGE
LifeSource BioMedical, LLC, a start-up provider of drug discovery, pre-clinical research, and development services utilizing in vivo testing, sought to establish credibility and recognition in a heavily saturated market. Although LifeSource’s testing procedures are performed in the most humane ways, animal research remains a sensitive topic. This required Skybox to be meticulous and conscientious in the selection of imagery and verbal content.

SOLUTION
Initiating the logo development, Skybox explored a wide range of options related to science and technology imagery: molecules to microscopes, simple to complex. At the conclusion of the process, we developed a dynamic flame symbol which bears resemblance to a DNA strand. The upward spiraling symbol is positive and life-giving. Skybox then developed a color palette unique to a marketplace dominated by medical white and blue, positioning LifeSource to stand apart from the competition. Skybox also capitalized on LifeSource’s location on the NASA Ames campus to further enhance the company’s credibility, prominently highlighting the NASA name on all communication tools.

RESULTS
From an impressive web presentation to trade show display and all corporate collateral in between, LifeSource displays professionalism, brand consistency and, most importantly, a clear message. LifeSource has experienced significant growth in staff and size since its inception. Subsequent to the visual branding campaign, the company has been purchased and anticipates continued prosperity. The LifeSource brand image is by far the most unique and compelling image in its market segment.

LifeSource BioMedical Web Design

LifeSource BioMedical Brochure Design

LifeSource BioMedical Trade Show Design

TESTIMONIAL
“It all started with a simple logo design: The Skybox Creative team was referred to me and what a find! The team at Skybox Creative are by far the best web designers we have had the good fortune to work with. They not only designed the new site for my latest company, but they also put together a lovely holding site while the project was under way. Even the simple holding site was so nice that people were constantly asking me who designed it for us. To top it off, it was easily populated and updated by us “non-web” folks in the office. Not only do we strongly recommend Skybox Creative  for your web design needs, but we are, in fact using them again and again!! Thanks Skybox and great job – definitely the best brand development company.”

C.L., Former President
LifeSource BioMedical, LLC.

Check out how large and small companies are reinventing their brand image at http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/

This site is a great resource for learning about what some of the corporate mega companies are doing to modernize, elevate and sustain branding supremacy.

To find out more about building a brand for your company, contact info@skyboxcreative.com or call 619.381.3825

Skybox Creative is an award-winning web design and branding firm in San Diego. Specializing in all things graphic design, Skybox works hand-in-hand with companies to create lasting, clean and distinctive imagery for your company in the medium of web, print, email, trade show + more.