Brand manual for NEUE

NEUE

CLEAN PRODUCTS FOR THE DIRTY DESIGNER

Table of Contents 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Manual Guidelines 1.3 Purpose

5 APPLICATIONS 5.1 Soaps 5.2 Men’s Care 5.3 Bath Accessories

2

IDENTITY

6 WEB

2.1 2.2 2.3

Logo Variations Colors & Typography Reproduction Rules

6.1 6.2

1

BRAND PHILOSOPHY

Home Page Product Page

7 CREDITS

3 STATIONERY 3.1

Business Card & Envelope 3.2 Letterhead 4 MARKETING 4.1 Uniforms 4.2 Signage 4.3 Advertising 4.4 Store Packaging 4.5 Gifts & Promotional Items 2

8 PROCESS

Introduction

A letter from our co-founders Before starting NEUE, co-founders Jeff Chambless and Becca Barton saw a gap in an otherwisesaturated market of products for designers: personal care products.

We founded NEUE in order to fill this niche market, and bring design-minded products to every designer’s daily routine. We began this company to bring fun to the designer’s daily routine, and continue to work on that mission today.

Today, NEUE is a personal care product line offering a range of products from soaps and bath accessories to men’s facial care in both a brick-and-mortar retail store and an online shop. We have expanded from our first soap to include multiple soaps, men’s care products, and bath accessories.

We see good design as nonnegotiable, and believe it should extend to all aspects of daily life—including personal hygiene.

This is the mentality we had when founding our company, and it is the thought that still guides every action of our company today. We see our company as an opportunity to bring fun design to daily routines everywhere, and want to continue to expand our business from here.

This brand identity manual sets forth the visual standards of our business. We see consistency in visuals as an essential part of our brand. Treat this guide as the visual guidebook for our brand, and let it serve as a guide for all branding for NEUE. We’re looking forward to our future.

3

Manual GUIDELINES 4

This manual is meant to serve as a guideline for our brand standards. Included are guidelines for using the logo, brand colors, and appropriate typography to be used in order to establish consistency for the brand. The manual’s role is also to help avoid major design mistakes (please, no papyrus or comic sans.)

On the other hand, these rules are not meant to stifle creativity and innovation. The rules are meant to be bent, but not broken. Use the guidelines in the following pages to determine where there may be flexibility, and where rules need to be adhered to.

Have fun exploring our brand, and learning what we do and why we do it. We love NEUE, and we’re excited to share our brand with you.

5

Our PURPOSE 6

MISSION STATEMENT

VISION STATEMENT

At NEUE, we strive to make personal care products catered to the conscious designer with a sense of humor. Our products are created by designers, for designers.

We believe NEUE has the potential to grow and expand to offer products for every part of the designer’s daily routine. From hair products to fragrance, we see many opportunities to increase NEUE’s product range to fully encompass the personal care routine.

We also believe it is our duty to do as little harm to the earth as possible, and to create each of our products with sustainability in mind. We keep our packaging minimal and our ingredients simple.

We firmly believe that no designer should have to suffer through using poorly designed personal care products on a daily basis. With this in mind, we create our personal care products with the designer in mind.

We also see the opportunity to expand our retail stores and to open in more cities. Although our home is in New York, we would like to bring our products to designers across the U.S.

7

IDENTITY Appropriate use and guidelines

8

SECTION CONTENTS 2.1

Logo Variations

2.2 Colors & Typography 2.3 Reproduction Rules

9

Logo Variations

ACCEPTABLE VERTICAL VARIATIONS 2.1

NEUE

NEUE

NEUE

NEUE

NEUE

NEUE

CLEAN PRODUCTS FOR THE DIRTY DESIGNER

CLEAN PRODUCTS FOR THE DIRTY DESIGNER

GUIDELINES

Symbol

NEUE

CLEAN PRODUCTS FOR THE DIRTY DESIGNER

10

Brand Name

Tagline

The full logo contains four elements, the symbol, company name, a straight line, and company tagline. All elements are to be kept equal in width. The full logo should be used when the logo will be 1.5 in or larger. In instances when the logo will be smaller, a modified version without the tagline will be used.

To download high-res versions of both logos, please visit thedirtydesigner. com/brand-guidelines/logos.

CLEAN PRODUCTS FOR THE DIRTY DESIGNER

ACCEPTABLE HORIZONTAL VARIATIONS

NEUE

NEUE

NEUE NEUE

NEUE

CLEAN PRODUC TS FOR THE DIR TY DESIGNE R

CLEAN PRODUC TS FOR THE DIR TY DESIGNE R

NEUE

CLEAN PRODUC TS FOR THE DIR TY DESIGNE R

11

Company Colors & Typography 2.2

Ambroise Demi

TYPOGRAPHY The company name is always written in all capitals, set in Ambroise Demi, tracking of 0. The tagline is written in all capitals, Gotham Book, tracking of 0. Size is variable.

Gotham Book Pantone 625 C

Pantone 186 C

Pantone Black 1C

Pantone 130 C

Pantone 359 C

C: 64 M: 16 Y: 45 K: 30

C: 2 M: 100 Y: 85 K: 6

C: 0 M: 0 Y: 0 K: 100

C: 0 M: 32 Y: 100 K: 0

C: 40 M: 0 Y: 50 K: 0

RGB(80, 127, 112)

RGB(200, 16, 46)

RGB(0, 0, 0)

RGB(242, 169, 0)

RGB(161, 216, 132)

Pantone Warm Gray 1C C: 3 M: 3 Y: 6 K: 7 RGB(215, 210, 203)

48 pt.

36 pt.

12

Ambroise Demi Ambroise Demi

24 pt.

Ambroise Demi

18 pt.

Ambroise Demi

12 pt.

Ambroise Demi

Hex:#507f70

Hex:#C8102E

Hex:#000000

Hex:#F2A900

Hex:#A1D884 Hex:#D7D2CB

COLORS The main colors for the logo will be Pantone Neutral Black C and Pantone 625 C when used on a light background. Acceptable variations include using the other brand colors Pantone 130 C, Pantone 186 C, and Pantone 359 C, where readability allows for it. When set on a colored background, the logo should be set to Paper white.

13

2.3

Reproductions Dos and Don’ts DO

DON’T

USE the logos that is available for download for free at the dirtydesigner. com/brand-guidelines/logos.

RESIZE the logo disproportionately.

USAGE & DIMENSIONS

CHANGE the font or use off-brand colors.

The logo must always be used with at least 1/8” of space around all sides. This applies to all versions, both horizontal and vertical.

USE brand appropriate colors.

CHOOSE the appropriate version of the logo for the job—if the logo will fit best in a horizontal orientation, choose the horizontal version of the logo.

FOLLOW the clearance rules as outlined on the figure to the right.

USE more than one version of the logo per use.

SKEW the logo or change its perspective.

IGNORE the clearance space.

PLACE the logo on a patterned background. Use solid colors only.

NEUE

Only place the logo on a solid colored background. For darker backgrounds, use a white version of the logo reversed on the background. For light backgrounds, use a black version of the logo, as shown to the right. When using the logo on a white background, the logo may be shown in Pantone 625 C, Pantone 186 C, Pantone 130 C, or Pantone Black 1C.

CLEAN PRODUCTS FOR THE DIRTY DESIGNER

14

15

Stationery And Company Materials

16

SECTION CONTENTS 3.1

Business Card

3.2 Envelope 3.3 Letterhead

Business Card

Envelopes PAPER 2in. W x 3.5in. H 16pt paper Matte Finish 100% recycled 100% recyclable & biodegradable

INK

3.1-2

PAPER 8 5/8in. W x 5 5/8in.

Opaque 70lb.

100% recycled material.

Printed with vegetable-based ink.

18

19

Stationary Letterhead Close-up PAPER 8.5in. W x 11in. H 100% recycled 60lb Eggshell Finish

3.3

INK Printed with vegetable-based ink.

20

21

MARKETING Signage & Advertising

SECTION CONTENTS 4.1 Uniforms 4.2 Signage 4.3 Advertising 4.4 Store Packaging 4.5 Gift & Promotional Items

22

23

Uniforms WOMEN’S SHIRTS

MEN’S SHIRTS

4.1

EMPLOYEE UNIFORMS We want our employees to be comfortable, approachable, and recognizable. We outfit our employees in t-shirts emblazoned with our logo in bright company colors. The shirts are gender-specific so that the shirts fit properly and appear clean and appropriate.

24

25

Signage STOREFRONT SIGNAGE We like our signage like we like our products: clean. For our brick and mortar storefront, we have one sign out front, displaying our full logo with the tagline. The logo is white, with a background of Pantone 625 C. The store windows have the same sign on one panel, while the others are left open so pedestrians can look in and see the store from the outside.

4.2

26

27

Advertising FULL BUILDING AD MAGAZINE DOUBLE PAGE AD Our ads feature clean images, captivating typography, and a clean Pantone 625 C/ white/ black color scheme. The tone is entertaining, with an informative touch. The ad is expanded for the two page magazine ad, but a condensed version will appear on the building ads placed throughout New York City. Each ad contains our contact information so that the customer can easily find us.

28

4.3

29

Store Packaging

4.4

IN STORE PACKAGING Purchases made in-store will be wrapped in white tissue paper, secured with a piece of the branded tape shown to the right. Purchases will also be placed in a store bag featuring the logo large on the front. The tape and bags are available in all five of the company’s colors, Pantone 186 C, Pantone 625 C, Pantone 359 C, Pantone 130 C, and Pantone Warm Grey 1C.

30

ONLINE PACKAGING Online purchases will be packaged in white tissue paper and secured with the company branded tape. Purchases will then be placed in one of the boxes modeled on the right. The boxes will come in a variety of shape and sizes to accommodate all ranges of purchases.

31

Gift & Promotional Items COMPANY PENS These are to be used in stores. They come in four of the company’s colors, and feature a horizontal version of the logo on the pen and a vertical separate logo on the pen cap.

A logo is required on each part in case of detachment, so they are still recognizable as company merchandise.

4.5

CANVAS REUSABLE BAGS AMPERSAND LOOFAHS One will be given to each customer with a purchase over $25. Each loofah is made in one of the company colors, and made from 100% post-consumer recycled material.

32

Part of our sustainability mission, these bags are made of 100% organic cotton and will be offered at a discounted price to customers with purchases over $15. They will also be available for regular purchase at full price. Once purchased, customers who bring in these bags for subsequent purchases will be given an additional 10% off of their purchase,

33

APPLICATIONS Our full range of products

34

SECTION CONTENTS 5.1 Soaps 5.2 Men’s Care 5.3 Bath Accessories

35

Soaps

5.1

36

WASH AWAY THE CRITICISM SOAP

PANTONE SOAPS

Ever wanted to wash away all of that harsh design criticism?

Now you can with our disappearing ink soaps. Featuring your least favorite criticisms, the black text deteriorates away with each use. Made from vegetable dye and organic ingredients, these soaps are also environmentally conscious.

Bring your favorite color to the shower with these Pantone soaps. With packaging mimicking the iconic Pantone swatch design, these soaps make for good display pieces as well.

Made from vegetable dye, organic ingredients and minimal packaging, these soaps are environmentally conscious.

37

Men’s Care

SANS ‘STACHE SHAVING CREAM

5.2

Based off of the clean and masculine sans-serif typeface, this shaving cream helps clean up any male designer’s act.

The subtle razor in the diagonals on the packaging leads to a clean design that will upgrade both your look and your medicine cabinet’s.

38

39

Bath Accessories

5.3

EPSON PRINTER BATH SALT Bring color matching outside of the office with the Epson Printer Bath Salt. Based on the basic CMYK color system, these bath salts come in three colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Combine scoops of the colors to create many different colors. The Bath salts come with a handy card to guide the mixing.

40

41

WEB

SECTION CONTENTS 6.1

Home Page

6.2 Product Page

The guidelines for our website

42

43

BUY

Web Pages

ABOUT

VISIT

CONTACT

NEUE

Featured Product Pantone Soaps so fresh and so clean

44

HOMEPAGE

PRODUCT PAGE

The homepage features one large hero image with a call to action. This image will switch out between four options, each showcasing a different product.

The buy now button will lead the customer to a page featuring all of the options in that line, and will give further information about the product.

This page shows the product range, and will be separated by product type.

The sections are able to be filtered to allow the customer to search by soap, lotion, men’s care, etc. The top navigation is white, but turns to the corresponding company Pantone Warm Grey C upon hover. It also bolds.

The website is fully responsive, and collapses to simpler versions for both a tablet version and a smartphone version. The image will switch out between the four options on each version of the website.

Upon hovering on each image, a magnifying glass signaling the quick view option appears, allowing the customer to view the product in a pop up lightbox style window. The images and descriptions can also be clicked through to view a more detailed product description.

5.1-2

PRODUCTS SOAPS

“Not Enough Contrast.” wash away the criticism line

$8.00

“Is that It?”

wash away the criticism line

$8.00

“Start Over!”

wash away the criticism line

$8.00 45

Credits FINAL THOUGHTS & NOTES

46

NEUE would like to offer a special thank you to Professor Brooke Scherer and the Graphic Design III class for their invaluable feedback and critiques to guide us through our development process.

47

PROCESS The making of our brand

SECTION CONTENTS 8.1

Project Brief

8.2 Phase I 8.3 Phase II 8.4 Phase III 8.5 Phase IV

48

49

Project Brief The project brief was broken up into four main parts: Research & Define, Visual Identity, Implementation, and Client Presentation.

Each section is explained in further detail to the right.

PHASE I RESEARCH & DEFINE

PHASE II VISUAL IDENTITY

PHASE III IMPLEMENTATION

PHASE IV CLIENT PRESENTATION

Our first step was to define the type of business we wanted to create. Based on the range of products we could expand to and the freedom we would be able to have in terms of creating a visual identity, we decided to found a personal care product company. We found that there didn’t seem to be a personal care product line catered toward designers and felt that there was a lot of potential for products and design there, so we decided to become a line catered to designers.

Next, we began developing and refining the company’s visual identity. We wanted a look that was classic, modern, and clean. We began exploring typographic options, sketching possible logos, and exploring various color schemes.

With our visual identity taking shape, we began assembling the brand manual to outline the dos and don’ts of our company to help achieve consistency across our brand.

Having developed the basics of our brand and the deliverables, we put all of our products into one presentation and gave a thirty minute presentation explaining our brand and presenting our product line to a panel for critique.

After this final presentation, we then went into the final refinement stage to add the finishing touches to our designs and brand manual.

We then conducted research to find out what consumers think the most important parts of a personal care product line are. We found out that scent, price, and environmental focus were the three main factors that lead to a purchase.

Finally, we began to create the foundation for our company’s identity, brainstorming dozens of possible company names and create a mood board to guide our visuals. We then gathered all of this information into a presentation summarizing the main key points to present our company.

50

We began the logo sketches by sketching multiple versions by hand, and then refining those sketches by hand, and finally bringing the sketches to the computer. We explored color schemes by looking back at our research to see the color schemes used by other soap companies whose design we liked. We found they used bright and punchy colors, with an emphasis on black and white. From there, we played with the color scheme in various layouts to see how the colors played together, adding in the typefaces from our type study as well.

We also began creating the application of our products. We settled on the final ideas for the products our line would offer, and began sketching and creating mockups of the packaging, We also created the deliverables for the six sections we needed to develop designs for, including: • A stationery system, including a business card, letterhead, and envelope.

• 3-D applications, including store signage and employee uniforms.

• Packaging, with a minimum of two products offered.

• Marketing, from advertisements to store literature.

• A gift or promotional item • A website, with a minimum of a homepage and a product page.

8.1

51

Phase I RESEARCH & DEFINE

We started our process by selecting six companies to study. We chose the ones listed on the left because of their visuals. We loved the Soap & Paper Factory’s use of patterns, and Underwearables’ clean aesthetic. We liked the illustrations on Izola’s, and the easily recognizable packaging of Lush. We studied their companies to gather information on reasonable price points, as well as get a sense of what our competition was offering. We found that like the respondents in our survey, each company was environmentally conscious in some capacity.

Next we gathered some soap packaging that inspired us, and started a Pinterest board to easily share our inspiration.

We found that we preferred the packaging that used brighter colors, patterns, clever ideas, and clean labels, so we kept these in mind for our own designs.

Finally, we started brainstorming company names. We wanted something that related both to personal care and to design. After a series of bad puns, we eventually settled on Neue, which we liked because it related to the Neue in many typeface names, as well as the feeling of cleanliness you get from a shower.

8.2

We also settled on a final demographic, targeting men and women ages 23-35, based on our research.

However, throughout the project we ended up raising the demographic slightly. to 25-40.

52

53

Phase II VISUAL IDENTITY BEGINNING THE VISUAL PROCESS We started off Phase II by beginning our typeface exploration. We tried to play around with as diverse a typeface selection as we could, from grittier sans serifs to feminine scripts. Ultimately we decided on the combination of Ambroise Demi, a funky modern serif, and Gotham, a solid sans serif. We liked that Ambroise’s femininity balanced out Gotham’s masculinity, and vice versa.

Next, we began mocking up some possibilities for our visuals. We began making a logo, and were pretty set on a version that appeared modern and friendly, a geometric N inside of a circle evoking the shape of a bubble. We also liked the idea from our sketches of having part of the N removed as though it had been shaved or cleaned away.

However, after deciding on our typeface, the circular logo didn’t seem to fit with the typeface choice, so we went back to the drawing board, literally. Ultimately we decided on the simplistic rectangular design because we felt it fit well with the typefaces, and would work well with all of our intended applications for the remainder of the brand.

8.3

54

55

Phase III IMPLEMENTATION

With the basics of our brand’s visuals solidifed, we set about mocking up the deliverables for our company. We began with ideas of the company stationery, playing with the shape of the logo to create a circular business card. This idea eventually had to go the way of the dinosaurs once our concept for the logo changed. This idea went onto the letterhead as well, but we ultimately decided that the watermark in the background made the design too busy and detracted from the readability.

Since we loved the patterns used by the companies in our research, we started playing around with our own versions of patterns for potential use. We liked the idea of using punctuation, however, these forms ultimately were too curvilinear compared to our logo and had to be thrown out, like in-laws that have overstayed their welcome. We then brought our design to the website, and started mocking up a basic page.

We also started some basic mockups of other products.

One of our gift items was an ampersand loofah, which had to be physically cut out of a loofah and then photographed in order to be mocked up in various colors. By this point, we had settled on a final color scheme. We selected a palette of subdued colors mixed with brighter accents, as shown to the right. We decided to use the darker teal, Pantone 625 C, for our primary color, because of its gender neutrality and versatility. The other colors all interact nicely together to create a fun but clean aesthetic for our brand.

Buy

About

neue FOR THE DIRTY DESIGNER

Visit

Contact

GO SANS ‘STACHE

Clean up your act with our new shaving cream.

SHOP NOW >>

8.4

56

57

Phase IV CLIENT PRESENTATION

With everything visually set, we set up a presentation to present to the client. We used our main color, Pantone 625 C, as the main accent color along with black and white.

We decided on a simple color scheme to let our work be the star of the presentation. We decided to organize the presentation in the same order that we approached the project, beginning with our research. Having established a base for our market, we then were able to discuss where we fit in. As a niche company catering to working professional designers, we wanted to clearly identify who we are as a brand. Next, we went through our visual basics, including the logo, colors and typography. Finally, we moved onto the deliverables, and presented our ideas for products.

8.5

58

59