style guide
research Introduction Company Overview Creative Brief Demographic
7 9 10 11
process Company Competitors SWOT Mood Boards Web Process Print Media Process Logo Development
Logo Colors Fonts Company Collateral
23 28 29 30
solutions 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ad Techniques Promo Item Print Items Website Mobile App Video Conclusion References
33 37 39 43 45 49 51 53
How it started.
What you will see.
Mishka is a streetwear company based out of Brooklyn, New York, founded by Mikhail Bortnik and upon the roots of the underground music industry. Starting as a music production company, Mishka has the edge that not only makes it a street wear company, but a trending lifestyle that can be embraced by many.
The theme for the campaign project will be grungy but have a creative and retro feel to it, while illustrating the upbeat, urban lifestyle. Since it is a music based, street wear company, the project will feature images that allude to musical themes while paying homage to the underground life of street wear through fun, exciting, yet edgy motifs as well.
Hearing the Voice. The primary goals for the project are —to pay close attention to and emphasize the growing trend in online shopping for clothing —maximize all opportunities for effective and enjoyable online shopping experiences —increase the traffic of online shopping with this particular brand while also increasing the level of interest in the brand as well. The second goal is to steer away from cacophonous and abrasive themes as to not scare away new Mishka consumers or those not familiar with the street wear lifestyle.
All in all
Mishka is a well-known street wear company that was established in 2003 and was founded by Mikhail Bortnik and Greg Rivera. One might first ask the question, “What is Mishka and what on Earth does the word ‘Mishka’ mean?” Mishka is a Russian word that means ‘bear cub.’ The founders of the company juxtapose this idea with the fact that they ‘clawed’ their way into the street wear industry, hence the name. One might also conclude that the reason the company is compared and paralleled with the concept of a bear ‘cub’ is because of the youth of the company and ferocity that the company possesses. Even though the company is a newer brand among the other street wear companies such as Stussy and Freshjive, they are still very adequate contenders.
ny
pa
m
o
c
Mishka establishes itself in the fashion industry because of what the company is based off of... music. It is what the buyers and fans of the brand know the company for and very few (if any) street wear companies base their name off of this concept. The idea of music being the drive behind any company is actually not a bad idea at all. Music plays a big part in everyday life. People eat, drive to work and home, dance, play and even sleep in the presence of music. Because music plays such a heavy role in daily life, and so many people invest so much of their lives into music, there is no doubt that music would have a heavy influence on fashion. According to an article “Music Influence on Fashion,” teenagers tend to get their style of dress from musicians that they like. Singers and songwriters have always set the tone for fashion trends. The music and fashion industry have become so intertwined that recording artists are now using their fame to sell their own fashion line of clothing. The importance of this project is for the consumer to understand that Mishka has the capability to implement creativity, music and fashion together and convey it strategically through its wearers.
Mishka stands out.
Mishka is the only street wear company that includes and comfortably introduces different people who are not esoteric to or perhaps undeducated about the street wear lifestyle in a friendly manner while also incorporating its heavy influence in the music industry, making it a unique, diverse, and timeless clothing line.
The brand will be built based on its unique selling point (above) and the most effective way to illustrate this throughout the brand is to present Mishka in a way that is exciting, interactive and bold.
Pleasing the crowd. Adolescents
Young Adults
Social Media Users Online Shoppers The target market for Mishka is young adults (ages early 20s to early 30s) and adolescent ages. The brand targets mainly urban areas since it has built a reputation amongst 13 large cities worldwide, However, since Mishka is primarily an online clothing store with an international recognition, the brand appeals to a diverse demographic on a global scale.
consumers who shop clothing online
consumers who prefer in-store shopping
Mishka already has a fair chance at increasing their consumer traffic since the amount of online shopping customers is almost equal to the amount of customers who prefer to shop in-store. There is a high volume of social media users in this generation, however, the percentage of online users who do utilize mobile websites, apps, and social media to interact with clothing companies is far less than than the people who do not.
consumers who interact with clothing companies via social media
consumers who don’t
The graphs here illustrate the feedback of 100 people interviewed per survey when asked which is their preferred method of shopping and why. If online shopping is preferred over in-store shopping, what is it that makes it enjoyable? The project will focus on the information gathered here,(and the data on page 11) and provide solutions that are based on this information. Utilizing the surveys, the rebranding of Mishka will be able to accurately increase the amount of attention and consumer traffic towards the brand.
Likes both but prefers in-store shopping 40/100
Believes shopping online has more of a variety 30/100 Does NOT prefer to shop online 15/100 Shopping online is way better than in-store all around 5/100 Shopping online is convenient for schedule 10/100
Survey of current consumer online shopping experiences. Competitions 25/100 Hearing about coupons and promotions 25/100 Interaction with other fans 12/100
Direct answers to questions 15/100 Sharing Photos/videos 5/100
Sharing Tips/Advice 8/100 Exclusive Content 8/100
Survey of what makes online shopping enjoyable.
Other 2/100
Learning from the rivals,
The top three street wear companies (based on industry ranking) are Stussy, Freshjive, and The Hundreds. The strengths of Stussy are its diverse team of designers and consultants and its originality that has stood the test of time making it the classic and ‘grandfather’ of all street wear brands. Freshjive has adopted a new concept in fashion where they do not really pride themselvers on their logo, but have become ‘logoless,’ which gives the brand a level of anonymity that makes it able to hit a wider target market. The Hundreds creatively incorporates the community in their brand, which proves that street wear is not just fashion but a lifestyle.
The second goal for this project is to present the brand in a way that will hit a wider target market and appear less ‘hardcore’ to those who are interested in street wear. Sampling the strengths of each of these brands and incorporating it with Mishka is a sufficient method for reaching this goal.
… and devising a plan. Strength
Weakness
—the only established street wear company that has a unique history with the music industry
—does not have a strong mobile presence
—offers music, updates on whats trending in the underground music industry and involves the fans, making them more than just a fashion line but a lifestyle
—web presentation is very extensive and can lose the viewers attention
—has a wide online clientele
Opportunity
—some offensive and blunt themes are presented head on which can scare those that would like to become part of the brand
Threat
—can consolidate web features into a mobile app, which will give them a mobile app reputation and make shopping the brand faster and more convenient
—consolidating the extensive web features into a mobile app/device may seem crammed
—through the app, the Mishka fans can connect with other Mishka fans, making the brand more interactive and engaging
—with more features to offer other than clothing, the brand may appear less like a fashion label
—can present itself friendlier through various forms of media
—can lose the clientele that does appreciate the aggressive presentation of the company
Setting the tone.
The campaign will feature images that have the urban and cultural vibe and will feature textures such as brick and concrete to connote the grunge feel and will also feature star like and cosmic textures to give it a retro and other worldly appearance. There will also be chalk like sketches throughout the campaign to give Mishka signature and creative merit.
Keep it simple. home
home In order to keep the web simple and user friendly, it will be divided up into only four sections and then break off into four sub categories from the original tab. The ‘about’ page link will be at the bottom and all of the links will lead back home for convenience purposes.
Print it pretty.
Print for the campaign will use illustrations/rendered photos such as the ones shown here and will also use various forms of the ‘bear’ logo to establish the identity and the look and feel throughout all merchandise that is tangible.
Print will consist of shopping bags, magazine covers, flyers, print ads of various sizes/purposes, mailers, credit cards/gift cards and poster art.
Marking the territory.
Since Mishka means ‘bear cub,’ the goal behind the logo is to associate the meaning with the name so people will not wonder what ‘mishka’ means. The logo conveys a roaring bear with the title of the company and the company signature/ tagline beneath it. The soundwaves coming from the bears mouth represent the voice, freedom and diversity of Mishka’s fans while also juxtaposing and paying homage to music, which is what the company was founded upon.
sketches
The logo should not look woodsy or like a symbol to prevent forest fires and it should not be cute and cuddly. Being that the symbol is a bear, it is very possible to fall into these traps, so the logo will just capture the grahic essence of a bear roaring. The roar is a creative, simplistic, and effective method to illustrate the essence of music without looking too much like a record store or a company that sells headphones.
Good things come in 3. 432 pts
270 pts
12 pts
45 pts 72 pts 45 pts
66 pts 18 pts
24 pts
tagline receives a .5 stroke
At the standard size of 6 in. x 5 3/4 in, all values of sizing and spacing of the logo elements are in multiples of 3 pts. The typeface of the tagline is Avenir Next UltraLight and gets a stroke weight of .5 pts as it can become hard to see without it.
monochromatic version flat version 3 Dimensional version
There are three versions of the logo, a monochromatic, a 3 dimensional version and a flat version of the 3 dimensional version. Since they all do not translate to different forms of media as strongly as the other, they each will serve a purpose based on scenario. For example; the 3D version is aesthetically pleasing on gift cards/ credit cards and as a mobile icon, but will not look good on company collateral, which is why there is a flat version for this purpose.
No need for 3D glasses.
1
3 7
5
2
4
4 5 1
3
8 7
6 7
The 3D logo is the only item in the campaign that uses colors outside of the color palette for the project. However, to avoid confusion the colors are in the same family or very close to the original swatches. They all make a gradient into process white or process black to give it a 3 dimensional look. The sections without numbers are gradients of process black to process white.
6
1
C44 M60 Y0 K0 R150 G117 B180
2
C44 M80 Y0 K0 R154 G83 B161
3
Pantone 254C C44 M99.44 Y0 K0.01 R159 G27 B150
4
C44 M99.44 Y0 K28 R121 G16 B110
5
C86.66 M20.12 Y47.8 K29 R0 G116 B113
6
Pantone 7716C C86.66 M20.12 Y47.8 K1.68 R0 G148 B144
7
C86.66 M10 Y32 K1.68 R0 G161 B174
8
C56 M10 Y32 K1.68 R111 G175 B179
Law of the land.
It is acceptable to use the graphic without the type just as long as it is one of the three correct versions.
It is acceptable to use only the logo type just as long as it is from one of the three complete logos. For clothing purposes, using just the word Mishka is acceptable.
It is not acceptable to use the graphic without the soundwaves, use the logo in a different color other than the Mishka color palette, rearrange the colors within the mosaic piece logos or distort the logo in any shape or form. 2 in.
1 3/4 in.
The complete logo should not be below 2 x 1 3/4 in. as details will become hard to see.
p
8
These are the four main colors chosen for the Mishka campaign. The concrete texture will be an overlay to the chosen colors for advertisement purposes and media assets.
K1 .6 8
te
hi
nd
o sW
c es
Pr oc
Se
a ry
#0 ec C6 B0 o nd R1 8 M 00 2 a G 75 0 Y ry B0 67 K9 0
S
a C8 nto ma R0 6.6 ne r G1 6 M 77 y 48 20 16C B1 .12 44 Y 47 .
pr P i
Pa ri C4 nto ma R1 4 M ne r 5 9 9 25 y G 9.4 4C 27 4 B1 Y0 50 K0 .0 1
Coloring the brand,
writing the brand, LA Street Kids will be used for the headlines. This typeface was chosen to illustrate grunginess. Avenir Next will be used for the subheads and Ultra Light will be used for the tagline in the logo and for type in various ads. A .5 stroke will be applied for visibility. This typeface was chosen to connote trendiness and fashion forwardness.
(Ultra Light) abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890!@#$%^&*()
Letter Gothic Std
(Bold) abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890!@#$%^&*()
Letter Gothic Std Bold will be used for the body copy. This typeface was chosen to demonstrate an urban feel. It was also to give the campaign stucture. The serif quality grounds and strengthens the campaign.
…and making it legit.
Design Consultant Margaret Hunter (987) 654 3210 maggie.hunter@mishka.com
The company collateral will feature letterheads, mailers, and business cards. The flat version of the logo will be very prominent here and will serve as a stamp/ signature to mark the identity of the brand on a professional level.
Wearing it out loud. (Guerrilla Tactics)
Ad c
Te s ue
iq
hn
example. For the first guerilla marketing tactic, (with the library’s permission) there will be a hanging billboard that says how Mishka clothing is not library friendly, since the library is a quiet environment. Along with this poster, there will be Mishka garments lying around as if someone had to remove their clothing to enter the library. It will be a creative way to advertise the clothing and it will also play on the phrase “wear it out loud.”
Wearing it out loud. (Guerrilla Tactics) 1.
Ad c
Te s ue
iq
hn
Mishka produces an ad in the movie theatre alerting all of the guests to silence their cellphones and since the tagline/company signature is ‘wear it out loud,’ The ad also alerts anyone wearing Mishka to remove their clothing in order to be courteous to the other guests. A model hired by Mishka takes off his shirt as a joke and the second part of the ad says “Just kidding, keep your freaking clothes on!” The logo is also displayed in conclusion.
2.
Every paw print is different. it’s all you
download app and
about us 1-888-724-0178
connect with us
The promotional item will be a set of USB headphones that are given to the Mishka fans after their first order/purchase. They plug them into the computer and over time, they will build the buyers’ personal fashion recommendations based on past purchases, keep a record of past purchases and allows them to access their Mishka playlist that’s associated with their online membership. Based on the music they listen to while using these headphones, they will receive recommendations for what concerts they would most likely find interest in, cool venues to check out if they want to party, and other underground artists they would probably like. Because they can listen to their Mishka playlist while on the computer, they can listen to music while they shop to give them that in-store shopping experience while still having a comfortable online shopping experience in the privacy of their own home. These headphones give every Mishka fan their own, unique, personal, shopping identity that sets them apart from everyone else.
Reading Material. the unusual the strange the divergent
Print media will be minimal since Mishka is primarily an online clothing company. However, print media will be a collection of magazines/subscription catalogs, printed company artwork in various forms such as ads, shopping bags, Thank you cards, and credit/gift cards.
Keepsakes.
The shopping bags will be made of cloth-like material and will serve as a shopping souvenir. They will feature the testimonials of Mishka fans explaining what it is that makes Mishka an exciting and unique place to shop.
It’s polite to say Thank you.
Download the Mishka app and connect with us to get awesome discounts!
The customer will receive a ‘thank you’ card with every online and/or in-store purchase for encouragement to shop Mishka again.
For the loyal and dedicated.
Credit Card
Gift Cards
store
it’s all you
music
caves
the unusual the strange the divergent
download app and
about us
connect with us
1-888-724-0178
it’s all you
download app and
about us
connect with us
1-888-724-0178
e t
i s
w
b e
store
it’s all you
music
caves
mishka: Brooklyn, new york download app and
about us
connect with us
1-888-724-0178
store
it’s all you
music
caves
download app and
about us
w
1-888-724-0178
eb
si
te
connect with us
Mishka at your fingertips. The app will basically be a mobile version of the full website. It will feature the store, the membership page, a connect page and a music page.
The store feature will allow the customer to have the entire Mishka store in the palm of their hand.
The mobile membership page will have all of the customers’ personal fashion recommendations, venue and concert recommendations, and underground artists they would most likely find interest in based on their Mishka playlist.
The connect feature will allow the fan to interact with other fans. They can upload photos, videos, samples of their favorite underground artists, listen to other artists and post any contributions they’ve made to the street wear lifestyle.
The music feature displays all of trending underground bands and artists, all upcoming raves, concerts and parties that feature these bands, songs to download, music videos and live streams of concerts worldwide.
Caves.
It is a big deal to make to one of the Mishka stores in the world, so to offer incentive if a fan makes it to one of them, the app will access the customer’s location via phone, verify that it is one of the Mishka locations and then the customer receives a discount by showing the verification screen to the cashier.
mishka Brooklyn, NY
mishka San Francisco
mishka Los Angeles
Problem Solving. Recap
The rebranding of Mishka studies its demographic, which consists of young adults, adolescents, online shoppers, and social media users. It then investigates methods to enhance online shopping experiences by observing what the demographic would like to see, like to take part in, and like to receive when shopping online. Next, this project provides solutions to accommodate these desired features which in turn, increases the level of interest in the brand with the current fans, attracts new fans and anyone who wants to become a part of the street wear lifestyle on an international level, leading into an increase of consumer traffic towards this particular label. With an exciting and bold approach towards its presentation and tactics to make it engaging and interactive, Mishka proves to be more than just fashion and music. It is a lifestyle in which everyone can wear it out loud.
Closing Credits
Charlton, G. (2011, September 5). 45% of consumers prefer shopping for clothes online. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from https://econsultancy.com/ blog/7960-45-of-consumers-prefer-shopping-for-clothes-online#i.hqo5gm1d4qfqfz
Feinstein, L. (2009, September 15). Rick klotz of freshjive. Retrieved from http://www.psfk.com/2009/09rick-klotz-of-freshjive-speaks-about-his-logolessbrandlessGalil, L. (12, February 23). How clothing company mishka successfully wove music into its brand. Retrieved from www.forbes.com/sites/leorgalil/2012/02/23/how-clothing-company-mishka-successfully-wove-music-into-its-brand Hundreds, B. (2011, June 21). The 50 greatest streetwear brands. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://www.complex.com/style/2011/06/the-50-greatest-streetwear-brands/
Meyers, S. (2014). 6 social media tricks of fashion brands. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/stephanie-meyers/6-social-media-tricks-fashion-brands.html
Mishka. (n.d.).. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.karmaloop.com/ brands/Mishka Mishka. (2014). Retrieved from http://store.hypebeast.com/brands/mishka
Music influence on fashion. (2009, January 13). Retrieved from http:www. clothingandsociety.com/music-and-fashion Our story. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2014 from https://mishkanyc.com/ our-story
Photography sources (2000, January 1) Retrieved April 1, 2014, from, http://www.inmagine.com
(n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www. shutterstock.com/index-in.mhtml