What so-called normal comes from the fear of loss. Walking down the street; seeing people passing me. I don’t know what they think, and I don’t care. The only thing I know is what I want. The only thing I want is the truth of beauty. What kind of result am I gonna get eventually, I don’t care, I might get hurt and lost, But the journal of dicovery is worth.
You ask me why, and I said why not.
BRAND GUIDELINES Contents
1. What I Have Been Through
4. Ready To Go
04. The Journey 06. Yesterday 09. What Happened
49. Mark 50. Wordmark 52. Final Logo 54. Visual Standards .
2. Where I Am
5. And Never Stop
12. Meet The Collectors 16. Film Cameras Situations 18. What I Faced 20. Competitive Analysis 26. SWOT Analysis
60. Phase One: Explosion 66. Phase Two: Position 70. Phase Three: Click
3. New Observation 32. Collectors 42. New Direction / Keyword 44. Promise and Mission
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WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH
The Journey
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1.Everything start from 1932
2. Restless soul, 1936
I am born to be different. As the only camera brand under Zeiss, a legendary German firm, I am known for my lens technology and fine quality. I was first introduced as CONTAX in 1932, my iconic rangefinder camera impressed the industry which remained in high competitiveness from the 1980s until now. I have become the best choice for professional photographers and amateurs alike, and I give people a playful and satisfying way to discover the beauty of world.
After we had won tremendous success, our proactive nature pushed us to launch another new model – CONTAX II. At the Berlin Olympics, we introduced the soon to be famous Olympia Sonnar telephoto lens. And we manufactured more than 59,000 CONTAX II's before World War II.
3. D-Day, 1944
4. Wounds, 1951
5. Breakthrough and marriage.
Explosion, flash, and flame. Robert Capa brought the CONTAX II to Normandy and documented one of the most iconic moments in human history. Now, even I, CONTAX, has experienced the most devastating war immaginable. Perhaps there was nothing I could do to change the tragedy, but the least I could do was document it in original pictures.
Everything has changed, I have witnessed too many separations. That what was once united, now falls apart. A wall drew a hard, ruthless line to separate the people and to barricade the future of CONTAX. But still, I overcame the hurdles and launched a new model, made by Zeiss, which is CONTAX IIIa.
Across the Pacific Ocean, I arrived in Japan, a nation that is largely different from where I born. Here, the two different cultures learn from each other, integrate and grow. Here, I saw a beacon of peace, the future of mankind. We brought our advanced lens technologies, and the Bauhaus style. And, under the hands of Japanese craftsmen, a new camera model, CONTAX RTS was launched, which signifyed our return to the market.
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Yesterday I was the company that had the most advanced technology and elegant design. Many saw me as an innovative creator, a pioneer.
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What Happened As one of recoding life’s memories, I have seen all types of changes in the world, better or worse. Perhaps I can neither conclude nor change, but I must take a part of it. It is normal to feel lost and helpless when we are facing a revolution in human society, but our determination has never been shaken during the course. I want to give people a different perspective, and to explore the beauty in this world. But everything has become so rational when it comes to higher efficiency and cuttingedge technologies. At last, in 2005, we announced that CONTAX would terminate the camera business. And, I can only look at ourselves and look for the next opportunity to come.
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WHERE I AM
Meet The Collectors Amy, Professional Photographer “I had been attracted to the film camera before becoming a professional photographer. I was fascinated by it when I saw someone cross-processing film. This makes the colors of the photos richer and more magical. And this is the moment I realized that photography is more than merely pressing the shutter, which guided me into the world of film. I started to study films and have colleced a few dozen film cameras since college, all the way until now.
So far, the CONTAX G1 is my favorite film camera, and all my recent works are completed with it. This camera is special to me, it was my 6th wedding anniversary present. My husband, who is also a professional photographer, picked this model because I was looking for a camera that is small, light, nonaggressive, and equipped with autofocus, adjustable aperture, and shutter. And CONTAX G1 just suits me the best.
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The shortcomings of the film camera are what make it so fascinating. For instance, because there is no preview mode in the film camera, I need to be more focused on the shooting to not miss any beautiful moment. With a digital camera, I can take as many photos as I please, and all the photos can be previewed. But it loses all the fun of shooting and waiting for the photos to be developed. For me, CONTAX is like a smart sport compact. It is elegant, small but multifunctional. CONTAX may not be to everyone’s taste at the beginning, but it will be your favorite once you have one.”
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Film Cameras Situations 1. The film market is continuing to decline because of the lagging customer population revenue.
3. The way to profit from the market is to gain money from the already shipped products to customers.
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2. The people of customers are males and females born between 1988 to 2000.
Researching the current market, the decline of film cameras is unquestioned. To every company, such a small group of consumers cannot offer enough profit to reopen the product chain. To gain profit in this declining market, CONTAX cannot only count on revenue from the camera and film. What is more important is to open the relevant markets. Like the smartphone companies, they are not only generating revenue from sales of phones but also from the platform and relevant accessories. Of course, increasing the market rate is the first
step for opening the relevant market, but it is just the beginning of the sale. The problem we need to face is how can we gain revenue stability from products that already shipped to the our new customers, whom we like to call collectors.
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What I Faced It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I have been forgotten by the majority of people, however, there are some influencers who appreciate my value. They become the collectors. People start looking for things in life that help them slow down, take a beat, and get back in touch with life's moments. The collectors who want me, really know camera. They dig deepr than surface research when they decide to own a film camera. To get everything made by me requires lots of research and is time consuming, and the cost of maintenance is one of the reasons that people reject me. Fortunately, the retro trend brings us back into the public’s eyes, but the issues mentioned above continue to affect people’s desire to seek me out. It's a challenge.
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Competitive Analysis Current Competitors
Founded in 1921, Olympus is the brand for the consumers who favor a film camera. Olympus has a rich tradition, reliable technology, and a nostalgic camera model. And, as the company is operating well, the supply of its products and repair service is relatively steady.
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Hasselblad is a significant and influential camera brand that manages to keep a group of real professionals with its luxury image and extremely high-quality products. Their target customers are very similar, the ones who are either rich and romantic, or the professionals with special inquiries.
Adjacent Competitors
Apart from Leica, Fuji is a brand that young people are willing to present to others. Except for the functions which are very important to the professionals, the nostalgic appearances and the sense of high profile which Fuji provides are something that can not be replaced by a digital camera. In another words, Fuji is more like an accessory, rather than a camera.
Canon might be one of the most famous, best-shared brands in the world. Its high and steady quality win the hearts of consumers, and high market share allows its price to be the most competitive. As the leading brand in the world of the camera, Canon is highly ranked throughout history and holds a strong position in the niche of film photographers. Although it is wellknown for its digital products, we can not neglect its competitiveness.
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Demographic Competitors
Dr. Martens, a British brand of boots, has become an icon of urban fashion under the influence of rock music, and young people adopt it as part of the cultural identity. Another factor for the brand’s success is to price its product in a higher but affordable category, so it is regarded as a luxury brand by the young generation.
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Nike, as one of the sportswear giants, is inevitably overlapping our target audience. Nike took a bold step to transform its products from durable sportswear to fashion products, which allows them to make the price higher, even premium.
Psychographic Competitors
MINI Cooper's 3-door is widely known in the world, which is credited with a successful promotion campaign. Its brand image is characterized as an explorer and a daily chauffeur, the one which can be applied to any kind of circumstance. So MINI can attract the consumers who have multiple characters as open-minded, dynamic but modest at the same time.
Vespa’s brand image is like other Italian brands, prodigal and romantic. With the brand’s long tradition, many innovators describe Vespa’s character as one of their own: prodigal, liberal, and cultural, like every innovator wants to be.
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Aspirational Competitors
As the most famous brand of the film camera, Leica has been competing with CONTAX from the eve of the second World War through the millennium. Their customers and the features of cameras almost overlap. But along the way, CONTAX has made a strong competitor with its superior technology, while Leica prides itself with the work of several legendary photographers.
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Many influential and historical photos were taken by photographers with a Leica film camera. Meanwhile, Leica is not complacent with its success. By the time of the digital camera revolution, Leica has successfully stepped into the digital market and created its strength with products that combine a nostalgic model with top-notch digital technology.
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SWOT Analysis
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Strengths
Weaknesses
Making my strength even better is the way to success, and I need to understand my strengths in order to do so. The history of the brand, the story I have told, and the classical design of cameras can be the most important things to me.
In order to understand myself, it is critical to be aware of weaknesses. I am new to the market again, which affects my launch.
Opportunities
Threats
A great success required the awareness of possible opportunities. Since I encourage people to discover the world, I also discover insights. According to my observation, the returning of retro style, product rarity, and the combination of film and digital camera are opportunities for me.
The market is a battlefield. I need to find any hidden threats so I can solve it in the early stages.
The shrinkage of the market, the difficulty of obtaining film, digital camera brands with a nostalgic model, and multiple leading brands holding their own in the market are threats that I need to pay attention to.
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NEW OBSERVATION
Collectors
Martin Rigby Male, 20 years old. College student Living in San Francisco Keyword: learning Martin is a photography major who is interested in street and fashion photography. He loves to learn everything about film photography in classes. CONTAX RTS is his third film camera. He loves us because we help them think and understand photography's fundamentals.
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Liya Sheridan Female, 25 years old Fine artist Living in Guangzhou Keyword: creative Liya is a fine artist who graduated from art school with Master of Fine Art, in painting. She teaches drawing classes at the city college and is preparing for her next gallery exhibit. She is not satisfied with traditional painting material, so she tries to create her works by using film negatives. She loves CONTEX because she uses the different process for creativity.
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Jodie Peralta Male, 30 years old Professional photographer Living in Los Angeles Keyword: quality Jodie is a professional photographer. He holds an advanced photography degree and currently lives in the Los Angeles area. Most of his work is portrait with some street scenes. Film cameras are his first choice for shooting because its quality and unique working process.
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Olivia O'Brien Female, 27 years old Writter Living in Taiwan Keyword: personal satisfaction Olivia is a writer living in Kaohsiung city and enjoys traveling all over the world. She is not a professional photographer, but she likes to take lots of photos to keep the memory of her journey fresh. She always enjoys collecting and printing her photos to make them into a book after traveling. She loves us because we add fun to her trips.
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Franco Webb Male, 24 years old Graphic designer Living in Toyko Key word: inspiration Franco is a freelance graphic designer who is really into the De Stiji and a collage style, so he uses a lot of photo images in his design material and inspirations. He loves us because he feels inspired every time he takes a photo with film camera.
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New Direction I am different from what I used to be; I am willing to encourage people to pursue their dreams, explore this world, and be fearless to be different. Maybe I am not the one who has super cool technology, not the one who offers efficiency, not the one who can remind you "future is coming." I'm the one who knows that our collectors don't want any of that. I encourage you to make your own way and keep exploring.
Keyword
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Innovative
Explore
Not only me, but also the Collectors, I want both of us thinking outside of the box about the possibility of the film cameras.
I am willing to encourage collectors to observe the world in their own way, and obtain the unique insight.
Fearless
Encouraged
I want to send the message that tell people shouldn't be afraid to be different, and think different.
I am going to do anything that let Collectors to pursue their dream, and step outside their comfort zone.
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Promise and Mission
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Personality: fearless and creativity Mission: Introduced film camera as pigment of creativity.
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READY TO GO
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I need a representative looks that can tell what I have learned from the past- the fearless mind to seek the meaning of life.
Mark Since the I am specializes in film cameras, rectangular indicate the negative and shows the the process of choosing photos by putting three rectangular together.
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Wordmark Font is the container of messages, I want it to express the feeling of mechanical, having good balance of visual, and distributing our message with fearless sound. This typeface has clear and beautiful geometric feature which meet my message perfectly.
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Final Logo Based on the need, the logo has three variations, so it can be used in different situations. The combination of mark and word mark will give people a camera shape feeling, and the tagline below emphasizes CONTAX characteristics of being fearless and innovative.
Logo Full Version
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Wordmark
Mark
Icon
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Visual Standards Minimum size width 25mm
Minimum size width 10mm
Minimum size width 5mm
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Do not apply a gradient to the logo, wordmark, or icon.
Do not use the full logo without the tagline
Do not outline the logo
Do not use wordmark with tagline
Do not change the tone of logo color
Do not change the font of logo
Do not distort or warp the logo in any way.
Do not make the logo in two different colours.
Do not apply dropshadow to the logo in any way
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AND NEVER STOP
Phase One: Explosion 1 . Photography Exhibition Photography competition Cooperation exhibition Photography activity Online Exhibition Inviting influencers using CONTAX products. Making the public art with CONTAX product. Sponsoring student photography exhibition. Sponsoring TV series Sponsoring Movies Making movies using CONTAX products. Online advertising TV advertising Outdoor advertising
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Photo Exhibition: When I returned to the market, I invited some of my old friends who achieved their success to tell the collectors what we have been through together. With their amazing work, it is a most wonderful way to showcase our brand values and let collectors understand me more.
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2. Online and Pop- up Store
Pop-up store Store in department stores. Official online Store and Web page. Official online store on every online platforms. Member system. Rate member by cost of money and their influence. Online advertising. TV advertising. Outdoor advertising.
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Pop up Store: Since I need to make my cameras more accessible, a pop-up store is available in most of cities in the United States. For a limited time, these popup stores provide some of our classic cameras for people to see and hold, as well as camera maintenance, and special events—Just for Collectors.
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3. Mobile Devices Filter app Finished product preview app Color adjust app Online discussion app Photo gallery app Official customer service app
Filter App: Don’t get me wrong, I am not the person who disagree all new technology. Instead, the new technology help us making things better. This app is going to simulate the style of negatives, and users can choose different post-processing techniques so that they can enter the world of negatives without cost.
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Phase Two: Position 1. Negative product and services Negative film processing service: establish a convenient and fast processing station New negatives for different purposes Efficiency delivery service Selling Processing equipments and materials Innovating new way to process negatives
New film: I am going to innovate different films that can provide different effect for the collectors, so they can have more options to decide what kind of negatives they want to use to showcase their idea in a unique way.
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New way to processes film: Not only the new negative products, but also the new way to process it. The new processing methods are going to allow collectors have more control of their work and they can experiment with it.
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2. Camera New products of digital cameras New products for film camera Convenient maintenance services Co-brand products Limited retro edition products New products of lens
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New digital cameras with classical style: The world is different, and I think this is the best time for me to take the step forward. Old and new combine to make my products more competitive in the market, and become a started point to the potential collectors.
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Phase Three: Click Hobby Club Online forums Responsible commissioner system Member-only activities Attend social movement that have same value with brand. Donated to NGO to help student who cannot afford the education. Holding the event that invite people spend time with elders. Holding the event that against racialism Lunching a press that make brand’s voice louder Holding official youtube channel Photography workshop Courses about different way to create works by using negatives Flagship store in commercial area Flagship store in shopping center Having iconic and representative photography works in the stores (different every years)
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Hobby club: It always fees good when you spend time with people who have same interest, therefore, I am going to hold the official hobby club which allow collectors to communicate not only between them but also with me directly.
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Photography workshop: I understand that film cameras can be a little intimidating for new collectors, so I hold a free and welcoming workshop that teach basic knowledge about the film cameras.
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We invited people to spend time with elders.Everyone’s life is a wonderful story, not to mention that elders have the story we can’t image in this time. However, tthey, sometimes, can't find someone to share their wonderful memories. I would like to invite people to spend sometime with elders and share their life store and hope everyone can have some new discover after the event.
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© 2021 Zhijian He, Chia Cheng Tsai All content for Contax: Brand Guidelines was conceived, designed, and produced by Zhijian He and Chia Cheng Tsai. Written by Chia Cheng Tsai and Designed by Zhijian He. Suplemental photography provided by Chia Cheng Tsai. The only exception is the name of the brand. Design Consultation Roger Muller ADV 370 Brand and Branding Academy of Art University Special thanks are to the photographers represented by Pixabay and Unsplash whose work is used under CC0 License. License of this book is a non-commercial work produced as a student project for educational purposes, and as such is considered a derivative work under the Fair Use Clause of the US Copyright Law. Manufactured in Taiwan.