VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 PAST ACHIEVEMENTS 11
About us
12 Time Line
02
03
BRAND REVIVAL
OUR COMPETITORS
16
Mission Statement
37
18
Rebranding Objective
38 Current Competitors
Competition
20 Brand Verve
40 Adjacent Competitors
21
42
Target Audience
32 Who We Were 33 Who We Are
Future Competitors
44 Brand Attributes
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” —Milton Berle
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CHAPTER 01 02 03
01 PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
11
Brand Overview
12
The Timeline of Life
PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
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CHAPTER 01 02 03
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” —James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
ABOUT US
PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
BRAND OVERVIEW
Life, weekly picture magazine (1936–72) published in New York City. Life was a pioneer in photojournalism and one of the major forces in that field’s development. It was long one of the most popular and widely imitated of American magazines. It was founded by Henry Luce, publisher of Time, and quickly became a cornerstone of his Time-Life Publications. From its start, Life emphasized photography, with gripping, superbly chosen news photographs, amplified by photo features and photo-essays on an international range of topics. Its photographers were the elite of their craft and enjoyed worldwide esteem. Life’s war coverage of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and numerous regional wars was consistently vivid, authentic, and moving. Gradually, the magazine began to admit more writing to its pages, carefully choosing its writers and text editors. Life ceased publication largely because the costs of preparing, printing, and mailing each issue outstripped its revenues from advertising. It reappeared in several special issues after 1972 and then, in 1978, on a reduced scale and on a regular basis as a monthly. In March 2000, Life’s parent company, Time Inc., announced that it was abandoning its monthly publication and would use Life’s name for special features and books.
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1945
THE TIMELINE OF LIFE
1936
12
November 23, 1936
October, 1978
The first issue of the pictorial magazine
Starting with the October, Life was
Life is published, featuring a cover
published as a monthly, with a new,
photo of the Fort Peck Dam’s spillway
modified logo.
by Margaret Bourke-White.
1991
August 14, 1945
Life sent correspondents to the first
The best known photograph published
Gulf War and published special issues
in the magazine was Alfred Eisenstaedt’s
of coverage. Four issues of this weekly,
photograph of a nurse in a sailor’s arms,
Life in Time of War, were published
as they celebrated Victory over Japan
during the first Gulf War.
Day in New York City.
March,2000
January 14, 1972
Time Inc. announced it would cease
Life cut its circulation from 7 million to
regular publication of Life with the May
5.5 million. Life was reportedly not
issue, seven months before the
losing money, but its costs were rising
century’s end.
faster than its profits.
2019
2012
2008
2007
2004
PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
2000
1991
1978
1972
THE TIME LINE OF LIFE
After 2000
November 21, 2008
Time Inc. continued to use the Life
Google began hosting an archive of the
brand for special and commemora-
magazine’s photographs, as part of
tive issues.
a joint effort with Life. Many images in
October, 2004 Life was revived for a second time. It
this archive had never been published in the magazine.
resumed weekly publication as a free
2012
supplement to U.S. newspapers.
Life.com is now a redirect to a small
March 24, 2007
photo channel on Time.com.
Time Inc. announced that it would fold
2019
the magazine as of April 20, 2007,
The new Life back.
although it would keep the web site.
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CHAPTER 01 02 03
02 BRAND REVIVAL
16
Mission Statement
17
Rebranding Objective
20
Brand Verve
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Target Audience
32
Who We Were
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Who We Are
BRAND REVIVAL
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Our Mission is to give people a new window to see the world with positive energy, which inspires the infinite possibilities of human beings and the new way of thinking and living.
MISSION STATEMENT
BRAND REVIVAL
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REBRANDING OBJECTIVE The development of the new Life will not only spread news and events, but will also transform people’s attitudes, lives and ultimately the power of the world. New Life is a community of thought, a platform for enhancing human impact, a window for shared human stories, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a source of inspiration for thinking and living.
REBRANDING OBJECTIVE
BRAND REVIVAL
“If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.” —Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
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BRAND VERVE
HUMANITY The future of humanity is made by all of us.
INCLUSIVE In an inclusive brand culture, everyone has the opportunity to do what they can.
LEARNING When people learn, they gain confidence for trying new things and stretching themselves.
BRAND VERVE
BRAND REVIVAL
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“Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.” —Ziad K. Abdelnour, Economic Warfare
TARGET AUDIENCE
BRAND REVIVAL
TARGET AUDIENCE In order to determine the competitiveness of Life in the market place, we researched the characters by observing people related to our brand. We identify potential audiences from different perspectives. The characteristics of the audience gave us a deeper understanding of the brand and how to attract the audience in a targeted manner.
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THE DREAMER _ Chris Wilson
Traits
_ 30 years old
•
_ An entrepreneur
Chris likes to make friends from all walks of life because he thinks talking to people can see a different world.
•
When he is not busy, he usually climbs with a few friends because it releases his pressure.
•
He has experienced success and failure in his entrepreneurial career, but he never gave up.
•
Although he has accumulated a certain amount of economics, he believes that he still needs to work hard.
•
He always has a dream for life, no matter how many setbacks he has experienced.
•
Although he has a lot of complicated things at work, he likes to record life and share experiences.
•
He believes that people should not be afraid of difficulties because he knows that it will be better if he works hard tomorrow.
•
He likes to listen to others because he thinks it will benefit him.
TARGET AUDIENCE
BRAND REVIVAL
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THE INFLUENCER _ Eva Smith
Traits
_ 35 years old
•
_ A filmmaker
Eva is a filmmaker who often publishes short film to share with people and has a certain fan stickiness.
•
She loves life because she likes nature, meditation, vegetarianism and planting.
•
She likes to go to the coffee shop to read books when she is not busy, because she is relaxed there.
•
She likes to show everyone her true and natural day, because she thinks the film is also a diary.
•
She takes two yoga classes every morning because she is a yoga enthusiast.
•
She usually likes to write, often making small essays on social media.
•
She likes to listen to the experiences and opinions of people around her, because she thinks that it is interesting to be different.
•
She travels regularly because she enjoys her journey and brings her rich experiences and memories.
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THE BUSY BEE _ John Harris
Traits
_ 24 years old
•
_ A bank clerk
Julia is a designer in the Bay Area and she often focuses on what exhibitions are around because she loves art.
•
She often records bits and pieces around her because she is happy to discover life.
•
She often feels that design is closely connected with life, because a good designer is a good observer.
•
She is often distressed and thinks how to communicate with customers is a matter of learning.
•
She joined the online design community because there are designer peers who share her interest.
•
She believes sharing is the best way to communicate with people.
•
She regularly runs and exercises because it relieves her daily stress.
•
She likes to go to nature and meet new people when she is not working, because it can bring her new inspiration.
TARGET AUDIENCE
BRAND REVIVAL
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THE CREATOR _ Julia Reichert
Traits
_ 29 years old
•
John lives in an apartment in downtown San Francisco, and he works very hard every day because he needs
_ A designer
support his family. •
Because he has just come to the big city to work hard, he lacks experience and friendship.
•
He was lost in the lights of the city and was overwhelmed because he was lost in his life.
•
Since he has part-time jobs during his vacation, he doesn’t have much free time every day.
•
He believes that stress is the norm in work, so he does not communicate with his family about work.
•
There are often several books about inspirational at his desk because he needs them to motivate himself.
•
He hopes that he can make certain progress in his work and be recognized by the leadership.
•
He usually gives his brother a video greeting at night to care about how they have been.
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THE STORYTELLER _ Nancy Baum
Traits
_ 75 years old
•
_ A public speaker
Nancy is living in New York, and she is humble and willing to help others. Because she care her community.
•
She hopes to influence young people through her life experiences because she believes they are the pillars of the future.
•
She learns new things like social media and technology, and she believes that age should not be a problem in any situation.
•
She is confident every day because she thinks nothing is more important.
•
When she is not busy, she usually reads the news because she wants to know the latest information in society.
•
She cares about the lives of ordinary people and receives the voices of different cultures.
•
She believes that influence should start from the side, such as our community.
•
When she is a little girl, she dreams of saving the world.
TARGET AUDIENCE
BRAND REVIVAL
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THE FRESHMAN _ Anna Lee
Traits
_ 18 years old
•
_ A college student
Anna is a college student. She wants to see the outside world because she is curious about her future.
•
She hopes to discuss her experience with her predecessors, because she believes that she is still lacking in her major.
•
She always called her mother on weekends and said she was actually not confident.
•
In her free time, she will go to the museum to draw inspiration and see the works of the masters.
•
She always takes a mobile phone to take pictures of the little things in life.
•
She is interested in discovering the world and the people on the other side of the world.
•
She often asks questions because she believes that asking questions can solve problems better.
•
In the future she hopes to be a good artist, but she thinks the road is still very long.
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THE OBSERVER _ Ada Shirley
Traits
_ 34 years old
•
_ A freelancer
Maggie is a freelancer who usually works from home to take care of her two children.
•
She likes to explore new places with her family, because she thinks that travel will give their children growth insights.
•
She thinks finding fun things is a kind of ways to explore the world.
•
She loves reading books and magazines and shares her ideas with the people around her.
•
She believes that the goal of life is to be the best of herself, so she has been working hard to learn and live.
•
She is a good mother in the eyes of people, but she knows that it’s not easy to weigh the family and her career.
•
She cares about the public welfare and regularly helps children’s organization.
•
She told her children that sharing, because it can advance the society progress.
TARGET AUDIENCE
BRAND REVIVAL
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THE CONTRIBUTOR _ Michael Jonas
Traits
_ 53 years old
•
_ An construction worker
Michael is an ordinary worker in Chicago who contributes to the city.
•
Because of family reasons, he dropped out of school early to work.
•
He doesn’t read often because he thinks it doesn’t matter to his life.
•
He has a dream but he thinks there is no chance to achieve it.
•
He hopes that his child can become the pillar of society, but he does not know how to give him a positive impact.
•
Sometimes he relieves stress by chatting with friends and drinking.
•
He has thought about improving himself in some way, but he didn’t find it.
•
His life is ordinary, but he is very happy.
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WHO WE WERE Previously, Life focused on capturing the power of still images, and Life hope that human beings can witness every important moment in the world.
LIFE
OUR FUTURE
BRAND REVIVAL
WHO WE ARE Now, Life hopes to inspire the way of life and thinking by exchanging ideas, enhancing human impact, and providing windows for humans to see more possibilities of the world.
LIFE
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CHAPTER 01 02 03
03 OUR COMPETITORS
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Competition
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Current Competitors
38
Adjacent Competitors
40
Future Competitors
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Brand Attributes
OUR COMPETITORS
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“Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.” —Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
COMPETITION
OUR COMPETITORS
COMPETITION LIFE provides the way of looking at human life. The purpose of exploring brand competitors is to make LIFE identity clear and thorough. In this process, we found the competitors in three different breakthrough point, which are current competitors, adjacent competitors, and future competitors. Through this stage, we can identify what we need and to have better understanding of relevant industry.
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CURRENT COMPETITORS Life was a wide-ranging weekly general interest magazine known for the quality of its photography. Based on this direction, we are investigated 10 of magazine brands, which also have the same points as LIFE.
Time is an American weekly
National Geographic, monthly
news magazine and news
magazine of geography,
website published in New
archaeology, anthropology,
York City. Time has the
and exploration, providing
world’s largest circulation
the armchair traveler with
for a weekly news magazine.
literate and accurate accounts and unsurpassed photographs and maps to comprehend those pursuits.
The Saturday Evening Post
National Review is an
is an American magazine,
American semi-monthly
currently published six
editorial magazine focusing
times a year. It was one of
on news and commentary
the most widely circulated
pieces on political, social,
and influential magazines
and cultural affairs. It
for the American middle
promots fusionism while
class, with fiction.
establishing itself.
CURRENT COMPETITORS
OUR COMPETITORS
The New Yorker is an
The Atlantic is an American
American magazine.
magazine and multi-
Although its reviews and
platform publisher. It
events listings often focus
provides daily coverage
on the cultural life of New
and analysis of breaking
York City, The New Yorker
news, politics and interna-
has a wide audience
tional affairs, education,
outside New York and is
technology, health, science,
read internationally.
and culture.
The various editions of the
The Nation is the oldest
magazine provide perspec-
continuously published
tives on the week’s current
weekly magazine in the
events and other news, as
United States, covering
well as editorial commen-
progressive political and
tary from global media,
cultural news, opinion,
with the intent to provide
and analysis.
readers with multiple political viewpoints.
The Guardian is a British
United Press International
daily newspaper. It was
(UPI) is an international
founded in 1821 as The
news agency whose
Manchester Guardian.
newswires, photo, news
Along with its sister papers
film, and audio services
The Observer and The
provided news material to
Guardian Weekly, owned by
thousands of newspapers,
the Scott Trust.
magazines, radio and television stations.
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ADJACENT COMPETITORS By analyzing adjacent competitors, we can understand our audience better. In this process, we investigate the audience if they don’t see the world’s stories from magazines. Where do they look from? This stage helps us to see things from different angles and expands our view of competitors.
Medium is an online
MoMA is a place that fuels
publishing lishing platform
creativity, ignites minds, and
developed. The platform
provides inspiration. They’re
is an example of social
committed to sharing the
journalism, having a hybrid
most thought-provoking
collection of amateur and
contemporary art, and hope
professional people and
you will join us in exploring
publications.
the art, ideas, and issues of our time.
National Public Radio is an
BuzzFeed is the leading
American privately and
independent digital media
publicly funded non-profit
company delivering news
membership media
and entertainment. It is the
organization. It serves as a
world’s leading independent
national syndicator to a
digital media company,
network of over 1,000
which leverages data and
public radio stations in the
innovation.
United States.
ADJACENT COMPETITORS
OUR COMPETITORS
CNN is an American
AMC Theatres is a multi-
news-based pay television
nation-owned movie
channel owned by AT&T’s
theater chain headquar-
WarnerMedia. ... Globally,
tered in Leawood, Kansas,
CNN programming airs
and is the largest movie
through CNN International,
theater chain in the world.
which can be seen by viewers in over 212 countries and territories.
Netflix is an American
The Public Broadcasting
media-services provider
Service is an American
and production company
public broadcaster and
headquartered. The
television program distributor.
company’s primary
It is a nonprofit organiza-
business is its subscription-
tion and the most prominent
based streaming service.
provider of educational television programming to public television stations.
The Exploratorium is a
The BBC is a British
museum in San Francisco
organization which
that allows visitors to
broadcasts programmes on
explore the world through
radio and television. BBC is
science, art, and human
an abbreviation for ‘British
perception. Its mission is to
Broadcasting Corporation’.
create inquiry-based
The concert will be
experiences that transform
broadcast live by the BBC.
learning worldwide.
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FUTURE COMPETITORS New LIFE is a community of thought, a multi-functional platform for enhancing human impact, a window for shared human stories, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a source of inspiration for thinking and living. Through a directional investigate to LIFE’s future competitors, we have a better exploration of the possibilities and potentials of future brand extensions.
TED is a nonprofit devoted
City Lights is an independent
to spreading ideas, usually
bookstore-publisher
in the form of short,
combination in San Francisco,
powerful talks. TED began
California, that specializes in
in 1984 as a conference
world literature, the arts, and
where Technology,
progressive politics. It also
Entertainment and Design
houses the nonprofit City
converged, and today
Lights Foundation.
covers almost all topics.
At Workshop, we stimulate
LinkedIn is a social
the mind, nourish the body,
networking site designed
and take care of the details.
specifically for the business
The whole operation is
community. The goal of the
powered by state-of-the-art
site is to allow registered
technology.
members to establish and document networks of people they know and trust professionally.
FUTURE COMPETITORS
OUR COMPETITORS
Facebook is an American
Airbnb is an online mar-
online social media and
ketplace for arranging or
social networking service.
offering lodging, primarily
It builds technologies that
homestays, or tourism
give people the power to
experiences. It’s an online
connect with friends and
marketplace that connects
family, find communities
people.
and grow businesses.
Twitter is an online news
YouTube is a video sharing
and social networking site
service that allows users to
where people communicate
watch videos posted by
in short messages. It has
other users and upload
been used to inform people
videos of their own. The
about various events. It
slogan of the YouTube
is sometimes called the
website is “Broadcast
virtual watercooler or social
Yourself.”
television.
WeWork is an American
STA Travel is a collection
commercial real estate
owned by the Swiss
company that provides
Diethelm Keller Group, with
shared workspaces for
headquarters in Zurich and
technology startups and
London. It claims to be the
services for other
world’s largest travel
enterprises.
company for students and young people.
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BRAND ATTRIBUTES 5 RELEVANT/GOOD/POSITIVE WORDS Constructive Creativity Authentic voice Connection Resuscitated
5 BANKRUPT/STALE/NEGATIVE WORDS Up to date Spread Original Expressive Quality
5 NEUTRAL WORDS Informativeness Communicability Social connectivity Reliability Knowledge
5 WORDS YOUR BRAND HOPES TO “OWN” Wholeheartedly Actively Broaden Fresh thinking Unique perspectives
BRAND ATTRIBUTES
OUR COMPETITORS
“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” —Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
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SOURCE
PHOTO RESOURCE time.com unsplash.com shutterstock.com newworldencyclopedia.org
ARTICLE RESOURCE britannica.com books.google.com cnbc.com cnn.com history.com ebsco.com
COLOPHON Designer Ruonan (Crystal) Hu Class GR604 Nature Identity Instructor Hunter Wimmer Semester Fall 2019 Typefaces Akzidenz-Grotesk Next Geogrotesque
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE