Slice Issue 5

FRIENDS OF TOAST

A brand refresh for English Garden Tea

An interview with Alex Mathieson of the Tornado Boiler Company

SLICE

0

5

Ideas | Stuff | Creative | Goodness

DECEMBER 2014

What We’ve been up to

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time!

So here it is, the Merry Christmas edition of SLICE - a newspaper design and published by the design elves at Toast.

We wish all of our friends, clients, colleagues and suppliers a fantastic Christmas and New Year, with a great big thank you to our clients who have provided us with the opportunity to create some great work in 2014. See the centre spread for an illustration of some of our favourite pieces of work from this year.

Have a good one and here’s to a fantastic 2015!

12 Lessons from Nike to Help Build Brand Awareness

What We’ve been up to recent work by toast

English Garden Tea Company asked Toast to refresh and revive it’s brand to allow them to grow the company and its product range. The existing brand had served them well but the time had come to refine it further and allow it to engage broader and more competitive markets.

When the Toast Team were first introduced to the existing brand (over a cup of tea) it was clear that a review was needed as some items were strong but others could work harder, so they set about identifying what the priorities were.

The inherent knowledge and experience of the 25-year-old company and the team behind the brand was unquestionable but was quite clearly not coming through in every aspect of the brand.

The company’s success was built by abiding to their original philosophy to provide only the very best products at affordable prices, and never compromising the brand’s authenticity and provenance, reflected in the fact it is the only English tea company that offers it clientele only 100% Fairtrade certified products.

The individual boxes of teas or selection boxes were well established in a range of markets from hotels and restaurants through to tearooms and top catering companies, all demanding authenticity and quality from their suppliers. The evolved brand needed to reflect all the positive associations that they had with the company as well as forging strong new bonds and associations with new clients.

Once the review was complete, the Toast branding team set about updating the existing logo, logotype and developing a new strapline as well as updating the packaging and the way the range was differentiated. Clearly defined

3

colours were applied to the various products in the range (3,4), whilst keeping consistency by using the existing image of a steaming teapot in the same way on every pack. The Logotype (2) was changed to reflect a more refined market and was supported by the new strapline ‘Tea at its Finest’ (1). The coat of arms was given more depth by adding a 3 dimensional feel and improving the general readability of the EG emblem on the front. The overall look and feel was one of a more refined and considered brand hierarchy that better reflected both the heritage and values as well as the range of products available and their inherent quality.

The new brand was then applied to a wide range of items (3,4,5) from on shelf shippers, individual tea bag sleeves as well as the tags tied to them.

The overall effect was a much stronger and consistent brand that quietly implies the values that the company stands for and the qualities the clients demand.

4

If you would like to hear more about how we help brands work harder then join us for a cup of tea (we have a fantastic selection) and we will tell you all about it.

1

5

1. Main Logo 2. Secondary logo 2

3. Tea box packaging 4. Teabag envelope and tag 5. Merchandiser

2 / DECEMBER 2014 / SLICE

12

Lessons from Nike to Help Build Brand Awareness

1. Create it

5. Shout it

9. Believe it

Not everything you create needs to be a production like the one above. In fact, none of it does (although that would be cool).

Just think outside the box a bit and try to create something interesting.

Spread the word. Once you’ve created something interesting, make sure everyone who might be interested in it hears about it. Use your social networks, but don’t forget about traditional channels like email to get the word out.

Trust that you have the knowledge and ability to contribute to your community in interesting and meaningful ways.

10. Face it 2. Tag it

6. Push it

Make sure to label, tag or categorise your content using relevant keywords so it is easier to find for those looking for that type of information.

Get outside your comfort zone. Challenge yourself. You’ll be amazed what is possible.

7. Bite it 3. Enjoy it Creating content doesn’t have to be the arduous and dreadful task a lot of folks make it out to be.

Let yourself get creative. Create something with a small group. Let yourself have fun and you’ll probably create something pretty cool.

Rather, don’t be afraid to bite it. Risk taking doesn’t always have a happy ending.

Calculated risks have better odds, but there is always a chance things aren’t going to pan out they way you planned.

8. Perfect it 4. Say it Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Differing opinions, ideas and insights are what make content and the conversations they spur interesting. Take a stand. Pick a side. Push back on conventional wisdom.

From the point above. Learn from your experiments; the failures and the successes and use that new knowledge to move ahead smarter and more savvy.

Inbound marketing must become a part of your marketing mix. People are finding the products and services they need and want online more than ever. The opportunity is right there for the taking.

11. Live it Creating and sharing content should not be one-off, ‘special projects’ that get assigned periodically. This is an investment that will payoff well into the future. Make it part of your company’s culture.

12. Love it Reap the benefits. Inbound marketing works.

Everything above will add up to a greater awareness of your brand. Couple this with a strong conversion strategy (offers, calls to actions and landing pages) and you’ll see more leads and customers.

Just do it.

SLICE 5 / DECEMBER 2014 / 3

What we love THIS MONTH

DECEMBER

1 5

Found by Adam: “This is on my Christmas list!” www.designyourlife.com.au 2 Kalashnikov Rebrand AK47 manufacturer Kalashnikov is rebranding as (ahem) a “protector of peace”…

Found by Adam: “Clever logo - controversial ethics” www.designweek.co.uk/news/kalashnikovrepositions-as-protector-of-peace/3039498.article

6

3

Handwritten Fonts Creation

Hands On The Sigmund Freud Typeface: Making A Font For Your Shrink

2

Found by Charlotte: “This is an interesting article about the creation of handwritten fonts.” http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/06/02/ hands-on-sigmund-freud-typeface-making-fonts 4 Illustrative Branding by Victionary Illustrative Branding takes you on a beguiling journey through nearly 100 stellar projects

Found by Andy: “I love Victionary’s books, I’ll be buying this one for sure” www.victionary.com/product/illustrativebranding/?cat=Graphic%20design 3 5 Kanye West Self-Confidence Generator No one loves Kanye more than Kanye.

7

Found by Adam: “ ‘My music isn’t just music – it’s medicine’ – Ha, genius!.” www.usatoday30.usatoday.com/exp/kanye/kanye. html 6 Match Day Infographics by Europcar To mark their Partnership with Arsenal, Europcar have created a series of match travel guides.

Found by Charlotte: “Nice, clean, illustrative infographics.”

8

www.creativereview.co.uk/feed/december-2014/04/ arsenal-match-travel-guides 7 Pantone Colour of the Year 2015 Pantone Colour of the Year 2015 is Marsala Wine

4

Team instagrams of the month

4 / DECEMBER 2014 / SLICE

1 Design Your Life Cool book about how to apply design principles to your life.

Found by Andy: Described as a “naturally robust and earthy red” http://designtaxi.com/news/371149/PANTONEUnveils-2015-Color-Of-The-Year-Marsala/

8

9

Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens Trailer

A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Found by Chris: “Being a typical designer and a child of the 1970’s (cough) I love Star Wars, hopefully the new films are as good as the first three” www.trailers.apple.com/trailers/lucasfilm/ starwarstheforceawakens/

9

How A Forgetful Mind Can Be A More Creative Mind

Inhibiting old ideas may have an ‘essential role’ in developing new ones.

Found by Adam: “The next time I forget to do something, this is my excuse” www.fastcodesign.com/3039090/evidence/how-aforgetful-mind-can-be-a-more-creative-mind

HINDSIGHT 20/20

It’s too easy, as we come to the end of the calendar year, to look back and identify those things that have gone well and those that could have gone a little better...

I

f only we had that insight at the beginning of the year we could have made the good results even better and avoided some of the challenges altogether – what is the number one priority of 2015?

As December runs up to the Christmas holidays the chances are you will either be completely buried in work or looking for things to review or close off for 2014.

Whichever situation you find yourself in then one of the biggest challenges is to have an honest and thorough review of your marketing, branding and general business development, with an eye on the priorities of 2015 and beyond.

Toast offer an external perspective, based on the years of helping a whole range of clients who needed to sell everything from plastic widgets to private jets, advise on everything from social housing to environmental issues or consult on everything from building new airports to the best IT structures & policies. In doing this we have built up a breadth of experience that can be useful to any client, whatever their priorities.

Clients have taken part in workshops at Toast to work out where their brand is positioned, or to identify the different persona’s that use their website or identify what messages are best for different markets. The same workshop based approach can be applied to review the last year and identify what has worked, what hasn’t, what could have been done better and most importantly how to apply this understanding to the future plans.

CLIENTS HAVE TAKEN PART IN WORKSHOPS AT TOAST TO WORK OUT WHERE THEIR BRAND IS POSITIONED

What worked in 2014 may not necessarily deliver the same results in 2015 and inversely the activity that didn’t work this year may just need refinement to deliver the results you need. What most people need is more than just a fresh pair of eyes or external point of view, they need a partner that can appreciate what the goals were and help identify the best way to achieve them.

TOAST OFFER AN EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVE, BASED ON THE YEARS OF HELPING A WHOLE RANGE OF CLIENTS WHO NEEDED TO SELL EVERYTHING FROM PLASTIC WIDGETS TO PRIVATE JETS

WHAT WORKED IN 2014 MAY NOT NECESSARILY DELIVER THE SAME RESULTS AND INVERSELY THE ACTIVITY THAT DIDN’T WORK MAY JUST NEED REFINEMENT TO DELIVER THE RESULTS YOU NEED.

So if you want to get the most of your 2014 review, let Toast host and manage it for you with one of our workshops.

The 3 main benefits of this approach are: 1.

Clarity of what was been achieved

2. Identify what improvements can be made 3. Outline a plan on how to deliver growth in 2015

We can tailor the exact structure to your requirements but would suggest a review of your branding, your printed communications as well as how these work with your digital communications. The outcome is a clear understanding of what was achieved in 2014, the priority for 2015 and a plan on how to achieve it.

BOOK YOUR WORKSHOP NOW SLICE 5 / DECEMBER 2014 / 5

2

1

5

8

3

9

10

6

4

11

12

7

17

KEY: 1.

Open Oven Pizza Co Branding

4.

Paddington Festival Website

2.

OvaFlow Data Branding

5.

Love Art Fair Branding & Poster

3.

Acrotrend Website

6.

Haddie & Trilby Bakery Branding

6 / DECEMBER 2014 / SLICE

7.

Tornado Boiler Co Branding & Packaging

8.

Sausage & Roll Website

9.

Gatwick Airport Report

10. BVAA - Valve User Magazine 11. Zerb Magazine 12. Soha Housing Hometalk Magazine

20 19

13

14

22

15

21

18

23

16

24

Thank you!

13. Whale Ale Co Bottle Label

16. Barnsbury Apartments Brochure

14. Freida’s Feeding Food Branding & Packaging

17. English Garden Tea Branding

15. Imperial College - Space Lab Conference Branding & Event Guide

18. Banff Mountain Film Festival Website

19. Mama Eti’s Indonesian Street Food Branding

22. NHS University Hospital Southampton Website

20. The Indian Coeliac Branding

23. LCMB Branding & Brochures

21. Gatwick Airport Borough Brochure

24. The Artisan KItchen Branding & Labeling SLICE 5 / DECEMBER 2014 / 7

IF toast did... ...a british wine brand

This, the fifth of the ‘If Toast Did.....’ projects, where we feature a ‘made-up’ product to show our creativity and passion to create something different to the norm. We have some fun, do what we want, with very little restrictions, but show our thirst for the IDEA. For this issue of SLICE, we’ve branded and packaged a British wine brand. A red wine called ‘The Red Head’ - and a white wine called ‘The Dizzy Blonde’. Designed by Adam Buttress, Designer at Toast.

1 8 / DECEMBER 2014 / SLICE

to Make Your Website More

4

Display dif feren t conten The refe t

al perso Your we nas bsite sh o buyer p u ersonas ld be catered to an to indiv iduals in d serve releva different n For exa y t conten o u r core mp t manage le, let's say yo personas. ment so u sell ti me ft very dif ferent p ware and you have tw ersonas Harry w o .T ho is lo oking a he first is HR employ t any o ees tim f his hou es and time an rly any c dp is Indep ayment are co oncerns with endent rrect. Th Contrac e secon is consis tor d te she is a ntly monitorin Isabella who g time s produ to e ctiv appropri ate stay e as possible, nsure s within a her pro nd she How wo ject lim uld you its. persona for each lis o think ab f these person e your website a out you r homep s? To start, of your age, wh visitors e get a fi your bu rst impre re all sin ssion o imagery ess. Utilize CT f As th main pe at specifically , content, and rsonas' address needs a your the con nd tex were pe t of the previo interests. In rs us exam ple, if w want to onalising our p e ricing p show H age, we R Harry employ 'd informa ee time tio m Contrac tor Isab anagement. In n on depend ella, on should ent the be persona shown inform other hand, ation ab l projec t time tr out acking.

rrin based o intereste g location a n social visitor c d in. If referral o a visito m to read e s fr om r co sh source capture orter-form con mes from a Tw can tell you a lot abo tent an their att it te r li n ut dh k, ention a New Yo rk nd then ave shorter fo for example, th what they are rms tha move o ey may contain Times they ma t n. s more prefer all y prefer detail. more th However, if a v ow you to qu ickly orough isitor co So how o m r in-dep should th expla es from The we actu nations ally pers Look at that onalise your to these e p referr messag x p a e l source ing, con riences? s for on ten source. e high-t If that is t length, and ra im fficked landing s pa pages w uccessful, then agery (among other th ge, and then tw ith high try scali in e ng the traffic. persona gs) for each re ak lisation fe strategy rral to othe r

Cater to individu

Nurture individu a

experie When a nce to fi new vis it rst-time contact o informa r comes to yo website tion, ho ur webs Because visitors w do yo ite and each de y u ou don deliver this IP v 't have address ice connected an expe any of th rie to get a to the In As a res eir ternet h nce that delig general ult h as a IP idea of you can , if you have address ts them? where y a signifi show v es, you our visit cant nu isitors fr Or, you can use ors are mbe om co coming an offic uld show "Con Germany a ve r of visitors in fr om. e more rs local to tact Us" inform ion of page w the U.S. and G ermany, them. ation to ritten in You can get som G a eone in erman.

For exa lso try persona to uch wit mple, y li s ing bas h ou c content ed on th and the an show visit e d evice so ors com ability to downlo meon ing ad them directly send any offers from smartph e's using. ). one to them selves v s shorter-form ia email (rather than

1

As a marketer, you need to be prepared to offer personalised experiences to your audiences and we're not talking about adding someone's first name in the greeting of your next email send.

Keep on reading to discover a few ways you definitely should be personalising your marketing.

2 3

Personalised

You can thank technology for all of that. It's made it easier and easier for companies to personalise their products, services, and marketing

to individuals but it's also risen consumer expectations. In fact, a study by Janrain showed that 74% of online consumers get frustrated with websites when content appears that has nothing to do with their interests.

Show a unique

4

Creative Ways

We're now encountering more personalised experiences than ever before. Before, it was just your favorite coffee shop barista who greeted you by name. Now, your News Feed is customised to your interests and behavior, your online purchases are largely influence by what Amazon's algorithm think you'd like, and you can't open up an email without it saying, "Hi [First Name]."more

ls throu If you're gh your u be pers sing email to funnel w nurture onalised ith lifec pro for each ycle sta of these spects through You sho your bu steps a uld cha ge spec long th y nge hea e of the b rs ific con journey e journe dline m uying jo , w tent. h y e , y s to urney. T saging s h o o ? u ld n't your o his is h • Vis ow we'd n your homep w e b itor: Pre pages a ag do it if pping y lso we were e to show diffe not fo our rent cop working • Ma rgetting a thin house for win y fo to r a land ter is a rk g people scaper: tough ta in differe • Cu eting Qualified . sk. Dow stomer: nt stage Lead: W n Welcom lo s e 'v a d e h th elped o e back! is fr Going b e e check ver 80 It's time eyond ju li s c t u s to to to make s mers w st head schedule experie ure you ith fall nce line your ne cleanup 're helps m . This persona s, you can dis xt appo .

F ind out intment. ake you play co lisation h m r page to o p w le in we can tely d divid far more help yo relevan uals and tailori ifferent conten u! t and m t n to g to e ach of th the nee ore like ds at th ese gro ly to ge up at nerate th e desire time in the bu s to tailor the yer's jo d result urney s.

SLICE 5 / DECEMBER 2014 / 9

“

Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.

Henry Ford

”

When asked what Toast does the simple answer is: we solve marketing problems with design. This does throw some people as they were expecting a menu of different design services.

We solve marketing problems with design – What’s your problem?

We do have a list of services, but that’s not what we do, we use these services to solve problems. Every problem we solve is unique, but they can be put into similar groups and a few of the most common are:

· We want to enter a new market and need help to create and apply a new brand.

· We need to create new sales from existing customers. · We need to replace our old website with one that works and generates turnover.

· We need to be found and shared more on the Internet . · We need to update/rebrand as we are not getting the results we need.

· We need a magazine that our membership want to read and share.

· We need to do something different, because what we are doing isn’t working.

· We need to….?

As you can see from the above, the needs vary and cover every aspect of sales, promotion, and education while including everything in between. Some of these problems can be solved by creating a simple piece of branded communications such as a brochure, a leaflet or a combination of materials in an integrated campaign.

Others, however, require us to help define the true nature of the problem using a range of strategy and planning workshops or consultancy, once we have investigated thoroughly we can then think about possible solutions that will deliver the most effective solution.

So whatever problem you need solved talk to Toast and we will work with you to create the best solution.

Talk to us today about how we can help you.

10 / DECEMBER 2014 / SLICE

friends of toast Great projects come from working with great people

There is an old saying that to work on great projects you need to have great clients, well we would like to suggest that great projects come from working with great people from clients to suppliers. Over the last 17 years Toast has worked with a whole range of clients in a wide variety of sectors & industries and this has meant that we have had the pleasure of working with interesting people including printers, photographers, model makers, illustrators (the list goes on) who help our fantastic clients achieve their goals.

This months Friend of Toast is Alex Mathieson of The Tornado Boiler Company, who manufacture and stock a comprehensive range of genuine Storm Kettles for the outdoor enthusiast range – their strapline of ‘Evoke the Adventurer’ sums up their ethos.

We spoke to Alex about what it takes to evolve and grow a business and its brand in this day and age.

Name: Alex Mathieson | Company: The Tornado Boiler Co | Age of Company: 2 years

Ice-breaker – allow us to get know you a little better: how do you take your coffee/tea?

As long as its in a thermal mug - I’m easy…… I tend to talk a lot and coffee seems to go cold quicker than it ought to… just can’t get the staff to make a fresh one quick enough either. Hold on…in fact, they NEVER make me one!

What’s been your biggest challenge?

I am sure all business owners can associate with this but perhaps normally think of it in an altogether different concept BUT my biggest challenge has been to allow for family time. We all assume people understand but we shouldn’t expect it. Time is precious and your partner and children are the family we choose for ourselves….cherish them and make time….. as challenging as it is with a business to run.

If you had to describe your company in one line, what would it be?

A great excuse to evoke amazing memories by getting outdoors with some very cool kit!... try one of our Storm Kettles, you’ll soon get the idea.

What is your role there?

Director, General Dogs Body, Tea Maid, Kicking Post and Pooper Scooper.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to get over to establish your business?

Keeping everyone happy.

What do you look for in a design partner?

Empathy is the biggest winner here…a design partner has to show empathy before they can understand what your brand should promote, and radiate… they should also have an epic coffee machine, comfy meeting chairs and be quite close to a good pub. Oh, and design skills…yeah…design skills.. and sketches with pads and pens

What’s been the most enjoyable surprise in business?

People unknown to us recognising our brand.

What would you have done differently if you could?

Inherited money. No, seriously…. Not so long ago, we went ‘off piste’ from our business plan. Not a great idea and I hasten to say, caused a slight issue. No truer word was spoken when someone said “failing to plan is a plan to fail” but I think they should have added “you gotta stick to it too”! However…. The path was re-tread, back to our plan and walking towards the light…of the fire…. In a storm kettle…. like moths.

Did you have a detailed marketing plan in place when you started up?

A what…….?

Did you follow it? Do you follow one now?

I wouldn’t say a ‘detailed’ marketing plan but yes, we do have and follow a plan (now). However, as our business evolves so do our marketing needs. Our plan is (often) changed (adapted/screwed up/thrown in the bin) to reflect and accommodate our evolution.

How do you measure your success beyond the bottom line?

Social media hits, customer feedback, email statistics (opens, clicks etc), the growing spread of retailers populating our ‘Stockist List’ and retailing our Storm Kettles!

What value do you place on your current ‘Brand’?

Value?....it’s priceless! Our current ‘brand’ has had the skillful hand of ‘Toast’ create it. From start to finish we have a superb brand image and full concept incorporating all we could throw at it, including…look, feel, colour, depth, perception, target audience…you name it, it was thrown in a pot and ‘Toast’ being the catalyst and glue they came up with what we have today.

We love it and more importantly it is recognised by those who don’t know us…and then seek to.

If you could pass on one piece of advice to someone looking to do the same – what would it be?

Have a clear idea of your target market, don’t stop cataloging ideas… vomit thoughts on paper, write ideas on bog roll….

Email in the middle of the night…most of the best thoughts happen in the weirdest of places…. Write down everything and feed it back to your designers… the more they know of you, your business, your target market, your products etc… the better the end result will be. Oh, and finally… NEVER OVERUSE ELLIPSIS!

What is your favourite brand (can be anything) and why?

Apple. I am just in awe of all they have accomplished over what is really a relatively short period of time. I mean…. How many other businesses do you know that have ‘control’ over internet pricing and discounting without restricting retailers selling?! To create desirability with brand image ….inspiring!

If you had to describe Toast in one line, what would it be?

It’s a bit like hard, browned, crispy bread.

Last one – how important is design and branding to your company’s success?

I truly believe a company’s success is owed to the design and branding full stop (take Apple for example). You might have the best idea in the world but without branding, design and a marketing plan to visually peak senses, your idea is just that….

A thought in the darkest recesses of blackness… destined to rest in the Mariana Trench with Spongebob Squarepants.

SLICE 5 / DECEMBER 2014 / 11

HO HO HO

BANG!

Toast 16 North Bar, Banbury, Oxon, OX16 0TF Call: 01295 26 66 44 Email: hello@toastdesign.co.uk www.toastdesign.co.uk facebook.com/wearetoast twitter.com/toastdesign