October 2006 Archives

You go make us some money

I know it's cold and dark outside — this miserable weather sucks big time — but I'm only a cat and it's your responsibility to get out there in the rain and go earn some money, while mine is to stay home, be fluffy and have these beautiful big eyes.

Jee, have I told you this weather makes me sleepy? Bye now.

About this, that and the other

It looks like LogoLounge is everywhere these days.

LogoLounge founder Bill Gardner and editor Cathy Fishel kindly offered me the opportunity of an interview as featured designer. it's about inspiration and masters, gratification in design vs. advertising, trends and the future — in not too many words and a few pictures.

LogoLounge seems to be ubiquitous these days, from US to Russian design magazines, competitions and seminars, while LL books are on the shelves of every decent bookshop and in many, many designer's bookcases. I may be biased by the fact that I was part of the latest LogoLounge book jury (LogoLounge 3), but it seems to me that Bill is on the right track to build a solid global brand targeted towards graphic / identity designers. For us.

Mirror mirror on the wall...

While there are tens of companies claiming “branding” expertise in their portfolio of services, customers vote with their wallet. A quick look through the newly released official 2005 turnover figures suggests the following Top 3:

1. FutureBrand/BrandTailors/McCann-Erickson – 574k USD (based mainly on McCann-Erickson's clients),
2. Brandient – 470k USD,
3. Chrysopeea – 405k USD (a good design company from Cluj-Napoca that talks little but does much).

Further down the pyramid — under 350k USD turnover — there are many design, web-design, events and production companies (e.g. Grapefruit, Brânzaș Design, Synopsismedia etc) and freelance designers that cover parts of the branding jobs.

On a side note

Some of the also-runners are over-vocal for their size and portfolio, which is okay as long as it's a Darwinian “survival of the noisest” attempt. Nevertheless, it is outright goofy when a contender (respectable otherwise) that didn't even make it to the Top 3 is self-proclaimed “the largest Romanian branding and design consultancy”.¹ In branding, bluffing is the worst strategy. In business, it can stain not only the bluffer's reputation, but the credibility of the whole industry.

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¹ See capture. Website was modified since.