Defining (sickening) beauty

His work makes me sick to my stomach. But I mean that as the highest form of flattery. It's not his fault I'm in awe of his creative talent, or that the beauty of his work acts like a sledgehammer of reality and self realisation. As much as I aspire to be like him, I'm a fair way off at the moment.

Fabien Baron is arguably the most celebrated and successful Art Director in the fashion arena – magazines, packaging, identities, advertising and product design. Hailing from France, he moved to New York in 1982 and landed the top job at GQ. He then divided his time between Milan and New York as Creative Director of Italian Vogue, before ending up at Harpers Bazaar. He began his agency, Baron & Baron in 1990, and since then, has been the go-to guy for any brand requiring high-fashion creativity delivered with aesthetic precision. 

"Fabien and I are on the same wavelength, except Fabien goes beyond my capability of aestheticism." – Calvin Klein.

Looks like he's got this market sewn up, but my ideal goal for Graphic Surgery would be to become the Baron & Baron of Australia.

It's Syfy. [rant warning]

So the Sci Fi channel is changing it's name to Syfy. And strategically, I think the concept of a written name change is a good idea, I think the creative execution could've been a bit more 'considered'. To say the least.

The spelling change could've been perfect. Landor Associates have nailed the part of the iceberg that you don't see, and can probably strategically justify this branding attempt until there is no ice left in the world. The name change not only allows them to retain the brand equity of the sound, along with the perceptions of the brand and the entire science-fiction genre. But also allows them ownership over the word – throwing up possibilities of branding (and diversification?) across games, movies, kids, clothes blah blah. The spelling Sci Fi is a descriptor, and thus not something they can copyright or own. Syfy on the other hand...

However the tip of the iceberg that you do see – the part that goes to market as the creative pinnacle of the brand, to connect with consumers, is massively flawed.

Firstly can I say, that I don't mind 'Imagine Greater' as a tagline. A nice simple take on facilitating greater Imagination. But why not highlight this in your identity. Why did a somewhat dated (17 years), but interesting and iconic design (that easily could've been evolved) be completely replaced by a font. A font that's no doubt has been tampered with, to be labelled 'hand crafted'. A logo that belongs beside Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba. And I bet they have a Brand Identity Guidelines manual to match. Did they forget they're competing with brands like MTV, SBS, CI, V and Discovery? Maybe there's some idea in the type being three-dimensional, if consistently appearing 3D is one of the visual 'rules'.

Me? I think it's boring. It reflects middle management and their entire approach.  One of the things I would do in this entire process is not use the following words: logo, guidelines, corporate identity, legible, audience etc and see where it gets you. It should not be thought of as a logo at all – that word has too many perceptions of the end result – but an expression of the 'wonder' it stands for. Why not up the fantasy volume in the brief and creative approach. Use science fiction terminology, utilise the world of science fiction inspiration and reference. The launch pad for this stuff is miles ahead, how did they land in the past?

And the other important piece of information (especially when it comes to communication) that was overlooked was what the word Syfy actually means in the written form. The sound is perfect. But Syfy, unfortunately, is the plural of Syf, which in Polish means shit, crap, mess or trash. Pronounced differently, but when written they're identical. Not one of the key values or communication factors, I assume.

Maybe I'm being harsh because my knee cap is broken and I'm confined to a leg brace, crutches and painkillers, but frankly this is a classic example of a conformist approach. Here's our process, this is the time frame, and this is what you will get. I think the problem is that the process got so caught up in the strategy, they lost any thought of authentic creativity.

Oh and I bet there's a part of the presentation that says: 'Abbreviating and misspelling words to facilitate easy texting is a strong generational identifier of your audience, and by mimicking this we can connect with them on another level. In their own language."... Well probably not, I hope not, but it would be funny if they did.

Featured Designer

Alex Chappel is a London based graphic designer. His talent when it comes to typography and illustration is evident in his work. Bold, contemporary and different – definitely worth a mention. http://www.twiy.co.uk/

Scientific Sophistication

The pharmaceutical approach to beauty is nothing new (think aésops, aveda, la prairie). However Wolf Olins' latest attempt has to be commended. No Frizz is the first product from the Living Proof range – a scientific beauty brand, where the product packaging is nothing short of 'contemporary lab-style innovation'. But this is the end product. The touch-points also communicate the problem solving process at the grass-roots level. By doing this, the brand becomes accessible, less elitist, and offers consumers an insight into the product's personality and understanding.

Living Proof has a less conventional (unique) logo, but the distinct packaging shapes, strict colour palette, typographic treatment and the images come together to create a very sophisticated and flexible brand. I love the understated simplicity in the No Frizz logo. The copywriting is also engaging, direct and avoids becoming too scientific. All in all, another great job by Wolf Olins. 

And they'll probably need a few more to help the world forget about their 2012 Olympic logo.

The Credit Crisis Visualised

As a presentation, this visualisation of the credit crunch by Johnathon Jarvis takes top prize. Relevant content in a smart, concise, simple animation.