David Covell (Creative Director, JDK) at DYW

It was our pleasure hosting David Covell, Creative Director of Vemont Based design company - JDK. JDK has been involved with brand and communication design for some of the world best known brands including XBox, Vigin Mobile and Nike.

Our interaction with David Covell allowed us to understand the JDK brand design process. DYW also had the opportunity to share its own design process with David in an effort to identify areas of improvement.

This interaction marks the first of many design exchange programs that we at DMA Yellow Works hope to conduct. Our sincere thanks to David Covell and David Kemp from JDK for making this a reality.

ASSOCHAM DESIGN LINK - Adding value

Original Article from Business India - October 31st.

Design contributes great value to business/ was the underlying statement at the Design Link, held recently in Mumbai and organized by the ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) National Design Committee. The meet held that with innovations ruling the marketplace today, along with thriving competition, companies need to realize the value and potential of product design and integrate that into their business models. Speakers from leading business houses, as well as independent design studios demonstrated this by talking about how design can be used as a powerful management tool to create world class brands, products and services.

Until now, design was associated with industries like fashion, apparel, home decor, etc. But its use extends to much more than that; whether it's retail or even real estate. Companies like Titan Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Godrej, Asian Paints, Tata Motors, etc, have incorporated product design into their business strategies successfully, showing how it reflects on sales growth and long-term benefits for businesses.

The evening saw presentations ranging from brand building through design, to product engineering and design and even interesting insights on bridging design and business in the workplace. Revathy Kant, design head, Titan Industries, spoke about the growth of Titan Raga as a brand and how, through innovative and trend-setting designs, the brand has seen a growth of over 30 per cent. They now aim to take it further and become a Rs.5,000 crore brand. "Design strategy needs to be aligned with brand strategy. Today, contexts have changed. Design isn't just cosmetic and it can lead to more value creation," she says.

Speaking about business in design, Alpana Parida, president, DMA Yellow Works, Future group, spoke about how design can explode markets and change consumer behavior. She emphasized that we often miss opportunities because we consider design the last factor. "Organizations that don't embrace design will have to work harder to create value," she said.

Astrology Website joins the New Media bandwagon

JagjitUppal.com, an online Atrology site is the latest site out from the digital team at DMA Yellow Works. Promoted by Mr. Jagjit Uppal, a prominent astrologer who grew famous with his programme "Bolen Taarey", on Zee TV in 1992-93. His consulting practise has grown significantly and now reaches international destinations as well.

The key challenge for the DYW Digital Branding team were as follows -

• Aesthetically make the website more appealing
• Upgrade the technology to ensure that the website became CSS compliant
• Ensure that the website was compatible for Search Engine Optimization
• Link the site to an online transaction engine

Here is a quick look at the before and after -

Website Usability and Task Analysis were used to make the site more organized. The redesign has resulted in increased time on site, greater search engine reach, which has resulted in more than 3000 hits on the day of the launch.

To develop an Astrology website like this, contact DMA Yellow Works.

Advertising has ceased being as effective, and the costs have escalated: Alpana Parida, DMA Yellow Works

From Exchange4Media - Oct 07, 2010

Design and branding firm DMA Yellow Works, part of the Future brand network, has been focusing on creating business solutions through design and branding. The agency has created brand experiences that encompass packaging, retail solutions and communication leading to success at the purchase moment. Alpana Parida, President, DMA-Yellow Works, shares her views on the challenges in coping with the Indian market for design and its vision for DMA in India.

The agency has a roster of blue chip clients such as Dabur, HUL, Heinz India, Air India, Unilever, Godrej, Marico, ITC, Amul, GlaxosmithKlien, Diageo, and UB, among others, creating holistic brand solutions for all.

On tackling conflicting business interests, Parida said, “We have created watertight vertical silos with aligned strategy, creative and marketing teams, who do not work on competing businesses. Additionally, we have elaborate security systems in IT. Also, we typically work on short term projects and ensure that no direct conflict occur for that period.”

Sharing recent developments, Parida said, “We are the only international agency for General Mills US, and now we are starting an exchange programme for design talent with a US based design house. In that regard, we have already recruited an advertising talent from Saatchi & Saatchi, New York.”

According to Parida, to get clients to see design solutions as smart marketing solutions gave them the biggest bang for the buck and not just aesthetics. She said, “Advertising has ceased being as effective, and the costs have escalated. There are simple, but very effective design solutions that can create a disproportionate market impact, but still allocate 85 per cent of budgets to ATL and 15 per cent to BTL. Usually, this part of the budget is a footnote, with tactical interventions and no real strategy.”

However, Parida did agree that design industry in India was still seen as only being in packaging design and identity creation. But she asserted that design solutions could encompass everything – from advertising to organisation design.

She further noted that surprisingly, some of the largest and most sophisticated marketers were letting the digital design opportunity go. “Digital design is not just websites and e-mailers, it is also about creating social communities, online review systems and promotional activities that actually drive offline sales,” she stressed.

Commenting on several ad agencies starting their individual design cells within the agency, Parida said, “I am not sure if the best talent goes there. But as per my experience, best talent is still reserved for the 30-second ad film.”

Speaking on the vision for DMA-Yellow Works, Parida stated, “The vision is to become strategic brand partners for all our clients and become the biggest brand solutions firm in the country.”

Thums Up - New Logo

DYW works with India’s largest selling carbonated beverage to reinterpret thunder
The task was to reinforce the brand values and assist the leader in its responsibility to take its consumer ahead in time. Though there wasn't any direct need for a rejuvenation exercise, the brand's leadership thought differently.

On carrying out an audit of the brand, its consumer and communication - DYW discovered the need for a contemporary boldness to enhance the brand’s core value of “more dum/power”.

The solution began by first rejuvenating the brand imagery subtly. Herein the need was to drop any clutter around the logo and provide a stronger and more forceful vocabulary.
What you will see in the market is a shedding of the thunderous shadow (which held it back, rather than propelled it forward), the fine tuning of the hand silhouette (from the workman like to a more youthful and relaxed silhouette) to a refinement of the typeface (from the archaic to the modern and contemporary). The change is also reflected in the baseline and the PVC bottle labels, which build on the masculinity and strength of the brand, making the brand vocabulary clearer, assertive and modern whilst remaining rooted.

This has led the brand's new summer 2009 campaign - supported with a forceful theme and promotion TVCs to achieve even a closer connect with its loyal audience.

Truly a leader taking its consumer ahead in time and consolidating it’s leadership.

Design Dharma & Design Karma

This is my second article under the series titled Design Dharam and Design Karam.In this article I am answering one of the questions which was left unanswered in my previous article.

Question: Does design work as an enabler or a differentiator?

Answer: Let us look at the meaning of enabler; an enabler means that which makes you ‘able’ to do things easier, faster and better. If I want to reach the terrace…a ladder is the enabler.

Let us look at the meaning of differentiator; when we have more than one product/service in the same category, then a need arises to have some differentiation in the product/service that helps the consumer select one product/service over the other.

You walk into any Croma or Vijay sales electronic retail shop where 20 to 30 TV sets are displayed; all of them are plasma flat mountable TV sets; all possible brands are displayed there from Sony to T-series. How does a consumer select one product over the other? There could be various factors like the price of the product, brand, picture quality, EMI facility,warranty promise, guaranty, home service etc. etc… that could motivate one to buy one brand over the other.

Let us imagine, before a consumer takes a final decision he/she has shortlisted two plasma TV set brands; both of which are almost identical (prize, size, quality of picture, warrant, etc) except one thing which is the look, one looks much sleeker and aesthetically better looking than the other. Now tell me which one he/she will finally select? Of course the sleek & better-looking TVset!!!

Many times we choose products/services, which are high on aesthetics, even though they were costlier than their competitors. Somehow aesthetics mesmerizes the logical part of your mind and pushes you to buy; I call this type of buying habit a “Aesthetic consumption”. Most of us are victims of aesthetic consumption; to justify our habit (which is not justifiable logically) we invent logical reasons to prove that we have bought the right product/service.

Again you Imagine you are standing in front of two plasma TV sets that are almost same in all the promises that they are delivering, now you have to select one over the other, how do you do that? Don’t worry; you will never face that kind of situation, a designer will already have taken care of creating some differences between the product/service from the other product/service.

For instance even though coffee beans are the same, the preparation method is the same, experientially you do have a different experience having coffee at barista and café coffee day.
Think what would be the cause of these two different experiences? Why are they different from one another?

Yes, the differences that you experience between product/service to another product/service is the role of the design thinking, building a strong differentiator that will help us to build a strong brand which can survive and flourish in the ever so crowded market..

It’s not the enabler verses the differentiator; it’s the combination of both. Design thinking encompasses both aspects, a chair made out of bamboo sticks is a good example of design thinking, if there were no design thinking, bamboo sticks would just serve the purpose of being bamboo sticks, isn't it??? YES!!!

Contemplated by Dharam, Edited by Kimberly


If your brand needs design attention, feel free to contact DMA Yellow Works>

Growing Taller ! Complan packaging re-design

Enriched with 23 vital nutrients in balanced proportion Complan is the only nutritional supplement that promises superior height growth in children,it also stands for complete planned food in a drink.

AN URGENT REQUIREMENT

Complan was packaged in a glass bottle for several years, however the tallness of the bottle was the differentiator. Even while the competitors ( Horlicks, Boost , Bournvita) had moved on to softer and lighter mediums like PET bottles, Complan was shelved as bulky big bottle. The action to convert Complan to a friendly and contemporary format was an immediate mandate to DYW.

OUR ROLE

Study the category and understand the space that would be occupied to place the bottle on a household shelf or a retail shop Develop a structure that would resonate with the brand personality (Extra Growing Power) and create a visual vocabulary for the new packs.

THE GROWING OUTCOME

A tall strong structure, which highlighted the growth aspect of the brand (Physical and Mental). A creation of an ergonomic friendly pet Jar and graphics which set the new 'avatar' apart from the competition.

DYW through this engagement captured the Complan brand essence and promise through to market!

Contact:Mumbai:+91-022-40406767 - Delhi:+91 11 26548089
Website: www.dmayellowworks.com