Work
Stuff:
Impeccable Surfaces
Here is a great example of a company that thought it was small, but had a huge consumer footprint potential.
Here's a pretty good story.
A client already had a name for his business, a tile store, but wanted a logo. So we designed a logo.
Now normally we try to glean as much info from a client as we can to design the best creative strategy moving forward. But in this case, the client was evolving quickly, and so we had to just keep up day to day.
Turns out a partner wanted to align the sales location with a tile installation element pretty closely. So, what to call a tile setting operation? Hmmm . . . something short, sweet, and sticky.
RIGHT?!
Reflecting logos? A short sweet name that says exactly what they do in a soft friendly word? Plus, the URL www.settersodo.com (SoDo being their location) was available. Win win win win win.
Yet this was to be a lesson in three things:
First, when dealing with differing cultures and languages, the short sweet imagery behind a word, akin to a single musical note fitting an emotion, doesn't always translate.
Second, that some cultures value comparison ideology (causing a person to align one brand on the success and value of another, for example, Dolce & Gabbana, through brand mimicry) over unique originality.
Third, the importance of quickly learning to read a client's capabilities and sincerity when partners are planning business moves.
Setter, as an idea and a business, died on the table. But IS charged ahead with its catchy enthusiasm.
One thing DSMM didn't know was that consumers can't generally buy items from certain showrooms. Like tile showrooms. This opened up an opportunity to leverage what we know about the process of home building and remodeling: Things get messy.
Organizing a project can be hell, keeping the design elements consistent with materials and in sync with installation. . . there's a lot going on, much of it DIY'rs scribble on the back of gas bill envelopes. So how to inject IS into the process with lasting stick?
Dead pitched, then designed a multi-fold document that not only impressed customers, but served as a document to help communicate design, organize materials (style, size, color, cost, quantity, etc), and direct customers to the store, all on high quality tough paper to withstand the rigors of such a project and keep the IS brand in front of undecided customers.
It's easy for consumers to get distracted, so to keep them focused, on point and connected to the client, DSMM gave them what they needed.
But there was more. DIY projects can quickly descend into disaster. For those who find themselves in over their heads, some direction can save the day.
In the store was quite a bit of wall space, and with all the connections and associated entities IS dealt with, from architects and designers, to contractors, it made sense to give customers in the store the feeling that all the help they could need can be organized right there at IS.
We thought about the many parts . . .
Then designed an installation . . .
Then sourced reclaimed materials from Earthwise, which we pressure washed to clean the wood while retaining the texture, then burned, then clear coated to make slightly shiney. . .
And then installed. Shot below during the process
And then of course, van wraps.
