known.creative & HIVE.STUDIO Collaboration

Array ( [0] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 61 [post_author] => 8 [post_date] => 2016-02-23 17:13:38 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-02-23 17:13:38 [post_content] => Think back to your science fair days. You and your classmates had to document your experiments on those classic gatefold poster boards. You had to display the problem, state your hypothesis, dictate your procedure, state your findings, and then finally—as if it wasn't enough already—state your conclusion on whether or not your hypothesis was right. That was a ton of work, especially if the experiment wasn't successful! If you're a start-up owner/employee, and if you're reading this right now, I imagine you either really loved doing those, or you hated them with a passion (just like yours truly). Little did we know we’d be taking this process into adulthood, only this time, it's for the company that's paying our bills. Here at known.creative, when we're doing client work, we're in a constant process of thinking by making things, and then tweaking them based on feedback; keeping all of our branding relevant to the people who matter: the end customer. For start-ups these days, it's pretty much the same thing. We call it "the creative process". I define the creative process as the methodological intersection of art and science to create meaningful and functional contexts—through iteration and inquiry—to better influence present circumstances and solve problems. The best kinds of companies—large and small—end up adopting this process to better understand their target audience and their needs so they can eventually build the proper solution for them. This is the antithesis of creating stuff on the fly based on assumptions. In fact, by assuming things that are most definitely not backed by hard data, you turn a blind eye to what your customers are looking for. Simply put, the creative process allows us to break through the barriers of our own assumptions by unearthing new questions and possibilities through making. …Unless of course, you’re a mind reader. If you are, please email us as we’d like to hire you. So how can you begin to apply this to your start-up or small business? Well it’s just like doing a science fair project. Whether you’re creating a new, ground-breaking product, or revisiting the infrastructure of your company, look back to the creative process:

1. Research The Problem: What’s wrong? Do your customers actually suffer from this problem, or do you just think they do? How bad is it? Who is it affecting? What are their stories?
2. Narrow Down Your “Hypothesis”: This can be re-interpreted to be the “pitch”. Based on your research, what is your product going to do to solve the problem? Or, how will your company solve the problem?
3. Process: Implement your processes or begin designing based on research, prototyping (i.e. wireframes, sketches). Conduct user testing or focus groups as needed (please actually conduct them).
4. Results: How well did the product work? How was it received by users/focus group? What can be improved? Go back to designing and repeat.
5. Conclusion: Based on the results, either continue to modify or scrap it and start over.

This creative process will help keep you in line with your company’s goals and objectives. As businesses of all sizes adopt this way of thinking, have faith that it will help you get to the next step in your start-up’s development. At least now, unlike a science fair, you may reap more reward than just first place. [post_title] => How The Creative Process Can Help Your Start-Up [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => how-the-creative-process-can-help-your-start-up [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-02-23 22:49:19 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-02-23 22:49:19 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://knowncreative.co/?p=61 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 79 [post_author] => 8 [post_date] => 2015-02-09 21:08:54 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-02-09 21:08:54 [post_content] => Branding can seem like a pretty big concept to many people either running businesses or thinking about starting one. You have to consider every aspect of your company and what its current objectives and goals are. It even trickles down into the actual “voice” of your company, or the language it speaks to your target audience. You may already have a business or start-up right now, with some sort of branding in place. It’s always a must-have when starting out, especially as you build a working foundation for the business to grow up from. People will identify your company immediately from its branding, whether the tagline hits them in the right way or the logo itself is strikingly unique; but it could also be in the way that your brand is portrayed throughout different medias. So whether you’re looking to strengthen your current brand, refresh it, or even rebrand all together, you want your brand to say the following:

My Brand Is Current

Good branding should be able to stand the test of time. If not, a “dated” looking brand will most likely detract from new prospects or business. Think about the last time you invested (time or money) into your company’s logo. Does it need a refresh?

My Brand Is Flexible

Your brand’s look-and-feel should be able to perform well on a variety of different media. Flexibility, in this case, can me a lot of things; from having various logo versions for different contexts, to having set graphics, illustrations, or photography choices at your disposal for proper marketing.

My Brand is Consistent

Look at your current marketing materials. Do all the colors look the same? Is your logo treated properly on all of them? Consistency makes clear brand communication. The moment you become inconsistent with your brand standards, it may confuse your current target audience and/or detract from more outreach.

My Brand is Made Well

A properly designed logo and brand identity will be produced well on both print and web. Looks aside, does your logo work well at different sizes without losing quality? Is it easily read well? Kick blurry logos to the curb!

My Brand is Mine

At its essence, branding is about your company being itself. It’s analyzing what makes your company what it is, and interpreting it into an identity that creates relationships with your target audience. You’re the leader at what you do. Talk like one, look like one, but still be you. We'd like to announce that we'll be part of a branding & design panel, alongside Upstatement at WeWork Fort Point, hosted by the awesome people at General Assembly. We'll cover a bunch of topics, including the necessity of good branding for start-ups and small businesses, when and how to go about it, and other design-related inquiries. Come on down, learn something, and if not for the educating factors, come down for a free beer. [post_title] => "My Brand Is…": 5 Must-Have Qualities For Your Company's Brand [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => my-brand-is-5-must-have-qualities-for-your-companys-brand [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-02-24 13:56:07 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-02-24 13:56:07 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://knowncreative.co/?p=79 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) )