I won’t comment on the aesthetics of the new symbol, as I feel this is irrelevant. Logo design is not about ‘sexy graphics’, its purpose is to identify and (to a lesser extent) communicate, rather than decorate. Instead I will focus on the process used to commission the work – which in my opinion was flawed.

Using a ‘creative cattle-call’ to commission an identity for an important institution like the Labour Party signals contempt for the creative industry. Nothing quite demonstrates this as well as luring creative types into donating their work for free, paying what you want to pay for one (as opposed to the designer’s going rate) and keeping the rest of the entries. Furthermore, this does not seem like an efficient way of rewarding a sector that contributes millions to Malta’s economy and is bound to have many worried about the Labour Party’s vision for our industry.

Let’s forget about the rights and wrongs of it for a minute. In order for crowd sourcing to function, one must assume that the crowd contains the necessary talent to get the job done. The reality is that in Malta, even amongst people that are invested in the creative process, the pool of talent successfully creating this kind of work is very small. This is to be expected. How many truly great tenors, stand up comedians, actors and ballet dancers can be found on the island? Expecting Malta to have a surplus of brilliant, charismatic creatives is unrealistic to say the least.

Even if we assume an abundance of amazing talent, the process used would still have been flawed. You see, contrary to popular belief, any successful communications project does not begin with creativity. Creativity is a capacity for coming at problems in new ways and perceiving connections that others might miss. In order to facilitate this process, creativity must be fed by intelligence about existing beliefs and how you would like to alter them.

The submissions document for this exercise did not indicate anywhere near enough information to feed this process. It did specify that the new logo needed to retain the torch (from the old logo) as a key element. Surely this isn’t the best way to communicate change (I’m assuming this is why a new logo was required)?

Without clear messaging objectives, I’m curious about how the final selection was judged. According to the submissions document, the chosen identity had to make it through two different committees.

Ouch!

Think about all the truly great ideas that are generated in the world. Do they come from crowds? No, quite the opposite. Generally, crowds fear new ideas and take a long time to adopt/recognise them. Assuming that any of the submitted solutions were excellent, filtering them through 2 different committees and a round of SMS voting guarantees a superficial result based on personal preferences rather than substance and appropriateness.

The purpose of a committee is to make important decisions by sharing responsibilty between members. Since nobody is soley responsible, the burden of consequence of the work becomes diluted and the result is usually the lowest common denominator, rather than the optimum solution.

Creative professionals take on a responsibility to develop this type of work and must be competent enough to be accountable for it. The success of projects like this require the same responsibility on the client side. When only one side of the client/designer relationship is behaving responsibly, the work will have little chance of success.

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If you have an opinion about this, we’d love to hear from you (please use our comments form). We’re all for subjectivity but not at the expense of courtesy, respect and good manners – please keep this in mind.

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After securing representation for some of the world’s leading model brands, Hobbyshop enjoyed years of unbroken sales and profit growth to become one of the foremost model shops in Norway. What’s more, they did it without any kind of third party, professional marketing help.

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Related works:

1. New environmental graphics for Calleja’s lighting store entrance

Business veterans, Chris and Aldo Calleja understood that creating an image to communicate with their customers by proxy no longer works in our web enabled, transparent society. Experience has taught them that consumers are more empowered than ever before to probe for their own truth about brands, rather than the one presented to them.

They hired Bulldog to help define relevant meaning for their startup ‘resource optimisation company‘,  to minimise the possibility of contradiction between their image and culture.

This is important because people no longer consume products for purely functional satisfaction but also, to define and maintain their identity. Proof of this meaning-based consumption is all around us. Why else are consumers willing to pay more for skin care products that are not tested on animals, cars that are more environmentally sound and wines that attest to social standing?

However, it’s not just about how the outside world will see this new company. If there isn’t a clearly identified set of core values dictating behaviour, employees tend to feel aimless and lost.

With this in mind, we defined and recorded a Roadmap that will provide the following advantages as the brand develops:

Effective planning and management. The roadmap will allow Sparkbow to chart their progress towards clearly defined business objectives, rather than just concentrating on the task of the day.

Evaluation based on objectives. Review processes for products, communication and actions will all be grounded by the same objectives and criteria – rather than individuals’ subjective tastes and personal preferences.

Communications informed by better insight. All communications to be created by Sparkbow’s advertising/design/communications agencies will be able to leverage a compelling point of difference in the minds of their audience, their unique strengths and the vulnerability of their competitors.

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To learn more about how to introduce long term effects as criteria for evaluating short term decisions, contact Bulldog at info(at)virtualbulldog.com

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The annual showcases 192 winning entries in a substantial, hard bound volume of exceptional quality, printed on Sappi acclaimed papers by Fontegrafica.

Wolda is a high-profile graphic design award scheme that rewards the best logos and trademarks designed throughout the world. The winners are selected by an international three-tier jury consisting of 10 top design professionals, 10 marketing managers from major international clients and finally 10 members of the public (provided respectively by the worldwide organizations Icograda, Aquent and Consumers International).

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Bulldog’s remit was to help create a new brand positioning, architecture and communication messages that would allow E. Calleja & Sons to redefine themselves as a more contemporary, unified brand.

The project began with research to identify key customer groups and the most powerful benefit for Calleja to own. Following workshops with top management, we gained a consensus on key elements of  a new brand design, including: target customers, essence, promise, personality and a new graphic identity. These were documented in a publication designed to help people both inside and outside the company understand the intent, spirit and expression of the new brand.

They were also used to drive the company’s marketing effort, products, services and human resources – ensuring consistency at every point of contact made with consumers.

This initiative represents more than just an exercise in aesthetics, it is an evolution of Calleja’s relationship with their customers. Over the years, those who chose them as their preferred electrical supplier did so, more because of interest in a given product rather than the brand.

Calleja hopes to correct this shortcoming over the next 2 years through a multi-faceted, solutions-oriented approach, that makes: dedication, innovation and personal responsibility in their relationships as important as the products they sell.

The combination of a complete branding system that encompasses Calleja’s corporate identity and how this is expressed in its many applications, represents a radical change to the legacy of the old brand. Intial marketing messages will seek to reassure loyal customers that they remain committed to the values that have contributed to an 85 year success story.

Wary of the risk of confusing existing customers with the brand transfer, for the next year, all major communications will carry a strapline advising that Calleja was formerly known as E. Calleja & Sons.

The rebirth of  Calleja’s retail showroom embodies the new brand promise in every aspect – from the ‘look and feel’ to the way customers move through the space. Bulldog created environmental graphics that compliment the great work done by Italian firm: Ideainterni, who were responsible for designing, engineering and implementing the striking interiors.

Circuit diagram influenced graphics provide a seemingly endless source of inspiration for collateral and point of sale material.

Armed with a new sense of purpose brought about by the rebranding exercise, Calleja are looking forward to the challenge of protecting and extending their legacy for many years to come.

www.calleja.com.mt

Related works:

1. Commemorative launch materials for the opening of the Calleja stores
2. New environmental graphics for Calleja’s lighting store entrance

The island has been taken to the European Court of Justice for allowing the spring hunting of Turtle Dove and Quail since it joined the EU in 2004 but the authorities have still failed to convince local hunters to honour international bird protection laws. From a political standpoint, this issue is a nightmare as hunting association memberships are sizeable enough to wield significant influence through their collective voting power.

Our pro bono work for Birdlife Malta was designed to stimulate social conscience about this issue, allow people to demonstrate support and help raise vital funding. While  payment for this work won’t show up in our bank account, this does not mean we did not get paid – the pride and satisfaction gained from helping such a worthy cause is the kind of reward money just can’t buy.

Related works:

1. Personal work influenced by survivors of the Haiti disaster

Bulldog’s remit was to help the brand provide assurance of energy saving benefits, empower consumers to make technical comparisons with traditional incandescent bulbs and to promote correct waste handling for all Foxglo products.

Since many European countries have announced intentions to make Eco-friendly bulbs compulsory, campaigners have been calling for warnings and disposal advice to be printed on bulb packaging. Many of the leading European brands in the category have failed to do this, despite the risks posed by a product that requires special waste handling and increasing media pressure to do so.

Bulldog developed a name and visual identity that suggest the primary brand benefit with a view to penetrating the market quickly. The packaging solution, using bio-degradable inks and 100% recycled stock, attracts, directs and educates consumers – enabling informed purchasing decisions that will contribute to their well-being, as well as that of the environment.

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