The latest issue of Contagious magazine (Q2/13 Issue 35) features the Wolff Olins team twice! Richard Chinn contributes to a case study by Chris Barth on the world's leading colour brand Pantone. Elsewhere, Yelena Ford is quoted in 'The Bigger Picture', an article by Patrick Jeffery exploring the relationship between brands, health and wellbeing.
Whilst Contagious is subscription only, we have been give kind permission to share snippets with you.
The Hamperling has arrived at the Serpentine Pavilion - Fortnum & Mason's first step into the world beyond its Piccadilly store and one of a series activities borne from our long-term role as strategic brand advisers. We can't wait to try it for ourselves.
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Jaideep Prabhu will join us to speak at How to Jump.
Jaideep is a high profile academic whose seminal book, Jugaad Innovation, argues that the West must look to places like India, China, and Africa for a new, bottom-up approach to frugal and flexible innovation. At How To Jump, our second summit, Jaideep will talk about how to jump from full-fat to frugal innovation.
Ahead of the summit, keep up with Jaideep's thinking by reading his regular column at HBR.org
We're thrilled to be part of the 60th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, held in France this Sunday, June 16 - Saturday, June 22. Our CEO Karl Heiselman is already at work as a member of the Design Lions jury and we're excited to see what brands take home the prizes.
For more information, please visit Cannes Lions.
Wolff Olins' work for the USA TODAY Grand Central Station Domination won a silver OBIE award! Founded in 1891, the OBIEs recognize the best work in outdoor advertising. See the work and the rest of the winners here.
New York senior strategist Marissa Vosper talked with Bloomberg Businessweek about the women's activewear market and Oakley's latest attempt to lure female customers. Read the full story here.
We can confirm Simon Nelson, CEO FutureLearn will be presenting at How to Jump, our second brand summit, this October.
Hear Simon explain how FutureLearn is making the jump from elite to democratised learning.
For more information please visit the How to Jump site.
Wolff Olins' London creative directors, Chris Moody and Owen Hughes, are presenting their ideas on 'Uncorporate Identities' to an international audience of designers at Belgrade Design Week today. The three-day innovation conference includes a programme of stellar lecturers that include architect Zaha Hadid, the experimental design practice Troika, as well as Chris and Owen. You can watch their presentation live on Wallpaper* Magazine's live stream at 5pm GMT or follow @OwenDHughes.
Wolff Olins are thrilled to be a HostCo at Open Co. London. The 'festival of innovation' is the first of its kind in the capital and gives Londoners a unique opportunity to see and hear from some of the city's most open, dynamic and innovative businesses. For more information please visit Openco London.
We're pleased to announce the soft launch of the wonderful FutureLearn: a startup that's reinventing learning for life, with branding created by Wolff Olins. To hear more about free online courses from top universities as they become available later this year, go to the FutureLearn website to register.
We are please to announce the launch of How to Jump, Wolff Olins's second brand summit. The event is due to take place this October at Wolff Olins London.
This year Wolff Olins will look at How To Jump - the lessons and secrets from the business revolution that will take you from follower to leader, niche to mass or from the national stage to the global player.
For more information please visit the How to Jump site.
Zia Patel, Head of Strategy, Wolff Olins India, recently spoke with The Economic Times about the Hero MotoCorp motorcycle brand. Zia advises on how the company should address competition from competitors Honda and Bajaja Auto. Read the full story here.
New York Strategy Director Nick O'Flaherty spoke with The San Francisco Chronicle about Yahoo's acquisition of Tumblr and how they carry through on that promise. Read the article here.
New York Strategy Director Nick O'Flaherty recently wrote a piece on how Yahoo can use the attention it's getting as a way to define its journey to the public. Read the article on iMedia Connection here.
On the heels of Accenture's purchase of design firm Fjord, we're seeing a trend in large corporations strengthening their design capabilities through acquisitions. Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman talks to Wired about the increasingly vital role design plays in businesses. Check out the full story here.
Wolff Olins' implementation director Miles Perkins recently spoke to the BBC World Service Sports Hour. Hear Miles talk about sport, visual identity and our work on London 2012. Listen from 43.38
Angela Kyle joins this month as head of new business development for Wolff Olins in the US. In this role, she will help us uncover opportunities to partner with ambitious organizations that want to do big things and make a positive impact on the business and in the world. Angela brings nearly 20 years experience in new brand, venture and business development, digital strategy and strategic marketing and most recently served as a senior strategist at Story Worldwide.
Looking for a partner to help you meet and deliver on your ambitions? Contact Angela and the team at clientsnewyork@wolffolins.com.
Firefox OS lives in a mobile environment and needed to have its own story to tell. Learn more behind the brand in YCN's Q&A with creative director Mike Abbink here.
Solecito, a short film by Oscar Ruiz Navia in which a Little Sun plays a pivotal role, has been selected for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight.
Watch the film created as part of Little Sun's collaboration with Tate Modern here.
Nutmeg, Morrisons' new own brand clothing range has been featured by Marketing magazine online.
Have a read here
Our Global COO Sairah Ashman spoke to Headhoncha, a blog run by journalist Liz Bolshaw about women in leadership. The interview discusses the potential for employer branding and the characteristics that are key to attracting great talent. Sairah comments that brands with a strong image give the people who work for them a positive glow and makes them proud to be part of their story.
Have a read here.
We're excited to announce that Nutmeg, Morrisons' new own-brand clothing range, is now on sale in over 80 stores across the UK.
We developed the name for the clothing range and created its distinctive visual and verbal language to stand out amongst its more established competitors. We also looked at how the brand could come to life across product, package and in-store experience, and helped develop the thoughtful product details such as itch proof materials and big zippers for little fingers.
Our CEO Karl Heiselman recently spoke with the Financial Times about the Frommer's brand, on the heels of Google returning the travel guides brand back to its founder, Arthur Frommer. See the full story here (registration required).
Our Global COO Sairah Ashman is Director of the Month in the latest issue of Director Magazine. "It's all about us doing meaningful work that has a positive impact," she says. Read the full feature here (PDF).
We're excited that the EE logo and identity animation received an honourable mention in the Brand New Awards 2012. For more information visit the Brand New Awards 2012. [
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This week's Economic Times Brand Equity Supplement focuses on Goafest 2013, India's main festival of advertising. In the 'Expert Speak' section, Charles Wright, Managing Director, reflects on last year's event and looks forward to what's on offer come April. See the article here (PDF).
Check out Good Design's in-depth interview with our CEO Karl Heiselman on the subjects of innovation, how it can change the world, and ways brands can 'prototype the future' to thrive. Full story here.
Wolff Olins are happy to announce that our friends at the Honey Club have been selected to feature at the IdeasTap pop-up shop hosted at Boxpark, London. Honey Club have been selected from a group of 99 entries to exhibit and sell their products alongside a group of 42 other exciting designers.
The pop-up, opening today, will run until the 31st March, where you will be able to purchase the Honey Club's latest product- an Urban Seed pack. The Urban Seed Pack has been carefully put together to give forage to bees in urban landscapes and includes lovely things like Cornflower and Poppy. All proceeds go towards supporting and growing our Honey Club community.
For more information please visit http://honeyclub.org/
Amtrak recently launched an ad campaign for the Acela Express, an alternative to business air travel. Our CEO Karl Heiselman weighs in on NBCNews.com, examining Amtrak's brand marketing strategy. Read the full article here.
Great tech is nothing with bad design. Creative director Mike Abbink explains Wolff Olins' approach to tackling problems holistically in an article on design consistency in The Next Web.
Click here to sign up for BTW--a monthly roundup of our best thinking on brand, business and social impact.
With the new Firefox OS brand, Mozilla has "unleashed the fox". Read more about our collaboration with Mozilla here!
Our CEO Karl Heiselman offers a few reasons on TIME.com. See the full story here.
Amid the launch of Mahindra Reva's new E20 vehicle, Wolff Olins Dubai senior strategist Zia Patel talks about the state of the electric vehicle market in India. Check out the full story here.
With the new Firefox OS brand, Mozilla has "unleashed the fox". Read more about the collaboration here!
The Sunday Times and Best Companies have named us one of the 100 best small companies to work for in the UK. They also gave us a special award for giving something back and an honourable mention for our learning and development work. The full list will be published in The Sunday Times on 10 March.
As with any major industry shift - in retail or otherwise - big moments of change are scary, but they can also present opportunities to be inventive for the future. Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman outlines five specific ones for retailers here.
AOL and PBS just announced the launch of the full length documentary series Makers: Women Who Make America by filmmaker Dyllan McGee airing on PBS on February 26 at 8pm. Check out the trailer at makers.com or read more on our blog.
The people at Itsnicethat and Represent Recruitment have asked a bunch of experts what makes a studio a great place to work. From the importance of good coffee and comfortable seating to brainstorming tips and bee-keeping, they're publishing the answers on a dedicated website every day this month, so keep checking back for a curated view of the best places to work, including some answers from Yours Truly.
The Design Museum has included London 2012 in an exhibition of designs that have shaped the modern world. Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things explores everyday designs that reveal extraordinary design stories. The exhibition runs until 2014, so there's plenty of time to check it out.
Our London MD, Ije Nwokorie, spoke to the BBC in December about the clutch of disruptive, creative, tech-enabled businesses emerging in Nigeria- and what UK business has to learn from them. To listen to the interview, click here.
Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman was recently interviewed about the Lance Armstrong, image revival and the importance of going back to what one stands for. Read the full story here.
Our CEO Karl Heiselman is featured today in Business Insider offering tips and strategies retailers can use to beat Amazon. Check out the full story here.
Wolff Olins London's creative director, Chris Moody, and strategist, Richard Chinn, have co-authored an article for Retail Week and Branding Magazine about how UK music retailer HMV could do better busines. Read the full version of the article on the Wolff Olins blog.
Wolff Olins London is one of the UK’s top five creative studios, according to Digital Arts Magazine. They describe us as ‘sleek and calm as a government building but probably hipper.’ And who are we to argue?
Read the full article here.
Dan Germain, head of creative at Innocent drinks, has joined our London office as our first ever visiting creative director. Dan will be with us every Friday for 12 weeks and will be responsible for bringing a different perspective to our creative thinking, looking specifically at what we do through the lens of storytelling. Read more on our blog.
Dan is the first of a series of creative directors set to join us as part of a new initiative to help stretch, challenge and enhance our creative thinking.
Karl was recently interviewed about Livestrong and Lance Armstrong and what (if anything) could be done to revive the brand and the man. Read the full story here.
Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman talks company culture in Business Insider. Check the story here.
Wolff Olins New York managing director Sam Wilson is the latest subject in Investor’s Business Daily’s “Managing for Success” column. Read the full story here to learn more about our approach to sharing and innovation.
Designers from Wolff Olins London are giving talks at VOID in Germany this weekend. Today Rejane Del Bello will present "Stay Foreign", which explores how designers are constantly looking for new perspectives and innovative ways to solve design problems. Neil Cummings and Rosie Isbell will join her tomorrow to run a workshop on the same subject. For more info go to http://v-o-i-d.de
Wolff Olins' reach continues to grow with the rebrand of Tokyo-based DeNA. Created in partnership with Hakuhodo, the new brand reflects DeNA's ambition to bring delight to people all over the world through their social platforms, games and online services. Read more here and here.
Bags are packed and Wolff Olins is ready to fly into the excitement of CES in Las Vegas this week.
Our executive creative director Todd Simmons will also be speaking on a Digital Hollywood @ CES panel about Branded Media Marketing. You can find more details about his panel here and stay tuned to our blog for on the ground insights by brand strategist Emily Segal.
Wolff Olins work for London 2012 and USA TODAY were spotlighted by Fast Company in their recap of last year’s best branding. Check here to see them and the rest of the compilation.
Wolff Olins work for USA TODAY and Microsoft (Windows) made it to Under Consideration’s list of the 12 Best Identities of 2012 – slots 7 and 8 to be exact. Find more details and see the full list here.
Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman is featured in this week's New York Times "Corner Office" section. Check out the story here to learn more about his take on leading, managing and what he looks for in people.
Wolff Olins head of strategy Mary Ellen Muckerman is featured in Today.com's story on the brand impact of political statements from Papa John's and Applebee's.
Read more here: http://on.today.com/QHFP7x
The Nile Project is a new initiative with a mission to inspire, educate, and empower Nile citizens to work together to foster the sustainability of their river ecosystem. Wolff Olins, who collaborated with The Nile Project on its logo and brand identity, is thrilled about the project's increasing momentum!
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/TFEI82
Our expectations of a brand are inextricably linked to our expectations of the technology, products and service experience the company delivers. Wolff Olins' London MD Ije Nwokorie takes a look at the perfect storm facing brands and the changing practice of branding in Contagious Magazine. Out today.
The proliferation of tech hubs and accelerators across Africa is well documented. The next question is how to make these businesses investable. Our London MD Ije Nwokorie gives his experience of making creative businesses buyable at the British Council's Creative Expo Nigeria today.
Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman and creative director Jordan Crane are featured in today’s New York Times story on the wave of Spanish-language media rebrands, including our work with Univision. Read the full story here.
Tech inequality is an issue that the UK can't continue to ignore. The launch of EE, and with it the arrival of the UK's first 4G network, presents a chance to turn our tech fortunes around, says Wolff Olins' strategy director Richard Houston in The Guardian today.
Read more here.
Once upon a time, there were three main places to advertise products and services: radio, television, and print. Our ECD Todd Simmons talks to CMO.com about how marketing's changed in a post-PC era filled with iPhones, iPads and Android devices.
Read more here.
What's next for brands in an era of ambiguity and paradox? Last week, WODU strategist Sagarika Sundaram moderated a discussion ahead of the World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai. Hosted by entrepreneurial network Sandbox, the panel included members of the WEF Global Agenda Councils, frog's Tim Leberecht and Sujata Keshavan of the Brand Union along with young Emirati designer Salem A-Qassimi in a discussion exploring the changing dynamics of business and branding.
Wolff Olins is delighted to be in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this weekend for the launch of Dr. Hayat Sindi’s i2 Institute for Imagination and Ingenuity.
Tonight’s event signals the opening of 2013 i2 Fellowship applications.
WO work has been featured in 3 new books. Dynamic Identies by Irene van Nes, Los Logos 6, and the Brand New Awards 2011 book. Check them out.
Shinsegae International opened the first store of its new lifestyle brand JAJU in Gyeonggi, giving consumers a greater variety of household goods, including children’s products. Read more about the new brand here.
All around the world, in both well-developed and fast-emerging markets, there are hundreds of partners and agencies working in collaboration with Windows, making for thousands of “users” of the Windows brand. In addition to ensuring executional excellence, our goal was to provide more tools and less rules for getting things done... Tools designed to put time back into people’s days and budget back in their wallets. Why not brand software?
One highlight was the development of a Windows brand training app that allowed people to easily familiarize themselves with every element of the new Windows brand, and even generate and share campaign concepts with.
One of the most powerful and unique aspects of the new Windows brand system is it’s emphasis on people. To amplify this, we teamed up with lifestyle photographer Todd Selby with the aim to more colorfully portray the role technology plays in the real lives of so many people all around the world. We travelled for weeks at a time creating an enormous photo and video library that is continuously being updated, and that allows the brand to better relate and be relevant anywhere it’s operating.
Huge thanks go to our incredible cast, crew, and to all the lovely people we’ve met along the way in Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Barcelona, Dubai, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, and Tokyo so far.
Thank you to everyone that made our first ever summit, “How to grow and change the game”, such a success. Our fantastic speakers, enthusiastic guests and active online community allowed for valuable insight and thoughtful discussion on the critical issue of growth.
Over the next few days we will be uploading content from the day, including- debate highlights, our company close ups, the submissions and winner of our Build-a-Business competition.
Keep an eye on our Vimeo page for content from the day.
If you would like to carry on the conversation join our How to Grow Linkedin page
Today in London our first ever summit on growth is underway. "How to grow and change the game" is a thought-provoking event bringing together business leaders and speakers from a range of industry sectors to address the UK's most critical issue – growth.
Through a series of debates, workshops and an interactive exercise we'll discover how smart organisations are sparking growth by changing the basis on which they compete. The day will inspire new thinking about how businesses can respond to market, technological and cultural fluctuations in a commercial and yet socially impactful way.
Watch live here
Today, Charles Wright, Wolff Olins MD, is at India's premier management institute, IIM in Lucknow, to speak with students and faculty on Branding in the 21st Century. Read more about the talk in the Hindustan Times. Or check out the rest of Charles' speaking tour through India here.
MD Charles Wright just spoke at Exchange4media's Conclave 2012 this week in Delhi. The changing marketing landscape, driven by data, tech, and consumer insights, took center stage.
Find out more about the event here.
Qatar's first nationwide fiber optic broadband network, Qnbn launched in Doha yesterday. Qnbn is part of a long-term vision set by the State of Qatar to grow, develop and diversify its economy.
The company’s CEO, Mr. Mohammad Al-Mannai, commented "This is a momentous occasion for us all at Qnbn. It is a solid testament to our combined unfaltering efforts to live up to our mission to be a vital part of Qatar’s future development strategy.”
We're proud to have worked on bringing this cutting edge network to residents of Qatar.
We are very pleased to announce Steven Day, Chief of Brand and Communications of recently launched EE, as the keynote speaker for How To Grow. Catch Steven talk about what EE is, why it was created, what is game changing about it and how the brand will help create growth for the UK.
Learn more about the How To Grow event here.
Wolff Olins is excited to share Living Proof's news that Jennifer Aniston is now a co-owner and spokesperson for the beauty company that solves beauty woes with molecular science.
Living Proof's CEO Jill Beraud says "Jennifer embodies everything we stand for— a unique combination of beauty and brains."
Read more about their collaboration here: http://www.livingproof.com/jen
As the women's activewear market takes off, senior strategist Marissa Vosper talks to the Tribune about the importance of brand. Read the article here.
Our partner and friend Dr. Hayat Sindi, was just tapped as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador to support science education. This position recognizes Hayat's work with the i2 Institute for Imagination and Ingenuity to create an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and social innovation for scientists, technologists and engineers in the Middle East and beyond, as well as her efforts to bring young people closer to innovators. Congrats Hayat!
Read more here.
Senior strategist Marissa Vosper talks to the Chicago Tribune in "Nike gives its 2-decade-old Chicago flagship a makeover and new name." Read the full piece here.
Wolff Olins executive creative director Todd Simmons is a member of this year's Co.Design 50, a group of people and places who are pushing the boundaries of their disciplines into promising new directions.
Read more here.
Our CEO Karl Heiselman recently joined an all-star group of 27 judges--from MoMA curator Paola Antonelli to Nicholas Felton of Facebook--to identity the best design-driven innovations of the past year. The winners will be unveiled on October 16 in New York. Checkout the finalists here.
After Fashion Night Out, Where is Fashion Night Online? Senior Strategist Marissa Vosper is on PSFK sharing lessons in luxury, brand experience and purpose. Check out the full article here.
A warm welcome from Wolff Olins. We are delighted that EE, the new network for your digital life has been announced today: a new company, a new network and a new brand.
EE is all about helping people do things they couldn’t do before and will launch the UK’s first mobile 4G network, alongside fibre broadband, to give people superfast internet – at home and on the go.
Uploading, downloading, searching, streaming, status updating, gaming and tweeting will become easier, faster and more fun with EE.
We are delighted to have been EE’s brand partner on the journey from its inception to today’s big announcement.
There’s much more to come.
For more information, visit ee.co.uk
Mary Ellen Muckerman, Wolff Olins head of strategy, has a guest column on Forbes' On Marketing page- Views on the Business of Brands. "Use Your Loyalty Program To Show You're Loyal To Your Customers" pulls on insights from our 2012 Game Changers Report. Read the article here.
Olafur Eliasson turned to Wolff Olins to brand Little Sun, a piece of functional art designed for the off-grid masses.
Read the whole story of branding Little Sun “A Work Of Art That Works In Life” on Fast Company Design!
Our CEO Karl Heiselman is at Kyoorius Design Yatra in Goa, India this week. The event is India’s foremost annual design conference and is now in its 7th year of inspiring designers from all over the world. Karl will talk to over 1,300 delegates and faculty from over 22 design schools in India about the importance of rethinking design as a driver of business. For information, check out our blog.
We're really excited to be participating in SXSW’s PanelPicker, in collaboration with Microsoft. All we need to get there is your vote!
Our panel “Re-engineering Microsoft” will feature Wolff Olins’ Todd Simmons (Creative Director) and Mel McShane (Senior Strategist) in conversation with Albert Shum and Chris Ashworth, two creative forces behind massive design change at Microsoft. Read more about the proposed panel here and cast a vote to make it real!
Strategist Melissa Andrada will lead the workshop "Brand Strategy Jumpstarter: Defining Your Startup’s Role in the World" at General Assembly in London.
The class takes place on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM (BST).
Go here to learn more or sign up for Melissa's class.
Wolff Olins MD Charles Wright shared the story behind London 2012 with our friends at MAKE Business Hub over a lovely dinner on August 8th. MAKE is an inspiring urban café designed specifically for young entrepreneurs based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. You can see more photos of the evening on our Flickr.
The Indian Business Standard talks with Wolff Olins Managing Directors Ije Nwokorie and Charles Wright about how the 2012 Olympic brand broke the rules to send out a message that the Games were no longer just for the elite. Read the full story here.
Two of our directors, Charles Wright and Ije Nwokorie, just sat down with The Hindu to talk about the need for game-change in the Olympics and how the London 2012 brand was created to move the Games from being about nations, to being about people. Read the full interview here.
Creative Review's August issue is an Olympic-themed special issue with 40 pages of features that explore the past and present of the Games to mark the opening of London 2012. In it, Wolff Olins talks to Adrian Shaughnessy for the first time about the thinking behind the Games' identity. Check out more about the issue here.
Check out more coverage of the London 2012 brand by the Indian media, marketing and advertising publication Campaign India. Read The London 2012 brand: Making it about ‘Everyone’.
Your modern Office, anywhere. Last week, Microsoft launched a consumer preview of their latest Office suite of software and services, raising productivity to the next level…the cloud. They also revealed a whole new look.
The new Office is beautiful and it goes with you wherever you are, whenever you need it. Watch the Productivity Future Vision for an incredible view of where Office is going!
We are so happy to have been awarded a D&AD nomination for the Current TV identity. Read about the work and our team here.
IndianTelevision.com's Media, Advertising and Marketing watch recently interviewed Wolff Olins about our research on the characteristics that define a 'game-changer.' Check out the article here.
Making the light that is for all of us into light that is for each of us, the wonderful Little Sun launched today at the Tate Modern. We are delighted to be a development partner for this project. Little Sun is a hugely ambitious work of art by leading artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen that will bring light to millions of people living off grid. Little Sun is a response to today’s global energy challenge. It is a beautiful solar-powered lamp that produces five hours of light from five hours of charging. Its light enables people off grid to study, share, cook and earn.
Thanks to everyone involved in making Little Sun happen.
Yves Saint Laurent’s recent announcement of the impending “Saint Laurent Paris” name change sparked a wave of controversy throughout the fashion industry. Long revered for its heritage as a true “maison,” YSL’s planned retrobrand (their words) has some insiders rallying in support, while others cry blasphemy.
From a brand perspective, we like it. Mary Ellen Muckerman, our Head of Strategy in New York, recently spoke to BoF about YSL’s opportunity amidst the controversy and the implication for Creative Director Hedi Slimane.
Read the article here.
Microsoft unveiled the Surface tablet last week in Los Angeles. It's the first actual PC from the company that has proliferated the PC all over the world for so many years…
It's a stunning show of design integration between hardware ID and software UX.
Way to go, Microsoft! We look forward to more and more exciting news in the months ahead. Read more about Surface here.
Our CEO Karl Heiselman was just interviewed by Forbes about the internal value of Ford’s “Go Further” campaign. He says the key to success for internal- branding campaigns “is that it has to be sincere and not just a communications platform. It has to be based on truth and reality.”
Read the story here.
The latest issue of Computer Arts Collection "Volume 1 Part 4: Branding," part of an annual six-part series on the global design industry, features an extended interview with Mike Abbink, creative director of Wolff Olins New York. Check out the issue here.
The new site is up! A few months ago we launched the Game Changers report which explored five behaviors shaping the future of business. Now we're keeping the conversation going online with fresh new insights on how companies are using their brand to lead with purpose, turn customers into users, live without walls, stay in perpetual beta, and change the game. Join us as we continue to explore how game changing organizations design better businesses and create sustainable growth.
The exhibit "Graphic Design: Now in Production" from the Cooper Hewitt/Walker Art Museum, which is open this summer on Governor's Island, NY features some of our work for AOL. Check out more here.
Our client NYC & Company, New York City’s marketing, tourism and partnership organization, today announced its win over four global contenders for Best Tourism Website in the 16th Annual Webby Awards. Developed with Huge, Inc. the site builds on Wolff Olins' strategy for the NYC brand.
Read more here.
Sam Wilson, managing director of Wolff Olins offers a perspective on why we're seeing so many re-brands from cable networks. A brand refresh not only attracts new viewers and invigorates loyalists, it sends the message to advertisers that there's been a shift in focus in programming or audience.
Read the full story here.
“Is the brand salvageable?” Reuters asked Wolff Olins’ Manlio Minale in light of RIM’s recent business woes. Minale gives a positive forecast for the brand and some practical guidance: Refocusing on UX will be an imperative for success.
Watch the video here.
New York Strategy Director Nick O’Flaherty was just announced as a keynote speaker at the upcoming CTM conference, taking place at the Met in NYC. His subject, “more than meets the eye” will address the relationship, similarities and differences between museums and luxury brands. Read more about the event and how to participate here.
With summer in full swing, we're happy to announce the kick off of our new initiative – Wolff Olins Entrepreneur! A collaborative skill share between Wolff Olins London and aspiring product-focused start-ups, this is one to watch. We are very excited to be working with our launch partner, TechHub and will be posting learnings along the way. Check out more at on Wolff Olins Entrepreneur page.
Our client Belkin just celebrated the grand opening of its first retail store in the Westfield Culver City Mall in Los Angeles. They are really embracing their strategy of People Inspired Products as well as the new mark and logotype!
Read more here.
Wolff Olins managing director Charles Wright talks to IndiaTelevision.com about what makes India a "market where making positive impact is possible." Read the full interview here.
In India, Business Standard reports on how Wolff Olins has cracked India in an interview with MD Charles Wright. Wright describes how our international perspective and blend of creativity and management consulting appeals in various world regions.
Read the full interview here.
Angela Riley, Strategy Director for Wolff Olins, is a guest blogger on the Yahoo! Advertising blog this month. She talks about what brands and politicians can learn from each other to better engage consumers--and constituents.
Read her article here.
What does a GOOD company look like? In collaboration with IBM, GOOD Magazine began the GOOD Company Project to identify the top 40 businesses that best represent the values of good companies.
Wolff Olins ranked across all its categories as diverse, globalized, creative, innovative, socially responsible and sustainable. Awesome.
Check out the GOOD Co. interactive experience
Senior designer Mads J. Poulsen talks about creative process and his work at Wolff Olins in an interview in Adobe's Layers Magazine.
Read the full interview here.
At Goafest 2012, in Goa, India, Charles Wright, MD Wolff Olins presented on 'Combining rigor with magic to solve complex business problems.' He spoke about how an all-inclusive approach and focus on brand brings organizations profit.
Watch a video of Charles Wright at the conference here.
Or read more about the talk here.
Fast Company is launching a design competition aimed "to place designers at the forefront of business innovation." That's right up our alley. Check out the impressive list of judges including our CEO, Karl Heiselman, here: http://bit.ly/HRWoWi
Entry information and further reading here: http://bit.ly/HjYpYB
We're pleased to learn that our own WolffOlins.com website has been selected as an Official Honoree of the 16th Annual Webby Awards in the Corporate Communications category. Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.
Browse the impressive list of winners and learn more here: http://bit.ly/IuMJst
The first installment of Wolff Olins' five-part series on the behaviors of high-growth organizations of the future went live on Fastco Design today. Extracted from our Game Changers Report, Sam Wilson's forward-thinking essay on the need for purpose at the heart of business can be found here: http://bit.ly/H9M00o
Wolff Olins has made Ad Age's Top 40 list of The Best Places To Work in media and marketing. The list uses employee engagement to measure the degree to which employees feel involved and committed to their work. Key factors include open and transparent management and clear communication of company goals.
Check out the full story here.
Strategist Charlie Stott tells Reuters, in an interview about the Goldman Sachs "muppetgate," that the financial service giant doesn't need to rebrand. Rather than pulling a knee-jerk reaction, it's an opportunity to engage their clients.
Watch the video here.
Morgan Holt, Wolff Olins' senior strategist and expert in all things content, comments in Marketing Week about the risks and benefits of brands aligning themselves with 'Britishness' ahead of the 2012 Games.
Read the full story here.
Today, Abbot Laboratories introduced "AbbVie," the new name for its planned pharmaceutical spin off. Strategy Director Angela Riley talked to WSJ about the future-facing brand and whether or not "AbbVie" conveys the right message. More here: http://bit.ly/GHcvaQ
Sam Wilson, Wolff Olins’ New York MD, offers her advice in Fast Company’s Co.Create piece addressing the prickly process of pitching new business.
Read the full story here.
Sam Wilson, MD of Wolff Olins New York, is in Forbes today, speaking about Douglas and the FBI's new brand strategy. Read more here: onforb.es/wkHxMk
Ije Nwokorie, MD of Wolff Olins London office, makes his debut on current affairs programme BBC Newsnight discussing the Social Workers Party's opposition to government work experience schemes. Those in the UK can watch the full programme here.
Debbie Millman of Design Matters on DesignObserver.com recently sat down with Karl Heiselman to talk about how he went from graphic designer to the CEO of Wolff Olins. They also discuss how Wolff Olins works with ambitious leaders to create not just products that are useful, but more importantly, companies that are useful.
Listen to the interview here.
India’s economy is growing at 6% per year, a faster rate than the country's infrastructure. To support this growth, the government recently opened up the energy and infrastructure sectors to private companies. One of the key players is the Adani Group. Wolff Olins has helped Adani tell their story. Today, the leading Indian firm announced their new growth story to the press and to the world - a rare move for the former "business behemoth." More on the announcement here: http://bit.ly/z6eHi7
Cliff Kuang, founding editor of Fast Company's Co.Design, recently sat down with Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman to talk about how today's game-changing brands must be useful and value creative.
Read the full story: Wolff Olins Offers Branding Wisdom For Would-Be Game Changers
We talked to leaders at some of the world’s best companies and tried to learn exactly what separates the best from the merely good. Today, we've published our analysis of everything we learned. Game Changers is based on survey findings from 500 C-suite executives worldwide.
Take a look, share, and join the conversation about the five behaviours that are shaping the future of business. Check out the microsite experience – http://gamechangers.wolffolins.com/ – to download the full report and sign up for updates.
Wolff Olins London's MD Ije Nwokorie discusses how businesses can overcome the unpredictability of today's economy by shifting their focus from profit pools to talent pools.
To read more go to http://huff.to/zT8VuP
Join Wolff Olins for the Brand Strategy Intensive, a four-part workshop series at General Assembly in NYC this March. This series is an in-depth introduction to the fundamentals and tools of brand strategy, developed specifically for a startup audience. We’ll teach you the tenets of brand strategy and facilitate workshops to guide you as you create your own brand. The series will culminate in presentations and critiques so you can test drive your new brand and refine the direction it will take in the world.
Details here
Wolff Olins is a Best of Show winner in the 2012 HOW Magazine Your Best Work Design Awards. The competition recognizes the creative prowess of designers and design teams who have the talent to produce multiple original, boundary-pushing projects. Wolff Olins will also be profiled in HOW’s 2012 Creativity issue.
"Brand Strategy Jumpstarter: Defining Your Startup’s Role in the World" taught by Wolff Olins New York strategists Amaris Singer and Melissa Andrada
Tuesday, Feb 14 from 8 - 9:30 pm
The class will help you understand brand beyond the traditional definition of logo and identity and uncover how brand is the role your business plays in the world—both who you are and who you are for. Students will leave with the tools necessary to guide their startup to the next level.
Sign up here!
Rachel Blatt joins us this month as Wolff Olins’ Global Content Manager. We’ve created this new role to grow our profile and amplify our voice as strategic thinkers on brand, business, and positive impact.
Rachel’s experience includes two years in digital marketing and community building at Forbes Magazine and a year living and doing ethnography in Bangalore, India.
Have a question, a tip, or something you’d like to see Wolff Olins cover? Message Rachel and the team at @wolffolins or on facebook.com/WolffOlins
Wolff Olins senior strategist Nathan Williams is featured in The Independent discussing a new generation of web addresses that have gone on sale. Will brands be tempted to splash out in a fight to own their identity online?
To read more go to: http://ind.pn/xTVoGe
Wolff Olins was just interviewed by GOOD Magazine about our dedication to choosing clients for maximum social impact. We're one of the first selections for the magazine’s GOOD Company Project, a program that seeks to highlight companies that are changing business for the better.
Read the full post on GOOD: Best Practices: Wolff Olins Picks Clients for Maximum Impact
When Belkin unveiled its new brand identity and purpose at CES today we were cheering in New York. PIP, and the strategy behind the identity, were created in collaboration with Wolff Olins to signal Belkin's commitment to people- inspired products (aka PIP). "The new Belkin logo, affectionately named PIP for People Inspired Products, symbolizes our commitment to take inspiration from people, and acknowledges the connection between people and the experiences they value most".
Congrats Belkin!
Wolff Olins NY gave locally this holiday season, donating over 200 pairs of socks to the children at The Greenwich House in NYC. Greenwich House Children's Safety Project is an organization that helps families cope with the aftermath of physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, or other violent crimes. To read more about the organization go to www.greenwichhouse.org.
Charles Wright, Managing Director, shares his forecast for 2012 on Indian national TV show, Brand Equity. "In pretty much every much every market in which we operate is a growing recognition of the economic power of women. Big corporates are trying to segment offers to different groups of women so expect to see a lot more campaigns and branding targeted at women."
Read more: http://bit.ly/xf786f
Charles Wright, Managing Director, talks to NDTV's Shruti Verma Singh about the difference between branding businesses in the West and East. He describes different decision making styles. He also notes an ambition to grow in the East that is rare to see these days, and how this is intimidating to Western companies. Find out more: http://bit.ly/yRpO2x
Charles Wright, Managing Director challenges his fellow panelists by pointing out what Indian airline Indigo does well, that Kingfisher doesn't in its current moment of crisis. He explains how Kingfisher delivers on the frills, but now must deliver on it's core promise of being on time. Charles raises this in a discussion with other Indian brand specialists to select the winning campaign in a competition between Lowe Lintas, Leo Burnett, and BBDO to rebrand India's Kingfisher Airlines http://bit.ly/Ajbb7z
Wolff Olins senior strategist Suzy Radcliffe was interviewed today live on BBC Radio 4's flagship consumer affairs programme, You & Yours. Today's show discusses the Mary Portas report examining the UK high street that was presented to the government this week. It argues that the current high street model needs to change to avoid it dying out whilst ecommerce undermines it. Suzy discusses findings from an ecommerce study recently carried out by Wolff Olins, in which 33 UK etailers across various categories were put to the test in terms of customer experience and service. Listen to the full programme here: http://bbc.in/vM915V
Wolff Olins senior strategist Nathan Williams is today featured in CIO Magazine discussing the modern brand experience and the CIO's role in maintaining it. Read about his five principles for designing a strong and flexible brand experience at: http://bit.ly/ru18AK
Deepak Gulati, Executive President, TATA Teleservices, and MD Charles Wright explain to CNBC18’s Nikita Rana why TATA Docomo was chosen as the brand to consolidate most of TATA's telecom portfolio. Deepak explains why Docomo clearly stands out as the most refreshing and promising brand in a very crowded industry. Charles elaborates on how the new brand strategy will broaden awareness of Docomo’s offering beyond voice and SMS. Click here to see the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kPdAyYnzms
Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman recently spoke at the Pivot: AIGA Conference in Phoenix, AZ on the characteristics of high growth organizations in the future and the opportunity for design to drive those behaviors throughout organizational change. Watch the video and see other inspirational videos from the conference here: http://bit.ly/stbCVa
A survey in which 33 etailers across various categories were put to the test in terms of customer experience and service was today exclusively published in Retail Week. The study, carried out by Wolff Olins, was based on six post- transaction criteria: speed of delivery, postage, packaging, return mechanisms, customer service by email and phone, and time taken to refund. The findings show that whilst retailers have invested in website functionality and range offered online, they can be in danger of neglecting the consumer post sale. To read the full article go to: http://bit.ly/ta0Bj3
Wolff Olins London's MD Ije Nwokorie is in The Huffington Post today discussing how banks have the opportunity to become trusted and indispensable. To read more go to http://huff.to/vvIBSm
Charles Wright, Managing Director - Dubai, talks on Indian National television to Sonali Krishna about the power of branding and illustrating Wolff Olins' success with GE, Mercedes-Benz, and Hutchinson Wampoa as examples. He explains how branding can help drive growth by repositioning existing brands and by stretching brands.
Watch the television clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KL27cqR3ZE
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Wolff Olins Dubai's MD Charles Wright talks to Campaign India's Gunjan Prasad about the differences between Wolff Olins and home grown Indian firms. He compares working with his Indian and western clients, stating, "Indian CMOs need to shed their 'branding reticence.' It is a part of our job to make people braver and irreverent to truly appreciate and take advantage of our offering. India is fast losing its inhibitions and is on a fast track to bravery."
More here: http://bit.ly/uAIMul
The Honey Club is featured today on The Guardian's Environment blog. The collaboration between Global Generation and Wolff Olins is a new initiative that aims to encourage collaborative values through helping honeybees to flourish. To read more go to: http://bit.ly/uns2lU
Next week, NBCUniversal's 5-year-old "Green is Universal" initiative will kick off Green Week featuring a fresh new look designed by Wolff Olins. The new identity will run across the company's varied media platforms including environmentally-themed TV programming and this year's "Mugs Save Trees" campaign. For a preview of the work watch the PSA featuring Community's Ken Jeong, and read more here: http://bit.ly/smyu2R
The Economist, Wolff Olins and a panel of experts met in London today to rethink the retail bank. Ije Nwokorie, Wolff Olins MD was amongst a panel of diverse thinkers who considered many of the key factors influencing today’s retail banks, and some of the potential solutions for their future, including a big opportunity for them to to play an indispensable role in our lives. To read more go to http://bit.ly/ttWg0W
Bhupesh Bhandari at the Indian newspaper Business Standard recently profiled Hero Motocorp, connecting the dots after the split with Honda. Bhupesh shows how the separation from Honda paid off and the role of branding in that success.
More: http://bit.ly/sUGmt2
The Walker Art Center and Cooper-Hewitt are teaming up to present Graphic Design: Now in Production. The exhibit explores how graphic design has evolved and broadened its reach over the past decade. It highlights how tools have changed, interaction has increased, and designers are expanding outside of traditional boundaries. We are thrilled to contribute some of our work with AOL and be involved in the show.
To see more go to: calendar.walkerart.org
What's in a logo? Fastco Design interviewed Wolff Olins' ECD Todd Simmons and i2 founder Dr. Hayat Sindi to discuss the implications for brand when designing for such a specifically social organization. Read more about the i2 project and their advice here: http://bit.ly/n6VqbQ
Earlier today, Dr. Hayat Sindi launched i2, the Institute for Imagination and Ingenuity at the PopTech 2011 conference in Camden, Maine. A leader in both science and social innovation, Dr. Sindi created the institute to bridge the gap between education and opportunity in the Middle East. She worked with Wolff Olins to design a program that will guide, inspire and give hope to youth in the science, engineering and technology disciplines, equipping them with the tools and resources necessary to contribute directly to the global marketplace. Wolff Olins is proud to collaborate with such an inspiring game- changer for social good in the world. http://www.i2institute.org/
Read more on Hayat's remarkable story here: http://bit.ly/pPfvNZ
Tata Teleservices announced today that it will start marketing its services under the new brand "Tata DOCOMO," created by Wolff Olins. Full coverage in The Wall Street Journal here:
Wolff Olins' MD Charles Wright recently spoke to Indian media portal afaqs! about the unique opportunities - and challenges - presented by businesses and the changing role of brand in India. "The market in 5 years will be completely different from the market as we see it today." More here:
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco unveiled a bold new brand developed in collaboration with Wolff Olins today. Over time, the new brand will help engage visitors and transform the museum experience. "The brand aims to deliver on the museum's new artistic vision to spark connections across cultures and through time, making Asian art and culture more relevant and meaningful for all." To read more go to www.marketwire.com and www.abclocal.com
London office Head of Design, Marina Willer, spoke amongst an array of talent at the Brand New Conference in San Francisco last week on Wolff Olins' work for Tate, Beeline and Southbank Centre. She spoke alongside representatives from Bruce Mau, Facebook, Studio Infinito and more. Brand New is a prestigious identity blog that chronicles and provides opinions on corporate and brand identity work and the Conference focuses on what goes into the creation of those brands. To read more go to www.underconsideration.com/brandnewconference/
CEO Karl Heiselman will host a session on the power of design thinking to shape business impact at Pivot in Phoenix, AZ Oct 13-16. Watch this space for excerpts from his session. To read more go to designconference2011.aiga.org
We’re helping PopTech Science Fellow Hayat Sindi to create and share her latest vision for a better world. Hayat will take the stage at PopTech 2011 on October 19-22 in Camden, Maine. To read more go to poptech.org/hayat_sindi
Ije Nwokorie, MD Wolff Olins London, will join a panel of experts to create the bank of the future at the Economist’s European Retail Banking Summit, November 8 in London. To read more go to www.economistconferences.co.uk
Executive Creative Director Todd Simmons will present at the 12th annual DesignThinkers Conference, November 2-3 in Toronto. Watch this space for excerpts from his presentation. To read more go to www.designthinkers.com
Hero MotoCorp, India’s largest motorbike manufacturer, launched August 9 with a new business strategy, positioning, brand identity and architecture created by Wolff Olins. Ending its 27-year joint venture with Honda, Hero is now set to expand to new markets and product innovation.
Wolff Olins strategist Nick O’Flaherty comments in USA Today about the reputation of the Trump brand in light of recent lawsuits against the real estate mogul. To read more go to http://www.usatoday.com/
Lisa Kline joins us as Global CMO this month. We’ve created this new global marketing role to raise our profile and create more opportunities to do game- changing work. Lisa's experience includes 13 years in branding and helping to create The Best Global Brands, the industry's most significant annual report on the value of brands.
You have to get up pretty early in the morning to be ahead of Wolff Olins strategist and London MD, Ije Nwokorie. Ije proved that point today by appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast program, talking to the nation (and Nicky Campbell) about brand. Ije spoke to an audience of 3.2 million listeners about the brands we love and how the ones that really stick with the public have a tangible role to play in our lives.
AIGA, the global design institution with over 20,000 members across the world, reviewed more than 1,000 entries to find examples of outstanding design produced in 2010. The jury of "365: Design Effectiveness 2011" selected Mathaf as one of the winners. The jury's selections will be mounted as a public exhibition at the AIGA National Design Center, and become part of the AIGA Design Archives now housed at the Denver Art Museum. Read more
BBC Radio 4's flagship news programme, Today, brought together Michael Czerwinski, public programme manager at the Design Museum, and Mary Beard, professor of classics at the University of Cambridge to critique the design of the 2012 Olympic torch this morning. As the pair debated the best way to represent sporting glory, conversation inevitably turned to the 2012 logo, designed by Wolff Olins. To hear the discussion, click here.
Current TV, the media network led by former U.S Vice President Al Gore is featured today on Brand New. The new identity – a flag in motion – quite literally flies the flag for cut through programming and trailblazing journalism. Designed by Wolff Olins, it will be rolling out across all Current TV platforms in the coming months. To read more go to http://www.underconsideration.com/
Wolff Olins has joined forces with leading Brazilian design magazine, ABC Design, in a conference exploring game changing brands. CEO, Karl Heiselman, and Creative Director, Marina Willer, are in Sao Paolo today presenting a design-led, holistic approach to running a business. Participants will also work on an open brief to create a brand identity for a Brazilian NGO, the outcome of which will be donated to charity. To read more go to http://abcdesign.com.br/conference/
The UnderConsideration award is a judged competition that celebrates the best identity work produced around the world during 2010 and is a direct extension of the blog Brand New. The BNAs reward the most successful collaborations between a client and their designer, design firm, brand consultancy or creative team. Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, which opened in Qatar in December 2010, was created in collaboration with Wolff Olins. To read more go to http://www.underconsideration.com/
As we watched, with the rest of the world, the impact of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, we were moved to try to help. Wolff Olins designer Hiromi Suzuki designed a set of posters and T-shirts to sell for the Red Cross Japan Relief fund.The posters can be purchased from CultureLabel and the T-Shirts are available for order here.
Wolff Olins London last week teamed up with Kaospilots wonder Nathaniel Spohn to refine his concept for a board game that uses fun to tackle big environmental problems. Since our two-day collaboration Nathaniel has secured a publishing deal with Mindtwister which will bring his game, named Impact, to toy shops in London and all over Europe. Read more at Slideshare.
The Tate logo has been voted one of the best logos of all time by UK design bible, Creative Review. The logo entered Creative Review’s chart at number six above Apple & the Rolling Stones. The Woolmark logo was the overall winner, with Deutsche Bank and British Rail at two and three respectively.
Evroset today announced a new brand direction, created in collaboration with Wolff Olins. Russia’s largest mobile retailer has over 4,000 stores and is currently growing into new service areas. The bold, energetic brand will help Evroset re-connect with its millions of customers and stand out in a crowded market.
AOL Artists has been selected as a winner in one of the most prestigious design competitions for interactive media, the Communication Arts Interactive Design Competition. The award, judged by a panel of distinguished programmers, interface designers and creative directors, celebrates outstanding work and gives worldwide exposure to winning designers.
To read more go to Communication Arts.
Wolff Olins is fortunate to boast a roll-call of some of the most talented designers in the business and new recruit, Geetika Alok, is no exception. Geetika has just been given a special mention in Wallpaper* Magazine's Graduate Directory 2011, which is an index of the year’s most talented graduates.To read more, go to directory.
The private sector could learn a lot from the public sector. How do the most significant organisations – those that shape the way we live – redefine themselves in a time of constrained resources, great change and great opportunity? How do you turn a public institution into a mass movement for change? How do you collaborate more and control less? This week, Wolff Olins and Leaders Quest brought together forward-thinking leaders from the public sector, business and the media to explore exactly that. Inspirational, provocative and fun, the day explored different ways of thinking; different ways of behaving and, of course, what comes next. Keep checking the Wolff Olins blog for more details.
A selection of AOL Artists have custom designed one-of-a-kind footballs to be showcased at the Maxim Super Bowl Party on Saturday February 5, the night before the Super Bowl. The hand crafted balls will be displayed in glass podiums throughout the event and will later be donated to the American Heart Association in honor of February as American Heart Month. To read more go to www.aolartists.com
NBC Universal is now NBCUniversal - without the space, the peacock or the globe silhouette. The new corporate logo represents the unity of its two main divisions under new owner Comcast in a deal that closed on Friday. The bird will remain part of the brand of NBC, the broadcaster, while the spinning globe will still be part of the graphic for Universal, the movie studio and theme park operator. To read more go to www.underconsideration.com/
Wolff Olins senior strategist, Ashish Thomas and designer, Moussa Beidas, today spoke at the 2nd Annual Abu Dhabi Innovation Forum. The forum brought international experts and leading innovators together in Abu Dhabi. Ashish led a debate about whether innovation is skin deep or structural. Among other issues, he shared Wolff Olins’ view on what innovation is, what opportunities exist for countries to innovate and who are the torch bearers in innovation. If you missed his talk, check out his post on the Wolff Olins blog, coming soon.
With the start of a new year comes the first harvest from the Wolff Olins London rooftop garden - some fabulous looking leeks. The garden, which provides fresh, organic produce for our in-house restaurant in the heart of Kings Cross, is maintained by employees and gives some interaction with nature throughout the day.
World famous designers and brand experts gathered together in Seoul in October 2010 for Design Korea. Karl Heiselman, CEO of Wolff Olins, was keynote speaker at the conference, which looked at the relationship between design and brands. Karl spoke about his view of the future of brand and design in the face of today's rapid change and how successful brands of the future will create a positive impact in society and play a meaningful role in people's lives.
Today marked the opening of Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar. With over 5,000 pieces spanning 100 years of Arab Art, Mathaf is the world's leading voice on Arab modern and contemporary art and is poised to become a vital center for dialog and scholarship in the region. Various partners worked together to create the Mathaf brand with a unique ambition, name, identity and digital presence. See more at mathaf.org.qa
Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman made a guest appearance as today's ‘Friday Boss’ on the seminal BBC Radio 4 programme, Today.
AOL + Paper Magazine have teamed together to deliver exclusive, of the moment coverage of Art Basel and Miami Art Week. Photo and video coverage of the best parties, galleries, and exhibitions throughout the week can be seen at artbasel.aol.com
Abed Bibi, the managing partner of Wolff Olins in Dubai, has commented in The National – a leading newspaper covering the Middle East and UAE region - on what Arab brands need to do to go global. To read Abed’s comments, click here
Wolff Olins has been shortlisted to pitch for the BBC's brand strategy and brand creative accounts. In total 15 agencies were selected through a pre- qualification exercise which began in July 2010. The new roster will start in April 2011 and agencies will be required to work across the BBC's public service portfolio including the full range of TV channels, local and national radio networks, and new media services.
Marina Willer, Creative Director at Wolff Olins, spoke last weekend at ECAL's conference, Melting Media. The day, organised by the prestigious design school to bring together practitioners and students, explored multi media and how ideas come to life. Marina presented some of her film and design work and talked about the making the role of design central to brand. Marina spoke alongside Axel Jaccard, Etienne Mineurand Ora-Ito. For more information, click here
CEO, Karl Heiselman, and Creative Director, Jordan Crane, spoke today at the Brand New Conference in New York on the development of corporate and brand identity projects. The conference was put on by UnderConsideration’s branding blog, Brand New, and the speakers’ presentations were based on answering questions from blog readers. Check out some highlights at wolffolinsblog.com
To help us accelerate our growth activity into 2011 and beyond, Steve Richards, formerly chief operating officer, is returning to a client principal role, initially helping to build brands out of our Dubai hub. Sairah Ashman, formerly managing director of Wolff Olins London, becomes chief operating officer, working with Karl Heiselman to deliver strategy globally. Ije Nwokorie succeeds her as MD of Wolff Olins London.
Zia Patel, Wolff Olins strategist in Dubai, is featured in Kyrious, first design and marketing magazine in India, talking about how future Indian brands will become ‘dynamic’ platforms. Zia says “Branding is becoming democratic. The first ‘dynamic’ brands could come from Indian service companies, partnering with credible brands to give their customers new products and services. We will see experiments as courageous as AOL, London 2012 and NYC within as little as three years, when India will leapfrog the west.”
Today AOL announced the winners of the 25 for 25 grant. The grant, which is designed to support the next generation of culture shapers and influencers, will award each of the 25 winners $25,000 to pursue their passions from painting, music programs, anthropology, and filmmaking. The winners were selected by a panel of judges that included Whitney Museum director Adam Weinberg, curator Chrissie Iles, and writers Christian Viveros-Fauné and Glenn O'Brien. To read more go to aolartists.com
AOL and the Whitney partnered with artist Daniel Hirschmann at this year's Whitney 2010 Gala and studio party, a fundraiser which brings together NYC's art, fashion and media worlds. The event saw the launch of Engine 26, an interactive project which uses live video and human interaction to trigger a range of digital brushes that literally paint movement in LED light. To read more go to http://engine26.net/
Aldar, the real estate business that’s spearheading the development of Abu Dhabi, today launched its new brand direction, created with Wolff Olins. The new concept helps Aldar evolve from a pure property company to a more customer-centric business, and organises Aldar’s portfolio into six key experiences, under a single overarching brand.
Today marked the launch of the new Windows Phone 7. Billed as a completely fresh start for Microsoft in mobile, it uses an elegant operating system that is completely different from the swelling array of app-focused phones. Wolff Olins partnered with the Mobile Communications Business marketing team to help create the visual identity for Windows Phone 7. The phone also represents a move towards more integrating product experiences and cloud-based services. To read more go to microsoft.com
Next in our Because series of talks is Nicolas Henninger, co-founder of EXYZT – an architectural practice that likes to go against the grain. Hear how their projects, which bring together disciplines ranging from architecture, video and graphic-design to botany, nature and food, are realised as platforms for new kinds of expression.
Miami's 11 11 Lincoln Road, envisioned by Robert Wennett and designed by Herzog & de Meuron, is featured in this month's MARK magazine. The project represents a collaboration of architects, artists and designers around the world, including Wolff Olins, to create a unique shopping, dining, residential and parking experience for Miami's residents and visitors. To read more go to www.mark-magazine.com
Wolff Olins today won a bronze award at the Cannes Lions 57th International Advertising Festival for its AOL rebrand. The award recognizes outstanding design in advertising and related fields. Wolff Olins created a new brand identity for AOL in late 2009 to represent its new mission: to inform, entertain and connect the world not with more of the same but with extraordinary content experiences. To read more go to www.canneslions.com
Art critic, artist and broadcaster, Matthew Collings, today spoke at Wolff Olins London about his wide-ranging career and influences. Matthew’s talk is part of Because, a lecture series that explores how inspring ideas are generated and brought to life.
Telecoms company Oi has been voted Brazil’s brand of the decade alongside Havaianas by Meio & Mensagem, Brazil’s leading publication on media, branding and advertising. Created in 2002 by Wolff Olins, the Oi brand has grown quickly and effectively due to its provision of refreshing simplicity in a confused market. Since 2007 Oi has become the brand for its parent company Telemar's fixed line, broadband and mobile services and in early 2009 it acquired Brazil Telecom. Learn more about the brand at www.oi.com.br.
Wolff Olins Dubai designers Seb Klein and Moussa Beidas have won two categories in Traffic Studio’s Big Idea competition. Moussa’s work ‘Solar Banners’ has been recognised as best public installation while Seb’s ‘Think Colour’ campaign took the top award in the pattern category. Wolff Olins Lucas Surtie also received praise for his work ‘Masrabiya’ and was shortlisted for pattern. To see the winning designs and learn more about the awards go to www.viatraffic.org.
Today renowned designer, artist and curator, Michael Marriott, spoke at Wolff Olins London about his recent work for the British Council in South Korea. 'Happiness for Daily Life' shows how Michael’s inspiration during his residency in Gongju led to the transformation of an abandoned historical building. Michael used ideas that celebrate everyday objects, local crafts and materials to create the city’s first culture-led regeneration project. To learn more about Michael Marriott go to www.michaelmarriott.com.
Today AOL celebrated its 25th anniversary at NYC’s New Museum by unveiling its second collection of canvases created by designers, illustrators and animators from around the world. This new wave of work is part of AOL Artists, a year long project co created with Wolff Olins and Chuck Close, that recognises the cultural creative icons of today and tomorrow. To read more go to http://www.aolartists.com/
Wolff Olins’ chairman Brian Boylan and creative director Marina Willer today featured on BBC 2’s Culture Show talking about the ground-breaking Tate brand, created in 2000 by Wolff Olins. The programme, dedicated to Tate Modern's 10th birthday, sought to understand how the institution has become one of the most successful modern art museums in the world. Brian and Marina, along with Sir Nicholas Serota, and artists Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry and Rachel Whiteread explained to art critic Matt Collings how the organisation set about realising its ambition to revolutionise the way people perceive art. To watch the programme go to www.bbc.co.uk/.
Izmir Development Agency (IZKA) has appointed Wolff Olins to develop the brand strategy for Turkish city Izmir. Wolff Olins is part of a consortium that includes Art Grup, a local Turkish ad agency, and AWS, an export and investment company. Charles Wright, a senior strategist at Wolff Olins said, ‘the significance of the project is not just that branding a city is an exciting challenge, but that the central government of Turkey may use the project as a pilot to gauge the value of city branding in the context of attracting tourists and investment’.
Today Microsoft launched KIN, a new Windows phone that offers the ultimate mobile experience for a young social generation who increasingly want and need more from their phones. KIN, designed for people who live to share, connect and relate to friends, was developed in collaboration with Wolff Olins who created the brand strategy and its visual and verbal identity. To learn more go to www.kin.com.
A new report today named Target as one of the most valuable retail brands in the United States. The report ranks retailers on the value of their brands based on percentage of sales and profit that can directly be attributed to branding and brand strength. Target’s year on year nearly 50% jump in brand value has been attributed to the retailer’s 2009 launch of its new Up & Up private label line created with Wolff Olins in 2009. To read more go to http://www.brandweek.com.
This week South By Southwest, Austin’s grass roots music festival, will host a series of pop-up gigs created by headline sponsors AOL, in association with Wolff Olins. Unique location details will be revealed the day before each gig through screen printed posters designed by Wolff Olins. Bands include ‘Rogue Wave’ playing at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop and ‘Rival Schools’ appearing at a local taco stop. To read more go to http://www.wolffolinsblog.com/.
International innovation school KaosPilot today welcomed lecturers from Wolff Olins London to its campus in Aarhus, Denmark. Over the next four days Wolff Olins designers and strategists will run a series of workshops and seminars on the topic of brand-led innovation for all academic years. These sessions are part of a broader partnership with KaosPilot tasked with defining how brand can be used to create better realities. To learn more go to www.kaospilot.dk.
Design blog Under Consideration has recognised the work of Wolff Olins nine times, more than any other brand consultancy, in its review of the most relevant brand identities of the past decade. The list profiles 40 corporations, products and services believed to have used their identities to ‘shape perception in their consumers’ eyes and minds’. Brand identities developed by Wolff Olins include GE, Unilever, (RED), NYC and AOL. To read the article go to www.underconsideration.com.
Wolff Olins strategist Frank Striefler is today featured in Adweek talking about the five principles brands should embrace in 2010. Frank says ‘Let's stop confusing excuses with reasons. Let's use this recession as a reset button. Let's make business more innovative and the world a more interesting place’. To read the article go to www.adweek.com
Living Proof’s hair care range No Frizz has been selected by Wallpaper* magazine as one of five nominees for its Best Grooming Product category in its annual Design Awards. Wallpaper* had praised Living Proof’s packaging, designed by Wolff Olins, for its ‘simple grey and white vessels’ which ‘make their frizz-control intentions clear from the start’. To learn more go to www.wallpaper.com.
Abed Bibi, managing partner of Wolff Olins Dubai, is today featured in the Kipp Report commenting on the decision to rename the world’s tallest building the Burj Khalifa. Abed commended the name change saying that it will connect and unite the UAE region rather than promote one particular city. He went on to conclude that the hardest task will be to ‘change the perception that people have of the building - and its association with Dubai’. To read the article in full go to www.kippreport.com
Mayor Bloomberg today announced that New York City is the ‘most popular tourist destination in the country’ for the first time in 20 years. With over 45 million visitors to the city in 2009, NYC fared better than other US tourist hotspots such as LA and Orlando where tourism has declined significantly. The NYC brand was developed by Wolff Olins in 2007. See more at http://www.reuters.com
In the last week of the last decade Fast Company has recognised Wolff Olins work for London 2012 as one of the 14 most influential design moments from the past ten years. And design blog Brand New has selected AOL as the best new identity of 2009. To learn more about London 2012 go to www.fastcompany.com and to read the Brand New article go to www.underconsideration.com
Wolff Olins tonight launched its Ten for 2010 project with an exhibition and talk at its London office in partnership with Wallpaper* magazine. The event highlighted ten innovations that will have a big impact on the way people work, play, travel and relax in 2010. The inventors of Gapminder, Enhanced Editions, Nokia Money and Crossbreed shared with guests the idea behind their innovation, explaining how it became reality and their plans for 2010. To learn more about the project go to www.wolffolins.com/tenfor2010.
AOL’s new brand identity as created by Wolff Olins was today uncovered at the New York Stock Exchange. In an exclusive interview given to Fast Company, Sam Wilson, Jordan Crane and Paul Worthington give behind the scenes insight into the new brand strategy and explain why the new brand could be from the future. To read more go to www.fastcompany.com
Wolff Olins client Macmillan Cancer Support has been ranked number one in the new Charity Brand Index. The survey of the top 100 charities was commissioned by PR Week and Third Sector, the magazine for the voluntary sector. It asked 3000 people across the UK for their views of charities. Amongst other things, they looked at impact, trust, and whether the charity is a cause they care about. Learn more at www.thirdsector.co.uk
Abed Bibi, managing partner of Wolff Olins Dubai, is today featured in ArabAd Magazine discussing the state of branding, how to brand build in an economic downturn and the Middle East’s most successful brands. To read the article go www.arabadmag.com.
Skype has appointed Wolff Olins, TBWA\ and Rapp to collaborate on the development of its brand and business strategies. Ije Nwokorie, senior strategist at Wolff Olins said, ‘Skype has the ability to transform the way people around the world connect. Its potential is unprecedented, we are delighted to be a partner on that journey’.
Werner Jeker, luminary of Swiss poster design, today spoke at Wolff Olins London about his most influential work from the past 40 years. This event is part of Because, a series of talks that explore how inspiring ideas are generated and brought to life.
It was announced today that Wolff Olins has won a prestigious platinum Pentaward best of category for its package design of Living Proof’s No Frizz and a bronze award for Frito–Lay’s TrueNorth. The Pentawards are the only worldwide competition exclusively devoted to package design in all its forms, across 5 major sectors. To find out more go to http://www.pentawards.org.
Today Wolff Olins New York hosted its first brand breakfast with Living Proof CEO, Rob Robillard. Over forty marketers came to learn about Living Proof’s unique approach to launching a new brand in tough times, in particular how to create big impact in a high-investment category with a small marketing budget.
As part of a new open forum exploring how brand-led innovation drives business forward, today Wolff Olins in New York launched Come Fish With Us, a new initiative for clients looking for bright ideas for their businesses. Wolff Olins are offering an hour of their time for a casual conversation with a head of design, strategy or managing partner to see how they can help navigate uncharted waters. No strings, no decks, no new business pitch. Just good ideas.
HR and internal comms professionals today joined Wolff Olins and HR Magazine to consider the issue of brand engagement. Barclaycard and Booz & Company shared their experiences and initiated a debate chaired by Sian Harrington of HR Magazine. To learn more about the themes discussed, go to www.hrmagazine.com
PepsiCo this month launched its new range of food for kids, Planet Lunch. Wolff Olins worked with product designers, nutritionists, learning experts, the School Foods Trust and PepsiCo’s marketing and R&D teams to create new range of 100% natural playful snacks – and a specially designed lunchbox – on sale exclusively at 500 Sainsbury’s supermarkets. More at www.planetlunch.co.uk and read the story in The Observer.
Entertainment and lifestyle brand LazyTown has launched LazyTown Sports Clubs for children between 3-10 years old. The new service combines all the movement, excitement, music and action of the LazyTown television shows, in weekly one-hour classes that will get more kids moving than ever before. This initiative follows from a brand-led innovation project with Wolff Olins. Read more about LazyTown in Monocle magazine’s September edition.
Littlewoods, the iconic catalogue retailer owned by Shop Direct Group, has re- launched with a new look and shopping experience developed with Wolff Olins. Focused on putting customers in control of their budgets, the refreshed brand celebrates its weekly payment system - now named All in – as an easy and helpful way to make smart shopping decisions. The new website and catalogue ensure easy navigation and clear messaging, showing the evolution of the brand into a fresh and modern home shopping retailer. More at www.littlewoods.com
Abed Bibi, managing partner of Wolff Olins Dubai, was today profiled in Emirates Business 24-7 talking about which UAE brands could make it in the international marketplace. Focusing on The One, a Dubai based furniture store, Abed recommends that the business needs to rework its brand idea and strategy to capture the local market before it aims to go global. To read the article click here
Wolff Olins head of strategy Paul Worthington was this week’s Fast Company guest blogger, talking about a variety of subjects from brands losing power in consumer driven times to what a brand can learn from Star Wars. To read each of his daily posts go to www.fastcompany.com.
Steve Henry, founder of convention-wrecking advertising agency Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury, today spoke at Wolff Olins London about some of his most influential work including; the launch of UK bank First Direct, the introduction of beverage brand Tango’s big orange slapper and the transformation of AA (Automobile Association) into the ‘Fourth Emergency Service’. This event is part of Because, a series of talks that explore how ideas are generated and brought to life.
US teen fashion retailer, PacSun, has showcased its commitment to denim this summer by launching The Skinny, a microsite co-created by Wolff Olins. Designed as a calendar, The Skinny provides daily updates ranging from product deals and tips to denim mishaps and exclusive designer interviews. Often irreverent, always intriguing, the content is easy to share and is designed to drive sales in PacSun’s stores and on its website. The strategy is supported with an online community of passionate fans. To learn more, go to http://theskinny.pacsun.com/
Wolff Olins strategist Melanie McShane is today featured in the Financial Times talking about the rise of emerging market superbrands. Tipping which five food and drink brands will become global, Melanie says that ‘it used to be possible to be a global brand by dominating the US market. That’s changing rapidly. Now you have to be number one in Asia’. To read the full article go to www.ft.com
The Observer today profiled Wolff Olins CE0 Karl Heiselman. Highlighting the need for brands to deliver a better reality rather than just a nice image, Karl went on to talk about his background in product design and share some examples of the brands he believes demonstrate great experience, naming and innovation. To read the full article go to www.guardian.co.uk
A groundbreaking shopping experience - Very - was today launched by UK retailer Shop Direct Group. The brand, co-created with Wolff Olins, will offer over 10,000 products ranging from fashion to homeware and electricals, and seek to bring the social side of high-street shopping to the web through a network of customers, buyers and celebrities discussing and reviewing products on sale. Learn more at www.very.co.uk
Marketers representing tourist boards from around the world today met at Wolff Olins London to learn how they can use brand to really stand out. After hearing two very different place branding stories from Liechtenstein and New York City, guests discussed the marketing challenges their organisations face in this time of change.
Three graphic design undergraduate students from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee, Scotland have today won the third year graduation project, set and judged by Wolff Olins. Nicole Calder, Sian Leong and Alison Mehta created EIEIO, a large indoor farming supermarket that invites customers to dig their own potatoes, catch their own fish and milk their own cows. The students created quirky television ads and used handmade paper visuals to emphasise the DIY aspect of their brand. See the work at www.vimeo.com
Amnesty International today won a D&AD award for its work in Germany, using the brand identity created for Amnesty by Wolff Olins in 2007. The brand is designed to help Amnesty broaden the range of human rights it supports, and to give it a stronger global presence. The winning scheme, called ‘More impact for human rights’, was created by Scholz & Friends.
Charles Wright, managing partner of Wolff Olins Dubai, today spoke at OMD Predicts 2009 in Dubai. Charles highlighted the challenges and opportunities facing Middle Eastern brands during the recession, emphasising the need for innovation and relevance. Each year OMD Predicts brings together international experts to prepare delegates for the rapidly changing landscape in the areas of economy, brands, communications and media. To learn more go to www.campaignme.com
Wolff Olins creative director, Martin Brown, today spoke at the Danish Design School in Copenhagen about the evolving nature of branding. Martin discussed the Wolff Olins approach and showcased 14 projects that have redefined their sector and generated global impact. Learn more at www.dkds.dk
Wolff Olins creative director Marina Willer today spoke about the inspiration behind her work both as a designer and a film maker at the AGIdeas conference in Melbourne. Since 1991 AgIdeas has brought together some of the most respected designers in the world to present their ideas. Learn more at www.agideas.net
Innovative new beauty brand Living Proof has been awarded a prestigious Art Directors Club Silver Cube, a One Show Bronze Pencil and a coveted D&AD Award for its packaging, created and designed by Wolff Olins. The hair care product has also received a CEW Beauty Insider’s Choice Award. To learn more about Living Proof and the philosophy behind the brand go to www.underconsideration.com
Over forty marketing directors and brand managers today joined Wolff Olins and London 2012 to talk about the changing nature of brand management. Guests debated the challenges faced when a brand needs to partner with other organisations and discussed practical solutions to ensure that brands can be shared to everyone’s benefit without dilution or over-policing.
YouTube today selected an interview with Wolff Olins strategist, Ije Nwokorie, as a Spotlight video. Spotlight handpicks films deemed informative, inspirational and entertaining and showcases them on the website’s homepage. In this short, commissioned by Google for its new business channel ‘Survival of the fastest’, Ije debates the role of brand in a recession, concluding that brand is only relevant and effective if it focuses on creating a better reality. View it here: www.youtube.co.uk
Thirty marketers from some of the world’s top companies discussed and highlighted the importance of brand led innovation over breakfast at Wolff Olins in London today. Innovators from Mercedes and PepsiCo kicked off the session by explaining how they use brand to create new products and services.
30 students from the British Higher School of Art and Design in Moscow visited Wolff Olins London office today to learn about the company, its view on brand and its approach on working with global clients. Creative director Marina Willer and account director Mark Lomeli talked about their experience of working in Russia and on creating one of the most valued Russian brands - Beeline. Natalia Schiptsova, Course Leader at the school, said: ‘The event was a very useful and inspiring experience for Russian young designers’.
Inside Out, a new film by Wolff Olins creative director Marina Willer for a travelling exhibition about the architect Richard Rogers, was tonight previewed at the Caixa Fórum in Barcelona. Inside Out is a poetic documentary about the making of Rogers’s work. This latest film complements Marina’s previous work for the exhibition, which started at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, entitled EXPOSED. The exhibition, ‘From the House to the City’, opens at Caixa Fórum Madrid on 8 July 2009 and will run until 18 October 2009.
Abed Bibi, partner of Wolff Olins Dubai, was profiled today in Media Week Middle East. Discussing the need for a modern Arabic superbrand, Bibi explains that brands within the UAE, and brands trying to break into the market, need to find new ways in order to become successful. He goes on to emphasise the need for the Arab world to reconnect with its identity. ‘Today everything is written and said in English. The Arabic language is losing its touch, its values, its identity.’ To read click here.
Wolff Olins strategist Melanie Mcshane today presented at the Russia-UK Olympic Partnership Conference in Moscow on the role of the brand as a delivery platform for the Sochi-2014 Winter games. Melanie showed how the lessons learnt from London 2012 could help Sochi-2014 shape this delivery on a number of fronts: by presenting a new Russia, demonstrating good governance and exporting Russian entrepreneurship to the rest of the world. The event was arranged by Sochi Organizing Committee, the British Embassy and the Moscow Times.
Wolff Olins package design for Frito Lay’s nut brand, TrueNorth, was today awarded the winning title at the American Package Design Awards. The competition honours work that has contributed considerably to the success of a brand, product or campaign. See more at www.gdusa.com
Harry Pearce, founder of Lippa Pearce and partner at Pentagram, spoke today at Wolff Olins London about some of his influences and most memorable projects. The event was part of Because, a series of talks about inspiration, ideas and how they come to life.
The world’s first postgraduate course in brand leadership was announced today by the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK. The one-year programme, which starts in September, has been created by UEA in collaboration with Wolff Olins, and aims to educate a new generation of people to use brand to lead business. More at www.uea.ac.uk
New York City’s groundbreaking visitor center, NYCGO, was unveiled today by Mayor Bloomberg. The state-of-the-art information hub, located in midtown Manhattan, has been designed by WXY Architecture & Urban Design and contains everything needed to seek out the very best the city has to offer. The center is fully interactive, with wall-to-wall touch screen technology displaying up- to-the minute information in 10 languages. The NYC brand was developed by Wolff Olins in 2007. See more at www.nycgo.com
Wolff Olins CEO, Karl Heiselman, joined Tyler Brûlé on Monocle's radio programme, The Monocle Weekly, to discuss his thoughts on brand America. To listen to the full interview go to www.monocle.com
A new organisation - Lloyds Banking Group - has been founded from Lloyds TSB’s acquisition of HBOS. Wolff Olins developed the brand strategy and visual identity, for what is now the UK’s largest retail bank. Its vision is to be recognised as the best financial services company by customers, employees and shareholders. The group will achieve this by building deep, lasting relationships that help customers achieve what’s important to them. At the heart of this business sits a commitment to delivering on the fundamentals of banking.
Robert Jones’s book The Big Idea, originally published in 2000, has been reissued today by Profile, with a new foreword that brings the story up to date. Buy it now at www.amazon.co.uk
Wolff Olins today announced the opening of a third global hub in Dubai to start serving the fast growing Asian markets. The new office will be led by Charles Wright, a Wolff Olins board director whose previous clients include Airtel, PwC and Qatar Financial Centre, and Abed Bibi, a marketer who has worked in the region for over twenty years on brands such as Majid Al Futttaim, Sama Dubai and du.
Ije Nwokorie, a strategist at Wolff Olins, is featured today in the UK food and drink retailing magazine The Grocer. Discussing the importance of brand- led innovation during the economic downturn, Ije identified how customer behaviour and demand will change: "In all sorts of sectors where businesses and consumers are questioning their spend the winners will be those that stimulate demand by using their brands to create new things that people are happy to pay for." Read the full article at www.thegrocer.co.uk
Wolff Olins today hosted the first in its series of breakfast seminar in London. Twenty marketers from not-for-profit companies discussed and highlighted the importance of brand when encouraging participation from their supporters. Representatives from the National Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support initiated the discussion with a talk about the link between brand, innovation and supporter participation as the key to securing increased income.
Charlie Stott, a senior consultant for Wolff Olins, today told the HiBrand Conference in Moscow that a new generation of brand is required. He explained to the audience of marketing professionals that the brands of the future need to act, look and feel different. ‘Companies are competing and collaborating at the same time; they need brands to drive business transformation. Brands therefore must switch from glossy marketing gadgets to practical platforms for action, so that they are less about stamps of control and ownership and more about ideology and behaviour.’ More at www.artgraphics.ru
Living Proof, a new beauty brand created by Wolff Olins, has won the much- coveted Allure Magazine Beauty Breakthrough of 2008 Award for its haircare product No Frizz. Not bad for the company’s very first product release, and it hasn’t even hit shelves yet. No Frizz is currently being presold on online and will be available across Sephora stores from February. More revolutionary products will be launched next year, as Living Proof continues to solve beauty’s toughest challenges with radical solutions. To learn more go to www.livingproof.com
Bharti Airtel, today launched its Direct to Home service, Airtel Digital TV, in 62 cities across India. Airtel tasked Wolff Olins with creating a brand for its new upscale triple play offer aimed at the high-value, technologically savvy youth of India. Wolff Olins worked with Airtel to create the name and value proposition, as well as designing the set top box, remote control and packaging for the new service. Learn more at www.economictimes.com
A 60 second Madeira Island advert produced by Wolff Olins is today released throughout the UK. The film, commissioned by the Portugal Tourism Board, showcases the region and will be playing in cinemas across London, Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle. The 4 minute version, also produced by Wolff Olins received a number of accolades on its release, including gold at both the City Gate International Festival in Germany and the Plock Festival in Poland earlier this year. Click here to see the film.
Photograph courtesy of Zena Holloway.
Management Today has featured Wolff Olins’ Right Services study, which shows that great service organisations, such as Amex, Disney, IBM and Oyster, depend on their brand as a platform for growth. In the article Wolff Olins consultant Ije Nwokorie discusses the importance of brand-led innovation, identifying three key principles and providing practical advice on how to adopt them. Read the article at www.managementtoday.co.uk
brands-heart-service-innovation/ (www.managmenttoday.co.uk)
Stefano Giovannoni, the designer behind some of Alessi’s most original and iconic products, spoke at Wolff Olins’ London office today as part of the Because series of talks about inspiration, ideas and how they come to life. Stefano’s influential and wide-ranging career includes designs for Fiat, Seiko and Siemens. His work is featured in the permanent collections of MOMA and the Centre Georges Pompidou.
London celebrated becoming the official Olympic Host City with a party for 40,000 in the capital. Revellers exuded optimism and energy when they joined with Olympians, celebrities and musicians on the Mall to mark the historic occasion – an event that was broadcast on national television and across 30 live screens around the country. Today’s handover signifies the start of a momentous four year journey for London 2012, one that will deliver a Games and a legacy for everyone, like never before.
Andy Stevens and Huw Morgan from Graphic Thought Facility, one of the most innovative design agencies in the UK, spoke today at Wolff Olins London office, about some of their most challenging design solutions. GTF is renowned for creating quirky, non-conformist design based on strong, straightforward ideas. The event is part of Because, a series of talks that explore how ideas are generated and come to life.
Robert Jones today marked a new age for museums, at the Communicating the Museum conference in Venice. Speaking to 200 museum marketing people from around the world, in the impressive (though sweltering) surroundings of the Doge¹s Palace, Robert shows how the museums of the future will be much more engaging, connected and cross-cultural - less like cathedrals, more like bazaars. More at www.communicatingthemuseum.com
Franca Sozzani, editor of Vogue Italia, talks at Wolff Olins London office about the evolution of one of the most influential fashion magazines in the world. Sozzani discusses how ideas can guide different creative expressions and the role of image in fashion over two decades. Because continues to bring to Wolff Olins inspiration and ideas from the creative and business world.
Wolff Olins’s work for the New Museum in New York City has been selected for the AIGA Design archives. The work will be published online, and will form part of a public exhibition scheduled to open at the AIGA National Design Center in New York in December 2008. The New Museum work has also been recognized by D&AD and the Type Directors Club. Meanwhile, the brand identity created by Wolff Olins for New York City has also won accolades from D&AD, the Art Directors Club and the Creative Review Annual. Learn more at www.designarchives.aiga.org
Today Booz & Company launches, a new name – for the founders of the management consulting profession, a new focus – to create and deliver essential advantage, and an innovative new brand, created by Wolff Olins. This brand provides a powerful platform for the firm to show its relevance in a fast- moving world where challenges are multi-dimensional and impact is more important than advice. It enables Booz & Company to demonstrate how it creates opportunities, builds capabilities and delivers real impact. Learn more at www.booz.com
Publishers should get serious about branding, says Robert Jones today at a conference of independent publishers in London. With technology and consumer behaviour changing, publishers face a fantastic opportunity to get closer to readers and writers, building a platform brand that opens readers' eyes to new ideas, and amplifies writers' voices in the world - and vice versa.
CEO Karl Heiselman today creates a global leadership team for Wolff Olins, to guide the business through a world where branding is changing dramatically. The team will shape the future of the Wolff Olins brand, broaden its services, and develop its creative and strategic talent. Brian Boylan sets the overall vision, with Charles Wright looking at emerging eastern markets. They’re joined by Patrick Cox (creativity), Neil Parker (strategy), Robert Jones (marketing), Steve Richards (operations) and Camille Burrows (talent).
From today, for the first time, each Wolff Olins office has a managing director, responsible for people, projects and profit. Sairah Ashman takes on that role in London, and Sam Wilson in New York. Both are also members of the new leadership team. Sairah’s team is Martin Brown (design), Caroline Hancock (account management), Nick Keppel-Palmer (strategy) and Chris Walker (finance). Sam’s team is Jessica Chalifoux (account management), Dean Crutchfield (marketing and new business), Bob Healey (finance), Paige Reilly (operations), Todd Simmons (design) and Paul Worthington (strategy).
Top French marketing magazine _Stratégies _has profiled Wolff Olins, focusing on the brand next exhibition, store for tomorrow. ‘The evolution of design agencies towards innovation consulting or service design has already been observed in France,’ reports Pascale Caussat: ‘At Wolff Olins, it meets a deep insight into the future of brand’. More at: www.strategies.fr
(RED), the brand created by Wolff Olins, today raised $42 million for AIDS programmes in Africa, by auctioning original works by some of the world’s most famous artists. The event at Sotheby’s, New York, was organised by Bono, Damien Hirst and the Gagosian gallery, and features 75 artists including Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, Jeff Koons, Banksy and Antony Gormley. See more at www.artobeserved.com
Frito-Lay today launched TrueNorth – its second new brand in over 20 years. A line of innovative, nutritionally positive nut snacks, TrueNorth provides proof of PepsiCo’s move to offer consumers greater ‘better for you’ choices. Wolff Olins partnered with Frito-Lay over the past two years to create and develop the brand. More at www.truenorthnuts.com
Wolff Olins tonight launched ’Brand next: the store for tomorrow’ at its London office. The show highlights ten brands of the future – brands like Streetcar, Zopa and Macmillan Cancer Support where people take part, rather than just partaking, and where the more people who join in, the better it is for everyone. The event, which runs till 22 February, invites visitors to commit to actions – everyone who gives gets. See the making of the store, and its outcomes, at www.brandnext.co.uk
Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist has won the South Bank Show Award for literature in London. Mohsin is managing director of Wolff Olins in London. Other winners of South Bank Show awards this year include J K Rowling and the Arctic Monkeys. See more at www.itv.com
In Creative Review’s February edition, chairman Brian Boylan and creative director Patrick Cox sit down with design critic Adrian Shaughnessy, and offer their perspective on the happenings of the past year. Highlighting 2012, NYC, (RED), Macmillan and New Museum, the article is a behind-the-scenes look at the approach and people of Wolff Olins. Read the full article at www.creativereview.co.uk
Malcolm Buick brings his boyish good looks to New York as newly minted design director. Previously at JDK Design, he may have helped create the brand identities for Burton and X-Box 360, or may have snowboarded and played video games all day. Before his life in branding, Malcolm designed record sleeves in London’s music industry. (Boy bands included.) He comes from the famed home of smoked haddock, Arbroath, Scotland, and graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.
Artists, critics, architects, designers, drag queens, models, celebrities, Upper Eastsiders, Lower Eastsiders, Wolff Olins and Lance Armstrong all joined together to celebrate the grand re-opening of the New Museum in New York City. See more of the brand Wolff Olins helped to create at www.nytimes.com and www.flickr.com
Southbank Centre tonight wins a Special Jury prize at the International Museum Communication Awards 2008. The award was specifically created in recognition of the outstanding scale, vision and ambition of the job. The jury commended the work, calling it 'arresting, playful, provocative and distinctly urban’. For more, go to www.imca-awards.com
Photograph courtesy of Johnny Ladd.
Wolff Olins creative director Marina Willer has showed her latest film at the Richard Rogers retrospective, Centre Pompidou, Paris. The piece acts as an introduction to the exhibition. It shows images of objects sliced in half, celebrating the beauty of mechanics and legibility, a recurrent theme in the architect’s work. That imagery is juxtaposed with Rogers’s voice talking about the vision behind his work. The show is on until 3 March 2008. View the film here.
Italian eyewear specialists Luxottica, today launched its new luxury retail brand, Ilori. The company, which owns Sunglass Hut, aims to create a unique brand for sunglasses, through an environment, service level and product range that delivers a modern take on opulence and indulgence. The flagship store on Spring Street, New York is over 4,500 feet and offers mainstream fashion lines, limited editions and new design talent. Wolff Olins worked with the Luxottica team to define its brand strategy, name and customer experience and create a brand that celebrates luxury, craftsmanship and a sense of discovery.
Sir Paul Smith today became the latest ‘Because’ speaker at Wolff Olins London office. The fashion designer shared where he found inspiration and talked through how his collections have changed, his advertising has become more experimental and his stores more eclectic. Because is a series of talks about inspiration, ideas and how they come to life.
Wolff Olins is today celebrating success at the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards. The Macmillan Cancer Support brand identity work won gold for what judges called a ‘brave and refreshing redesign ’. Judge Ted Mager, Head of Global Retail Development at Adidas-Salmon said the work was ‘very strong ’ and had really helped Macmillan ‘stand out in a cluttered market ’. For more, visit www.dba.org.uk
