How do you define your brand? Is it how you position yourself in the minds of stakeholders and the public in general? Is it shaped by what people think you do and how you do it? Is it determined by the design of your website, the quality of your marketing collateral or the success of your public relations efforts?

In lieu of the XLVI National Football League Bowl of Super (reworded slightly so not to step on toes :o), being in Boundless Design’s home state we want to share a huge back to your roots 2012 blog post. We have visited downtown Indianapolis, Indiana to see and be a part of one if not the largest sporting events in the world. We started by visiting downtown the night all of the festivities began and went back mid-week to enjoy even more and went to the NFL Experience. Wow, we are truly proud to be a Hoosier and appreciate our strong Indiana roots. Visiting downtown gave us a great appreciation for Hoosier Hospitality and what it truly means to stop and remember where you are from, your roots.

Brand strategy is the process of aligning what we say with what we do, to positively influence what customers think. Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana is aligning “Hoosier Hospitality” with the largest sporting event in the world and gaining a hugely positive experience from folks all over the country and even world.

Indianapolis, Indiana XLVI

Vince Lombardi Trophy on the JW Marriott

Ice Carving

NFL Experience, Indianapolis, Indiana

Colts Branded Indy Car

Well with 2011 gone and a week into 2012 BD is ready to get personal this 2012. BD decided to end 2011 with a Top Secret design project that would surprise our entire family.

So we designed and had illustrated a children book by retelling a story that our grandfather told. Pig’s Foot. This story is our family fable passed down from our beloved grandfather Gordon Leigh Speer. We grew up listening and then watching others hear our grandfather tell this fable. We would all sit on the edge of our seats anticipating the fable’s surprise ending. By sharing our family fable, we too hope you and your family will enjoy this fable with your family from generation to generation. ENJOY!

We at BD want to share this family fable with you all as an example to get personal in 2012. In other words, we encourage you to grow from your roots to strengthen your brand. Keep it simple and know BD is here for you in 2012 as roots are important for any business.

We encourage your thoughts and comments, in fact we will personally mail out a book each to the first 5 comments we receive from this blog post.

Pig's Foot

Pig's Foot : Intro

Pig's Foot : Discovery

Someone has well said that the two most important rules of business are: 1) Stay in business; and, 2) Don’t forget rule number one. If your business fails, you cannot serve your customers. Obviously, we can learn lessons about staying in business from those who have done it.

Last Christmas we received a SodaStream. While we really thought this gift was cool and fun to use, I had no idea the SodaStream story until my brother told “hey you know SodaStream has been around since 1903, right?” And I really had no idea and I thought SodaStream was a brand new company/product.

BD with our SodaStream

SodaStream was started in 1903. It was a carbonation system invented by Giles Gilby that made standard water into fizzy water and was originally sold to the upper classes. Different flavours were introduced in the 1920s. Cherry ciderette and sarsaparilla were two of these. In the 1970s and 80s it enjoyed vast success, becoming a big hit in countries such as the UK, Germany and Australia.

The company underwent numerous changes in ownership, becoming, at one point, part of the Cadbury Schweppes empire. 1998 saw the company change hands for the final time when purchased by Soda Club, at that time Israel’s biggest supplier of SodaStream. SodaStream remained the name of the brand after Soda Club’s unsuccessful bid to change the brand to Soda-Club.

This year, and every year, thousands of new businesses will be born, and thousands of others will be buried. By analyzing a business like SodaStream we can identify qualities and strategies that might help our own businesses survive. Thanks to SodaStream’s realization that a re-branding effort was greatly needed to survive they are back on the market stronger than ever in their respective market. This is a remarkable branding story. bd

Blabber Duckie was recently at the bottom of the Earth (really) visiting Antarctica - thanks to Paul Nicholson http://www.paulontheice.com/ and  Janet Harding http://wheresjanet.com/.

Antarctica is Earth’s southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km² (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) in thickness.

Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.^[2] Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland.^[3] There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, nematodes, tardigrades, mites, many types of algae and other microorganisms, and tundra vegetation.

BD had a great trip and is happy to share this experience with you. You may be asking, okay but what does this have to do with graphic design? Well the answer is easy our everyday environment whether you are in Indiana or Antarctica surrounds us with inspiration to design - design is absolutely everywhere. So stop a minute and take a look around at your surroundings as you’ll be amazed by what you start to see.

BD with Penguins

BD riding a Ski Doo in Antarctica.

BD watching over the loading crew in Antarctihca.