reactions

We are thrilled to officially announce that our new packaging for Wigwam just won an American Packaging Design Award!

According to the letter of congratulations:

“For nearly five decades, Graphic Design USA has sponsored national design competitions that spotlight areas of excellence and opportunity for creative professionals. Of these, the American Package Design Awards is the fast growing. The reason is simple but profound: marketers are challenged as never before to convey their message. Package design — along with the related disciplines of POP and instore graphics — are increasingly the difference-makers in the consumer’s purchasing decision. This competition celebrates well-designed graphics, of course, but also the power of design to advance the brand promise and forge an emotional connection with the buyer at the moment of truth.”

Making this even better is that we were able to top ourselves… having won the same award for our soon-to-be-the-old packaging in 2008. Lightning has definitely struck twice, and it feels even better than it did the first time! Congrats to all at MSLK and Wigwam who helped make this as great as it could be.

Look for the new packaging as it arrives in stores this spring!

Steve Jobs was not a designer, at least not in the traditional sense. In fact, there was little he did do that was traditional, in any sense of the word. Having just finished his biography, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, I have a new-found respect for the man who transformed not only the world of computers, consumer  electronics, music, movies, etc… but also had a profound effect of the lives of creative professionals — graphic designers in particular.
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MSLK is honored and humbled to have received two of the nine AIGA Making the Case Awards for our projects, Watershed and Figment 360° Branding. Beyond the mere beauty pageant that is the average design competition, “Making the Case” selects case studies that “demonstrate the value of design in a clear, compelling and accessible way” to clients and society. Given recent economic trends, now more than ever it is important for non-designers to understand how great design leads to business growth and/or positive societal change.
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MSLK has recently been busy working on completely new packaging and overall branding for Wigwam Mills, and it’s getting ready to hit the shelves this spring.

This was one of MSLK’s toughest challenges to date, for no other reason than we needed to improve on their previous design… also created by us. Though the challenges were different, we followed the same process as always, leading Wigwam toward reevaluating their core messaging, and revamping that look to stay true to their brand’s DNA. This new packaging is the first step toward helping them secure their place as a leader in the performance sock market.
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Great holiday retail windows embody the entire romance of the shopping season. When I was young, the trend was dioramas of animatronic characters set amid a snowy scene. These days retailers and window designers are encouraged to think a bit more outside the box, and the more they let their imagination wander, the better. In fact, the out-of-the-ordinary is more apt to capture peoples’ attention.

Here are some windows that struck me on a recent trip down 5th Avenue.
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In a market flooded with so many brands, today’s consumer is presented with an ever-changing array of options along with an increased sense of discernment about what and where to spend their resources.  To be successful, a brand must find ways to distinguish itself and stand out amongst the clutter.

The process begins with a business strategy and marketing plan.  It has a clear point of view and maps out a direction for future activities.  This written plan describes the business, outlines goals and defines a sustainable competitive advantage.  It is a document that will grow and evolve.  A strong plan is an essential foundation documenting specific strategies and tactics to guarantee objectives are met.  Furthermore, it helps businesses make decisions quickly and manages capital and promotional opportunities effectively throughout the year; allowing for the right investments in the right places always with an eye towards the “big picture.”

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Recently MSLK was asked to do some retail analysis for an apparel brand looking to grow their business. The assignment, create a line extension for the brand that would capture more fashionable, impulse purchases made by consumers — primarily women. As we reviewed the product offerings in each store, we focused on the merchandise at check out counters, cash wraps, and end-caps, primarily on the first floor.  These locations tend to receive the most traffic and often lead to impulse purchases. Besides the anticipated insights that fun, travel sized, and conveniently priced items often occupy this prime impulse real estate, I was struck by the immense presence cause marketing, primarily for Breast Cancer Awareness, was receiving.
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Brands such as Gucci, Converse and Ikea are leading the pack in elevating the e-commerce experience by offering alternative and exciting ways to browse their product lines. They are fighting traditional notions of e-commerce— cluttered menus, heavy-handed ads, and dense product grids with web applications that allow for less linear, more memorable ways to shop online. The result is that users are spending more time on these sites, leading to greater brand recognition and increased sales.
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Established artist agency Friend + Johnson is currently running an exciting MSLK designed campaign—the “Out to Lunch” Napkin Sketch Sweepstakes. What do you doodle when you daydream? Take one or more of your musings and put it on a napkin using whatever tools you wish–draw, paint, collage, fold; anything goes! Five randomly drawn winners will receive a free lunch valued at $100 at a restaurant of their choice! Visit the the F+J blog for instructions, official rules, and inspiration.
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We are happy honored, and humbled to receive word that MSLK won two out of the nine awards in the AIGA’s Making The Case competition! More than “just another beauty pageant” this competition emphasizes substance over style.

In their own words:

You know from experience that good design is effective design. But how do you prove it? Through case studies, this competition provides an opportunity for design firms to show not just what they make, but how they think. “Making the Case” recognizes narratives that demonstrate the value of design in a clear, compelling and accessible way. A discerning and qualified jury will identify submissions that serve as an effective tool to explain design thinking to clients, students, peers and the public in general. The case studies selected will be published on AIGA.org

Our two winning projects are our eco-art installation Watershed, as well as the 360° branding we created for the Figment Art Festival. It’s truly an honor to be recognized for the thinking that went into these two projects. This is often the most important — and overlooked — part for brands to leverage when seeking a design partner.