In this Issue:

Viewpoints

The Products Must Match the Brand

DMI Conferences

Pushing Beyond: Brand New, Brand Stories, & Brand Myths
International Conference on Innovation by Brand and Design Management

DMI Education

Upcoming Seminars
The DMI Senior Executive Workshop

Design Management Review, Winter 2004
Free Download of the Month: Why These Ideas Work, But Seem Weird

News & Events Around the World

Viewpoints

The importance of a strong brand image is clearly getting recognition in the business world. Companies around the world are realizing that without establishing a strong brand image, their long-term future can be uncertain. Surprisingly, what is sometimes lost is the simple principle that a company’s product offerings are a direct extension of their brand.

Of course, this sounds like a very basic concept, yet there are more examples than ever of companies that create product offerings that are completely incongruous with their brand message. In most cases, it is a simple matter of creating products that are too up-market, down-market, or just not supporting the brand message that an organization works very hard to establish.

Read the complete article

Article submissions are welcome; please contact jtobin@dmi.org.

DMI Conferences

Pushing Beyond: Brand New, Brand Stories, & Brand Myths
16th International Brand Design Conference
June 2-4, 2004
Vancouver, Canada, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

This year's Brand Design Conference promises to build on and move beyond the very successful conference held in Vancouver last year. The goal of the conference will be to challenge the status quo and push beyond our preconceived notions about what brands are and how design shapes these notions. The speakers will thoughtfully, intelligently, and creatively address how brands provide meaning and value to those who absorb and interpret them.

There are two very exciting keynote sessions scheduled for the conference:

Experience the Myth, the Magic, the Wonder of Umpqua Bank
Ray Davis, CEO, Umpqua Bank
Steve McCallion, Creative Director, ZIBA Design
Life is good in the Umpqua Valley. The fields are in full bloom, the fish are plenty and the sun is always shining. For Umpqua Bank, the valley symbolizes why it is in business: to help customers find their own prosperity. Eight years ago, Umpqua changed the face of retail banking by introducing its customer-friendly “store” concept. Ray Davis and Steve McCallion will discuss how Umpqua’s newly designed stores leverage the myth of Umpqua Valley into an unforgettable experience that builds brand loyalty and raises the stakes of retail banking.

 

Flock and Flow: How to Read Dynamic Consumer Taste and Preference
Grant McCracken, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, McGill University
Consumer taste and preference is a newly dynamic thing. Designers and marketers must contend with a fragmented marketplace in which the consumer changes often and substantially. This presentation offers a “flock and flow” model designed to make us better at anticipating and speaking to these sudden shifts and emergent trends and is a first glimpse of a book Dr. McCracken is preparing for the Harvard Business School Press.

Make sure you don't miss this important international conference, which attracts a broad spectrum of high-level professionals from the corporate, consultant, and academic worlds. For more information, or to register, visit the program, schedule, registration, and hotel Web pages.

The International Conference on Innovation by Brand and Design Management: Call for Papers

November 11-12, Seoul, Korea

Co-Sponsored by:
The Design Management Institute—12th International Forum on Design Management Research & Education
Design and Brand Management Society—The 2nd Annual Conference
Institute for Industrial Policy Studies/Brand Management Institute—3rd Annual Conference of Brand Management Institute

Recently, the world has entered a new era of boundless competition. Not to be outdone, Asia has gained greater significance in the world economy with its emerging economic prosperity and vivacity. Against this backdrop, the Design Management Institute, the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies/Brand Management Institute, and the Design and Brand Management Society are joining hands together to host an international conference in Seoul dedicated to promoting the importance of integrating brand and design management. This occasion holds significance as three different organizations from different nations are joining forces to promote a single mission of raising awareness about the productive synergy that arises when brand and design integrate with corporate management.

The conference is seeking a broad range of papers, including ones on theoretical developments, research results, panel discussions and case studies. Interested individuals from businesses, government agencies, academia, or other parties are all invited to participate in this event.

Abstracts for paper submissions are due by May 28, 2004. Acceptance for presentation in the conference will be confirmed by July 15, 2004. The full paper will be due by September 30, 2004 for inclusion in the proceedings. Please visit the DMI Web site for complete information about the theme tracks, and an abstract submission form. Look for information about registration for this important international event in a future issue of the eBulletin.

Scientific Committee Chairs:
Brigitte Borja de Mozota, Ph.D., Professor, Université Paris X Nanterre; Chair, DMI Academic Forum, Trustee, DMI Research Council
Kyung-Won Chung, Ph.D., Professor, KAIST
Cheol-Ho Shin, Ph.D., Professor, Sungshin Women’s University

Program Co-Chairs:
Earl N. Powell, President, Design Management Institute
Dong-Sung Cho, President, Design and Brand Management Society
Jung-Ho Kim, President, The Institute for Industrial Policy Studies

DMI Education

Creating the Perfect Design Brief
April 22-23, New York City, USA
September 16-17, Philadelphia, USA
Taught by Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant

A well-crafted design brief can function as a contract, an easy-to-follow road map for the entire design process, and an invaluable tool for securing project approval at the end of the process. This seminar explores all of the critical components of a design brief and how to use them to assure the success of any design project. More information.

“The knowledge I gained at the seminar has been an excellent asset to my design skills, and has helped me to work more successfully within my corporate environment.”
—Elizabeth Drury, Graphic Designer, National Life Insurance Company

The New Marketing: Understanding It, Working with It
May 6-7, Boston, USA
September 23-24, Chicago, USA
Taught by Bruce Clark, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Marketing Group, Northeastern University

It’s not just the “four P’s” of marketing anymore. It’s not just “brand” anymore. Over the last ten years, marketing has been inundated with new ideas that are changing the way marketers and designers need to do their jobs. Simultaneously, the end of the 1990s boom has put new pressures on marketing managers that only increase their demands on complementary functions such as design. This seminar outlines the new marketing practices resulting from these trends, how the new marketing affects design and other functions, and how to build and maintain effective relationships with marketing in this environment. More information.

Managing Design for Strategic Advantage
May 13-14, Montréal, Canada
October 7-8, Philadelphia, USA
Taught by Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant

Traditionally, design has been viewed as a service within an organization—not as a strategic business resource. But this traditional view of design is rapidly changing in the fast-moving, highly-competitive business arena of the new millennium. Design managers and designers now need to rethink both the processes of managing design and the ways in which they communicate the strategic value of design to the success of the enterprise. More information.

"For the first time, a design seminar has given me tangible tools that make sense for me to go back to my job and start implementing immediately."
—Jill Hunt, Sr. Industrial Designer, Medela Inc.

Strategies for Designing Meaningful Brand Experiences
May 19-20, New York City, USA (New date)
September 27-28, Los Angeles, USA
Taught by Dave Norton, Ph.D., Vice President, Experience Strategy and Research, Yamamoto Moss

Creating meaningful brand experiences is the key innovation that will drive growth and new value for your brand over the next ten years. This seminar will prepare your brand to engage in—and profit from—the most important shift in consumer demand: a desire for experiences that really matter. Designed to make you a more strategic thinker about branding, experience design, and value creation, this seminar will unveil key consumption trends and detail techniques for creating meaningful experiences for your target audience. More information.

“What an eye-opening way to look at your business! Dave's seminar on creating meaningful brand experiences exposes you to what every marketer needs to know (and probably thinks he/she already knows, but doesn't) to become or remain successful during these times.”
—Cheryl Rogers, High Affinity Markets, Disney

Marketing Graphic Design Services
June 11-12, New York City, USA
Taught by Cameron S. Foote, Principal, Creative Business Newsletter

Without regular and consistent marketing, a firm often finds itself on a feast-or-famine roller coaster at best, and at worst, struggling for its very existence. This seminar has a practical, real-world approach that's ideal for anyone who wants to improve his or her marketing ability, learn techniques for prospecting for new clients, needs to know more about hiring and motivating sales personnel, or would like to achieve a higher success rate in converting presentations into projects. More information.

“Cameron is knowledgeable and presents well, with interesting insights and info. A small price to pay for knowledge!”
—Craig Terrones, Principal, Creative Director, Graphica Communication Solutions

The DMI Senior Executive Workshop:
Strategies for Developing, Maintaining, and Sustaining a
Powerful Brand
June 16-18, London, UK
Led by:
Stephen A. Greyser, Richard P. Chapman Professor (Marketing/Communications) Emeritus, Harvard Business School
Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant

Among the most daunting tasks faced by senior executives in any enterprise is to develop, maintain, and sustain a powerful competitive brand in the global marketplace. The brand reputation of the company is one of its most important assets, and must be strategically managed at the highest levels.

The creation, and management, of a powerful brand requires an equal partnership between both strategic marketing and design expertise. This Workshop has been tailored specifically to address the problems faced by senior executive managers responsible for creating—or recreating—their company’s brand identity and meaning to multiple stakeholders. Participants will leave with an arsenal of new strategic management tools and state of the art knowledge of effective brand management. For more information and for an application, please visit www.dmi.org/executive.

“The workshop was well-organized and well-run. The complementary perspectives of Peter and Stephen provided valuable insights.”
—Mary McNeeley, Director, Visual Communications, Norfolk Southern Corporation

Managing Strategic Creativity & Innovation
August 12-13, Boston, USA
Taught by Alison Rieple, Professor of Strategic Management, University of Westminster-Harrow Business School (UK)

Designers are visionaries with important roles to play in the innovation process, and are key drivers of organizational success. And yet innovation, and the creativity that underpins it, is notoriously hard to manage. This seminar will explore why this is the case and how participants can work to overcome some of the problems inherent in bringing about something new in their organizations. More information.

“The information I received at this seminar has inspired me to do more and do it better—energy to keep doing what I do!”
—Wendy Hurd, Art Director, Jostens, Inc.

Using Design Research for Product and Brand Innovation
September 16-17, New York City, USA
Taught by Darrel Rhea, Principal, Cheskin

This seminar empowers design managers to integrate research into the design development process with confidence. It will give managers the tools to become advocates for research that actually produces better design and supports innovation. By knowing how, when, and what kind of research to use in the design process, managers can maintain control of their programs, and produce more effective products and brands. More information.

"The most valuable overview of practices and concepts in research for design plus innovation that I've ever found in one place."
—Richard Bird, President, R.Bird & Company

DMI Publications

Design Management Review, Winter 2004 (Vol. 15, No. 1)

Investing in and Supporting Design Innovation: Management Strategies that Sustain a Creative Spirit

In today’s fast-paced global markets, innovation is essential to corporate success. In addition to perfecting routine activities, then, organizations also have to pursue change and new ideas. Contributors highlight designers as vital players in the team effort to translate creative thinking into effective business strategies. They maintain that innovation can be managed and use case studies to showcase companies that have established an innovation culture. They discuss the infrastructure and research that support innovation, review mechanisms to legally protect innovation, and outline programs to nurture innovation in small businesses.

With this issue, the Design Management Journal has been renamed the Design Management Review. There's a new name but you'll find the same high quality articles and case studies. Visit the DMI Web site for more information about this issue of the Review, including subscription information and a list of articles. DMI members and Review subscribers will receive this issue shortly.

Free Download of the Month
Why These Ideas Work, But Seem Weird
By Robert Sutton, Professor of Management, Science and Engineering, Stanford Engineering School
Design Management Review, Winter 2004, Vol. 15, No. 1

To innovate, organizations need to enhance variance, see old things in new ways, and break from the past. They need to do things that make money later rather than now and to be open to creative failure. Robert Sutton refers to this as “organizing for exploration,” and in this excerpt from a recent book, he posits 11 1/2 “weird” ideas that nurture an innovative spirit—managerial toys that expand the frontiers and fuel the long-term success of corporate activities.

This free download has expired. Click here to read the executive summary for this article and the opportunity to purchase the article for direct download.
 

News & Events Around the World

Faces & Voices of Recovery National Contest
Deadline: April 12
Faces & Voices of Recovery, a national campaign based in Washington, D.C., is organizing the competition to develop a symbol that can be embraced by all recovery-oriented organizations and individual advocates. Info: info@facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.

AIGA Insight/Incite 3
April 15, Chicago, USA
The speaker will be William Drenttel, partner, Winterhouse, a design studio in northwest Connecticut. Info: aiga.org.

Integration and identity Conference
April 15-17, Calarasi, Romania
The first Euro Regional Design Conference "Integration and Identity" focuses on the creation of an Euro-Regional working frame for interacting creativity and experience on individual and institutional levels. Info: +40-722-855-490, cjcalarasi@calarasi.ro.

IDSA Midwest District Conference: "Shift Happens"
April 16-18, Chicago, USA
The conference with a difference, with events such as Fight Club, couch interviews, Design Slam, CAD Fight, workshops and an architectural tour. Info: www.idsachicago.org/shift.

Innies & Outies: Real World Issues Facing In-House and External Creatives
April 19, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
The NJ Communications, Advertising and Marketing Association (NJ CAMA) and InSource present a panel discussion on how to adopt powerful tactics for in-house and external creatives to work together. Info: www.njcama.org.

2004 IDSA Catalyst Award
Deadline: April 22
Open to any gold, silver, or bronze Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) winner from 1999-2001. Info: www.idsa.org.

Developing Long-Term Client Relationships
April 22, Boston, USA
At this AIGA event, two lead design firm principals, along with their long-term clients, will share how their collaboration has shifted and evolved over the years. Michael McPhersonr of Corey McPherson Nash, Andy Tiedmann of Harvard University, Amy Hardcastle of Hill, Holliday, and Colleen FitzPatrick of John Hancock will speak. Info: www.boston.aiga.org.

IDSA Northeast District Conference: "ID Dialogues"
April 23-25, Boston, USA
Join us for a 3-day continuous dialogue on important issues facing the industrial design community. Info: www.idsaboston.org/ned.

CHI2004 / ICSID Forum
April 25-26, Vienna, Austria
ICSID and ACM SIGCHI (Special Interest Group on Computer Human Interaction) announce an inaugural forum to forge new ties between designers of interactive systems, product designers, and related professionals. Info: www.icsid.org.

Icograda International Design Conference: Fronteiras
April 30, 2004, Sao Paulo, Brazil
This Icograda conference will explore the ways in which graphic designers from around the world address and adapt to societal challenges, economic change and industrial development. Info: saopaulo.icograda.org/web/who.shtml.

iF Communication Design Award 2004
Deadline: April 30
Entries for the 2004 awards are being accepted in these categories: digital media, print media, crossmedia, too good to be true, and concepts communication. Info: www.ifdesign.de.

International Workshop on Design Support
May 25-26, Cardiff, Wales, UK
The event will facilitate knowledge sharing and networking for those involved in the support and promotion of the use of design within small and medium sized companies. Info: www.iwds.org.

Smart Questions Workshop
May 20-21, Los Angeles, California, USA
The content will be based on the new book by Gerald Nadler and Bill Chandon: Smart Questions: Learn to Ask the Right Questions for Powerful Results. Info: www.breakthroughthinking.com.

Sappi Ideas that Matter
Deadline: May 31
Sappi Limited, through its annual Ideas That Matter grant program, has awarded grants to graphic designers around the world to design projects for the non-profit organizations of their choice. Info: www.sappi.com.

2004 SEGD Annual Conference & Expo
June 2-5, Philadelphia, USA
The conference theme of "The Power of the Individual" speaks to our role in making change. As designers and people of influence, each of us has the ability to create a better community and shape the future. Info: www.segd.org/conference.html

Red Dot Communication Design Award 2004: Strength in Communication Design
Deadline: June 18, 2004
Agencies and clients from all over the world are invited to submit their communication design works in these categories: Advertising, Corporate Communication, Financial Communication, Public Areas, Printed Values, Television and Electronic Media, Culture and Sport, Publishing and Multimedia. Info: www.red-dot.de.