Design Archives

Introducing JAC& Brand Workshops —

We’re incredibly excited to announce our new offering – JAC& Brand Workshops – designed to help small business owners add value to their business through a thoughtful branding and marketing approach.

Working in small groups we will explore what makes a successful brand, giving you the tools needed to speak clearly to your ideal client or customer. We will help you define your place in the market by clarifying your point of difference and establishing your brand character and story.

You will walk away with the knowledge needed to create a strong brand and a marketing strategy that fits your individual needs.

Workshops entail:

Presentation, guided exercises and discussions in a comfortable environment
Workshop tools supplied inc. notebook by Supply Paper Co.
Refreshments by Antipodes Water and lunch by Goldilocks
Post-workshop advice and resources

Workshop Schedule:

10.30-11.30
Defining your purpose and clarifying your offering

11.30 – 12.30
Developing brand story and character

12.30 – 1.00
Lunch by Goldilocks

1.00 – 2.00
Understanding your audience, position in the market and point of difference

2.00 – 3.30
Creating a realistic brand and marketing strategy

3.30 – 4.00
Questions and group discussion

If you would like to take part in a workshop, please contact Jac directly on jac@jac-and.co or 0450 189 308.

We’re doing a thing —

Join us on the 9th of November for a night of discussion and show n tell at General Assembly!

Jac will be sitting with artist and illustrator Ellen Porteus, designer and educator Jane Connory and Anna Reeves from That Startup Show to chat about how we work and create.

It’s free, but you’ll need to RSVP soon to secure a spot → www.generalassemb.ly

Award competitions are a scam —

Quite some time ago, we signed up for a service called Award Reminder. We believe in the work we do and are proud of the results we achieve with our clients, so from time to time we’ve contemplated entering our work into various design competitions. Every time we’ve gotten close to submitting, gut instinct tells us not to. The current state of design awards seems unfair and ultimately dishonest to us.

Award Reminder sent their final reminder last week, because (in their words) ‘award competitions are a scam’. Justus Bruns (founder of AR) explained why he can’t support something he doesn’t believe in and we couldn’t agree more with everything in the article.

You can read it here.

Like Justus, we agree that the concept of winning awards and being recognised for the work you do is great. However paying hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars just to take part feels ridiculous. Without a level playing field, the system is broken. Awards should be accessible to all designers, not just those with ample funds and a strong network.

We’re glad we’ve never submitted our work for a design award, and we’re really glad to finally read something that articulates our feelings so well. Until there is a competition that addresses this issue, you won’t see any JAC& work submitted for an award.

What is a brand? —

Type ‘what is a brand’ into google and you’ll be met with varied and conflicting answers. It’s a widely discussed and debated question that has multiple correct answers. The requirements of a brand will differ case by case, however there are a few core elements we believe should be considered by businesses of all shapes and sizes.

A thoughtful brand prioritises more than aesthetically pleasing visuals and a catchy tag-line. At JAC&, it’s our opinion that vision, character and identity must work together in order to communicate meaningfully.

Every JAC& branding project begins with a workshop to help our clients define and understand who they are, so their audiences can too. With their unique brand elements clarified, we encourage transparency in order to increase opportunities for growth and contribute to better working relationships.

We believe the most important factor of a strong brand (and business) is the quality of the relationships within it. The owner, employees, suppliers and particularly the designer should all have a strong understanding of the brand make-up. When each individual understands the brand thoroughly, they are able to contribute to the business’ success.

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To receive a copy of our process and costing booklet, please get in touch.

Where curiosity lies, great brands are born —

At JAC&, we’re lucky to share our studio with people working in different industries. This is a great daily reminder that the world doesn’t begin and end with design and an opportunity to gain insight into new processes and ideas. Being exposed to varied perspectives and values leads to thought provoking conversation and in turn increases our curiosity.

Leo Burnett said “Curiosity about life in all its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people”. We believe this is particularly relevant to the branding process. Where curiosity and a strong desire to understand lie, great brands are born. When approaching a new branding project, these are some of our key priorities:

To understand our client and their vision
In our branding workshops, we discuss and challenge our clients thoughts, ideas and goals. This collaboration is crucial to the design process, through doing this we learn as much as we can and help our clients discover who they are in order to communicate clearly.

Defining the audience
We dedicate time to exploring the desired audience and make sure the brand and audience values align. If these don’t align, business growth is unlikely. To create a brand that people connect with and develop brand loyalty, you need to understand who it is you’re talking to.

Understanding industry
With strong knowledge of the industry we’re creating within, we’re able to design with an intended point of difference. Taking note of common clichés and stereotypes, holding on to what’s useful and discarding anything that may damage brand integrity.

Lastly, but most importantly, we step away. One of our top priorities at JAC& is to make time to stay curious about non-design interests. For us, art is a great respite. Escaping the studio to see an exhibition, performance or even just exploring a favourite artist’s work on social media keeps us excited and inspired by creativity. Although it’s sometimes difficult to find the time or motivation to ‘step away’, we truly believe it’s the key to better creativity and more meaningful design results for our clients.

Read our interview with Grilli Type for a sneak peek into the studio and see a few things that inspire us.

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