News
Digital Strategy for phil&teds
4 Corners was recently engaged by phil&teds, the New Zealand-based nursery hardware company, to develop a full digital strategy for the company, who is looking to push more into the US market. Taking a thorough audit of the current site, best practice research of what's being done, and analysis of the trends, 4 Corners developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to enhance both the phil&teds e-commerce experience, and its presence in the social media world.
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Projects
Warnaco
Revitalizing a look and feel for a trusted brand with a rich history.
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Projects Warnaco
Warnaco
Revitalizing a look and feel for a trusted brand with a rich history.

Topics:
Warnaco, Brand Strategy, Identity Systems, Print Design, Marketing & Advertising
Warnaco, a trusted and respected name in the intimate apparel industry, needed an update in the look of three of its main brands – Olga, Body Slimmers, and Warner’s. Partnering with Warnaco, 4 Corners revitalized the look and feel of the three brands, determining the primary target audience for each and designing effective solutions for the identities, as well as packaging, labels, and in-store environments. The new looks differentiate between the three brands, and bring a freshness and vitality back to an organization with an impressive history.
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Projects
Element K
Establishing “knowledge” for the modern enterprise
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Projects Element K
Element K
Establishing “knowledge” for the modern enterprise

Topics:
Element K, Brand Strategy, Identity Systems, Naming, Print Design, Marketing & Advertising
4 Corners was engaged to rename, re-brand, and re-launch an established company – ZDE, the education division of Ziff-Davis. Working to develop an entirely new brand strategy and platform (“the knowledge catalyst”), 4 Corners worked to develop a new name (Element K) and visual strategy to capture the idea. 4 Corners worked to bring this idea to life with a powerful launch campaign, web site development, print collateral, trade show materials, and a state-of-the-art internal training program.
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Projects
DoubleClick / Diameter
Branding DoubleClick’s research division.
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Projects DoubleClick / Diameter
DoubleClick / Diameter
Branding DoubleClick’s research division.

Topics:
DoubleClick / Diameter, Brand Strategy, Identity Systems, Naming, Print Design
DoubleClick needed a name and brand platform for their newly acquired internet research division. 4 Corners began by developing a platform – “The Essential Element” – that positions the new company as a critical ingredient in online marketing and strategy. From there, 4 Corners developed the “Diameter” name – borrowing a word from geometry that at once conveys measurement, comprehensiveness, and technology – and the visual identity system: a simple wordmark and arrow symbol that “measures” any object imaginable.
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Projects
SmartEquip
Reengineering the industrial rental space
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Projects SmartEquip
SmartEquip
Reengineering the industrial rental space

Topics:
SmartEquip, Interactive Design, Information Architecture, Brand Strategy, Identity Systems, Product/Application Development
4 Corners developed the brand and product interface for SmartEquip, a company that creates new process and support software for the construction rental industry. The website and product site (also available on handheld devices) organized millions of pages of documentation and diagrams for use in maintaining equipment and ordering parts. Highly interactive, the site is an effective tool for the maintenance and efficiency of construction fleets.
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Discussion
Obama Campaign Logo - What could have been
Stumbled across this post in Logo Design Love which displays some of the contendors for the Obama presidential campaign logos. Some examples...

And my personal favorite:

Check out the rest here.

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Projects
McGraw-Hill Construction
Connecting people, products and projects online
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Projects McGraw-Hill Construction
McGraw-Hill Construction
Connecting people, products and projects online

Topics:
McGraw-Hill Construction, Interactive Design, Information Architecture, Brand Strategy, Print Design, Marketing & Advertising, Product/Application Development
McGraw-Hill Construction, a $3.4 trillion global company, needed an online platform to host over a million professionals, linking users to their vast database of resources and materials. To do this, 4 Corners designed the Sweets Network for Products, aimed at connecting people, projects, and products. The network catalogs, describes, facilitates, and helps users (including ten thousand manufacturers, engineers, and architects) interact and discover a myriad of online construction products. In addition, 4 Corners created the branding and advertising collateral including, brochures, rich media banners, multi-tier direct mailers, and print advertisements.
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Projects
Accenture
Reimagining an established brand for an interactive space
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Projects Accenture
Accenture
Reimagining an established brand for an interactive space

Topics:
Accenture, Interactive Design, Information Architecture, Brand Strategy

Accenture, a leader in the management consulting and technology field, wanted to move past its conservative image and better display its innovative spirit and ability to implement high-performance business strategies. In exploring the core audience of the website, 4 Corners learned that a large portion of the user group were internal Accenture employees doing research on case studies. Taking this and the brand spirit to heart, 4 Corners implemented a solution which highlighted the company’s outstanding abilities to outside clients while providing a valuable research resource for internal users.

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Discussion
The "Logo" Games
This morning I came across a really fascinating article covering...
Discussion
The "Logo" Games

This morning I came across a really fascinating article covering the debate over inexpensive online logo & "branding" companies by Doug Bartow (id29) via the Under Consideration design discussion blog Speak Up.

It highlights the ongoing debate of accessibility of design for all (income brackets) versus "...the devaluation of the design process altogether, particularly in brand development and identity design, which many consider the pinnacle of our field." – by cheapening the proverbial playing field.

In his field study of this issue, Doug commissions 4 different online companies to come up with logo options for a fictitious project and then analyzes and critiques the results. It is a good exploration of what you really get from these types of logo chop shops.

The Challenge: Hire four online logo design companies, give them the same visual identity problem to solve, then critique the results.

Take a look here.

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Projects
Office Depot Racing
Applying a brand to a new space and new audience.
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Projects Office Depot Racing
Office Depot Racing
Applying a brand to a new space and new audience.

Topics:
Office Depot Racing, Interactive Design, Information Architecture, Social Media, Technology & Development, Brand Strategy, Marketing & Advertising, Content Management
In an ongoing relationship with Office Depot, a NASCAR sponsor, 4 Corners has strategized, designed, and developed the website for Office Depot Racing. Creating and maintaining a website where fans can really connect with both Office Depot and Carl Edwards, the No. 99 NASCAR driver, 4 Corners leveraged social networking capabilities to provide an environment where fans can interact and showcase their own content, as well as receive up-to-date news, photos, videos, appearances, and race-related information.
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Discussion
2008 Olympic Mascots designs
The designs for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing have been...
Discussion
2008 Olympic Mascots designs

The designs for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing have been revealed, called "Fuwa" (below). It's being reported in the WSJ that even the mascots' designer doesn't want to take responsibility if these don't go down in history as iconic Olympic mascots.

Not that the Fuwa have been the only controversial mascots; since its inception at the Munich games in 1972, the Olympic mascot has always been a source of debate (more mascots below after the jump). The article goes on to state how the Fuwa may be the result of "Too Many Chefs" syndrome and a bureaucratic backlog, a challenge in trying to create an iconic image representing 1.3 billion people and their history - the five Fuwa were pared down from over 1,000 sketches submitted by the artist.

Not sure what I think about them...any thoughts?

Continue reading to see some other mascots from past Olympics...

The first Olympic mascot - Waldi (Munich 1972)

Cobi (Barcelona 1992)
Cobi, from Barcelona 1992

Izzy (Atlanta 1996)

Syd, Ollie, and Millie (Sydney 2000)

Athena and Phevos (Athens 2004)

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Discussion
Everybody's Doing It...
Rebranding & overhauling their corporate images that is... from...
Discussion
Everybody's Doing It...

Walmart is the latest, amidst the new identities of Delta, Do Co Mo and others recently.

Rebranding & overhauling their corporate images that is... from Starbucks to AT&T – and Walmart is the latest to jump on that bandwagon.

Check out this Businessweek article on corporate rebranding.

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Discussion
Parsing Walmart: This Is Not a Reaction
After the news leaked over the weekend, Walmart confirmed that it...
Discussion
Parsing Walmart: This Is Not a Reaction

After the news leaked over the weekend, Walmart confirmed that it will roll out a new de-hyphenated logo.

While most companies flog their make-overs, Walmart's overly restrained release seems intended to tamp down any speculation that the company is struggling to find a new sweet spot, as competitors get increasingly efficient and Target's model continues to pick up steam.

Here's the parse.

Walmart: Walmart U.S. Refreshes Stores' Logo

Translation: We're not changing our logo. We're refreshing it.

Walmart: For the past two years, a customer focused transformation has been taking place in Walmart's U.S. business.

Translation: We've pushed the price-as-the-only-differentiator model as far as it can go.

Read more

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Projects
Vintage New Zealand
A world of "social commerce" around New Zealand and its wine.
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Projects Vintage New Zealand
Vintage New Zealand sought to solve a unique problem in the American marketplace – create a single environment where customers can not only purchase all New Zealand wines in one location, but also experience the wines as much as possible in an online setting. 4 Corners developed extensive content, include video “Virtual Tastings” and interactive maps and features, that allow users to interact as much as possible with the wines before purchase. Also utilizing social networking features, users interact with each other and share insights, opinions, their own personal “cellars,” and experiences to bring forward the concept of Social Commerce.
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