s'more branding

have you guys seen the gamestop bunny commercials? so adorable! but i also think gamestop has come up with a good system with that cute little bunny. they've put out several commercials with him in it, as well as used him in their advertising in banners outside stores, cutouts inside stores, on their website, etc.

their logo and wordmark are always the same, but buck the bunny (that's really his name!) appears and does all the work in the advertising. as someone who plays video games (way too much, actually), i think they hit their target audience really well. the commercials show buck playing through classic, side-scrolling style video games and doing very video game-y things, like collecting coins and jumping on enemies. it's exciting! it's adorable! it makes me really, really want a buck the bunny of my very own!

(in case you haven't seen the commercials, here's one)

(and another!)

and here is some imagery of our friend buck, as a cutout inside a gamestop store:

graphic standards manual, rough draft

hey all,

here's what i've been working on for my graphic standards manual! i'm pretty happy with the direction it's going in. i'm working on the copy and etc. still, but if anyone has suggestions for layout, color choice, or anything like that, please let me know.

one thing i'm not really sure about is the other larks. i applied patterns to them through illustrator because i felt like the main lark should stand out, but i'm also feeling that the patterns are too disparate or dull. feedback on those would be appreciated as well. these are still in the development phase, so i'm also considering making my own patterns for each if nothing else works.

also, how the heck do you upload a multiple page pdf (or any pdf, for that matter) into a blogger blogpost?!

but i've never felt this way about crocs before!

we all know about crocs. i think they're pretty ugly and this seems to be the general consensus. BUT! just look at what some good branding can do!

first of all, those little guys are adorable. just look at them running to the door when she walks in! this commercial has taken a type of shoe i despise and turned it into a friendly little creature that just wants to make me feel comfortable when i get home. i also noticed their message that these shoes are focused on comfort, and are preserved for being at home and in a more casual setting than at work. this places the shoe in a specific context, which everyone doesn't follow (and which may be why i hate crocs so very much when i see them out on the street).

also notice that the shoes the woman is wearing when she gets up after her foot massage are way, way, way cuter than any croc i've seen. they're thinking of some good ideas over at croc inc. if the commercial AND the shoes appeal to me (even if i won't rush out to by those or anything), they have also successfully expanded their target market beyond the little old ladies and sometimes misguided middle-aged ladies i previously associated with crocs. i think this commercial is extremely effective and shows just how powerful good branding can be.