350. Del Taco's New Look.

Wow - it's been a long while since I've done one of these articles. When covering new identity work, you have to move fast. No sense being the second design blog to cover it, so if I felt like I was behind or that it was covered somewhere else, I just didn't post it. Most likely, you would see it somewhere else. But I think I got the jump on this one, so here goes.

Del Taco, the Lake Forest, CA based quick-service taco eatery, has just launched a new prototype store in California and Texas. Officially intended as a pilot program, the new prototype features a revised seating pattern to accomodate different types of groups; refreshed wall graphics that promote more of the latin heritage of the company—and I'm using the term heritage loosely here—and an increased focus on quality above the value for which they are most well-known. Currently the chain has over 525 stores in 17 states, so you may not see this change for quite some time at your local DT.

My main contact with the brand came in Phoenix where most of the restaurants are connected to gas stations. The only other thing I can recall about them is that they have ridiculously cheap tacos. Somehow, they've managed to undercut Taco Bell in both price and ambiance, which is remarkable. When your brand is making Taco Bell look extravagant, maybe it is time for a brand update?

Check out This Vintage Location (Minus the gas station, but with a cool sun logo. Let's bring that back!):

One of the first things that strikes this author, is the updated identity. They've taken all of the familiar elements within their logo (the hills, the sun, and the script-type) and given them a make over. The new mark has more angles and crisp tails in place of the softer, more cartoonish elements of the past. Everything is still there, it's just more refined. The sun looks less like a five-year-old crayon sketch and more like a circular saw blade, and yes reminiscent of the original. Yay. The hills more like actual western topography. And the script type gets a bit more style. The palette is roughly the same, with an additional dark orange band added to the sun. I don't think I'd say that I like the design of the new logo per se, but it's an appropriate update of the old, and I like it far better than the original. (Well, not the original original, that sun is pretty cool.) Take a look:

Del Taco Identity:

According to franchising.com, "Del Taco's fans also contributed significantly to the final logo and current new store prototype. Through focus groups and online surveys, Del Taco customers were given a chance to weigh in and assist in refining the new logo, new building design, and new colors."  It's always good to give the guy who walks up drunk to your fast food lane at 3:30am a say in your brand, I think. John Cappasola, Del Taco's Chief Brand Officer added, "Del Taco's fans also contributed significantly to the final logo and current new store prototype. Through focus groups and online surveys, Del Taco customers were given a chance to weigh in and assist in refining the new logo, new building design, and new colors."

Like I said, this refresh goes far beyond just the combination mark. The company paid a lot of attention the atmosphere of the restaurant, going for a clean yet friendly environment. It doesn't push any boundaries or conventions of what you expect from a fast-food joint, but it seems to do them all about as well as anyone else.

New Facade and Interior Shots:

A Fuzzy Little Peak at the All-Important Menu: (Where good design and common sense die. At least usually.)

The Salsa Bar Die-cut Wall Graphics: (Maybe the most interesting element in the whole redesign.)

More Die-cut Graphics and New Fangled Coke Machine:

Curb-Appeal? New vs Old:

Now, let's talk typography. For quite some time Del Taco has been using a typeface called, Haunted Mansion, or at least one exactly like it. As you'd expect, it's not exactly a classic face. Then again, it's not like we're talking about an authentic Mexican restaurant either, so it probably balances out in the end. Haunted Mansion does seem to have a ton of variants and terminals, and they've been used to some effect in all of the chain's posters, packaging, and website. You can see how the face may have actually inspired the custom typography in the updated identity, if you look close enough. Since, I consider DT to be somewhat trashy food, this somewhat trashy typeface seemed to work.

Haunted Mansion - Available Here:

A Good...er...Bad Example of Their Old Signage: (Check out their facebook page for more of this stuff. If you dare.) It's got a lot going on: dropshadows, textures, floating food, funky tribal elements, and in case you missed it: a 59 cent burrito.

In the newer looks, it appears that they've ditched most of the uses for Haunted Mansion and have replaced it with more traditional fare. I'm not sure if this will extend into other areas, or if it's strictly a wall-graphic treatment. It's hard to tell at this point. I'm torn here, because while the new type is more refined, I'm not sure that it matches as well. Could it be that bad typography in the right context is good typography? I guess so. (I think the top type is Archive Antique Extended, or something close. One of my personal faves.)

Overall, there's nothing too crazy going on here. It feels like a fairly typical QSR refresh meant to satisfy franchisee owners, board members, stock holders and the public. It's hard to please all four groups and still do something remarkable. The refreshed store and identity were produced in collaboration with San Francisco-based Tesser, Inc. Their portfolio is chock full of retail environment work for Ben & Jerry's, Dominos Pizza, Quiznos and KFC among others.

Throughout this whole article, I've been trying not to hold their Facebook Super Show deal against them. I almost made it.

349. Ad of the Week: Gap's Behind the Scenes.

So, I guess GAP has taken the challenge to try and make me like something they're doing. And they might be doing just that with a campaign that is launching this week called, Behind the Scenes. From looking at just the first few pieces they've produced, it seems like this is an attempt to distance themselves from the pop advertising of the past — and maybe distinguish themselves from corporate cousin Old Navy. The work will take the viewer behind the scenes of the company's various departments, highlighting the people behind the products. It's not exactly a new approach, but it might just be what the clothier needs to do to relaunch their brand, one that has been the target of so much negative press. (Or was all that negative press just on design blogs? I can't quite tell. Ha.)

The first spot weighs in at 1:30 and features GAP's 1969 denim studio in downtown LA, and all the eager faces behind the product - considered by most to be GAP's best. It's hard not to appreciate the effort and passion they seem to put into their work, and if it doesn't exactly change my perception of them as a corporation, it might just start that process.

Pico 1969 Denim Studio

Here's a nice quote from wwd.com, “It’s quite a shift,” from past campaigns, said Seth Farbman, Gap’s global chief marketing officer. “This is the beginning of a longer-term strategy” that continues for the holiday season and into next year at least, and also continues to feature different operations and people at Gap. Farbman, who is based at Gap’s Global Creative Center in New York, declined to disclose which Gap operation will be highlighted next."

1969 Denim Studio Profile: Rob Crews

1969 Denim Studio Profile: Masako

A product-specific ad/video/thing:

On one level, this seems to be much ado about nothing, but it still works. A little transparency, even quite polished transparency, can be beneficial if your brand has a story to tell, and I think everyone can agree that GAP is one such brand. Even if these spots are not the most surprising pieces of communication - my hope for this campaign is that it is just a start of things to come. Hopefully, more heartfelt, intelligent and eager advertising from the company and agency Ogilvy.

According to wwd.com, "The videos break this week on Web sites such as Cool Hunting and Refinery29 before blanketing the Internet next week with sponsored content on Refinery29, DailyCandy, FabSugar, Glam, Hulu, Pandora, LookBook, TrendCentral, Rolling Stone and Gap’s Facebook page."

There's some print and inserts and probably outdoor coming soon I'd expect, so I'll be sure to update that as soon as I see it. You can view more of the videos on GAP's Youtube page.

348. Matchbooks - A Poweful Advertising Medium.

I love this vintage catalog for ordering custom-printed matchbooks. I found this little gem a bit further below the embroidery typography book that Imprint linked to earlier in the week, and I'm glad I kept scrolling. Sure, like the straw post below, it's a small thing the matchbook, but this piece harkens back to a simple time. A time when matchbooks were a "powerful, result-producing advertising medium." Ker-pow. That's not just a matchbook in your pocket, it's a piece of strategically-defined communication. Respect.

If you wanted to customize your matchbook - you were certainly in luck. The catalog is crammed full of options, from stipple ink stock art to printing on the actual matches. Inside printing, matchheads, stems and striking surfaces could also be tweaked to your individual tastes and to tell your 'convincing story'. The supplier even had a skilled Art Department should you find all the normal, pre-packaged options to be unsuited for your marketing needs. (Can you imagine working at a matchbook art department?) They would have created a unique and distinctive cover for you, which might have included: dynamic layouts, specialized lettering (?), beautiful color schemes, and eye-catching illustrations. Imagine the possibilities!

I have to admit, I'm pretty fond of this wood-grain design:

You Can't Beat This: Matchless Games!

Perhaps my favorite option is the Super King Size 240's. Your business surely meant business if you were passing these monsters out. 

And remember, matchbook advertising doesn't cost. It pays. Dot. Dot. Dot.

Download the whole cataglog via Public Collectors, which is itself a pretty cool deal. They exist to make some collections that would ordinarily be lost, available to the public. "Public Collectors is founded upon the concern that there are many types of cultural artifacts that public libraries, museums and other institutions and archives either do not collect or do not make freely accessible. Public Collectors asks individuals that have had the luxury to amass, organize, and inventory these materials to help reverse this lack by making their collections public." Cool, eh? You can find them on Tumblr too.

347. Branding Is In The Details.

Branding is a funny thing. It, like advertising, pretty much includes everything a company does. Big things, like campaigns, product and promotion but also all the small things. The way a store smells when you walk into it. Maybe the music that's played. How their customer service answers the phone. And for fast food companies, the color of the straw they put into your drink. Sure, that's not as important as say—how quickly a company responds on twitter to a complaint—but if you have to use straws why not make it a subtle reminder of what's behind it? No small detail should go unnoticed including this one.

Some companies are really good at this. Starbucks even mentions their 'green straw' in some of their interior signage - almost as if it's a sign of class or something. And although I wouldn't go that far, every time you see a green straw, you know what it reminds you of, right? And that got me thinking. I started to collect straws and notice who is putting a little effort into theirs. Funny and sad at the same time, I've been thinking about this article for over a year. Ha. But I know how to put this topic in its proper perspective and know you can as well.

Humor me for a somewhat related anecdote. You've heard of the legend surrounding Van Halen and their request to have a bowl of M&M's backstage, but with all the brown ones removed? "...And make sure there's no brown ones in there!" It's used in production circles often as a joke on behalf of someone who is known for being particularly difficult. But the 'brown-out M&M contract' was actually a genius move by the band's management. If the band saw the candy bowl, and there were no brown goodies in the mix - they knew their contract had been read with the appropriate level of detail. Since their shows were legendary for their large-scale production values, they felt it integral that every detail was take care of in advance. Sure, the more important things like electricity supply, unloading docks and other logistics were the integral elements needed for a good show. The candy bowl was simply the canary in the coal mine, telling the band whether they needed to worry or that they could relax. 

So, that's kind of how I feel about quick-service restaurants and their straws. It means nothing, except that they've thought out everything from the largest of topics right down to the smallest. They're serious about their branding and image.

Can you name the companies to whom these straws belong? Of course, the first one is a gimmee.

These are all the ones that I could find that seemed to be purposeful branding decisions. Pretty much every other company uses a standard clear or white straw, which is a real shame. Some of these establishments could have a ton of fun with theirs as seen by my quick attempts to do just that. Try to guess which fast-food companies these straws represent (keeping the design as simple as possible.) Some of these are no-brainers, are you listening marketing managers? Answers far below.

My Suggested Straws For Other Fast Food Companies:

You have to admit, even though this is a silly excercise, it's still fun. (And by all means submit your own.) If I have one more serious suggestion to these companies it would be to make all their straws the ones with the bendy necks. They provide a superior drinking experience, as everyone already knows. It's worth the extra $.01 per thousand.

Straw Spoilers:

A. Starbucks of course. B. McDonald's - one of the first. C. Dunkin Donuts. D. Baskin Robbins. E. Taco Bell. I'm giving them credit for their slushy-like beverages. Their standard straw is generic. F. Dairy Queen. Also famous for those little red spoons. G. KFC. H.  Jamba Joice.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

I. Burger King. C'mon, the King should have a gold straw. End of story. J. Another easy choice. Chik-fil-A should have a cow straw. And I resisted making it an udder, because that's just gross. K. Wendy's should further extend their yellow cups into the straw. And nobody really owns that color yet. L. I thought long and hard about this, but it's for Jack in the Box. Somewhat clown-inspired, using their red and white scheme a bit differently. M. Arby's should use a nice burgundy straw. (By the way their new campaign is really bad. But their site design is interesting.) N. Subway. Keeping it simple, but it's yellow and green and perfect for them. Their plastic-wrapped straw really stink. O. The oft-forgotten chain of Long John Silver's. Utilizing their new colors makes for a handsome straw. P. Hardee's and Carl Jr's. An easy choice here. Though they're more apt to put a bikini model that strips when the straw gets cold or something. Q. White Castle. Done. R. Chipotle should take the foil they're somewhat famous for and use silver for their straw. Simple. But effective.

346. Ad of the Week: Weetabix - Big Day.

I'm a big fan of Weetabix. Well, not the original flavor, but the ones with the chocolate bits in them. Good stuff though quite difficult to find here in The States. Anyway, BBH just launched this spot, Big Day, and is a good example of how to do nice, solid, traditional storytelling. There's nothing fancy about the spot, it just gives you a good reason to properly fuel up in the morning. Everybody has a different reason to get the right start to their otherwise tough day, right down to the kid. Charming, in the usual British manner.

Weetabix Big Day:

(I go this via The Drum. They were all over it.)

345. Ad of the Week: Beck's Green Box Project.

This one will be interesting, especially after some time to develop and mature - but it has great potential. Becks, the first brewer to protect their beer behind green glass, has started a commission supporting augmented reality art around the world called the Green Box Project. Using an iPhone app—called The Key—users will be given access to a growing number of virtual art installations that showcase independent talent, something the brand has been doing for awhile now through their Art Lable Initiative (currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. The project is a partnership between the brewer, agency Mother London and independent artists from design, music, fashion and general art. These categories are referred to as the four passion points for their average customer. (Marketing talk, gotta love it.)

The Green Box Project:

The Key:

What makes these installations (up to 1,000 eventually) interesting, is that fact that they don't exist in the physical space - but must be opened via augmented reality when you are standing close to the virtual green boxes in reality. You check in with the app, and then experience the art. Not totally original in concept, but very intriguing in scale and setup. For the project launch on July 4th, artist Arne Qiunze gave the Statue of Liberty's torch a flame that could be seen through your smartphone. It looked something like this:

Currently on the project's site, only 18 of the artists are listed but anyone can submit a proposal for funding in the four areas mentioned above. If approved by the board, the artist will be given funding to bring their project to life, for a 2012 release around the globe. Let's keep an eye on this one over the next year or so.

The Fund:

 

344. Depth of Speed - A Little Americana.

Just in time for the 4th of July, comes Josh Clason's Depth of Speed series. Here's how he introduces this series on the video site: "Depth of Speed was born from a desire of story, travel, and a love of anything automotive related. Next year my wife and I will be taking to the streets to uncover and document the greatest stories from the automotive world. From coast-to-coast and from top to bottom, finding the best stories will take the highest priority. Every time I meet someone new or attend an event I amazed at the depth, passion, and love that the automotive world brings. Depth of Speed is just that, an in-depth look at these stories. There is something about motors and machines, that to an outsider looking in, would make us seem plain crazy."

So he and his wife set out for a year on the road pulling a 13 foot trailer as a base form which to live and to capture these stories. So far they have released three short films. The production value is top-notch as is the storytelling, even if you're not one who is normally excited by things automotive. The first video below highlights the work of Andy the pinstriping artist, and is my favorite of the three. What a craft. The other two aren't shabby though either, focusing on Chris Davenport of Salt Flats Speed Shop and Andy Carter founder of Pangea Speed, a custom motorcycle outfit.

If nothing else, this series makes me want to get out on the road this weekend. Enjoy and happy 4th from Graphicology.

Andy the Pinstripe Artist:

Salt Flats Speed Shop:

Pangea Speed:

Update on Jul 18, 2011 at 12:19PM by jj

They just added a new video in this series, this one highlighting the legendary BMW 2002.

343. The Girl With The Great Trailer.

I've not read a single word of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but I do know from talking to a few folks that it's originally a three book series by Swedish author, the late Stieg Larsson. I also know that there is a Swedish version of the film that people seem to really enjoy - though I have yet to see that either. I really came to this trailer not knowing much about the content of the films, except that it's pretty dark material. Oh, and there is a beautiful set of hardcover versions called the Millennium Trilogy Deluxe set that you can order from Amazon. (It's typically minimal Swedish design, but there is a lot of nice touches to love from an art director's standpoint. Really well-crafted books. See below or view the Amazon link that shows a video of the Art Director who designed the covers.)

Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy Deluxe Boxed Set: 

The recently released trailer for the film is wonderful from a storytelling aspect. Unlike most trailers that either give away too much of the plot, are produced into a jumbled mess of one-liners, or just fit into the usual mold of the movie business as usual, this one actually teases. Just by watching this trailer, I know I want to see this film.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Trailer:

So why does this trailer work? let's break it down.

 The Soundtrack. The film is pretty dark, so who better to build the score than Trent Reznor himself? Coming off the pretty successful soundtrack for The Social Network, the former (or current?) frontman for Nine Inch Nails is making a new career for himself in Hollywood. Other than Daft Punk's ridiculously cool soundtrack for Tron (that was snubbed in Oscar-town), Reznor produced the best work last year and did in fact take home the Oscar for Best Original Score with Atticus Ross. So we have Reznor at the peak of his powers, doing his own interpretation of a Led Zeppelin tune, Immigrant Song. One could argue that this song would have worked on its own, but I prefer the update - in this particular case - because the updates help the song better match the film. That's not to say that the original doesn't matter. On the contrary, it's the perfect choice. The tweaks just help keep it relevant. So, we have a rocking tune that paces the experience, what else?

The Editing. Almost as if you are blinking more than normal while watching, the editing gives you just enough glimpses into this world that you can't help but want more; but not enough that you feel grounded into the story. These peeks move too quickly which only adds to the uncertainty of what you are seeing while being introduced to much of the cast and locations. You see everything but only in thin slivers. And of course, this editing trick matches perfectly the soundtrack we discussed above.

The Color. The trailer, which most likely matches much of the movie, is dark. Literally. The blacks are crunched to the point that you lose a lot of detail. Which seems to be a theme in this trailer, only giving enough to tweak your interest, but never a full view. Even the scenes of winter with all that white snow manage to feel black. Everything is shadow and evil.

The Voiceovers. Thankfully, there are none. And that makes it easy to forget that you're watching a trailer and get sucked into the movement of this short film. I'm sure they talked about having a voiceover, and am glad they decided against it. And the soundtrack provides all the overt messaging one needs.

The End. The way a trailer ends is probably the most important aspect in its success. And this one comes to a frenetic, mangled, and pulsating end. It leaves you on a high, much like a car driven too fast off a cliff, with broken but bold sans serif type proclaiming that this movie is coming with a vengeance, The Feel Bad movie of Christmas. Normally, I'd cringe at that tagline due to all the bad horror films and awful comedies that have used the same messaging before, around the holidays—but this one seems to mean it. The whole thing feels almost more of a warning, even the touch at the end where it simply says, Coming, instead of coming soon.

This trailer single-handedly made me interested in not only this movie but also the series of books. Not bad work for a minute and a half. It will be interesting if David Fincher can pull off this somewhat-of-a-remake.

342. Audi A6 Ad - Exported from Portland?

Not much to say here, except that some German ad agency has a lot of 'splainin to do. Re-watch the Chrysler 200 Eminem spot from last year's Super Bowl; then take a peek at the most recent Audi A6 spot. Anything seem a bit peculiar to you? According to Autoblog, "The Detroit Free Press reports that Eight Mile Style, Eminem's song licensing company, is suing Audi for this German ad for the A6 Avant that is said to use an unauthorized interpretation of "Lose Yourself" from the Eight Mile movie soundtrack."

But it's not just about the music. Ripping the soundtrack, cinematography, content AND storyboard from a single spot seems to be reckless to me. (And the result shows the difference between good creative and bad.) Small differences actually make big differences. Sure, parody is fine and can be funny - but this is straight up plagiarism.

I do think it would be fun to keep duplicating the spot, one version after the other—in much the same way that a key is copied—until the original reference is no longer recognizeable. Of course, that might have rendered a much more interesting advertisement.

Chrysler 200 Super Bowl Spot:

Audi A6 Imported from Berlin?

341. InFocus Worst Powerpoint Slide Promotion.

image courtesy of infocusInFocus, a leading maker of projectors, displays and other presentation equipment recently ran a promotion looking for the world's worst Powerpoint slides called, What Not to Present. I think this is a brilliant example of a promotion that fits a companies brand while not taking itself too seriously. Sure, they could have run a 'best Powerpoint slide' competition, but where's the fun in that?

These are the types of assignments that an agency (or in-house creative department) do on a regular basis that usually don't get much love from the outside world. These are also the types of promotions that thousands of companies do three or four times a year but are usually mediocre at best. So this one deserves a bit of credit. Sure, this isn't executed in a way that would appeal to many creative award shows but it's simple, smart and humorous - all good things in our view. Yes, they could have had a lot more fun promoting this contest (and that might have been enough to give it more creative heft), but the idea is pretty fun at its core. (I'd love to run a worst slide in advertising contest! I'm pretty sure we have some whoppers out there.) Here are a few examples of the contest submissions with more at the link above.

Uh, Makes Sense to Me:

Contest Winner: It's Good to Set Clear Goals:

Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should: