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Charlie Ward, one of DNA's Wellington Design directors is travelling the country speaking on a dinz (designers institute of New Zealand) speaking tour. Charlie is discussing his current project documenting the Wanganui Maori battalion and after speaking in Auckland recently heads to the sunny south to present inn Christchurch and Dunedin on the 1st and 2nd of September. International award winning print and interactive designer Charlie Ward has spent more than 20 years creating iconic brands here in New Zealand and in the UK. Since moving to New Zealand and joining DNA 10 years ago, Charlie has created some of our most powerful brand identities such as Icebreaker's Horn Man, the All Blacks redesign before the 2004 World Cup, and brands for creative companies like Krafthaus films, and the Chatham Islands people for the Hokotehi Moriori Trust. His work has been selected for International awards in D&AD UK, ID Magazine Awards USA, Graphis Publications and New Zealand Best Awards. Inspired by originality and new ideas, Charlie creates powerful stories, distinctive and impactful brands and experiences.
The New Zealand marketing community had plenty to celebrate on the night of the 2010 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards. We’re very proud to say that this is the second year running that DNA has been the design partner for the awards, which are going from strength to strength. Attendance was up, the new venue was great and the standard of work was nothing short of inspiring.
The awards recognise marketing excellence driving business results and as such the concept we brought to life this year was The Science Of Marketing.
You can see who the big winners were on www.nzmarketingawards.co.nz and check out photos from the DNA Powered PhotoBooth here dna.co.nz/magallery.
NZ Marketing Magazine is also out now so pick up a copy and get full details on all the winners and what made them successful.
DNA are proud to uncover a number of our latest projects across brand, packaging and digital. We are on the cusp of releasing and case studying a raft of new work in digital, brand, retail and integrated campaigns - so watch this space...
VnC - A fruitful partnership!
DNA and VnC Cocktails Ltd have been working together to evolve VnC branding. VnC have a quirky, energetic brand that is full of life and they required guidance around best usage on collateral and recent packaging and range extension in order to highlight some of their key messaging - no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives - and further highlight the use of 100% fruit juice. So stay tuned to see the final result.
Telecom Wholesale web space
As Telecom Wholesale began to forge its own business space within the Telecom Group, it needed a new website that would distinguish it as a separate entity from retail, while still remaining loyal to the well-established Telecom brand. The new website also needed to be intuitive and user friendly – with the option to personalise your own home page if you were a logged-in user. Using clean, fresh design with a simple, intuitive look and feel, DNA created a website that really engaged with users. The website was later updated to work with the Telecom rebrand, but because of the outstanding initial design and build, this was an easy process.
First NZ Capital brand evolves
Following completion and launch of the First NZ Capital website, DNA were tasked with updating the full suite of FNZC collateral to refresh the brand and bring it in line with the website. DNA created a framework that allowed for a consistent application of the revised brand across all major touch points. The biggest shifts were updating the longstanding origami creative approach (initiated by DNA a few years ago) to a more understated and refined look, reducing and defining the colour palette and introducing a brand pattern for use on internal facing documents with the origami on customer facing applications. Check out the site at www.firstnzcapital.co.nz.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Careers take off
DNA have recently partnered with Tauranga based software company Cucumber to deliver this new site for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. The challenge was to create a site that would showcase Fisher & Paykel Healthcare as a fantastic place to work, while at the same time appealing to the kind of people that they were looking for. The final site combines full-screen photography, videos, and a range of other supporting elements (such as a photo gallery) to create an engaging experience that reflects the Fisher & Paykel Healthcare brand, and gives visitors a real insight into what it's like to work there. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare love their new site, and it has already received lots of positive feedback from potential candidates and other visitors. Check it out at www.fphcareers.com.
DNA are delighted to again be brand provider and sponsor of the 2010 Marketing Awards (that’s the TVNZ / NZ Marketing Awards).
Following last year’s successful relaunch in collaboration with the mad cap crew at HB Media, DNA are supporting the Awards again this year - helping to continue to create an invigorated and refreshing Awards programme and event for New Zealand’s marketing professionals.
The boat has been pushed out, the ante has been upped, and the campaign is out there now. Measurability and results are critical to success in the Awards, so the DNA creative has used this along with a dash of humour to drive entries this year. There’s a focus on numbers, measures and a few home truths, plus a periodic table of award categories as the creative driver, building on the rebrand introduced by DNA last year.
Entries are open now, and you can find out more about categories, past winners and the new categories including Export, Sustainability and Transformational Marketing when you visit www.nzmarketingawards.co.nz.
Congratulations to David Stubbs from Krafthaus and Thomas Robins from Flow, along with the rest of the KHF Media and Resevoir Hill team, on their recent Emmy win at the recent 2010 International Digital Emmy Awards in Cannes. See the website, designed and built by DNA, for more on this popular online series and the creative brains behind it at www.khfmedia.co.nz.
Carolyn Vize, DNA’s very own Brand Account Director/Mother Hen (yes, she’s blonde too) and everything in between, is leaving for the sunny shores of Brisbane after 16 years at DNA. Caz will live on in our hearts and in our lives as she has been such a significant part of the place... and it does seem a bit like it is the end of an era.
Caz will leave a pair of very big shoes to fill, but by our reckoning we will find about 6 people to take over from her. Think you can fill them, or one of our other roles?
Take a look at DNA careers.
Get them to check out #AMPScholarships - they're taking applications! Apply online now at doyourthing.co.nz. AMP Scholarships is the latest initiative from AMP, who provides quality financial advice and offers products from insurance to investments, lending, retirement savings (including KiwiSaver) and financial planning.
Congratulations to Trilogy for being a finalist in the Dominion Post 2010 Wellington Gold Awards. Trilogy came in under the category of Global Gold - products. We think it’s the combination of high-quality, natural products and great brand that did the trick. Check them out at www.trilogyproducts.com.
Reservoir Hill, an exclusively online drama where viewers could interact with the main character, is the latest kiwi sensation to have taken the world by storm.
Recently nominated for an International Digital Emmy Award, the series was consistently one of the most viewed shows on TVNZ Ondemand during its eight-week run. The other nominees in the category hail from countries including China, Canada, Finland, Brazil, Germany and the United Kingdom. The International Digital Emmy Awards will be held on 12 April 2010.
The lads behind the Resevoir Hill series are David Stubbs from Krafthaus and Thomas Robins from Flow, who joined forces under KHF media. We were briefed on the website requirements a week before the announcement was made, so designed and built the site pretty quickly. It’s still a work in progress, but take a look.
DNA have worked with Krafthaus here in Wellington for many years on all sorts of projects, from Weltec commercials to Telecom DVDs and launches to Victoria University promotional videos, and built the Krafthaus site back in 2005.
DNA Managing Director Grenville Main was interviewed by Catherine Masters of the New Zealand Herald on whether New Zealand needs to change our flag, and if so how to go about it. The full interview covers Grenville’s view that first and foremost we need to run a robust process – change or not. Excerpts of that conversation follow.
“Firstly I think the key point to acknowledge before you guide the country (and the designers) through the exercise should be; Remember what Identity is about and that it entails – to me that is about past, present and future - we need a clear and unified sense of what that is. The flag is intrinsically linked to how we project and self identify – so going forward (rather than how the flag was designed last time around), identity is also going to be about getting the right balance between the 3 c’s; Commercial; Cultural; Communities...and it’s Complicated”.
“People always want to jump in to specifics and outcomes...I think we first need to see what it should symbolise rather than what it could. It could be about an expression of who we are; it could express where we are; or best of all both of these and express why we are”.
“Right now I know what it shouldn’t be – and that is most of the recent options - not a koru, not a fern, not a map, not coloured stripes and not a kiwi”.
“Visually, it should be an expression of independence, individualism, the edge, freedom of spirit, our vision, our progress in the world and what we stand for...We have many icons and plenty of ideas (from 100% pure, kiwis, black, green etc) – but do any of them do all of the above well? Too many of the icons are too insular – we know what they mean but does anyone else in the world?”
“The big question we need to agree this first and foremost - does it represent our sense of place, our people, our position or our progress in the world?”
The article published on 6th February 2010 carries a brief excerpt of the full interview. Read it here.
Friday the 19th February saw a glamorous event to launch the ONYAs awards - New Zealand answer to the Webby’s. The night concluded the two day webstock conference in the capital.
Under the Most Innovative category (sponsored by Idealog), the finalists were Ponoko, the team at Xero and DNA, YouDo and Powershop for the Powershop site. Powershop won - so congratulations to them and to the team involved. Powershop were rated the best Power company in New Zealand by Consumer magazine in December 2009, and have been growing their customer numbers like a firm possessed.
Read the full article here.
To find out more about the ONYAs visit www.onyas.org.nz.
One box, fifteen days, 29 tweets, 32 facebook posts, 225 donations and $5,000 for Haiti.
Nicola Gledhill of DNA Wellington had to do something to support the earthquake victims in Haiti. She doesn’t do things by halves.
“Sometimes it pays to think inside the box. When I set up a challenge to raise funds for the earthquake in Haiti I had to do exactly that – spending an entire day wearing nothing but a cardboard box, and raising $5000 in the process”.
“The recent devastating earthquake in Haiti pushed me to do more than just donate. I wanted to inspire other people to make a difference. Armed with some creative suggestions from colleagues at DNA, I promised that if I reached $1000 I would wear nothing but a cardboard box all day to work, on the train, at my desk, out at lunch - everywhere.
“I set up a donation page through Fundraise Online and sent a link out to friends and colleagues via email, Facebook and Twitter. Within an hour of setting up the page I was getting donations from people I'd never met, along with some really positive feedback and encouraging messages. I reached $1000 in less than three days. As an additional incentive, I pledged that if I reached $10,000 I would get the total amount tattooed on some part of my body.
Charlie Ward from DNA designed the Haiti emergency-inspired artwork for the box, and Aaron Carson needs to be credited for his original idea of ‘A Day in Cardboard Box Fashion’. Nicola’s Haiti Cardboard Box Challenge generated national interest from radio stations, newspapers and television.
You can still support the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti by donating at www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/nicola_for_haiti
So there it is - One box, fifteen days, 29 tweets, 32 facebook posts, 225 donations and $5,000 for Haiti. Box me up, baby.
At DNA, we’re all for going bananas. As long as they’re good bananas – like the tasty, fair-trade bananas from our friends at All Good.
Founded on the principle that food that’s good for you should taste good and be good for the people who grow it, All Good Bananas are a New Zealand first: great tasting ethical and organic 'nanas that are good for the growers, and good for you.
DNA's challenge was to create the foundation onto which a broad, varied and continually shifting roster of creative platforms and consumer interaction could collaborate and contribute to the worthy cause at hand - oh, and sell a few bananas along the way. We started with a bit of brand evolution and the first deliverable – the banana bags, and then got on with key concepts for messaging in store, and finally now that the bananas are available in a store near you - we progressed to working through how to build community links and tell the fair-trade story – so up sprouted the All Good bananas website, allgoodbananas.co.nz.
Of course, All Good isn’t just about selling bananas. It’s about contributing to a global movement. On the site we’ve incorporated Fairtrade resources and used social networking platforms like Twitter, Facebook and You Tube in the site we created so people can really connect with their bananas, and with each other.
In store the All Good stands have posters and consumer information, and for a limited time the friendly ladies from Oxfam are chatting to consumers about the merits of Fairtrade. Working closely alongside Simon Coley, DNA worked on the brand, packaging, communications and the site, and the clever guys from Doublefish had a hand in a few of the additional creative and copy executions, plus the great work of illustrator Beck Wheeler really makes the brand stand up, stand out and sing.
Check out the site to find out more and find a store near you.
With over thirty years combined experience in liquor retail, Tim Wilkins and Dale Hurman asked DNA to help realise their vision for a different kind of online wine store. With the obvious growth in online sales and the competition swimming in a sea of sameness, they saw a real opportunity.
DNA developed a brand identity and designed a site that delivers on the idea that choosing and buying wine should be easy and fun, and should meet or exceed the buyers’ expectations for service. Real, honest, easy wine.
At thegoodwine.co.nz you’ll be able to find a great range of reasonably priced wines, a jargon-free guide to what wine to serve and when and some simple pointers for food matching. You'll also be able to see the story behind the wine you're buying and descriptions that won’t put you to sleep!
Excerpt from Idealog Guide:
Grenville Main, Managing and Creative Director of DNA, talks to Idealog about early stage brand development.
What you get out of market research is largely a measure of what you put in. If you find yourself asking very general questions and getting useless answers, go back to your core idea.
DNA’s Grenville Main suggests that once you have your side of the story straight, the research challenge is, “Seeing customers more as people you really give a shit about. What do people really think?”
Excerpt from Idealog Guide:
Grenville Main, Managing and Creative Director of DNA, talks to Idealog about early stage brand development.
“You can bolt on a brand later if you understand the insight from your customers,” says Main, “But you have got to follow the basics. There are key things which you need to feel in control of, and be confident about, especially this: What is the specific issue or opportunity your service or product is looking to address?”
Excerpt from Idealog Guide:
When online power retailer Powershop first approached DNA, it wasn’t to talk about a logo or typefaces. It was about how to turn a geeky idea into a consumer reality.
We've just launched the first issue of an exciting new online publication called Open . Catering for anyone interested in the evolving world of customers and consumers, Open will identify issues, challenge conventional wisdom and explore new ideas in the customer space through a mix of articles, interviews and trend lists. It'll also be a place for showcasing the different ways smart New Zealand businesses are adapting to stay relevant and successful during some pretty challenging times.
As well as being a good read, Open aims to be a useful tool, exposing those of us that work with customers to new thinking and helping us keep up with the pace of change. Open will be published every two months and each issue will have a core topic.
In this first issue we've focused on 'new ways of buying'.
DNA is proud to be a part of Idealog's Guide to Commercialising your Ideas. This is a new supplement series and website, purpose-built to inspire Kiwis to become world-beating innovators, raking in millions from all over the globe. It contains advice and experience from some of the country's top innovation experts-specialist lawyers, accountants, bankers, incubators and us!
The guide cuts the innovation process into bite-sized chunks; from ideation right through to selling your idea, product or business.
Instalment One of the Guide, covering Ideation through to pre-launch, is on sale with the Jan/Feb editions of Idealog and NZ Marketing magazines on Dec 10th. It'll also be online at idealog.
The 2009 Best awards winners have been announced and DNA are pretty happy with our haul of gongs this year. Still going strong since their launch in 1989 - the Best Awards are a celebration of the peak of graphic, spatial and product design in New Zealand.
The Awards ceremony was in Auckland last Friday the 16th at the Auckland Museum. The venue itself is pretty stunning as it has amazing 360 views of all of Auckland city, the suburbs and sea - and the crowd of 300+ were wildly excitable and seemed keen on a drink or two before the big night ahead.
The work we entered this year was a pretty even balance between projects and clients from both our AK and WN offices (we had decided not to enter any web or online work instead concentrating on other award programmes). We had a good cross section of work, being represented in seven out of 11 categories.
The final take for DNA was 2 gold, 2 silver and 9 bronze.
To view all the DNA awards we have a trophy case (well the inventory list you can check out) or to see more about the 2009 DINZ Best design awards, go to www.bestawards.co.nz.
DNA are really excited about being a category sponsor and the brand supporter this year for the re-launched TVNZ / NZ marketing awards....HB media have recently re-launched Marketing Magazine and a new ‘Stop Press’ site. Now we are helping them as they create an invigorated and refreshing new awards programme and event for New Zealand’s marketing professionals - that celebrates the very best of what they do. The Awards have been entered, judged and now it's just down to the envelopes and the shouting. This year the awards presentation and event is being held on Friday, October 30 at the Crowne Plaza in Auckland.
Finalists - 13
Categories - 7
Well another year rolls around and the creative teams have had a few late nights lately entering some of our work from the past 12 months. We are pretty pleased so far - considering we didn’t enter that much work this year, and we have quite a few finalists selected – and also considering our online team (foolishly) didn’t enter anything (instead opting to focus on the Onya’s which are a new initiative from the good guys who brought us Webstock – check them out at www.onyas.org.nz). So the result is good as we see it, being a pretty even balance between projects and clients from both our AK and WN offices, and a great spread of work all round across many categories. Our finalists are below (We have a good cross section of work, in seven out of 11 categories), and of course we are delighted for our clients - and thank them for working with us and for valuing the power of creative problem solving. We have our fingers crossed for October the 16th.
Our finalists are:
- Corporate Communication
Jag Living collateral and DM - Graphic design arts
NZ Post - My World
BNZ graphics
The 'Serrano' font for BNZ - Identity Development (Large scale)
BNZ brand - Identity Development (Small scale)
NZ Post - My World
KV Consulting brand - Packaging
Trilogy (new ranges for men and anti aging)
Workout
Jagair (flight momento packaging) - Self promotion
DNA welcome wall
DNA portraits
DNA Japanese Rock’n’roll event - Visual communication
NZ Post - My World
The BNZ is a market leader in developing new and innovative approaches to banking through its retail network. Following the development of a strategic framework, DNA was engaged to run the redevelopment project for Out of the Box banking, which launched in July 2009.
Read the article by our insight strategist, Sherryn Macdonald, about how DNA optimised the Out of the Box concept with an inside-out approach.
Wellington Combined Taxis is New Zealand's first carbon zero fleet. This is a huge initiative and significant investment for the firm. DNA are pleased to have helped Wellington Combined to brand and market this milestone to passengers and the public. In Wellington you'll notice 20 cars - from the largest fleet in the capital - in full livery as well as all of the cars proudly displaying the carbon zero badge. Wellington Combined believe that even in recessionary times it's important to remember the right thing to do and they know that consumers have a choice, and green is a strong decision point for many of them. The details of the programme and the initiative can be found on their website, or by catching a cab, which will have an information panel so their customers not only get a better service, but are better informed as well.
Congratulations to Wellington Combined combined from all of us at DNA.
Trilogy is one of New Zealand's great recent success stories, - the Kiwi grown skincare brand started by sisters Catherine de Groot and Sarah Wells has gone from strength to strength in the last five years. This month they have grown their range yet again with the launch of an anti-aging range and a new men's range. Their success is well documented (you know, being in the 'Fast 50' year on year, extraordinary sales growth and huge success in loads of international markets)... so check out the following links for more on their latest releases and how to buy their products online.
http://www.trilogyproducts.com
http://www.trilogyproducts.com/store/browse/ageproof
http://www.trilogyproducts.com/store/browse/mens
On Wednesday 4 November BNZ was ‘closed for good’. The BNZ launched a community initiative that we think is pretty brave - and pretty major if you are a school, charity or community organisation anywhere in New Zealand. They closed their offices and branches for a day and let their staff get out into their local communities to do projects that benefitted New Zealanders and communities up and down the country. Projects included causes and initiatives within the community from projects for local schools, painting a local kindergarten and helping in an aged-care facility to organised environmental clean-ups and rejuvenation projects (e.g. tree plantings). It’s completely new way for the bank to help New Zealanders be better off.
To find out more follow twitter on http://twitter.com/ClosedforGood
or visit the site at www.closedforgood.org
Well, the ads are on TV again and the great New Zealand regional rugby battle is about to commence for another year. DNA designed the brand for the competition when it launched a few years ago, and we are glad it’s all still going strong this year. The first game is in Blenheim on the 30th of July between Tasman and Taranaki and expectations of a great competition are high. The competition has been successful over the years – but that said there is a cloud over the shape of the competition for next year...with a reduced number of teams being suggested. Check out the DNA case study to see some of the work we have done for the NZRU and the All Blacks.
The Designers Institute of New Zealand are running a winter series of presentations under the theme of collaboration. Hayden Vink from DNA and Simon Coley from Powershop talked about what Powershop is and the challenges of building the product from scratch at the Wellington event held at the Formway showroom on the 24th of June. The follow up is on the 29th July in Auckland.
Simon is a key team lead for Powershop. Any part of the Powershop experience that a customer or potential customer can see (or hear) is Simon's responsibility. This extends across the entire customer lifecycle, including above-the-line campaign management, online acqusition, Powershop public website, and Powershop application look and feel and usability.
Hayden leads DNA's Powershop team, who worked closely with Simon and his team to design the Powershop application and acquisition site.
Design Team: Hayden Vink, DNA and Simon Coley, Powershop
Collaborative Project: Powershop - Power To The People
For more information visit: www.dinz.org.nz
To coincide with New Zealand Music Month Thom publishing has launched the Great New Zealand Songbook. The book includes two CDs featuring 42 classic New Zealand songs by everyone from Split Enz and Dragon, to Shihad, Ladyhawke and Fat Freddy's Drop. It also features the Netherworld Dancing Toys classic For Today, written by Malcolm Black and Nick Sampson. Dick Frizzell created the overall look for the book and each songwriter was asked to contribute a double page spread. We helped Nick create the For Today page. The initial idea came from our Auckland Creative Director Steve Maskell. Designer Sarah Melrose then realised the design with retouching help from by Simon Moen in our production team.
To find out more about the book visit www.greatnewzealandsongbook.com.
We have been working to deliver a totally new experience for Telecom customers in store...via Touch screen applications designed by DNA and a programme of content managed on a monthly basis. Modules are designed for phones and plans, broadband business and the latest video and games for mobile phones.
DNA has been providing dynamic content, campaign extension and interactive content to Telecom for retail, events and other online channels form many years. During 2008 Telecom begin fitting improved interactive displays and touch screens into their retail stores, linked by a central content management platform (eyemagnet).
To see the case study visit our touchscreen case study or contact us.
Meridian Energy launches Powershop - an alternative online energy retailer in to New Zealand’s retail electricity landscape. How can you take people from - pay for what you use - to buy what you need? That was the real challenge for Meridian Energy when they wanted to launch an alternative online energy retailer in to New Zealand electricity landscape The business model and market approach was totally new. They needed to not only build a brand but to build a product first. They sought DNA’s help to use insights to define how best to build a solution and user experience that would allow customers to relate to the value proposition and their new found ability to be in control of buying power themselves – both of which were a new ‘mental model’. Powershop launched February 2009…so its early days but site visits and sign-ups have started and are growing now that advertising has started. Watch this space...
Read our case study or visit the Powershop website at www.powershop.co.nz.
The new BNZ font Serrano gets good rap – both here and within the type community worldwide...and it goes to show that custom fonts are more possible than they used to be and they can provide a great brand tool. A large organisation can tailor its brand delivery and implement and license affordably a unique brand element that can be tailored to the profile, values and customer profile of the company. Type blog Frankie has this to say: "An important part of corporate design and branding in general is the font used online and offline. That’s no secret – the typeface must be readable (or not) and transport in a distilled way the character of the brand. A nice example is the font "Serrano" a custom font made for the Bank of New Zealand made by Klim Type Foundry under the direction of DNA. If you think that having a new font from scratch is too expensive you might also contract with the type foundry that you don’t have the exclusive rights to the font to bring down the price. But in the end the benefits from having your own font is priceless;-)"
Check out the case studies where DNA have worked with Kris Sowersby at Klim previously; for the All Blacks, Hokotehi Moriori Trust and also Victoria University.
Visit Frankie at www.frankie.bz
Visit Klim foundry at www.klim.co.nz
"Touch the mind of the genius" was the call to action for this exhibition.
Leonardo da Vinci has been described as one of the world’s first technologists in the modern sense of the word.
The Leonardo Da Vinci Machines Exhibition is a collection of machine replicas Crafted by Teknoart, the internationally acclaimed group of Florentine artisans. The models are based on Leonardo's original drawings from his Codices. They are carefully crafted using the materials that he specified in his designs and sketches.
The craftspeople who produced the models have done so with incredible integrity, but this is a show that is less about their abilities to faithfully reproduce and get these models working and more a representation of the genius, diversity and imagination of the man himself. It provides a unique insight into a mind that was a half millennium ahead of its time.
As the exhibition is in a twenty-first century context, we felt it was important to examine it from a contemporary perspective, one that requires the audience to re-evaluate what they think of the work, the man and to reflect on their own powers of creativity.
Rather than borrowing on the expected, we decided it was important to present Leonardo in a new way to Wellington audience. A contemporary arrangement of type was set against a playful placement of a Leonardo portrait. This was supported by copy that got viewers to see Leonardo in a new light; "Meet the man 500 years ahead of himself" and "Touch the mind of the genius". It was important an element of 'doing' was in the copy lines as the exhibition was interactive; many of the machines were able to be operated by the viewer.
Our approach seemed to strike a chord. They quickly filled up with school bookings and foot traffic increased significantly as promotional material was released and word of mouth kicked into gear.
DNA is a sponsor and design provider for the exhibition which runs from 08 November 2008 through to 15 February 2009 at the academy of fine arts on Queen’s wharf in Wellington.
We saw this site as a unique opportunity to redefine the online presence and channel effectiveness for UNICEF and to position them as the leader in New Zealand. Sure the site needed to connect people, but also to empower them, and allow more opportunity for engagement and interaction. This is the basis upon which UNICEF appointed DNA.
From our research going in to the project we believed that few charitable organisations have fully harnessed the power of the web for emotional engagement. We strongly believed there was a huge opportunity for UNICEF to redefine the industry standard.
That said, it was also about improving the buying experience and looking to innovate when developing new revenue streams and engagement mechanisms’. We conducted testing on their existing shopping process and could see various points of improvement. For example, the drop-off effect by splitting such Functionality over several pages is often marked, and could be reduced with a simple one-page form. Potentially, we saw a user should be able to make a payment from any page without having to go to a ‘checkout’.
User testing and analytics are critical in our web process. Having identified some sales initiatives that had inspired them, we worked together to develop the strongest options. We have found the best ideas will come from deeply understanding your online strategy and your capabilities – and a deep understanding of you audience and ‘customer’ catchment. We define and implement only the strongest ideas well - because a great idea that cannot be perfectly executed can be extremely damaging to your brand, and therefore your bottom line.
The site has just launched so we’ll report on results in the near future, but in the meantime to view the site visit www.unicef.org.nz
We are constantly working on ways to improve our offer, how we work, how connected we are to our customers needs and most importantly how attuned to their customers needs we can be. This means we rely a lot on an open culture, strong aspirational team culture and a desire to learn and apply ourselves constantly. We have a broad and deep expertise as reflected in the huge range of people and their capabilities. This from researchers - trained as environmental psychologists - and ex lawyers who work as business strategists, through IA’s, interaction designers, brand strategists, facilitators, retail specialists and brand designers.
Our values and the things that drive us we constantly review and keep alive…and that is where the ‘passion font’ comes in…the Auckland DNA Brand Design team (yep, from Account directors and production staff through to designers) all collaborated on a font to demonstrate passion. Each character reflects the individual but is bound together with the common tie of forming an alphabet.
The other DNA values are Relentless (life is - and therefore we are) and Blood (we are a family – and bound by it at DNA).
The result is a unique display font that we’ll use inside DNA as part of our culture shaping activity.
We have collaborated many times with local boy (and nowadays world acclaimed type designer) Kris Sowersby on type design for unique requirements. We have worked on fonts for Victoria University, the result being Victoria sans and Victoria serif, as well as for the Hokotehi Moriori Trust, that font being Hokotuhu. We have developed other work in collaboration with Kris, and that includes the All Blacks mark, and we attempted to deploy his font Aperture in the New Zealand Yellow Pages print directories a few years ago.
The latest font we commissioned was for the rebrand of BNZ - and that font is Serrano. The type needed to be unique and modern, work in many applications and mediums as well as span the retail and Capital/Corporate breadth of the Bank. The font is universally used and unique to BNZ.
Kris is speaking at Typeshed ’09 and you can find out more on their site, or check out Kris in more detail at www.klim.co.nz.
The new BNZ brand was launched in early October less than five months after the project was given the green light. The project reflects BNZ’s ongoing evolution as a customer centric business focused on revolutionising the way New Zealanders experience and use banks.
Brand strategy, concept exploration and visual identity development were undertaken at a rapid pace. As part of the process the bank was renamed BNZ and new sub-brands BNZ Partners and BNZ Capital were developed.
The bank is a large organisation and a project of this scale completed in this time frame is rare and required extraordinary management and collaboration. So far the online channel and ATM network have been fully rebranded, and full application of the new brand through BNZ’s 160 stores is currently being rolled out.
The coming together of different things often creates magic. We see this when logic meets emotion and creativity is mixed with business rigour. So in the spirit of creating something different to mark the passage of 2008 we took inspiration from Japanese rock 'n' roll tribute bands - a wonderful collision of cultures - and created a series of 14 posters.
We've used sections of these to design a limited edition series of compendiums.
Can you work out which poster is for which band or artist?
The Best Awards are New Zealand's premiere design and design-led business awards. The awards have three categories - Graphic, Spatial and Product design.
DNA's work represented the result of a diverse range of challenges - for a wide range of our clients. We had many finalists accepted at this year's Awards, and we were pleased to be recognised for a large body of work across all but one of the Graphic categories.
And the awarded DNA work is:
- IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT (SMALL SCALE)
Hokotehi Moroiori Trust - Gold
Webstock Conference Brand – Silver
Lewis's – Silver - INTERACTIVE MEDIA AND WEBSITE DESIGN
Webstock conference – Silver
Rua Retreat – Bronze
Jagair – Bronze
Hold – Bronze
Rebecca Rose Sculptor (Charlie Ward - personal) – Bronze - VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Webstock Conference – Silver
William Graham – Silver - BROADCAST GRAPHIC DESIGN
Icebreaker women’s range (Charlie Ward on secondment to Icebreaker) – Gold - ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS
Shell Corporate box – Bronze - GRAPHIC DESIGN ARTS
MSD Regional Reports – Bronze
Icebreaker outdoor range – Bronze - SELF PROMOTION
2007 Christmas DNA – Bronze
In late 2004, DNA, through our brand development work with Rowing New Zealand at DNA we were able to plan an event for both Wellington and Auckland clients with rowing pair of sisters Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell. The World and Olympic Champions were guests for an evening of Adrenalin. We asked the question of the two identical twins - is the strength of a team due to the power of individuals? The multi-media event offered insights into what makes them tick, how different they really are, and why they are able to stay motivated and at the top of their sport as World and Olympic champions.
The cap for us at DNA on an already medal filled day for New Zealand on the 16th of August at the Beijing Olympics was seeing the sisters win to retain their Olympic crown. It was down to the wire as the twins successfully defended their title as Olympic champions.
To celebrate - we have small number of limited edition reprints of the 'twin book' with a new double gold sleeve to give away to commemorate the double gold won at Beijing.
Drop us a line if you'd like one of the five twin-books.
The Southern Cross Tavern was fully renovated and relaunched two and a half years ago.DNA developed strategic positioning and brand strategy with owner Gary Clark. Already enjoying over 100% growth and a more profitable clientelle, The Southern Cross tavern has just been voted "Best Bar in Wellington" by the world's largest travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet.
So a unique new brand was established in a new market space, needing to appeal to the broadest possible consumer range. The success of “The Cross” can largely be attributed to the fact that it cannot be pidgeon-holed. It delivers the best of café, intimate bar, restaurant, sports bar, garden bar and pub – it is the ultimate contemporary Kiwi social experience without being any one of these!
Every aspect from the varied and flexible food offerings to the creatively zoned eclectic layout and careful attention to staff culture has created a place in which any Kiwi would feel at home any time. – ‘Your Place’.
The Southern Cross now successfully attracts business people, local residents, singles, young couples, young mothers, sports fans for the ‘big game’, and yes students, but without a ‘half price Heineken in sight!’.
DNA and ACC have been recognised with a ‘Webby Honouree’ for the ACC Activesmart series of websites. For more information read our last news item on the sites, and to check out the sites visit www.activesmart.co.nz.
Webby’s are the Oscars of the online world, and with nearly 70 categories, Website entries make up the majority of Webby Awards Winners, Nominees and Honourees. Some of the sites commended are beautiful to look at and interact with while others are a testament to usability and functionality. only a handful of sites are deemed to excel across the board. To be selected among the best is an incredible achievement worthy of praise -- and perhaps a little bragging.
As a result of the superior quantity and quality of sites entered, the 12th Annual Webby Awards recognized sites and teams that demonstrated a broad standard of excellence. Of the more than 10,000 entries submitted to the 12th Annual Webby Awards, fewer than 5% were distinguished as an Official Honoree. Visit the webby site at www.webbyawards.com.
Creating a storm across the Tasman with high octane netball was the objective and the inaugural competition did not disappoint. The 2008 ANZ Championship (Trans Tasman trophy) series was clinched when the season leading Australian NSW Swifts took out the final over the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic from New Zealand in Sydney by 65-56.
ANZ and Trans-Tasman Netball Ltd wanted a brand platform with which to launch their new best of the best, cross Tasman netball league. The trophy and brand were designed by DNA. The objective was to Position this series alongside the NRL, AFL and Super 14 as a leading, high excitement sporting competition. The brand needed to be more 'show-biz, rock star and glamorous' than traditional Test Match netball, a radical move particularly in Australia's low profile media coverage of the sport.
The brand needed to feel flamboyant, colourful, high-action, hyped and more than a little sexy... The visual identity and brand's 'Storm' positioning, played not only on the physicality, the skill and athleticism of the best players in world netball, but celebrated and leveraged the highly intense competitive nature of Trans-Tasman rivalry.
Webstock is an annual five-day web experience: three days of intensive workshops, followed by a two-day conference. The aim of this event is to improve how websites are conceived, designed and built through a conference that delivers inspiration, education, insightful analysis and practical guidance on application.
Webstock has garnered huge a brains trust comprised of local and international web royalty, and they descend on Wellington New Zealand to provide expert knowledge to the Kiwi online community. Webstock as an event has a uniquely New Zealand feel, and in the spirit of one of the greatest mind-expanding festivals ever known. There is ample opportunity to network with like minded web-lovers over a drink or three, and the chance to mix and mingle with some of the biggest web names on the planet
DNA are a sponsor again and will be attending the conference as well as hosting a limited entry event with Kathy Sierra midway through the ‘Week of Webstock’.
Webstock is brought to you by the good people at Web Standards NZ who've taken it upon themselves to promote raising the standard of web sites in their own backyard (and abroad), and have a great time while they're doing it. DNA were a foundation sponsor and look forward to a continued involvement for 2009 and beyond. The 2008 conference begins on February 11th and is to be held in the Wellington Town Hall. for more info go to www.webstock.org.nz
Taapa the new Hold storage product (well for the important things in life) is in Eon in Auckland and is the first product designed by DNA in conjunction with the Hold team and Exactus. The Hold sales force has been travelling the world and has a strong order book for the northern hemisphere market. That includes being picked up by retailers and design stores such as DWR (Design within Reach) and Red Envelope in the US, some key players in Europe and we expect key arrangements for distribution in Japan soon to be announced.
Taapa was awarded a Best Design Award in the consumer product category in the 2007 awards (held in Auckland in late 2007), and is the first product design we can claim joint credit for. The hold design team is on a roll at the moment and expect many more products to be released in the near future.
For more information on the Hold story and the full Hold range of products visit www.hold.co.nz. There is a new site on its way and plenty of new products soon to be available.
The Best Awards are New Zealand's premiere design and design-led business awards. The awards have three categories - Graphic, Spatial and Product design.
DNA's work represented the result of a diverse range of challenges - for a wide range of our clients. We had many finalists accepted at this year's Awards, and we were pleased to be recognised for a large body of work across all but one of the Graphic categories.
Even our first foray in to product design - for HOLD was awarded bronze in the furniture category... also, if you read the fine print on another entry or two and you'll see a couple of further DNA staff members crop up.
And the awarded DNA work is:- CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
The Wellington City Mission Annual Review - Silver - ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS
Woolstore Environmental Graphics - Silver - GRAPHIC DESIGN ARTS
Moriori Typeface Development - Silver
HOLD Portrait Photography - Bronze - IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT (LARGE SCALE)
Firestone Retail Brand - Bronze - IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT (SMALL SCALE)
Woolstore Identity - Silver - INTERACTIVE MEDIA AND WEBSITE DESIGN
ACC Sport Sites - Silver (also was a TUANZ finalist and nominated for the telecommunications innovative award) - PACKAGING
Epic Identity - Silver - BROADCAST GRAPHIC DESIGN
Autumn Homeshow - Bronze - SELF PROMOTION
DNA Motion Graphics - Bronze - PRODUCT-FURNITURE
HOLD - Bronze
DNA designer Charlie Ward has won New Zealand's first digital poetry competition with his digital storytelling of Hinemoa's daughter, a poem by Apirana Taylor. Congratulations Charlie! You can see the poems in action on the NZEPC website.
The family of four free online personal-trainer sites launched in April now have over 13,000 registered users! The sites are growing fast and DNA is working closely with ACC to plan improvements and enhancements, watch this space in the coming months. In the meantime, check out the sites: ActiveSmart, NetballSmart, SoccerSmart, SnowSmart.
