The Cancer Support Community was formed by the merger of two well-respected cancer organizations, The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club. The new brand communicates the tremendous strength and reach the new organization has, as well as their holistic approach to cancer support. I provided my branding and identity design expertise to VoxVerde where we created an uplifting and versatile brand that amplifies the great heritage of each organization—while charting a new course for the merged non-profit.

Often I am approached by clients to provide a brochure or website that is better than their competitors—to create a unique approach and to position their brand as the industry leader. However after delivering concepts that do just that, we begin to chip away at the uniqueness and end up with a result that is lacking in delight.

The rush to standout is usually met with an even greater desire to fit in.

A key component to standing out is delight. Delight can be achieved in many ways, from something as simple as a thank you to something more tactile like a textured uncoated paper stock for your brochure. When you put the customer experience first and work backwards, you end up with a perspective that allows you to pay attention to details and deliver a touch beyond the expected—this is delight. Read More…

Branding Strategy Insider is one blog at the top of my RSS reader. Great insights and in-depth analysis of branding strategies and campaigns. I highly recommend it.

You can also follow them on Twitter.

Poster design for the 2010 Argentina Bicentennial exhibitions and events curated by the Smithsonian Latino Center. I designed this poster in-conjunction with VoxVerde and focused on paying homage to Argentina’s heritage while wrapping it in a modern contemporary style. The exhibitions and events are taking place across the country as well as in the Smithsonian’s home-base of Washington, D.C. Read more about it here.

Quality should always be considered in every aspect of business. What is quality? Quality is a perception of superiority over another product or service that is gained via comparison. When looked at with a day-to-day business perspective, quality has a less tangible definition. Everyday judgements are made about your logo, brand, products, website, etc.—knowing what attributes the marketplace is looking for and how you stack up against those, is vital. Researching and understanding your market allows you to define what quality means for you, your business, and your clients.

Knowing what will set you apart from your competition is half the battle. Creating a culture that fosters quality will complete the picture. Selecting the right ideas, copywriters, designers, employees, logos, website designs can add or subtract from the quality of your business and its offerings. If you’re working with quality ingredients (ideas, direction, people, substitute what fits the situation) it’s harder to end up with a bad outcome. This is the classic “garbage in-garbage out” scenario or said in a more positive fashion “quality in-quality out.”

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