Stylistically, Hobo looks like something crafted from 1970′s, but was actually designed in 1910 towards the end of the Art Noveau Movement. It was designed by Morris Fuller Benton, one of America’s most prolific typeface designers. After closer examination, the letters are actually well-proportioned (when typeset properly) — every part of each letter is curved, which gives it a decorative effect, but with a modern twist. It’s lowercase letters are unique — descenders that do not drop below the baseline. Yeah, it’s weird — but it’s designed to be a display type. Fairly progressive for 1910, considering that most typography from that period was very decorative and ornate.

So I’m no longer a Hobo-hater. I just hate seeing it being misused.

Note: If you’ve seen examples of Hobo type out there (good or bad), please send  some pics my way – I’m starting a collection of images and would love to include yours! Thanks.

The oldest use of Hobo I've ever seen!

Type Crime!

Back in the day, barbers used to perform medical procedures, including tooth extractions and bloodletting services. Apparently, they would hang the bandages on a pole outside to dry and the wind would wrap the bloody bandages around the pole. Yes, disturbing, but we’re talking the Middle Ages here. Leeches are part of the story, too, but I’ll leave that out for now. The pole represents the staff that was used for the patient to grip to encourage blood flow. The color red is symbolic for arterial blood, blue represents venous blood and the white symbolizes the bandages. It’s also possible that the blue was added when the signs were used in the United States, to honor the national colors.

And a note of caution: If you’re in certain parts of Asia, the barber’s pole design could be used to advertise and disguise a completely different type of business establishment, but I’ll choose to steer clear of that story.

Enlisting the talent of photographer George Fulton and working with an amazing in-house marketing team, we went to work scouting locations and lining up talent. We shot images that showcased a mix of activities and lifestyle opportunities in the area. We had a few hiccups along the way — some equipment rental issues, a flight delay and one location issue, but in the end we worked long hours to capture the best light and came away with some beautiful shots for the new campaign. Overall, a great experience.

Here are a few snapshots from behind the scenes.

Why do we “rebrand” anyway? That word and the word “branding” are thrown around quite a bit, but it’s important to remember that the logo is not the “brand.” The brand is all about the customer touchpoints and the experience one has when interacting with the organization — when you boil it all down, the brand is someone’s gut instinct about a company or organization. I remember Marty Neumier stating years ago in a workshop that “the brand” is what OTHERS say it is, not what the company says it is. That statement has stuck with me for years.

And the logo is a small, but very important part of the brand. It must strike the right balance of the rational and the emotional. It must convey the spirit of the organization in a split-second. The cross-sensory experience is the brand, but the logo has to uphold and to support that.

Changes or redesigns could mark an internal cultural shift, a change in business objectives, or change in ownership. Often times, as in the case of New Morning Foundation, it’s a matter of staying relevant and is born from the desire to have visual consistency across mediums. Lay a solid foundation with a strong, meaningful logo, and that will help branding efforts at any level.

Old logo

New logo

New identity package

A few days later, I was sharing photos of the typewriter with a colleague and had a moment of inspiration. What if I recreated this script typestyle and preserved the history of the SM9 through typography? So I’ve begun this experiment by sketching some of the letterforms (see early sketches and preliminary digital rendering below). I plan to create a complete character set and to build a functional typestyle.

Maybe I’m not going to write a novel anytime soon on the SM9, but it sure has inspired me to create something that I’m passionate about. Which proves that you never know where you might find inspiration.

Debbie took the audience through a historical look at our relationship with brands. She started by taking us back 50,000 years ago and discussed the “Big Brain Bang”— how the human mind starting developing and separating cognitive and emotional function: 30,000 years ago humans began “making” and “marking”; 10,000 years ago we began beautifying ourselves — not for each other, but for religious beliefs. Crests, shields and flags were decorated and designed for identification by the mid 12th century. The word “branding” is derived from the word “brond”, which means to mark, or to burn, and later became known as “brand” in the late 19th century when farmers marked their cattle for identification. Trivia: the very first trademark registration for a product was for The Bass & Co Brewery (the red triangle), which was registered under the UK’s Trade Mark Registration Act of 1875.

Debbie continued to discuss five waves of modern branding. Here’s a brief recap:

Wave 1 (1875-1920)
• Industrial Revolution
• Mass production and homogenization of products
• Coca-Cola brand became popular
• Trademark Act of 1906 (stated that products could not mislead or make false claims)

Wave 2 (1920-1965)
• Brands became anthropomorphic, and incorporated a story or a benefit
• Morton Salt developed a tag line, “When it rains it pours”
• Betty Crocker image created, one of the best-known women of the interwar years — (and someone who never existed)

Wave 3 (1965-1985)
• Brands became self-expressive
• Brands became a part of our lifestyle and culture (Nike)
• Levi’s designed a revolutionary way to make jeans through the use of rivets

Wave 4 (1986-2000)
• Brands became synonymous with “experience”: enter Starbucks

Wave 5 (2000 – present)
• Rise of the Internet and all things digital: ipods, smart phones, etc.
• Online social communities now provide companionship (or a sense of it)
• Brands have become connectors (example, Livestrong bracelets)
• Brands have the power to create emotional bonds and offer connections between our most basic instincts

It’s interesting to look at how branding originated and to be aware of the different waves that have occurred. Obviously, there are some underlying needs from which branding originated, which are still very relevant today: integrity, honesty, identification, connection and the desire for emotional bonding. Check out this link that Debbie shared that might suggest what’s to come: www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense. Pretty amazing. Thanks to AIGA SC and Debbie for a great lecture.