Livos Canada is the Canadian distributor of an international brand based in Germany that sells all-natural wood stains, finishes and paint.

As part of rebranding the company’s image, we designed a new website that relies on powerful programming techniques.

Images, icons and a subtle animated banner on the home page all combine to create a natural, appeasing and esthetic user experience.

In order to properly present the company’s numerous products and massive amounts of information, the website uses complementary navigation levels. Products can be sorted by name, category or project type.

Web copy was written to get maximum search engine optimization (SEO) results on specialized keywords. For example, as of writing this article, Livos Canada holds the first, second and third positions on a Google search for "huiles écologiques", which produces over 5.5 million results.

• Design: Jean-François Major
• Web integration: Olivier Fortin and Chung Lu
• SEO Copywriting: Jean-François Major

Every morning, the CEO sits behind the wheel. People hop on. Go forward. Stop. Hit reverse, every now and then. Oops, time to fuel up or make repairs. At the end of the day, everyone hops off, goes home, and we turn off the engine. Tomorrow will be a brand new day!

Is your company taking the most efficient way to its destination? Or is it running in circles, misled by the illusion of moving forward?

Kreative rebranding is about more than a simple logo facelift or switching to trendy colors: it’s about aligning your brand image to your company’s vision, helping it become the successful company you have in mind.

A solid rebranding strategy should answer these three questions:

1. Where are we?
2. Where are we going?
3. How do we get there?

Or, if you prefer big fancy words:

1. Analyze your current situation
2. Establish realistic and measurable objectives
3. Implement an action plan that drives you toward these objectives

Where are we?

Be honest when reviewing your current situation. Your strategic plan is meant for you and members of your team only: not direct clients. If your business has weak spots, identify them to find solutions, or at least, not make any unrealistic promises.

Where are we going?

Define measurable objectives at various steps of the process. Ask yourself “I’ll know our rebranding was successful when…”. If your goal was to get 1,000 Facebook fans by the end of the year and you have 800, you’ve achieved 80% of your objective. If you got 1,200, you’ve exceeded expectations by 20%. To be successful, you must first define success.

How do we get there?

Designing an action plan with clear, actual tasks assigned to specific people will drive your business toward its destination. Do whatever it takes to meet your objectives. Set hard deadlines (ex: have a Facebook page available by June 1st… hand out 1,000 brochures at our next tradeshow…) and a calendar for recurring deadlines (ex: share a useful link on our Facebook Wall every Tuesday and Thursday… review each project’s success one month after its completion…). Then, it’s just a matter of self-discipline until these new tasks become part of your work routine. Slowly but surely, you’ll make progress.

You might feel lost, unsure where to start. You might feel like there’s just too much work to be done and you can’t afford to stop and plan your journey. If so, park your bus for a few minutes so that we can discuss.

The point of a prenuptial agreement is to decide what to do if things go wrong… while things are still going right. Even though people get married till death do them part, unexpected situations – like routine taking hold of the relationship, communication problems or a more attractive prospect showing interest – may bring the relationship to an end.

Signing a contractual agreement with an agency is like getting married. Everyone hopes for the best, but no one can clearly see what the future has in store. In the event of a divorce, have you and your agency agreed on the arrangements?

In the past few weeks, we’ve met with several new clients who experienced harsh breakups with their previous agency – and we’ve heard plenty of dreadful stories. An agency, having the upper hand, is now holding the company’s files hostage, demanding payment for copyrights and printing rights.

Who’s right? The client, who’s dissatisfied with his agency, has paid for his material and now wants to access it? The agency, who insists having been paid for delivered materials and expects compensation for complete usage rights?

The truth is, those things should be cleared up before the issue arises.

• In the event of a breakup, will your agency agree to hand over your communication material files?
• What kind of files can you expect? High-resolution PDFs for printing? Fully editable native files (as long as you have the proper software)?
• What about pictures, whether they’re from hired photographers or stock services?
• Who owns your web domain? You or your agency?
• Can you access your website’s programming and hosting directory? What about Flash and other video files?
• What can you expect to be charged for these files? Some agencies will demand compensation for copyrights, while others will merely charge archive research.

At Les Kréateurs, we follow a simple rule: if it’s paid for, it’s yours. A company should be free to change suppliers whenever it wishes to: that’s the basis of fair competition. As long as the material has been paid in full, we’re always willing to hand over DVDs holding the complete work. In the event of a multi-year relationship that would include a lot of material, we might inform the client to expect a few hours’ work to round everything up, but nothing unreasonable.

By being supportive, we show clients that should they change their mind, our door remains open.

Atmosphere Event Communications hosts teambuilding events and workshops that mobilize employees to act on a common goal. The agency’s service offer had changed greatly over the last few years, and its brand image no longer felt aligned with the company’s values. Kreative rebranding acted as a reset button, a chance to build a fitting image from the ground up.

The overall design has an abstract, cerebral feel: it suggests how activities depend on serious, almost scientific planning. At the same time, the logo has a simple, fluid design, evoking a company that is accessible and pleasant to work with.

The globe suggests a view from the outside, seeing the big picture. The shadow further highlights the effect, making the orb look as if it were suspended in air.

The transparency effects create a shape reminding of an empty vessel being filled, like Atmosphere brings value and substance to organizations.

There are five distinct shapes: one for each layer of the atmosphere. This theme has been explored further in how the company presents itself, customizing services according to levels of engagement: a flexible way of implementing work, depending on how much commitment (and resources) a successful project would require.

• Art Direction : Judith Mathieu
• Rebranding Strategy: Jean-François Major

Groupe ID designs and implements integrated safety solutions and procedures in North American production facilities. For many years, the company was limited by an inflexible and cold brand image, one that caused many application problems and didn’t do justice to its directors’ genuine concern for human life.

In addition to logo rebranding, we designed an elaborate graphic platform that offers more creative freedom while insuring more consistency in the company’s communication tools.

The graphic platform defines a company’s visual elements, creating a distinctive look. It’s meant to visually express a company’s brand values and personality.

We first defined four themes we wished to convey as a brand message:

• Safety
• Human Touch
• Logistics
• Industry

Moodboard

A moodboard helped identify recurring visuals. Rather that focusing on individual pictures, a moodboard is meant to create an overall look and feel: machinery, people, moving parts, production chains, metal…

Logo rebranding

Logo rebranding helped the brand image evolve. Turning away from blue – used by numerous competitors – the company’s colors shifted towards orange, a color associated with “warning”. The glass effect used on the logo’s symbol feels more modern, evoking App Store icons. Finally, a bolder, more robust font and some custom work on the letter “D” helped create a stronger, more refined logo.

Image treatment

Color treatment helped pictures achieve a consistent yet distinctive feel. This was especially important, considering the use of stock photography, which comes from multiple photographers of various styles. Images were first desaturated, then contrast was strengthened, and finally, a transparent green to orange gradient was applied.

Safety line

A final graphic element completes the overall design: the safety line. This rigid line ending in a padlock embodies the idea of safety. Applied to images, it evokes applied safety, production chains, problem solving, an all around clear process…

Come back next Wednesday for the rest: how the different elements of the graphic platform combined into actual communication pieces.

• Art Direction: Judith Mathieu
• Rebranding Strategy: Jean-François Major

iPROMIS is a management software suite for large scale construction projects, developed by Baracci Solutions and a major construction player in the Middle East. Baracci was very pleased with last year’s logo rebranding, and hired us to design a new brand image that lived up to the buzz surrounding this exciting product launch.

The massive font features bold lines and square corners, evoking strength and resilience. The lozenge badge and glass effect give the logo a modern, high technology feel. The graphic representation of tall-rise buildings clearly defines the software’s market.

The three colors used in addition to gray are featured in the specific software modules.

• Art Direction: Judith Mathieu

In Canada, January is a month of unkept resolutions, bitter cold and surprisingly large credit card bills. Happily, designing the 2011 menu for Julien-Leblanc Traiteur, one of Montreal’s top caterers, is always a welcome assignment!

This latest menu offers both continuity and a sharp contrast compared to last year’s menu design. Massive headlines are replaced by a delicate and refined typeface. Rather than bright and vivid colors, the menu features subtler, lighter shades of pale gray that truly help showcase the various plates’ fantastic presentation.

Having received very positive comments last year, the weekly salad and sandwich menu remains as a central insert. Its slightly smaller format helps it stand apart from the rest of the menu.

• Art direction: Judith Mathieu

Project designed with the help of Thrace Graphistes Conseils Inc.

Sunkiss, a Canadian manufacturer of industrial curing equipment, sought our expertise for a new product launch: a portable curing device used to dry paint faster. As a successful product launch requires a strong brand launch, the new product needed a catchy name and a powerful brand image.

The name Sun-Spot stood out from a few proposals we examined using our name analysis grid. It evokes the idea of a “portable sun”, a handy piece of equipment. The name has a nice flow and feels dynamic – it’s already become part of everyday language for the clients.

The logo reuses the bold, industrial font from the Sunkiss logo for the “SUN” part, then adds with an expressive “SPOT” signature that reminds of tag imagery and the modded cars subculture. The thick white outline and drop shadow make it possible to use a single version of the logo on any background or media.

• Design: Mélissa Cloutier
• Copywriting: Phil Ryan and Jean-François Major

Work done with the help of Logiciels Sys-Thèmes

Imaginaire is a popular gaming store in Québec City. Since 2001, the company’s online commerce has become increasingly important, now featuring over 60,000 different items. However, after close to 10 years, the website design had become dated. Transactional websites have greatly evolved over the last few years, and Imaginaire.com needed some rebranding work.

We redesigned the website interface while preserving most of its basic structure.

• The menu was reorganized, highlighting the most frequented sections.
  

• The search bar is much more prominent, being the most efficient way of finding a specific item.
  

• Browsing by adding/deleting filters is now more intuitive.
  

• On a specific product’s page, the information is now better organized.

Finally, the new website design can easily adapt to various themes and seasons.

• Design: Jean-François Major
• Rebranding strategy: Jean-François Major
• Web Integration: Logiciels Sys-Thèmes