There is an article on Trend Hunter about the new emoji-inspired packaging at a Baristo café in Spain. It lets the customer customize their coffee experience by choosing a cup to match their mood. This type of marketing taps into a fundamental part of our psyche – our desire to create individually curated lifestyles, hence the popularity of social media. The emoji cups bring a “social media” feel to life.

What’s the difference between brand design and campaign design? The quick answer is longevity.

New design trends emerge each year and are reflected in the designs of everything from cars and clothes to paint color.  

What exactly can a trend entail?  

1. Stand Out

Good design uses color and composition to guide the viewer from point A to point B. Point A is the idea and point B would be the call to action. Large areas of white with a single image or clever copy will set an ad apart from others faster than any other design trick.

As the Creative Director, I’m preaching about the power of color.

Color is the personification of emotion. When you consider how color relates to branding efforts, it is important to start by asking, “How do I want my customer to feel about my product or service?” This will help guide you to the right colors.

I don’t know the reason for the Taco Bell change, but I do agree the brand refresh was appropriate. In my mind, they made some good decisions and some not so good decisions.

Consumers are inundated with images on a daily basis, making it difficult to differentiate what’s valuable information and what isn’t. As creative director, it is my job to create images (photo, graphics and/or illustrations) that grab attention and convey a message. Here are some very particular questions that I keep in mind when I design.

Research tells us that our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text. From this alone, we know that an infographic is a powerful tool.

In every society, there are those who have specific ideas about what the role of women should be. But what we have and continue to learn is that women shall not be limited to the confines of some arbitrary boundary. We are free to explore our possibilities and color outside the lines of expectation.

How do you know when it’s time to refresh your company’s brand? A “brand refresh” is simply keeping the good elements of your brand while improving the not-so-good. Most established companies have equity built up and can be recognized by certain elements of their brand. Those are the parts to keep.