We captured some photos from last years LightFair booth design that we created — and thought we would share the renderings we produced and the finished booth.
The most talked about booth we have ever created. Giant vibrant images of world icons and tall sculptures give the global presence the client was trying to promote.
How do you showcase an entire city at a book fair? DNA recently undertook the challenge of designing a complete 12,000 square foot booth for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs display for the Guadalajara BookFair 2009.
Encompasing 2 areas and built for over 100,000 people attending, DNA’s submission encompasses “pop-up” book giant sculptures to relay the vibrant cultural and city icons for Los Angeles.
Check out more of the display by clicking more
What makes a brand last? Which elements make a brand work in the first place?
Start with a good product or service. It doesn’t have to be the greatest. Few people need “great.” Few are willing to pay for it, even if they recognize it. The product just can’t be really bad. No amount of clever ads and media bucks can turn a stinkpot into ambrosia. Indeed, the worst thing a new brand can do is to raise expectations with great ads that hype them to the skies. The crash to earth – driven by merciless word-of-mouth – will be ruinous. Everyone knows crap. But since most people can’t tell “pretty good” from “really good” or “great,” a mediocre product can build a solid brand franchise. Corona and Budweiser, Ford, American Airlines (almost all airlines are mediocre except for Southwest, Singapore, SAS and once upon a time, Alaska).
Find or create some point of differentiation or uniqueness. An ESP (emotional selling proposition) is better than a USP – it’s hard to be unique in this age of growing commoditization. Whatever the differentiation is, the brand must remain consistent and clear about it, and stick to its core values.
A brand is more than a symbol cruelly burned into a doggie’s smoking hide.
Like other transcendent ideas, a brand has many definitions; it’s many things. Like fine art, branding is not easy to define, but you know it when you see it.
Brand is more than product or service, more than trademarks and logos or a slogan or a corporation. Almost any human activity designed to interrelate with the public can be branded. Political candidates, sports teams, entertainers are all brands. (Celebrities regularly associate with branded products or services.) By extension, religions, social systems and self-help movements are brands. The Mormons, Islam, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Alcoholic Anonymous are all brands with strong central brand propositions, slogans, logos and vested equities.
What is design, anyway?
How do we define the difference between design and plain old drawing? Or design and random lines and colors?
We all know it when we see it, just as we know the difference between writing and typing. Between intelligent speech and mindless babbling.
But there’s even more to design than bringing order out of chaos. There are many apparently orderly things – even orderly graphics – that are not necessarily design, let alone good design.
And music is more than an orderly sequence of scales and notes.
Just because graphic elements are neatly lined up, or symmetrically balanced, or brightly colored, does not make them well designed. Because design is NOT just a pretty picture; logo; geometrical pattern; color combination; shape or packaging concept, although any or all of those elements do contribute to good design.
Design is the entire visual environment in which a brand lives and competes.
DNA recently created packaging for a line of industrial, architecture lighting products.
DNA created a box to hold each of the delicate and heavy products. The target marketing was in-channel distribution customers, end-user building contractors, architecture agencies, building retro fitting companies.
DNA created quite a big splash at the SEMA show in Las Vegas for client Professional Products.
SEMA is the largest tradeshow for automotive aftermarket manufacturers in the nation.
DNA created the design, layout, and engineering for the Professional Products booth. We are becoming a “One Stop Shop” for manufacturers and tradeshows.
Contrails and cocktails anyone?
Kontainit recently had DNA create identity, marketing materials and in-channel promotions, and product packaging for their latest product.
Tough TSA-compliant container for wine and valuable bottles, the product is geared towards travelers.
How do you define your start-up company when there is no competition?
DNA was tasked with creating a strong iconic image for an upstart tunnel advertising company.
Above is a series of comprehensive logos and identity created.
We were approached by Elite Lighting USA for a complete rebrand of the identity and packaging recently.
By adding some strong punchy graphics, and iconic imagery, DNA refocused the manufacturer’s product to be inline with their customers and in-store displays.
We don’t know how many Troy or Gabriella’s go to The Valley Schools in Van Nuys, but we do know that it is a fantastic private school in the Valley — actually one of the oldest.
We’ve put together marketing and branding campaigns in the past for Valley Schools, here is just a sample of their recent projects.
In the past years, we have worked on for the Valley Schools:
We enjoy working on some great small stories in the Valley and the school is a shining example.
(Advertisement for a local newspaper insertion and promo campaign above).
Sure you have a product that fires a giant net out of a flashlight size gun — but what about letting your potential customers know about it? DNA arrived on the scene to produce a glossy 6 page catalog for Advance Weapons Technology, a government and law enforcement supplier.
All illustrations, logos, identities, branding and design were handled by top-notch designer Helm Sicat. Helm has been with DNA for over 4 years. Nice job, Helm.
Key in ignition, foot on pedal, crank on the design.
DNA recently completed for the 10th year in a row, Professional Products 2009 catalog.
64 pages of high performance products with 92 octane grade graphics, the Professional Products catalog was designed for B2B, channel distribution and retailers.
Full of charts, diagrams and illustrations, the 2009 catalog was premiered at the national SEMA convention in Las Vegas.
OEM and custom products for the lighting industry, this 56 page catalog was created by the in-house team of designers and photographers in 2009.
Recently translated into Mandarin, Spanish and German versions.
We are used to working on rush projects, but our latest catalog for building fixtures and lighting was an all-hands-on-deck affair.
Pulling all of the DNA resources together meant writing technical copy, photographing over 70 products, designing and laying out 48 pages — and with a looming trade show deadline to boot!
One fire extinguished, on to the next project for team DNA.
When Rich & Famous Auto Tops, a global supplier of high-end automotive interiors and tops, contacted us about managing and creating their latest catalog — we had no idea that there were so many choices in custom accessories for cars.
The finished catalog: 196 pages of illustrations, product photos, color accurate samples of materials and a complete listing of the 2000 products.
DNA’s proprietary color accurate workflow ensured an accurate finished catalog — for their discriminating customers.
DNA recently completed a 24 page catalog for an energy efficient lighting client, WDI.
DNA was tasked with creating the design look and layout, copy writing and research, illustrations and product photography.
This catalog was used in channel distribution, government distribution and for their in-field reps.
DNA had worked on the Children’s Museum of Los Angeles — but now, with the economic conditions, the museum has had to shut its doors.
DNA was tasked with creating advertising, identity creation, advertisements and marketing plans.
Perhaps the museum will come back in the near future. The kids are missing out on a great experience.
It’s always tough to cut through the background noise — but with some minor tweaks, your signal can come through loud and clear.
We recently did some projects for Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks radio stations KCLU and KRUZ for identity and promotional pieces — both great stations if you are ever in the area.
Illustration of a car window label and design for identity.
We have also created materials for Premiere Radio Networks — soon to come.
Client request: 8 page catalog for OEM, B2B and distribution channel audience
DNA: copy writing, branding, typesetting, illustration, design, layout, photography
Final Audience: 100,000 global clients in Dubai, Europe, USA and China
DNA’s designed booth for Fulham, a leading manufacturer of lighting products, was recently awarded Best of Show for the International Light Fair Show 2009 in New York.
DNA’s team designed the layout, full architectural specifications and graphic designs for the booth in conjunction with their client Fulham. Working with a fabrication team around the world, DNA’s designs came to life to tell the story of the broad range of products that their client manufacturers.
DNA’s crack team of advertising gurus and designers recently were tasked with creating a series of national advertisements for the brand O’My Products.
Not having the exact products and working from still-on-the-drawing-board designs, the designers at DNA created a layout that is perfectly representative of the finished products.
Client: GAHH Automotive, a manufacturer of automotive convertible tops, interiors.
B2B Advertisement
Dave Newman Advertising was a lead sponsor and design agency for the recent Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Inaugural Ball.
Creating a complete branded look for the 97th annual event, team DNA designed the evening’s theme for the gala. Supporting materials included email marketing newsletters, program guides and reservation stationary.
DNA redesigned 3 websites recently with full back-end control features for our clients.
The Valley Schools – one of the oldest schools in the San Fernando Valley relaunched with an improved calendar feature, online homework section and newsletter.
Professional Products – an after-market automotive parts manufacturer for hot rods, classic domestic cars and racing enthusiasts.
Edsyn – celebrating their 40th anniversary in the electronics field, Edsyn’s site includes a redesigned shopping cart, technical papers downloads and newsletter.
Serious Gamer Alert: DNA creates branded packaging for game systems
ProCases, one of the biggest names in protective cases, recently had the DNA team design a retail box for their latest product: Game Vault.
DNA created a custom diecut package for this latest gamer accessory — along with some fast-action graphics and branding.
See the Game Vault in your local gaming retailer.
December brought the usual holiday cards — but DNA had a different request from one of our clients.
Create a one-of-a-kind keepsake poster for one of today’s leading bands.
Mike Hayungs, Art Director at DNA, said that “We really like the idea of creating something unique that resonates with the client’s customers – with this project, we r-o-c-k-ed it.”
GAHH Automotive, the leading automotive top and interior after-market manufacturerm, recenly tagged DNA with the complete design redo of their industry known website.
Complete “top” to bottom redesign of the graphics, layout and flow for the website were completed in early January 2009.
Lead designer, Helm Sicat, mentions that “the GAHH website was really right up our field with all of the automotive work that we do at DNA. From packaging, marketing materials and their online presence, GAHH is positioned to really shine this year.”
It’s not everyday that a company is tasked with creating a website for a product that launches a giant net out of a flashlight-size baton — unless you’re Dave Newman Advertsing.
One of our clients, Advanced Weapon Technology had a short order: showcase their Talon net gun, add some videos and distribute the content across the internet.
The final product is a website with many “Youtube” friendly videos and RSS feeds to over 60 sites for pickup of the clients message.
Yes, the Talon really is that cool.
At Dave Newman Advertising (DNA), it is our custom to begin each client relationship by setting down our understanding of the client’s situation – history, objectives, needs, challenges and so forth. We find it contributes to establishing the clarity so essential to marketing in today’s cluttered environment. From this foundation we then develop an initial strategy and action plan. The present paper does not – indeed, at this stage it can not – present specific advertising or promotional materials, which will emerge only from the schema we develop after in-depth discussions with you. It is pointless to propose specific campaign tactics, ads or media plans without further consultation to learn the inside story of your company’s specific goals, challenges and marketing issues. But we can present some general information about our approach to the advertising and marketing process.
First, we believe in teamwork – and the client is an important part of the team! We don’t care where an idea comes from, as long as it works. Our collective experience in a wide range of marketplace situations has taught us the importance of listening – to one another, to outside associates and above all, to our clients. Ad agencies are notorious for rivalry among internal job functions. It often seems that Research, Account Services, Media and Creative are competing with one another! Not so at Dave Newman Advertising. In our view, “creative” isn’t a department. It’s an attitude we bring into every aspect of our work. Put simply, we really do collaborate. Read more »
With the latest in an all-digital workflow for photography, Dave Newman Advertising has been creating that critical first impression for their clients since 1996.
Color correct lighting, photography and final digital color correction and proofing gives our clients the advantage of quick turnaround with exacting results.
Client: AquaSwiss. A small sampling of the 500 pcs of apparel and watches for retail catalog, in-store displays and advertising
Consider today’s advertising and sales environment. There are more media vehicles than ever before – broadcast, print, internet and out-of-home (including point of sale). Consumers have more choices, and more power to choose than ever before, thanks to web browsers.
The challenge today is for brands to punch through the clutter, with a brand message that bolster the brand’s chance to sell and ultimately develop a competitive edge. And how is that brand message conveyed?
Through good, brand-relevant graphics.
The first line of defense is the visual dimension. Good graphic design is the “advance guard” of any brand. It’s what the public sees first, and remembers last, about the brand. Good graphic design leverages a brand’s good points to best advantage. (It’s hard to imagine a case where good design ever hindered a brand’s market position!)
Wise marketers take this into account. And wise design studios take brand equity issues into account. Working together, they stand a good chance of succeeding.
When a major drug-store chain approached one of DNA’s established clients about creating a line of massage lotions for their customers — the client and DNA went all-hands-on-deck.
Creating a modern look to an existing product was routine for the team of designers at Dave Newman Advertising — we’ve been in packaging design since 1996.
Taking existing packaging and merging them with a direct reflection of the potential consumer’s trends and buying history lead to an increase in sales for our client at not just this drug-store chain but across their entire customer base.
With forward-thinking design and an open client, two hands really are better than one.
Dave Newman Advertising’s top-notch designers gave a fresh look to an established brand with their latest packaging project.
Tasked with creating a visual identity and innovative packaging solution for one of America’s leading painting companies, DNA provided leading edge graphics and some established visual cues for their client.
Paint brushes, literature and presentation materials were developed all in-house at the DNA offices for in-store displays in a large retailing chain.
How can DNA help you gain the competitive edge to reach retailers and consumers? Just ask.
DNA and our client, Fulham, has just won a Best of Show Award for their booth at the International Light Fair exhibition.
Beating out well-known names such as General Electric, Phillips and others, the Fulham booth was chosen for its ease of access, information utility, overall appearance, knowledgeable staff, and relevance to the overall theme of Light Fair 2009. A little bit of DNA creativity and a some hard work on the details made quite an impression on the attendees to the exhibition.
The booth compromised of 3 sections measuring 20′x30′, 20′x40′ and 20′x50′ that gave Fulham over 2400 square feet of exhibit space that DNA created, designed and engineered — all in 2 months time, quite a feat!
Congratulations to Fulham and the team at DNA.
Located in Los Angeles, but serving clients around the world, Dave Newman Advertising welcomes the opportunity to be involved with your next project. Give us a call, let's talk and see how we might help.
E-MAIL : info@davenewman.com
PHONE : (818) 861-7444