Category : Branding

Over the past year, we’ve had the opportunity to participate in the development and launch of the Speak Easy, a place for entrepreneurs, startups, and the folks who support them to work, play, and collaborate. Crafting a brand, web presence, and influencing the structure itself, we couldn’t have been happier to launch the Speak Easy on January 18th.

Taking a cue from coastal co-work spaces like Grind in New York, a group of 8 investors and entrepreneurs (including our own Kristian Andersen) set out to create a gathering place for those active in the startup community. The resulting space is a combination of a 17th century salon, coffee shop, and…

This is a personal thing for me. But it’s also a conviction that applies to the branding work we do at KA+A. What’s true for individuals happens to be true for organizations. In fact, we’re finding that people tend to join organizations that share their root passions and vices, and that as we work with leaders, we reshape brands, and as we reshape brands, the organization influences lives…and heroes are emerging. If this line of thinking appeals to you – personally or in terms of how you relate to your business – I’d love to hear from you.

Rule #7: Heroes are Tyrants Made Cruel by Priests

The myths with which I’m at war in this rule:

• That life is a “choose your own adventure” story.

IFC : Fall Trend Report | Image courtesy of Marc McCoy

KA+A recently partnered up with Indianapolis Fashion Collective, in an effort to transform the way that Indy is building its fashion community. The Collective had been operating for a year, hosting special events and creating a member-based network that would support and mentor designers, photographers, stylists, models, and fashion professionals in the city. The big vision was to create a live/work fashion district in the heart of Indy. It was a great start, and the right minds were coming together, but the burden of the dream was growing heavier and not enough people were joining the group to help carry it.

Understanding…

Apps are software programs that have been created for a specific purpose. We use them to play games, to get directions, to communicate, to socialize, and to organize. Apps provide us with wanted distractions and useful information in real time. Apps meet users where they are.

The success of a brand is no longer directly related to its products’ pricing, entertaining advertisements, or celebrity endorsements. With today’s technology, customers can quickly and easily find cheaper and better solutions to what you are offering. Customers no longer want the best product for the best cost, they want more information, more interaction, and a relationship with the brand. They want an experience.

Here at KA+A we…

When my friend Jenni and I started IndySpectator, we decided to base our business on email. Not a blog, Tumblr, Facebook, or a custom platform. Just plain jane email. Each week we send a few issues to our loyal readers exposing them to new things to love about Indy – food, arts, startups, music, events, and more.

The result has been a very engaged audience, that I don’t imagine we could have gained through a web-based platform. Our readers like us, because email offers the excitement of exclusivity and being the first in the know. No one feels special “discovering” what’s been broadcasted to millions. Additionally we come to our readers…

I was recently re-introduced to justWink greeting cards via an iPhone app a friend shared with me. I’m typically hesitant to download open-once-and-never-use-it-again apps, but I’ve always been a huge fan of mailing justWink’s cheeky cards, so I decided to give it a try. From the moment I used their app, I fell in love with their brand and product all over again.

Each move within the app has been fully branded with justWink’s witty design and tone. Flip through their more popular cards or jump to a specific occasion, and you’ll soon be exclaiming “Yay, new human!” as you search for the right card to welcome a new baby. justWink has even…

I manage a lot of bank accounts. I have personal accounts, business accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, etc., and that doesn’t even include things like HSA accounts, brokerage accounts, credit lines, etc. The accounts are spread across several banking institutions in a handful of states. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all a source of ongoing frustration. On a good day, they are impersonal, faceless, corporate behemoths. On a bad day they are uncaring and even down right belligerent.

Since the House of Rothschild established European banking and finance houses in the late eighteenth century, the banking industry has been historically resistant to change. To be fair, there have been some successful attempts to drag the banking industry into the 21st century, by banks such as ING, Commerce Bank, and First Internet Bank, but there is a new player that is really attempting to shake things up.

There has been a lot of buzz lately about a new banking startup called BankSimple. BankSimple is based in Brooklyn, NY and they claim to be creating a better interface for banking through the web and mobile apps. Their plan is to partner with financial institutions, which will hold the actual deposits. BankSimple is focusing on creating a better customer experience and simplifying the banking process by unifying all accounts into one, accessible through a bank card.

I awoke early this morning, before I wanted to, and was finished sleeping. I felt drawn out, to move, somewhere, so I pulled on some shorts and headed out the front door into the quiet. I smelled the rain before I saw the wet sidewalk, before I heard the faint drops of the mist, before I felt them on my skin. I think it was the rain that woke me.

Not the sound, but the feeling. Like there was a mood around my house, in my neighborhood, that needed someone to see it, to say “Amen.” This morning I was the one chosen to say “Amen” to the rain.

It’s ten minutes later, and I’m at my desk at the office, which is dark except for the light…

Last year the Arch Diocese of Indianapolis (ADI) re-opened two of its Catholic schools as charter, elementary academies. These new public schools, Andrew and Padua Academy, are focused on providing a college preparatory education for students living on the West and East sides of Indianapolis.

After being in session for only a few short months, ADI reached out to KA+A for help to develop a brand for each academy that could identify with and garner support from their surrounding communities.

Identity

We began building a foundation for ADI, by developing a parent brand (logo, tagline, and identity system) for their organization. The brands for Andrew and Padua, would then nestle under this system, featuring…

The other night I stopped by a convenience store near the office to pick up a couple of pints of ice cream for date night with my wife. The person checking out in front of me was an older guy, shuffle-footed, who could barely breathe but was buying two packs of cigarettes anyway. I’ve also waited in line behind people who couldn’t step aside until they’d scratched off their lottery tickets. As I paid for the ice cream (which I don’t need), I asked the cashier if she’d ever noticed that all the convenience store sells is vice.

“Totally. Lately I’ve really hated myself for working here,” she said.

That sucks. Hating yourself for being part of something that gives people what they want.

I get it…