Creative Brand Strategy - Task 2A & 2B - Ideation & Design Direction

24.09.2024 - 29.10.2024 (Week 1 - Week 6)

Amirah Akbar Ali / 0361001

Creative Brand Strategy 

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INSTRUCTIONS

MIB

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Task 02: Ideation & Design Direction

As I started on the proposal, I organized my ideas by setting up a Google Doc for brainstorming and a Pinterest board to explore design inspiration. This helped me keep my thoughts open and adaptable, letting ideas grow naturally. However, I was having trouble deciding on the ideal visual style—I was aiming for a look that was clean and welcoming but not too bold.

Figure 1.1 Campaign Information Ideation Process | PDF

After finalizing the rough concept for the campaign, I revisited my customer journey map. The touch points outlined there are key to shaping the campaign's strategy, helping to keep the project focused and ensuring a cohesive experience from start to finish.

Here is my customer journey map:

Figure 1.2 Customer Journey Map

Design Direction:

• Color Palette - I began by exploring Pinterest to find the ideal color palette for my Famous Amos cookie cereal rebranding. I chose a set of straightforward, nostalgic colors that evoke a sense of fun and appeal to families, aiming to bring a lively and playful feel to the new design.

Figure 1.3 Colour Palette

• Neutral Beiges & Browns: These colors convey the natural, wholesome ingredients associated with cookies, and provide a rustic, cozy feel, aligning with the well-known Famous Amos brand.
• Blues: Adding blue creates contrast and modernity, symbolizing trust and freshness. This reinforces the idea of the new product as a reliable but innovative addition.
• Creams & White: These colors suggest purity and simplicity, highlighting the quality and cleanliness of the product.

• Logo - For rebranding the cookie cereal logo, the design direction combines a fun, minimalist aesthetic with a “cookie crunch” vibe and playful typography. This fusion is crafted to shape a brand identity that feels modern and inviting, embodying the spirit of a breakfast that’s both enjoyable and nourishing.

Figure 1.4 Famous Amos Brand Logo

Figure 1.5 Logo Brand reference #1

Figure 1.6 Logo Brand reference #2

Figure 1.7 Logo Brand reference #3

• Bold Serif Fonts: These are used for main titles and key messaging to ensure clarity and impact. The serif fonts lend an air of tradition and quality, while their boldness ensures that the new product stands out.
• Playful Display Fonts: The rounded display font seen in "Club Crunch" gives the new cereal cookie brand an approachable, fun personality, especially appealing to younger consumers and families.
• Logo Integration: The classic Famous Amos logo maintains brand consistency and recognition, while the added playful elements in the sub-brand (for cereal cookies) bring a modern twist, enhancing the brand's reach to a wider audience.

• Typography - I explored various typefaces to find one that captures the essence of the cookie cereal rebranding. My aim was to choose visually appealing and engaging fonts, with enough character to be eye-catching while ensuring readability. It was essential to find a typeface that’s both bold and inviting, able to convey the brand’s playful yet approachable personality effectively.

Figure 1.8 Typography exploration

• Photography Style - I plan to incorporate a realistic photography style for my visuals, infused with a nostalgic retro vibe that ties back to the Famous Amos brand. The imagery will showcase the new cookie cereal irresistibly and invitingly, using bright colors, clean layouts, and relatable lifestyle elements. This approach will emphasise the brand’s identity as a fun and tasty breakfast option, ensuring the visuals resonate with consumers and highlight the product’s playful, approachable nature. 

Figure 1.9 Photography Style

• Graphic Elements - For the graphic elements, I will use playful and clean shapes that add a sense of fun and creativity. This design choice is intended to appeal to a broad age range of target consumers, making the brand feel both lively and accessible to everyone.

Figure 2.1 Graphic elements #1

Figure 2.2 Graphic elements #2

Figure 2.3 Graphic elements #3

Geometric Shapes and Minimalist Patterns (First Image):

• These bold, geometric shapes are playful yet structured, adding visual interest without overwhelming the design. The simplicity of these forms aligns with a minimalist approach, ensuring that the packaging remains clean and modern. Their versatility allows them to act as decorative accents while maintaining a sense of balance and sophistication.
• The choice of vibrant orange and blue colors provides a lively contrast, bringing energy to the packaging and appealing to both younger and older audiences, enhancing the fun and nutritious identity of the cereal.

Playful Floral and Abstract Patterns (Second Image):

• The flower-inspired shapes and wavy lines add a retro, whimsical element to the design. This nostalgic touch connects with Famous Amos' heritage while appealing to a broad audience through familiar and friendly visuals.
• The color palette, featuring warm oranges, pinks, and soft blues, complements the cheerful theme, creating a lighthearted, inviting feel. These shapes suggest playfulness and creativity, reinforcing the brand's identity as a fun and enjoyable breakfast choice.

Modern Retro Typography and Layout (Third Image):

• This logo concept utilizes a vintage-inspired typeface that is bold yet approachable, which supports the nostalgic feel of the brand while maintaining clarity and readability. The blocky typeface and structured layout are reminiscent of classic designs, lending a timeless quality to the packaging.
• The subtle use of retro colors in the squares around the type provides a nod to traditional packaging styles, while the overall clean and minimal look keeps the brand feeling fresh and relevant.

Overall, Following Ms. Lilian's feedback, I revisited my presentation slides, fine-tuning areas to better align with her insights. She brought my attention to packaging, a crucial aspect I'd initially overlooked. With this in mind, I delved into a thorough search for visual inspiration to guide Famous Amos’ cookie cereal rebrand. I turned to platforms like Pinterest and freepik, gathering elements that could reflect both the nostalgic fun and the wholesome appeal of the brand. My goal was to craft packaging that emphasized both flavor and nutritional value. This research process became an inspiring exploration of color schemes, playful illustrations, typography, and layout, each helping to shape Famous Amos as a familiar yet revitalized snack option.

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FINAL SUBMISSION SLIDE

Figure 2.3 Final Slide,PDF

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REFLECTION

Feedback:

Week 5:

FEEDBACK:

• follow according to your Customerr journey map

• Plan out and explain on the ideas for every slides in Brand Touch points

• add another Typography slides for headers.. etc.

• plan on how many pages for website

• plan on how many posts and videos to produce

• create a story board for a promotion video

• separate insta feed and reels slides

NEXT PLAN OF ACTION:

• plan out and update the slides for brand touch points

• Find a suitable Typography and explore more for the header etc.

• plan out more for the ideations and put it in the slides

Week 4:

FEEDBACK:

• Brand touchpoint slides OFFLINE  should be have “packaging”

• Brand touchpoint for ONLINE should have 4

• elaborate more in the content interaction  slide

• reorganize the slides accordingly

• find the objective of the communication goals and it should be 2 slides

NEXT PLAN OF ACTION:

• add the packaging to the OFFLINE section in the slides

• add 4 more slides for brand touchpoints

reorganize the slide

Experience:

Working on the Famous Amos Cookie Cereal rebranding was both a rewarding and challenging journey. My goal was to give the brand a fresh, nostalgic twist that would appeal to both new and existing fans. Balancing a fun, retro-inspired approach with a modern cereal format required careful planning and creativity. Translating this concept into visuals and messaging took time, but I ultimately captured the essence of what I wanted for the rebrand—a fusion of nostalgia and fun that made Famous Amos an exciting breakfast choice.

Observation:

Throughout the research phase, I observed how other nostalgic brands infused their products with a sense of fun while staying true to their heritage. I noticed that brands using retro elements with a modern touch managed to evoke fond memories while still feeling relevant and fresh. This insight helped me focus on a design approach that combined bright colors and playful shapes, adding a whimsical feel without detracting from the product’s timeless appeal. Observing these elements in successful campaigns helped me shape Famous Amos' new look as a familiar, inviting cereal that fits into a modern lifestyle.

Findings:

This project taught me the importance of aligning visual design with the core message of the rebrand. I learned that every element—from color choices and typography to playful shapes—needed to strike a balance between nostalgia and fun. The design had to communicate the warm, retro vibe of Famous Amos while introducing it as a fresh, enjoyable breakfast choice. This experience highlighted how simplicity in design can convey complex messages, allowing consumers to instantly connect with both the nostalgic feel and the product's playful, lively personality.