A Wealth of Experience

Over the years I have had the pleasure to work on some of the world’s biggest brand both in Australia and abroad. With experience comes knowledge and with that comes a responsibility to teach and educate others - that is something I feel very passionate about at this stage of my career.

K*design works closely with LittleGiantsCreative on the brand imagery for L'OR EspressO.

This is the third brand campaign done for the L'OR EspressO brand in Australia and the first time imagery has been produced here in Australia.

The imagery has been used for outdoor, press, online, packaging, instore activation and pos.

WE NEEDED TO GRAB PEOPLES ATTENTION AND QUICKLY…

After extensive research and agreeing on a new name, we presented 3 concepts - one of which was a bold approach. We wanted to get people onside quickly and the approach was to leverage well known street and public signs that communicated danger and risk. We adapt and apply our messaging creating a fear in customers that they must use suppliers who are accredited or suffer the consequences.

The second major launch for Taronga was The Great Southern Ocean precinct. The unique offering here was the many different angles you could see and engage with the animals.

Our concept thought starter was - Sea life from a different perspective.

This lead us to our approach of creating a number of David Hockney style visuals. We also directed a photo shoot of numerous images of people experiencing close encounters with the sea animals.

At RMK I was responsible as creative director for the Australian Pork account. After a number of successful years of establishing pork as the number 2 protein only behind beef - we took a radical health direction.

The new direction required a completely new look. No one had ever used black before in this category so it was a bold move to take this leap.

A striking campaign that really got the health messages of pork noticed and endorsed by Teressa Cutter 'the Healthy Chef'.

ACP commissioned RMK to relaunch Madison magazine.

Understanding how women think?

The key insight was that women don’t think in seperate sections like a magazine, they think of many things at once. So not only what they’re cooking for the dinner party, but what they’ll wear, how to set the table, the mood etc. Madison is a magazine that is not laid out in typical sections  but rather all articles (health, beauty, cooking etc) are inter-dispersed. Our proposition was “Madison understands who you are”.

Making a fashion statement with a graphic approach. 

Madison magazine had lacked fashion credibility in the past. We created a strong graphic design that spelt out the magazines name by using fashion images cropped to enhance each letter. This was tagged with our new line, “I am Madison”.

WE CREATED A BRAND THAT REFLECTED THE INDUSTRY …

The NGIA brand was dated and dull, it was uninspiring and didn’t reflect the mentality or vision of the modern farmers in the industry.

One thing we picked up from research was that most NGIA farms were family run business that were handed down from generation to generation. Our goal was to capture that family ideology by making the farmers feel proud.

The new NGIA brand is fresh, exciting, alive and innovative - uniting the farmers in the vision of a modern NGIA brand.

Samsung were about to pull out of the Australian mobile market and with one last ditch to convert consumers to think of them as not just a whitegoods company - they launched the N105.

Our first insight was that all mobile phones were named by number and letters combinations rather than having a name that expressed the personality or feature of the phone. The N105 had a unique toggle that made navigating through the menu - easy.

We decided to call the mobile 'Joystick'.

Our other key insight was that mobile phones are a fashion accessory not just a work tool, so we wanted instant fashion/sex appeal. We had to connect with a younger audience not just the blue and white collar workers. We had a small budget and needed to get noticed so the creative execution really needed to jump out.

Our campaign focus was outdoor, and we put all the money into Adshell and Street Press to resonate with a younger, early adopter target market.

Out target was to sell 10,000 mobile phones. We sold 30,000 in the first month and another 70,000 mobile phones in the following 3 months. Hence to say that Samsung had finally been recognised as a serious supplier of mobile phones.

Today they are one of the market leaders in stye, design and innovation.

A freelance job at LittleGiantsCreative working with copywriter Jason Ross on a new campaign for Artline Vivix Highlighters. The positioning was - 'the brighter highlighter'.

We opted for a strong visual treatment to convey the positioning.

K*design works directly with Double D Confectionery on both strategy and design for the brand. It was K*design who recommended rebranding Double D Confectionery in the market by focussing on their niche - sugar free confectionery. 

A new brand strategy document was the first task, then a new logo, new packaging, new photography (we believe we have created the most appetising sweets ever) a new website, new Facebook, some advertising and promotions.

K*design is also involved in the innovation process of building the brand.

Appealing to the opinion leaders - chefs.

We sought new ways to make pork top-of-mind. Our strategy was to start with the opinion leaders and eventually the concept would filter down to the masses.

We created a new brand that put chefs on a pedestal amongst their peers.

The launch of PorkStar become the platform for which pork has risen to become the hero or signature dish on many restaurants throughout the country. And yes, the message has filtered through with the major supply chains stocking many more cuts of pork.

A PorkStar is born.

We sought unknown or up-and-coming chefs rather than just well known chefs, as PorkStar was about acknowledging talent in all areas - from restaurants, hotels, food service and catering. Double page spreads were featured in industry magazines of our PorkStar talent.

PorkStar events bring the different industry groups together.

PorkStar events in every state sught to bring the best of different industry groups together to discuss, celebrate and experience pork in it’s best light. Featured chefs would cater for the event and workshop recipes and techniques with the participants. These were marketed like rock concepts with showbags, t-shirts, caps, badges, lanyards, marketing material and invites that looked like concept tickets. This idea has been running for 5 years and continues to be a successful social event for the industry in every state.

IGA have undergone a huge Christmas push to compete against the likes of Woolworths and Coles yet maintaining their core positioning of 'how the locals like it'. A campaign thought of 'making Christmas easy' was adopted as IGA shops are tailored for local tastes and they are convenient.

The campaign consists of a logo lockup, graphic devices, online video recipes, stills food photography, outdoor, tvc, POS, catalogue and dedicated website - http://christmas.iga.com.au.

The task involved working with numerous departments internally at IGA and addressing their individual needs, whilst bringing the whole campaign together as one.

A fresh look and feel was developed to reflect the proposition of 'easy' - 18 x achievable recipes, 6 x quick 60-90sec video recipes with Dominique Rizzo (Brisbane Chef), simply styled, easy plating and tips to make mum the hero this Christmas.

IT ALL STARTED WITH RESEARCH WHEN YOU ARE DOING A REBRAND…

The first thing one must know when doing a brand refresh is all the history - the good, the bad and the ugly. Sometimes clients don’t like what they hear from research but we tend to think there is NO bad research - it’s all about the interpretation. Our approach is not to sugarcoat the findings.

For NGIA our task was to create a new Brand Refresh Action Plan for updating the NGIA NPFMS brand and to bring it in line with the new business’s mission and vision.

*Kdesign was commissioned to come up with a concept for Woolworths to promote Double D during Halloween. Something BIG on a little budget.

The concept was - Pioneering A Healthier Halloween.

A promotion mechanic was to offer a 20% discount in Woolworths, Big W and IGA stores on all Double D sweets for the month of Halloween. We targeted ads at mothers to encourage them to 'think sugar free for a healthier Halloween.'

Zombie like characters helped portray the message that sugar free treats are better for your kids health and dental hygiene.

We also created instore wobblers, 20% discount cards, catalogue ads, promoted on Double D website and Facebook pages.

We also created 2 hero sweet images for the campaign. We see this as being an annual event and looking forward to what we can create in 2014.

Developing a graphic treatment to express the unique aroma of L'OR EspressO coffee using ribbons, sparkles and a glowing light from within the capsule packaging.

This was then treated in a separate way for POS using the aroma wrapping around a coffee cup that was backlit.

The glow and aroma becoming key elements in the L'OR EspressO branding.

They tell you never to work with animals but I think this one client is the exception to that rule. I've had the luck to work with such great organisation as Taronga and Western Plains Zoo.

How do you get people to drive 5 hours west into the blazing sunlight to visit a zoo? Well this isn't just any zoo.

Out of Africa.

The Western Plains Zoo is a little out of the way at Dubbo but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper to get to than Africa. With it’s wide open plains and hidden fences, you’d be hard pressed to know you weren’t actually in Africa (that’s speaking from experiencing both options).

Out of this insight came our line 'Africa in our own backyard.'

A website was designed like a journal with how to get there, where to stay, things to see, what to eat, handy tips, other sites of interest.

Just recently I was asked to art direct some images with photographer John Patrick for the new zoofari lodges. The final hero image consist of over a dozen shots.

Drinkworks are the distributor of Monteith's Cider in Australia. At the Alchemists we were briefed to create a brand positioning line that would stand the test of time. 

The focus of which was on the people holding the bottle as much as what was in the bottle. We aimed to capture the spirit of discovery based on the insight that drinkers were trend setters in urban precincts actively seeking quality. Seeking brands that match their vision of themselves.

After lengthy strategic meetings with the client we settled on the line - 'Always putting in 100%'.

The Alchemists then created a strong brand typographic approach that laddered across all material including posters, busbacks, coasters, bar runners, website and Facebook. All the typography and image work were done in-house including photography and retouching.

Monteiths Cider are now in their third year of using this brand positioning. 

WE DECIDED TO MOVE AWAY FROM ACRONYMS…

Research told us that people didn’t connect with the acronyms used by NGIA for their product offers, so it was our intention to create a name that resonated and was easily understood.

We developed 50 names, a top 5 was chosen and a recommendation was made - GROWSMART.

This name communicates that accreditation ensures your business and plants are grown the smart way.

The name is descriptive and simple, and lends itself to start a conversation about risk management. Growing your plants the smart way is the ultimate goal and this name prompts customers to question nurseries who haven’t been accredited.

Sydney Water is a Government project.

The issue they had was they were undervalued by consumers both as a natural resource and the sustainability of it.

Consumption vs conservation with the key being getting the right balance.

It wasn't an easy task changing consumers minds though as people didn't see the quality of the offering nor were they very interested in it's longevity.

We came up with the line 'Good enough to bottle, too good to waste' and sought numerous ways to tell consumers of the benefits of Sydney Water.

Specific ads were targeted to young kids, teenagers and adults as well as a broader 24 sheet outdoor campaign.

The Alchemists were asked to rebrand Brydens Compensation Lawyers from the ground up. Our first task was to address the company positioning.

Our key insight - When you’ve only got one chance, how do you know you’ve made the right choice? 

For consumers it’s a daunting process to choose the right lawyer. Everyone in the market is saying the same thing. So we decided to focus on the consumer and understand their needs to get on with their lives.

We also asked ourselves the question - How would you go about finding a lawyer? 

It’s a question most people wouldn’t think about until they need one themselves. So where do you start? Ask a friend? Search online?

Well these are the two most common starting points, so we sought to integrate them together by featuring our new testimonial TVC campaign online.

The TV campaign was incorporated into local press, radio, brochures and activation booths in Westfield Shopping Centres for consumers to engage with a lawyer free of charge.

The key to all the communication was hero imagery of out TVC talent.

At RMK we were commissioned by Starbucks to launch their first brand campaign in Australia to spread the conversation message highlighting the partnership established among a Mexican coffee farmer, his farmers' co-operative, Conservation International and Starbucks.

Starbucks had resisted mainstream advertising until now but this newspaper, magazine and 24 sheet poster campaign featured our new line 'Romancing the bean'.

We also created a unique illustrative style for the brand that was used on posters, outdoor and local press - including recruitment ads for the brand

After the success of year 1 we followed up the "Always putting in 100%" campaign with some new typography.

Numerous logo and typographic designs were created and given a grunge feel. A hero type direction was chosen and was applied to new ads, buybacks, posters and coasters that carried on from last years theme.

Turning pork into a weekly staple was something we discussed in one of our strategy meetings. We knew spag bol was a favourite with Aussie kids and mum’s.

Finding a piece of gold. 

What we didn’t know was that the traditional Italian recipe (from Bologna) uses a mix of pork and veal mince as it is much sweeter and tastier than beef. The campaign idea involved working with the major retailers to produce a mix of pork and veal mince on shelf - this made it easy for consumers. The creative execution showed off the sexy & hot blooded side of an Italian woman scorned.

After rebranding Brydens Compensation Lawyers, we looked at re-skinning the website to reflect the new positioning and brand image we had created.

We discovered that most costumers were recommended a lawyer by a friend and then researched them online before making a final decision.

Our approach was to re-skin the site to be more modern and contemporary with a sympathetic tone of voice, making it more approachable to consumers. 

There are plenty of touch points were consumers are prompted to engage.

Kdesign works closely with Double D on innovation and new product development. They are a great client who l enjoy thinking about their business, even when I'm not working.

Adding menthol to their already successful medicated range, we also expanding it with two new flavours - Anise and Blackcurrant. The flavour was strong and soothing on the throat.

The concept of the ad was to capture the strength of the flavour with the fact that they make you feel your healthy self.

A freelance job through Ideaworks Brisbane, K*design was commissioned to create and conceptualise a promotion for Vaalia. 

The brief had a number of mechanics including a concept that could be run across the whole of Australia. An alternate execution for Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Finally an execution for just Melbourne.

Initial concepts sketches were decided upon by the client and then computer scamps were mocked up for final presentation.

Conservation, for all creatures great or small.

How about as small as a snail, butterfly or lady beetle. We ask the public to tread gently as the insects are just as import to the ecology as any other animal.