We were approached by Gulf Holdings to redesign their corporate identity. The key words in the brief which stood out to me included ‘strong’, ‘fearless’, ‘uncomplicated’, ‘loyal’ and ‘honest.’ The design concept had to mirror these qualities.

I started by redesigning their logo. The result is this strong, clean design:

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Here’s a video that attempts to explain Google Wave.

It all sounds pretty cool but I wouldn’t know because I haven’t got an invite. Anyone want to invite me?

Clever move from Google making Google Wave so exclusive. I feel like I’m queuing outside a hot new club wondering if I look ‘cool’ enough to get in.

Read more of Monique‘s blog posts here.

Facebook continues to evolve and tailor functions to make sure the social networking site maintains popularity with users. The latest revamp has made Facebook groups look and function similarly to fan pages.

It’s good news for administrators of groups who felt they lacked the means to engage with members. Previously group activities only appeared in the group but now group activity should show up in the news feeds of members. Groups now have publisher enabling members to share group content with their friends via a message or post to their profile like one can do with the fan page.

Trying to choose between a fan page and a group for your brand? The fan page vs. groups debate continues but one function may make all the difference… page insights. In a previous post about Facebook fan pages I noted that fan pages allow administrators to view market insights or ‘page insights’ from the number of page views received to the general demographic segmentation of fans. This is the real difference between groups and fan pages… for now.

Source: Giving Groups a Stronger Voice by Knot Pipatsrisawat.

Read more of Monique‘s blog posts here.

Are you a fan? Do you follow a Facebook fan page for your favourite band, TV show, cool drink or celebrity? Have you ever thought that a fan page could benefit your business?

If you would like to know how you could use this social networking site for your brand or business, read this article. Find out what a Facebook fan page is, what makes it an attractive option for marketers, why content is so important and what it takes to make a fan page work.

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We commissioned photographer Louis Heimstra to shoot some night-time landscape shots of the Western Cape and surrounds. The photos are going to be used in a brochure for Stellenbosch University Health Faculty. Watch this space for the final brochure designs, it’s going to be sic.

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Quest is a leading South African staffing solutions company with the vision to be the leader in meaningful employment; setting candidates and clients up for success.

Brief

The war for talent is fierce. South Africa’s skills shortage and high unemployment make attracting and selecting the right people an ongoing challenge.  Power of 9 has been a strategic partner of Quest’s for 6 years. This partnership has allowed us to develop a deep understanding and strategic insight not only in the Quest brand, but in the Quest business and their strategic objectives. Power of 9 is proud to claim many of the Quest brand initiatives as proactive proposals rather than responses to briefs.  Our proposed candidate acquisition strategy is one such case.

Background

The X & Y Generation use social media to network and socialise every day. They hold the opinions, recommendations and comments of their peers in high regard. They thrive on collaboration and networking, are independent and sceptical thinkers and decision makers and not only embrace technology, but are the creators of it in its most modern form.

They also make up the majority of the Quest candidate base.

Social networking is the fastest-growing billion-dollar industry in the economic history of mankind.

Missy Quest

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Just like most things in life; we get out what we put in. A good brief is the catalyst for sound and focused creative thinking; a bad brief is the catalyst for wasted hours and money.

So, at the risk of copping a lot of flak from my creative team for writing an article on a subject they will argue I am unpractised in, here is my advice on how to write a good brief.

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We are honoured to have been approached by AMERICAN shutters to develop their brand strategy.  This lead to the redesigning of their CI, website and all other marketing tools as well as a social media campaign. Watch this space for the upcoming case study but in the meantime, what do you think of their new website?

We revamped their website from this…

to this…

AMERICAN shutters are specialists in custom made adjustable louvre shutters and blinds. AMERICAN shutters’ superior quality, professional service and extensive product range have added value to South African properties nationwide since 1985. Visit www.americanshutters.co.za for more information.

The studio has been busy with some really cool animations for Quest Staffing Solutions. We used caricatures of well known personalities to show candidates how NOT to do a job. I think they are really funny. Check them out and tell us what you think:

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