Brand Logos

Nine Suns: A Brand Built on Legend

By Delphine Hirasuna | October 3, 2013September 4, 2014

An aesthetically pleasing logo is great, but when it is wrapped around a charming story, the brand becomes all the more memorable. Landor Associates did both in developing the design and branding for the ultra-exclusive Nine Suns Wine of Napa Valley. Playing off the Chinese heritage of the owners, Landor recalled the ancient Yao Dynasty legend that claimed that once 10 suns lit the earth in rotation, until one day the suns grew tired of taking turns and decided to rise all at once. The unrelenting heat from the suns scorched crops and trees and caused much suffering. Emperor Yao summoned Hou Yi, the god of archery, to save the land. The archer quickly shot nine suns out of the sky, but left the tenth sun to keep heaven and earth in perfect balance. The winery’s brand mark represents the nine suns myth with the nine black dots lyrically configured to spell Nine Suns.

Motion Graphics

Moleskine Introduces Color

By Delphine Hirasuna | February 22, 2013September 4, 2014

For decades, Moleskine has been renowned for its little black notebook that artists, designers, and writers carry with them everywhere to capture their first inklings of brilliant ideas. Other brands offer notebooks too, but only Moleskine, in iconic black with its external elastic band and ribbon bookmark, signals that you are an authentic and serious creative type. So, Moleskine’s announcement that it is releasing its notebooks and planners in four bright colors, in addition to black, is newsworthy. Insecure creatives may be reluctant to buy a color other than black.

Packaging

Creative Bee

By Delphine Hirasuna | October 26, 2011September 4, 2014

Sometimes a design solution is so obvious that many designers miss it because they are too busy trying to make complex connection to the product attributes, uniqueness, emotional appeal, market positioning, yada yada yada. All the while an elegant solution is buzzing right before their eyes. Such is the case with the packaging for Babees Honey, created by Ah & Oh Studio in Poznan, Poland. The familiar black-and-yellow bands on the bumble bee instantly suggest the product’s original maker, and the handwritten logotype is drawn like a bee merrily flitting from blossom to blossom collecting nectar. Simple. Charming. Sophisticated. Geometric. What’s not to like?