CHRLY DSIGN®

¿Irías en chandal y desaliñado a una reunión importante? → Si tú no lo harías, ¿por qué dejas que tu marca sí lo haga? Las personas cuando tenemos un evento o una cita importante, como una entrevista de trabajo o una presentación con unos clientes, solemos preocuparnos por la impresión y apariencia que proyectamos. Planchamos nuestra ropa, utilizamos perfume, nos peinamos, hablamos con educación… Sin embargo, la mayoría de empresas no suelen darle importancia a la apariencia visual y conceptos de su marca, conformándose con cualquier logo para salir del paso y creyendo que cualquier cosa vale para cualquier marca. Lo cuál, es exactamente lo mismo que presentarse a una reunión vestido de manera inapropiada, sucio y hablando como si tuviéramos alergia al diccionario. → Recuerda esto: una marca es, esencialmente, una persona. ↳ Y al igual que con las personas, la apariencia visual es clave para generar interacciones. Por ejemplo, a la hora de buscar pareja, es necesaria una atracción visual previa, que genere ese interés por acercarse a conocer a la persona. Pues en el mundo de las marcas (sobre todo las digitales que operan en internet) es exactamente igual. Por muy buenos que sean tus productos o servicios, sin una marca visual y conceptualmente atractiva que incite a los clientes a dar ese primer paso y acercarse, la empresa está muerta. Si tu público no se siente atraído y confía en tu marca, da igual lo mucho que prometas o jures —no vas a vender. ↳ Cada vez que una persona o posible cliente ve o interacciona con cualquier elemento de tu marca, es como si dos personas estuviesen teniendo una reunión o entrevista. Y no contar con una marca potente que transmita y represente de manera efectiva la idiosincrasia y propuesta de valor de tu empresa, es como ir a esa reunión en chandal, desaliñado y hablando mal. → Si piensas que ya tienes una marca buena, que te va bien y que no necesitas hacer nada más con ella porque ya vendes mucho y creces rápido, hazte la siguiente pregunta: ¿por qué compañías como Apple, Nike, RedBull o CocaCola, que tienen algunas de las marcas más potentes de la historia, siguen invirtiendo millones y millones cada año en mejorar su marca? A ellos les va mejor que a cualquiera de nosotros y siguen invirtiendo en mejorarla… —Por algo será. ↳ Recuerda lo que he dicho antes: una marca es una persona. Y las personas pasamos nuestra vida evolucionando, mejorando y adaptándonos a las nuevas circunstancias que se nos presentan. → Hoy en día tener una buena marca no sólo es un requisito indispensable para poder sobrevivir, sino que si se desarrolla de forma adecuada, puede convertirse en el mayor activo de toda la compañía, llevándola a conseguir objetivos con los que antes no podía ni soñar. Dale a tu marca el trato que merece. __ Si quieres dar el primer paso para mejorar tu marca y no sabes por dónde empezar, escríbeme un mensaje. Estaré encantado de guiarte y ver cómo ayudarte.

Changing these 4 elements can completely transform a Brand. (And how I did it for Yuvod's rebranding project) 01 · POSITIONING STATEMENT ➤ Brief description of the Brand's unique direction within its sector and how it wishes to be perceived by its audience. ➤ Although it may seem like a marketing thing, it is actually an internal tool to align and focus all decisions, people and actions towards their goals. ↳ Here's the one proposed for Yuvod: "For Hospitality, broadcasters and telcos that want to provide their customers with the best modern, complete, content platform, Yuvod provides the most thoughtful, user-friendly and efficient system, due to their complete pursuit of innovation, refinement and humanity." 02 · PERSONALITY Establish the idiosyncrasy of the brand, defining its: ➤ Attributes  ➤ Values  ➤ Thoughts ➤ Beliefs ➤ Mision / Vision  ➤ Perception 03 · SLOGAN / CLAIM ➤ Short phrase related to what the brand wants to achieve or promote ➤ Has to be usable in every production or element related to the brand ➤ Should only make sense when used by the brand it is created for ➤ Gotta resonate with its audience ↳ Here's what was proposed for Yuvod:  "Where all content meets" • Means that Yuvod is the place where all content comes together, integrating streaming platforms, hotel services and communications, original content from teams, and much more. • References the main activity of the company without limiting it, being eligible to be used in different markets, sectors or verticals when expanding. 04 · COMMUNICATION STYLE "People don't usually remember what you say, but how you make them feel" ↳ The new communication style for Yuvod: ➤ Moves away from overwhelming viewers with technical features. It highlights the results Yuvod can deliver in a humorous, relatable way that addresses everyday problems and piques curiosity. ➤ Combines concepts directly drawn from the industry and client's day-to-day situations with eye-catching images reducing the likelihood of it being ignored. ➤ Is versatile, three-dimensional, and reflects the company's idiosyncrasy fostering deeper connections, while remaining effective over time to support its long-term objectives. ➤ Stands out within the sector. ↳ The images: ➤ Follow the cinema's principle: "Show me, don't tell me" Presenting real, relatable situations to showcase how Yuvod can assist in them. ➤ Use storytelling to infuse every image with an internal story that makes it more interesting and likely to be remembered. People connect and empathise with people and relate to familiar situations. Therefore, the most effective way for customers to understand what Yuvod offers is by showing it to them in a context they can identify with. This way, instead of using an empty hotel room with a TV displaying the system which transmits nothing, the new style shows real-life situations where users are interacting and experiencing its benefits.

Overlooked Strategic Design Decisions that Differentiate High-End and Standard Projects. ↳ And how I applied them to Yuvod's rebrand: → TYPOGRAPHY Selecting the right typography goes beyond just picking a "cool" font. It involves understanding the project's unique needs and underlying factors. Here’s what guided my typography choice for Yuvod’s rebrand: ✅ Extra-high language compatibility · Yuvod serves hotels across various countries, with users from diverse nationalities. The chosen typography had to support nearly every existing language. ✅ Long distance clarity · Since Yuvod operates on TVs, which are typically viewed from a distance, the text needed to be easily readable without any strain. ✅ Family Range · A broad font family with multiple weights, styles, and variable fonts ensures versatility in design. ✅ Appearance · The font’s glyph construction had to resonate with Yuvod’s tech identity while maintaining a clean, modern look. ✅ Futureproof · The typography needed to cover all potential future requirements, crucial for a global brand expanding into new markets. → COLOR PALETTE Colors are often chosen solely on aesthetics, overlooking how they'll function across different mediums and contexts. A successful color palette isn’t just visually pleasing—it must also be versatile across formats. While Yuvod’s color palette was already strong, I made slight adjustments to ensure all tones harmonized and worked seamlessly together. Focusing on tone balance, profile compatibility or metamerism is crucial in digital environments where color shifts based on screen settings. → GRADIENTS Gradients are often seen as decorative, but their role can be more strategic. Gradients are the cornerstone of Yuvod's rebrand. They: ➤ Serve as a visual metaphor for the diverse and vibrant content on Yuvod’s platform. ➤ Are a powerful storytelling tool, adding depth to the visual identity. ➤ Infuse the brand with energy and dynamism, making it feel lively. ➤ Maximize the impact of the digital environment and screens. ➤ Establish a unique aesthetic within the sector. → BRAND APPLICATIONS Many brands fail to consider how design elements will be applied consistently across different platforms and materials. It’s crucial to design with flexibility in mind, ensuring that all elements work harmoniously across various applications. The combination of all design elements creates a cohesive brand ecosystem that: ➤ Stands out in the sector. ➤ Feels fresh and modernised. ➤ Embodies the brand's essence. ➤ Allows room for creative experimentation. 🚀 KEY TAKEAWAY Strategic decisions around colors, gradients, and brand applications are often overlooked in favour of more obvious design elements. However, these subtle choices are what differentiate high-end designs from standard projects. Paying attention to these aspects ensures that the brand not only looks good but also functions effectively across mediums and remains adaptable for future growth.

Here's how I redesigned Yuvod's logo to keep its essence while making it more effective and powerful: → First, I analyzed the sector and brands of their competitors to understand the context and situation. These are some conclusions regarding their logos: ➤ Similar Logos: Most competitors have generic, outdated symbols, making them feel low-quality. ➤ Lack of Memorability: None of the brands stand out. ➤ Common Typeface: Many use thin sans-serif fonts to seem modern, and technological. ➤ No Personality: Most logos try to convey technology and innovation, falling into generalities that make them lack personality. → Then, I analyzed Yuvod's current logo and brand ecosystem to understand its problems and limitations: ❌ Yuvod's symbol is based on the concept of "Impossible geometry". However, it isn't easily perceivable. ❌ The shape composition makes the final result seem visually unbalanced. ❌ It lacks optical compensation, which disrupts symmetry.   ❌ The current typography has some gaps that disappear at small sizes or low resolutions while also feeling slightly outdated. ✅ The vibrant color palette works well and stands out in the sector. → With these insights, I set the following goals for the redesign: 🎯 Balancing out the graphics and making the brand mark more appealing and versatile. 🎯 Standing out in an extremely similar sector, feeling fresh and different. 🎯 Developing a visual language that connects with the brand's core and creates an effective and cohesive brand ecosystem. → Results and design process: ✅ To ensure visual harmony, the symbol was constructed using a grid based on the golden ratio and rotating a single piece at 45° intervals. ✅ Visual balance was refined by improving the symmetry and element relationships, resulting in a more balanced and visually pleasing outcome that preserves the original essence and concepts. ✅ To ensure proper legibility at any size, resolution, or distance, maintaining the same overall perceived shape, different versions were created increasing and decreasing the spacing between elements. ✅ Typography was optimized by adjusting the kerning and character height for a more uniform and pleasing appearance. ✅ The symbol can be used as a three-dimensional element to create more striking and interesting compositions that keep the brand fresh and open to experimentation. When making a rebrand it is key to understand the brand you're working with from top to bottom, as well as their situation. Rebrandings are usually misconceived as rebuilding the brand from the ground up making something completely different. Sometimes the situation may require that, but most of the time, it's because that's the "easy way": Delete everything and start from 0 like nothing ever happened. Which can be extremely dangerous. When working with already-established brands, you need to analyze which aspects work and which don't, to correct only those who deviate the company from their objectives. #logo #redesign

For the last few months, I've been working on a rebranding proposal for Yuvod, a Spanish startup specializing in innovative video and streaming solutions for the hospitality and telecom sectors. Although the project unluckily wasn't carried out, I wanna share in the next posts the design process, decisions and concepts developed along the way since there's a lot of interesting stuff worth mentioning. → The goals for the project were to: ✅ Create a strong and attractive brand that stood out in an extremely similar industry, driving solid growth and contributing to expansion into new markets. ✅ Establish an effective, versatile, adaptable, and three-dimensional visual and communicative style across all verticals. ✅ Achieve a brand that aligned with the idiosyncrasy, essence and personality of the company; endured over time, and served as an essential asset in reaching objectives and milestones. ✅ Solve problems that the current brand was causing to the company in areas such as scalability and recognition. To achieve those goals, the project followed my Framework for a Perfect Digital Brand Design Project, which I've shared in previous posts and includes a really thorough Research & Analysis phase. ↳This post is just an overview to show some of the designed elements. ↳ The following posts will explore more in-depth areas such as:    ➤ Conclusions and strategies    ➤ Branding    ➤ Logo Design    ➤ Color Palette     ➤ Typography    ➤ Graphic Elements    ➤ Brand Applications    ➤ Promotional Images & Publicity    ➤ Website    ➤ Motion I've been following Yuvod for a very long time and have always thought they are a great company with huge potential and an awesome team. If you didn't know them before, go check them out because they are cooking. This project, although it's only a proposal that sets the foundations for a more extensive project, turned out to be something kinda special. Hope you can feel that too through the next posts. Stay tuned! 🚀 #rebrand #redesign #rebranding

10 THINGS EVERY DESIGNER DOES · PART II (No exceptions. If you're a designer you're 100% guilty.) 11 · Feeling an irresistible but deep urge to redesign every website, app, logo or image we use or come across. 12 · Hoarding thousands of GBs of design templates “just in case” we might need them one day, but always looking for new ones when the time comes. 13 · Experiencing sudden bursts of creativity and motivation at 2 AM. 14 · Obsessing over kerning and spacing until our eyes cross. 15 · Having 20 tabs open at all times, because you never know when you’ll need that random tutorial you found by chance. 16 · Noticing the tiniest design flaws in everyday objects and silently judging them. 17 · Developing a true devotion or sometimes even an insane obsession for the colour Black. 18 · Perfecting our “elevator pitch” to precisely explain what we do, but totally forgetting it when someone asks. 19 · Paying for the entire Adobe Creative Cloud suite but only using three programs regularly. 20 · Becoming an expert Client Translator, deciphering client feedback that seems to be written in an invented language. _ How many are you guilty of? Don't forget to share them with your designer friends!

10 THINGS EVERY DESIGNER DOES (No exceptions. If you're a designer you're 100% guilty.) 01 · Adding tiny details that no one will ever notice but are vital for our sanity. 02 · Collecting fonts like they’re rare Pokémon, even though we completely forget about their existence and end up using the same ones in our day-to-day. 03 · Zooming in to 3200% and getting our face as close to the monitor as physically possible, to make sure that line is exactly 0.0001 pixels perfect. 04 · Creating hyper-realistic mockups that set unrealistic expectations and make everything look a thousand times better than how it would be in real life. 05 · Developing an irrational but passionate hatred for Comic Sans and Papyrus. 06 · Critiquing other designers' work in our heads as soon as we see it. 07 · Spending hours searching for the perfect stock photo, only to end up using the first one we found. 08 · Constantly thinking about updating our portfolios, but never finding the right time to do it. 09 · Insisting on using grids for everything, even when making a personal grocery list. 10 · Taking screenshots of beautiful designs we come across intending to use them for “inspiration” later, but totally forgetting they exist in a few seconds. _ Please, I need to know, how many of these things are you guilty of?😝 #design #designer

THIS SIMPLE CONCEPT CHANGED MY LIFE AS A DESIGNER You may recognise this situation: you finish a design, look at the final piece and feel like something is off; like it is lacking some kind of touch or something isn't working. In that situation, we tend to think: what can I add to improve this? Or: what can I incorporate to fix this thing? Our immediate thought is to throw in more stuff. And if there's something I've learnt along the many, many hours I've spent designing in my life, is that in 99% of those situations, adding something is not the solution. When we create, we always think about all the new and exciting things we could add, but never question if everything we've already included is helping to reach the desired goal and transmit the message clearly and effectively. Sometimes we already know that something is not working, but decide to leave it there and "fix it later". What I wanted to share in this post, is something that I learnt the hard way but that once it clicked, meant a before and after in my career. Read it thoroughly: "The difference between Good and Bad design isn't on the things you add, but on the things you don't" It may seem obvious at first, but it's amazing how quickly we forget about it when we're designing. Keeping this phrase running in the back of your head will allow you to get more efficient and higher-quality designs. Simply questioning if every element serves the main purpose of the design can also save you a ton of time. Trust me, it's better to go back a few steps in the moment, than to wait and have to redo 100 more steps and waste five times more hours later. What are your thoughts about this? I'd love to read it in the comments section!

From nobody to being at the top of the minds of millions.  How a Digital Brand can impact your business. In today's fast-paced digital world, a strong Digital Brand is the most powerful and crucial asset of a digital business. But it is also one of the most common causes why they fail. Let's face it, on the wild internet either you build a personality that draws attention and becomes memorable or you spend your days fighting with tens of thousands of other similar companies for scraps. → WHAT ARE DIGITAL BRANDS? They are brands that operate in digital environments and offer digital products such as Netflix or Software Companies, whose products you access digitally and consume digitally without any physical processes. But they can also be brands that operate in digital environments while selling physical products such as e-commerce. → WHY DO DIGITAL BRANDS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS? 1 · They compete for attention, not money. On the internet the currency is attention. Companies don't compete to sell more products today, they compete to see who gets to stay relevant and be remembered tomorrow, in a 3-second memory world. 2 · 24/7 Presence. Digital Businesses don't open at 9 am and close at 8 pm—They never sleep. Customers expect support and engagement at all hours, needing constant attention and responsiveness. 3 · Adapt or Die. The digital landscape is constantly evolving. Brands need to be agile and quick to adapt to new technologies and trends. Hence they need a versatile Brand that can easily flow and transition from scenario to scenario. 4 · Beauty is on the Outside. Traditional businesses can survive with a bad brand or image because what matters in the physical world are the products and services. But on the internet, everything is appearance and image. People don't get to try or even see the products until buying them. This means companies have to transmit who they are and what they do in a precise convincing way that resonates with people. It doesn't matter if they say it's premium if the brand gives a low-cost feeling people will perceive it as low-cost and won't buy. These are just a few. There are more needs that we'll cover in future posts. → WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? In an era where consumers are increasingly digital-first, a strong digital brand isn't just an advantage—it's a necessity. It defines your presence in the market, shapes customer perceptions, and drives business growth. Embracing the unique needs of digital branding will set you apart from the competition and create lasting connections with your audience. Curious about how to enhance your digital brand? Hit that follow or connect button and stay around. I share posts to help Digital Businesses evolve their brand and achieve better design. #digitalbrand #digitalbranding #digitalbusiness

STEAL THIS FRAMEWORK FOR A PERFECT DIGITAL BRAND DESIGN PROJECT These are the basic steps to craft a Digital Brand. Some elements will vary from project to project, but using this Framework as a starting point will save you huge time when planning everything. PHASE 00 · UNDERSTANDING The goal is to gather all the needed data to decide whether working together is the best option. Before doing anything, you gotta know precisely what the project is about to determine if you are a good fit both for the project and the client. Get a clear understanding of the current situation, expectations, objectives, issues, strategies, ways to meassure the success of your work, duration, scope, implied parties... PHASE 01 · ANALYSIS & RESEARCH 90% of the project's effectiveness comes from this phase. The goal is to know everything that there is to know about the context of the project and company/client. → RESEARCH: 1. What they do, how they do it, why they do it, pricing, differentiating qualities, distribution... 2. Description of their audience. Who they are, their buying habits, how they connect with them and where, what they expect from the company, what countries they are from... 3. The story of the company. Why do they exist beyond money? Mission, Vision, Values and Idiosyncrasy as a company. What makes them special/different from the competition? 4. How do they make decisions? 5. Specific needs. 6. How and where is the brand gonna be used? 7. Current situation, strategies, issues, objectives, milestones... 8. Who is their most direct competitor? → COMPETITION Once you get all that info from your client, try to get it for each of their competitors. Only by knowing the playing board can you make a good move. → VISUAL ANALYSIS Relation between the current visual and graphic language versus their objectives and idiosyncrasy. What works? What doesn't? Visual analysis of the sector and competition. Where do they stand? → CONCLUSIONS With all the data from this Phase, draft the possible strategies to reach the desired outcome. Share and comment on them with your client so you are both on the same page. The result from this Phase will set the ground for the following steps. PHASE 02 · DESIGN & PRODUCTION The goal is to transform the data and strategies from the previous Phase into visual and graphic elements. → ROUTE MAP Establish a route map to follow. Think about every element you have to create and what you need to do so. Begin with the essentials/fundamentals and keep building from there, so that when you get to the most complex productions you already have everything ready. PHASE 03 · IMPLEMENTATION Implement all the design elements and strategies. Make sure everyone is clear about how everything works and should be used to maximize the effectiveness. PHASE 04 · FOLLOW-UP Have frequent communication with the client to check results, correct deviations and problems, get feedback and make sure they get the results.