Native Creative: Zendesk Plays with Shapes, the Importance of Color, and Much More

Here at Figmints we thrive on the new, the creative, the innovative, and the eyeball-widening joys of the Internet. Every other week, we meet as a team to share the most interesting things we find online. Anything goes. It could be a well-designed website, a video or an article that give us goosebumps, a product we just can’t seem to believe, a new brand making waves, or something else entirely.

BRAND SPOTLIGHT: BEHOLD, ZENDESK LEAVES NO SHAPE UNTURNED

Zendesk is all about improving the quality of communication using the power of software. And, with their alluring new brand, they illustrate how to make abstract concepts edible for their audience using a flexible branding system. The “Systems Not Stamps” refrain is immediately apparent in their work. Everything expands from the simplistic shapes of their primary icon to seamlessly tell their story. It’s a thing of branding beauty.

Design: 12 Funny Charts that Highlight the Importance of Color

At Figmints, we harp on the timeless maxim “consumers buy with their eyes” on a regular basis. And while purchasing decisions are the result of a complicated web of variables, the role of our keen sense of sight plays cannot be understated in the buying process. That’s why color is such a precise and integral component to good design. It can mean the difference between designing a moon or a death star, an iceberg and a shark, or even a sunset and an igloo. These 12 charts show why taking the time to consider color can make or break a design.

Branding Case Study: New Logo and Identity for 2016 Brand New Conference By Underconsideration

Brand New is one of our office’s favorite digital snack stands. It’s where we all flock to for tasty morsels of brand evaluation and critique. Not only do they do a stellar job of reviewing the leading edge of branding work, they seamlessly integrate peer evaluation into their experience to keep their large community of designers and brand thinkers engaged. This particular case study looks into the branding efforts behind their 8th annual Brand New Conference. Can you guess the inspiration behind the conference’s branding using the image above as a hint?

Video: Planet Earth II – Official Extended Trailer (Via BBC Earth)

We’re all well aware of how sequels, whether to movies or shows, can forever taint the original production. However, after the trailer to Planet Earth II, I think it’s going to side-step sequel-itis with ease. If the trailer is this breathtaking, I have astronomically high hopes for the show in its entirety. If you’ve never seen the original Planet Earth series, I recommend checking that out in the meantime. Behold, nature’s splendor.

Video: The Secret to Spreading Ideas – Bernadette Jiwa at TEDxPerth

We’re long past the days when branding was solely concerned with identity. Now, we’re fully immersed in a branded landscape where the name of the game is differentiation. According to Bernadette Jiwa, a world-renowned brand strategist, brands must sharpen their focus on feelings in lieu of lists of features. This short TEDx video brilliantly captures and communicates the elusive essence of compelling storytelling.

“People don’t actually buy your idea, they buy into how your idea makes them feel.” – Bernadette Jiwa

Article: 6 Branding that Successfully Used the 2016 Election in Advertising

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPurzKVTlU4

I know what you’re thinking, surfing advertisements on this year’s presidential wave could only have resulted in a procession of epic PR wipe-outs, right? Given the inherent polarization of politics, how could a brand possibly escape unaffected? Well, these six brands managed to do just that. They tactfully and tastefully navigated the murky waters of this year’s election to bring meaningful attention to their brands. Take a closer look at their strategies so you’re better prepared to capitalize on the next big trend.

Video: Where Have All the Eyeballs Gone? (Via Adage) 

Watching television isn’t going extinct, it’s evolving to match the times. Although watching habits are drastically changing thanks to young and disruptive streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix, the lion’s share of viewers still prefer to watch on their television. Want to see all of the juicy details? AdAge neatly outlines the lay of the (TV) land and corrects a common misunderstanding about watching TV in 2016.

Product/Service: Broquet – Awesome Gift Crates for Guys

If you have trouble shopping for the men in your life, you should browse the gift crates over at Broquet. We aren’t affiliated with them in any way other than strongly admiring their work. Just when you think that every hole in the subscription service market has already been filled in with niche offerings, Broquet comes along and illustrates how to do simple right. Huge audience. High-quality products. Perfect execution.

Case Study: “Designed By Apple in California” Chronicles 20 Years of Apple Design

Would you pay $300 for a 450 page picture-book that chronicles every Apple product from the very beginning? Here’s your chance. Apple just released “Designed by Apple in California,” which is a “visual history spanning iMac to Apple Pencil, this hardcover volume is both a testament and a tribute to the meticulous processes of design, engineering, and manufacturing that are singularly Apple.”

Video: Snapchat Spectacles Have Landed

Snapchat Spectacles are now available for purchase for $129 at your local SnapBot. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means you can locate a tiny yellow vending machine shaped like a Minion in order to buy Snapchat’s new glasses. Apparently they make Snapchatting more, um, snappy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc9SOkPWqIQ

That’s all we’ve got for you this week, tune in next week for another edition of Native to discover more cool things on the internet!