American packaging design industry veteran, Ted Mininni of Design Force, considers how the design providers became more ‘left-brained’ and analytical over years, shares the firm’s ‘survival strategy’ for the recessionary times and recommends some good and inspiring read for the U.S. peers.

The article is written by Greg Taylor, Director of Brand Provocation at Elmwood, London

Those who’ve been around the block a few times, readily admit that for any industry to remain vibrant, it needs to bring in new talent. It’s what refreshes the gene pool, and without it, progress eventually stalls. Past experience also tells us that it’s when an industry is facing its toughest challenges that it needs to refresh its gene pool the most—no new-bloods, no refreshment.

The article is written by Darren Foley, Managing Director at Pearlfisher, London

Today, everyone is a writer, a designer, an authority and an expert. In this highly connected world we all have the ability and the resources to be a creator. If we don’t find what we require, we can simply make something new. The internet allows us to instantly share our designs, publish our narratives amongst millions of blog posts, and build our own brands on sites such as Kickstarter or Shapeways. An entertaining article by Matt Dolphin on Creative Review recently demonstrated how logo design is being offered for as little as £25.

Have your say, share your thoughts on this article written by Kathy Oneto, Vice President, Brand Strategy at Anthem Worldwide, USA,  San Francisco

There are a number of macro forces at work in the world that are impacting the Movement and Progress we expect. Those are covered here. From those, we predict a number of Sightings to expect in the new year that can inspire brands and businesses to move and progress themselves forward, as well.

The article is written by Darren Foley, Managing Director at Pearlfisher, London


Happy January 2012! With questions on how to feed the growing global population, the obesity crisis and focus on the diets of this year’s Olympian athletes, the subject of food will be big in 2012. And of course, for consumers and food brands, the start of every year brings the inevitable “new year, new start” mentality as we see the influx of diet and healthy food ranges communicated to the max.

The article is written by Ronny Beck, Executive Director, Account Management at Interbrand, Cincinnati, USA

It might seem counterintuitive amidst the current cycle of high unemployment that employers need to work harder than ever to retain qualified and motivated employees. However, a survey by MetLife revealed that 36 percent of employees hope to leave their job in the next 12 months; many are watching for evidence of an improving economy to move to greener pastures. The study also showed that less than half of employees felt “very strong loyalty” to their employers.