In 1999, Century Graphics founders Ric Pace and Tim Deis determined to rebrand the company and, among other things, they chose a new name. In the following interview, they discuss the whys and wherefores of the new name and its longevity.

Why did you decide to rebrand Century Graphics in 1999?

Tim: As a company, we had been growing and growing. The talent we had working for us and the capabilities we were able to offer had changed along the way, and we realized that if we were going to continue to grow, we needed to stop and do some strategic planning, which we did, really for the first time. Out of that came a focused direction for the company and we realized that our name, Century Graphics, didn’t fully represent our brand—it wasn’t a fair representation of who we were or where we wanted to go. 

Ric: Century Graphics was the name that we assumed when we bought the firm. It was the name our existing clients knew us by, but when it came to hiring new talent or pitching new clients, “graphics” had the connotation of  a production service bureau, which was not an accurate view of our organization and its services.

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At a time when the economy is at its worst since the great depression, and consumer confidence continues to wane, many companies proceed to spend money in an effort to make money. What may be surprising to some is just where companies are focusing a significant amount of these dollars. Considering so many are being more watchful of where they spend their coin, branding and design are playing increasingly vital roles for companies as they try to help individuals with their purchasing decisions. 

With consumers’ growing desire for security, comfort and stability, several brands have received face-lifts, but not the “Hollywood-style” surgery that hopes to result in a youthful look. Rather, many brands have had the kind of face-lift that seeks to position them in terms of history and tradition, hoping to evoke a sense of trust and confidence in the eyes of the beholder. In times like these, individuals prefer to buy something from a company they know, or at least believe has proven stability and poise. The hope of these efforts is to instill a continued (or gain new-found) support and help ease the consumer’s mind. 

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Retailers today are under a tremendous amount of pressure to convert foot and web traffic and to sell products that make them a decent profit. The most recent retailer to bow out of the game is Circuit City, who is now undertaking one of the largest liquidations (over $1.5 billion in inventory) in modern history. No company has been immune to what looks to be a fundamental shift in the way consumers are consuming goods and services and managing their personal spending.

With various economic forecasts putting the recovery anywhere from 12 to 24 months out, it’s more important than ever for both retailers and manufacturers/vendors to build and sustain strong brand presences. Yes, price is important, but that isn’t the only thing driving purchase considerations these days. Arguably, consumers today want value, but they are also looking for things such as quality service, good brand reputation and convenience.

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Who said “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got”?

1. Mae West
2. Yogi Berra
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Winston Churchill
5. Anonymous

If you answered 5, you are correct. And though I’m certain that the phrase was originally written in the context of analyzing your life, I know I’ve said it and I know I’ve heard it from clients, so I think it is fair to say this old adage can be applied to analyzing your brand, too.

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Designing with trends in mind is crucial to the success of any consumer-facing marketing effort. But interpreting trends is tricky. Brand Packaging‘s recent cover article, “How to Thrive in ’09,” gives a nice high-level view of six trends that Mintel International believes will impact consumers in 2009. And I think Mintel International is on to something, since I can already see these trends at work. Here are my own trend predictions that I bet will come true in 2009.

Pure simplicity. The trend towards simplification that began a while ago still continues. At Go East, our mantra is “simple by design.” I predict a rise in tactile materials in packaging and collateral, the use of large headline typography and solid colors, and the influence of the communication site Twitter.com. 

Enhanced mood. Everyone is going to need a mood enhancement sometime in 2009. Marketing that makes consumers feels good will draw their attention. I predict that children and puppies, catchy theme songs, brights and everything retro will find appeal. 

Staying home. With less money to spend, consumers will be at home, and marketers will need to find ways to keep those consumers occupied with their brands. I predict crafts, gardening, yoga, Facebook, and tv cooking shows will all gain audiences. 

Squeezing the middle. Products are migrating from mid-range to either value or luxury price points, so there is much less available in between. I predict high-end coffee, low-end cars, expensive shoes, cheap t-shirts, large scale web applications, cheap e-blasts, big bucks for health care and sadly, tightening for the arts. 

Extreme specificity. Customization is crucial today. Facebook offers a great example of our getting to choose who we want to know, interact with, keep in touch with and ignore. I predict we will treat products and brands the same way: We’ll either love them or leave them. 

Fifty is the new 50. One of my yoga teachers just turned 50 and she’s the strongest person I know. Those folks who are half a century in have a whole second half to go, and they are getting busy. I predict that baby boomers will team up with millenials to get things done. The gen Xers (including me) won’t know what hit them.

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It’s tough when the glory days have gone by, when your brand and your product are no longer the talk of the town. Trying to reclaim the good old days is not such a bad idea from a brand’s perspective. Theoretically, you’ve got fans out there who used to love the product and the brand, and you want to leverage any brand equity that’s out there. Unfortunately, some marketers forget that the good ol’ days might not have been so good for everyone and trying to leverage old-fashioned ideas just ends up insulting people. 

Such is the case with the current Schlitz ad campaign, which proclaims, “The Cars were Cooler; The Girls were Hotter; The Music didn’t Suck; The Beer was Better.”

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A group of Boston geeks helped Barack Obama turn the Web into the ultimate political machine. A recent Boston Globe story discusses their cutting edge social network, which helped elect the new president. I think the astonishing results that can be achieved by a very small group of programmers and visionary developers highlights what a democracy is really all about. Making change — both socially and politically — can happen quickly and from a “grassroots up” foundation. It is exciting to see  the actual and real results of an effective social networking structure.

(See also MyBarackObama.com)

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According to Smashing Magazine the top 10 trends for 2009 are as follows:

1. Letterpress
2. Rich user interfaces
3. PNG Transparency
4. Big typography
5. Font replacement (sIFR, etc.)
6. Modal boxes (dialog windows)
7. Media blocks
8. The magazine look
9. Carousels (slideshows)
10. Introduction blocks

I think it’s great fun to see what other people are pulling out as trends. None of these concepts are ground-breaking or awe-inspiring new technology, but recognising their essential usefulness and effectiveness is a good thing.

Keep the link above handy — the list will grow to the Top 25 trends sometime next week.

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