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Jessica started Ladies, Wine & Design in New York after doing a lot of thinking and reading on why there are so few female creative directors. She believes we can create change through mentorship and championing each others' work.

As a female-led creative company in Auckland, we are inspired by Jessica's global call for open conversations on design and leadership. Auckland has more than it's fair share of exceptionally creative women and it is our hope to encourage recognition and success for them through LWD.

We hosted our first courtyard conversation 'Chit-chats with Boss Babes', here at Dow Design in February. Twenty ladies joined us for wine, nibbles and casual 'chit-chats' with three incredible 'boss babes' Michele Whitecliffe (President, Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design), Claire Sullivan (Publisher & Editor-in-chief of Denizen — Denizen Modern Living — Denizen Navigator) and Alison Barass (Professional Director). The conversation was hilarious, candid, and filled with career insights.

Ladies, Wine and a bit of Design is free, but reservations are first come, first served, and each event is limited to only 20 ladies, so if you’re a creative female and would like to attend please register here.

Our next conversation topic is 'Keeping (in)sane' on Wednesday 21st June, 6pm

It’s not just the water in which we’re interested, but also the flotsam and jetsam of failed branding efforts. Some have delivered the Midas touch in reverse and achieved, if not the exact opposite of what was intended, then certainly pretty close to it. If there’s an upside, it is that we can learn as much from mistakes as successes - so keep an eye out for what can be learned from our list of the biggest brand fails of 2016.

Brands being what brands are – and fails being what fails are – the list is by no means exhaustive. But now... to the list!

The flag

Was a referendum costing $22-odd million and a host of designs really necessary to affirm New Zealanders’ support for the Blue Ensign replete with Union Jack and four red stars? Probably. But things started down the road to ‘pear shape’ by crowdsourcing a bunch of second rate options, with the result that many people defaulted to the existing because the alternatives were Just. So. Bad. The amateur hour process meant 57 per cent voted to keep the status quo. Bye bye silver fern flag, that’s a brand fail for you.

NZRU & The Chiefs (& Losi Filipo)

Where to start with this one. Repeated indiscretions ranging from the most salacious to the violent and despicable. None of that does a lot of good for your brand, particularly when it inspires headlines like this one from blogger Te Reo Putake: ‘NZ, the home of rugby, raping and beer’. With that state of play, probably would have been a better approach to look penitent as quickly as possible. Instead of mixed messages and crossed communication lines. A good picture painted, it ain’t (although we suspect the best efforts probably stayed behind the scenes).

Local election billboards

Local elections are notable for the almost complete lack of interest they inspire in the electorates. It’s not terribly hard to imagine why that is, with one smiling visage on any given billboard almost indistinguishable from any other. Who ARE these people? And why are their brands so anaemic? Given that we’re moving into an election year in 2017, let’s pray to the collective gods that political advertising gets a whole lot better.

US Democrats & Hillary Clinton

Yes, just about all that could be uttered about the US election has been said. But we’re going to go out and note that grey, middle of the road, beige and bland, does nothing as a brand. Nice is nothing more than a polite noise. Bill is nice. Don’t be like Bill. Don't try to please everyone, and please, get a better slogan. Too late for that memo.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

What could be a worse brand blunder than having every airport in the country broadcasting the inflammatory nature of your product? Particularly if that product isn’t a firelighter, but in this case a ‘not so’ smartphone. Poor Samsung and its Galaxy Note 7. Getting all the attention for all the wrong reasons and likely lingering on in the hearts and minds of air travelers thanks to an update over the PA system four times an hour. Long after the device itself has disappeared, too.

Microsoft’s AI Twitter Bot

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are changing the world as the ability to mimic human thought edges ever closer to reality. Some aspects don’t warrant mimicry, though. Microsoft, fresh from a mini-scandal over a misplaced joke from CEO Satya Nadella, got a big serve of bad brand pie by releasing a racist and misogynistic AI Twitter bot which turned out to have antisocial characteristics. What a piece of work is man, indeed. 24 hours and it was goneburgers.

Rhode Island or Reykjavik?

Scholars of geography and those who enjoy a spot of travel will recognise that one is the capital of Iceland, the other is the smallest state of the United ones (outside of DC). When putting together a promo video for Rhode Island, probably a good idea to note that it isn’t an island. Oh, and also, that it isn’t Reykjavik, so don’t include footage from Iceland. Yes, that happened and they had to can the campaign. Expensive fail.

‘The place desired by many’ 

Yep, we’ve saved the best for last and it is also hyperlocal. Why wouldn’t you want to be in ‘The place desired by many’? Probably because it just isn’t most. Daft as slogans go, this one takes the biscuit for being lackadaisical at best. While funny-because-its-so-bad, less amusing is that the Auckland Council threw half a million dollars at what we can only describe as an EPIC brand fail.

So, what do we learn from all this? As in life, so it is in branding…don’t be beige, be relevant, be authentic, and most important of all, strive for great rather than settling for good.

You’ve got over 20 years experience as a designer which is a lot, in fact that’s more years than most people aged 25 and under have been alive! Tell us a bit about that. Why, where, how, when, highlights, lowlights, gossip, scandal, questions, queries?

Wow – sooo old! I started out in my home town of Hamilton and a year later moved to Auckland with my best friend. We didn’t know anyone but both managed to land great jobs and a huge house on Gillies Ave filled with friends and shady flatmates, and the rest is history.

I continued with graphic design for the next 7 years to the point of getting burnt out so left the game to go hairdressing. Everyone thought I was mad but I needed a break without losing a creative outlet.

I was working with amazing and talented people, studying hard and enjoying my work but I realised another change was on the horizon when I started wanting to putting type in all my hair and fashion photoshoots. That was when I knew I had to go back to design. So I headed to the UK, ticked off my OE and did some freelance all in one go!. This led to a full time role in the middle of Chelsea where I worked on big brands with solid strategy... not to mention big budgets! This really refreshed me and helped me develop a new love for design. Soon after that it was back to Auckland to tie the knot.

Auckland was tiny after the UK and I wasn’t pleased to be back so we moved to Wellington – big mistake! We were newly married, had bought our first house and hated it so we did our own personal ‘4-Point Test’ ‘Do we want to be here in 5 years?’ – No, ‘Can we imagine starting a business here?’ – Nope, ‘Can we imagine raising kids here?’ – Nah and lastly ‘Which city would we rather visit?’ – Wellington. The house was on the market the next day. The upside was that coming back to Auckland after 18 months in Wellington had totally turned my views around. It’s an awesome city and one where I finally thought we could put our roots down which lead to 10 years of freelance while starting a family. Helping start a new design agency. And finally Dow.

How long have you been at Dow and what led to you working here?

I’ve just clocked up my first year (woop woop) but have actually had an association with both Dow and Brother for the past 10 years. For me Dow had always set a benchmark – a really good reputation, design-led and produces great talent. So that and the work I’d done for them on contract had a big influence. I’d been involved in really fun, interesting projects – some of which are still in my portfolio today – so I knew it was the place for me.

You are also involved in a few other side projects. Tell us about those. Do you sell ceramic bowls?

Haha – I’d love to be selling my ceramic creations! My skills are very rudimentary. I do love it though and it’s so different to graphic design in terms of the physical output. We tend to work in such a controlled environment where we’re taught to explore every option before getting a result. It’s a bit different with ceramics. It’s gritty, dirty and makes my soft little computer hands bleed. I don’t really know what I’m going to make until I start something and then it’s just a case of seeing what happens. It’s completely against my normal sensibilities.

The other side project is the yearly Make Something project which myself and founder Bevan Tonks (Switch) organise. It's a yearly event that celebrates great New Zealand graphic designers and gives them a forum to exhibit a piece of work that is completely outside the constraints of their normal day to day working lives. We’ve just finished our 4th one so look out for the 5th Make Something in November of 2017.

You’re a busy successful designer as well as a busy successful mum. How do you manage it?

Sometimes not so well. Those are the days I finish work and make a beeline for the fridge!
Life is full on with 2 boys, 3 counting my husband – they’re all pretty adventurous so can be a handful! John and I jump on our motorbike for a roady when we can - otherwise we’re out on the jetski, riding bikes and just generally hanging out together. It’s nice living with your best friends!

What is your personal approach, or say, ethos to designing?

Go with your gut. When it comes to design I’ve always found that your first instincts are often right. It all comes down to one simple great idea – everything from there on in is careful crafting of words, images, type and colour in service to that original idea.

For more information check out the website.

Influencer marketing is evolving in New Zealand and it could be extremely effective for small businesses.

Using famous people to advertise products and services is not a new idea.

But the internet and prevalence of social media have taken the concept to a whole new level, giving companies more reach and influence than ever before.

Research shows that consumers are heavily influenced by bloggers and actively look online for recommendations on products.

Dow Design group account director Simon Wedde​ says influencer marketing is the way forward and can be highly effective for smaller businesses.

It is a way for them to get their story out quickly, particularly if they can link their brand with influencers who have the same attitude, style and point of view as the company.

"There's a big opportunity for small companies to seek out brand ambassadors or brand supporters, people who get really enthusiastic and understand their brand," Wedde says.

While few companies in general would be able to afford the five to six figure sums reportedly demanded by high-profile celebrities like the Kardashian family, there are far more influencer options for businesses on a tighter budget.

The rise of social media stars and web-famous bloggers and vloggers mean businesses can find extremely influential people with extensive networks who are not necessarily famous in the mainstream.

These people tend to be highly attractive to advertisers because they are more engaged with their audiences.

However, truly effective influencer marketing ultimately comes down to a company's story and brand.

Wedde says social media is forcing businesses to think seriously about what their brand is and the level of transparency around what they are doing.

"That's a good thing. It's almost like a democratisation of brands."

James Polhill is the founder of influencer marketing agency Populr, which links companies up with some of the most prolific influencers in the country.

He says influencer marketing is much more than just a famous person posting on social media about how much they love a product.

For Populr, it is also about creating a conversation around a product or service.

For example, an influencer will start a conversation about a product or service on Instagram by interacting with fans, or encourage fans to post pictures of themselves with a product for competitions.

"Social media is a two-way conversation and that's where the power lies," Polhill says.

"Suddenly you've got celebrities or athletes, or entertainers talking about your brand, not your brand talking about your brand."

The rise of influencer marketing has come with a call by some industry players for more clarification from people when they have been paid to promote something.

In New Zealand, the Advertising Standards Authority code of ethics requires advertising material to be declared as such.

Recent examples show blatant, undisclosed product placement does not go down well with followers.

Several Super Rugby players, for example, have tweeted and Instragrammed photos of themselves with My Food Bag packages with no explanation.

Some followers suggested the players received the items for free and it turned out the players were brand ambassadors for the company.

Earlier this year the Kardashians were called out for not disclosing paid product placement Instagram posts as advertising, leading to the sisters adding "#ad" on their paid posts.

Polhill says it is therefore imperative from Populr's perspective that influencers are matched with products they truly love in order to deliver the best returns for businesses.

"The minute it starts to [appear fake], the guys don't want to push it, the girls don't want to endorse it. It just doesn't work for anyone."

Article by Tao Lin for stuff.co.nz
Featured in The Press (Christchurch), Manawatu Standard (Palmerston North Manawatu), The Dominion Post (Wellington), Waikato Times (Hamilton Waikato)

Uninspiring election billboards have been panned by a design expert, who described them as more suited to wallpaper designs than vote-snaggers.

A sea of earnest faces and cliched pitches have dotted major thoroughfares as candidates chased glory ahead of yesterday's local body elections. Some billboards have suffered graffiti, others have been bashed to the ground. Many more have suffered perhaps a worse fate - they have simply been ignored.

Dow Design group account director Simon Wedde was among those unimpressed with this election's offerings.

"It's all pretty head shots. Phil Goff's whole brand is his experience and ability to work with people. Why wouldn't you have a photo of him shaking hands with John Key ... showing his connections. And Vic Crone is all about her business experience. Why wouldn't she have a photo of herself in a boardroom?

"You want to try and tell a story about that experience. They are just lacking in any kind of storytelling ...it's just become wallpaper."

He even advocated photo-less billboards. That left more room for candidates' names to be big and bold. His reason? There are no photos on ballot papers, only names.

Another way to tell a story was to link a major issue with the billboard. Those staked at traffic choke points should connect people to the very issue they were dealing with at that moment, Wedde said.

"Wouldn't it be really smart to have a picture of a traffic jam and the words, 'Are you tired of this?' You're contextually telling a story."

There was even the possibility billboards were not the best way to appeal to voters, Wedde said.

Rising star Chloe Swarbrick, whose bold campaign for Auckland mayor captured widespread attention, made effective use of social media to tell her story and build her brand. The 22-year-old had also used street posters, rather than billboards.

"That in itself is interesting and creative. It's in tune with her brand as a youthful and creative thinker. The secret is working out what is your distinctive point of view, which is what branding is about.

"What motivated Crone to leave a high-profile job and jump into the cesspit of local politics? The same goes for Phil Goff. Why did he want to leave national politics for local politics? It's all beige. We need to get behind the image to the real person."

Article by Cherie Howie, featured in the NZ Herald (Herald on Sunday).
Image credit Dean Purcell.

There no longer needs to be a discussion on whether or not smoking is bad for health. The conversation is instead focusing is the issue of plain packaging, which some believe will help reduce smoking rates. Unfortunately, the best intentions count for little as it is the outcomes that matter – and there is the distinct possibility that any such exercise could backfire if smokers are actually looking for the deleterious effects of tobacco.

From a purely branding perspective, and setting aside other potential issues such as black marketeering, it is necessary to look at what packaging tells consumers – and, indeed, what consumers are looking for in the first place.

So, while the notion of plain packaging does look good in theory and helps politicians make the right noises by targeting the emotional connection consumers form with products, there is something of a special case with tobacco. The packaging regulations which are in place already have surely done all they can to create that connection: pictures of scarred lungs, cancerous lips and other horrifying imagery are included along with more traditional marketing messages.

If those images, as well as spiralling taxes on the product, haven’t stopped smokers, it’s arguable that nothing will.

Even banning cigarettes is unlikely to eliminate the habit from society; other illegal drugs such as ecstasy, methamphetamine and cannabis carry stiff penalties, yet over 13 percent of Kiwis between the ages of 16 and 64 use the latter drug regularly, with the United Nations’ 2006 World Drug Report noting that this is the 9th highest consumption rate globally.

Moreover, particularly for younger smokers, there is something of a ‘bad boy’ (or, indeed, girl) image associated with lighting up a cigarette. If this is the case, and those of us who can still recall being of that age might anecdotally confirm the theory, the gloomy pictures may actually speak directly to what the consumer is buying.

With any labelling, you need to understand who you are talking to, what they are looking for and what you are saying about your product. With cigarettes, the fact that they are bad could be the very reason that the consumer is seeking them out. Make them even worse, first by putting images of disease on the packaging, and for those consumers, the product has just stepped up a notch.

Packaged in plain wrappers, the cigarettes are now such contraband that they cannot even carry the branding that every other legal product on the market can, and cigarettes become truly ‘bad-ass’, potentially carrying the same ‘thrill factor’ as purchasing illegal drugs.

Plain packaging in Australia has not delivered clear cut results, with politicians claiming reductions in the numbers of smokers, but detailed studies such as the Davidson and Da Silva paper ‘The plain truth about plain packaging: An econometric analysis of the Australian 2011 tobacco plain packaging act’ indicate that there is no concrete proof of sales reductions.

When it comes to labelling, some universal rules apply. You need to understand what you’re trying to achieve with that labelling. You need to convey the total experience, tell the customer what the product is and what it does that is unique and what the customer wants to hear. With cigarette plain packaging, seeing that it is so dangerous that it can’t even be branded might be exactly what those customers want to hear.

Article featured on idealog

More businesses are rethinking their image as they realise how important a good brand is, especially to global growth, a leading branding company says.

Dow Design has worked with a number of companies on branding, including Mac's, Speight's, Deutz and Fresh'n Fruity.

Group account director Simon Wedde​ has noticed more businesses rethinking their brands, particularly smaller enterprises.

"These businesses have to compete on a global scale and they need to be awesome," he says.

"They're investing ahead of the curve for a strong brand so they can compete successfully."

Branding was one of the first things that Marcel's Pancakes marketing export manager Rafael Porto Carrero​ oversaw when he started working in his mother's company this year.

His mother Inge Vercammen​ and her partner Marcel Naenen​ set up Van Dyck Fine Foods, manufacturing a range of pancakes and crepes, branded as Marcel's Pancakes.

But the Taranaki company was suffering from too many different brands and looks once the product range expanded from crepes to American-style hotcakes, blinis and pancake sandwiches.

"Several products launched with a different look or with the product name becoming a sub-brand. We needed one look, one brand," Porto Carrero says.

They repositioned the brand to reflect the company's approach of being the "modern pancake kitchen": the pancakes cater for a modern lifestyle that is both time-poor but craving for the finer things in life.

The aim is to expand overseas and negotiations are currently ongoing to get the product into China.

Earlier this year Wellington based BW Chartered Accountants and Miller Dean Chartered Accountants merged and a top priority for the merged company was to decide on a new brand.

Principal Lance Burgess says the merger was a chance to combine strengths and resources to tackle the ever-changing and highly competitive environment.

Clayton Webb, left, and Lance Burgess came into one team after their accounting companies merged into BW Miller Dean.

They enlisted the help of a branding company and came up with a brand that reflected the history and joining of both the companies and also their adaptability.

Director Clayton Webb says the brand had to permeate everything they did and it had to work across all channels, whether that was in marketing material or on the doors in the office.

"The branding reflects who we are and how we operate. We have a diverse range of clients that our branding needs to connect with," he says.

Dow Design's Wedde says the absolute key to getting branding right is to be authentic and to not follow trends; look for original and honest ways of expressing what the business is really about.

To figure that out, business owners need to ask themselves: why should the brand matter? Why does the business matter to consumers? What is the original motivation behind the business?

If businesses use a design firm for rebranding, they should question the designers about their ideas and where they come from.

"Sweat the small stuff and really interrogate everything. Really strong brands are in the details," Wedde says.

This article by Tao Lin has been featured on stuff.co.nz