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Times change, but people are the constant. Designing for people means design thinking – and doing.

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Our book, Brand Identity Essentials, lays a foundation for brand building, defining the tools and illustrating the construction of strong brands through examples of world-class design.

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Innovation
Brand
CX
Culture
Education
Environments

Innovation choices

Finding and shaping customer value.

The Industrial Mindset

Solving today's new problems for people requires a different mindset.

Change and Choice

Change can be hard to see. New lenses are needed to chart the course for a new era.

Accelerated Change

We need a new frame for the challenges we face today. In the middle of a global pandemic, we find ourselves at home, left to consider what comes next.

Happy Banana, Sad Banana

Is your team a Happy Banana or a Sad Banana?

Say What You Mean

Starting with SAY can allow companies to DO different things.

Absorbing Complexity

In order to create simplicity, organizations have to absorb complexity.

Transformation and Identity

Leaders lead by confidently taking a bold steps.

What is a Product?

Consider how value is perceived and delivered to customers.

Changing Expectations for B2B

Customers have new expectations for B2B firms.

Sparking Growth

Sparking growth and keeping it lit requires a leader to adapt to the changing needs of their organization.

Mining the Technology Gap

What role do new technologies play in your organization?

Top-Line Growth

Three elements for generating consistent top-line growth.

Brand building

Creating meaning and expressing value.

Brand Meaning

Brands are about perception, communication, aspiration, and identity.

Connect with Your Customer

5 steps for creating a sustainable advantage in the connection economy

Brand Evolution

Change is inevitable, but the rate of change for a brand is a strategic choice.

Brand Psychology

Brands are about what people think.

Brand Experience

Interactions are opportunities.

Brand and Customer Identity

Six stages to link your brand identity to your customer.

Brand Love

People love brands—and love to hate brands.

Brands, Beliefs, and Experience

Brands are bigger than they appear.

Nonverbal Branding

Backing up your claim with more than words.

Brand Forward

Brand meaning and customer experience are foundational for brand platforms.

Optics - Say vs Do

Having "bad optics" suggests dodging the truth as technique. There is a better way.

Brand Identity Essentials - 100 Principles for Building Brands

100 Principles for Building Brands

Customer experience

Delivering value through the customer journey.

CX Systems: 25 Lenses for Experience Design

How to design for experience – customer experiences, user experiences, employee experiences, interactions, and more.

CX and Systems Thinking

Customer experience management is about balancing the needs of customers and organizations.

Experiences, Large and Small

Layers of experience, from macro to micro, are on the same continuum.

UX Principles at Work

The new reality for work is hard to ignore.

Team innovation

Building agile organizations.

Transformational HR

HR is playing an increasing role in corporate strategy, becoming a discipline focused on transformation not just transactions.

Human-Centered Design in HR: Building Agile Organizations

Building agile organizations requires agile employees and a human-centered design approach to HR.

Tell a Different Story: Meaningful Talent Acquisition

It’s time to build a talent-centric acquisition process.

Employer Branding – Transformational HR

Transformational HR for Talent-Driven Growth

Innovation in education

Rethinking institutional learning.

Learning and Leadership

Many are starting to think about what comes next, but a new reality was already emerging for education.

Unbundling Education

For many institutions, it is time to rethink the overall value proposition of education.

The Changing Education Landscape

Rethinking outreach to prospective students, parents, and donors.

Is Prestige Dead in Higher Ed?

Rising education costs and the value of the degree.

Alumni are Worth More than Donations

Using alumni in the admissions process.

The New Classroom

Whether educators are utilizing AI, mobile apps, or VR/AR tools, the landscape of learning is being reshaped.

What's the Problem?

To make a bigger difference, find the right problem.

Balance

Achieving balance is nice. It’s also necessary.

Built environments

Reframing spaces to live and work.

Furniture as Technology

Business model innovation and product innovation go hand-in-hand.

Digital Ergonomics

When work isn't bound to the office, how might the contract furniture industry evolve?

Contract Furniture Segments

Many built environment providers target market segments for growth.

Beyond NeoCon

It's time to think beyond NeoCon and the boundaries of the current market

No NeoCon. Now What?

A new normal will soon emerge for many industries, including commercial furnishings.

What Did We Learn from WeWork?

The contract furniture industry will need to adapt to evolving customer needs.

Privacy in the Open Office

Privacy in office environments is an ever present issue.

Branded Environments

Impressive-looking facilities, from factories to offices, have been points of pride and vehicles for sales assurance for corporate owners and their customers.

Rethinking Product Sampling

What do eyeglasses and textiles have in common?

Next Wave Furniture Innovation

Furniture innovation goes beyond furniture

The Wisdom of Salespeople

Sales are the lifeblood of any organization, but salespeople have even more to offer.

Collapse and Opportunity in the Built Environments Value Chain

How companies communicate and conduct business continues to change, and competitors need to position themselves to be ready.

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Brand Identity Essentials

Our book is available in six languages and is in its second edition.

“A model for clarity in a field that rarely has any.”

– Ralph Caplan

Introduction | 100 Principles for Building Brands
Download Brand Framework | Brand Audit Template | Course Curriculum

Insights about business, research, customer experience, and design