Nice Type Animation

Great type animation by Gretel for Yahoo!

The Power of Brand Perception

I’ve been wanting to write this post since this past Spring. My 10 year-old lawn mower had finally had it and I was officially “in the market”, as they say, for a new one. As much as I hated spending the money, I was really looking forward to putting a new mower in my shed. I had been looking around for a while and really liked the new Honda HRC Series. The funny thing is, I really had no basis for “liking” the Honda mowers as I hadn’t yet really done the research and comparisons. My perception of Honda as a brand, however, was very favorable as my family and I have owned a couple Accords that were great cars.

After doing a little research, my choices were down to the Honda HRC Series and the Toro Recycler. They were both in the price range I was looking for and had the basic features that I needed. Consumer Reports rated both mowers pretty evenly, but gave the edge to the Toro because in testing it mulched much better than the Honda. Mulching was a big concern of mine as I didn’t want to have to bag the grass and dispose of it afterward. Even still, I was leaning toward the Honda mainly because of their reputation for building engines that last.

So the day came to go to the store and pick out a mower. I had pretty much decided to go with the Honda until I met a gentleman at the store who was comparing the exact same two mowers as I was. We talked breifly about the features of each and he mentioned that the Toro mulched better. So, long story short, he decided to go with the Toro and I went with the Honda. This is where I wish I could have hired a two camera crews to film us taking the mowers home, putting them together and firing them up for the first time. It would have been a fascinating comparison.

Of course, I can only speak for my new Honda HRC. It was a pretty machine indeed, and I felt good with my choice. That is, until I got to the mowing part. I had dismissed the suggested inferiority of the Honda to the notion that, “How bad can a brand new mower mulch?” Well, I found out. I was very displeased with how it cut and also with the drive control on the handle. The controls seemed to be designed for someone well under 6′ tall. It was disappointing to say the least. I quickly boxed it back up and took it back to the store to exchange it for the Toro.

When I look back at all of the information that I had to make a decision, it’s amazing to me to think about how much brand perception plays into a decision like this. I knew the Toro got better reviews, I was reminded of this fact by the gentleman I met at the store, and heck, the Toro was $50 cheaper! Looking back I ask myself, why wouldn’t I buy the comparible machine with the best reviews, cheaper price tag and built by a company that actually specializes in lawn equipment? Brand Perception!

Type Match Made in Heaven

Looks like Mrs. Eaves’ long lost spouse, Mr. Eaves has surfaced. A joyful reunion indeed.

Designing Brand Identity, Third Edition

Edition three of Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler is now out. Although I haven’t entirely read this new edition, Edition two was a must-read for anyone involved in the creation of a brand, large or small. Pick it up here.

Quality Vintage

Check out Quality Vintage, a site dedicated to photos of cool, old signage.

Nice Typeface

A re-issued version of Pistilli Roman called Eloquent.

FORGE is Formed…

As of January 1st, 2009, I have officially become a founding partner of FORGE, a full-service creative firm offering branding, web design and development, and print design. This newly formed company will use the award winning expertise of three other partners: Chad Mullins (formerly with Chad Mullins Creative), Ben Callahan (Formerly with Design District), and J