Vitalstrats Creative Solutions

Virgin Labfest's Balunbalunan, Bingibingihan

Poster Design by Vitalstrats Creative Solutions

Posted by Amrei Dizon

WANTED: CREATIVE PEOPLE

Vitalstrats is looking for Web Designers/Developers, 3D Artists/Animators, Video Editors/Trainees, Motion Graphics Artists and Broadcast Designers.

Email your resume with links to your work at jobs@vitalstrats.net

Posted by Amrei Dizon

Detailing Kit for a Diabetes Drug

These are design studies for a bidding project that was awarded to another design agency. Creating this detailing kit was a learning experience because we are used to creating designs which directly cater to consumers.

This detailer will contain updated information about Endothelial Protection. Endothelia is the inner layer of the human vein. The protection of this part of the human vein is the main purpose of VESSEL DUE-F. Vessel Due-F is a medicine for the diabetes patients.

The objective of this detailing kit is to become an attractive presentation material to doctors in different fields (cardiologists, neurologists, ophthalmologists, diabetes specialists). Medical representatives will carry this detailing kit and use it as a visual aid for doctors upon presentation of their product. According to our (prospective) client, medical representatives are lucky if they get 5mins of the doctor’s time. Doctors often have no time for reps doing sales talks and it is very important for the med rep's visual aids to catch the doctors’ attention and curiosity.

The client did not disclose why our designs were not chosen so we’re posting it here to know what you think :-)

Vessel Due Detailing Kit
Designs by Vitalstrats Creative Solutions
Copyright: Vitalstrats Creative Solutions

Posted by Amrei Dizon

Mama's Secret Vinegar Packaging

The condiments industry continues to grow especially since the introduction of lower sized SKU’s which are specifically targeted to the mass market. There are key big players in each category but there is opportunity that can cater to the lower mass market segment. In the general trade channels (ie. SSS, MS, Palengke’s), there is presence of a “takal” SKU which caters to the lower D and E segments.

OBJECTIVE:

To create an attractive yet simple pack design for Condiments Vinegar which will stand out on the shelf when placed side-by-side with the leaders.
Create a catchy pack design which will use a maximum of 2-3 colors; use solid colors, not much gradients; do away with yellow because most condiment brands use yellow

TARGET MARKET

Demographics
Primary: Home makers, 25-45 years old, Broad C D and E SEC

Psychographics
·       Looks for value for money and convenience
·       Practical buyers
·       Independent
·       Decision makers

Packaging Design by Vitalstrats Creative Solutions

Posted by Amrei Dizon

Cool Air Merch in Sari-Sari Stores

Our AE, Mark, bought from their neighborhood sari-sari store and found our recent merchandising design project for Cool Air already displayed in the candy jar. Sweet!

Posted by Amrei Dizon

What Does It Take for a Design Studio to Succeed?

Yesterday, Vitalstrats Creative Solutions got invited to be featured at a design blog site (to be announced soon). For a sneak peak on what type of questions were asked, here's a portion of the online (IM) interview:

Q: What does it take for a design studio like Vitalstrats to succeed?

1. CREATIVITY - This is number 1 because we are a creative services agency. A design studio should NEVER run out of ideas. We should always create something out of nothing. To generate ideas and produce more creative work, we should always be exposed to VISUALS and ADS. We should be updated with the latest design trends. We should always have creativity exercises to keep the juices flowing.

2. EFFECTIVE OUTPUTS - Since we offer creative "solutions," creativity is not enough. Our designs should be able to solve problems and meet objectives.
If you have a very creative design but it does not effectively communicate the message to it's target market, then it's not a good design. We do not just create artworks. We create designs. A design should be able to communicate.

3. GOOD PROJECT MANAGEMENT and CLIENT SERVICING
This is very important. We are in the 'services' industry so we should have a very high client satisfaction rate. Projects should be properly managed. Creative people should be able to work on a 'professional' level delivering the correct specs, complete requirements, and always submitting on time. We always aim to exceed client expectations. We let clients sit back as we do the work for them. We spare them of the headache, worries and possible communication problems. We make sure that they get the value of what they pay for (and even exceed them). We are also flexible in our work-terms. We customize our systems depending on what the clients will be most comfortable with.

Posted by Amrei Dizon

Pageant @ Harong ni Charing

Vitalstrats Team Christmas Party at Harong ni Charing.

December 22-23, 2009

Posted by Amrei Dizon

Good packaging helps make great brands stand out

By Willy E. Arcilla
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:20:00 12/17/2009

Filed Under: Economy and Business and Finance

The power of packaging to reel customers in is awesome to behold.

Packaging, after all, helps form a consumer’s first impression of a brand. It is what customers see and read when they pick up a product to bring home to their family.

Packaging acts as a constant reminder and leaves a much longer impression than a 30-second television or radio spot.

Indeed, it is the longest-lasting form of advertising, making it the most cost-effective form of advertising for any brand.

To test the value of good packaging, walk down the aisle of a supermarket. You can immediately tell which aisle sells imported merchandise and which aisle sells local goods.

Most imported items can boast of visually arresting and truly outstanding packaging that project superior quality products and world-class standards. On the other hand, most local packaging looks cheap and inferior, thus underselling the fact that the product quality can match, or even exceed, that of foreign brands.

Proof positive that great packaging sells is that many imported brands on shelves sell despite the absence of advertising support in local markets. The right packaging just makes the products seem irresistible.

Several global brands have even elevated the role of packaging to iconic status, e.g., the classic Coca-Cola hourglass contour bottle and Pepsi’s familiar red-white-blue disc. The green bottle and label have become associated with global beer brand Heineken while the red bowtie has become an integral part of Budweiser’slogo.

Even the long-running Absolut Vodka advertising campaign has been created around a bottle shape that otherwise would have looked plain and ordinary. Brand logos also form such an integral part of a brand’s overall identity and package, e.g., the Marlboro chevron and McDonald’s golden arches; Apple’s partly bitten fruit and Nestle’s familiar bird’s nest.

Yet, despite the vital role that packaging plays in themarketing mix, many local marketers seem skeptical at the thought of paying local designers a fair value for their work.

We should realize that failure to enhance the packaging of products renders them inferior to imported products in a global market, and reinforce the image of Philippine products of being poor quality and cheap. Looking around the Asia-Pacific region, there have been significant strides made in recent years, not only by Japanese brands, but also fast-moving and high-ticket items coming out of South Korea and Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, Singapore and Malaysia, and even Thailand and Vietnam.

Ironically, the Philippines boasts of many world-renowned visual artists such as Juan Luna and Francisco Hidalgo, Dizon and Amorsolo.

The country has also produced architects like Juan Nakpil and Leandro Locsin, and of late, Bobby Mañosa, Jun Palafox and Bong Recio.

In recent years, Filipino fashion and furniture designers, such as Rhett Eala and Kenneth Cobonpue, have also taken center stage for their work.

So is the Philippines lacking in design talent? No.

But we do lack three things: (1) an expectation that the standards of local packaging designs must be world-class in aesthetics and functionality; (2) attractive compensation for outstanding packaging graphics to motivate the best designers to produce world-class work; and (3) a regular platform and forum to recognize and reward outstanding package designers.

Providing some inspiration is the work of young local design agencies such as Team Manila and Bluethumb Graphics, V-Graphics and VitalStrats, to name a few.

These are examples of design studios known to create work that is original, unique and cohesive in the key elements of brand name, typeface and logo, graphics and color.

Marketers must demand that their agencies achieve a “Wow Effect” that will enable their products’ packaging to stand out on the shelf. Design studios must also themselves conduct their own “shelf impact” test.

And for those marketing comptrollers who still get intimidated by the cost of packaging design studios, one way to evaluate design fees is to divide the amount by the total number of physical packs a company expects to produce and sell.

This renders the unit cost infinitely low while the number of exposures to prospective consumers is infinitely high, reinforcing the proposition that packaging is the best and the cheapest form of advertising. After all, as the old adage goes, “First impressions last.”

(The author is president of management consultancy firm Business Mentors Inc. and recipient of the PMA Agora Award for Marketing Excellence in the Asia-Pacific region. Send comments and suggestions towillyarcilla@yahoo.com.)

Posted by Amrei Dizon

Pick Our Brains and See What's Popping

This is the final artwork for our 2010 Premium Tote Bags, now in production.

Posted by Amrei Dizon

New Photog Gig for Vitalstrats

Hooray! We just closed a food photography project for a popular burger chain in the Philippines. Shoot is scheduled next week. Congratulations team! Shooting burgers will be a first for us. We started food photography with casual dining for Sumo Sam and Red Crab Group Restaurants, tried out fast food with the now fast-expanding Mang Inasal, and the latest -- Frozen yogurt for Frutti Froyo who's opening this coming Saturday at La Vista!

Here are the sample food shots we showed the prospective client. For inquiries, email me at amrei.dizon@vitalstrats.net

Posted by Amrei Dizon

Food Photography: Frutti Froyo

Frutti Froyo Frozen Yogurt Photoshoot

Client: Frutti Froyo
Photography Studio: Vitalstrats.net
Photographer: Amrei Dizon
Asst. Photographer: Roma Regala
Stylist: Koochie Laxamana
Producers: Carl and Shirley Puzon