Without further ado, our re-design of the CFX Creative newsletter is complete. Our aim is to have the new version of the newsletter provide practical, useful information to our readers. We'll cover topics that discuss issues relevant to design, branding and marketing and how they all work together as a strategic advantage in the big bad world of business.

Click here to view the CFX Creative News - May 2008 edition.

Visit www.cfxcreative.com/newsletter to subscribe.

We hope you'll enjoy the new format and we welcome your feedback.

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Work the Pond - Use the Power of Positive Networking to Leap Forward in Work and Life

Leave it to Starbucks to...errr...buck the expectations of brand experts the world over. Branding gospel dictates that, unless undergoing a radical re-branding and re-positioning effort, once a brand icon is cemented in the minds of consumers, we dare not change it - save a few cosmetic updates here and there.

Unless you've been living under a rock, Starbucks' famed green circular logo, complete with mermaid and stars, frequently finds itself on your visual radar when walking down nearly any urban street and in a shopping mall near you. It's so recognizable, in fact, that any white cup sporting a circular emblem is likely to be taken for a carrier of Starbucks spawn, even if it's a designer-imposter.

Despite the logo's rock star-like recognition, in an attempt to return to its roots, Starbucks has introduced a new cup with a new-retro version of its famed logo. Already, the move has delivered a generous serving of buzz for the company, which hopes to boost its sagging sales of-late.

Luckily, those of us who are attached to standard-issue Starbucks will shortly see a return of our beacon of caffeinated satisfaction. The retro logo is being launched as a temporary measure in hopes it will put Starbucks back in a top-of-mind position with consumers.

While the rules of consistency in branding exist to prevent erosion of hard-earned recognition, sometimes breaking them - especially for a company as widely-known as Starbucks - can serve up a double shot of much-needed attention.

Related Reading:
The Starbucks Experience - How to Turn Ordinary into Extraordinary

At long last, we've managed to squirrel away some time to update the CFX site's portfolio. We've been very busy over the past year as the many new additions to our portfolio will attest.

Now, finally, those pesky kids can stop whining about being shoeless...

Check out the new projects in Corporate Identity, Graphic Design and Web Site Design

Once in a while, we can all use a good reminder of how simple execution of a great idea can be more effective than all the bells and whistles you can shake a stick at....and, what's with the stick shaking anyhow?

In this instance, a single word is emblazoned across the middle of an ad, coupled with the organization's logo and a simple call to action that we immediately "get", resulting in a head-nodding chuckle. That's it. No fancy Photoshop tricks, no superhot, scantily-clad models, carefully-selected stock images or overdone design. Just the perfect marriage of relevant observation to effective implementation.

Oh, yeah, and it delivered a palpable result for the client organization, too...

See for yourself: San Francisco Zoo Print Campaign

We were recently interviewed by a writer for a local business publication who was putting together an article on re-branding. She was personable and her questions straightforward - why would a company decide to re-brand (and what does that MEAN exactly?) and how often should a business pop the hood and take a look inside?

In composing thoughtful answers to her questions, the wheels - in this case, pun intended - started turning. While it's not always true, for many long-standing companies, re-branding takes place as a gradual change over an extended period of time - corporate evolution, if you will. As companies grow and re-define their focus and markets shift, so must the image of the business to remain relevant and accurately positioned.

Almost as if by divine intervention, we happened upon an article that discusses the logo progression of several major car manufacturers since the companies were founded. While logo re-designs only represent one possible element of what re-branding can entail for a given company, showing is often more effective than telling, so without further ado...

Click here to read the article Evolution of Car Logos.

Super Bowl Sunday has become a picture of people waiting in eager anticipation of not only the game itself but also of - shocking as it would seem under normal circumstances - the advertisements shown during the broadcast.

Most of us can frequently be found sitting down to enjoy our favourite pre-recorded programs, gripping the remote control, thanking the technology gods for commercial-skip features on our DVRs. Contrary to the normal avoid-commercials-at-all-costs mindset to which most of us faithfully adhere, the promise of inspired, smart, funny and, sometimes, shocking Super Bowl ads has earned a special place in consumers' hearts. Any removal of self from couch is met with looming fear of missing a spot that will be Monday's hot watercooler topic.

This year, some ads hit the mark and some missed by a mile. Here's a summary of our thoughts on the matter:

Several companies stole the show with their clever use of American cultural icons - Macy's Thankgiving Day parade balloons, Democrat versus Republican politics - brought together by witty humour. Others, in spite of their best attempts, fell completely flat. E-Trade's talking baby ad felt totally done-already. Sobe's dancing model/lizards spot just lead to scratching one's head wondering how a model and a group of animated lizards - both re-enacting the dance sequence from Michael Jackson's Thriller - had anything to do with one another. Oh, wait, isn't the Sobe logo a lizard? Total disconnect. Just the lizards would've made more sense. Let's not even go there with the Salesgenie.com's animated racial stereotyping ads. Someone's gonna have picketers outside their corporate headquarters.

Coca-Cola ran several ads which were right on the money and spoke to what their brand promises it can do - bring people together and inspire passion. One spot features a pair of Macy's parade balloons chasing a Coca-Cola bottle-shaped balloon through the air high above the streets of New York. The spot ends with a third character - Charlie Brown - popping up and claiming the prize which is clearly, according to the ad's story - worth fighting for. Another Coke ad shows James Carville verbally sparring with Bill Frist and then the two crossing party lines to share a touristy trip through Washington DC after pausing for a bit of Coca-Cola refreshment.

Budweiser's "Clydsdale Team" ad features a horse who doesn't "make the team" but who is then inspired to train harder by a Dalmatian "coach". The spot closes with Hank making the team a year later and giving his coach a horse/dog high-five. Classic!

Pepsi also weighed in with a couple of great ads - "Nod" which was a play on the SNL skit/movie Night at the Roxbury and "Magnetic Attraction" which found Justin Timberlake being sucked through traffic and in near-misses with various vehicles every time someone took a sip of a Pepsi through a straw. The punchline: every sip of Pepsi gets you closer to winning a chance to meet JT.

Overall, Big Beverage stole the show, while everyone else fell well short of expectation, especially on such a widely-publicized stage.

Watch all the Super Bowl Ads and judge for yourself!

In a brilliant marketing move, M&Ms has embraced a long-standing urban myth about the product to differentiate itself on the sweetest of holidays.

This oft-told legend declares that green M&Ms have the mysterious quality to act as an aphrodisiac. Started in the '70s, the story became so widespread that it prompted one famous rock star to demand 3 pounds of green-only M&Ms be delivered to his dressing room for after-show "inspiration". Apparently, some people need all the help they can get.

Humour aside, the move by the company to capitalize on a myth perpetuated by the general public for two decades is a stroke of marketing genius. What better way to draw attention to your product and stand out from the sea of red-swaddled competitors than to stand up and declare green as the new official colour of Valentine's Day - with the added promise of "love potion" powers.

Read more about the "new color of love" on the M&Ms site here: http://www.mms.com/us/coloroflove/