Brand Guidelines & Design Systems
I have directed, designed and written the guidelines branded design systems for master brands, hardware platforms and specific product lines. Brands include Western Digital, SanDisk, SanDisk Professional, Virtually Live, and PlayStation.
SanDisk
After two agencies developed the high concepts behind the SanDisk brand refresh, I made the brand system detailed and actionable across brand and 5 unique product lines. Together with my team, we designed a range of options, collaborated with multiple stakeholders to achieve consensus, and delivered a complete, fully functional brand system.
Project: SanDisk Brand Identity Guidelines and Templates
Role: Creative Director, Project Manager, Designer, Copywriter
Scope: Create a new design language for SanDisk brand and product lines to be executed across digital, print and packaging executions
Timelines: 10 months
Postscript
In December 2022, there was a change in direction by the executive team that ended the SanDisk brand redesign and kept the existing brand design.
SanDisk Professional
In 2021, G-Technology was rebranded as SanDisk Professional, necessitating a fresh design system that merged prior agency work, legacy G-Tech, and SanDisk branding across digital, print, and packaging. I led the design process, creating templates and guidelines and overseeing implementation in collaboration with marketing leaders and other creatives on the team.
Project: SanDisk Professional Brand Identity and Guidelines
Role: Creative Director, Project Manager, Designer, Copywriter
Scope: Create a new design language integrating the G-Tech legacy, SanDisk branding and previous agency work across digital, print and packaging executions
Timelines: 16 weeks
Western Digital
The company wanted to increase its brand awareness across its product catalog and maintain each brand’s independent positioning, visual identity, personality and messaging. My team created the Western Digital Innovation mark to retain a visual association with the parent brand, similar to Unilever or P&G or Sony’s executions.
Project: Western Digital Innovation
Role: Creative Director and Senior Designer
Scope: Design a Western Digital endorser brand architecture for packaging and marketing materials
Timelines: 10 weeks (7 weeks for packaging, 3 weeks for marketing)
After robust explorations, the Innovation Tab was approved by the executive team for packaging only. Plans for including the Innovation Tab on all marketing materials have yet to materialize.
Virtually LivE
I designed each spread to be example of the Virtually Live brand elements and showcase the flexibility of the overall system.
Project: Virtually Live Brand Identity and Guidelines
Role: Creative Director, Writer, and Designer
Scope: Two purposes: educate the reader on the company’s culture, mission and audience, and show the designers the new brand in action.
Timelines: 8 weeks
PlayStation: Exclusive Partnerships
I directed the design strategy, built consensus and delivered the brand execution for PlayStation Exclusive partnerships starting in 2013. By the end of 2014, PlayStation’s brand visibility increased up to 28%.
Project: PlayStation Exclusive Branding
Role: Creative Director, Project Manager, Designer and Copywriter
Scope: Create a complete design system that integrated and co-existed with every Third Party Publisher’s brand and product launch
Timelines: 12 weeks
PlayStation: Brand Archetype
I was a member of the senior staff charged with uncovering the best brand archetype for PlayStation. There are 12 archetype categories that brands use to help shape who they are and how they communicate with their consumers. Archetypes help keep everything on brand.
The senior staff settled on the Magician archetypes for the PlayStation brand. My job was to actualize the ideas from the work sessions and lead the design efforts to create this new visual direction.
Project: PlayStation Magician Artwork
Role: Creative Director, Project Manager
Scope: Create branded images for a range of communication venues, ranging from events to packaging and retail to online formats.
Timing: 2-6 weeks
The results of this work became the foundation for the company’s efforts around the PlayStation 4 and is still in use today.
Showcasing the Magician Archetype
Project: PlayStation Archetype Brand Book
Role: Creative Director, Project Manager
Scope: Create a document with a wide range of examples to show the entire organization how the Magician archetype would touch all communications
Timelines: 10 weeks
PlayStation: Master and Sub Brand Guidelines
The PlayStation brand design language changes with each platform. I led the team through the company’s brand redesign six times from 2007 through 2014.
Project: PlayStation Brand Guidelines
Role: Creative Director, Project Manager, Copywriter
Scope: Create an integrated design system for all communications including packaging, retail POP, printed materials and brochures, events, digital advertising and public relations
Timelines: 14 weeks