Mood Board Exercise

Today in class we presented three mood boards with different identity directions to our group of classmates. It was a good exercise in how to speak to the client. One of my boards was presenting a happy, easy, laid back feel and the way that I presented it caused a group member to say "if you do that make sure that it doesn't feel like it's belittling or like it assumes that the consumer is stupid."

That caught me off guard but I realized that she was right; I had made it sound like the people in the target market were stupid idiots! We probably all would benefit from these exercises more often. Presenting to clients is totally different than presenting to fellow designers.

I had three boards, they are shown below.

This is the sleek, elite, bulletproof, fearless, bring it on feeling.

This is the happy, easy, "the world is full of fun," feeling.

This is the big, abstract, soft, comforting, friendly, relaxing, "search for beauty," feeling.

The feedback I got was nearly a tie between board one and three. I have to admit, I was getting excited to create something out of board one, but the deciding vote (after she heard the tag line "transform what's possible) was for board number three. I'm still excited though, I think board three gives me a lot to work with and I can still make it "zag." It will probably be a more realistic experience as well, because I imagine a board of directors would probably prefer number three over the more risky number one.

Naming

If I were to rename Micron, these are some of the names I have thought of that I may consider (all names would most likely be followed by "technology" when used in a formal situation):

Secret - Aside from the mystery and prestige this name evokes, in a way it affirms the complexity of the technology that Micron creates and instead of trying to explain, it says in a fun and simple way  that it's secret.

Ghost - Like ghosts, Micron components are rarely physically seen, but they complete all sorts of tasks. (It would be a friendly ghost.)

Elephant - Micron deals with memory, so applying an elephant re-enforces that idea (because they are known for never forgetting) while being completely unexpected.

Stone - Stone stores the history of the earth, is solid, strong, and suggests that micron is the origin of the type of technology it creates.

Possible - Micron technology transforms what's possible and therefore anything is possible through micron.

Deep - This name suggests that Micron plunges into the depths of possibility and brings to us what it finds there.

Morph - Technology is constantly and quickly changing and Micron is driving that change.

Moon - While being a fun imaginative image, the moon is a reminder of what human ingenuity can accomplish.

Blink - Technology is ever striving to be faster, smaller, less visible, and intuitive; a blink represents this tendency well.

Awake - Micron awakens devices, processes, technology and wakes people up to new possibilities.

Scribe - Perhaps Micron technology stems from scribes, the original recorders of information.

Potato Chips - Micron makes computer chips and they began in Idaho, the state known for it's potato production.

Invisible - Micron enables the current trend in technology for all of the components and things that make a device work to disappear.

Invert - By transforming what's possible Micron overturns our perceptions of the world.

Believe - All you have to do is imagine something or believe it and Micron will make it possible.

Micron Research

INTRODUCTION

Micron, meaning one millionth of a meter, is an appropriate name for this developer and manufacturer of miniscule technological components. Founded in Boise, Idaho in 1978, today Micron has locations worldwide and employs nearly 30,000 people. Micron specializes in making all sorts of memory chips that are implemented in anything electronic from cars to phones to thumb drives --You probably own something with Micron technology in it.

Micron has had three CEO’s since it’s beginning in 1978. Joe Parkinson, an original founder of the company, served as CEO until 1994, and then Steve Appleton took the reins. In February 2012 Steve was killed in a single passenger airplane accident. His successor and the current CEO is Marc Durcan. He had been planning on retirement when he was appointed to his current position. He made the following statements after his appointment:

"I can't do anything half-assed," he said at the time. "I'm not as good as Steve at some sports, but I'm a hard-nosed competitor. There is nothing interim about my role as CEO of Micron."

And about the future of the company, in reference to the rise of smart phone and tablet usage he said:

"More and more people need that data quickly, so more and more of that data in solid state memory as opposed to spinning media, and that creates a great opportunity for a company like Micron.”

He has also said that Micron will be focusing on adding value to their current range of products, in the form of software, firmware, etc. to be able to deliver more complete competitive solutions to Micron’s clients.

MISSION

Micron mission statements and slogans that are currently circulating include:

·      Be the most efficient and innovative global provider of semiconductor solutions

·      Performance. Power. Reliability.

·      Transforming what’s possible

·       

·      Continuously improving our processes, products, and services to deliver best-in-class solutions to our customers.

INDUSTRY INFORMATION

In the 90’s, Japanese memory manufacturers began selling their chips below cost in the United States and forced many companies out of that particular sector of the market or into bankruptcy. Micron survived this period, and eventually sued the Japanese companies for their misdeeds, and consequently it became one of the largest companies of its kind in the United States and in the world.

Micron is constantly acquiring other small companies in related fields, and it also occasionally pairs up with other companies in joint ventures. IM Flash Technologies for example, is a joint venture of Micron and Intel. Micron also markets its own products under a few other names including “Lexar” and “Crucial.”

Micron’s primary competitors are Samsung, Hynix, Toshiba, and SanDisk.

AUDIT

Micron Logo usage: 

  

*The "M" in micron is actually an adapted form of the greed symbol that stands for micron in mathematical calcuations.

Micron porducts, packaging, display:

Other Micron companies:

Similar industry/competition logos:

Other Companies called Micron:

Micron

Micron is a company that develops some of the worlds most advanced semiconductor technologies (that means, they make computer chips and stuff). They have an international operation with facilities in 13 countries including the US. Their technologies are likely within the electronics that we interact with everyday.

Computers have had an immeasurable impact on humanity. They have allowed us to make leaps and bounds in almost any industry from arts and entertainment to medicine. Micron continues to push forward, discovering how to make computer components more productive and efficient. Their technologies literally transform what is possible.

The current micron logo certainly evokes technology in a space age sci-fi sort of way. The perception of what technology is and should be has changed a lot over the past ten or fifteen years though. Instead of wanting things that look high tech and complicated with swirls, sparks, and lightning bolts, people want things that feel simple, minimal, and easy. The micron logo is outdated.

Aesthetically, there are some awkward areas in the micron logo where the swoop intersects the M and where the boomerang edges don't really match up and are even offset. Sometimes the logo is used in just blue, and sometimes green is incorporated. It has a cold, quiet, conservative feeling that isn't easy to relate to.
   
A successful example of branding in a similar industry is intel. Everybody wants a PC that has intel inside. Micron needs such a brand, where consumers will want to make sure that micron is inside. The Micron tribe will gain the prestige that it lacks as it rises to the ideals of contemporary consumers.

Introduction

I'm Luke.

I'm a senior graphic design student at the University of Utah.

Design is crucial to the success of almost any communicative endeavor. If you want people to notice a message, decide to engage with that message, and then have an effective experience with that message, it must be well designed at each step of that process. Often people overlook this fact for any number of reasons, but all of us know inside that it is 100% true.

Just like you avoid the shopping cart with the crumpled up napkin in it (even though it's harmless) you avoid messages that aren't appealing to you. In fact, you have programmed your mind to not even notice messages that look a certain way because you have decided they will never have anything to offer you. Conversely, you have absolute trust in certain messages, brands of clothing, automobiles, or other goods and services. You trust them so much that you don't even consider ever going with another brand. You are like everyone else.

How can anyone hope to ever reach this sort of person? Design.