Bates: BLURBS

Credits & Description:

Category: Logo Design

Advertiser: BATES

Product/Service: CREATIVE AGENCY

Agency: BATES

Chief Creative Officer: Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar (Bates)

Creative Director: Abhinav Pratiman (Bates)

Art Director: Sapna Ahluvalia (Bates)

Art Director: Suketu Gohel (Bates)

Illustrator: Suketu Gohel (Bates)

Motion Graphic Designer: Karl Gonsalves (Bates)

Media placement: Bates Corporate Identity - Bates Asia Offices - 1 September 2011



Describe the brief from the client

Bates, a part of the WPP network, is an advertising agency that was undergoing a change. At one level, there was a change in nomenclature (from Bates141 to Bates), and at another level, a shift in its way of working. It had developed a new philosophy called 'Changengage' - a strategic format and a way of creating powerful brands that are talked about. Simply put, 'Changengage' uses change-points in the cultural and economic landscape to provoke debates, and engage people in the right conversations.



The task was to create a corporate identity for Bates, that reflected the 'Changengage' philosophy.



Describe the challenges and key objectives

The objective was to reflect the philosophy of Bates - that debates engage better than doctrines.



The challenge was to keep the design fresh, yet simple enough to convey the core philosophy to existing and prospective clients, the advertising fraternity, as well as internal employees, in a powerful manner.



Describe how you arrived at the final design

Smart and successful brands provoke debates, they engage people and get them talking, and they create the right conversations. The idea for the logo design emerged from this belief and simply translated into 'Speech blurbs'. The rest was to keep it fresh and apply it in every area, from stationery to website, business cards to fonts, maintaining a synergy between them.



Give some indication of how successful the outcome was in the market



The new design itself created a lot of conversations. It got talked about in all advertising magazines, with coverage in ad shows on television. It also resulted in creating a stronger relation with existing clients and attracting prospective ones. The percentage of new business wins went up by 20%.