Here at BAKER we’ve gone through a number of changes over the past year – one of those being the refresh of our very own identity based on the premise that BAKER is: Creative to the core, at the core of great creative.
In the following 3 part series we will walk you through our creative process and tell you all about how we bring ideas to life.
PART 1: BrandOP™ — Defining Opportunities
How does one go about defining themselves? It’s a difficult question to answer; one that many creative agencies struggle with. The way we began the Baker ID process was no different than the way we begin any other major redesign. Under the direction of our creative director, Todd Dalebroux, a small task force was assembled to identify the core attributes and branding opportunities available to the BAKER brand. The team was challenged to be completely open and honest with each other, to push each other, and to answer 3 tough questions. Here are the answers we came up with:
WHO EXACTLY IS BAKER?
BAKER is, first and foremost, a culture of creative individuals. A place where everyone is invariably the same (a member of the BAKER community), but where everyone is also inherently different (an extraordinarily creative individual). It is a place where we are all part of a larger whole, and yet we are all welcome to be openly creative in our own distinct way. We are all part of the BAKER family and it is our people that make us unique.
Combined, we represent a broad range of diverse experiences, and in that we find strength. We are thinkers, doers, starters and finishers — an eclectic mix of old-school wisdom and young, kinetic talent. We know how to play by the rules, but we also know how and when to challenge them appropriately. It is the breadth of our collective knowledge that makes us such a dynamic and engaging force in the field of strategic branding and it is this thinking and experience that sets our brand apart.
WHERE HAVE WE BEEN AND WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Baker Associates began as a lone illustrator in a small home studio in Minneapolis, MN. It has since grown into a design agency responsible for creating and stewarding brands on a global scale. While we impact the international landscape of design on a daily basis, we have not forgotten those humble beginnings and the reason BAKER started as a company in the first place — a passion for great creative.
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE IN?
We believe in endless possibilities for an ever changing world. We believe in the power of design to impact and engage. We believe that to stay relevant you have to be able to adapt — to evolve with a world that is continually accelerating.
We believe in our process, not as a formula, but as a 3 step approach to success. We believe that by identifying opportunities (in BrandOP™) visualizing those opportunities (in BrandVIS™) and executing those visions (in BrandEX™) that we can conquer any challenge that happens across our path.
We believe in our people. We believe that our culture of creative individuals can out think, out solve and out execute anyone. We believe that by using our diverse set of skills we combine to form a problem solving community that is greater than the sum of its parts.
We believe in our clients. We believe in the value of their message. We believe that by partnering with them to understand their challenges completely, we can overcome any obstacle, solve any problem and do great work together.
With all of those questions answered our team was then challenged with answering one more seemingly “simple” question… If you stripped away everything else, if tomorrow we could no longer design and were forced to embark on a completely new venture, what trait, above all others, would always be present no matter what path we chose to pursue?
The answer:
BAKER = CREATIVE
So simple and straight to the point – exactly the kind of clarity we love to see in a brand. After all, creativity is our livelihood, it’s what we do, and it’s what we want to be known for at BAKER. Whether it’s our strategic approach to solving the tough business challenges facing iconic, global brands or the ways in which we interact and engage with one another on a daily basis – if you remember nothing else about the BAKER brand we want it to be known that BAKER is creative.
With that in mind, check out Part 2: BrandVIS™ — Visualizing the Brand.
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