JOURNAL /01
Explore our latest thinking on brand, business and creativity, from deeper Studio Papers and original perspectives to observations, stories and ideas from inside the studio.
When it comes to business, there is nothing more important than building and protecting your brand’s reputation. In most industries, people tend to search for a business online or ask for a recommendation from a friend. In both instances, people
While it’s not as trendy, youthful or quirky as Instagram or TikTok, LinkedIn has a lot of value to offer, especially when it comes to benefiting your business, brand, or personal profile. LinkedIn used to be viewed as the ideal
The number of social media followers one has is often recognised as a popularity status or source of credibility. However, there is much more to followers than you think. Value, engagement, reach, following count and influencers are all important to
For a brand to be truly successful and stand the test of time, it needs to be prepared to respond and evolve as the environment around it shifts. In contrast to a rebrand, brand evolution is about small baby steps
“Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touchpoints.” – Jonah Sachs Most people have some knowledge of what branding is. In this day and age, we are told that even we as individuals are ‘brands’, each telling our
Customer experience is increasingly becoming a priority for businesses large and small. But blending the physical and digital to create a consistent, multi-channel customer experience is often a long way behind. While we traditionally expect a high level of customer
You may have heard of a brand style guide. But, have you ever heard of an editorial style guide? Like an overall brand style guide, an editorial style guide is a comprehensive document that collates and outlines the language associated
Influencers have a big part to play when it comes to the merging of word-of-mouth marketing and traditional paid ads. This hybrid of paid brand awareness may not always be given the best wrap, but if you get it right
Are you starting a new business? Or perhaps your current business is going through a rebrand? Congratulations! – you’ve got an exciting time ahead (by the way, we know a great creative comms agency that can help you out!). When
Rebranding doesn’t mean erasing everything that came before.
If you’ve been in business for five, ten or twenty years, you’ve already built recognition, reputation, relationships and stories that have value.
The interesting part is working out what still belongs.
What should stay? What has the business outgrown? What needs to evolve? And what would you be crazy to leave behind?
A rebrand should make room for where you’re going, while still feeling unmistakably yours.
Think you might have outgrown your brand? Take another look.
Brand + rebrand projects now booking. Visit our link in bio to book a chat.
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#Branding #Rebrand #BrandStrategy #BrandIdentity
Happy Father’s Day to the dads behind the Oraco team 💛
To our dads, stepdads, partners who are dads, and all the father figures who have supported us, shaped us and made us laugh along the way, today is for you.
And a very happy Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures in our wider Oraco community. We hope you’re feeling very loved and appreciated today x
I’ve always been fascinated by symbolism 🌀
By how a single mark, image, word or gesture can represent something far bigger than itself. Across cultures and civilisations, we’ve used symbols to communicate identity, beliefs, stories, belonging and ideas that sometimes go far beyond what words can explain.
And somewhere along the way, I realised that’s also how I’d started to see brands.
A logo can become a symbol of what a business stands for. A colour can carry years of recognition. A phrase can represent an entire belief. A story can become shorthand for where a business came from and why it exists. Iconography can represent services, philosophies, products or ideas.
What we see on the surface carries meaning because of everything sitting behind it.
Over nearly two decades of working in branding, I also began noticing the same themes appearing again and again in the businesses people really remembered.
Their past, beliefs, future, people, identity, expression, impact and longevity.
Eventually, I gave each of those ideas a symbolic form.
They became Oraco’s Eight Brand Marks, and today they give us a way to look at a business from eight different perspectives and uncover the stories, ideas and meaning that make it distinctly its own.
The strongest brands aren’t built by adding meaning that was never there. More often, the clues already exist.
You just need to know where to look.
Explore the Eight Brand Marks via the link in bio.
One of the hardest things about running a business is knowing what actually deserves your attention.
When you`re inside it every day, everything can feel important. The website needs updating, content needs creating, marketing isn`t quite working, the messaging feels off. Someone suggests a new platform, another campaign or a complete change in direction. But more activity isn`t always the answer.
A big part of Jessica`s work, both through Oraco and the business owners she mentors, is helping people step back far enough to see what`s really going on.
– What are you actually trying to achieve?
– Who are you trying to reach?
– What`s already working?
– Where is the real disconnect?
– And what can probably wait?
Sometimes the most valuable strategy isn`t adding another thing to the list. It`s creating enough clarity to know what matters now, what comes next and what doesn`t need your attention at all.
If you`re looking for strategic advice, a fresh perspective and someone to keep you accountable to actually doing the things you said you were going to do, Jessica offers one-on-one business strategy and mentoring sessions. Shoot us a DM to find out more.
Last week, we lost someone very special.
Sean was a former Principal of Mannix College, a longstanding client of Oraco`s, and someone I was lucky to get to know over many years.
I first met Sean in 2012 through my work with Mannix, and I remember instantly clicking with him. He was incredibly kind, funny, super organised and genuinely caring. He made working together easy, but he was also someone who took the time to get to know you beyond the work itself.
Every year, without fail, Sean would send me a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year message, always accompanied by a quirky little Bitmoji of himself. Even after he finished as Principal and we were no longer working together regularly, those messages continued. It`s such a small thing, but I think it says a lot about the kind of person he was.
I`ve worked with Mannix since 2009, a relationship that now spans close to two decades, and Sean sits right in the middle of so many of those memories. He was there through an important chapter in my career and Oraco`s growth, trusting us with Mannix for many years, and still making the effort to stay in touch long after our working relationship changed.
Looking back, it means a lot that such a longstanding professional relationship also brought someone like Sean into my life.
As the Mannix community gathers today to celebrate Sean`s life, I`ll be joining the service from home and thinking of his family, friends and everyone at Mannix. I had hoped to be there in person, but I`m glad I`ll still be able to join everyone in remembering him.
Thank you, Sean, for your kindness, your humour and for always finding a way to put a smile on people`s faces. You made a difference to so many people, myself included, and I`m very grateful our paths crossed.
Leanne x
Photo courtesy of Mannix College.
One year of @twobayslaundry 🤎
A year ago, Two Bays Laundry opened its doors with a brand we’d had the pleasure of helping Liz and Kirill bring to life from the very beginning.
From strategy through to the visual identity, we wanted to create a brand that felt fresh, organic and full of personality, but most importantly, one that felt like it belonged here on the Mornington Peninsula.
That sense of place became part of the identity itself. The curves within the logo draw on the movement of water and our coastline, while the stylised ‘B’ represents the two bays that gave the business its name, Western Port and Port Phillip. The coastal palette, natural textures and broader identity carried that story through the space (shout out to @saint.design.interiors), signage, uniforms, vehicles and everything in between.
It’s always pretty special seeing a brand move from ideas on a page into a real business, but even more so watching it become part of the local community.
A huge congratulations to Liz, Kirill and the whole Two Bays Laundry team on your first birthday. It’s been such a pleasure working alongside you from those early ideas through to launch and everything that has followed.
Happy first birthday! Here’s to everything still to come 🥂
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