I'm also most primarily interested in illustration and branding aside from the ethical concern side of design.
The 3 companies/ designers that I have chosen to write about are:
- Purpose
- Spencer du Bois
- Banana Design
All three of which have some moral-based design. These are the SWOT analyses of each in turn.
Purpose:
Purpose are a really impressive and highly professional London based branding specialist, although they also work with printed publications and some web design. The second that you access the website it is obvious that you are dealing with a very high grade of design agency. The front page is clear and everything is really smooth. It is quite interactive as far as websites go, and they have designed the whole thing in flash. This can often be an issue but they have made it work really well and it is very obviously usable. This makes it stand out against many companies as the use of flash has not limited the website potential which may have happened using HTML and has created a unique feel. The navigation is clear and the homepage features loads of their past work so it gives a sense of what is to come. They show that they have a wide range of skills and focus on branding as a specialism as well. They also include the 'not-for-profit' work to show them in a good light which always goes down well.
One of the only weaknesses that I can see is that there doesn't seems to be a text based version which means that there could be issues across different operating systems and different browsers as well as those that do not have flash/ latest flash update etc. It also means that search engines will not be able to read any of the text, although this is probably solved using meta-tags.
Creating an HTML based version of the website could be an opportunity to reach a broader audience and maybe a slightly altered navigation system would make it simpler to find designs, as currently you have to use a drop down menu and select specific projects rather than being able to see them all and choose from a design perspective rather than a text based view.
In terms of threats, the agency doesn't have much that isn't going for them. Branding is a common and competitive section of design as is all graphic design, although Purpose clearly show off their talents and have a strong client base to go by for any potential clients.
Spencer du Bois:
Spencer du Bois are a design agency from London whose focus is on helping to change the world for the better using graphic design solutions. They work across corporate identity, print publication and web design.
An obvious strength here is that they cover a range of design skills. They also constantly refer back to their main goal of helping to make a positive impact in the world which backs up their claims and puts them in a really positive light. In terms of the website, it is kept nice and simple and relies on the work to do the majority of the talking which is very brave and shows confidence.
One possible weakness that I can see is that they don't seem to have their own branding across the website despite having identities as a main focus of design. The index page has the name of the agency in a very nice simple font which could be the logo, although it is not shown anywhere within the main site. Another point is that by not really making a specialism obvious, they seem to cover literally anything with no real forte that stands out. This could deter many people who see the company as a jack of all trades. That is not to say that they have bad design, just that it may come across from an objective viewpoint.
The main opportunity that I can see here is to show more work. Several of the projects have just one image to show what they are and don;t really communicate how much work or time went into the project or really show the solution completely. I think that potentially someone could come along and create a very similar website which showed more photographs or images of their designs and could look like a more successful company regardless of the quality of their work in comparison. The more photographs/designs shown, the more it looks like they have done in the past which obviously connotes success.
Threats would come in the form of other similar ethically directed companies that I have seen that also seem to cover every area of design, often never really excelling in any. By association, people may assume that this site is the same.
Banana Design:
Banana Design are a small design firm of advocates of ethically-minded design from Leighton, Wales. The biggest strength for this design firm is the really bold and memorable style that their website has. It is very bright and holds a kind-hearted look and feel. It all supports the basis behind the company really nicely. They obviously don't take themselves too seriously which is a nice attitude to have when so many companies have a very strong corporate voice.
The biggest weakness for this agency would probably be the lack of work available to see. They do say that they are a small design firm, and they may have much more work than is shown, but the website only has 12 examples of previous work. On top of that, some of the work looks like it would have taken a lot longer than others which may suggest that the company is inconsistent. Again this is probably mostly to do with the lack of available images/examples to see of each design solution. Most of the work shown is just a single image when examined.
The big opportunity for this links to the point above. If the designed logos/websites were taken further and shown in more examples then it would immediately look considerably more professional and look like a load more work even though the longest part of it would have actually been the logo or website template itself.
The big threats here are other ethically-minded companies that have taken advantage of spreading solutions across a range and showing them to their full potential.
Each of these companies is on a very different level in the design world. Comparing Purpose to Banana Design seems almost unfair as Purpose clearly have a huge client list and a vast quantity of work, although each of these companies shows promise and each of them have their own ways of promoting themselves and their own tone of voice. Interestingly, I think that Spencer du Bois have the most serious tone of voice and Banana Design the most light-hearted so it doesn't follow a pattern of least to most clients.
This shows how different design companies can be in their methods of promotion.
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