The MNii Website is the hub of the brand’s identity. It is a fun interactive website that is constantly growing and changing. “’A website is a living, breathing brand tool that needs to be cared for over time’ Gavin Cooper Design Educator and Founder, www.work-in-process.org” (Wheeler 2013).
Facebook MNii’s Facebook page builds the tribe. The key is to continuously add content and invite interaction.
Print Advertisements in local newspapers, and magazines promote the brand and highlight promotions and events.
Billboards promote the brand by grabbing attention and making people smile.
TV commercials run on local select cable channels promoting fun events. Product placement on movies and popular TV shows like Hawaii 50 and Graceland, that are filmed at beach locations will have the characters wearing MNii shirts and hats.
The theme f this campaign is to take the legendary historical significance of the original M.Nii brand, give it a fresh new life and make it relevant to today’s target audience. At the soul of the brand are contrasting characteristics that will be addressed in the design choices of the assets. The duality in its image of being a line of clothing that has bulletproof construction, made to hold up surfing in thunderous waves; and it’s very laid back, casual and comfortable for relaxing in after the surf session. The campaign will also weave the classic nostalgic elements of the brand’s historic beginnings with the cool, clean, current vibe in the culture of today’s target audience.
Marc Chagall said, “Color is all. When color is right, form is right. Color is everything, color is vibration like music: everything is vibration.” The full color palette in is mostly blue with the split complementary colors of green and red-orange. In Color Matters J.L Morton states “Blue ranks so high as a favorite color that you can’t go wrong if you use blue. However, blue can be over-used and may wind up a design cliché if used alone. Combining blue with another color creates a more creative effect” (Morton 2011). The intensity of the colors is slightly muted to give a soft effect evoking vintage Hawaiian travel posters. The images include photos of surfers riding big curling waves, as well as beautiful images of folks relaxing and playing in exotic beach locations. The subjects in the photos will be active, hip looking people having fun, but the treatment of the images will give the pieces a cool, laid back, vintage feel.
Font choices, as well as how the text blocks are arranged will accommodate this duality of the brand’s characteristics. The composition of the assets will have plenty of open space balanced with beautiful imagery, sky and water. The text blocks will be of the clear modern font Avenir Next that is easy to read and complements the beautiful imagery.The font used in the new logo is Serge. It gives a nod to the vintage logo, but has a sophisticated feel.
M.Nii’s target audience is 20-40 year old people of middle to upper income who live the surfer lifestyle. They are easygoing, open minded, creative, productive, generous professionals who work in a field or trade that they love. They love the arts, have eclectic taste in music, and are creative and well educated. They are family oriented, socially and environmentally conscious. They value peace, integrity, kindness, spirituality, history and equality. They love to travel to exotic places where there is water. They are active, healthy, athletic and fit. And they have a lot of fun. The colors and the images in the promotional pieces will appeal to them.
References:
Morton, J.L. (2011). Color Matters. Retrieved from http://www.colormatters.com
Wheeler, A. (2013). Designing Brand Identity. Hoboken, New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.