As a designer of Yoruba origin, my work has been strongly influenced by both Western and West African cultures. These influences have led me to conclude that design, like music, is a universal language. Experiences and cultural influences always enhance the dialogue of design, especially in terms of its philosophy and execution. Reason also dictates good design. From time immemorial, sub-Saharan Africa has been the bedrock of reason in graphical representation. Reason is however most effective when it is used in its appropriate context. In recent times, African design aesthetics have been misconstrued by the rest of the world – narrowly labeled by the West to represent only the naïve or the archaic or even just the mysterious, minimizing it to ritualistic masks, staffs and scenes narrative of a rural environment. Contemporary African design has been left out of the general design dialogue, just as the overall African population has been left out of the socio-economic dialogue that has consumed the modern world. The message seems to be that the contemporary African designer has nothing of aesthetic value to offer to the overall design community. The truth cannot be further from this. The principles of design (movement, texture, scale etc) are timeless and universal. The West African (especially Yoruba) designer combines these principles with other culturally relevant ones like yiye (appropriateness), pipe (completeness), tutu (coolness), ere (improvisation) and oju ona (design consciousness). His/her work is a hybrid – a blend of old and new, the West and the East. These principles are equally timeless and universal.

AIGA and similar design associations have a unique opportunity and responsibility to reach out and bridge the cultural divide and to promote design as an ideal that is as timeless and essential as freedom & equality. AIGA Charlotte has a part to play. We can start by building partnerships with designers & design associations in West Africa. We can also seek to understand design in developing and under developed nations, and also further involve ourselves in design that promotes peacemaking in a global environment. In the words of the advertising great Leo Burnett, “Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” When we attempt to reach out and understand design beyond our localized culture, the advantages to us will be limitless.

Casajulie had a friends and family cookout last Friday the 25th. Dimeji and India barbecued hotdogs, chicken and burgers. We also had chips, soda, brownies, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and other snacks. Thank you to everyone that came! Hope everyone else can join us next time. We have lots of fun stuff planned for the summer!

What is a Brand?
A brand can be defined as a name, item or sign that is used to distinguish or identify a certain product or service and encourage the consumer to an action. The goal of branding (or brand strategy) from an institution’s perspective is to build recognition and recall of their product or service in order to consistently increase market share. This is achieved largely due to the ability of a brand to impact consumer behavior by appealing to the physical, social and psychological needs of the individual at the stage in which such need is identified and when the need is classified in the Evoked Set of his or her mind. An evoked set is a group of choices from which a consumer makes a purchase decision or the like. This group of choices is stored in the consumer’s short-term memory and is distinguishable from a broader set of choices (including an inert set which includes the choices the buyer is disinterested in, and an inept set which includes those choices the buyer is not very interested in). For example, there are thousands of shoe brands online, but only about five (plus or minus two) can be easily remembered by the buyer.

Building an Effective Brand
David Ogilvy (one of the fore-fathers of brand strategy), in his book “Ogilvy on Advertising” says that the brand image is the ‘personality’ of a product or service”. In order for a brand to be successful, it must not only distinguish itself with the consumer, but it must also have an associated visual representation that is tangible enough for the consumer to relate to. For example, the Nike check image is a global identifier that is associated with the company and is recognized worldwide without having to mention the name of the company or the product or service that is being offered.

Here are some helpful hints:
1. Select a specialist to help with the process
2. Understand what value you would want to add to the consumer. What are your competencies?
3. Outline your strategy
4. Be consistent with communicating the new brand (good for reinforcement)
5. Always go back and measure the effectiveness. Communicate with your target audience. Use benchmarks.
6. Ensure that you deliver on the promises you make with your new brand.

Welcome to the Casajulie Blog. We will be periodically updating the content of this page to help you better communicate your value to stakeholders. Every organization has a vision. Casajulie is in the business of helping you execute those visions. Stay tuned