Giant Magnet

March 20, 2009

It would be hard to find a better example of the power of an image, in overcoming the limits of description.

What's being rebranded here is indeed a festival, a big performing arts festival. It's based in Seattle, and draws artists from all over the world. As a description it's name was not that far off — but it spoke to grownups, not to kids. It was just boring. But I will let executive director Andrea Wagner tell the story:

"The legal name of the organization is Seattle International Children's Festival. It's also been known as Seattle International Children's Theater Festival and World Stage. Its diminutive is Kidsfest, SICF the acronym, and people call it all kinds of things.

"No matter how the words are arranged, the name doesn't differentiate the organization from all the other "Seattles", the other "Children's" or other "Festivals". It doesn't exactly conjure images of world-class artistic programs, nor does it imply the rich educational resources and in-school residency programs, all of which are its hallmark. It neither resembles nor resonates with the audience it serves, and it doesn't portray its wide geographic reach. Simply put, the name is limiting, long and wrong.

"Armed with a multi-year capacity building grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, two years ago the Board and staff set off on a quest to change it. Along the way we encountered many friends, had many advances and retreats (both the take-a-fewsteps-back and the getting-together-in-a-big-room-for-a-day-that are-the-mainstay-of-not-for-profit-organizations kind). A few months ago, just when we thought we were at a dead end, we were joined by naming and branding wizard Peter Stocker of Story Trading Company. Peter waved his magic wand, pro bono, several times and the hard working, mission-driven, but dowdy-looking organization we all know and love has a new name, a brand, a font, and a style manual!"

Yes friends, "Story Trading" is indeed a Seattle-based retail brand consultancy, intriguingly named.

Credits:
CEO:  Andrea Wagner, Executive Director
Naming & design:  Story Trading Company; Peter Stocker, principal brand consultant
 

First impressions:
Name: Talk about expressing a brand promise — this is a beauty. "We will suck in the world's best arts, then we will suck in the kids, and everyone else, to celebrate." How can one resist?
Design: The symbol (yet another good globe, appropriately used) conveys the important "international" promise, and in its brushstroke style establishes a visual device that can extend the brand presence, as will the new font, anchored in the wordmark.  The two color treatment of wordmark itself softens "Giant" to make "Magnet" the hero. Smart.