Rockstar developers are prized in the world of technology startups.  Coming in a close second are rockstar designers.  However, learning how to design something well seems more abstract to the average startup founder than learning how to code well.  My hope with this series of posts is that I can shed some light on the topic of design for the uninitiated founder.   Specifically, I want to focus on the branding of a new company.  Instead of relying on 99designs, a freelance designer or bringing a designer on as a co-founder, I think I get you 80% of the way to where you need to be on your own.  The other 20% is a matter of picking up some software skills and lots of iteration, or paying someone to execute your ideas. (which is much cheaper than having them complete the whole process) This will be a series of posts in which I try and walk you through branding of a new company and the design considerations you need to be aware of from the beginning of the startup process.  The first Branding Hacks topic is; Brand Attributes.
        To kick things off, you need to know what you designing for.  What is your brand?  Aimlessly choosing logos, colors, fonts, partnerships, landing page elements, etc., without a cohesive idea of your brand makes no sense.  Not understanding what you are designing for will result in a collection of unconnected elements that will only confuse people and degrade your new company, rather than enhance it.  The first step to understanding what you are designing for is to establish your Brand Attributes.
        Brand Attributes are essentially adjectives that describe the essence of the brand you want to create. By boiling it down to its essence in your mind, you will be able to choose design and branding elements that communicate the message you are tying to convey to users about your brand.  For instance, is your brand; Futuristic?,  Retro?, Modern?, Provocative?, Inviting?, Helpful?, Interactive?,  et cetera.  There are thousands of adjectives out there that you could use to define your brand.  However, your job is to pick only three.  Three is a tough number to get to, but it will make you focus.   Too many brand attributes and you will start to confuse your message.  Too few and you will be probably be leaving some important aspects out.  Three is the magic number.
        Now, choosing three adjectives to represent your brand seems simple, but it the process is deceptive.  It is tempting to choose the first few adjectives that come to mind.  However, it is likely that the first attributes you conjure up are not quite right.  Additionally, the first few adjectives you choose may be elements of your brand, but not it’s essence.  In this case, a thesaurus and some time to ponder different combinations of adjectives can be your best friends.  Pondering the essence of your brand may take some time.  However, figuring out your brand attributes will pay off down the line.  They will streamline your thinking, clarify your message and help you make decisions as you guide your new company through the stages of a startup. 
        What follows is an example of a project in which I was asked to create brand attributes for a theoretical new venture.  Reading through it may help some of you to solidify the idea of brand attributes in your mind.  Also, it may illuminate the balancing act that takes place during the process.  For those of you who are currently launching a new startup, take some time in the next week to create and refine your brand attributes.  At which point, I should have my next Branding Hacks post ready.  At that point, I’ll show you how to put your brand attributes to use.

The Smart Museum in Chicago is losing its main source of funding.  In order to stay in business, the museum needs to find a corporate partner to fund their operations going forward.  Choose a new partner and create a brand based on the resulting merger.

Partner Chosen:  Wired Magazine

Essentially, what would a Wired branded art museum look like?

Below are all of the adjectives I thought about using and the ones I ended up choosing to move forward with.

  

   

Saturday Sourcebook, volume #28 and #29.  if you like this weekly post, tell somebody!  10 retweets of the link to this blog post and I will mark down the ebook version of The Innovator's Sourcebook by 30% for the entire week.  Enjoy!


Week of 2/31/11:

Complementary Products:
PSFK via Design Milk: Sleeping Bag Sofa

Exploiting Technology / Projection:
Fast Company: Controversial TSA Airport Body Scan Tech Reborn as Possible Skin Cancer Detector

Consumer Targeting / Reducing Transaction Costs:
Springwise: Custom buttons simply the internet for low-tech users

Reducing Transaction Costs:
Fast Company: Google-Backed WeatherBill Protects Farmers From Extreme Weather

Waste / Sustainability:
Springwise: Garden fertilizer based on recycled coffee grounds

Substitutes / Exploiting Technology:
PSFK: Non-Toxic 3D Printed Pesticide

Substitutes:
TechCrunch: Cardpool Launches One Gift Card To Rule Them All

Projection / Exploiting Technology:
Fast Company: Next Step in 3-D Printing: Your Kidneys

Exploiting Technology:
PSFK: Al Gore's Breath-Powered Ebook App At TED

Non-Innovators:
Springwise: Supermarket creates dating site based on users' shopping habits



Week of 2/21/11:

Projection / Substitutes:
PSFK: The Bread Baking Vending Machine

Waste:
Springwise: Eco-flooring saves wood by following trees' natural curves

Specialization / Projection:
VentureBeat: StorkBrokers wants to be a personalized eBay for child’s goods

Niche Markets:
PSFK: Waveform Necklace Lets You Wear Your Favorite Tunes

Complementary Products:
Springwise: Medical provider adds virtual house calls to its services

Reducing Transaction Costs / Consumer Targeting:
VentureBeat: Screener.co gives stock trader tools to Joe Blow

Combining Alternatives / Substitutes:
PSFK: Eco-Friendly Convertible Shoes Allow For Easy Customization

Niche Markets:
TechCrunch:Kidlandia Raises $2.5 Million To Create Personalized Fantasy Maps For Kids

Waste / Substitutes:
Fast Company: Heinz Ketchup Goes Green With Coca-Cola's Plant-Based Bottle

Exploiting Technology:
ReadWriteWeb: Green Goose Wows the Crowd & Raises $100K On Launch Conference Stage

Saturday Sourcebook, volume #26 and #27.  if you like this weekly post, tell somebody!  10 retweets of the link to this blog post and I will mark down the ebook version of The Innovator's Sourcebook by 30% for the entire week.  Enjoy!

Week of 2/14/11:
Exploiting Technology \ The Most Basic Answer:
Fast Company:  Barcode-to-Bibliography App Makes College Ridiculously Easy

Support Systems:
PSFK: World’s First Heads-Up Display eBook Reader

Exploiting Technology:
Springwise: New water purity sensor offers a breakthrough for solar disinfection

Waste:
Fast Company: Contaminated Sediments Turned Into Safe Construction Materials

Substitutes:
PSFK: Cardboard Thumb Drive Offers Cheap Info Sharing

Consumer Targeting:
NYTimes: Tablets for Tots From Vtech and LeapFrog

Support Systems:
PSFK: 8x Telephoto Lens For iPhone Unveiled

Reducing Transaction Costs:
Springwise:  For students, electronic textbooks by the chapter

New Business Model:
PSFK: Buy A Beet And Own Part Of The Company

Waste \ Sustainability:
Fast Company:  Wind-Powered Car Crosses Australia With Mobile Turbines and Lithium-Ion Batteries


Week of 2/7/11:
Substitutes:
Fast Company:  New Drug Delivery Device Will Speed Up Numbing, Sans Needle

Substitutes:
PSFK: LCD Clock Powered By Flies

Non-Innovators:
Fast Company:  Introducing the First Real Taxi Meter Innovation in 100 Years

New Inputs:
PSFK: 3D Printed Haute Couture Hits The Runway

Specialization and Niche Markets:
Springwise: Shirts designed for men who are tall, but not overweight

Exploiting Technology:
Springwise: Wifi-equipped tuk-tuks tour the streets of Phnom Penh

Waste:
PSFK:  A Soda-Powered Waste Plant

Projection:
Fast Company:   Wine Sensor Repurposed for Liquid Bomb-Sniffing: Shampoo in Carry-Ons Again?

Projection:
TechCrunch:  Y Combinator Backed Chirply is Threadless for Paper Goods

Reducing Transaction Costs:
PSFK:  Portable Cell Phone Charger: Just Add Water

Saturday Sourcebook, volume #25.  If you like reading these Saturday Sourcebook posts, please retweet the link, or throw a comment up on the wall.  If we get 10 retweets of this post, I'll pick a day within the next week to run a 50% off promotion on the ebook version of The Innovator's Sourcebook. Enjoy!

Week of 1/31:

New Knowledge \ Substitutes:
PSFK: Medical Gun Sprays Skin Cells On Burns, Heals In Days  (one of the best links in a while)

Combining Alternatives:
Fast Co. Design: Pop-Up Books Get The Magical Movie Treatment  (amazing craft)

Substitutes \ Sustainability:
PSFK: Eco-Conscientious Graveyard Paves Way For Sustainable Burials

Exploiting Technology:
Springwise: In-store Kraft kiosk recommends recipes based on your face

Product Design \ Most Basic Answer:
Fast Co. Design: Ingeniously Green: Invention Stops Bar Soap From Getting Icky and Slimy

Waste \ Complementary Products:
PSFK: Sneakers That Bloom

Projection \ New Knowledge:
Fast Company: Apple Imagines 3-D Multitouch Everywhere

Substitutes:
Springwise: Three dimensional designer wall covering for home and office

Support Systems:
PSFK: Walgreens To Offer Prescription Refills Via Camera Phone

Reducing Transaction Costs:
Fast Company: A Device That Scans for Skin Cancer in Seconds

Saturday Sourcebook, volume #24.  I'm back on schedule with my weekly updates now that the holidays are out of the way.  If you like reading these Saturday Sourcebook posts, please retweet the link, or throw a comment up on the wall.  If we get 10 retweets of this post, I'll pick a day within the next week to run a 50% off promotion on the ebook version of The Innovator's Sourcebook. 

Week of 1/24/11:

Exploiting Technology \ Substitutes:
PSFK: Electronic Cereal Boxes Light Up To Attract Shoppers' Attention

Support Systems:
NYTimes: The iCade Offers the Arcade, iPad Style

Substitutes:
PSFK: Food You Can Breathe

Projection:
TechCrunch: Yumm Is A Delicious For Your Favorite Recipes On The Web

Combining Alternatives:
PSFK: Nestle Developing Satiety-Inducing Food to Combat Obesity

Waste:
Springwise: Keeping surfboards out of landfills with recycling and reuse

Complementary Products:
Springwise: In Chicago, upscale cafe offers play space for kids

Biomimicry \ Sustainability:
PSFK:  Raindrop-Inspired Urban Watering Can

Projection:
TechCrunch: YC-Backed Tutorspree Is An Airbnb For Tutoring

Bases of Competition:
PSFK: New Gym Plan Requires Members to Pay More if They Don't Work Out

Saturday Sourcebook volume #19 - #23.  Wow, I knew it had been a while since I posted a Saturday Sourcebook, but I didn't realize five weeks had passed.  Even though I wasn't posting every Saturday, I was definitely still collecting the 10 best innovation links of each week.  So, to make up for my procrastination over the holidays, today I am delivering the top 50 innovation links of the past five weeks.  If you like what you see, retweet this!

Week of 1/17/11:

Problem Finding \ Combining Alternatives:
Fast Company:  Color-Changing Shirts Sniff Out Air Pollution

Complementary Products:
PSFK: Intelligent Plastic Changes Color to Indicate Stale Food

Waste:
Springwise: From recycled leather scraps, purses with a story

Product Design \ Consumer Appeal Levels:
PSFK: Airborne Plant Pods For Indoor Gardening

Combining Alternatives:
Fast Company: Novel Is Bridging the Business and Gaming Worlds With "Empire & State"

Projection \ Substitutes:
PSFK: Real Life LEGO Bricks For Eco Construction

Substitutes:
Fast Company: "Killer Paper" Preserves Food With Silver Nanoparticles

Consumer Appeal Levels \ Support Systems:
Springwise: Ready-to-plant mats grow into vegetable gardens

Combining Alternatives \ Projection:
PSFK: ON/OFF: Wall Becomes A Light Switch

Product Design \ Waste:
Cool Hunting:  Grow Bottle: Upcycled hydrogardens for the home


Week of 1/10/11:

Combining Alternatives \ Consumer Appeal Levels:
Springwise: For skiers, GPS-enabled goggles with head-mounted LCD

New Inputs and New Knowledge:
PSFK: Using Nanotube Yarns For Durable, Smart Clothing

Substitutes \ Projection:
Fast Company: Pac-Man Reboot: In the Bio-Arcade, Microorganisms Change Gameplay

Product Design:
PSFK: The Modular, Nature-Inspired Sprig Lamp

New Inputs and New Knowledge:
Fast Company: Thanks to a Super Material, Your Future Phone May Be an All-Glass Wonder

Product Design:
PSFK: Flexible Wood Furniture

Biomimicry:
Fast Company:  Cockroach Legs Could Mean Robots Won't Have Butter Fingers

Waste \ Product Design:
PSFK: Biodegradable Tent Replenishes The Soil

Waste \ Shifting Demographics:
Fast Company: The Future of Print? Nike Makes Shoes From Shredded Magazines

Waste \ Product Design:
PSFK: Cushions Made From Discarded Latex


Week of 1/3/11:

Support Systems:
Fast Company:  The End of Moldy Strawberries? New iPhone App Tracks Food Freshness

Being Trendy:
ReadWriteWeb:  Trendspotting: A Top 100 List of Things to Watch in 2011

Projection:
PSFK: Fortune Cookie As Package Design

Reducing Transaction Costs:
VentureBeat:  OnStar’s rear-view mirror can now equip any car with communications services

Consumer Appeal Levels \ Substitutes:
PSFK: Together Bag: The Canvas Anti-Status Symbol

Combining Alternatives:
Wall Street Journal:  PepsiCo's Latest Challenge: 'Snackify' Some Beverages

Substitutes:
PSFK:  An Environmentally Friendly Toothbrush

Specialization and Niche Markets:
Springwise: Brussels stores focuses on 3D printed goods

Exploiting Technology \ Waste:
PSFK: Lekki: Vintage Upcycled Mobile Phones

Combining Alternatives \ Waste:
Springwise:  For homemade fertilizer, chamber pot meets watering can


Week of 12/27/10:

Exploiting Technology \ Projection:
ReadWriteWeb: The Dawn of Sensors & Social Media in the World of Fine Art

Biomimicry:
PSFK:  Nature-Inspired, Infinitely Sharp Materials

Support Systems \ Waste:
Springwise: Buying and Selling used and surplus cardboard boxes

Specialization and Niche Markets \ Support Systems:
TechCrunch: Search Etsy Listings By Color With Glancely

Combining Alternatives:
PSFK:  Umbrella Stand Doubles As Platform To Grow Indoor Plants

Specialization and Niche Markets:
Springwise:  Figment helps writers & readers share and connect

Being Trendy:
JWT: 100 Things to Watch in 2011

Projection:
PSFK: A 3D Food Printer in The Making

Being Trendy:
TechCrunch: Eleven 3-D Printing Projection for the Year 2011

The Most Basic Answer \ Product Design:
Design Bloom: A device that uses sunlight to purify water


Week of 12/20/10:

Projection \ Consumer Targeting:
Springwise: Selling meat and grilling tools at BBQ parties for men

Substitutes \ New Knowledge:
Fast Company: Scientists Build "Smart" Christmas Tree With Long-Lasting Needles and Fragrance

The Most Basic Answer:
PSFK:  SawStop's Injury-Proof Power Tools

Substitutes \ Projection:
Fast Company: Toshiba Unveils First Solar-Powered E-Reader

Reducing Transaction Costs:
PSFK: Personal Genome Machine Enables Rapid and Cost Effective DNA Sequencing

Consumer Appeal Levels:
VentureBeat: Deals & More: U*tique grabs $3.6M for luxury vending machines, LiquidSpace raises $1.3M for the modern workplace

Product Design:
PSFK: This Week In Design: Apartment Farming, Surfboard Loveseat, Stylish Airline Dinnerware
Exploiting Technology \ Predictions:
Bloomberg:  IBM Sees Holographic Calls, Air-Breathing Batteries

Biomimicry \ Projection \ Substitutes:
PSFK: Nike's Flexible Second Skin

Reducing Transaction Costs:
Fast Company:  Super Efficient Rocket Fuel Molecule Will Quadruple Payloads, Be Kind to Earth

            Innovation is a word that gets thrown around a lot, often by people who do not fully understand its meaning.  Over the years, I have been obsessed with trying to understand innovation and how to identify compelling new business ideas.  This obsession resulted in the writing of my book, The Innovator’s Sourcebook, and the semi-regular posts on this blog.  However, it is only recently that I have settled on an overarching classification of the tools available for creating innovative ideas.  This classification was present in my book, but I don’t think it was stated as explicitly, or eloquently, as it could have been.  Now that I have started using this structure, I want to road-test its validity.  No one has called me on it yet, so this is your chance.  I’d love to hear your feedback on my current thinking.

The Four Categories of Innovation Tools: 

Two categories of tools for identifying opportunity areas:

1) Analytic Frameworks:  Analytic frameworks are those tools that allow us to break down an industry, or business, into its component pieces for further analysis.  The basis upon which we break down an industry varies depending on the method. (i.e. demographic data, market forces, etc.)  Once we are able to break down an industry, we are able to get an idea of what exists and what is currently being done in the market.  At which point, we are able to consider where we might go next, or what is not currently being done by the competition.

2) Categorizations of Innovation:  Categorizations of innovation highlight what is possible.  By understanding the end products of innovation, we can see where things currently stand and where they might go in the future.  Categorizations do not inherently solve a problem, but they suggest the various avenues that we might consider.  Some of the most famous categorizations of innovation come from Peter Drucker and Joseph Schumpeter. 

 
Two categories of tools for creating innovative ideas:

3) Synthetic Frameworks:  Synthetic frameworks are those tools that provide structure for generating new ideas.  These methods are commonly found in the design world and they leverage the insights gained from using the analytic frameworks to help build out potential solutions.  Some examples of these frameworks are; experience modeling, concept matrices and storyboarding. 

4) Patterns in New Ventures:  By looking at the patterns in new venture formation, we gain insight into how we might solve other problems.  Patterns have the unique ability to leverage the conceptual models that already exist in our minds.  Additionally, patterns are usually based on a concept that has proven to be successful elsewhere.  The idea behind identifying patterns in new ventures is not to copy existing solutions, but to project them onto new areas.


            You may have noticed that my categories leave no room for the idea of an epiphany, or an Aha! moment.  That omission is purposeful.  While I do believe that human beings sometimes get the sensation of having an instantaneous idea, I would argue that one of these four categories can account for the way in which that idea came to fruition. (either consciously, or subconsciously)  Even if it were possible for ideas to come from nowhere, it would be impossible to make a framework for replicating the result.  However, it should be noted, that hasn’t stopped people from trying. 

Saturday Sourcebook volume #17 and #18.  I was unable to post my weekly innovation links last week on Saturday and it just didn't feel right to make it a Sunday Sourcebook.  The bad news is; you probably had a terrible week because of this.  The good news is; this week will be twice as good with a double dose of links.  As always, anyone who retweets the link to this post is going to be entered into a drawing for a free, autographed copy of my book.  Enjoy!

Week of 12/6:

Waste:
Springwise:  Grow-your-own mushroom kit uses recycled coffee grounds

Substitute:
PSFK:  Solar Powered Food Carts Come to Mexico

Constraint Innovation:
Engadget:  PA Walmart stores getting CCTV-enabled breathalyzin' wine vending machines

Support Systems:
VentureBeat: CardPool lets you cash in gift cards for Facebook credits

Consumer Appeal Levels / Exploiting Technology:
PSFK:  A 1920's Inspired Electric Car

Bases of Competition:
ReadWriteWeb:  MakerBot Ships the Thing-O-Matic: An Automated 3D Object Printer

Product Design:
PSFK:  Wind Cubes: A Modular Power Plant For The Home

Bases of Competition:
Techcrunch:  Hertz To Offer Electric Vehicles By The Hour

Substitutes:
Fast Company:  EyeSwipe Nano: Cheap, Dollar Bill-Size Eye Scanner Replaces Card Reader Apps

Exploiting Technology:
PSFK:  Holographic Maps: The Latest Cartographic Innovation


Week of 12/13:

Product Design:
Eater National:  Food Trucks of the Future may Include Wings and Dining Pods

Substitutes:
Springwise:  Instead of Styrofoam, milk proteins and clay

Waste:
PSFK: The Trash Cube: Making Furniture Out Of Waste

Bases of Competition:
VentureBeat:  Vimeo turns its video site into a film school

Consumer Appeal Levels:
TechMeme: Samsung unveils $1000 "Luxury" Galaxy Tab

Waste:
Springwise: In Paris, recycled Christmas trees help neighborhood parks

Substitutes:
PSFK:  Bacterial Colonies Form Living Circuitry

New Business Model:
Springwise:  Indian tour operator offers pre-paid holidays in a box

Substitutes / Waste:
Fast Company: Rice Husks Provide Alternative to Chinese Coal in Cambodia

Exploiting Technology:
PSFK:  IDEO's RFID Turntable (Video)

Saturday Sourcebook, volume #16.  If you feel so inclined to re-tweet this post, I may feel inclined to send you a signed copy of my book.  One re-tweeter, picked at random, is going to win each week.

New Business Model:
PSFK: Christmas Trees for Rent

Consumer Appeal Levels;
Springwise: Walking canes for seniors, upgraded with style

New Business Model:
Fast Company: Udemy: A Free Online University For All

Substitutes:
PSFK: Bacteria Bioencryption May Make Your Hard Drive Extinct

Exploiting Technology:
Springwise: Salvation Army's collection kettles now take credit cards

Biomimicry:
Fast Company: Whale Flippers Inspire Efficient Ocean Turbines

Substitutes / Exploiting Technology:
NYTimes: War Machines: Recruiting Robots for Combat

Trends:
VentureBeat: 5 top trends in consumer-based Internet businesses for 2011

Changing the Bases of Competition:
Fast Company: Google Editions E-bookstore Due Soon, Controversy (and Failure?) Not Far Behind

Changing the Bases of Competition:
PSFK: Wash & Coffee Is Probably The Most Innovative Laundromat You'll See

Saturday Sourcebook, volume #15.  If you feel so inclined to re-tweet this post, I may feel inclined to send you a signed copy of my book.  One re-tweeter, picked at random, is going to win each week. 

Process Innovation:
Springwise: City dwellers enlisted and rewarded for delivering DHL packages

The Most Basic Answer:
PSFK: Map for careless tourists

Combining Alternatives:
Fast Company:  Acer's Tablet Onslaught Revealed, Includes Giant Dual-Screen iPad Rival

Support Systems / Waste:
PSFK: Stories On Demand: Publisher Offers Reading To Ease The Wait

Reducing Transaction Costs:
Springwise: For planned website, a 'coming soon' page in 1 minute

Constraint Innovation:
PSFK: Wood iPhone Amplifier Needs No Electricity

Mixed Bag:
Fast Company: The Future of Prison Technology: Not as Scary as it Seems?

Product Design:
PSFK: 2 Person Rocking Chair

Specialization and Niche Markets:
Springwise: Directory of dog-friendly restaurants

Waste:
PSFK: Eco-Friendly Dry Erase Board From Belgrave Trust