April Fools

  • Brand Identity
  • Digital
  • Packaging
  • Print

We live in an era of social media where everything is shared, and successful work often leads to formulaic repetition. When projects of similar types become too familiar to others’ execution rather than from unique insight, the work (and thinly veiled strategy) becomes predictable. As an April Fools promotion, we created a series of faux work pages that parody different aspects of the branding industry and posted them on the designcue.com home page. Included are explorations involving conventional clichés, stereotypes, and cheeky formulaic execution, all in the spirit of fun.

Miller Champagne

With so many craft products capturing market share in the beer category, Miller High Life felt the time was right for bold change. Taking a product to the next level with incremental product improvements can only go so far, so the High Life brand decided to up the ante in a different way. Some consumers were confused by a beer calling itself “The Champagne of Beer”,” notes Seth Holcomb, head of research for the iconic brand. “We determined that by delivering literally on that promise, we could finally align reality with a claim we’ve been making for years. It was a huge investment in our operational infrastructure, but the result is a product that finally makes sense.”

Miller Champagne | Cue
Miller Champagne | Cue

Dollar Taco

We’ve cracked the code on Millennials: They love causes, they love value, and they love tacos. That insight led to a remarkably simple strategy culminating in an incredibly effective brand we named “Dollar Taco.” It’s an accessible brand with an ironic wink, and Millennials are literally eating it up. With an innovative supply chain and a distribution channel second to none, Dollar Taco is slaying hunger one dollar at a time. “Cue nailed the look and feel with an authenticity that speaks to the culture,” says Melissa Shank, Brand Manager. “Process Yellow isn’t a color just any brand can own, but by complimenting it with black, we got to something very proprietary.” The look and feel may scream value, but appetites aged 22 to 27 are saying “Mmm.”

Dollar Taco | Cue
Dollar Taco | Cue

Tini Car

The minimalist movement is affecting change in consumer behavior. Trends like “de-cluttering” and tiny houses are just a couple examples of a less-is-more mindset. Now a brand of vehicles is driving the craze within the automobile industry. Even as humans become larger, automotive designers have been able to maximize efficiency using sophisticated ergonomic models to determine the essential spatial need of drivers. Smart Car may have been the first, but Tini Car is making “smaller” an even bigger idea.

Tini Car | Cue
Tini Car | Cue

Artifact

Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you’ve lost your sense of style. That’s the thinking behind a fashion brand targeting seniors holding onto enduring values of their youth.

Artifact is a brand poised to capture the essence of a generation that‘s still truckin,’ with fashion and accessories as right-on as they are outta-sight. Not since the summer of love has clothing been so hip, capturing a vibe that vintage shoppers really dig.

Artifact | Cue

Can You Believe It's Not

Innovation in food science has led to the development of some incredible products this side of the new millennium. Made possible by these advancements are a variety of foods remarkably similar in taste to their real counterparts. Capitalizing on this feat of modern chemical manipulation comes a line of some pretty, dare we say, “unbelievable” products. “Can You Believe?” is the brand mantra (and namesake) for this franchise branded with essential product feature icons. This brand is leading the consumer packaged goods world, empowering consumers with information about food. Will they believe? We’re pretty sure they probably will.

Can You Believe It's Not... | Cue
Can You Believe It's Not... | Cue

USPPS

The best of public and private partnerships becomes reality with a much-anticipated merger of the United States Postal Service and the United Parcel Service. Now one million strong across the United States and around the world, postal + parcel doesn’t get any bigger. Research told us that eagles are authoritative, and shields suggest credibility and strength, so we knew that combining the equities of both organizations would deliver the perfect formula. We solved the puzzle with a deft blend of both brands’ core iconography.

As one unified brand, the United States Postal Parcel Service is not only largess at the highest level, it’s an organization with a monopoly focused on its own success. Its mission: We’ll get it there. In time.

USPPS | Cue
USPPS | Cue

British American Football League (BAFL)

Despite great effort, the NFL has failed to capture the UK’s enthusiasm for American football. However, a new league blending the best football from both sides of the pond is kicking off with eight new teams in eight lucky cities throughout England. Brilliance is at the heart of the BAFL, which chooses the best of each sport to create an evolutionary, yet revolutionary new entertainment product. The brand identity follows suit, with a mix of familiar graphic elements in a highly rendered form. Like most big sports and entertainment logos, it takes a big idea and delivers it in a powerfully predictable way.

BAFL | Cue
BAFL | Cue