“For Happier & Healthier Pets” – that is the promise made by Butch Pet Foods. AECA’S precise, extensive and detailed web design and management for Butch UAE & India is evident on their website; which was recently launched.

See entire website www.butchuae.com

And so while we love working with our corporate clients (because you guys almost always know your brand stuff, challenge us and have the money to fuel our ideas), I wanted to share our knowledge, experience and expertise with driven, intelligent, focused entrepreneurs who desperately need brand building advice and design, know that they need it (very important to know the value of it!) but don’t have the budgets to gain from our experience at this initial stage in their business.

With AECAlite launched and the wheels turning much smoothly than expected, I’ve decided to take on the challenge of ‘making time’ to share A Spoonful of brand + design advice every day for the next 30 days…

“The Dwarf Jumps Higher”

As a small company, most business owners feel that if they enlarge their logos on their business cards, websites, presentations and brand collateral, their target audience will perceive them as a bigger company. Not true. Take a look at the size the logo of BBC, Virgin and Apple on their website. Your logo size doesn’t need to be really small but of an optimal size – visible, readable and understated. Actually, having an extra large logo makes you look like you’re trying too hard to be seen and heard just like a dwarf (no offensive / derogatory attitude intended) or a little child in a room full of standing adults.

So Stand Tall.

MY MJ is based on the concept of helping its client and audience to connect with brand
Madinat Jumeirah. It is built with the focus of creating an iconic brand that not only attracts people to Dubai but to Madinat Jumeirah’s street culture, vibrant events and night life.

The logo typography is based on the zestful waves of life that the brand echoes. A bright yet soft super graphic was made to support the idea of street lights, vibrancy and energy. We have conceptualized the brand from strategy to design and showcased how it could be seen deployed across the brand collateral; from Business Cards to Signage to Way finding and Sponsored Events.

AECA partnered with Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature to create publicity for ‘The Adult Fringe Festival’.
A total of six performers participated in the festival. Profile and Timeline images were created for each performer
for their individual Facebook personal and fan page. An extra step of design and branding to connect better
with their audiences.

We are proud that on the February issue of the  India’s First International Design Magazine , POOL, Charmaine D’Souza ,our founder, is the cover feature.

In its cover story, the SEAMLESS NATURE of DESIGN, she is described as a “Brand communication consultant moved from Bangalore to Dubai in search of a different platform to grow. Her brand communication firm, aeca, provides brand strategy and design consultancy services for a range of high profile clients. She tells POOL how her time in the two diverse locations has given her expertise to create international brands.”

When asked what led her to setting up her own brand and design studio, she said that as a freelance designer she had more work that she could chew and so aeca was born in December 2008. The name is inspired by ‘True art is to conceal art’. She believes that true art must appear artless and so must design, by appearing seamless.

To read the whole article, check on www.poolmagazine.in

We helped Zayan with consistent brand communication for her SS12 collection online and print literature. The project includes designing the lookbook, postcards, contact sheet and customizing the website using an existing theme.

The Cashflow Circle identity was inspired by the core essence of the brand – assisting others to become financially independent. The icon consists of a subtle linking of the $ sign into a circle, a symbol of for seamless continuity. We assisted the client with the naming and corporate identity, making the brand elegant and aspirational yet warm and friendly.

The Swedish Trade Council in Dubai approached us to help them create the complete event communication for the Swedish Financial Delegation when their Finance Minister and other senior leaders in the Swedish finance industry came to Dubai for talks of mutual trade and exchange. Our focus on this project was to create communication literature that had a strong corporate yet vibrant, liberated Super Graphic reflecting the colours of Sweden.

When Butch came on board, our role was to give the brand a fresh, new introduction into the UAE and India markets. Our clients are the sole distributor in these 2 markets so while retaining the existing logo (which had to remain as is from the manufacturers), we refreshed all the brand collateral making it look contemporary and appealing for its target audience to associate with the brand and then continue to add value through brand positioning (with its tagline) and consistent, positive content online, in print, advertising and point of sales.

We were approached to create the event collateral for one of a kind Barclays Wealth event, a recital in collaboration with the prestigious Stradivari Society. We created the theme ‘Let the Music Rise’ and Super Graphic which illustrated the connection of music from east and west, stringed instruments originating from Arabia (the rebabs) and evolving into today’s violins, cellos and other western stringed instruments that enthused the clients and helped them connect with their Middle Eastern clients.