Arguably our favorite time of year at energyhill is when 36 Days of Type comes around, and our talented team of designers is able to get creative with this daily social media challenge. Last year, our team tackled the theme of the World's Fair of Typography. We each took on a different country and tried to convey it through our assigned letter or number. This year, we went with the theme of font history, to share our love for typeface design and its origins.

the 36 Days of type reputation

This is year seven of 36 Days of Type, and the hype has never been stronger. The project is based out of Barcelona and now has a partnership with Adobe, which has exploded its popularity even further. This year, Adobe is encouraging designers to experiment with AR, animation, and 3D art forms.

Through the hashtag #36daysoftype, judges choose the most impressive letters and numbers. This results in a social media feature, or for six lucky winners, a free one-year Creative Cloud subscription.

The stand-off with instagram

Marketing experts are constantly trying to stay on top of the latest Instagram algorithm. Instagram is currently looking for authentic, active social butterflies and blocking bots and spam accounts. Engagement, frequency, and communication are key to ensuring your account appears frequently to your followers, . As long as you don't overdo it.

Due to Instagram's ever-changing algorithm, this year's edition faced some issues. The platform is their main source for resharing content and featuring the work of designers. But because there was so much engagement from the account, Instagram called it out as spam, and blocked them from posting. This resulted in a brief hiccup for the challenge, which has thousands of participants across the world.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9TstC7ISLY/

36 days of font history with energyhill

How much do you really know about Helvetica? Or Times New Roman? Going educational with our theme this year meant attempting to educate the public––and ourselves––on the origins of many well-known fonts.

We explored the depths and origins of Comic Sans, Arial, Papyrus, Futura, and more. Here are some interesting facts we found out about some famous fonts:

incorporating new brand colors

This year, the team wanted to keep the letters set cohesive. We recently updated our brand colors, so it was the perfect opportunity to incorporate it into the design. And although we put restrictions on the project, it didn't stifle the creativity of our designers. Everyone's unique style still came across, and patterns appeared throughout everyone's letter set.

unique results for your brand

Our approach is simple: creating an authentic voice for your brand that connects with your audience. Our design services result in beautifully crafted experiences for your audience and create the foundation from which to launch your business. Learn more about our design services and how we can help your business grow.

In the ever-changing industry of marketing, it's easy for a brand to get left behind. Staying on top of the latest trends and staying aligned with an audience requires constant self-analysis and research. Take it from the big brands; they're continually morphing their look and messaging to stay current and maximize their reach. But how do you know whether your company needs a complete rebrand, or a brand refresh?

It's important to always keep an eye on the market to determine whether or not it's time for change. However, rebranding is not always necessary. Instead of planning a complete overhaul, sometimes all companies need is a refresh to reflect the ongoing changes in the industry.

Throughout the years, Starbucks has refreshed their look to stay relevant.

When Do I Refresh?

A brand refresh involves keeping the bones of your company the same and simply giving the surface a good makeover. Usually when your brand feels like it no longer stands out, it's time to revisit your marketing tactics and find out what's not working. You can also tell by your sales whether or not it's time to refresh. Consider a refresh if:

How Do I Refresh?

A refresh can be thought of as a spring cleaning for your brand. Take a look at your messaging, color palette, images, videos, website, and logo. Sometimes all it takes is fine-tuning your slogan and refreshing your marketing materials. Choose a new font, tweak your current logo. Don't worry about revamping your entire image.

Buzzfeed's rebranding made them look more like a quality news source.

When Do I Rebrand?

Sometimes when you opt for rebranding, you risk doing more harm than good. Pulling off a successful rebrand requires a lot of planning and research. You have to create an entirely new brand "personality" and possibly go into a different market than before. Consider rebranding if:

How Do I rebrand?

Rebranding is all about changing the way your audience sees you. In order to do that, you need to really determine what you want to accomplish with your rebranding. Setting a clear goal helps to steer you in the right direction. Examine your competition, but don't copy them. Focus on what makes your company unique and build a new identity based on the core values of your business.

energyhill branding services

At energyhill, we help businesses find their voice or just freshen up their current one. We understand the changes in the industry and advise the businesses we partner with accordingly. If you are looking to modernize your brand's identity or are looking to start from the ground up all over again, contact us to get the conversation started.

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