At Issue Vol7 No1

7/28/2019 At Issue Vol7 No1

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Martha Stewart 's Everyday E leganceMuzak E levates i t s ImageChrysler B reaks the Mo ld on S u bc o m pa


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Volume 7, No.lThe Journal of Business and Design

Corporate Design FoundationSponsored by Potlatch Corporation

Delphine Hirasuna

PentagramKit Hinrichs, Design DirectorAmy Chan, Designer

Delphine HirasunaNoreen O'LearyPeter LawrenceCover I llustrationJeffrey Fisher

Peter LawrenceCorporate Design FoundationJens BernsenBernsen Design StrategyAgnes BourneAgnes Bourne StudioKit HinrichsPentagramDelphine HirasunaHirasuna EditorialPeter LaundyDoblin GroupJames PatellGraduate School of BusinessStanford UniversityChristopher PullmanWGBH Educational Foundation

Corporate Design Foundation20 Park Plaza, Suite 321Boston, MA 02116Telephone: 617-350-7097Fax: 617-451-6355E-mail: [email protected] Wide Web s i te:
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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PT CruiserIn producing the PTCruiser, Chryslerexplored the deepestyearnings of consumers and createda design unlike anysmall car on themarket.

Interview:Stanford'sSara LittleTurnbullA trailblazer indesign research,Sara Little Turnbullis sharing herknowledge w ithstudents at StanfordUniversity'sGraduate School ofBusiness.

Business andDesign ClassicAn example of Zensimplicity run amok,flip-flops have takenan ancient Asianslipper and put themon beach feet.

262

Quiz:Name That DecadeCall it retro or callit rehashed, eitherway the pop designicons of every eraform our culturalvocabulary.

On Your M ark!You kinda,sorta knowwhat trademarksymbols mean butdo you really? Thisprimer gives youbasic answers toquestions you mayhave been tooembarrassed to ask24

Muzak on KeyMisunderstood andmaligned, Muzak setthe record straightwith a new brandidentity that madepeople give it asecond look.

Design for EveryoneThe runaway success ofMartha Stewart's Kmartproduct line is proving thateven discount shoppers willopt for style and elegancewhen given a choice(see page 6).


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I S S U E

S t a n f o r d ' s S a r a L i t t l e T u r n b u l l o n D e s ig nFor more than a half century, Sara Lit t le Turnbull has b e e nrenowned for counse l i ng Amer i can CEOs on s t ra tegic designd e v e l o p m e n t and c u l t u r a l c h a n g e . H e r e the 8 3 - y e a r - o l dd i r e c t o r of the P r o c e s s of C h a n g e , I n n o v a t i o n and D e s i g nLabora to ry at Stanfo rd Unive r s i t y ' s Gradua t e Schoo l ofBusiness ta lks wi th Peter Lawrence, chai rman of CorporateDesign Foundat ion.

For decades CEOs have considered youtheir secret weapon in product designdevelopment. You've approached your

research from a cultural anthropologist'sperspective, yet your design concepts areinvariably right on the mark.From ear ly on, I've be l i eved tha t the way oflife of a p e o p l e i n f l u e n c e s the t h ings theyd e s i g n and w a n t to l i v e w i t h . I f e e l t h a tc o m p a n i e s w o u l d be very w e l l adv i s ed toknow a great deal about their users ' activities for e x a m p l e , the way we re la te socia l ly ,how we work and how we l ive as c o m m u n i t i e s . If ac o m p a n y is deve lop ing foods , for i n s t a n c e , it is usefulto th ink about how p e o p l e eat and d i n e in differentp a r t s of the w or ld . It's f rom thes e behav io r s and s tud i ed obs e rva t ions and ana lys es tha t you u n d e r s t a n dwhat tools are u s e d to def ine a way of l ife.Given the emerging global economy back in the late '50swhen you began your consulting business, why was learn-ing about other cultures so important for product design?I t has l o n g b e e n my be l i e f tha t e f f ec t ive des igne m e r g e s at the i n t e r s ec t ion of c u l t u r e and c o m m e r c e .D e v e l o p i n g a d e e p e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g of how different

A design advisor to corporateCEOs, national governmentsand prestigious universities,Sara Little Turnbull has beena powerful and influentialvoice in strategic design development over the past sixdecades. An editor of post-World War II House Beautiful,she applied her insights intocultural change to help readers make a transition to amodern way of life. She isnow director of the Process ofChange, Innovation andDesign Laboratory at StanfordUniversity's Graduate Schoolof Business. Her contributionshave been lauded by theNational Endowment for theArts and even on the floor ofthe U.S. Senate.

cu l tu res s o lve p rob lems can be a c o m p e t i t ive advantage in bus ines s . In the la te '50s,m a n y c o m p a n i e s w e r e on the verge ofhav ing pa ten t s exp i r e for t echno log ies theyinven ted for the war effort. To pro tec t the i rp a t e n t c l a i m s , t h e y had to c r e a t e newa p p l i c a t i o n s for t hes e t echno log ies . In myconsul t ing ro le , I was as ked to sugges t newu s e s deve lop ing s uch th ings as f reezer-to -oven cook ing ves s e l s made f rom amate r i a l o r ig ina l ly u s ed for s pace t r ave l ,fo r example . A pro tec t ive an t ipo l lu t ion

mas k made f rom nonw oven f ibe r s is a n o t h e r e x a m p l e .In a recent article I read, I was intrigued that you gotthe idea for improving a pot lid handle from observingcheetahs. It's an enlightened client who would agree tosend a designer to Africa to study cheetahs for cookware.I have new s for you, k i d d o . If you m a k e s e n s e , theworld is your oyster. I d idn ' t j u s t say, "I'd l i ke to go toAfr ica to see the c h e e t a h s . " The c o n v i c t i o n t h a t Ideve loped th rough in i t i a l r e s ea rch led me to e x p l a i n :" I ' ve been th ink ing abou t w ha t on th is ear th is exce l l en t in c a t c h i n g and ho ld ing on to the i r d inner w h i l emov ing at 70 m p h . The chee tah does it w i th r emarkab le


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ski l l and f ines s e . I am cu r ious abou t w ha t its c law s arel i ke . How are the c law s us ed? How does the c h e e t a hgrab prey and hold onto it ?" And, in fact , observingchee tahs gave me ins ights in to levels of dexter i ty andhand mot ions for l if t ing lids.What kind of questions did you ask yourselfabout cookware lids before thinking about cheetahs?Wel l , the c l i en t ' s da ta s how ed tha t a c e r t a i n n u m b e r ofacc iden t s r e s u l t ed f rom peop le d ropp ing the l i d s of hotcook ing po t s . The q u e s t i o n b e c a m e w h a t k i n d of lids h o u l d the c o m p a n y m a k e . I l ooked in to s eve ra l con s i d e r a t i o n s . For i n s t a n c e , d o e s a r o u n d k n o b i n c r e a s et h e t e n d e n c y to p i c k the lid up w i th your f inge r t ip s ?W h a t d o e s it m e a n to " g r a s p " ? How is the t h u m b u s e dfo r l eve rage? What o the r cond i t ions in the k i t c h e naffect the us e r? S t r es s es l ike t ime , or i n t e r r u p t i o n sf rom kids and p e t s . K e e p in mind tha t the d e s i g n e r ist h e c u s t o d i a n of the c a r e and k i n d n e s s e x t e n d e d tothe user . Aes thet ics is only one cons ide ra t ion .More than 30 something years ago you wrote anarticle entitled, "When Will the Consumer BecomeYour Customer?" It's still a relevant question as wewatch companies fail, not because their products werebad but because they didn't know their customers.Sens i t iv i ty to your cus tomers is c ruc ia l . Who are yourc u s t o m e r s ? W h a t do t hey w an t? What do t hey need?H ow can you h e l p t h e m ? In t h a t a r t i c l e , I a r g u e dt h a t m o s t c o m p a n i e s c r e a t e p r o d u c t s for r e t a i l e r s , notfo r the p e o p l e who w ere ac tua l ly go ing to use t h e m .I f ee l s t rong ly tha t w hen you r ea l ly obs e rve w ha ty o u r c u s t o m e r s w a n t and u n d e r s t a n d w h a t y o u ' r eo b s e r v i n g , you can m a k e the c o n n e c t i n g l i n k a g e t h a tl e t s you c r e a t e a l ong - la s t ing r e l a t ions h ip w i th yourcus tomer . It's a r e l a t i o n s h i p of t r u s t and loyal tyb e t w e e n p r o d u c t and user .You were an editor of "House Beautiful" in the 1940sand '50s. What was your philosophy of home decorating?How did you go about changing consumer awareness?I was never in te r es t ed in d e c o r a t i n g per se. I d idn ' tca r e w he the r M rs . M cG i l l i cuddy w an ted a p ink w a l l ,b lue ce i l ing and green floor. That was her c h o i c e tom a k e and it w as n ' t my p l a c e to be j u d g m e n t a l . S u r e weoffered guidel ines - baroque s hou ld go w i t h b a r o q u e ;if you mix d e c o r a t i n g s t y l e s , it s h o u l d be done w i tha n u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the per iod ' s cha rac te r i s t i c s . But Iwasn ' t t ry ing to m a k e House Beautiful the a rb i t e r of

decora t ing t a s t e . I t r i ed to e n c o u r a g e r e a d e r s to usedecora t ing to c rea te the a t m o s p h e r e and e n v i r o n m e n tin w h ich they w an ted to l i ve .How was that different in the 1940s than today?Wel l , know ing the war w ould be over soon, I gave agrea t dea l of t h o u g h t to w h e r e my r e a d e r s , who w e r emost ly women, were going to be. The manpow er s ho r t age du r ing the war had fo rced many of t hem in to thew o r k p l a c e . W h e n the war ended , w ere they go ing tor e tu rn to h o m e m a k i n g or stay in the w ork s cene? Whatk i n d of r e l a t ions h ips w ere they go ing to have with o the r s a round them? The i r hus band- s o ld ie r s w ere comingback f rom Par is and from all k i n d s of exo t i c p lacesw h e r e t h e y had l e a r n e d a t h i n g or t h r ee tha t the i rwives d idn ' t know. I kept asking myself how we cou ldhe lp thes e peop le put their l ives back together throughi d e a s in our magaz ine? D ecora t ing w as n ' t the p r i m a r yfocus for me; a way of life was. I was f o c u s e d onc h a n g e s g o i n g on in socie ty . I b e g a n to t h i n k a b o u tw h a t a d i n i n g e x p e r i e n c e w o u l d be for pos t -w ar f ami l i e s and w hat they w ou ld be d o i n g in the r e s t of theh o u s e . I n c i d e n t a l l y , House Beautiful was the ' b i r t h p l a c e ' of the f ami ly room. Befo re tha t homes us edt o h a v e p a r l o r s , but p a r l o r s d i d n ' t s e r v e the s a m efunct ion of a family room.So would you say your approach todesign has always been anthropological?N o, I w ould say it has a lw ays been d r iven by l e a r n i n gt h a t l e a d s to e x p l o r a t i o n . E x p l o r a t i o n t h a t l e a d s tod i s c o v e r y . The i m p o r t a n t c o n c e p t is the r e l a t i o n s h i pb e t w e e n e x p e r i e n c e and t hough t . It always s tar ts wi th afundamen ta l cu r io s i ty . When I can ' t f ind the a n s w e r ina book , I go out and s e a r c h for it. The e x c i t e m e n t ofmy life is t ha t I have a lw ays jum pe d in to the u n k n o w nto find what I n e e d e d to know .Why have you chosen to teach a course on design atStanford's Graduate School of Business? Your studentsare seeking MBAs, not design degrees.After 60 y e a r s on the co rpo ra te cons u l t ing s ide , I c a m einto the a c a d e m i c s e c t o r b e c a u s e I w a n t e d to c r e a t e ac o m m o n a l i t y of b a c k g r o u n d b e t w e e n management p e o p le and design p e o p l e . B u s i n e s s n e e d s to u n d e r s t a n dthat des ign is a key a s p e c t in the p r o c e s s of p r o d u c td e v e l o p m e n t . You can ' t make a produc t w i thou t t ak ingdes ign in to cons ide ra t ion , and m a k i n g it par t of yourp lann ing p roces s f rom beg inn ing to end.


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H o w d o y o u te a c h a bu n c h o f bu s in e s s a n d e n g in e e rin gstudents to in tegra te des ign in to the ir process?W e g i v e t h e m h a n d s - o n e x p e r i e n c e b y a s k i n g t h e mto s o lve a r ea l p rob lem. We d iv ide them in to t eams anda s s i g n t h e m t o d e s i g n , m a n u f a c t u r e a n d m a r k e t ap ro to type o f a cons um er p rodu c t l ike a ju ic e r o r a b ikepump. Each t eam has to inven t a p roduc t , deve lop ades ign tha t w ou ld appea l to cons umers , l ea rn abou tthe manufac tu r ing m ach in e ry r equ i r e d to ma ke it , andw r i t e up a marke t ing s t r a t egy . In o the r w ords , theyhave to s t ep ou t s ide the i r ow n na r row pe r s pec t ive andapprecia te the complexi t ies of every s tep of the process .

es ign acknow ledgesc h a n g e . I t s m e a n i n ge n c o m p a ss e s c h an g e

in our t im e s . To des ign ist o c r e a te o rd e rand to fun ctiona c c o rd in g t o a jp l a n . "

Your learn ing lab is ent i t led the "Process o f C h a n g e ,Innovation and Design." Why the emphasis on Change?B e c a u s e d e s i g n a c k n o w l e d g e s c h a n g e . I t s m e a n i n ge n c o m p a s s e s c h a n g e i n o u r t i m e s . To d e s i g n i s to" c r e a t e o r d e r a n d to f u n c t i o n a c c o r d i n g t o a p l a n . "The no t ion o f change and des ign move a long the s amepath . Des ign inf luences act ions that are par t of a wholep roces s , w he the r i t i s mak ing a s hoe , bu i ld ing a hous eor whatever . But the process i t se l f i s a thought process ,no t on ly a func t ion p ro ces s . Tha t i s w hy I enco urag es tud en t s to l ea r n from the i r ow n and o the r pe op le ' se x p e r i e n c e s a n d l e t t h e i r m i n d s m e a n d e r t o d i s c o v e rt h e u n e x p e c t e d a n d t h e c r e a t i v e a c c i d e n t .How can companies and d esignerslearn which design concepts will sell?They should observe with a l l of their senses t h e i re y e s , nose, ears , touch. I f you are des igning ways toimprove the pub l i c d in ing exper i ence , you need to gointo a res tau ran t and th ink careful ly abo ut how your

wai ter takes your order , how you can make h is l i fe eas ier, the k in ds of techn ology th at can ass i s t h is mem ory,he lp h im perform h is job with greate r sa t is fact ion . Youneed to obs e rve the th ings on the t ab le top tha t w i l lhe lp peop le d ine g rac ious ly and comfor tab ly . I f youtake tha t exe rc i s e a l l t he w ay th rough the en t i r e d in ingexper ience , you may end up w i th many s pec i f i c ideas ,no t ju s t abs t r a c t though t s abo u t how peop le ea t .What kinds of new things are you interested in designing?The w ors t th ing tha t anybody can as k me to do i s toma ke a new th ing . I w an t to ma ke s om eth in g be t t e r .I w a n t t o i m p r o v e t h e e x p e r i e n c e . Fm n o t i n t e r e s t e din the object itself; Fm i n t e r es t ed in the behav io r . F min te r es ted in w hy you w an t and need th ings .How did you first become interested in design?M y mo ther had an app rec ia t io n fo r aes the t i c s ev enthough ou r hous eh o ld w as one o f ve ry l imi ted f inanc ia lmeans . When my mothe r a s s embled the food s tu f f tha twere going to become our d inner , she a l lowed hersel fto have the p leas u re o f combin ing marve lous bow ls o ff ru i t s and vege tab les . S he us ed them to t each me abou tcompos i t ion , color , tex ture . We would s i t together inthe k i tchen and ta lk about the range of color of peppers ,f rom br i l l ian t yel low to dark r ich green. We would ta lkabou t the s amen es s o f th ings and the r emar kab le diff e r ences . They w ere a l l pepper s , bu t i t w as a w i ld lyexciting vision of color. She taught me that if you put apu rp le f l e s hy eggp lan t w i th in th i s s pec t rum o f pepper s ,they were s t i l l a l l s imilar in form. She would ques t ionmy mind ' s eye . S he ' d a s k , "Wouldn ' t you l ike to havea s p ray o f s ca l l ions tha t w ou ld d i s tu rb the cons i s t encyof the round forms?" I 'm 83 years o ld now and I v iv id lyremember w ha t thos e conver s a t ions w ere abou t .It's interesting, Sara, that the basis of so much of whatyou've been talking about is all about developing theability to really see. But I'm probably oversimplifying that.N o, no, no! I t ' s not overs impli fy ing, because to real lysee the depth of th ings is not a s imple th ing to do . Sofew peop le a r e made aw are tha t they cou ld do tha t .I 'm jus t an ordinary soul , but I 've had marvelous inf luences in my l i fe . I th ink we ' re a l l des igners , we ' re a l la r t i s t s , w e ' r e a l l m u s i c i a n s . S o m e o f u s h a v e b e e nexpos ed to w ha t mean ing tha t has . I f you w ere t r a inedto do what I 'm ta lk ing about and you took a walk inthe forest, you would know that i t is a world of soundand mus ic and beau ty tha t f eeds the s ou l .


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Through he r omni -media p r e s e n c e ,

Martha Stewar t hasshown consumers

tha t "elegant" a n d" h o m e m a d e " a r e n o tself-cancell ing words.

Now through herdomes t i c s p roduc t

l ine a t Kmart , she isp rov ing tha t " s ty le "a n d " d i sc o u n t " c a n

coexist as wel l .

T H E B E S T O F MwhattM A R T H A B Y M A I L

d/brinp 200/


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M a r t h a S t e w a r t , C h a ir m a n a n d C E OM ar th a Stewar t L i v i n g O m n i m e d i a , New YorkA one-woman institutio n, M artha Stewart is acorporate CEO, author, TV celebrity, authority onall domestic design matters, and a best-sellingretail brand.Whe n Ma r t ha S t e wa r t a nnounc e d t he l a unc h of he rMa r t ha S t e wa r t Eve ryda y (MSE) produc t l i ne a t Kma r ts t o re s i n 1997 , ma ny of he r pa rc hme nt - she e t us i ng ,ma ndol i n - s l i c i ng l oya l i s t s r e c o i l e d . Te a mi ng up wi t hthe di scount giant was the re ta i l equiva lent of se rvings c r e w - t o p c h a r d o n n a y a l o n g s i d e r o c k c o r n i s h h e n .How c oul d he r i mpe c c a b l e t a s t e a nd nua nc e s t a nd upunder the gla re of Kmart's f luorescent inte r iors andB l ue L i gh t huc ks t e r i sm?

Qui te nice ly, in Stewart ' s view. Kmart would offe rher domest ic des ign pr inc ipa ls to the cha in ' s 71 mi l l ionc us t ome rs whi l e p rov i ng t o ma nufa c t ure r s t ha t a ma r ke t exis t s for a ffordable des ign qua l i ty . In many ways ,tha t has been Stewart ' s miss ion a l l a long.

T h r o u g h l a v i s h l y i l l u s t r a t e d b e s t - s e l l i n g b o o k s ,Martha Stewart Living ma ga z i ne wi t h a c i rc u l a t i on of1 .2 mi l l i on , a syndi c a t e d c o l umn a nd a syndi c a t e dTV show wi t h a n a u d i e n c e of 49 mi l l i o n , she ha sa l mos t s i ng l e -ha nde dl y c ha nge d Ame r i c a ' s t a s t e s i nc o o k i n g , e n t e r t a i n i n g , h o m e d e c o r a n d g a r d e n i n g .H e r a p p e a l h a s n o t b e e n s o m u c h w i t h t h o s e w h oi de n t i fy wi t h t he l i f e s t y l e f e a t ure d on t he pa ge s o fArchitectural Digest, b u t w i t h p e o p l e m o r e l i k e l yt o ha ve be e n re a d i ng Woman s Day a nd ye a rn i ng t oi ns t i l l e l e ga nc e a nd s t y l e i n t o t he i r budge t -c onsc i ousl i ves . What Stewart has done i s to show them tha t youdon ' t ne ed serv ants and ca te rers to l ive bea ut i ful ly.I t i s poss ible to do i t yourse l f and to prove i t , shede mons t ra t e s how.

A product l ine exc lus ive ly wi th Kmart was a logica le x t e ns i on of S t e wa r t ' s me ssa ge . Wi t h more t ha n 2 ,100d i s c o u n t s t o r e s , K m a r t a t t r a c t s 7 2 p e r c e n t o f t h en a t i o n ' s h o u s e h o l d s . K m a r t ' s s h e e r m a s s - m a r k e tv o l u m e g a v e S t e w a r t t h e l e v e r a g e i n p r i c i n g a n dm a n u f a c t u r e r r e t o o l in g n e e d e d t o p r o d u c e g o o d sm o r e r e f l e c t i v e of u p s c a l e b o u t i q u e r e t a i l e r s .

S t e p h e n Doy le , Pr in c i pa l /C r ea t i ve Di rec to rDoyle P a r t n e r s , New YorkStephen Doyle's firm creates and manages Kmart'sMartha Stewart Everyday program including retailenvironments, signage and packaging for over3,000 products.


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I S S U E

Grill AccessoriesShoppers need look nofurther than the MSEsection to find everything they need to

grill. MSE avoided thecliche charcoal flame

imagery of other grill brandsby choosing bold stripes and summ er colorsfor the packaging. The Grill Topper (below)features grill recipes on the back label.

Coordinated LookFor the bath, MSE makesit easy to assemble acoordinated look by providing a complete line ofaccessories in colorsfrom Martha Stewart'sinimitable palette.

Since being in t roduced a tK m ar t i n 1997, M ar t haStewart Everyday productshave grown to over 3 ,000ite m s a n d now in c lu d eevery th ing from bedsheetsto bugspray.

Waffle Weave Shower Curt

Instructive LabelsThe paper labels on

MSE paint cans communicate the finishof the paint inside -glossy paper for glosspaint, matte stock forflat paint. Paint chipcharts help the userchoose color combi

nations by showing howcolors in the palette

can work together.

g

W\^

. 0( this take are ide^ 0 l 5 o n > n g o n * e wood

M A R T H A

Int eri or Ac ryl ic LatexPrimer and Sealer


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Design ConsistencyEffective use of acomm on color palette,clear typographictreatment of pertinentinformation and aconsistent visual stylelink products withina category and tiethem to the overallMSE brand.

Parchment PaperMSE offers spe cialty

'cooking items su ch asparchment paper that

many shoppers learned howto use from reading Martha

I Stewart's mag azine or viewinghe r TV show.

n d b a s (clfert ' ^

Garden DisplayDoyle Partners designs the

graphics of in-store displays tobe "collapsible" to accomm odate

the amount of space availablein different-sized Km art stores.Left: Even a garden hose comes

in M SE's color palette withan editorial-style photograph

on the packaging.

Bamboo RakeInspired by a

Japanese foldingfan, Stewart's bam

boo rake reinforcesthis allusion with an

autumn leaf motif.

sticker.

-.riKt 111 ft^Gift Box PackagingShrink-wrapped so shoppers can preview the product inside, boxes for MSE'sbaby line are patterned with soft drawings of field mice, chicks, foxes andbunnies in the style of Beatrix Potter.Once the product is removed, the boxbecomes a lovely keepsake to storemementos from babyhood.

Seed PacketsMSE seed packets

often show handsholding the vegetable,

herb o r flower to givea sense of scale.

Accompanyingrecipe cards offer

cooking tips - e.g.tomato soup forfresh tomatoes,

vinaigrette dressingfor lettuce.

$2.49N E T W T . mm

O F JU LY ' HY *! !tomato! F O U R T H O F


12/36

I S S U E

"M y id e a i s t o b r in g g o o d q u a l i t y d e s ig n t o m a ssAm e r i c a a t a ff o r d a b le p r i c e s . I f e e l p e o p le h a v e b e e nb a d ly se r v e d in wh a t t h e y ' v e b e e n o f f e r e d , " e x p l a in sS te wa r t . " I n e v e r u n d e r e s t im a te p e o p le wh e n i t c o m e sto d e s ig n . L o o k a t h o w T V b r in g s y o u in to o th e r s 'h o m e s a n d a l l o ws y o u to se e h o w g r a c io u s ly y o u c a nl iv e . I t ' s been my fee l ing a l l a long : Don ' t ta lk down top e o p le a b o u t g o o d d e s ig n c h o o s in g i t i s n o t a b o u th o w m u c h m o n e y y o u m a k e . "

Ad d s S t e p h e n Do y le , c r e a t i v e d i r e c to r o f Do y leP a r t n e r s , w h i c h d e s i g n s a n d m a n a g e s M S E ' s p a c k a g i n ga n d r e t a i l d i sp l a y : "Wh a t we ' v e se e n i n t h e su c c e ssof Mar tha Stewar t Everyday i s tha t youc a n p u t g o o d d e s i g n o u t t h e r e o n am a s s l e v e l a n d c u s t o m e r s r e s p o n d . "

Case in po in t : S tewar t ' s in i t ia l fo rayi n t o K m a r t w i t h h e r l i n e o f b e d d i n ga n d to we l s f o u r y e a r s a g o . T h e r e t a i l e rw a s t h e f i rs t to i n t r o d u c e a l l - c o t t o nb e d d i n g p r o d u c t s a t a f f o r d a b l e c o s t .C u s t o m e r s to o k t o t h e m i m m e d i a t e l y .M S E d o m e s t i c s r u n g u p $ 4 5 0 m i l l i o nth a t f i r s t y e a r a n d b e c a m e th e n a t i o n ' sN o . 1 hom e tex t i les b ra nd the fo l lowingy e a r . S a l e s of b e d p i l l o w s a l o n e g r e wb y 2 5 p e r c e n t a ft e r b e i n g p a c k a g e du n d e r M a r t h a S t e w a r t ' s n a m e .

"Pr e v io u s ly Km a r t h a d n ' t so ld h ig h -c o u n t c o t to n sh e e t s . Ov e r n ig h t , we to o k2 0 0 - t h r e a d c o u n t s h e e t s a n d m a d e i ti n t o a $ 1 5 0 m i l l i o n b u s i n e s s , " s a y s S t e v e R y m a n ,K m a r t s e n i o r v i c e p r e s i d e n t a n d g e n e r a l m e r c h a n d i s em a n a g e r /h o m e a n d M SE . "No w ' Be t t e r a n d Be s t ' ( h ig h e rq u a l i t y a n d p r i c e - p o in t m e r c h a n d i s e ) i s 4 5 p e r c e n t ofo u r ( l i n e n s ) b u s in e ss . I t ' s o b v io u s ly b r in g in g in a n e wc u s to m e r o r so m e o n e wh o h a d n o t f o u n d wh a t t h e y h a dbeen look ing fo r p rev iously . The va lue o f the Mar thaS te wa r t c u s to m e r ' s b a sk e t i s s i g n i f i c a n t ly g r e a t e r t h a nth e r e s t o f o u r c u s to m e r s . M a r th a S t e wa r t E v e r y d a y ' sb e t t e r p r o d u c t s , p a c k a g in g , l a b e l in g a n d in - s to r e s ig n a g e h a v e im p a c t e d t h e o v e r a l l im a g e o f Km a r t . "

T h a t im p a c t u n d e r sc o r e s t h e b ig g e s t r e t a i l i n g t u r n a r o u n d s to r y i n y e a r s . Af te r Km a r t ' s b r u sh w i th n e a r -b a n k r u p tc y i n 1 9 9 5 , M SE in f u se d a n e w im a g e a n dc r e d ib i l i t y t o t h e s t r u g g l in g d i sc o u n t c h a in . So m u c hso th a t o n e o f Km a r t ' s CE O Ch a r l e s Co n a wa y ' s f i r s t

Brand ExtensionsAlthough Martha Stewart doesn'tplug her branded products on hersyndicated television show, her nameand credibility go a long way withher 49 million viewers. Her Marthaby Mail business was in response toletters from viewers and readers ofMartha Stewart Living seeking thingsthey had seen - and a defensivemove against other companies thatwere usurping ideas for their ownproduct development.

p u b l i c a p p e a r a n c e s w a s to u n v e i l M S E K i t c h e nla s t y e a r , p l e d g in g i t a s a f u tu r e g r o wth p r io r i t y .

T h e l a u n c h o f M S E c a m e a t a t i m e w h e n m a s sm e r c h a n d i s e r s w e r e i n c r e a s i n g l y a t t r a c t i n gu p sc a l e sh o p p e r s wh o s im p ly d id n ' t wa n t t o sp e n da l o t m o r e m o n e y f o r c e r t a in i t e m s . Co n su m e r s we r elook ing fo r s ty le , no t on ly va lue . Th is was a lso p rovent r u e b y Km a r t ' s r i v a l T a r g e t wh ic h h a d s ig n e d u p l e g e n d a r y a r c h i t e c t M ic h a e l Gr a v e s i n 1 9 9 9 a s a p r o d u c td e s ig n e r . Bu t Gr a v e s ' e l i t i s t a r c h i t e c tu r a l r e p u t a t i o np a l e s n e x t t o S t e wa r t ' s k i t c h e n - s in k u b iq u i ty . Po sse ss in ga n im a g e f u e l e d b y h e r m e d ia e m p i r e , m o r e t h a n 6 0

p e r c e n t of Km a r t ' s c u s to m e r s r e c o g n i z e t h e M a r th a S t e wa r t b r a n d . F r o mM S E ' s l a u n c h i n 1 9 9 7 , t h r o u g h t h ee n d of f i s c a l 2 0 0 0 , sh e h a s g e n e r a t e dm o r e t h a n $1 .4 b i l l i o n i n sa l e s a tKm a r t . R y m a n e x p e c t s M SE sa l e s t oh i t $1 .6 b i l l i o n t h i s y e a r .

Mo re rece n t ly , MSE produ ct o f fe r i n g s e x p a n d e d in to e v e r y th in g f r o mb u n d t p a n s t o b u g s p r a y s . I n J u n e2 0 0 1 , K m a r t a d d s M S E K e e p i n g ,w h i c h r a n g e s f r o m w a s t e b a s k e t s t oc l o s e t o r g a n i z e r s . S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1b r i n g s M S E H o m e ' s l i n e o f l a m p s ,p i c tu r e s a n d m i r r o r s . Ke y to t h e su c c e ss o f M SE i s d e s ig n , b o th i n t h ep r o d u c t s t h e m s e l v e s a n d i n t h e i rp a c k a g i n g a n d r e t a i l i n s t a l l a t i o n . T h e

t e a m a t M a r t h a S t e w a r t L i v i n g O m n i m e d i a r e t a i n sc o m p le t e c o n t r o l o f p r o d u c t d e s ig n a n d d e v e lo p m e n t ,p a c k a g i n g , i n - s t o r e e n v i r o n m e n t s a n d a d v e r t i s i n g ."S t e p h e n ' s r o l e i s t o m a k e o u r p r o d u c t s l o o k v e r ya p p e a l in g a n d e x c i t i n g . I t ' s h a r d t o d i s t i n g u i sh p r o d u c t s i n Km a r t o r i n m o s t r e t a i l e s t a b l i sh m e n t s , f o rth a t m a t t e r , " a s se r t s S t e wa r t . "S t e p h e n a n d ( Om n im e d iac r e a t i v e d i r e c to r ) Ga e l T o we y h a v e wo r k e d v e r y h a r dt o c r e a t e a s t o r e - w i t h i n - a - s t o r e e n v i r o n m e n t . "

D o y l e h a p p e n s t o b e m a r r i e d t o T o w ey a n d h a da l s o w o r k e d o n a p r o m o t i o n a l p i e c e f o r t h e l a u n c h o fMartha Stewart Living 11 years ago . But i t was Doyle ' sc o n n e c t i o n s t o K m a r t , t h r o u g h h i s p a c k a g i n g r e d e s i g nf o r s t o r e v e n d o r Sp r in g s Wa m su t t a , t h a t l e d t o h i sc o l l a b o r a t i o n o n t h e d e b u t o f M SE ' s d o m e s t i c s l i n e .

D o y l e d e s c r i b e s S t e w a r t ' s r e t a i l i n g g o a l a s o n e t o


13/36

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Qual i ty and pr ice -po in ts ofM S E s h e e ts a n d t o w e ls a r e

in d ic a t e d t h r o u g h a stars y s te m d e s i g n a t in g Go o d ,

B e t t e r and B e s t .

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14/36

I S S U E

rid the world of flouncy, burgundy valances. "We tryto be responsive to what Martha Stewart brings to thecategory. We want the packaging to be modern, boldand bright," he says. "With plates, for example, everyone else has stacks of square boxes where you see li ttle half-moon slivers of color. We design ours so theystand upright and you see lots of big colorful polkadots. It 's common sense with a touch of fun thrown in.We want every product , no mat ter how mundane, toappear very exuberant on the store shelf."

MSE's g r i t ty cha rcoa l bags , fo r ins tance , a redes igned to look l ike summery s t r iped BrooksBrothers ' shirts. Labels on gratin dishes have friendlyl i t t le ears shaped a long handles; bundt pans

uniform packaging. "The gadget wall is normally arandom mess," says Cameron Manning, MSE projectmanager at Doyle Partners. "We've made it into acoherent mass ."

Color is as important to packaging as it is to product design. Beginning with the hues of Stewart 'sfamous Auracana chickens and their pale blueand green eggs, MSE's namesake has a lways had a

strong point of view about color."Kmart originally had wanted the worst colors. They

wanted everything to be dark maroon and dark green,"laughs Stewart. "I said to them: Why not a light yellowor pretty blue? We did that and customers responded. I

knew that would happen."K KmartIn 2000, Kmart served more than 71million customers through its 2,100stores in the U.S. and produced inexcess of $37 billion in sales.

H I F I K f+ 25 %Kmart saw itsbed pillow sales

I increase 2 5 %rwhen it introducedan MSE line.

+20%Displaying MSE muffintins upright instead oflying flat not only gave

. Kmart more selling space,the greater visibleincreased sales by 20%.

mi.MSE's Victoriagarden furniture hasquickly become

Kmart's single largestvolume producer.

sprout bright yellow labels that make their contoursstand out l ike sunflower blossoms. For wine glasses,Doyle Par tners ' l i tera l ly turns their minimal packaging inside out: Product information is viewed throughthe stemware in a party-like background of stripes anddots. "When we design packaging, we do it as if it 's forpeople who don't understand the language. We makeit so people want to touch it. We make it engaging tothe senses," Doyle continues. "Even in configuring thepackaging cardboard, we do it with the idea of 'Hey,touch me. Pick me u p . ' "

"What 's especially fun for us is moving beyonddesign problems and into those affecting retailing,"Doyle says. Festive ribbons of packaging delineatingby color Good, Better and Best product lines attractshoppers from across store aisles. A wall of over 150kitchen tools is organized by a disciplined grid and

For her first palette, Stewart spent nearly a day withher company's color consultant, showing as inspirationthings like Wedgwood china and images of her cat orgrass growing in a Texas field. For her line of sheets,for instance, she personally selects color choices.

"Martha Stewart has a lways had an incrediblysophisticated taste in color," says Doyle. "She gotinterested in compat ible neutra ls and has s ince bui l tup an unders tanding of the need for vibrants ." Doyleappreciates that sensibili ty and actually named herpaint l ine Martha Stewart Everyday Colors. "Why dothey call it paint?" he asks. "Paint is only paint when it 'swet. When it 's on the wall, it 's color." For their ownhome, Doyle and Towey used to have to buy conventionalpaint and mix in grey and white to achieve the kind ofhues Stewart sells. While most paints come in canswith ugly metallic labels, the designers created cans to


15/36

@ S S U E :ref lect the subt le ty of S tewar t ' s colors . Execut ives a t thepaints ' manufacturer , Sherwin Wil l iams, sa id men wouldnever buy the pa in t . Wi th in two yea r s , Everyday Co lo r sbecame the f i f th- largest se l l ing brand in the wor ld .

Stewar t hersel f has a point of v iew and signs of fpersonal ly on most of MSE designs for products andpackaging. "Packaging plays a very impor tant par t in asuccess fu l p rogram. I ' ve a lways been in t r i gued wi ththe way peop le dea l w i th packag ing p rob lems , " shes a y s . "The c lar i ty of the idea has to shine through. I tshould allow you to feel an i tem and look at i t . I t helpsto s tack the i tem, d is t inguish i t , protect i t and, a t thesame t ime, informs you about i t wi thout being wastefulin use o f ma te r i a l s .

we g ive you r ec ipes showing how you can bake acake in i t or f ry a chicken. S teve 's job i s to make thatin fo rmat iona l e l emen t c rys t a l c l ea r . "

Tha t k ind o f i n fo rmat ion on h igher - en d p rodu c tl ines helps se l l customers on the u t i l i ty of thei r pur chase . Bu t MSE's ed i to r i a l l y -d r iven ph i losophy i s no tlos t on the mos t i nexpens ive , eas i l y -d i sca rdedof packages . The f ron t o f MSE seed enve lopes useha nd s to g ive a sens e of d im ens ion to the f lowers,f r ui ts o r vege tab les wi th in . Rec ipes on seed pack e t so f f e r t i p s beyond the ga rden . MSE's he rb ga rden packages provide ideas for brewing your own tea . Even

the names se l ec t ed fo r S t ewar t ' s" paint colors a lmost sound l ike

Within two yearsof its introduction,

MSE's EverydayColors became

the fifth-largestselling paint

brand in theworld, More than 60% of Kmart

customers recognize theMSE brand.

"I can ' t s tand overpackaging and th ings l ike ext rudeds t y r o f o a m , " s h e c o n t i n u e s . " I b u y s o m e t h i n g s o m e t imes and I can ' t get i t out I ne ed a sc r ew dr ive r .Packag ing mus t never be overdone o r excess ive . "

Towey, who has worked wi th S tewar t for some 18y e a r s a n d w h o s e o b s t e t r i c i a n g r a n d f a t h e r a c t u a l l yd e l i v e r e d t h e h o m e m a k i n g d o y e n n e acts as an aptin t e rp r e t e r t o he r husband when i t comes to t hoset as t e s . Mar tha S t ewar t Omnimed ia s t a f f e r s a l so workc lose ly wi th Doy le Pa r tne r s fo r good r eason .

"The magaz ine ' s i n fo rmat ion ph i losophy i s ve ryintegral to the whole idea of our re ta i l , " asser ts Towey." I t ' s informat ional as wel l as inspi ra t ional . Imagery ona package of knives not only shows you what k ind ofkn ives a r e i n t he r e , bu t a l so uses samples o f cu t t i ngt echn iques t ha t show you why you need a chopp ingknife or a par ing kni fe or whatever . For an i ron ski l le t ,

a t ab l e o f con ten t s : Dr i ed Hydrangea , Pu rp l e F ig ,Po ta to Pee l , Mer ingue .

In the context of Kmart's b r o a d g e n e r a l m e r c h a n dis e of ferings, MSE 's con sis te ncy of ima ge stand s outon shelves wi th a quie t a i r of author i ty and productintegri ty. While seeking to insti l l a higher-level consumersophist icat ion about the design of everyday stuff, M S E ' sg rea t es t success a t Kmar t may we l l l i e i n conv inc ingbo t tom- l ine r e su l t s p rov ing such a marke t ex i s t s .

"The p roduc t i s beau t i f u l , t he packag ing i s acces sib le and aspi ra t ional a l l a t the same t ime, but what i ss t agger ing i s t he number s : Do you know how manytowel s 71 mi l l i on peop le buy?" asks Doy le . " I f youfolded and stacked the in i t ia l order for Mar tha Stewar tEveryday towels they would reach to the top of Mt .Everes t , 13 V2 t imes and tha t ' s j u s t t he ( l ower -p ri ced )B l u e L a b e l t o w e l s ! "


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I S S U E

N a m e T h a t D e c a d eEvery decade has i ts evocat ive symbols images , objec ts ,color palet tes , typefaces, design styles , l ingo that s tand asicons of their era . Loaded with emotional value, they remindus of popular fads or ar t movements , of a t ime (real orimagined) when qual i ty real ly s tood for something, or whenelegance and civi l i ty s t i l l prevai led. Designers sometimes

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17/36

I S S U E :

use these graphic devices to speak to our col lect ive cul turalmem ory. W h en d on e skillfully, they com e acro ss as refreshinglyretro and fun; when handled clumsily, they appear t i red andout-of-sync with the t imes. See if you can identify the decade(1900s to 1990s) when these per iod c lass ics en te red ourcul tura l vocabulary .


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@ I S S U E

M u z a k o n K e yWhen i t comes to name recognit ion, Muzak has one of thestrongest brands in the world. Unfortunately, for years i t hasbeen outdated and of ten evoked a negat ive publ ic response .Muzak 's new iden t i ty p rogram has begun to change tha tpercept ion. The impact i s c lear ly evident in the new spi r i tof pr ide wi th in the company and a growing c l iente le inMuzak 's ta rget markets .

Kenny Ka hn, Vic e Pre s ide nt of M a rk e t ingM u z a k , Fort M i l l , S o u t h C a r o l in aPreviously Muzak's director of sales, Kenny Kahnbecame Muzak's vice president of marketing in 1997and spearheaded the move to rebuild Muzak's identity.

Br ia n Ja c obs , As s oc ia t e ,Pe nt a gra m, S a n Fra nc is c oAn associate of the international design f i rm,Pentagram, Brian Jacobs served as lead designerfor the Muzak identity makeover.

S a y t h e n a m e "Muzak" and chances a r e the t e rm"elevator mus ic" comes to mind . Tha t image i s aho ldo ver f rom the 192 0s w he n G enera l G eorgeSquier us ed mi l i t a ry -mes s ag ing t echno logy ( i . e . , pow erl ines ) to p ipe s oo th ing mus ic in to a new con t r ap t ioncal led the e levator to calm nervous r iders . The resounding s ucces s o f tha t ea r ly ven tu re became ha rd to l ivedow n . Even though M uzak had long s ince gone on todevelop the wor ld ' s larges t d ig i ta l mus ic l ibrary withs ongs by o r ig ina l a r t i s t s , t he pub l i c pe rcep t ion o f e l e va to r mu s ic s tuc k .

I t was a l iabi l i ty that Muzak ' s sa les force and f ranchisees worked hard to overcome. As of ten as not , theydis tanced themselves f rom the brand. At a sa les meet ingf o u r y e a r s a g o , K e n n y K a h n , M u z a k ' s v i c e p r e s i d e n to f marke t ing , a s ked M uzak ' s s a l e s peop le to l ay the i rbus ines s ca rds on the t ab le . No tw o w ere a l ike . "Wehad 200 o f f i ces and 3 ,000 employees and 450 ve r s ionso f ou r bus ines s ca rd , " K ahn r eca l l s . "If we ha d 1 ,000Mu zak t ru ck s , they a l l looked d if ferent . W e were soins ecu re abou t ou r ow n iden t i ty tha t ou r bus ines s ca rds

and t rucks o f t en looked more l ike ou r vendor s ' i den t i t i e s than ou r ow n . The names Bos e and D is hNetw orka p p e a r e d m o r e p r o m i n e n t l y t h a n M u z a k . "

By 1997 , ben ig n neg lec t of the M uzak b ran d h adbegun to t ake i t s to l l . K ahn admi t s , "The pa ren t company was los ing ser ious cash . I t had insuff ic ient cashf low , inc reas ed deb t , nega t ive g row th and an unbe l i ev ab ly ho r r ib le co rpo ra te cu l tu r e . Then the re w as thef r anch i s e o rgan iza t ion , w h ich w as w ea l thy . I t w as des perate ly af ra id of change and had los t a l l fa i th in theparen t company and f e l t t hey cou ldn ' t coun t on us tode l ive r a b r and o r p r e t ty much any th ing e l s e . " O n thep lus s ide , K ahn adds , "M uzak had a new s en io r managemen t t eam tha t w as he l l ben t on change ."

I t s manda te to K ahn w as to r ev i t a l i ze the b rand , andhe made the rounds o f top ad agenc ies . G ree ted w armlya t f i r s t , K ahn no ted the i r en thus ias m coo led w hen heto ld them h i s modes t budge t . O ne pe r s on w ho d idn ' tf l inch was des igner Ki t Hinr ichs , a par tner of Pentagram."When he said he 'd love to help us rebui ld our ident i ty ,I had to a s k h im w hy ," K ahn r eca l l s . " I ' l l neve r fo rge t


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: :

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S S U E

his answer . He k ind o f smi led and sa id , 'Wel l , i f I f a i l ,n o o n e w i l l ever k n o w. Bu t i f I su c c e e d , M u z a k w i l l t e l lt h e world.'"

H i n r i c h s ' r e c o l l e c t i o n w a s t h a t h e s a w a c o m p a n yr e c e p t i v e t o c h a n g e . " W e c a m e i n a t t h e c r o s s r o a d s , "h e s a y s . " M u z a k ' s n e w m a n a g e m e n t h a d d o n e a l o to f g r o u n d w o r k b e f o r e t h e y e n g a g e d u s .W h i l e M u z a k w a s s ti l l m a k i n g m o n e y ,th e y sa w a c e i l i n g t h e y c o u ld n ' t r i s e a b o v eb e c a u s e o f t h e w a y t h e y w e r e p e r c e i v e d .T h e y k n e w th e y n e e d e d to t u r n t h a t a r o u n dt o a t t r a c t m o r e p r e m i u m a c c o u n t s . "

P e n t a g r a m ' s v i s u a l a u d i t o f M u z a km a t e r i a l s a n d n a t i o n w i d e i n t e r v i e w s c o n i rmed every th ing Kahn had sa id . Pen tagram

a s s o c i a t e B r i a n J a c o b s , t h e le a d d e s i g n e ro n th e p r o j e c t , s a y s , "M u z a k wa s so f r a g m e n t e d i n t h e w a y i t c o m m u n i c a t e d t h a ti t s b r a n d l o o k e d d i f f e r e n t i n e v e r y c i t ya n d r e g i o n a n d e v e n b e t w e e n f r a n c h i s e e sa n d c o m p a n y sa l e s o f f i c e s . "

A f i r s t s tep was to deve lop a un i fy ingsymbol fo r Muzak tha t cou ld go on everyt h i n g f ro m b u s i n e s s c a r d s t o t r a d e s h o wb o o t h s , v i d e o s a n d s a l e s m a t e r i a l s .Pe n t a g r a m e x p lo r e d d o z e n s o f d i r e c t i o n s ,i n c l u d i n g w o r d m a r k s , s y m b o l s a n d a c o m p l e t e n a m e c h a n g e ( w h i c h M u z a k r u l e dout). I n t h e e n d , a silver-and-black M in ac i r c l e p r e v a i l e d . "Sh i f t i n g f r o m f e a tu r in gth e n a m e M u z a k to a s t r o n g sy m b o l t o o kth e e m p h a s i s o f f t h e wo r d m a r k a n d sa id ,' H e r e ' s a d i f fe r e n t c o m p a n y th a t h a p p e n sto be Muzak,'" J a c o b s e x p l a i n s . " T h e s i m p l ic i ty o f the logo worked wel l on a l l k indso f d iv e r s e a p p l i c a t i o n s a n d wo u ld n ' t c o n f l ic t w i t h c u r r e n t g r a p h i c t r e n d s t h a tm i g h t b e u s e d on m a r k e t i n g m a t e r i a l s .A l s o , c h o o s i n g s i l v e r a n d b l a c k a sM u z a k ' s s i g n a tu r e c o lo r s g a v e t h e l o g o a ne l e g a n t s im p l i c i t y . T h e c o lo r s we r e b o ld y e t n e u t r a l soy o u we r e n ' t f o r c e d t o p l a n y o u r d e s ig n a r o u n d th e m . "

An o th e r s i g n i f ic a n t c h a n g e wa s t o d e p i c t M u z a k ' sb u s in e ss a s a n a r t i n s t e a d o f a sc i e n c e . Fo r y e a r s ,M u z a k ' s b r a n d m e ssa g e f o c u se d o n sh o win g a c o r r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n p h y s i o l o g ic a l / p s y c h o l o g i c a l r e s p o n s e s

Identity ProgramMore than just a logo, the identitymakeover involved establishing avisual vocabulary for Muzak andexecuting it across a wide rangeof media, from stationery systemsand wall signage to promotionalmaterials and vehicles.

Logo Exploration

MUZAKOriginal Logo

m " Z a \Directions Based on M usic

t i z A KHMI iM U Z A K

Directions Based on Sound

m u z a kFinal DesignBased on the Futura typeface, the rounded lower-caseM was a dramatic changefrom the or ig ina l logo anddeemphasized the Muzakname and negative connotations attached to it.

New S ignageTo demonstrate how the logo wouldtranslate in different areas and sur-faces, Pentagram created a varietyof prototyp es, including this halo-litwall sign.

muzak is

Cap abi li ties BrochureOversized for impact, the ll"xl4" Muzakcapabilities brochure used the evocativecharacteristics of typography and colorto communicate the emotional power ofmusic in a simple and direct way.

Postcard Direct M ai lersTo dispel the "elevator music"

stigma, Muzak positioned itself aship, young and savvy through a

direct mail postcard campaignthat showcased its name and

logo in unexpected places.


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I S S U E :

\

BusinessMuzak's two-sided businesscard makes a clean, dramatic

statement when presented logoup , and optimizes space for name, title,address, phone/fax/cell numbers, email

address, website and the like.

mm ing Sam plerCD sampler, which

capabilities brochure,

offer.

Fleet GraphicsClean, simple and legible from a

distance, the M uzak logo now gracesmore than 1,000 vehicles. Withoutfixed guidelines in the past, Muzak

vehicles were in every color andoften plastered with slogans and thelogos of partnering vendors.

Sales Support ToolA notebook computer

and the interactive, multi-media InMotion CD (see

next page) are the onlypresentation tools Muzaksales personnel need tomake a call. The programis designed to lead clients

through a series of questionsto profile their busines s

and then close a sale.


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I S S U E

a n d m u s i c f i r s t in e levators and then in the workp lace . I n the 1960s , M uzak co ined the t e rm "stimulusprogress ion" to show how piping the r ight mus ic in toan o f f i ce s e t t ing he lped to enhance employee p roduct iv i ty . Even though the company had begun o f f e r ingfo reg round mus ic (FM-1) p r o g r a m m e d w i t h c u r r e n to r ig ina l a r t i s t h i t s in 1984 , i t s p romot iona l ma te r i a l scon t inued to t a lk in a s c ien t i f i c tone , s uppor ted bys e r ious - look ing cha r t s and g raphs . Wha t the ma te r i a l sfa i led to convey was the emotional and creat ive powero f mus ic and how M uzak ' s "audio a r c h i t e c t s " c a ns k i l l fu l ly cap tu re the mood and ene rgy o f a b r and ,a lbe i t a company , s pa , r e s t au ran t o r r e t a i l ou t l e t, m uchl ike g raph ic des igner s a r e ab le to cap tu re a company ' s

v i s ua l iden t i ty th rough imagery . In f ac t , M uzakd e s c r i b e s i t s e x p e r t i s e a s "audio i m a g i n g . "

P en ta g ram s ough t to po r t r ay M uza k as an o rga n i z a t i o n o f y o u n g , h i p a n d k n o w l e d g e a b l e a u d i o a r c h i t ec t s w ho us e mus ic to r e in fo rce the i r c l i en t s ' ow niden t i t i e s . To ens u re tha t w ou ld -be c l i en t s took no t i ce ,P en tag ram c rea ted an over s i zed co rpo ra te capab i l i t i e sb ro chu re f ea tu r ing bo ld co lo r s , g r ap h ic typograp hy ,and b r i e f evoca t ive t ex t tha t empha t i ca l ly began"M uzak i s emot ion . "

The brochure se t of f a f i res torm with in the company.

InMotion PresentationComprehensive and fascinating towatch, the InMotion CD allowssales people to demonstrate in livemotion pictures and sound howMuzak's audio architects and audioimaging can enhance a client'sbusiness identity. Saltmine inSeattle handled the softwaredevelopment.

Sales Introduction

Home Page

Client EnvironmentsInMotion previews

how Muzak works byprofiling a business

environment completewith ambient noise -

e.g., office, restaurant,retail, waiting room,

salon - on the screen.

M usical GenreBy playing differentgenre of music w ith thevideo scene, the sales

person can show how theright music can reflectthe mood, energy an d

style of the client's busi-ness and the lifestyle of

its customers.

Calculator 0 During the presen

tation, the calculatorallows the salesperson

to quickly estimateequipment needs an d

monthly fees based onthe client's square

footage.

Musical Genre


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@ S S U E :"Everyone was looking for the bul le t poin ts ," saysK ahn . S ince marke t ing ma te r i a l s a r e b i l l ed back to thef r anch i s e o rgan iza t ions and s a le s fo rce , modes t p r in tp ieces and Power Point presentat ions were more of tenthe no rm. The new capab i l i t i e s book w as panned aslav i s h , unw an ted and unneces s a ry . Backed by s en io rm a n a g e m e n t , K a h n r e c a l l s , "We said , look we ' re aboutar t and what we ' re des igning for c l ients is about ar t .This p iece was not created for you, i t was created foryour c l i en t s . The day the c l i en t has a p rob lem w i thth i s , then w e w i l l have an i s s ue . "

;,:S.-:* : ,Jft

Off ice

Though unconv inced , f r anch i s ees and s a le s peop lebega n to take the broc hure out . Kah n says , "We qu ick lys ta r t ed ge t t ing ca l l s . S omeone r epo r ted he had beens t o o d u p f o r a n a p p o i n t m e n t , b u t l e f t t h e b r o c h u r ebehind. By the t ime he got back to the of f ice , therew as a mes s age f rom the pe r s on s ay ing , 'I w ant to s eeyou . ' S omebody had s igned an 18 - s to re fu rn i tu r e cha inf rom leav ing the b rochure beh ind and g iv ing a p res en ta t ion with our new s tory . The next day somebody elses igned a nat ional f i rm with 37 locat ions . Such accountsare b ig bus iness for us . We were hoping for the mom-and-pop s to res w hen , in r ea l i ty , r eg iona l and na t iona lcompan ies w ere s ign ing on . When s ometh ing l ike tha thappens in a s a le s o rgan iza t ion , w ord s p reads f a s t .

r s i is>

i PlaylistOnce a broad genre ischosen, further refinements can be made. Byclicking on one of thecategories at right, apop-up screen appearswith a de scription of eachcategory and a sampleplaylist of original artistsan d songs.

Navigation al LinksClicking on the words atthe bottom takes viewersto the screens at rightan d provides more infor-mation about Muzak'saudio a rchitects, message marketing, customertestimonials andsales/service locations.

. . .

t t t i t Muzak is M usic

Muzak is Messaging

| 1 Muzak H istory/Heart & SoulIcons for everything onthe CD ar e always available on the screen,including the corporatehistory and informationabout the company'scharitable foundation,

Heart & Soul.

^ *

Mu zak is Design

Muzak is Everywhere


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New M uzak H eadquartersPentagram's San Francisco andNew York offices worked closely

together to extend the graphic brandthrough the architecture, The lobby

divider gives a visual introduction tothe building by utilizing a combina

tion of materials and design themesthat recur throughout the interior.


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I S S U E :

Not only a re sa les personnel f inding i t eas ie r tobook a ppoi n t me nt s , t he y a re f i nd i ng i t e a s i e r t o ma ket he pre se n t a t i ons a nd fo l l ow- t hrough . In a dd i t i on t ot h e c a p a b i l i t i e s b r o c h u r e , P e n t a g r a m h a s d e v e l o p e da mul t i me di a sof t wa re sa l e s p re se n t a t i on , s e gme nt -s p e c i f i c b r o c h u r e s a n d t e a s e r p o s t c a r d s . T h e c o n t e m pora ry l ook of t he p i e c e s ha s ga rne re d ne w re spe c tfrom c l ients . I t a l so has had the same effec t on currenta nd ne w e mpl oye e s . "We found ourse lves a t t rac t ingvery br ight , t a lented young people who in the pas twouldn ' t come to work for Muzak. Now they are l iningup t o work he re , " Ka hn sa ys .

"Today y o u c o u l d n o t f i n d a m o r er e v i t a l i z e d c o m p a n y t h a n M u z a k , " h ea d d s . " F i n a n c i a l l y , t h r e e y e a r s a g o w ewere los ing cash, no cash f low, s tuntedgrowth. Today we have grown by 16 percent three years in a row. Cash flow iste rr i f i c . The company i s va lued a t $750mi l l i on , up f rom $100 mi l l i on i n 1997 . "

R e s t o r e d c o n f i d e n c e i n i t s f u t u r ee n c o u r a g e d M u z a k to m o v e i ts c o r p o r a t e h e a d q u a r t e r s f r o m S e a t t l e t o F o r tMi l l , SC , i n 2000 . Pe n t a gra m ' s a rc h i t e c t u r a l p a r t n e r J a m e s B i b e r i n N e wYork wa s brought on t o de s i gn a ne whe a dqua r t e r s bu i l d i ng for t he c ompa nyMuz a k ha d be c ome . Muz a k wa s dra wnto a new 100,000-square-feet i ndus t r i a lwa re house spa c e ou t s i de o f C ha r l o t t e , whi c h se e me dless t radi t iona l than a high-r i se off ice and more in l inewi th i t s new ar t i s t i c ident i ty . "J im he lped us f igure outwhat sor t of cul ture we wanted to c rea te and was ablet o b r i ng c onc e p t s f rom a round t he wor l d i n t o t hede s i gn , " sa ys Ka hn . B i be r se nse d t he spa c e ' s po t e n t i a lfor exuding an urban energy. "In every presenta t ion,we t r ied to show aer ia l views of I t a l ian c i t i es for thenot ion tha t the space def ined wi thin these c i t i es c rea tes a forum for soc ia l inte rac t ion," expla ins Biber . "Awork space i s as much a soc ia l place as a func t iona lp l a c e . Pe opl e don ' t j us t go t he re t o e a rn mone y; t he ygo to an office for social interact ion and for a senseof c omm uni t y . I t a l i a n c i t ie s work be a u t i fu l ly be c a u sethere a re a l l these spec i f ic def ined publ ic spaces andalso a ne twork of more pr iva te ways ."

Reflec t ing on how an I ta l ian piazza ( town square)

He a r t & S ou l Founda t ionEstablished by Muzak to providemusic education to economicallydisadvantaged children, theHeart & Soul Foundation hashelped public and private schoolspurchase musical instruments,hire music teachers and fundscholarships. Pentagram echoedthe style of the corporate logoin its design of Heart & Soul'sgraphic identity.

se rve s a s a c ross roa d , ga t he r i ng p l a c e a nd i n t i ma t eheart of a ci ty, Biber configured the interior with apiazza a t i t s center and br idges joining open areas .The re a re 22 c onfe re nc e rooms , de sks on whe e l s a ndno private offices not even for CEO Bi l l Boyd.

Throughout t he bu i l d i ng , t he v i sua l l a ngua ge oft he b ra nd i s p re se n t e d i n sub t l e a nd i mpa c t fu l wa ys .The c i rc le , which i s a key par t of Muzak's new ident i ty , i s integra ted into the a rchi tec ture . "The bui lding i si nc re d i b l y un i que , " e xc l a i ms Ka hn . "Our c l i e n t s a r r i vehere and rea l ize tha t we ' re f igur ing out something hereand i t i s rea l ly spec ia l . "

The dyna mi c e ne rgy a nd i nnova t i vedesign of the place have made a vi s i tt o Muz a k he a dqua r t e r s a de s t i na t i on i ni t se l f for c l ients . "Companies in t rend-se t t ing indust r ies come away wi th thefee l ing tha t Muzak i s cooler than theya r e , " c omme nt s Hi nr i c hs . "Thi s g i ve sthem the confidence to ent rus t the i raudio ident i ty to Muzak.

"Ev e n so , pub l i c pe rc e p t i on won ' tc ha nge ove rn i gh t , " c a u t i ons Hi nr i c hs ."That wi l l t ake place as Muzak becomesknown for giving voice to major brands .B ut Muz a k unde rs t a nds t ha t a b ra ndis not just a logo; i t is everything youdo . You have to manage i t and i t s evolut ion or the brand becomes s ta le or

fragmented. Kenny saw from the beginning tha t hi s joba s ma rke t i ng VP wa s c re a t i ng t he t oo l s o f t he b ra nda nd t he n ma na gi ng t he wa y t he y a re use d . "

W hi l e Ka hn a gre e s t ha t c ha ngi ng publ i c pe rc e pt ion wi l l t ake t ime , he not ices m ajor di f fe rencesa l ready. "Al though the world s t i l l thinks of usa s t he e l e va t or mus i c c ompa ny , " he sa ys , "we ' re a b l eto ge t the r ight appointments , wi th the r ight re ta i le rs ,t he r i gh t r e s t a ura n t c ha i ns a nd t he pe opl e i n our bus i ne ss who we wa nt t o do bus i ne ss wi t h . "

Wha t ha s c ha nge d , he sa ys , i s "we ha ve a ne w wa yof ta lking about the company. The product has a face .I t has meant everything in the world inte rna l ly to ourcul ture . Pentagram gave us a vi sua l foundat ion tha tle t s us ac t ive ly and crea t ive ly show people what musiccan do for them. Design has not only been grea t forMuz a k ' s bus i ne ss ; de s i gn ha s g i ve n Muz a k i t s sou l . "


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I S S U E :

O n Y o u r M a r k !When i t comes to brand names andlogos , t rademark symbols go wi th theterritory. But as often as corporate commu n i c a t o r s a n d d e s i g n e r s u s e t h e s edes igna t ions on packaging and pr in tedmarket ing mater ia ls , many are not surewhy one is , at t imes, used in place ofanother . This pr imer s imply providesdefinitions and is not meant to tell youhow to conduct a t rademark search orapply for registrat ion.

What is a t rademark?A trademark is the brand identity(a word, phrase, symbol or design,or any combination thereof) thatdistinguishes a company's productor service. A logo can be a trademark but not all trademarks arelogos. A TM symbol is used to indicate a claim of ownership to thelogo or brand name and typicallyappears with the trademark onproducts or packaging.What is a service m ark?For all practical purposes, a servicemark is the same as a trademark,

except that it promotes brandedservices and events. The SM designation usually appears next to thebrand name or logo in advertisements for the services.Why are some logos and brandnames followed by the symbol?The indicates that the trademarkis registered with the U.S. Patentand Trademark Office.How does a t radem ark d ifferfrom a copyright or a patent?A copyright protects an originalartistic or literary work; a patentprotects an invention.

Who is allowed to useth e TM , S M a nd symbols?Anyone who claims rights in amark may use the TM (trademark)or SM (service mark) symbols withtheir brand logo. It is not necessaryto have a federal registration, oreven a pending application, to usethese designations. The claim mayor may not be valid. On the otherhand, the registration symbolmay only be used when the brandmark is registered in the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office.Are there federal regulat ionsgoverning th e use of TM or SMdesignat ions with t radem arks?N o . However, the use of the TMor SM may be governed by local,state or foreign laws. These designations usually indicate that aparty claims rights in the markand are often used before a federalregistration is issued.If a federal registrat ionis not mandatory, why do it?Federal registration offers severalbenefits. It provides a legal presumption of ownership nationwideand the exclusive right to use themark on or in connection with thegoods or services set forth in theregistration. The jurisdiction offederal courts may be invoked ifanyone tries to infringe on theserights. Federal registration also canbe used as a basis for obtaining


27/36'

registration in foreign countries andmay be filed with the U.S.Customs Service to prevent importation of infringing foreign goods.What is meant by Patent Pending?It means that the U.S. Patentand Trademark Office has receivedan application for registration andissued a serial number for trackingthe pending patent. Generally,an applicant will receive an application receipt approximately sixmonths after filing. All future correspondence with the U.S. Patentand Trademark Office must bearthe assigned tracking number. Thetotal time for an application to beprocessed may range from a yearto several years, depending uponthe basis for filing and the legalissues that may arise in the examination of the app lication.What is m eantby a col lect ive m ark?This is a mark used to showmembership in a union, association, cooperative, or other typesof organizations. Essentially it isa group's logo.What is acer t i ficat ion m ark?This is a seal, symbo l, name ordevice used by a respected entityor organization to vouch for the

I S S U E :

authenticity, quality or soundnessof a product or service provided -e.g., the "Good Housekeeping Sealof Approval" or the "ISO 9 00 2"rating. Other examples are marksthat certify that a product confrom a renowned geographic rsuch as Wisconsin cheese orValley wines.What is t rad e dress?Along with a brand name or Ica product may become knownits distinctive packaging - e.g.Kodak's yellow-and-black filmTiffany's turquoise blue gift beService entities such as retailrestaurant chains may be recnized by their distinctive decoarchitecture. These identifying

IP


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@ S S U ETre v or Cre e dS e n ior Vic e Pre s ide nt , De s ignDaimlerChrysler C o r p o r a t i o n , Tr o y, M lNamed senior vice president in July 2000, TrevorCreed directs all activities of the DaimlerChryslerProduct Design Office.

B efore Chrysle r bui l t i t s mega-hi t PT Cruiser , i tc onsu l t e d a Jungi a n psyc h i a t r i s t t o t ry t o g l e a nt h e s u b c o n s c i o u s d e s i r e s o f c o n s u m e r s . W h a te me rge d a s C hrys l e r t a ppe d i n t o c u l t u ra l a rc he t ype swas a vehic le tha t the Wall Street Journal d e s c r i b e da s "part 1920s gangster car , par t 1950s hot rod, andpa r t London t a x i c a b . " I t be c a me a n i ns t a n t wor l dwi des u c c e s s so muc h so t ha t t he re i s now ne a r l y ayear ' s wai t ing l i s t to ge t one .

The ini t i a l goa l a t Chrysle r (which in 1998 becameDa i ml e rC hrys l e r ) , howe ve r , wa s t o p roduc e a subc om-pact car tha t would se l l equa l ly wel l in the U.S. andove rse a s two dis t inc t ly di f fe rent marke ts . In the U.S. ,

the automaker wanted to i ssue a smal l car to sa t i s fyfedera l regula t ions on fue l economy, so tha t i t would bele f t f ree to se l l more big t rucks and SUVs. At the samet i m e , i t wa nt e d t o ma ke i n roa ds i n t e rna t i ona l l y whe ree xorb i t a n t pe t ro t a xe s ma de sma l l ga s - s i pp i ng c a r sa necess i ty . To avoid dupl ica t ing des ig n and ma nu fact u r i n g c o s t s , C h r y s l e r w a s i n t e n t o n p r o d u c i n g o n enew model , not two.

The prob l e m wa s t ha t Ame r i c a ns p re fe r re d SUVsa nd mi n i va ns , a nd t he Europe a ns we re na t i ona l i s t i ci n t he i r c a r -buyi ng pre fe re nc e s . The Ge rma ns boughtG e r m a n - m a d e c a r s ; t h e F r e n c h F r e n c h - m a d e c a r s ;the I ta l ians I ta l ian cars . Get t ing them to accept anA m e r i c a n - m a d e s u b c o m p a c t w o u l d b e n o e a s y t a s k ,e spe c i a l l y s i nc e i n t e rna t i ona l l y C hrys l e r wa s knownfor p i c kup t ruc ks , J e e ps a nd mi n i va ns .

In i t s de te rmina t ion to di scover intangible qua l i t i est ha t c onsume rs wa nt i n a ve h i c l e , C hrys l e r we nt


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I S S U E

b e y o n d t r a d i t i o n a l c o n s u m e r r e s e a r c h . O n e a p p r o a c hwas to consul t wi th Dr . Clothaire Rapai l le , a PalmB e a c h - b a s e d J u n g i a n w h o p r o p o u n d s a n A r c h e t y p eRes ea rch m e thod des ign ed to he lp bus ine s s es t ap in tow h a t u n d e r l i e s c o n s u m e r - b u y i n g p r e f e r e n c e s . T h r o u g hf ree a s s oc ia t ion exe rc i s es , Chrys le r execu t ives p iecedt o g e t h e r a m o s a i c i m p r e s s i o n o f A m e r i c a n c u l t u r e ,pos i t ive and nega t ive . The p ic tu re tha t emerged w as as oc ie ty tha t w as en t r ep reneu r ia l , i nd iv idua l i s t i c , f r ee dom- lov ing and inven t ive as wel l as juv eni le ands e l f - indu lgen t . D eep ly em bed ded in the A m er ican pe r s ona , thes e a r che typa l t r a i t s , i n theo ry , s uper s ededprac t i ca l needs and de f ined the s ubcons c ious des i r e sof A m e r i c a n c o n s u m e r s .

In leading the exter ior des ign of the PT (PersonalTranspor ta t ion) Cruiser , Bryan Nesbi t t says he ref lectedon the ins ights that came out of Dr . Rapaille's r e s e a r c h .T wo p o i n t s t h a t p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t r i g u e d h i m w e r e

Bry a n E . Ne s bi t tLead Exterior Designer - PT CruiserDaimlerChrysler Co rpora t ion , Troy , M lBryan Nesbitt served as primary exterior designerfor the Pronto Cruizer and PT Cruiser concept cars aswell as the production version of the PT Cruiser.A mer ica ' s t endency tow ard indu lgence and a be l i e f inthe inhe ren t r igh t to the t r app ings o f w ea l th .

" I f you th ink abou t indu lgence in the domes t i cca r marke t , s ca le s t i l l equa tes to s t a tu s , " Nes b i t t s ays ." In A mer ica , nobody as p i r es to the s mal l - c a r m arke t .You are cons tant ly aspir ing to something e lse . I f youonly have so much money, why should you be cons t an t ly r eminded tha t you on ly have s o much money?"

S earch ing fo r a w ay a round th i s con und rum , N es b i t tbegan to wonder i f i t was poss ib le to des ign a smal l carthat fe l t l ike something beyond that and not a sacr i f iceto ow n . "Was the re a w ay to make i t f ee l indu lgen t?"he as ked himself. "Can we make i t feel l ike a specia l

Function al, gas efficien t,inexpensive and b oring,subcompacts are con sidered the car o f necessity ,no t the d ream car o fcho ice. Chrys ler s et ou tto reverse that percept ionby c rea t ing a sm a ll ca rthat people lusted af ter .


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@ I S S U E

purchas e , un ique , no t l ike any o f thes e o the r s ma l lcars? Can we make sure i t never re inforces the facttha t you a r e in the s mal l - ca r s egmen t?" G o ing fu r the r ,he conc luded , " I f w e cou ld des ign i t s o i t ' s no t judgedat a l l , i t would become i ts own category ."

Bu t the re w as a l s o the in te rna t iona l marke t to con s ide r . There , Nes b i t t had an ep iphany w h i le v i s i t ing aGap s tore in Par is . "I t was extremely wes tern . I t real lycatered to the American mythology," he recal ls . "Cowboyhat s , the West , th is ent i re mythology of f reed om ." Th eni t s t ruck h im. " I f Chrys le r i s s uch an A mer ican b rand ,w hy no t l e t Eu ropeans indu lge on tha tA m er icana? F or the in te rna t iona l m ar ket , i t would have premium exclus iv i tybec ause , in reality, it would be a n im port."

Thematic InfluencesChrysler approached its search for asubcompact car design with emotionalappeal and practical value from severaldirections. In tapping into the consumerpsyche, it found a positive image in thewoodie wagons of the 1950s, whichconjured up memories of surfers, freedom, youth and lots of cargo room. Toaddress consumer desire for a small carwith big-car headroom, it explored suchconcepts as the 1994Plymouth Expresso,with its taller seating.

Look ing back on A mer ican au tomot ive h i s to ry ,Nes b i t t s ough t to p inpo in t the one gen re tha t com mu n ica ted ind iv idua l i s m more than any o the r and con c luded i t w as the cus tom ca r s o f the 1920s and ' 30s ." I s t a r t ed s ke tch ing veh ic le s tha t had tha t a r ch i t ec tu reaes the t i ca l ly , mak ing i t obv ious and exaggera t ing i t onthe s mal l ca r , " he exp la in s . The v in tage look he lped toconvey to ove r s eas marke t s tha t Chrys le r had beenmaking cars for a long t ime. I t a lso sa id i t "may be thes ize of a European car , but i t i s very American."

Nes b i t t f ound ano the r nos ta lg ic s ymbo l in the"w ood ie" w agons of the 1 950 s .Evo cat ive of Cal i fornia sur fers , end le s s s ummers and the ce leb ra ted f i lmclass ic , "American Graff i t i ," the s i l -


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I S S U E

houe t t e r emin ded ag ing baby-boom ers of the i r ca r e f r eeyou th , r ea l o r imag ined .T hes e pos i t ive impres s ions p layed w e l l in bo th theU.S. and over s eas . By connec t ing w i th cons umerson an emot iona l l eve l , t he un ique des ign b rough tano the r d im ens ion o f va lue to the s mal l - c a r s egme n t .

The s ty l ing of the PT Cruiser , says Nesbi t t , helpsto "transcend the whole negat ive s t igma of having tos ac r i f i ce in the s mal l - ca r marke t . " I t l ooks " s pec ia l i zed , " Nes b i t t says , and A mer ic ans equa te s pe c ia l i zedw i t h i n d u l g e n c e . "You see that in the SUV market .This vehicle was purpose-bui l t to go of f - road, but I jus thappen to use i t everyday to go to the s tore . Wow,tha t ' s a luxu ry becaus e i t i s comple te ly unneces s a ry !The P T Cru i s e r s ea t s f ive peop le , has t r emendous r ea r

headroom and is great for famil ies , but don ' t ever le ti t communica te tha t . I bough t i t f o r me ."

In fact , consumer research reveals that people assumetha t the P T Cru i s e r i s p r i ced in the $ 30 -40 ,000 r ange ,in s tead o f i t s ac tua l p r i ce po in t o f be tw een $ 16 -20 ,000 .

While a re t ro look has g iven the PT Cruiser a cachettha t has a t t r ac ted an av id fo l low ing , the au tomakerc lea r ly under s tood tha t homage to the pas t ends w heni t c o m e s t o e r g o n o m i c c o n s i d e r a t i o n s a n d m o d e r ntechno log ies . "A mer icans w an t a l l t ha t emot ion , a l lthat equi ty of h is tory and, a t the same t ime, the la tes tCD changer , the la tes t safe ty sys tem, the f lexib i l i ty ofa ca rgo van tha t does eve ry th ing ," s ays Nes b i t t .

Wha t ' s more , he adds , today ' s cons umers a r e ve rys avvy . "They expec t good des ign becaus e they know i t

H

>'

f A


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I S S U EChrome and CurvesThe prominent grilleof the PT Cruiser isreminiscent of classicautomobiles andMachine Age styling,but its flush-mountedellipse headlamps andchrome wheels aretotally 21st century.

26 Seating C onfigurationsThe PT Cruiser promises 120.2 cubicfeet of space for five passengers (a), andenough length to carry an eight-foot ladder.The 65/35 s plit-folding rear seatcan fold flat (b), fold andtumble forward (c) orbe removed (d).

Versatile C argo SpaceThe cargo shelf panel can be placed in severalpositions: O As a security screen for valuables;Q as a flat floor extension with rear seat foldeddown, and Q as a reversible pad on the rear floorto protect against messy cargo. Plus O fourbuilt-in hooks let you hang bags.

Party of Five The shorter wheel base, similar to a Dodge Neon, still seats five paSymmetricalInstrumen t PanelThe instrument panelwas designed to be symmetrical, both as anappropriate look for theinterior and to reducecomplexity for international market requirements. Circular analoggauges are recessed intothe panel to reflect avintage and sporty style.

Billboard BackThe broad unadorned

back end made aperfect traveling bill-

board to showcaseChrysler's wingedlogo. The elongatedwing also carries

over the look of thefront grille.


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I S S U E

Color Con tinuityBack in the 1950s,color was fabricated

by painting the exterior body and dash

board at the sametime. The PT Cruiser

recreated this vintage look and used

the matching color togive continuity to the

mode rn interior andretro exterior.

Cue B all Stick Sh iftA cue ball shape

gives the stickshift a sporty retro x

look. The consolealso includes a cup or letter

holder and space fo rspare change.

Chair-like ComfortThe PT Cruiser isdesigned to offerlimousine-like head-

room and legroomfor all passengers.

Ingress/EgressThe instrument panel, steeringwheel, pedals and seats ar e

placed in a way that allows easyingress an d egress. The large rear

doors open 74 degrees -10degrees more than most cars.

can be ob ta ined in the i r p r i ce r ange . They w an t i t a l l . "F our cupho lde r s , e rgonomic a rmres t /pu l l hand les , aflexible s torage bin, and a coin holder that accommodatesbo th A m er ican and Eu ropea n - s ize co ins a r e ju s t s omeof the though t fu l app o in tm en t s tha t D a im le rChry s le rinc luded to s a t i s fy thes e demands . " I t ' s t he bes t o f theold and the bes t of the new," says Nesbi t t .

The r e t ro p ropor t ions o f the P T Cru i s e r a l s o l en ti t s e l f to ano the r c r i t i ca l f ea tu re h e a d r o o m a n d aspacious in ter ior . The low f loor and tall pro f i l e makege t t ing in and ou t o f the ca r eas ie r and l eave p len tyof space for f ive people to s i t comfor tably . The ta l lerhe igh t of the ca r a l s o c r ea tes the op t i c a l i l l u s ion tha tthe veh ic le i s no t in the s ubcompac t c l a s s , a l thoughthe P T i s ac tua l ly f ive inches s ho r te r in l eng th thanthe D odge Neon . A dd i t iona l ly , i t g ives the d r ive r ahigher v is ib i l i ty that feels more l ike an SUV.

T h e "tall s edan" p ro f i l e ac tua l ly p receded the r e t ros ty l ing . I t f i r s t began to emerge in the 1994 P lymouthExpres s o and became more ev iden t in the 1997P lymou th P ron to and the 1998 two-door P ron toCruizer . But wi thout the exaggerated re t ro look of thef inal PT Cruiser , these concept vers ions received l i t t lea t tent ion a t car shows .

I t took the nos ta lg ic s ty l ing of the PT Cruiser forpeople to connect wi th i t on a v isceral level and to th inktha t the ca r w as t ru ly s pec ia l . "Cons umers e i the r l ikei t or they don ' t , and of ten they can ' t te l l you why," saysNes b i t t . Tha t connec t ion o f t en comes dow n to w he the rthe ca r makes a cohes ive des ign s t a t emen t , he be l i eves .E ar ly on , in t ry ing to make a v isceral connect ionfo r himself, Ne s b i t t s pen t a lo t o f t ime th in k in gabou t the pe r s ona l i ty o f the ca r he w an ted tod e s i g n . T h e n o n e d a y h e s a y s h e h a p p e n e d u p o n abook on dogs . " I t showed a p ic ture of a f la t - faced pug.I t was descr ibed as smal l but able to hold i ts ground.S t r ee t s mar t . Conf iden t . A f fec t iona te . The u l t ima tecompan ion . A nd r ew ard ing to be w i th . Tha t i s w ha t Iw an ted the P T Cru i s e r to be . "

Nes b i t t w as w onder ing i f he had ach ieved th i s goa lwhen a mechanic in Seat t le cal led to say he was forming a P T Cru i s e r C lub . "There w as no ca r ye t , " Nes b i t ts ays . "Tha t ' s w hen I began to th ink , 'Wow , maybe w ehave s ometh ing p re t ty nea t h e r e . ' " Inde ed . By the t imethe P T Cru i s e r h i t t he marke t , t he c lub had over 400member s and has been g row ing eve r s ince .

3 1


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B U S I N E S S A N D D E S I G N C L A S S I C F L I P - F L O P S

W hen it comes to footwear, what could be simplerthan a flat sheet of rubber or plastic with a V-shapedthong? Flip-flops are a tribute to minimalism.This popular summer sandal fulfills its purpose in the

most practical and unpretentious way. It protects the soles,lets the feet breathe naturally without sweating, and canbe worn in water or on land.

The forerunner of flip-flops can be traced back to Asia,where zori sandals have been worn in Japan for well overtwelve hundred years. Easy to slip on and off, zoris suitedthe Japanese custom of removing one's shoes before enteringa home. Traditional Japanese zoris are made from tightlywoven straw or reeds with a cloth thong and worn with acotton tabi, a "mitten-like" sock with thebig toe separated from the othertoes, matching exactly how thetoes are divided by the thong.

The thousands of Japanese who immigrated to Hawaiiat the start of the twentieth century to work in the sugar canefields introduced the tropical island to this style of footwear.Hawaiians still refer to flip-flops as zoris or "slippahs" (aJapan-ized term for slippers).

But it wasn't until zoris were produced from rubber orplastic after World War II that they found mass appeal in theU.S. Some sources suggest tha t the idea to use rubberinstead of straw came from Japanese soldiers posted in thesteaming jungle who improvised using old tire casings for thesoles. Commercial possibilities as beach wear began to berealized in the 1950s, when such rubber sandals were playfully named "flip-flops" and produced in flamboyant colors toappeal to the youth m arket. Cheap, casual and convenient,flip-flops quickly caught on with surfers and vacation crowds.

Today flip-flops are a ubiquitous signof summer.

IW


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