With baseball season fast approaching, I’ve recently watched Moneyball and my time on the MLB Network has seen a marked increase. Clichés abound. As I watch Hot Stove (their show about teams and the trades and signings they’ve made) I think “do some of these teams even know why they’re here?” I’m no manager, GM or owner, but some of these moves—or lack of moves—make me think they are simply filling holes in the roster so they can field a team. I’m sure many are doing the best they can with what they have, but are they even playing to win? Or, are they just showing up? Are they just saying to themselves, “We’re not going to win anyway, but we’re going to try our best and play hard?” I’m not sure the most successful teams just “try their best.” They play to win. They push themselves to the next level. They give 110%. They date supermodels… Don’t think that last one has anything to do with their confidence? I’d argue it does, but that’s another post.

How about you and your business? Are you playing to win? Or, are you thinking “I can’t beat those other guys, so I’m just going to try my best?” When you go to a networking event, make a presentation or follow up on a phone call are you really doing everything you can to make that connection, influence your customers, or get that sale? Or, are you just going through the motions?

I can’t tell you how many people hand me their business card and…apologize for it.

How about your marketing? Are you simply putting together pieces that are “good enough” instead of pieces that really make you stand out? I can’t tell you how many people hand me their business card and, knowing what I do, apologize for it. Don’t apologize! Get it done better! You’d wear your best suit to a job interview wouldn’t you? Every time a potential client looks at your business card, it’s basically a job interview. Why wouldn’t you put your best suit on your business? It’s better to be overdressed and blow them away, than underdressed and trying to explain yourself, despite your look. And I’m not just fishing for work; there are many templates available online which look really nice. A simple Google search and about $10-15 will get you something pretty good.

Even if you’re an employee, you can play to win. You can be that influence on the team that motivates everyone else to do better and work harder. Add a bit of hustle to your step. Take on a responsibility that may seem just a bit too difficult. Be open to picking up the slack. Go the extra mile (Did I already use that one?). And this isn’t all just to get brownie points or kiss up to the boss. If you really go at your job with this play-to-win attitude you’ll be happier knowing you’re making a difference. Even if the boss doesn’t see it.

At the end of the day, you can talk a good game but the ball is really in your court. Step up to the plate and always aim to knock one out of the park instead of just moving the runners over. You’ll be in a league of your own. And, when you see the results, it’s not going to sound so cliché.

So where does strategy fit in design?

“a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal”

Strategy is originally a military term meaning “a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal.” It’s a road map showing you which way to turn when you reach a certain point. What move to make next. So, that begs the question: What is your goal? After all, you can’t make a road map unless you know where you are going.

If your goal is to simply get a logo designed then your strategy may be to get a shiny piece of clip-art, hire someone who offers a logo like it’s a side of fries with your print order, or offer over 20 struggling designers some spec work (booooo). With this strategy you can get your logo built for less than $200 in most cases (even £25). Great. You’ve reached your goal and got exactly what you, as a business owner, want: A “cool” looking graphic, exactly how you want it to look, to fill that space at the top or your website or brochure… but is that what your business needs?

why do you need a ________ designed?

Now, let’s back up… why do you need a logo (or anything, for that matter) designed? Ultimately, a logo is one of many brand elements which give your company an identity. Soooo, what if your goal was instead to get a recognizable identity in your market? Your strategy would take on a whole different look and the end result would include more than just a logo.

You would have to start out by determining who your market is. Then, you’d have to understand where you currently stand in the eyes of that market and—here’s the key—create a plan to get from that current perspective to the perspective you want. That is where your strategy lies and that’s really the purpose of any identity design or marketing project. You are trying to take the many possible perceptions of your company and convert them over to the one you want your target market to have. And it’s more than just making sure people know you’re a plumber or a chiropractor. The perception you want is that you’re the “friendliest plumber” or the “gentlest chiropractor.” To do that, you’ll need a lot more than just a 20 starving students throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. You need a strategy that will push your limits and will not be defined by incremental projects you commission just to fill your marketing quiver.

it was clear to me that the company was simply a discount retailer

A funny thing happened in my second stint as an employee though. The company implemented a new campaign that, to me, was just confusing. It was an attempt to class the place up but didn’t work. The tag line was “Every Day Matters” but they also used “Today is the Day.” Both inspirational, for sure, but the commercials and ads they used to promote Penney’s were just too artsy and unmemorable. Stock prices dropped and they soon began a mix of their old sale-all-the-time ads and these new “Lovemark” ones which just created a mess. Then, last year, they introduced a new logo based on submissions from students and employees. It didn’t impress. If it wasn’t for their cash reserves, JCPenney may have gone the way of RobinsonsMay (anyone remember them?) very quickly.

Now, less than a year after their previous redesign, the company has held a press conference to announce their new look and philosophy.

A logo doesn’t exist in a vacuum

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of the logo itself but, like I always tell my clients, you have to look at the entire application. A logo doesn’t exist in a vacuum. To tell you the truth, I’m not even sold on their application but I am sold on their new philosophy which is what truly drives a brand. Their first pledge is pricing consistency. No more massive sales and clearance events. If a certain shirt priced at $20, sold at $9 all these years, it will now be regularly priced at $10. Wow! What a concept. Every day low prices (that may be another retailer). This seems to drive the rest of their promotional plans. The concept of fresh air and simplicity permeates everything they do. Not a bad idea. I really hope they commit to this pricing consistency and stick with it over the long haul. It’s worked for Apple and other high end retailers.

They also commit to easy returns and reducing their 590 promotions throughout the year (that’s close to two a week) to 12. A monthly calendar of their sales and promotions. Each month will have its own color scheme and theme. It’s an attempt to reflect how their customers shop and not how they want them to. It’s a good idea and I think it plays of the scarcity tactic. “Here’s what’s happening this month. If you miss these days, they’re gone.”

JCPenney is not the hippest retailer, but I am excited about their new direction. Mostly because of the history I have with the brand (heck, I got a wife and two kids there). If you want the full presentation—it’s very interesting where he breaks down the pricing and its effect on the rest of the brand—watch the video of their Launch Event Presentation:

What’s your thoughts? Think you’ll give JCP another look?

Most noticeable is the lack of any unique color. They are simply navy blue and white (not counting the military uniforms, of course. I commend the Padres for sticking with that tradition. It’s a good one). Apparently everyone hated the sand. Not sure why. Maybe the sand accents weren’t as distinctive as orange or mustard yellow but I thought it was classy and understated. And different! Why do they want to look like every other team in the MLB and use gray for their away colors?

The primary text on the home jerseys is now without the sand, solid drop shadow and simply stroked in sand. This is also a throw back to old uniforms but took away the dimension and interest to the logo. Plus, this is the only use of the sand color and it seems a bit out of place now. At least before, they integrated it into the Blue tops (my favorite) and in the trim. Now, the blue jersey looks like any other team and not really distinctive. I think a good move may have been to place that sand colored text from the old blue jersey on the white and add a blue outline around the white outline. You’d have the apparent continuation of the blue piping around the text and a more prominent use of the sand. Don’t know unless I see it though.

On a positive note, I do like the consistency they’ve created. The uniforms were lacking that before. The piping on every jersey is a classic look (even if it does look like a corporate softball team) and the typeface on the road grays is no longer that funky bow tie. That’s a good thing. But I still miss the sand color. They did away with that last year in favor of the gray but I think the sand was a good neutral color which made them different. The typeface was the worst part. That’s what they should have changed first.

Besides the emblem that goes on the caps, every team has a primary logo and the Padres also changed theirs. Previously they used the script Padres on a home plate which I liked. Nothing ground breaking but I think it felt like San Diego. The new primary logo is a simple circle enclosure with the emblem in the center and text around the perimeter. VERY baseball. I actually like the new secondary logo more. It incorporates the ballpark and the Padres script with the emblem and established date at the bottom. Maybe not groundbreaking either, but definitely tells more about the club than the primary does. The swinging friar is back as well but he just seems completely out of place now. Another attempt to “honor tradition” but looks more like an afterthought.

Overall, I just think it’s a step back. I know many weren’t happy with this look’s predecessor, but it was implemented with a new ballpark right on the water and I think it brought a lot of San Diego into the mix. It was classy and, I believe, widely acceptable. Let’s not kid ourselves, the main point of a redesign like this is to sell more products so acceptability is key. People tend to want the latest thing and the last look has been going for over 7 years now, so a change may have been due. I’m just not sure this is going to accomplish that. You’ll definitely see them out there, but I’d be interested to see what sort of corrections the club makes on next year’s unis.