We’ve been in Liverpool for a while, 35 years in fact, so we thought we’d create a suite of illustrations of iconic features of the city (with a birthday twist) and give them away…for FREE!
We’ll be making them available online soon but if you’d like to get a set before then drop us a message or give us a call!
Albert Einstein famously said “Play is the highest form of research” and we couldn’t agree more.
We are a curious and creative bunch here at Kaleidoscope, and we often spend time trying out new ideas, experimenting with technology or having a good old play with something new that we find interesting.
Often these things end up filed at the bottom of a shared drive and forgotten about, but as part of our 35th birthday celebrations we have not only been carving out some more time for the team to explore ideas, learn new skills and generally have a bit of fun doing what they enjoy, but we have decided to create a dedicated space to publish and celebrate these moments of creative play. We call it the Kaleidoscope Playground.
Our first release is a browser-based puzzle game called Colour Flood. Our own take on a colourful ‘flood fill’ game built in JavaScript which can run on any device. It is simple to play, hard to master and we dare you to not get addicted!
Visit the Kaleidoscope Playground page to give it a try.
As we continue to reflect on our 35 years of business, we’ve been taking a look at the brands that have led the way in this time to see what we can learn from them and identify what enables a brand to transcend time. And there aren’t many bigger brands out there than Nike who remain as influential now as they ever have been, with their ‘Just Do It’ proposition playing a huge role in their success. And it just so happens that ‘Just Do It’ was first used on an ad in 1988 – the year Kaleidoscope was formed! So in this blog we’ve explored the journey of the proposition from its launch 35 years ago to its enduring relevance today.
In 1988, Nike revolutionised the world of advertising and branding with its iconic proposition, “Just Do It.” Since its inception, this powerful slogan has grown from a mere marketing campaign into a global phenomenon that transcends generations. Over the years, Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ proposition has evolved, adapting to changing consumer behaviours, societal norms, and technological advancements. In this blog, we will explore the journey of ‘Just Do It’ from its launch in 1988 to its enduring relevance in 2023.
The Birth of ‘Just Do It’
In the late 1980s, Nike faced stiff competition in the athletic footwear market. To counter this, the company teamed up with advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, which created the unforgettable ‘Just Do It’ tagline. The phrase encapsulated the essence of the brand: an empowering call to action, urging athletes to push their limits and overcome challenges. Initially launched alongside a simple TV ad featuring an 80 year old runner, and then used on bigger profile, captivating television commercial featuring various athletes, the slogan resonated strongly with consumers, propelling Nike to new heights.
Adapting to Social and Cultural Shifts
As years passed, Nike recognized the importance of staying relevant in an ever-changing world. The brand continuously evolved ‘Just Do It’ to align with contemporary social and cultural narratives. During the 1990s, the slogan took on a more inclusive tone, encouraging individuals from all walks of life to pursue their dreams fearlessly. This shift reflected the growing emphasis on diversity and empowerment, resonating with a broader audience and cementing Nike’s status as a socially conscious brand.
Embracing Technology and Digital Transformation
With the rise of the digital era, Nike embraced technology as a means of connecting with its consumers. ‘Just Do It’ found new life in digital campaigns, engaging users through social media platforms, interactive websites, and personalised content. By leveraging user-generated content and incorporating cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality, Nike strengthened its bond with tech-savvy consumers while keeping the message of determination and perseverance intact.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Another pivotal factor contributing to the longevity of ‘Just Do It’ is Nike’s strategic collaborations with athletes, artists, and influencers. By associating the proposition with notable figures who embody the spirit of pushing boundaries, Nike expanded its reach and influence. These partnerships not only generated buzz but also inspired people worldwide to chase their dreams relentlessly, further reinforcing the message behind ‘Just Do It.’
Addressing Contemporary Issues
As societal concerns such as climate change and mental health gained prominence, Nike adapted its proposition to address these issues. By advocating sustainable practices and supporting mental health initiatives, the brand demonstrated its commitment to making a positive impact on both individuals and the planet. ‘Just Do It’ became not just an encouragement for personal achievements but also a call for collective responsibility and positive change.
The Timeless Essence of ‘Just Do It’ in 2023
Despite over three decades passing since its inception, the ‘Just Do It’ proposition remains just as relevant in 2023. The key to its enduring power lies in its ability to remain authentic and adaptable to the ever-evolving world. Nike has consistently demonstrated its capacity to connect with consumers on a personal and emotional level, making ‘Just Do It’ more than just a slogan but a way of life.
In a fast-paced and uncertain world, where people are constantly bombarded with choices and distractions, ‘Just Do It’ provides a simple yet powerful reminder to take action, face challenges head-on, and pursue greatness. It encourages individuals to step outside their comfort zones, embrace failure as part of the journey, and persist until they achieve their goals.
Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ proposition has evolved and thrived since its inception in 1988, proving its resilience and relevance in 2023. By embracing cultural shifts, leveraging technology, forming meaningful partnerships, and addressing contemporary issues, Nike has kept the proposition fresh and meaningful to each new generation. As long as people continue to seek inspiration, motivation, and empowerment, ‘Just Do It’ will endure as an enduring symbol of determination, self-belief, and the indomitable human spirit.
This year marks 35 years of Kaleidoscope!
That’s 35 years of delivering communications that matter for people, organisations and causes across the Liverpool city region and beyond.
And so over the next few months we will be celebrating this milestone for our business through a whole host of ways – telling the stories of the people behind the business in that time, showcasing the work we’ve delivered and the impact we’ve had; in addition to a fun event or two to celebrate with our friends and colleagues who have been part of the journey with us.
But to kick things off we are really proud to launch our ‘Good Turns’ programme which is our commitment to deliver £35,000 of value to our local communities over the next 12 months. We will be delivering this through a whole host of activities that our team can choose and get involved with ranging from volunteering, delivering pro-bono projects, mentoring and financial donations. It is our hope that ‘Good Turns’ will help us deliver even more positive impact for the people of the Liverpool city area, and that it demonstrates our commitment to simply doing the right thing as a member of the local business community.
Keep an eye out for future announcements on what else we’ve got lined up to celebrate our birthday!
Accessibility is a crucial aspect of modern, effective communication. When it comes to creating accessible content, one often overlooked factor is the choice of typeface. Selecting the right typeface can greatly enhance the readability and legibility of your message, ensuring that it reaches a wider audience. In this post, we will explore the key considerations and guidelines for choosing a typeface that promotes accessibility in your communications.
1. Prioritise Readability
The primary goal of an accessible typeface is to ensure readability for all individuals, including those with visual impairments or reading difficulties. Look to opt for typefaces that are clear, well-defined, and easily distinguishable; whilst also seeking to avoid decorative or ornate fonts that may hinder legibility, and instead, choose clean and simple designs.
2. Optimal Character Spacing
Character spacing, also known as kerning, plays a vital role in readability. Ensure that your chosen typeface has appropriate spacing between characters. Tight spacing can make it difficult to differentiate individual letters, while excessive spacing may cause words to lose their coherence. Strike a balance to maintain legibility without compromising aesthetics.
3. Consider Font Size and Weight
Font size and weight significantly impact accessibility. Choose a typeface that offers a range of sizes to accommodate different reading needs. A minimum font size of 12 points is generally recommended for body text, but larger sizes may be necessary for individuals with visual impairments. Additionally, varying font weights can help create visual hierarchy, making it easier for readers to navigate through the content.
4. Contrast and Colour
High contrast between the text and its background is crucial for legibility. Consider using dark text on a light background or vice versa; and try to avoid colour combinations with low contrast, such as light grey on white, as they can be challenging for individuals with visual impairments. Additionally, ensure that colour is not the sole means of conveying information, as colourblind individuals may have difficulty perceiving it. Supplement colour with other visual cues or text descriptions whenever possible.
5. Consider Accessibility Standards
When selecting a typeface, it’s essential to adhere to accessibility standards and guidelines. For digital content, ensure that the typeface is compatible with screen readers and responsive across different devices. Choosing a web-safe font or utilising web fonts through reliable platforms can help ensure consistent accessibility across browsers and devices.
6. Test and Gather Feedback
After finalising your typeface choice, consider whether you can conduct user testing to validate its accessibility. Ask individuals with different visual abilities and reading difficulties to provide feedback on readability and legibility. Incorporate their input and make necessary adjustments to improve the overall accessibility of your communications.
Choosing the right typeface is a crucial step in creating accessible communications. By prioritising readability, optimising character spacing, considering font size and weight, ensuring contrast and colour accessibility, following accessibility standards, and seeking feedback, you can make your content more inclusive and accessible to a diverse audience. Remember, accessible communications not only benefit individuals with disabilities but also contribute to a better user experience for everyone. So, let’s embrace the power of typefaces and create a more inclusive digital world.
A rebrand is an exciting yet challenging project that requires a great deal of bravery. Whether it’s a small update to the logo or a complete overhaul of the brand identity, a rebrand can be a make-or-break moment for an organisation. In this blog, we’ll discuss why bravery is essential in a rebrand and how it can lead to success.
Firstly, rebranding is all about change. It involves stepping outside of the comfort zone and making bold moves to refresh the brand’s identity. This is where bravery comes in, as it takes courage to break away from the familiar and take a leap of faith. But, without change, a brand can become stagnant, and customers and stakeholders may lose interest. Therefore, being brave enough to embrace change is critical to a successful rebrand.
Secondly, rebranding requires authenticity. Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy and can quickly detect inauthenticity. Therefore, it’s essential for brands to be brave and stay true to their values and beliefs when rebranding. Staying true to one’s beliefs can sometimes mean going against the norm. But being authentic is critical in creating a brand that consumers can connect with on an emotional level.
Thirdly, rebranding is all about taking risks. A rebrand is an opportunity to differentiate the brand from its competitors and make it easily identifiable. However, to stand out from the crowd, a brand needs to take risks and push boundaries. This can be unsettling and scary. But, if done right, it can lead to a unique and memorable brand identity that resonates with consumers.
Fourthly, rebranding requires a great deal of communication. The rebranding process involves communicating changes to employees, stakeholders, and customers. It’s essential to communicate the reasons behind the rebrand and the changes being made. Communicating changes can be challenging, and there may be pushback. But, being brave enough to have open and honest communication can lead to a smoother transition and a better understanding of the rebrand.
Lastly, rebranding can be a vulnerable moment for a brand. It involves putting oneself out there and exposing the brand to potential criticism. However, being vulnerable is essential in building trust and creating an emotional connection with consumers. It takes courage to be vulnerable and put oneself out there.
In conclusion, bravery is an essential component of any rebrand. It takes courage to embrace change, stay true to one’s beliefs, take risks, communicate changes, and be vulnerable. However, being brave can lead to a successful rebrand that resonates with consumers, differentiates the brand from its competitors, and builds trust and loyalty. So, if you’re considering a rebrand, remember that bravery is key to success.
Creating an explainer animation is a great way to communicate complex ideas in an engaging and easy-to-understand way. Whether you’re explaining a new product, service, or concept, an explainer animation can help you grab your audience’s attention and keep them engaged. In this post, we’ll take you through the steps involved in creating an explainer animation, from planning and storyboarding to animation and sound design.
Step 1: Planning and Scripting
The first step in creating an explainer animation is to plan out the overarching aim, messages and script. Start by identifying the key concepts you want to explain and write them down in a clear and concise way. This will help your project stay on track and ensure that your animation is focused and effective from the outset.
Once you have your key concepts in mind, start writing your script. This should be written in a tone and style that reflects the audience you want to engage. Keep in mind that your goal is to communicate complex ideas in a simple and engaging way, so use simple language and avoid jargon.
Step 2: Storyboarding
Once you have your script, the next step is to create a storyboard. A storyboard is a visual representation of your script that shows how each scene will be presented in your animation. It’s a critical step in the process because it allows you to visualise your animation and make sure that it flows smoothly from scene to scene.
To create a storyboard, start by sketching out your scenes on paper or on screen. You don’t need to be a great artist; simple stick figures and rough sketches are enough. Your storyboard should include all the key elements of each scene, such as characters and backgrounds.
Step 3: Visual Design
The next step is to create the visual design for your animation. This involves creating the characters, backgrounds, and other visual elements that will be used in your animation. This can be based on your brand identity and a suite of existing assets, or you may want to develop something from scratch.
When designing your visuals, keep in mind your target audience and the tone of your animation. If your target audience is young children, for example, you might want to use bright colours and simple shapes. If your animation is more serious or professional, you might want to use more muted colours and realistic designs.
Step 4: Animation
Once you have your storyboard and visuals, the next step is to create the animation itself. This involves bringing your visuals to life using animation software. There are many animation software options available, such as Adobe After Effects, Toon Boom, and Animaker.
When creating your animation, it’s important to keep your storyboard in mind and make sure that each scene flows smoothly into the next. Use sound effects and music to enhance your animation and make it more engaging.
Step 5: Sound Design
Finally, the last step is to add sound to your animation. This involves creating sound effects, a voice over and adding music to your animation. Sound effects can help enhance the visuals and make your animation more engaging, while music can help set the tone and mood of your animation.
When creating your sound design, it’s important to use high-quality sound effects and music that match the tone and mood of your animation. You can find many royalty-free sound effects and music tracks online, or you can hire a sound designer to create custom sound effects, voice over and music for your animation.In conclusion, creating an explainer animation takes planning, storyboarding, visual design, animation, and sound design. By following these steps, you can create an engaging and effective explainer animation that communicates complex ideas in a simple and engaging way. With a little practice and patience, you can create explainer animations that educate, entertain, and inspire your audience.
We work with many organisations to create a wide range of animations to being their brands, projects and campaigns to life – get in touch if you’d like to explore working together on your next project.
Getting young people participating in sport is something that we love to see – it’s a great way to get fit, make friends and build confidence. So we are delighted to be supporting two local grassroots football teams through kit sponsorship for the 2022/23 season.
Our interest in junior football goes beyond simply spectating from afar. While many of our clients and contacts will know James as our Managing Director and Andy as our Digital Director, they both take on leadership roles of a different kind every weekend – James is the coach of two Higher Bebington JFC teams (U9 boys and U11 girls) while Andy leads Neston Nomads Vikings (U7 boys).
And so we are really pleased to be able to support the teams through sponsoring their kits for this season as the teams compete against other teams across Wirral.
We wish both teams the very best of luck for the season ahead!
James Kirk, Managing Director outlines our values here at Kaleidoscope and why they are important to our business:
“When I joined Kaleidoscope in 2015, we had a small team of just four people with a shared understanding of what was important to us – a progressive mindset, a commitment to keep things simple and acting with integrity. We didn’t write any of it down or call them ‘values’ – we just used them as an informal guide for everything we did.
Seven years later and we’ve now grown into a more complex company of 10 people, delivering work at a bigger scale across a range of disciplines. It is at this point of expansion, and a desire to build a strong creative community within the company, that we’ve recognised how a defined set of values will play a crucial role in our shape and growth in the future; and it is vital to clearly articulate them for ourselves, our clients and everyone that we work with.
Of course, Kaleidoscope draws on a rich heritage of business since the 1980s and with that comes a great wealth of how to do business ‘the right way’ – an inherent set of guiding principles and fundamental beliefs that enabled the agency to become one of the most respected in the Liverpool city region.
So we set out to combine the best of those unwritten values that had delivered a highly successful 30+ years of commercial performance, along with our ambitions for the business of the future. Through a series of interactive workshops across the team we defined a range of authentic, simple and easy to understand values that build on the past, but have an eye on the next phase of our growth”.
The result? We have five values. Each represents what we expect from one another, our principles for decision making and our framework for performance. Take a look below.
With ourselves, our team and our clients.
We know our strengths and what we’re good at, but we are comfortable talking about things that are challenging or out of our comfort zone. We approach every task in an objective and rational way, providing the right advice regardless of whether it is in our interests or not, keeping others up to date for good or bad.
In the way we work and the things we make.
We drive ourselves to work to the highest standards and quality in everything we do – whether it is our creative ideas, the systems we use or how we communicate with each other. We invest in our space and tools to provide the very best environment for our team to work and thrive.
Strengthening the team and collaborating with others.
We recognise and respect our colleagues and the value they bring to the team regardless of which department they work within. We support one another, we share and engage at the right times and never leave a teammate on their own. We work together with our clients, listening and learning. We are open to ideas and suggestions from all and recognise the vital role that we all play in developing creative solutions.
Growing as individuals and elevating others.
We are never satisfied and always see room to grow and improve – ourselves, our colleagues, our work and the business. From actively looking at new ways of working and personal development through to new tech and communication channels…it cuts across every part of our day-to-day lives within the business.
Embracing change and being fast on our feet.
We embrace change and roll with it. We operate in an environment that is always evolving and nothing is set in stone. We learn fast from our mistakes and consider change as an opportunity to improve and move forward.
So what next? We are conscious that its all too easy to define your company values, put the words on a wall and just sit back and think ‘job done’. So we have begun the process of embedding the values across our business – from everyday systems and processes, personal development and team meetings through to team events, employee awards and more. Oh, and we do have the words printed on our walls too!
This week we welcome Jay Devine, our new Digital Developer, as the latest addition to the expanding Kaleidoscope team.
Andy Malone, Kaleidoscope’s Digital Director, comments:
“It is fantastic to welcome Jay into digital team. His passion, energy and personality, combined with excellent problem-solving skills and a logical approach to work, will make him an invaluable member of the team as we continue to grow. I’m excited about him meeting clients and jumping into delivering their projects very soon.”
As Jay begins his time with us at Kaleidoscope, we wish him every success for the future.