1. forward thinking.
forward solutions.
ROCHESTER, NY: Their volleyball team is firms and are seasoned enough to look past the
nicknamed the Brand Bastards. When probed for puffery to find real value. They may have been
meaning, Duke Stofer, Senior Designer at disappointed in studies missing the mark, in the
Forward, explains. “We have no brandfathers – level of service they receive, or in the fees
we’re first generation. We didn’t come into clients they’re expected to pay. They’re looking for
by joining a successful concern. We didn’t inherit something better. For passion without pretense.
a reputation. We create it ourselves, every day.” For discipline and consistency. For them, we’re
a breath of fresh air.”
The volleyball team, which regularly pits some
of Forward’s “elders” against kids half their age, They are not an ad agency, a promotions firm,
doesn’t win much. But on the branding court it’s or a design studio. They are unlike any marketing
another story. Win they do, on a regular basis. communications company you’ve ever dealt
For the past 12 years, Forward has been winning with. They are Forward, and they know how to
clients, winning awards and winning competitive grow brand equity.
contracts with some of the world’s greatest brands.
How does this small consultancy keep billion-
dollar brands happy and healthy? “Simple. We
solve problems,” says Carlo Jannotti, VP and
often-irreverent Senior Brander at Forward. “Most
of our relationships begin with referrals from
satisfied clients. Many of these referrals have
experienced the ways of the big city branding

2. Play to Your Strengths Before
Kodak may not be number one in the
ink jet aisle, but they are number one in
pictures – an ownable position that
transfers easily to ink jet photo paper.
Forward’s Picture Paper strategy was
adopted after a cross-country shoot out.
After
We’re Number 2! We’re Number 2!
Forward helped RoseArt Industries understand that developing
and implementing a valid number two strategy is more viable
than fighting a long entrenched brand to be number one.
The resulting designs leveraged positive associations from
the category while creating an extendable identity system.
To accompany the solid thinking,
Forward came up with solid
packaging concepts that elicited
superior shelf-test results,
then executed the designs for
implementation.
Go Ahead, Enjoy!
Besides positioning new media, Forward Lactose-free products traditionally looked like medicine,
has helped keep traditional product limiting appeal because they lost the wholesome,
brands like Kodak paper up-to-date for healthful associations of milk. Forward’s aspirational
more than a decade, including the “Turn Milk for Life positioning, naming, and identity changed
Up the Color” and “Behind Your Best that for Upstate consumers.
Pictures” positioning programs.
if you don’t know where you’re Sure, there’s a lot of good design out there. Effective design is another story,
going, you’ll end up someplace else and that’s where Forward comes in. More than once they’ve been brought in
to rescue design projects that missed the mark. After reviewing the background
and conducting their own due diligence, Forward staffers often discover the
initial request was off target.
“Identifying the problem is half the battle,” says Rob Parsons, the firm's
chief communicator and master of the question “Why?”. “By its nature creativity
can move in almost any direction. You need to harness it with a sound strategy.”

3. Be First In Your
Own Category
The crowded table wine and cooler categories left
little room for new products. Forward’s positioning
and design recommendations helped Constellation
Brands establish Arbor Mist as the first in a completely
new category – varietal wines with a splash of fruit.
Arbor Mist is now hailed as one of the industry’s
most successful product launches.
Connect at a Higher Level
Moving past functional benefits, Forward helped
give new life to Almaden table wine by
positioning a relatively minor packaging
innovation in a new and unique way – as an
instant party. This was not just another box of
wine. It was fun, and it was a major success.
Communicate your
Advantage
In a category they first established,
InterPlak was losing share to Braun
and Oral B. Forward helped them
sell themselves (instead of the
category) by branding their unique
brush head technology – giving
consumers the TheraTwist Triple
Action dentists recommend while
obsoleting the competition.
And that they can do. Through workshops and interviews, Forward the team proceeds to deliver the right solution for the right problem.
will help uncover the assets clients overlook. With insight and And since branding is so much more than just a logo, the right solution
creativity, they will visualize the brandscape and help identify issues reinforces a message that extends through all marketing communications.
and opportunities. They have an enthusiasm that’s infectious “Design alone will not make you number one. If you
and a blue-collar style that helps demystify brand theories pursue a market leader strategy and there are five brands ahead
and the creative process and at the end of the day, their of you, you’re going to fail,” Parsons reasons. “Instead, craft
clients are better brand builders. a sound number two strategy, or better yet, create a whole new category
With the big picture and realistic objectives clearly before them, and be number one in that space. Then design will really help you.”

4. Come Again
If there’s one rule in retail, it’s that you can’t stand still.
Being category leader has its advantages, but it also has its
obligations. To help the Sensitive Eyes franchise stay one
step ahead of the competition, Forward has twice helped
Bausch & Lomb use graphics, colors and messaging to refresh
packaging and restage the brand.
Traditional Equities,
Advanced Products
With a mix of colors, graphics, and typography,
Forward helped Kodak marry the advanced structural
cues of its Picture Maker kiosk to its traditional
position of trust, quality, and ease of use. The result?
A new product consumers weren’t afraid to try, and
now a category in its own right.
Maximum Return on Investment
Forward helps Kodak make the most of ongoing brand
investments by consolidating the company’s many graphic
guidelines into a single coherent volume, along with programs
to keep the information up-to-date and easy to use.
it takes more than a logo “Once we know what makes your brand special, we’ve got to
Forward does not have their own “style”. They do not create fanciful make it tangible to your audiences. It’s got to have impact and meaning,
designs just to please the eye or themselves. In their world, people need to remember it, and you’ve got to be able to
design walks in lock step with strategy. They do this protect it. That’s asking a lot of a logo,” explains Jim Forward,
through a proven process that turns brand equity theories President & Creative Director.
into actionable objectives. Those are met through a “Instead, you should leverage all the tools at your disposal:
combination of visual and associative elements. colors, typefaces, image styles, graphics, symbols, tag lines, even

5. House-branded, Well-branded
Retailers are rapidly moving to extend their brands as they
expand their businesses. Forward developed unique graphical
approaches to help retailing innovator Wegmans Food Markets
improve the image, and the sales, of its pasta offering. Forward
also developed a new name, tag line, and color palette to create
the right associations for Wegmans’ expansion into a new
category with its Trenditions line of “accessories for food lovers”.
Got Fresh Milk?
Helping Upstate Farms see that the only relevant, ownable
position was based on their location, Forward crafted a
robust identity to express a “Taste Upstate Freshness” position.
The visuals enhanced shelf impact and memorability, and
gave what was previously a commodity product new access
to vital retail accounts.
packaging structures. Unfortunately, many organizations lack the “You can’t noodle your way to impact,” contends Dillon
discipline and mechanisms to take full advantage of their identity.” Constable, one of the firm’s outspoken and talented brand
Too often, companies manage a stable of logos and call it branding. implementors. “What you can do is manage all the elements of your
New problem? New logo! Soon they’re holding a handful identity. Make them work together to more effectively
of pebbles, instead of the boulder they need to smash through communicate what makes your brand different and why
the competitive clutter. So they alter designs, introduce new that difference is important. Turn them into a great
symbols, new names and sub-brands, never focusing on the real source symphony, with meaning, power and longevity. Don’t create a logo.
of the problem. Never finding a solution. Create a brand identity that’s impactful, memorable and relevant.”

6. Wake Up to a Robust Identity With typography, symbols, and a product
Enhancing the identity with a distinctive color palette, descriptor that left behind the negative equities
unique graphics, a strong use of type, and the universal of extended wear, Forward helped present
benefit of “Wake Up and See”, Forward created a PureVision lenses as the revolutionary
coherent, multilevel launch program that spoke simply breakthrough they represent.
and powerfully to patients and practitioners alike.
A robust identity system, condensed
onto a single package – a look so
distinctive that it served as the brand
signature as often as the logo.
By managing the elements of the
identity, Forward was able to use new
imagery to refresh PureVision collateral
to match up with new advertising
messages while staying true to
previous efforts and equities.
keep it simple, keep it consistent As Jannotti regularly proclaims, what you do with the design
Sure, they know all the theories, and have a few of their own, but can be more important than the design itself. “Is the Nike swoop
staffers at Forward have a certain savvy about them too – really that impressive?” he queries. “No, the consistency is
an intimate knowledge of the dirty details you acquire only the real power. The symbol serves as a mnemonic linking
after you’ve worked in the trenches. It’s this intimacy with new generations of images, icons and colors with the brand
reality that ensures solutions offered by the team will actually work to refresh and revitalize it. And the message never really changes.
– a failing of more than one big consultancy they’ve been hired to In the end, that’s what makes it impressive.”
clean up after. This level of excellence is achieved with commitment – to

7. Next Components Complex Problems Demand
This maker of next-generation digital printing Simple Solutions
presses doesn’t sell at retail, but awareness is still From dealers to developers to distributors, everyone wants
an issue. Thanks to branded operator replaceable to leverage their association with the Kodak brand.
components that play off the product identity, Unfortunately, there often were not adequate systems in
Forward helps the NexPress brand stay top of place for third-party business-to-business applications –
mind as parts move from plants around the world it was a management challenge, and a squandered
to their destinations. opportunity to lever these many positive exposures. Forward
helped clarify the true scope of the problem, then came
up with a deceptively simple solution that offered flexibility
and consistency in one neat bundle.
Say Cheese
Sorrento brought innovation to the string cheese
category, but the new products were no longer
string cheese. Forward updated the identity and
created a simple naming system that helped
the company introduce unique offerings within
the context of the overall franchise.
simplicity and to consistency. The KISS principle applies to Senior Designer, rushes to point out. “It doesn’t have to be boring.
branding, just as it applies to everything else. Complex solutions Any designer with a passion for branding can create fresh new looks
are hard to execute. They leave too much room for from an existing set of visual tools, as long as they understand
interpretation, making it easier to deviate, inevitably into the essence of the brand. That’s the key to successful branding
the weeds. But like a catchy tune, the repetitive beat of a – passion and understanding, not gimmicks or trendy
consistently managed identity supporting a sound strategy will techniques.” That’s why Forward’s success will continue. Their
eventually find a comfortable place in the public mind. passion is for the brand, not just the design.
“You can be consistent without being dull,” Brenda Benedict,

8. looking for goliath…
M a ke n o m i s t a ke ; t h e s e a r e bu s i n e s s
professionals who have thrived for more than
a decade, and plan on being here for the long
haul. They know that in today’s business climate,
you had better provide superior value. Their’s
is the role of the underdog – a role they love to
play. Just ask Dean Faklaris, Account Executive
Forward is a full-service brand and identity development
and project manager extraordinaire. “We firm specializing in strategic design and integrated brand
communications.
consistently deliver more for less, especially
when you stack us up against the big boys from Their services include:
Strategy
the big cities.”
• Essence/value proposition
• Positioning/repositioning
With a well-defined workflow, streamlined • Brand architecture
• Executive brand workshop facilitation
processes, and disciplined resource allocation,
Identity
they deliver the double-digit cost savings clients • Naming and nomenclature
are now demanding. And they do this with an • Logos and symbols
• Color studies & systems
unmatched level of strategic accuracy, design • Tag Lines
excellence, and speed. It’s a well-oiled machine, • Graphics and imagery
Communications
and it’s a sight to see if you’ve ever been let
• Package design
down by missed deadlines, surprise rush charges, • Marketing collateral
• Launch kits
and half-finished presentations.
• Marketing toolkits
• Print advertising
Go ahead and give them a call, and try a little • Sales promotion
• Sales presentation
Forward Thinking for yourself. Once you’ve
• Point-of-sale
experienced the responsiveness, results, and value, Controls
• Brand identity audit
you’ll come back for more.
• Standards & Guidelines
• Research concept development
For more information call Carlo Jannotti at
585-872-9222 or cjannotti@forwardbranding.com
34 May Street
Webster, NY 14580
www.forwardbranding.com.
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