Task 1 - Brand Study (Graphics Design 2 Part 1)

Task 1 - Brand Study

After asking to identify what is brand, brand identity and brand elements. We are required to pick a brand and do a sort of case study on the brand on its, achievements or products and uncover the background of that specific brand.

For this I chose Universal Studios in favor of my major which is Animation, are closely related to movies

Universal Studios has been around for some time and created numerous movies and animation. Considered as Hollywood's Big Six (one of the main production studios) founded in 1912, the studio has 100 years of history in movie making. Started as a small studio and well integrated studio style movie production studio it slowly grow in 1915 into the largest motion picture production studios on a converted farm outside of Hollywood. Laemmle, CEO at the time did not want the studio to turn into a theater chain therefore he start letting tourist into the studio, and remain as the largest movie studio for a decade or so. Universal studio manage to get hold of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit although Disney and Iwerk were the ones that created that character, they enjoyed a successful run for the film until Disney and Iwerk created Mickey Mouse and the first sound cartoon short, Steamboat Willie (1928) this secured Disney's foothold while Universal remain in the shadows.

1945, a British entrepreneur, J. Arthur Rank wanting to make a presence in America made a 4 way jointed operations but was dissolved one year later. Indie company International remains interested with Universal and stayed along. By the 1950s MCA (Music Corporation of America) takes over and in 1970, Universal tried to teamed up with Paramount Pictures and Cinema International Corporation and created 3 tide turning movies, Airport (1970), The Sting (1973), American Graffiti (1973) restored the company's fortune and name, in 1975 Jaws was released further sealing the company's place. CIC decided to merge with MGM Entertainment and release a few more titles, Back to the Future (1985), E.T (1982), Jurassic Park (1993). Universal then created their own production studios DreamWorks in 1997.

Universal as a brand, movies comes to mind and as the word "universal" means the universal/the world therefore the globe is used as part of the brand indicating that they and their products are accepted by everyone in the world. There are two types of the Universal brand, one is as the above that is portrayed in the movies the other is visible in their Universal Studio theme parks.

In the movie making industry, Universal Studio has a lot of competitors such as

Disney

20th Century Fox

The brand design is a simple globe/earth with the American continent showing (because that is where they originated from) 

The globe represent the globalization of the company, meaning it is an international company where its productions are accepted by the whole world. In addition to that the wordings "UNIVERSAL" orbits from the right to left, further indicating and enhance the globe feeling and also to introduce audience this is an Universal Studios production.

For it's dynamics, there are plenty from merchandise to theme parks, but the most iconic of all are the theme parks, where the audience of the movie can actually play a part in the movie themed rides and also get along with the characters from the movies in photo sessions and shows.