Grain’s Creative Director Madelyn Postman speaks to Aaron Heslehurst on BBC World News GMT and Talking Business about the landmark ruling that luxury brands can now prevent online retailers from selling their products.

With Chief Creative Office, Christopher Bailey, leaving Burberry this year and new CEO Marco Gobbetti unveiling his strategy to reshape the brand into a “super luxury company” with new lines at much higher prices, is the famous British fashion house alienating a significant percentage of their clientele? Core customers, and the stock market, have reacted … Read more

In fashion, how do you create brand positioning and differentiate yourself? Competition is tough, especially in the fashion sector. It’s a massive challenge to start a brand, produce at least the first three collections, and watch it take off. Your Brand Positioning, Brand Voice and creating a USP (unique selling proposition) in many cases are … Read more

Naming brands, whether company, service or product, is not an every day part of the marketing mix. Most companies and brands only do it once and established companies don’t have to think about it much unless they are part of a merger or an acquisition. With start-ups being the new way and only about 1 … Read more

Iconic brand Burberry may need its best-known piece, the check-lined trenchcoat, to stave off the rain in the years ahead. When the company’s new CEO Marco Gobbetti announced a risky strategy to “rationalise non-luxury wholesale and retail doors” (read: axe middle-market retailers) just one week after chief creative officer Christopher Bailey announced his departure, share … Read more

Branding & Design Update The leaves are starting to fall and there’s a crisp feeling of autumn in the air. We hope you’re enjoying the change of season…and if you’d like to take a little breather from your work today, put the kettle on and enjoy some fun updates from Grain HQ! Everyone knows the … Read more

Sex: intrinsic to the oldest profession and one of the most powerful forces of human nature. Unsurprisingly, sex is used extensively in communications and advertising. The day after Hugh Hefner passed away, Grain director Madelyn Postman discussed the Playboy brand on BBC’s Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst.  Whether men really think about sex every seven … Read more

Five strategic questions for FE Colleges to ask ahead of merger 1. How do we position ourselves to get maximum benefits from the merger? First and foremost, further education colleges (which mostly serve learners aged 16-18) need students and so a merged college needs a brand that is memorable and attractive. Existing students need to … Read more

Have a look at our top 10 favourite design books. You’ll find Amazon links below the infographic. Do you have any books to add to the list?   1. Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler 2. Branding: From Brief to Finished Solution by Mono Design 3. Package Design by daab 4. Why Fonts Matter by … Read more

Thanks to our guest author, Hazel Garcia of Investment Zen, who has provided us with this infographic showing the cost breakdown of pricing of a shirt. Branding and marketing costs also need to be considered, and in the world of luxury, the markup for added value – the brand magic – will be substantial. To find out how … Read more

The glass entrance of the recently reopened Amersham Museum draws in passers-by, and once they’re inside, the new displays are captivating. The entire space is welcoming and encourages visitors to move from one area to another, learning about the area’s history. The many local stories, some of which go back centuries, come to life and interweave with current … Read more

Psychographic targeting threatens a dark future. I read an interesting article recently on how a large proportion of marketing professionals think they are spending too much on their digital marketing and are unsure of the returns but are still planning to invest more next year. It sounds like madness but of course this is true … Read more

TEDxLondon “Throw those curtains wide. One day like this a year will See me right,” we sing. Hugh Montgomery The Earth will survive But we, foolish humankind Have hit self-destruct. Emily Milan Rea Iron willed teenager Leaves behind a hundred no’s To find the one yes. Ndidi Okezie Teach First: achieving equality for children in … Read more

Square. Slack. Sea. These words could soon mean a lot more to you than their literal meaning. They are all on Interbrand’s 2017 list of Breakthrough Brands, the companies that are rising head and shoulders above their peers and breaking through to the level where they are soon to become household names. The 40 companies … Read more

This edition of our newsletter features some especially beautiful products which have been hugely enjoyable to help create. Part of why we love the work here at Grain, a top small business branding agency, is the wide range of companies we advise. We get a thrill out of creating gorgeous beauty products and sophisticated jewellery … Read more