5 Questions with Radim Malinic

After being appointed a lead artist for various advertising campaigns including O2 Germany, Fuze and National Lottery, Radim has enjoyed a vast number of exciting projects with various record labels, fashion brands and magazine publishers worldwide. His award-winning creations have been used in the above and below the line advertising, books, magazines, product illustrations, album artwork, DVDs, posters… anything in need of injecting visual finesse and colour. Going under the moniker of Brand:nu, you can check out more from his fabulous portfolio by visiting
www.brandnu.co.uk

We invited Radim to give his opinions on branding and what strategies he adotps when trying to market his creative services to the masses (originally published as an industry feature in Web Designer issue 156)…

WD: Can we define what branding is and how businesses can construct their own using the internet as the delivery mechanism?
RM: The Internet makes it easier to achieve the global coverage. You can’t make everyone with internet connection familiar with what you do, but it’s a great tool to give you the chance to do so. We’ve definitely understood the possibilities as well as being in the process of discovering the unexplored. The DNA of branding is the same from day one; be clear, be seen and be understood. As we know, everything depends on three second attention span. If your message isn’t coherent in the space of time, you might be on the losing side.

WD: How do you think branding’s evolved?
RM: Companies put more effort to introduce their product and companies in conjunction with other side elements of what they do. Branding becomes more of a 360 task, where we try to engage the passer-by with a subtle introduction which gives them a bigger understanding of the brand overall.

WD: What do you think makes your brand a powerful marketing tool?
RM: I believe it’s about clear communication, it’s first impact and further consistency. Brand Nu goes through subtle revamps of it’s image every 14-16 months to reinstate the position it has on the creative market. As much as the website first ever became the must-have on the internet, everyone pushes the blogging keys even harder to bring more attention to themselves. Since Brand Nu’s work is 70/30 print/digital it’s always crucial to keep the online presence fresh and up to date. The clients and the admirers alike are kept informed about the latest happenings, to show there’s no thumb fiddling but hard work in progress. Secondly, I publish showcase books for the same effect. The books are sourced from high-profile printers to ensure the best quality, where the design work for print is shown in the best light.
The current Book Of Colours showcases completed work from the last year, housing the most cutting edge and innovative projects, bringing attention of the new clients to successful results achieved in the past. It’s great to have online presence, however you can’t beat the feeling of a printed material. Hence the reason why the hard copy magazines will be around for much longer. We’ve grown up with books and magazines, it’s the comfort of taking it everywhere with you, not relying on the Wi-Fi connection.
Book Of Colours was printed in the edition of 1,000 copies, sold mainly through www.brandnu.co.uk and promoted online in blogs and featured as a prize in competitions.

WD: How has your business constructed its brand and how have you used the internet to promote that brand to clients?
RM: We need to cater for everyone, be accessible from every corner and every angle. The potential client can be from any background of any interest and still needs to understand the brand message in the first encounter. Choosing an understandable and memorable moniker is always crucial.

WD: What do you think the future of online branding looks like?
RM: Viral marketing and ad campaigns are benefiting from the power of internet user ‘word of mouth’. It’s not only about creating an amazing ad which will be appreciated by many, it’s also about grabbing people’s attention, making them stop and think.