How are you pushing yourself today? Here’s some food for thought.

Every year it’s the same thing. The day after the Super Bowl, we’re all comparing notes on our favorites ads and someone brings up “that funny one with…[fill in the blank]” and inevitably the response is “Yes, but can you remember who it’s for?” It’s become an old cliché in our office. But there’s something to it.

At The Cyphers Agency we strive to live in a culture not just of creativity – but of strategy. The fact remains that a lot of people are creative. There’s a world of musicians, artists, writers, and architects out there creating new things and bringing new ideas to the table. But to create a worthwhile execution in advertising there are different standards. A truly good ad has to be both creative and strategic. It has to be unique and original to stand out and grab attention, but it also has to finish the job with a well thought out ad message that resonates with the consumer to accomplish an advertising objective.

Sure the ads that are funny, over the top, or outlandish certainly attract attention and maybe even win awards. But those types of ads won’t help move the needle on the marketing and advertising goals our clients have tasked us with. That’s not to say we don’t do amazing creative work. We do. It just means we hold ourselves to a higher standard: the best creative ideas with the strongest strategic foundation. And that is what makes us different.

A short letter to Starbucks Coffee from me, a self-proclaimed addict:

Dearest Starbucks,

You have fueled me, consoled me, and energized me over the past few years. You have been there, through thick and thin – on warm days and cold. Your only flaw is not offering Pumpkin Spice Lattes throughout the entire year. So maybe I am biased when I say that your logo redesign doesn’t bother me one bit. In fact, I dig it. You know that it doesn’t really matter what you put on that cup – I will forever be faithful.

Your slave,

Jocelyn

But aside from my personal obsession love for the iconic brand, there are a few reasons why I, as part of the ad world, am behind Starbucks’ recent logo design (and you should be, too):

Purpose – Starbucks is moving into their 40th year as a company. They started small, selling coffee in the Seattle Pike Place Market. They’ve grown, changed, and are now moving beyond just coffee (hence why they dropped “coffee” from the outer circle around the siren). While their new logo “respects their heritage,” it also allows them to renew their look as they expand in their endeavors. It’s refreshing to see a company do a logo redesign with purpose and strategy, unlike some others (uh, Gap, Tropicana, Comedy Central to name a few).

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I know we agency folk can sometimes get a little uppity about our “strategic process,” like we’re saving lives with this stuff or something. But for the most part, there’s a reason we’re that way: because it’s legit! I’m the first one to admit there are certainly some situations that truly may not call for some intense strategic process – like designing a letterhead or a pocket folder. But most of the time, design is NOT just design. I think Jef Richards put it best: “Creative without strategy is called ‘art.’ Creative with strategy is called advertising.”

No offense to our design peeps out there that are in it to just make things look pretty, but at The Cyphers Agency, we aren’t. We’re not in the business of producing creative executions that we just happen to LIKE. Our core philosophies and passions dictate that our clients come to us for strategic creative and, by George, that’s what we give them.

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Every morning, I come into work (usually with a Starbucks in hand, much to the dismay of my bank account), and sit at my computer. I take a moment to glare at the beauty of my Mac, and turn it on. First things first, I check my email. Next, I check Tweetdeck. And lately, after those two crucial things, I read blogs.

I haven’t always done this. Normally, I immediately delve into my workload. Sometimes my pile of work sits staring at me, forcing the belief that there just isn’t enough time in the day to catch up on industry news or trends. Forget checking Mashable, I’ve got to write that blog post or prepare for that brainstorm meeting. Well, no more!

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