Blog

Notes on how unclear work becomes easier to decide.

Compact essays and field notes on positioning, visual thinking, AI-era judgment, and the choices that shape what organizations become.

AI-era strategy

What AI changes about strategy

When production gets easier, direction matters more. Clear teams can use AI with discipline. Vague direction usually produces more vague output.

AI and judgment

AI needs human judgment systems

The AI question is what gets decided, by whom, with which evidence, and under which constraints.

Decision support

Decision maps beat endless alignment

Alignment becomes useful when people can see the choice, the cost, the owner, and the next move.

Systems thinking

How unclear work becomes visible

Clarity appears when the relationships, constraints, and choices are visible enough for a team to act on.

Branding4 min

My Role in Shaping the Brand Foundation of FC Cincinnati

Designer Erwin Sala reflects on his role in shaping the early brand foundation of FC Cincinnati — from name and colors to the visual symbolism still present in the club's identity today.

Branding4 min

Hoe een sterke merkidentiteit uw pre-seed of seed-fase start-up kan transformeren

Ontdek hoe een sterke merkidentiteit uw pre-seed of seed-fase start-up kan transformeren. Leer hoe Studio Erwin Sala u kan helpen om uw merk tot leven te brengen en uw start-up naar het volgende niveau te tillen.

Branding4 min

Aerotech Rebranding: Kite Magnetics' Unieke Merkidentiteit door Studio Erwin Sala

Ontdek hoe Studio Erwin Sala de aerotech rebranding van Kite Magnetics heeft aangepakt, met een unieke merkidentiteit die innovatie, vertrouwen en onderscheidend vermogen combineert in de competitieve luchtvaartindustrie.

Branding4 min

Branding voor start-ups: Waarom het essentieel is voor jouw succes

Elk bedrijf doet uiteindelijk aan branding, of er nu veel of weinig aandacht aan wordt besteed. Zelfs in een extreem geval waar een bedrijf zou besluiten helemaal geen logo te voeren. In dat geval is die beslissing nog steeds onderdeel van de branding van dat bedrijf.

SEO4 min

Studio Erwin Sala’s Top-Quality Digital Marketing Services Allure GoodFirms

Businesses can efficiently communicate their vision with the customers through powerful branding, which can only be possible with the help of high-functional digital marketing services as these solutions boost the online presence seamlessly.

Startups4 min

5 things to consider when establishing your startup brand

Are you considering launching a new startup? In an increasingly competitive market, it’s essential that your startup establishes a successful brand right out of the gate.

Branding4 min

Efteling Brand Analysis: A Journey through Enchantment

Welcome to the enchanting world of Efteling, where fairy tales and legends come to life. In this brand analysis, we'll explore the magic of the Efteling brand and potential opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Branding4 min

Brand design for the soccer industry

When it comes to designing for the soccer industry, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First and foremost, you need to make sure that your designs are highly visible and easily recognizable.

Branding4 min

Branding voor fintech – Een casestudy

Wat komt er allemaal kijken bij de merkpositionering en -strategie van een fintech start-up? Laten we een recent voorbeeld bekijken.

Branding4 min

Merkpositionering en merkstrategie. Wat is belangrijker?

Voor merken is het nuttig af te vragen waar ze voor staan d.m.v. de merkpositionering en merkstrategie. Wat betekenen die termen eigenlijk?

Branding4 min

Authenticity is key: JD.com Brand Analysis

JD.com is the second-largest Chinese B2C e-commerce company, founded exactly 23 years ago in 1998. Around this time, they celebrate this with their annual “618 anniversary sale”, often resulting in record sales. This blog post analyzes the JD.com brand and discusses relevant opportunities and threats.

Branding4 min

The Blue Oval: Ford Brand Analysis

Ford, founded exactly 118 years ago, is an American multinational that designs, manufactures and sells automobiles, commercial vehicles and luxury cars. This blog post analyzes the Ford brand and discusses brand authenticity, opportunities and threats.

Branding4 min

For the Future of Football: UEFA Brand Analysis

The postponed UEFA Euro 2020 is finally starting! Today is the first match; Turkey versus Italy. UEFA is one of six continental confederations of FIFA, responsible for football, futsal, and beach soccer in Europe. This blog post analyzes the UEFA brand and shortly discusses the UEFA Champions League.

Branding4 min

Happiness in a brand: Disney Brand Analysis

Today is Donald Duck’s birthday! On June 9 he made his first appearance in a 1943 cartoon. Alongside Mickey Mouse, Goofy and more, he’s one of the oldest and most iconic characters created by The Walt Disney Company. In this blog post, we analyze the Disney brand and talk about potential opportunities and threats.

Branding4 min

Customer-driven branding: Netflix Brand Analysis

On this day in 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place. This reminded us of a historical drama series about the reign of the Queen, called The Crown. You may have heard of it before, it’s available on Netflix as one of their Originals. Netflix has become such a large brand that some people can’t even imagine their lives without it anymore. So, here’s our brand analysis of Netflix.

Branding4 min

Should you work with companies that conflict with your values?

World No Tobacco Day, a day to encourage people to quit smoking. The public collectively raises awareness of the dangers from using tobacco, and the business practices of tobacco companies. Many will define the concept as legal, but unethical. Smoking is the reason for 15% of global deaths and a large amount of money is wasted on smoking-related matters.

Branding3 min

McDonald’s vs Burger King: Brand Comparison

Today it’s National Hamburger Day in the US, which means it’s a good time to go out for a burger! The US is well-known for their burgers, and Americans alone consume over 50 billion burgers a year. You’ll find that many burger joints have special deals on this day. That also includes the two largest burger chains in the world: McDonald’s at #1 and Burger King at #2. We’ll be comparing the two by their brand differences, similarities and more. But first, some fast facts.

SEO4 min

4 reasons why a good brand design should be the foundation of any SEO strategy

Branding is important. Every entrepreneur knows that! But an excellent website that cannot be found is not really an excellent website. That is why so many companies invest time and money in search engine optimization (SEO).

Branding4 min

Pentecost Festival: Pinkpop Brand Analysis

Happy Pentecost Monday! In the Netherlands we call this “Tweede Pinksterdag” or “Pinkstermaandag”. Pinkster(en) comes from the Greek word pentekostè. For today, we’ve decided to do a brand analysis on the Pinkpop Festival. It’s a large, annual music festival held in the Netherlands, originally held during the Pentecost weekend, hence the name. Unfortunately, the public will have to wait until next year to attend, as this year’s edition has been cancelled.

Branding4 min

Race to successful branding: Formula 1 Brand Analysis

As we’re in the midst of the F1 2021 season, we're doing a quick brand analysis on Formula One! If you didn’t know already, F1 is a series of international auto racing for single seater racing cars. Today the Monaco Grand Prix race takes place, may the best one win!

Branding4 min

Living up to 130 and beyond: Philips Brand Analysis

Philips turns 130 years old today, so we’re celebrating this with a brand analysis! They are a Dutch multinational company and started out with just light bulbs back in 1891. At one point, they became one of the largest electronics companies worldwide. Now, Philips focuses more on health technology instead.

Branding4 min

Feeling Deep Blue: IBM Brand Analysis

We’re back with another brand analysis, with this time the huge multinational technology company, IBM! Many accomplishments have been made, with even something to celebrate today. On this day 24 years ago, IBM’s chess-playing supercomputer called Deep Blue, won a match against a world-champion chess player. This was the first time in history to ever happen.

Branding4 min

Quirky penguins: Penguin Books Brand Analysis

It’s World Book Day! For all our book lovers out there, here’s a brand analysis of Penguin Books. They’re a British publishing house and part of Penguin Random House (PRH), the largest book publisher as of today. In the 1930s, Penguin Books was the first house to publish today’s modern, inexpensive paperback books. This was a big revolution for the publishing industry.

Branding4 min

HAL-LO friends: Holland America Line Brand Analysis

Today we have a brand analysis on Holland America Line (HAL) for Dutch-American Friendship Day! It functions as a follow-up on our previous analysis of White Star Line, which shows what would not work anymore in today's world. In fact, WSL’s successor is Cunard Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation (world’s largest leisure travel company), just like HAL. HAL is a premium cruise line with a fleet of 11 ships, offering more than 500 cruises.

Branding4 min

Sinking reputation: White Star Line Brand Analysis

The famous RMS Titanic sank exactly 109 years ago in 1912, after hitting an iceberg the previous night. The company who owned the Titanic, White Star Line, became defunct 87 years ago. So, today we’re going back in time with a brand analysis on WSL!

Branding4 min

See you on Mars!: SpaceX Brand Analysis

Here’s a new brand analysis of aerospace designer, manufacturer and launch service provider SpaceX, in celebration of International Day of Human Space Flight! It’s an American company founded by Elon Musk, and most people are probably familiar with both. So far, they have made a total of 117 launches since their establishment in 2002.

Branding4 min

A better world with the Olympics: International Olympic Committee Brand Analysis

On 6 April 1896, 125 years ago, over 200 athletes competed in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. That calls for a celebration! These Olympic Games were created by the non-profit organization International Olympic Committee. So, here’s a brand analysis of IOC.

Branding4 min

Sustainable Clothing That Welcomes All: Tommy Hilfiger Brand Analysis

Today we’re celebrating the 70th birthday of Tommy Hilfiger (full name Thomas Jacob Hilfiger). In 1985, he launched his brand under his own name, featuring classic American clothing. Now, the brand Tommy Hilfiger claims to be one of the world’s leading designer lifestyle brands, so here we are with another analysis!

Branding4 min

A shade for everyone: Fenty Beauty brand analysis

It’s International Women’s Day! A day where awareness is raised for all of women’s achievements and the still existent gender inequality. Today, we’ll be analysing a makeup brand created by a woman who has simultaneously been an inspiration for music, beauty and fashion for over a decade, and on top of that has stood up many times for minority groups.

Field notes

Small notes from the space between input and decision.

Field note

Find the decision hiding in the research

Ask which choice people keep rephrasing as a question that needs more input.

Field note

A useful map creates a shared pause

That small moment where the team sees the trade-off together is often where the work begins.

Field note

If the story keeps changing, map the system

The issue is often not tone of voice. It is an unclear audience, offer, proof path, or decision.