For international brands it can be a challenge to introduce themselves to new and unfamiliar markets. A new market often demands a new perspective on the brand – a new take on what is being offered or how it is being presented, based on what people respond to in that particular region.

Take Bticino – an extremely large Italian manufacturer of high-end light switches, wall plates and other electrical device peripherals – as an example. They contacted Iron in 2009, as they began the process of introducing their products to the US market. Given the brand’s prominence in Europe, the company had plenty of experience framing its message of sophistication in different languages – but where the company was struggling was translating their VISUAL language. While European countries can often share an aesthetic sensibility, the US is isolated from that cultural network. In short, to customers in the US, Bticino’s marketing materials seemed strange rather than sophisticated.

Over the course of a year, we set about translating Bticino’s message of sophistication both literally and visually, redesigning the company’s website, brochure, catalog, print ads and every other consumer touch point (see a small sample of our work below). With a cohesive marketing arsenal, the company has been able to expand target market saturation from San Francisco to Los Angeles and is in the planning stages of opening an office in New York. We’re excited about how the work turned out and are looking forward to our next international challenge!

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our first major digital collaboration with Dockers. Earlier this month the new Dockers microsite went live on macys.com, fusing branded content with a robust e-commerce engine.

The Dockers microsite features an interactive fit guide, a quiz to help users find the pants for every occasion, as well as news on the latest products. The Flash-based application seamlessly integrates with the macys.com backend, giving customers an immersive brand experience and then direct access to the products of their choosing.

After helping Levi’s kick-start its wholesale interactive business, Iron was seen as the natural choice to design the experience. The microsite is part of a major brand overhaul for Dockers, as the San Francisco khaki company reinvigorates its entire product line, targeting a younger, more progressive audience. We’ll follow up with news on Dockers micro-sites at JCPenney and Kohl’s soon!

NewSchools Venture Fund is a nonprofit venture philanthropy firm working to transform public education for low-income children. Our challenge was to build a digital presence that would stand tall among Silicon Valley audiences and reflect the innovation and transformative results for which they are known. The site needed to portray the true face of NewSchools and tell a narrative to potential entrepreneurs, funders and the thousands that will visit. The new site has an integrated array of features including a blog, picture galleries, videos and other key resources. You’ll also find case studies of the great work NewSchools ventures have done.

As part of our commitment to working with companies dedicated to social good, we recently launched a new brand identity for local start-up Genability. Genability is focused on making electricity usage more elastic, distributed, renewable and clean. They are currently building the world’s most complete and accurate database of energy prices, as well as the next generation of cloud services for managing, forecasting and optimizing energy.

The logo we developed explores the use of Fibonacci spirals and kinetic energy. We wanted the mark to create a sense of motion and energy to represent the give and take of the network Genability will build.

To learn more about Genability, visit www.genability.com

With over 350,000 apps in the Apple Store, we thought it was high time we joined the mobile revolution. As part of a complete naming, strategy and branding project, we are thrilled to announce the launch of Zipongo for iPhone.

Zipongo is a fun, interactive game with tools for tracking, sharing and exploring new foods, activities and even your sleep habits. The app, and asociated web site, use game theory to engage users and incentivize healthier lifestyle choices. Let the revolution continue!

This month we launched a new brand identity for Toolworks – a nonprofit organization that creates social and economic opportunities for people with disabilities. Our objective was to refresh the overall look and feel of the brand – from the group’s printed materials to its web presence.

In order to develop the new creative we helped reposition the organization, developing a fully-fledged strategic brief. The goal of the creative became to embody the new strategy, while capturing Toolworks’ unconventional spirit and uninhibited commitment to getting the job done. As such, the visual language we developed needed to reference the organization’s boldness and passion while presenting a unique, modern front.

Simple, elegant, san serif typography is treated with a progressive color palette and the interlocking double “O” motif suggest cooperation, strength and partnership. All key tenets of the brand strategy. The web site is under development and we’ll follow up with news of its launch in the coming months.

When the The First Tee of San Francisco approached us, they had a unique challenge. They needed donations from individual donors and corporations to keep their program running, yet they had no official fundraising program, and no way to recognize the people who support them financially.

After launching into a brand strategy overhaul, we quickly designed event invites and new membership materials, as well a series of email newsletters. The result? The consistent, sophisticated branding led to increased First Tee Club membership and a staggering 2000% ROI following the first mailing of the membership brochure. They now have the tools they need to pursue funding and to recognize and maintain contact with those that provide invaluable financial support. Check out their program and help keep kids out of the rough.

This week, while at the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau 99th annual luncheon, we found out that our Art SF 08 campaign won the CTTC’s Tourism Marketing Excellence Award.

The campaign, which showcased the city’s incredible summer of art, featured national print ads, online banner ads, a microsite (above), rack cards and posters throughout SFO. We’re always thrilled when industry insiders recognize and reward great work. A huge thanks to Lynn Bruni and the rest of the marketing team at the SFCVB for bringing us on and making this happen!

Find out more about our advertising work.

The featured logo is for the Feld Institute, a seminar-driven organization training attendees to improve individual aspects of their lives by understanding how those aspects fit into the larger whole. The logo itself embodies the ideas of integration and balance, and recalls the origins of those ideas, in eastern philosophy. We’re looking forward to seeing the new book when it comes out next spring!

The problem is, we are just not getting out into nature as much as we should. In fact, there’s clear new evidence that says that children who play and explore outdoors feel less stressed and may develop more confidence and greater social skills. It’s just that problem The Trust for Public Land and The North Face wanted to address. How do we get people out into nature again?

The two organizations came together and decided it’s high time someone promoted the incredible diversity of local parks and outdoor spaces, right here in the city. And so Iron was commissioned to write and design the “San Francisco Urban Nature Guide: 2009.” This handy pocket map features nine of the city’s lesser-known, but fun-filled parks, with suggestions on how to make the most of our time in the great outdoors. The guides are free and being distributed through The North Face stores this summer. It’s time to put on a pack and hit the park!