The 2010 Jay Chiat Awards for Strategic Excellence Winners

Innovative Design—Silver
R/GA, New York
"Barnes & Noble nook"

How do you tell a client that the very thing they want to create is the very thing their prized consumers fear and loathe? That was the case when Barnes & Noble asked us to name, brand, and design their first ever e-book reader.

This challenging scenario emerged when we talked to our key consumers: tech-forward women who love to read. While these readers embraced technology throughout their lives, they saw the e-reader as a repellent device that threatened to destroy the very reading experience they loved.

Our mission became clear: we needed to create an e-reader experience for people who wanted to be asked, "What are you reading?" not "What new gadget are you holding?" Our creative brand effort was a name, logo, and design that changed what the way they thought about our new device. Our visual identity changed the perception of the e-reader from a scary, technological thing, to an inviting place that protected the beloved act of reading. That's the brand promise of nook: "a place to read a good book."

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