In order to make sure that our projects are implemented on time and on budget we use a range of project management tools. One of the core elements that we use is The Daily Scrum The daily team meeting is one of the core concepts of Scrum. In the meeting the team members talk about just three things: What I did yesterday What am I doing today What are my impediments This is the core concept of the scrums to determine what the team is working on and whether they are focussed on the task in hand. Within this ‘scrum’ it will also bring the team together and encourage each member to have their say. The discussions shouldn’t take longer than a few minutes but the project manager should encourage communication and not squash and feedback which could affect the project or any other project. One area which is up for discussion is who should be involved? Who needs to participate in the scrum? Generally this should be anyone involved or working on the project on a weekly/daily basis. Who should be involved in the discussions? Only people involved in working on the backlog which could be a programmer through to a tester. The other participants should keep their thoughts to themselves until they get a chance to talk to the Scrum Master away from the team. Generally at the end of the scrum the scrum master will allow time for individuals that are close to the project but not working on the Product backlog to give the team any information that is valuable for the team. General rule for scrums…... keep them simple fast and open to the team.

From a designers point of view designing a brand with an interesting or slick name is a real pleasure. Abbreviated company names like JVC or HTC can provide endless typographic experiments, however, slick or quirky names like Sony or Billabong can offer the chance to create an interesting play on words and graphical marks. The problem occurs for brands when the company name is cheap sounding for want of a better word, a 'cheap brand' that sounds as though it was dreamt up by someone’s grandmother doesn't grab anyone’s attention or imagination. A brand name doesn't necessarily need to relate to what the company has to offer, for example 'Johns pen shop'(apologies to John if he owns a pen shop) offers little inspiration in terms of a brand mark and sounds like an aforementioned cheap brand, 'the pen store' however sounds a little more upmarket, as though it could be the PC world of pens.This isn't always the case, Millies Cookies shows you can have a successful brand which is or was personal to the original founder, but the general consensus is that a company name that is unfamiliar or a little different generates more interest and credibility and also provides a designer with more inspiration. I personally find brand names that use 'shop' 'store' et al are a little off putting, they scream 'small time business' to me, and even if that's what they are, they can still position themselves as a more upmarket brand by considering the company name. 'Card Factory' for example sounds rustic and mechanical, as if they're actually card making machine, the ideas and concepts it makes me think of from a branding perspective are plentiful.I suppose a lot of it boils down to how you want your company and or brand to be perceived, you may wish to appeal to the bargain basement market and don't feel the need for a clever quirky title, but I think if credibility and a more professional approach is what you want to achieve, considering the name of the company and the impact it will have within different media and people’s perception are vitally important.

EAOM Web/Graphic Designer, Lee Demain, talks through a few of his favourite brands, logos and marks. [More]