Visual Diagnostic Strategy

The following article focuses on the development of a visual exploratory study in the form of a diagnostic, tested in a learning experience to support the development of the final project. A project developed in the field of visual communication design, degree of Visual Communication Design and Audiovisual Production of the School of Applied Arts, Castelo Branco Polytechnic Institute, Portugal. The visual diagnostic exploratory study, involving several phases of information gathering, was conducted by the students within the scope of the Curricular Unit of Research Design, of the curricular year of 2018/19. The introduction of the visual diagnostic exploratory study provided new solutions to the visual communication level of a product or service in the final degree project. From its application, it resulted in a greater solidity in the arguments of the solutions proposed by the students; however, there were observed gaps in the understanding of the perspective of the consumer in the phase of mapping the archetypes and creation of narratives in the customer journey.

Enhanced Reconditioning of Heavy-Duty Pulp Industry Equipment

Within a pulp industry production process, a drop in the performance of a wood log rotary debarker was identified. Such loss of performance was due to the occurrence of excessive wear of the device's cutting blades, requiring their regular and premature replacement. The material used to manufacture the cutting blades, Hardox 500, has characteristics considered adequate for the required use. However, it was concluded that the blade manufacturing process degraded its mechanical properties, leading to its premature wear when placed in service. The present study intends to propose, characterize, and validate an alternative cutting process to manufacture the debarker's cutting blades. Abrasive waterjet cutting technology was proposed to produce the cutting blades. The suitability of this manufacturing process is discussed considering the specified geometry and the material characteristics of the resulting cutting blades.

From Smart Concept to Desired Experiences

The development and implementation of ICT solutions changed the built environment. Objects from daily human routines and services, while aiming for sustainable and inclusive qualified solutions, challenged the countless possibilities of interaction between individuals, individuals and products, and products and products. Smart cities associate intelligence to environments and products to boost functionalities, uses, and experiences. The design of smart cities, from the spatial relations, objects interactions, and services availability must be user oriented to satisfy users' needs and expectations, while promoting qualified experiences. From real and questionable solutions, due to technical or functional orientation, emerges the need to observe human perception, reaction, and behavior to understand how it is possible to improve the experience. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the need of a different approach to the conceptualization of smart cities, environments, products, and services, emphasizing an emotionally appealing experience.

Contemporary Visual Identities

Visual identity is the result of a strategic decision that represents the ideology of an organization, through a set of ways of being and doing that represent a group of individuals in a differentiated way in comparison to other organizations. Seen as a process of representation, it is linked to the socio-historical context and follows the evolution of communication. Based on Thompson's Deep Hermeneutic and the Semantic Basin of Durand, this study presents the evolution of visual identity and the concept of Mutant Visual Identity, both Programmed as well as Poetic. It also presents the Mutant Brand as a contemporary communicational practice that is made up of an aura that must be felt, shared, make sense. It is the emotional nature of the brand.

Competitor Orientation, Pricing Strategy, and Business Performance

This study proposes to study the nature of the relationship between competitor orientation, a strategy based on low prices and hotel business performance, and to test if a low-price strategy plays a mediating role in the relationship between competitor orientation and business performance. A structural equation modeling approach is used, and a sample from the Italian hotel industry is used to evaluate the proposed hypotheses. Results show that competitor orientation is positively related to business performance and to a strategy based on low prices. Furthermore, it is found that a low-price strategy has adverse effects on business performance. Additionally, the mediating role of the low-price strategy is not confirmed.

The Innovative Management of “Made By” and “Made In” as a Factors in Brand Image and Competitiveness in the Fashion Industry

This chapter addresses how fashion brands innovatively manage the “country of origin” (“made by” and “made in”) variable, as well as the consequences in terms of brand image, reputation, and competitiveness. This empirical work gives an account of the fashion brands Spanish millennials wear. Then, the authors assess their degree of brand literacy through their knowledge of the country of origin of the said brands (“made by”) and of the manufacturing country (“made in”). Last, they evaluate how their awareness of “made by” and “made in” affects the millennials' image and feelings.

The Designer as a Social Agent and Promoter of Local Memories

The aim of this chapter is to evaluate the role of the designer as a socially responsible agent and the impact that artefacts created by designers have. The goal is to understand if the designer can help preserve local memories, as well as assess whether co-working influences how they emerge in the project. The awareness of the designer as a social agent, who works in collaboration with various agents towards the creation of value-added artefacts, is essential nowadays. As a case study, we bring the project developed by the Designlab4u laboratory in the village of Alhos Vedros, were the cultural and artistic itinerary of the village was designated as a place of memory. Ultimately, the intention is to evaluate whether or not the work developed for the exhibition was a driver of local memories.

The Social, Economic, and Environmental Dimensions of Hotel Sustainability

Hotel sustainability has become a focal point for companies all around the world with a dual focus on attracting customers to their business and capitalizing from sustainability measures and practices. Such sustainability initiatives allow for increasing economic efficiency and reducing energetic and environmental impacts. Based on the triple bottom line, social sustainability is also key to promote and implement efficient corporate social responsibility practices. This study reports on a survey carried out to address the customers perceptions regarding the influence of sustainability on their choice of hotel. This survey was conducted in Oporto city (Portugal) to domestic and foreign tourists in 2018/2019 with a valid sample size of more than 370 respondents. This research concludes that, even though customers show to be sensitive to social, environmental, and economic aspects, these issues do not exhibit a significant influence on their hotel selection based only on sustainability claims.

Rhetorical Resources for Innovation in Communication Through the Design of Brand Marks of Corporate Identity

Without a doubt, visual rhetoric constitutes a fundamental paradigm for recognizing resources that can guarantee an innovative and more effective communication in our essentially competitive corporate communicative environment. In this chapter, the authors reflect on graphic design from a linguistic basis to a particular approach to rhetorical principles. This is presented as a paradigm of an innovative creative model in the discursive construction of brands marks of corporate visual identity. In short, this chapter formulates a proposal of rhetorical variants in which graphic designers can find graphic resources and communication strategies that are essential for the creation of innovative messages.

The Role of Design in Strategic Planning to Help Brand Management

New brands and new businesses are increasingly common in the digital world. These can be included in the market in an increasingly targeted way for a specific audience. Understand strategic planning aided by a graphic brand guide enables you to understand the stages of your planning. This type of project is suitable for professionals in the graphic area, thus the development of an effective means of communication without intervention and without prior notice. The chapter is reported to be the strategy used in the model of development. In this case it is a review of the common topics that are used in the model containing the two methods. This chapter provides a targeting of responses for projects aimed at this audience.