Hippo Blog

Before bling was a thing and Lil Jon was only little Lil John, there was Vanilla Ice. Representing the mean streets of suburban Miami, Vanilla Ice struck fear into the hearts of approximately no one with his Morrissey pompadour and less-than-accura...

Everyone has a favorite animated movie. Whether you grew up with Snow White or The Land Before Time, animation has likely been a part of your life since birth. Now, just like most everything else, the internet has opened possibilities for animation t...

Many people attend the Iowa State Fair to check out the musicians on the grandstand, throw a rubber chicken or eat their fill of fried Twinkies on a stick. But thousands of attendees have been flocking to the Iowa State University booth in the Var...

Design principles are everywhere. Even in places you might not notice or expect. Take food trucks for example: not only are they mobile hunger-fighting supertrucks (like Transformers, only more delicious), but they’re prime examples of some really ...

Hard ciders seem to be quite a growing market in the alcoholic beverage world. While we’re mostly beer fans around the office, we can’t deny a great brand when we see one. Smith & Forge has hoisted their brand to the next level by tap...

Do you happen to have 48 hours to kill? If so, you could do worse than spending it marathoning each and every James Bond film — from Dr. No through Skyfall. (Seriously, it takes 2 days, I Googled it to make sure my math was correct.) If you hap...

Not many fashion styles have caught on as quickly as glasses have in the last few years. It’s become urban chic — a sign of both style and sophistication — to don a pair of eyeglasses, with bigger is better often being the rule of thumb...

There it is, staring at you. Laughing. Mocking. Just waiting for you to make a move. The dreaded blank sheet of paper. Whether you’re a writer, designer, developer, or gardener, creative inspiration comes and goes without regard for deadlines or la...

We’re big fans of beer around here. And, one of our favorites appeals to both our sense of taste and also sight. Shiner has some of the most beautiful package designs, brewed from a strong and authentic brand story that revels in the simplicity...

Ready to take a step from a business that “sells things” to a brand that people know and love? The kind of brand that has customers who will refuse to settle for anything else, regardless of price or features? (See: Apple, Harley Davidson...

What is a “brand”? Ask this question to 100 people and you may get 100 different answers. Some will tell you it’s a logo and a name, others will say it’s a company, and others yet will swear that it’s a tagline. The real answer is: A brand ...

It seems like every day we have brands coming through our doors using 4-letter words. Probably not the kind of 4-letter words you’re thinking of, but to us, they’re almost as bad as we approach branding. Some words — “best” ...