Lumen (branding agency)

Lumen is a Milan-based multi-disciplined creative and design consulting agency, founded by Pietro Rovatti and Drew Smith in 2003. Drew Smith acquired the agency in 2014, changing the name from Lumen to Smith Lumen.

Smith Lumen Srl.
Company typeLimited liability company
IndustryBranding, design, advertising
Founded2003
SuccessorDrew Smith
HeadquartersMilano, Italy
Key people
Drew Smith
Website[http://www.smithlumen.com
Footnotes / references
Drew Smith acquired the company in 2014 changing its name to Smith Lumen

History

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Lumen was founded in 2003 by the Canadian-born Drew Charles Smith, a consumer branding and packaging specialist, and the Italian Pietro Rovatti, a corporate identity and branding specialist. Previously, Smith had been Creative Director at Carré Noir, Robilant & Associati and, eventually, at FutureBrand Gio Rossi Associati, while Rovatti was Senior Art Director at Sudler & Hennessey and later Creative Director at FutureBrand Giò Rossi Associati.[1]

Growth

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Lumen's approach was called branding innovation and, according to its founders, this is what made the agency quickly growing internationally, by opening a branch office in London (UK) in 2006 and establishing strategic partnerships in the same year with Mildberry, the first branding network in Russia, and in 2011 with 1.618, a Hong Kong-based branding agency.[2][3] At its climax in 2011, the agency had 50 employees of 18 different nationalities.[4][5]

Lumen offered a wide range of services for corporate ad private clients, such as brand strategy, packaging design, corporate & brand identity, brand management, retail design, environmental design, interactive media, point of sale and merchandise design.[6][7][8]

Clients

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Lumen had worldwide-known clients from multiple business sectors, like Ferrero, AC Milan, Campari, Diageo. Autogrill, Bonduelle, Zuegg, Unilever, Club Med, Illy, Parmalat, Gancia, Sky, Bticino, Barclays, Kellogg's, Heinz, Henkel, Festina and Rolex.[9]

Awards

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Some Lumen's works have been awarded due to their style and the use of innovative materials. The project realized for the rum Zacapa Centenario Etiqueta Negra has been focused on the "emotional involvement of the material used in the packaging" (in this case, palm fibers reproducing the motif of the south-American petate on the pack):[10] a reason that prompted the Material Connexion research institute to show the product at the "Materiali innovativi e imprese 2009" exhibition, organized under the patronage of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan at the design museum Triennale di Milano.[11]

A list of the most notable honours the agency received when still was known as Lumen:

Competition Year Country Award Category Product Client Result
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2011 Italy Luxury Packaging Award Zacapa XO Diageo Winner[12]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2011 Italy Brand Manual Award Fedrigoni Winner[12]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2011 Italy Pharmaceutical Packaging Award Rilastil Istituto Ganassini Winner[12]
Designpreis Deutschland 2011 Germany Prelius Compagnia di Volpaia Nominee
Mediastar 2011 Italy Internet Entertainment Award giOXO Digital Entertainment OXO Winner
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2010 Italy Beverage Packaging Award Cinzano Vermouth Cinzano Winner[13]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2010 Italy Luxury Packaging Award Yacht Club Case Diageo Winner[13]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2010 Italy Corporate Literature Award Bottega Verde Winner[13]
Red Dot 2009 Germany Best of the Best: Packaging Design Award Prelius Compagnia di Volpaia Winner[14][15]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2008 Italy Corporate Identity Award AC Milan Winner[16]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2008 Italy Cosmetics Packaging Award Bio Clin Istituto Ganassini Winner[16]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2008 Italy Publishing Design Award Gazzetta dello Sport RCS MediaGroup Winner[16]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2008 Italy Best Logo Design Award Fondazione Cariplo Winner[16]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2007 Italy Beverage Packaging Award Boario Ferrarelle S.p.A. Winner[17]
Grandprix Pubblicità Italia 2007 Italy Food Packaging Award Canned Vegetables Bonduelle Bonduelle Winner[17]
Pentawards 2007 United States Bottled Waters Ferrarelle Special Edition Ferrarelle S.p.A. Bronze[18][19]

References

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  1. ^ (in Italian)"Quando esperienza e innovazione sono al servizio delle imprese", Market Press, 3 September 2003
  2. ^ "Lumen: Partners". Lumengroup.com. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  3. ^ (in Italian) "Joint venture tra Lumen e Mildberry: nasce Mildberry Milan", Pubblicità Italia, 24 November 2006
  4. ^ "Lumen: About". Lumengroup.com. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  5. ^ "Avertiser.it". Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  6. ^ "Give Your Brand Authority, Credibility, Trust & Visibility". Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  7. ^ (in Italian) "Nasce Lumen, agenzia per la brand identity", Today Pubblicità, 3 September 2003
  8. ^ (in Italian) "Per la brand identity nasce Lumen, fondata da Smith e Rovatti", Daily Media, 4 September 2003
  9. ^ "Lumen: Clients". Lumengroup.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  10. ^ (in Italian) "Lumen in Triennale con il progetto Zacapa Centenario", Pubblicità Italia, 8 July 2009
  11. ^ (in Italian) Paola Setti, "La Triennale brinda al rum", Packaging & Design, November 2009, pp. 92-93
  12. ^ a b c "MyMarketing, Brand Identity GrandPrix 2011– La parola ai vincitori" (in Italian). MyMarketing.net.
  13. ^ a b c "UNICOM, 2010 Design Awards: Italian winners list". Unicomitalia.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  14. ^ "Red Dot Awards: 2009 Winners list (.xls file)". Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  15. ^ "Prelius, Wilson Daniels ltd". Wilsondaniels.com. Retrieved 2011-07-13.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ a b c d "UNICOM, 2008 Design Awards: Italian winners list". Unicomitalia.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  17. ^ a b "UNICOM, 2007 Design Awards: Italian winners list". Unicomitalia.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  18. ^ "Ferrarelle Water: Bronze Pentawards". Global Package Gallery.
  19. ^ "Pentawards for Bottle Waters". Finewaters.com.
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