By Annie Phan, @deca.annie | Decatur High School, WA
Who is Miffy?
Miffy is a little white bunny with two black eyes and an X-shaped mouth, and has skyrocketed in popularity over the last three years. How could such a simple-looking bunny go so viral these days?
Well, the answer is in the question: the fact that Miffy’s design is so simple that people of all ages enjoy her. Miffy, the character, came to life in 1955 from the Dutch artist Dick Bruna. Her real name is Nijntje, and she started as a character in children’s books. When I first saw Miffy, I thought she was just a simple bunny on a shirt. I would’ve never thought that she was a character created for children.
She can be put on anything from shirts to cups to lamps, and it won’t be seen as “childish” as she is so minimal and only has three solid bright colors. There are also variations of Miffy (clothing, festive, colors), but they still fit within the Miffy brand. From the font, to the colors, to the design– it’s versatile and appealing to all ages.
Minimal branding has become popular now because it stands out, as most branding already has many elements. For example, Poppi is a prebiotic soda company that makes better-for-you soda. They use solid, bright colors, a matte finish on their cans and straightforward typography. They actually rebranded, and before they had a completely different look that wasn’t as eye-catching as their current look. And now you see Poppi everywhere, thanks to simple, effective branding.
Miffy Connection In Competition
When you’re competing in your role-play, you want to have real-world industry examples of the PI you’re talking about to show that you know what’s going on.
For example, with the PI “Explain the nature of product/service branding,” you can talk about how you can make your product/service's brand more minimalist to help it stand out. You can explain how Miffy is a current example of that simplicity and talk about its success.
Dick Bruna, the creator of Miffy, also supported and donated to various charities. We also know that he created Miffy for children and made the things that he drew easy for kids to recognize.
These elements contribute to the corporate brand of Miffy; relating to another PI: “Explain the nature of corporate branding.” You can talk about Dick Bruna’s purpose in creating Miffy and their mission, which is “...to encourage children to develop and value their own identity and to express themselves in their own way.”
This is just one of the many examples you can use for your PI, but a real-world connection is definitely what will make you stand out amongst competitors!
