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THE MEANING OF BRAND IT’S GOOD TO BE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID CARSON ISSUE 1 NZ $9.90
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DAVID CARSON
THE MEANING OF BRAND by George Anastasiadis
Of all the legacies that were left to this world by the works of marketing, the concept of ‘ the brand’ is probably the most well-known and easily recognisable, but at the same the most elusive by far. The thing is that in reality the concept of “brand’ is deceptively simple. Ask anyone, and they would come up on the spot with tens of good examples of a ‘typical’ brand. Ask however for a satisfying definition, and things begin to get really murky. It is not that people - professionals or not - cannot grasp what the whole issue of branding is all about, it is just that the very concept seems to have so many facets that it is hard for anyone to come down with a satisfactory definition that covers all the important stuff in one go.
Some would prefer to talk about the market name by which a certain product is known, others would rather focus on imagery and emotional connections, others still on the potential of brands to add value and their differentiating capacity, while others, more blunt, would just talk about their increased capacity to create shareholder value. In a sense, every definition is right in its own way. A brand is many things at the same time. There is no brand without a physical embodiment of some short (be that a tangible product, a space, an interaction or a person). There is no brand without an image, despite the fact that this in most of the cases differs quite substantially between the bold statements written in brand manuals and what is recorded in collective representation. Acting as a differentiating agent and adding value are some of the
reasons that justify a brand’s existence, although some would argue that there are historically successful brands that lacked these and whose success was based on other factors, such as low cost. This may have a grain of truth in it, but in any case it is increasingly difficult in the world we live in. And finally, despite the facts that not all brands are out to make money (personbrands usually are not, and so aren’t institutional brands such as Greenpeace or Medecins Sans Frontieres), one would argue that a good brand would make an effort that rides under its wings far more successful (be that money, fame, support by the people and so on) compared to an effort that is based on no branding at all. Trying hard to come up with a proper all-inclusive definition of branding, we cannot avoid
"One cannot afford the luxury of not dealing with every single detail, no matter how mundane or even frustrating this may seem - because great buildings are built of humble, single bricks." to make it as lengthy as this: A Brand is a collection of perceptions about an entity (a company, product or service but also a cultural or education institution, not-for-profit organization or charity, political party, country, city or area, sports team, or even a person) that-builds consistent and lasting connections of the entity with people’s hearts and minds, -creates trust that the entity will be true to the promises and the values it represents and-shapes the experiences of people when they come in contact with it, physically or mentally. And, at last, what is branding? Yes, a brand is all these and more - but what is branding? Is it just the creation and management of brands? It has to be structured, because gut feel, creativity and enthusiasm are nice things to have, but getting were you want to go demands plans, processes, safeguards and contingencies. This seems quite obvious, but the glorification of the emotional aspects of brand management can lead things astray. On close view, the resentment of some for science (statistics, psychology, cultural studies and so on) and the ideas of plan and method can sometimes be quite appalling. Planning is not the nemesis of creativity - it is its facilitator, and the only way to make it realise its potential. It has to be holistic, because brands are so complex and
ultimately fragile that they offer thousands of ways to go wrong with them. It’s easy to focus on “we-will-conquer-the universe’ master plans, while forgetting the details and losing the plot in the process. One cannot afford the luxury of not dealing with every single detail, no matter how mundane or even frustrating this may seem - because great buildings are built of humble, single bricks. And these bricks in our case are perceptions, expectations and experiences. Focus too much on one of them while ignoring the others, and the result can be really disappointing - and occasionally catastrophic. Focus on the creation of perceptions (imagery through communication or packaging for instance) without delivering on the actual experience, and you get disillusioned, frustrated or even angry consumers. Focus only on the actual experience (for example the taste of a product) without creating a given set of expectations (who is this product about? what should I expect to get out of it and why does it suit me in particular?) and you get misunderstandings and disappointments. These things go together, and importantly enough, they should go together in harmony and balance. These simple guidelines indeed apply to every marketable entityfrom the obvious products and services, to the less obvious such as politicians, institutions, areas and holiday resorts, and even whole countries. Luckily enough for us marketers, human beings are reassuringly alike in many ways. We want from our
brands what basically we want from people we interact with: an engaging, fruitful, rewarding give and take relationship. Our philosophy The way we view our job is to help brands achieve their maximum potential by making sure that things work the way they should - from start to finish. Branding for us is a process that combines planning and creation, left and right brain in equal measures. The process of defining the brand is key and, apart from strategic thinking, demands also high levels of creativity. The process of designing a compelling, suitable and differentiating verbal and visual identity is equally important and, apart from creativity, demands also high levels of strategic thinking. Those processes, require that each of us, marketing consultants or designers, act as strategists and creatives at the same time. And more than that, think as brand developers, but also think as consumers, and be in the shoes of our customers. By realizing the complexity of the task, we respect its demands and focus our efforts on delivering seamless, working solutions that produces clear-
cut, measurable results. milk connotes substance, freshness and care; we always try hard to ensure that we remain true to those promises.
Sourced from: http://www. allgraphicdesign.com/ graphicsblog/2007/04/26/ graphic-design-brandsbranding/
It’s good to be a graphic designer by Todd Bertsch
Todd Bertsch received a Bachelors degree in Fine and Applied Arts, with a concentration in Graphic Design, from the University of Akron. He has been working for both design firms and his own design consulting firm bertschdesign for over 10 years. He’s also the Editor/Creative Director of the popular graphic design resource portal www. designdump.com. After reading the November issue of How Magazine’s article by Bryn Mooth, entitled “Follow Your Heart” (which is a very awesome, inspiring article, I might add). I felt compelled to share my thoughts on why I feel it’s good to be a graphic designer. Well, we know it’s not for the FAME & Glory. Or the humongous salaries. However, there are several reasons why we must not take for granted our great gift of communication; the excitement that we bring into text everyday, the designs and imagery we bring to life, the magic… A skill We’re designers because it’s fun and exciting. A God given talent. A skill, we sometimes take for granted. Most people in the business world don’t have a skill to hold tight to their chest. They may have the intelligence and a degree, but not a skill. We have something tangible. A portfolio. A gallery of designs. NOT many people have this. A skill that we can tap into to manufacture extra money for our families. Which reminds me of an enlightening conversion around the fire pit. I was talking to a friend a couple weeks ago
and he said “You know Todd, I really envy you.” I said, “Really? Why?” He says, “You have a skill. And you have the opportunity to use that skill at home to make extra money anytime you like.” He continues… “Your lucky. I would love to have something like that.” Then it hit me. He’s exactly right. Sometimes we quickly forget what we have. Thanks for the reminder Ken. Passion Passion for every project big or small. Some say we’re quirky or even weird. Damn tootin. We have to see the world in a different way. Otherwise the world would all look the same. Every time we lay our fingers into the keyboard or wrap our hands around that mouse, it’s magic. It’s our stamp. Like a master piece of artwork on display at the Louve, it has our name on it and we’re damn proud of that. We are a unique breed. Other colleagues envy us. That’s right, we actually like to come to work. It’s like being a kid in toy store. Power The power to communicate, to deliver a message so important and so invoking that it triggers something inside a human being. Something that makes them stop and think. The power to influence someone’s decision. Shape lives. Contribute our skill and time to life saving organizations. It’s your canvas. Your time. The thrill True, we all have our not-so-posh days of setting paragraphs of text, cutting a background out of an image, or copying and pasting many lines of code. But at the end of the day, you have to admit, it was fun. Like a never ending roller coaster. You can’t be totally creative everyday. But when you’re in the zone, it’s a
great feeling. What a thrill. The security As Bryn Mooth professed; Designers are here to stay. Most everything else can be automated and shipped overseas. But not good design. Nope. This delicate, fragile and often times crazy profession, needs creativity and whit, in which can’t be shipped out. Ups, Fed ex, DHL…Nope, ain’t happening. Yep, most of us are labeled as the “strange ones”. Sorry, we see things differently. With that comes a shield of security. True the economy has not been the most prosperous, but at least we are not being shipped out. The stories That one story you’ll never forget. It’s like golf. You could be destroying the greens all day long, then you sink that one 30 foot putt for par, and your hooked. You’ll be back for more. I think of graphic design like that sometimes. You may not win many awards for your work. You may not get the pat on the backs that you know you deserve from your clients or peers. But, there will be that one story. That one experience that locks you in. That 30 foot putt for par. Here’s one of mine It was senior year of undergrad school and a few design buddies decided we would get together and start to develop some freelance work. One of the guys had landed us a small project. Not a big money maker. Not a glamorous design project by all means. But it was an opportunity none the less. The project entailed creating an invitation to promote the opening of a new downtown club’s Martini & Cigar Room (the couture of the time). So we designed the invitation with a newly designed
Martini Lounge Logo with a personal touch. How such a small element could make the piece come to life. We proceeded to punch an actual cocktail toothpick through the paper. Thank goodness their staff helped us out with that task. The amazing part about being at the opening was watching the full experience. The full life cycle of the invitation. The recipients (a few select hundred
people) arrived with invitation in hand, eager to join the celebration. And to enjoy a few stinky cigars. But, the interesting part of the evening was when we noticed that everyone (or most everyone) was stilling holding onto their invitation. In fact, they even asked the hostess if they could keep it. They just didn’t want to part with it. Now that was cool! It was a good day.
Design is all around us. It’s Everywhere. We can not get away from it. In the end, it’s what we do. It’s all we know. We are graphic designers…and that’s a good thing.
An Interview with David Carson By Chad Neuman
David Carson is considered by many to be one of the world’s most influential graphic designers. He describes himself as a “hands-on” designer and has a unique, intuition-driven way of creating everything from magazines to TV commercials. In addition to various awards and achievements for his graphic design and typography work, Carson has also written books on design, including The End of Print (with Lewis Blackwell), Trek: David Carson, Recent Werk, and the soon-to-be-released The Rules of Graphic Design. Graphis magazine referred to Carson as a “Master of Typography.” I.D. magazine included Carson in their list of “America’s most innovative designers.” In Newsweek magazine, a feature article said of Carson: “…he changed the public face of graphic design.” Emigre, a graphic design journal that ran for 21 years up until 2005, devoted an entire issue to Carson. His long list of clients includes American Express, AT&T, Atlantic Records, Budweiser, CNN, Levi’s, MTV, Sony, Toyota, Warner Bros., and Xerox, to name just a few.
Carson travels throughout the United States and the world, speaking at seminars and conferences on topics of graphic design and typography. He also enjoys surfing and at one time was a professional surfer. Layers: David, could you tell us a little about your new book? Carson: It’s called The Rules of Graphic Design. I’m working on it now in Zurich, Switzerland, where I have a small studio, besides my one in the states. It will show a lot of the new work I’ve done over the past few years, and will, as the title suggests, finally get the official “rules” out on graphic design. It should be out early spring 2008. My first workshop I ever attended on graphic design was in Switzerland, so the book will no doubt be affected by my being here. I started it in the states and it will be finished there. Layers: As one of the most wellknown and influential graphic designers in the world, how do you balance work and play? Do you still get to surf often? Carson: I’ve always felt I make my living from my hobby, so I’m
lucky in that respect. As Marshall McLuhan said, if you’re totally involved in something, it is no longer work, it’s “play or leisure.” I surf in the Caribbean every winter. There’s a perfect point break in my front yard. I watch the Internet surf reports, and when a swell is coming, I head down to the British West Indies. It’s a very special place and helps me recharge. Layers: When creating a design such as a magazine cover, article, or website, what are a few of the most important things a designer should consider? Carson: Who is the audience, what is that audience’s visual language, what type of things are they seeing? How can you communicate and reinforce visually what is written or spoken, and how can you stand out from the competition in that particular field? Layers: You redesigned Surfer Magazine in 1991 and founded Ray Gun as well. How does redesigning a medium, whether it’s a magazine or advertising campaign, differ from creating something from scratch?
Carson: In some ways they are very similar. You have to determine who the audience is, and what is the message you want to portray through the design. A new design gives you a bit more freedom, as you can help define the language. I think Ray Gun helped establish a certain visual language for alternative music. But redesigning, or inventing something new, both have their challenges and rewards, and I enjoy both. As long as you look for the solution in the particular thing you are working on, and not some predetermined formula or system, you will never run out of ideas. Layers: I remember attending a seminar when you spoke at a local school here in Central Florida years ago, and you told us a story about where you had the text in a magazine article covered up or unreadable, but the layout was spectacular. Do you have any other humorous or quirky stories of editors getting mad that your layout caused the article to be unreadable? Carson: You might be referring to the article I set in the font Dingbat, largely because I found the article very boring. To start designing, I have to read the article, or brief it or listen to the music, to see where it takes me visually and emotionally. It was [a] bit funny, maybe, that at Ray Gun some of the writers complained early that their articles were hard to read. But then by the 30th issue, the same writers would complain if they thought their articles were too easy to read! The layout came to signal something worthwhile to read, so the writers came to look forward to see how their words were interpreted. Layers: Some have said that you are heavily influenced by the ocean. Is that true, and where do you find other sources of inspiration when creating a design? Carson: My environment always influences me. I’m always taking photos and I believe things I see
and experience influence the work. Not directly, but indirectly in some shape or color or something that registers. The ocean has always played a big part in my life, but it’s hard to say exactly what that influence is in regards to the work. But I’m always scanning the environment I’m in, and I’m sure it ends up in the work. I think it’s really important that designers put themselves into the work. No one else has your background, upbringing, life experiences, and if you can put a bit of that into your work, two things will happen: you’ll enjoy the work more, and you’ll do your best work. Otherwise, we don’t really need designers—anyone can buy the same programs and learn to do “reasonable, safe” design. Layers: You have branched out into directing television and video commercials. What aspects of print design do you also use when directing video? Do you often focus on typography as a major part of it? Carson: I’m often asked to direct commercials where the type plays an important role, and sometimes I add type to other peoples’ work. My approach is very similar to print: who is the audience, what is the emotion of the spot, or the feeling we want the viewer to get from watching, and how visually can we make that happen? Layers: Could you give an example of a video project that you enjoyed directing? What software do you or your associates use when creating these, and do they include Adobe After Effects? Carson: After Effects is hugely important in the commercials I work on. It’s hard to imagine how we did them before. Well, actually I know—we did them in very expensive suites in postediting houses in Los Angeles and New York! I just did some work for Saturn cars, and it was almost all done with After Effects. It’s clearly the best tool for motion graphics.
I directed an in-flight commercial for American Airlines—a 90-second spot—that I enjoyed very much, from casting the actors to selecting footage to having some fun with the type. I also made a commercial for the band Nine Inch Nails for the MTV music awards, and the launching of Lucent Technologies, which were type-only spots. In general, I’m drawn more toward moving images and type, but I’ll always do print, even though “print has ended.” Layers: Finally, what advice would you have for other graphic designers just starting out? Carson: Do what you love, trust your gut, your instincts, and intuition. And remember the definition of a good job: If you could afford to, if money wasn’t an issue, would you do the same work? If you would, you’ve got a great job! If you wouldn’t, what’s the point? You’re going to be dead a long time. So find that thing, whatever it is, that you love doing, and enjoy going to work for, and not watch the clock or wait for weekends and holidays. For more information on David Carson, visit www. davidcarsondesign.com. Sourced from: http://layersmagazine. com/an-interview-with-davidcarson.html