INTRODUCTION TO SAW
HOW STRATEGIC DESIGN CAN HELP YOU GROW STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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TO SAY THE PUPOSE OF BUSINESS IS TO MAKE MONEY IS LIKE SAYING THE PUPOSE OF LIVING IS TO BREATHE. STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
AN INTRODUCTION TO SAW’S DISTINCTIVE WORK PRACTICES INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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This document is not a sales pitch. We are not specialists in any one industry, nor are we part of an international agency network. You will find case studies and work samples on our Behance site that may have some content relevant to your sector; you can see that many of our people have international experience. But we’re not going to try to spin those facts to appear to magically fit your requirements.
Instead, SAW is offering a distinctive choice to add to the marketing options that are familiar to you. We recognize that we may disqualify ourselves right from the start by being so forthright. That’s a risk we’re willing to take.
“ What is to give light must endure burning.” - Viktor Frankl
We’d like you to know what type of company we are, so that there are no surprises later on. The first thing is — we’re not an advertising agency or a conventional design firm.
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INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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SO WHAT IS SAW? STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
SAW is a strategic design studio. We believe that critical thinking about the way humans communicate with each other can lead to changes in behaviour.
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When we look at a business problem, we take a strategic perspective, using design methods to develop a humancentred solution. SAW also believes that business can be a force for good. What we mean is that business can — and should — have a moral purpose. (What we don’t mean is that ‘business is a force for good’ is a useful branding device that makes you look philanthropic.)
In our view, some businesses can address some of the world’s most pressing problems more effectively than any other type of organization, using their scale and expertise to effect real change. Those are the kinds of businesses we want to work with.
The human element in business is often forgotten or ignored. Every aspect of the workplace and the marketplace is governed by the interaction of human emotion and rationality.
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HUMANS ARE COMPLICATED... STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
AND THAT’S A GOOD THING INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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One of the aims of modern marketing has been to simplify these very complex human interactions, attitudes and behaviours into easily explicable systems. A good example of that is generational marketing, grouping people by their age into Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and so on. These are a useful shorthand when discussing big picture concepts and conducting thought experiments. But they have severe limitations in the real world.
SAW takes the view that we should embrace the complexity of our humanity, rather than trying to reduce ourselves to a collection of data cells. Our approach to communication is empirical, because we accept that we can never know what people are really thinking. In other words, we are interested in what works, regardless of theoretical obstacles. We experiment, we test and then we improve.
SAW takes a very unusual view in our industry — the view that the most powerful weapon at a company’s disposal is the truth about who it is and what it does. That’s why we talk more about your unchanging character and your intrinsic purpose than we talk about your brand.
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PURPOSE AND CHARACTER: STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN BRAND INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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SAW’s strategic design approach has consequences for clients that may be unexpected. We concentrate on what we can know for sure. As we mentioned before, one certainty is the purpose of your business; it’s the non-negotiable reason for your existence, the store of all your value. Only when we know your purpose can we begin to communicate the character of the business truthfully and consistently. The process of identifying, articulating and agreeing on your purpose can be uncomfortable and frustrating, as
purpose is often obscured by dayto-day concerns and other business imperatives. The process is collaborative and iterative, requiring candour and patience on both sides. But it’s always worth the effort. What SAW brings is a practised approach to uncovering what’s really important to clients, even if they don’t necessarily see it in themselves. Purpose is derived from real, basic needs — like demand for food, shelter, safety and health — that are shared by many people across the world. Branding is not the solution to those needs; the products and services you offer are the solution.
That is why we take a design approach, not a branding approach. For us, branding is like the clothes we wear, which can be changed depending on the weather. A strategic design approach looks to the person wearing the clothes; what motivates them, what is their unchanging character, what are their values. Our aim is to reveal and demonstrate your products and services in a practical way, using the right communication tools, both analog and digital. Branding is subordinate to this strategic intent.
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CHANGING BEHAVIOUR... STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
IS THE BEST OUTCOME FOR EVERYONE INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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In our industry, there are three levels of communication. The first, and easiest, is to inform: to reach a certain group of people with targeted messaging. The second level is to change perception, somewhat more difficult to achieve: branding is often used to draw attention away from negative attributes towards the more positive. The third level is the most difficult and the most worthwhile: changing behaviour requires a demonstration of the problem-solving potential of a product or service.
For SAW, behaviour change is the only real evidence that communication is working. Our strategies are designed, wherever possible, to lead to behaviour change that supports the company’s purpose because that is of real benefit to the end user. Strategic design sets real human behaviour at the centre of every decision we make, creatively or otherwise. All the evidence suggests that the best measurement of success in communication is when the target audience changes its behaviour in your favour, and sustains that behaviour over time.
STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
WHAT DOES OUR PROCESS LOOK LIKE? INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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SAW’s process is inherently
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE & CHARACTER
flexible because no two clients are identical. Nevertheless, there are
DISCOVERY
DESIGN OF DELIVERABLES
three general phases that need to happen in the right order to be effective.
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OUR PROCESS CONTINUED
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If you visualize our process, it tends to look like two funnels with the narrow ends meeting in the middle. Where those two ends meet is where we will deliver our two key documents: #1 is The Character & Purpose document, which — no surprise — contains a clear statement of your purpose and character; #2 is the Strategic Direction document, which sets out how your character and purpose is best expressed to your key audiences. We won’t do any work on deliverables until these two documents are signed off. Once we have them, we can begin to build communications platforms, using all
of our craft, secure in the knowledge that your purpose is understood across the entire team. Your purpose imbues your services and products with meaning, so that end-users can see how they solve fundamental problems. Getting to those strategic documents is the toughest part of the process. This is where we generate enormous amounts of information collectively, assess it, argue over it, and come to a judgment. It takes time, so you will need patience. It requires us to get at the truth, so we need to be honest and transparent with one another.
This process also leads to a very clear understanding of your business objectives. Instead of beginning with a pre-determined list of communication items, we let each objective determine the most effective and relevant manner to achieve it. Where a company is clear on its character and purpose, these documents can be replaced by a Project Diary that simply re-states our understanding of who you are and what you stand for.
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SOME IMPORTANT HOUSEKEEPING STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO
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ABILITY TO DELIVER ON A WIDE RANGE OF
A MORE STRATEGIC INTERVIEW PROCESS
COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS PLATFORMS
Our strategic approach begins here, at the selection stage. We recognize that you will want to look at our work, some of which is available online at Behance. In addition, we’d be more than happy for you to speak to our clients to hear firsthand what service levels you can expect.
SAW possesses all the craft skills necessary to create the communication deliverables you will need, including three-dimensional environments. We have in-house creative teams, video production and coding. In our view, the production of materials is made more efficient by a clear understanding of what each initiative is designed to achieve. We work diligently to define scope and provide counsel on an appropriate budget to cover the deliverables outlined. If our strategic process uncovers a need for new deliverables, or some communications channels become less important, we’ll adjust accordingly.
We believe that establishing our approach is the most important step. If you don’t agree on our strategic approach, there’s little value in pursuing the finer detail of our work history and personnel.
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HOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SAW INTRODUCTION TO SAW
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SAW’s website sawstrategic.com explains more about our approach. Through that site you can find our Behance page, and the Behance pages of our colleagues, plus LinkedIn profiles. You can follow us on Linkedin , Twitter, Instagram , Medium and Google+.
STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO