Confessions of a (bad) ad man
Jan 7, 2015
A year in review from a brand designer in a mad ad world
It's the end of the year and like everyone, I allow myself to get a bit more retrospective than usual — every shower is spent wandering through the past year's lessons, the dark at night invites a longer meander through your subconscious — and a few notions have percolated to the top.
Most of my work life is spent working for the ad shop of all ad shops — Ogilvy. I work in a rather unique circumstance where I get the opportunity to work on more brand-focused creative — logos, identities, brand standards — rather than the traditional advertising work. I still work on a fair amount of advertising, but it's allowed me to pursue what I am actually good at and has given me the opportunity to work with some of the drop-dead most talented design thinkers I've met. It has also given me a unique perspective on the idea of the brand voice/experience — I'm allowed to survey the intersection where brand identity and advertising collaborate. The holiday break has allowed me to take a look at this with a refreshed pair of eyes.
Personally, I'm seeing a dramatic shift in how the audience interacts with brands — this is not a new idea, it has been kicked around for a long time, but it really stood out to me this year. And I say audience, instead of consumer, because I see that as part of the shift. Traditionally, advertising and brand communication were done on a one-way street. Brands talked with consumers through a series of missives — above-the-line (mass-media) and below-the-line (direct mail, e-mail, banners, landing pages, etc.) advertising. Some places are more integrated through the applications, but for the most part, I still see this as a major misstep — the separation doesn't make sense anymore — it makes your brand voice feel disparate and desperate.
The audience is now king — interacting with brands on their terms, and for the most part, hunting down the information they need. Every step, and every notion is a brand moment. Now — that lowly "below-the-line" landing page — once dismissed and outsourced — is now your most-effective brand voice moment. Every landing page is now your home page — it needs to present your brand as a first impression moment. And that page needs to be intelligent, it needs to know where that viewer came from, changing the content to be relevant to that viewer, and it needs to reflect your brand's tone and manner through aesthetics and coding.
Yep, that's right — I said it, it has to be coded in a way to reflect your brand — cue the segue! Websites are no longer the last in line of brand application. I would argue, that the same fervor and passion that is applied to nuance a brand voice, and a logotype's kerning, should be applied to how your brand feels through interaction. Your website is now your brand's first face-to-face with the audience, and it should look, feel, and act like your brand in every instance — it is your salesperson of the year, every year. I know identity guidelines include a digital section, that is ever expanding, but they need to go beyond the traditional structures of header typeface, body text and button styles. I think there is a chance to introduce more of a GitHub idea to brand guidelines.
Brand timing as code. The same way you spec Pantone values and logo clearspace — but for how your site moves.
The basic tenets of all web design are the same, but the variation that current web standards allow for are staggering. How your site is responsively built, fluid, layout shift, column drop and the simple addition of transitions change how your site feels aesthetically — something clean and simple may convey a sense of elegance, something structured and rigid can convey a sense of integrity and strength. Does it make sense to have a luxury brand with a super structured and rigid site or maybe something that feels more open and fluid? These are questions that we need to ask ourselves in the new branding world. We spend time creating brand mnemonics, maybe we should partner with our developers to create brand code snippets — brand specific CSS transitions, some brand specific jQuery, a way to create a unique brand experience online. Maybe it makes more sense to start testing your logo on your website, Instagram, and Facebook accounts first? The classic, will it fax test, is now your starting point — does this logo read as a thumbnail/icon?
I think that is our challenge as brand designers and brand stewards. How do we help create better brands as the world evolves. The classic applications of business cards, advertising, and marketing materials are obviously still tantamount — but our first interaction has shifted from these moments to our brand audience googling us, visiting our webpage, checking out our Instagram feed. How do we create a more branded experience that is "mobile-first"? How do we shift from the traditional brand/ad model to a more integrated approach that is spoken about — but more often never carried through in application? I was just asked what my new year's resolution is — it's trying to help brands create stronger first impressions through better digital interaction.
—
This private publication is not affiliated with my employers or professional associations. Personal blog, personal opinions. Not speaking for anyone but myself. ✌️
