it’s one of the core principles of an integrated report (<ir>). but many clients seem to think it’s one of the hardest. we’ll get to that in a minute – but spoiler alert: it isn’t really.

first, let’s consider why the <ir> framework considers it an important principle. basically, it’s because it’s really not that useful to look at material issues in isolation. there are interdependencies there whether you’ve noticed them consciously or not. and if you can surface these connections and the trade-offs between issues, it becomes easier to understand just how they affect each other. which in turn influences decision-making.

and here’s that easy way to get started that i alluded to above: in my experience, even if an organisation hasn’t been through a formal integrated thinking process, threads naturally occur and it’s just a matter of using fresh eyes to look at the tapestry to find the sometimes not-so-obvious synergies. because – credit to your leadership - there’s usually a strategy at play and you can join the dots if you look closely enough. 

and while this isn’t as good as being crisply intentional in strategy activation, at least it gives you a place to start if you’re embarking on an integrated reporting journey in an organisation that hasn’t yet got a level of maturity in its integrated thinking.

most annual reports contain some form of case studies these days. they’re used to illustrate a strategy in action and provide proof points for directional statements. analyse your case studies. you may be surprised at how many of them tick more than one of your strategy boxes, and impact more than one of your stakeholder groups or desired outcomes.

once you’ve identified them, surface them and actively join the dots. explain how the examples deliver on your strategies or help you towards a stated kpi goal. different case studies can deliver to different goals of course, but you will probably find that some actually deliver to more than one.

here are a couple of examples from watercare and vector which illustrate how we’ve actively helped the reader connect case studies to more than one of the business’s goals and strategies.

watercare:

note how each of these case studies reports back to watercare’s stated strategic goals (highlighted by the red boxes):

 vector:

so, look closely at your in-market activities. you may be surprised that they meet more than just commercial objectives. and take another look at your stories about your people, the environment and the community – you may well find that each meets more than one of your stated strategies.

having got to this point, you can now start to be more intentional in your non-financial planning, goal setting and kpi measurements. before you know it, integrated thinking will be happening in your organisation.

a number of recent new business wins have reminded me how much i love working on new clients. don’t get me wrong, i’m not the sort of guys who are attracted by the ‘newest and shiniest thing’ but i love the learning and discovery that comes from building your understanding of a business and an industry. 

new clients, especially those in industries you’ve not worked in before, deliver a level of stimulation and curiosity that you don’t get with clients you know inside and out.

as a strategist, i get to work with many of our new clients helping to deliver the ‘insights’ bit of insight creative. that means a mix of business, communication and channel strategy to ensure that the work we do delivers the results clients need.

i start most new client relationships by reading their annual report. some are better than others but all give me a sense of who the organisation is and what they see as important. the good ones give you a clear sense of the direction they are driving the business and an appreciation of their strengths and opportunities. the style of the report tells me something about the tone of the organisation and their focus on the needs of their stakeholders.

i tend to follow this up with a bit of online research, starting with a media search for the category. this helps me understand external pressures – like consumer trends, politics, supply issues, technology, etc - that drive company decision.

by now, i have learnt a who lot of stuff i didn’t know about the industry and the business. chances are that i also have a whole lot of questions so catching up with some of the client’s leadership team helps round out the picture. in these discussions i generally focus in on three areas:

• the value chain to understand how they make money and where growth will come from. after all, our work will be part of how they drive that growth;
• the audiences they are aiming for, what drives them and the unique value proposition they offer each audience; and
• the culture of the organisation particularly around decision-making, change, risks and innovation. this gives me a good sense of how far we’ll be able to push our ideas and design.

this process isn’t just about what i enjoy and my learning. the output is a session with everyone who will work on this new client to talk through what we’ve learnt and what that means in terms of how we best work with them.

i see too many clients hesitating to get on the integrated reporting bus. often because they perceive that there’s a lot of internal change needing to happen before this is possible. sometimes it’s because they’re waiting for leadership and board to make such a far-reaching decision. but equally often it’s because they don’t know quite where to start. this article is designed to help you conquer all of the above and get started on the journey anyway.

certainly, if the aim is for a fully-fledged, assurance-quality integrated report, then a lot of ducks need to be lined up, and the board needs to make an active and mindful decision.

but here’s the thing: the <ir> report is not an absolute. so you don’t need to tick all their boxes to get started. even if you use the framework as it is intended – as a framework – to guide your approach, you’ll be on the bus. personally, i spent too long thinking of the <ir> principles as ‘must haves’ in total. i’ve since learnt that while this comprehensiveness is an end-game goal, it’s the ‘notion’ that has the most power. and the iirc (international integrated reporting council) themselves will applaud you for just starting on the journey, because they know you’ll only get better from there, over time.

i have <ir> clients that don’t call their report an integrated report but are starting to apply some of the core principles to their approach. they know that when they grow up they want to be a ‘real’ integrated report. but they also know that this is a game that you can’t master overnight.

so think about starting the integrated reporting journey as <ir> on trainer wheels. perhaps you can’t yet join all the dots between the various action streams to cross-credit cause and effect. perhaps you haven’t quite got the board across the line yet. but those things aren’t a barrier to applying the integrated reporting lens to your report.

so, where to start

the following are very subjective views on what principles you should include in order to start on the journey. a purist may well disagree – after all there are a whole 19 requirements in the <ir> framework, and some are more onerous than others. but what’s important here is the spirit - and in the spirit of ‘extended external reporting’ and using some the framework ideas in <ir>, here’s where i’d be thinking:

1. tell the story of how you create value over time. this shows you understand your business drivers, how your business model makes money and has the right impacts on people and planet. if you do that right, the story should be unique, separating your company from others you’re competing with – for capital, for talent, for distribution, for consumers.
2. purpose beyond profit. as soon as you start thinking about the impacts you’re having beyond money-making, somehow the ground shifts and you start thinking differently about business. the really strange thing is that the research shows that companies that think more broadly and apply systems thinking to their entire operation, end up making more money and lowering their cost of capital. go figure, but the facts speak for themselves.
3. risk. being aware of future, potential, latent risk is the first step towards resilience to it. that’s making your business sustainable. and that’s my definition of ‘sustainability’. whether that’s competition risk, supply chain risk, talent risk, climate change risk – if you’ve got a plan to mitigate it, you’re more likely to survive. your capital providers, talent pool, suppliers and consumers tend to like survival.
4. future focus. closely linked with risk, but also looping in opportunities, looking ahead and having clear strategies to optimise on both provides comfort and trust.
5. strategy. lay out your core plan. what activations are you planning to achieve your purpose, mitigate risk, minimise harm, assure future sustainability, meet your stakeholders most important needs, and make the desired profit. belief equals trust.
6. materiality. i have a far too simplistic view of materiality, i acknowledge. but where possible, i like to keep things simple. the big benefit of knowing what your stakeholders hold as most important means that you can focus your strategic plan around those – and here’s the free set of steak knives: you only need to report on those, keeping your report concise.
7. connectivity. now we start to get a bit more woolly, and some things you do over there may be hard to prove affect what happens over here. but others are much easier to connect. if sanford don’t look after the ocean environment and fish stocks, for example, they may have trouble with their product volumes in a few years with kick-on risks in talent acquisition and regulatory controls among other fatal problems. so where you can show multiple impacts on your business strategy from a particular stance, initiative or policy, join the dots in your report.
8. frank and balanced. openness and transparency is what’s expected now, whether it’s an integrated report or not. the whole notion of ‘extended external reporting’ is to build trust in the organisation through disclosure and transparency.
   
   

if you believe you can tell a story around most of the above eight points, then you’re well on your way to being able produce a report that’s in the right spirit. over the years, your company’s thinking will mature, the performance data will become available, your thinking and reporting will become more sophisticated, and one day you may feel comfortable to label your report an integrated report.

don’t wait until you can tick all 19 boxes before you start. use the <ir> framework as a principles touchstone and to shift your mindset, and get going at whatever level is right for your company.

developing a brand strategy means making a number of significant decisions that drive multiple aspects of an organisation. working with clients, my aim is to agree brand principles upfront that help leadership teams and boards make sound, and consistent, business decisions.

developing a brand strategy is often seen as developing the brand model – sometimes called the brand pyramid or brand onion. the model defines what you want to stand for and it includes things like brand essence, proposition, personality and the customer value proposition. being clear on what you stand for informs your visual identity, marketing and communication strategies, product and service, culture programme and customer experience design.

but the brand model isn’t all of brand strategy. it’s just one of a number of significant decisions that will define the success of your branding programme. and that’s a good starting point for decision making. what will brand success look like and how will it be measured? being clear on this will inform many of your later decisions.  

a key starting decision is whether to take a single brand or multiple brand approach. both have pros and cons and work better in different markets and circumstances. because an approach can’t be perfect for all situations, many companies start with one approach and then adapt it over time, sometimes resulting in a confused hybrid. 

and of course, if you make the decision to go single brand – which brand will it be? which of the current ones or something new? if you are going multi-brand, what are the brand lines?

and then there’s brand architecture. these are decisions about how your brands are organised under an overarching approach. getting this right impacts brand equity, brand confusion and the cost effectiveness of your marketing activities. there are a number of organising approaches to consider from pure single masterbrand, to brand extensions, sub-branding, co-branding and brand endorser requirements. at this level we are also making decisions about language and naming conventions.

as one decision often informs the next, where possible i look to develop a decision tree to help drive the process. brand decisions often involve many decision-makers with their own business needs to fulfil. to help make consistent decisions, i always look to establish and agree a series of principles that can become the foundations for decision-making. these principles say something like “our brand must…” and generally come about by examining six key areas:

• business strategy– where will future growth come from? what’s the strategy for realising  growth? the vision and purpose of the organisation and market forces.
• audiences– who are the audiences and what are their physical and emotional needs the brand must appeal to?
• competitive differentiation– how differentiated is the market and what are the opportunities to create a unique proposition?
• strategic strengths– what competitive advantage does the organisation have that can be leveraged?
• customer experience– what’s the experience customers expect and you want to create for them?
• culture– what does the organisation value and what behaviours does it encourage?

often we end up with 10 – 12 principles. the trick is getting decision-makers to buy into these, and then stick to them. when we achieve this, everyone is aligned in their thinking and complex brand decisions can become pretty straight forward.

on a recent visit to melbourne, i was privileged enough to visit wooranna park primary in dandenong. privileged!? a visit to a primary school isn’t typically wrapped with the word ‘privileged’ – particularly if (as a parent) you make daily trips to your own – so let me explain.

on visiting the primary school, our group was welcomed by the principal (ray trotter) and tech-educator (kieran nolan). our welcome provided the most ‘ordinary’ thing about this school, because as we stepped through the doors it was clear that the school was anything but ordinary.

very quickly i realised this school is unlike most others. firstly, traditional classrooms don’t exist; instead, the learning spaces are rich and engaging in their own right. instead of rows of desks, you’re presented with learning spaces offering a real difference.

most of the spaces have been crafted to provide engaging and immersive environments designed to spark the imagination. in one area, you’re met with a giant spaceship, complete with a flight simulator. walking into another, you’re met by an impressive red dragon boat, designed to provide students with sea-faring adventures using google earth to guide them across (actual) oceans. 

the area where we started our journey was fully decked out with a green screen studio and supported a large array of technology and tools to provide students with a seemingly unlimited canvas of possibilities. fun fact: this technological space – officially named the ‘enigma portal’ – was democratically voted upon by students using blockchain voting – that the students set up.

to date, the school has been likened to disneyland rather than a typical learning space – a comparison that ray is obviously proud of. from where i sit, i can see three large flat-screen tvs – one of which is connected 24/7 to schools located in both new zealand and korea. in one corner, the school is creating an augmented reality sandbox (of particular interest to me as we’re undertaking a similar project); whilst in another, a cisco network suite allows students to design and build their own computer networks.

the technological toys didn’t stop there. we experienced 3d printing, robotics, minecraft virtual reality (vr) which they were programming, google earth experiences; and heard stories surrounding various bitcoin endeavours and the success of their mentoring programme – in which it pairs students with industry experts (recently pairing a student interested in black holes with an expert at nasa). that said, not everything was driven by technology. for the non-technical, we received invitations to stroke a selection of bearded dragons housed within their impressive nature classroom. 

remember, this is a primary school!

interestingly, despite all the technology, ray is a self-proclaimed technophobe and cites his level of technical prowess as (almost) mastering his mobile. however, this mismatch of technical savviness is quickly forgotten when you listen to him speak and hear his passion for teaching, his vision, and ultimately, why he’s expanding his students’ minds.

what about the educational value?

this is where it gets interesting.

firstly, let me start by saying i’m not (at any level) an expert on the australian educational system. in fact, my knowledge has been gained primarily by anecdotal means and in large, through the honesty offered up by ray and kieran and my interpretation of their stories.

educationally, wooranna park primary is duty bound to deliver the same educational curriculum as every other australian primary school – which they do. the primary tenets (as outlined by the government and as i understand them) are numeracy, literacy and student attendance. it’s here where ray believes the system is failing the next generation; in doing so, passionately reminding us that the world is full of learning opportunities beyond this outlined framework.

he goes on to reference buckminster fuller’s ‘knowledge doubling curve’ which (currently) suggests that human knowledge is doubling (roughly) every 12-months. but according to ibm the development of the ‘internet of things’ (iot) will lead to a doubling of knowledge every 12-hours. ray suggests that focusing primarily on numeracy and literacy (not forgetting attendance of course) won’t come close to preparing our children for the future.

however, this stance has come at a cost. ray uncomfortably and honestly shares that wooranna park is below-average through assessment by the national assessment program – literacy and numeracy (naplan). although, through this discomfort, his passion and pride surface again when you hear the long-list the other results & accolades the school has achieved. some of which could be argued rival the set curriculum.  

honestly, as his story unfolded, i initially perceived ray as a bit of a ‘bad-boy’, riding down the educational highway, offering up two fingers to an educational system that he felt was failing to prepare the minds of the future. a rebel born through a long career in teaching. however, by the end of our tour, i believe him more a visionary, with both his heart and head in the right place – although still carrying a smattering of bad-boy, but only insofar as to ensure he can continue to colour outside the lines and deliver a learning environment that continues to expand his students’ minds.

don’t get me wrong, numeracy and literacy will (obviously) remain core subjects, but our world continues to evolve. with the exponential momentum of augmented/virtual reality (ar/vr), artificial intelligence (ai), crypto-currencies and robotics (to name just a few), and the unprecedented access to new knowledge through the developing iot – why wouldn’t we want to prepare our children? why shouldn’t we be more prepared?

i wish ray and kieran all the luck in the world. they’ve inspired me. in our industry, technology changes… quickly. the solutions we deliver today won’t be the ones we provide tomorrow, and that’s exciting. it’s also encouraging to know that more digital natives are on their way, thanks to the efforts of schools like wooranna park.

i know this innovative approach to education won’t be for everyone. there may be flaws in the vision, glitches in the plan that are still yet to surface. from my perspective, i can’t see any –  can you? 

ps. i know wooranna park welcomes visitors to their school, so don’t be shy if you’re knocking about melbourne and looking for something different – reach out. 

an early brand project risk analysis on all possible perspectives can save a bunch of rework, awkward pauses and electrical appliance analogies! (keep reading and all that will make sense!)

working with a regional council a few years ago, we were commissioned to develop an inbound tourism and economic development identity. as part of this we were asked to reconsider the existing council identity that had been untouched for quite a few years.

after appropriate due diligence, briefing, creative exploration on multiple perspectives, and consultation, we arrived at a solution that was ready to present back to an array of councillors in their regional chambers. in slightly unfamiliar surroundings i pitched the concepts, with the occasional side-ways glance to our direct client to ensure i was on the right path and when finished, opened the floor up for questions.

there was general agreement that the conceptual thinking and ideas were a great leap forward, moving them from a decade or two ago into the future. they could clearly understand and see the visual improvements to a rather dated identity. however one rather mature gentleman took us all back to my opening rationale and challenged the ‘why’?

thinking on my feet and after an awkward pause, i used the analogy of progressively upgrading an electrical appliance that’s been reasonably reliable but some of the functions have started to not perform at 100%. the once white lustre had gone a bit yellow and the seal had started to go around the doors. what was once top of the line was now not so flash. the councillor didn’t quite grasp the concept and still disagreed. his perspective was fixed and firm.

the updated visual identity was by no means a radical solution in my eyes. it aligned to the desired outcomes in the brief, yet still this gentleman objects. yes, it was a departure from the existing identity. but while i saw evolution, he saw something of a revolution.

his objections were dutifully heard and considered, worked through at length within the consultation process and we ended up with something ever so slightly modified. so, what was the issue? 

so, what was the issue?

perspective. 

regardless of how strong or positive the new visual identity was; regardless of how well it was embraced by local iwi, hapu and the wider community, this gentleman’s perspective was fixed on fiscal responsibility, roi value and ‘why fix what isn’t broken’ (in his view).

what i had failed to do in my opening address was answer his deep-rooted question of value and benefit. and to be honest, i’m not sure i should have had to. not at this stage in the process. this should have been addressed a lot earlier by the management team. if this councillor had been engaged enough in the earlier consultations or identified as a potential risk and spoken to one-on-one, his comments may well have been cut off at the pass and less of a distraction to the rest of the presentation.  

at the post presentation debrief, our client informed us that the gentleman in questioned drove a car that was pretty much clapped out, bought decades earlier and was likely to drive it until it collapsed on him! his ‘why?’ question was clearly less about the council identity and more about his own very deep rooted and personal perspectives on the world in general. valid, but not identified early enough.

with both the council identity and the new economic/inbound tourism identity still hard at work for the council today, the lesson i’ve had reinforced by this experience is that it pays to scope all risks and listen to all perspectives to form appropriate responses as early as possible - saving a bunch of rework, awkward pauses and electrical appliance analogies!

ok, so i’ve put on a bit of weight lately but i still took exception to the recent description of me as a hippo. turns out they were right – i have been throwing a bit too much weight around when it comes to generating ideas. so i’ve put myself on a tight leash and i’m learning to tame my natural instincts.

let’s be honest, the best ideas aren’t always the ones that get chosen. how many times during my career have i been in this scenario: a roomful of managers listen to a strong pitch from the most senior person in the room. after the spiel, one or two people agree. the rest say nothing, reluctant to disagree or suggest better ideas. it’s the idea we end up going with even though, more often than not, it’s not even the best idea we’ve got.

and that’s the downside of involving hippos (highest-paid-person's opinion) in the early stages of idea generation. 

we hippos aren’t all bad

don’t get me wrong, we hippos aren’t all bad. teams often need us to lead the charge and to keep them focused on the goal. and not all our ideas are bad ideas. but hippos can stifle the creative process. the challenge is to not let them dominate creativity and innovative thinking. if you do, you may end up with very narrow ideas, based on one or two people's experiences and gut feel. worse still, you end up going with bad ideas that everyone’s afraid to challenge. in other words, how do you tame the hippo in the ideation process?

i’m the hippo in most brainstorms at work. i often feel that everyone is waiting for me to come up with the ideas or when ideas are presented, everyone looks to me to decide whether they are good or not. for ages this has frustrated me, but thinking about it now it says more about me, and the culture i’ve created, than it does about the team. and that’s why i’ve been trying some new things to self-silence my inner hippo and to help us generate better ideas. some approaches worked better than others and i definitely found some easier to do.

silencing the inner hippo

• co-creation – incorporating clients and wider groups into the brainstorming process. this introduces more people interested in the best outcomes rather than the politics of seniority. of course, the client becomes the most important person in the room. 
• silent brainstorming – using sticky notes and getting everyone to put all their ideas down first before coming up to present them one by one. every sticky note has equal value. this stops the first and loudest dominating the brainstorming. i’ve found this approach to be successful.
• using a voting system – where everyone gets to vote on ideas. every vote is equal and we focus on only the ideas with the most votes, regardless of whose they are. in these scenarios, i try and vote last to stop influencing what others may think.
• holding back - i’ve tried in a couple of brainstorms to actively stop myself from contributing ideas. i found this hard and wasn’t as successful at it as i needed to be! this puts the emphasis on others to generate the first ideas. in both cases there was awkward silence at the start but once they got into it, the team came up with some great ideas. 
• building on other’s ideas only – in another session, i set myself a goal to not generate any new ideas but to only build on other people's ideas. i enjoyed this and there were some good collective outcomes.
• playing a different role – rather than contributing ideas, i sometimes look to play a facilitator role, asking questions or offering insights that allow others to generate ideas. this approach lets me influence the direction without dominating the ideas.
• agreeing an ‘objective’ criteria – establishing the criteria for assessing ideas upfront allows all ideas to be considered on the same basis regardless of who came up with them. it also gives others a legitimate basis to challenge the hippo’s ideas. 

for most of my career i haven’t been the most senior person in the room, so i know what it feels like to not have your good ideas heard. it therefore horrifies me that i might be the one holding us back when it comes to the new ideas and approaches. so if, like me, you’re the hippo in the room, fight your natural instincts and actively seek ways to help the team come up with the best ideas collectively. after all you, that’s how you got to be the hippo in the first place.

all fonts look the same is an exhibition of 260 fonts, celebrating uniquely restricted shapes with an almost endless amount of variation.

on october 12th 2018, my group exhibition had its opening night at 45 courtenay place. it was the output of an exhibition paper that i took during my 4th and final year of study at massey university. myself and four others worked for a full semester, conceptualising, developing and curating this unique exhibition experience.

our aim for this exhibition was to give typography a voice within gallery contexts, as it is an often overlooked art form. we wanted to show appreciation towards the designers who crafted each typeface as well as inform the general public of various typography terminology.   

a big part of the exhibition process was contacting every type foundry whose typefaces we chose to exhibit. this proved to be an enormous amount of admin work with 100s of emails sent back and forth between us and foundries all over the world. thankfully almost every foundry we contacted were really excited to have their work on display, and even allowed us to use their typefaces at no cost. because we reached out to so many international foundries, our exhibition gained a lot of overseas recognition, with the website being shared across multiple graphic design blogs. it also meant our facebook event gathered a following of 700 or so people. this made us anxious going into the opening night as we had no idea what sort of numbers to expect.

leading up to our exhibition opening, we were worried that people would see our exhibition at a surface level. what we were met with on opening night was quite the opposite and really surprised us. the level of engagement with the typefaces was amazing and more than we could have hoped for. throughout the night people were photographing letters, noting down typefaces and engaging in deep discussions on their new appreciation of the letter z and why they will never look at it the same way again.

overall it was an awesome experience and a great end to my uni career.

check out the exhibition website here:
http://allfontslookthesame.com/

taking a deep dive into understanding our client’s businesses is always one of the most fascinating part of our jobs.

last thursday gabe and holly were lucky enough to spend the morning with our lovely clients at airways. for those of you who don’t know a lot about airways, they provide our air navigation service and are responsible for monitoring and controlling the air traffic to ensure all aircrafts are travelling safely between airports in new zealand domestic and oceanic regions. their air traffic controllers are constantly in contact with the pilots arriving and departing new zealand.

after a work in progress meeting they headed over to the operations centre where their enculturation started.

as holly tells it, they were given a comprehensive overview: “did you know the airspace they control covers 26 million square kilometres  including the pacific and tasman oceans which extends from the south pole to 5 degrees south of the equator?!“

they learnt about the ins and outs of air traffic control, flight path management, the different stages of flight and procedures that follow each. they were tutored in the different flight maps and charts and got a solid understanding of what’s involved in air traffic control training.

“these were all demonstrated to us when we visited the operations centre. no work station can be left unattended and a full handover must be given before a team member can be dismissed.”

here’s one person from the team monitoring the aircrafts flying into auckland. 

holly continues: “from there we ventured up into the control tower where we had a full view of the runway and where three air traffic controllers were stationed. each controller was managing a different stage of flight and were busy chatting with the pilots. typically the training to be an air traffic controller takes 12 months, but with my 2 hours of training, the team felt i was qualified to at least put on the headphones and listen to the conversations!"

it’s just one of those words, isn’t it? so open to interpretation. so dependent upon the predisposition of the listener or reader. even after all these years in the branding and communication game, there are still plenty of client folk out there who hear ‘brand’ and think ‘logo’.

in my blog post on brand lingo, i talked about all the branding terms that get bandied about and attempted to lock down some logical definitions the help differentiate one from the other. but even the word ‘brand’ itself means different things to different people at different times. i alluded to that in the opening paragraphs of that earlier post, where i let slip my most favourite of definitions, jeff bezos’ “a brand is what people say about you after you leave the room.”

but over the years, i’ve actually quietly been collecting quite a hoard of definitions of the word. some of them are actually really good, others not so much. and from my select few favourites, i tend to pick the one most relevant to the client discussion at hand that will help them move their thinking forward in the most appropriate context.

the best ones, like bezos’ ‘after you leave the room’, have a go at deflecting thoughts of ‘logo’ and ‘visual identity’ to something a lot broader that captures the total sum of parts ethos.

here are a few more that i can find myself nodding to:

“a brand is a promise. it’s a promise that your company can keep. and you make and keep that promise in every marketing activity, every action, every corporate decision, every customer interaction.”

“a brand is an authentic reflection of the company’s true vision.” 

“a brand is the organising principle of how a company operates and communicates.”

“part art, part science, ‘brand’ is the difference between a bottle of soda and a bottle of coke.”

and

“a brand is really a way of remembering what something is like for future reference. something you value. something you feel attracted to.”

beyond the above succinct one-liners, i’ve also collected a few slightly more fulsome narratives that help give boundaries to the word ‘brand’.

“the brand is the character, style and purpose that serves as the foundation for your business, like the roots of a tree. you have to stop thinking of ‘the brand’ as a layer of polish that makes your brand pretty.”

“businesses often think about branding after they’ve built the core of their business, when the branding should have been the core of the business.”

and a series of sage phrases from brand strategist, matthew fenton, out of chicago:

“think ‘experience’ not ‘branding’, and your branding will get better.”

“branding is not about logos, taglines or heartstring-tugging ads – they are merely coats of paint.” 

“brands are built in the doing, not the saying.”

what’s your favourite definition of the ‘brand’ word? 

if we can narrow the frame of reference, individual words can actually mean what we think we’re saying. just don’t get me started on ‘sustainability’!

it’s the strangest experience when you’re climbing mt ngauruhoe on your way to reach the most beautiful coned top, when every step you take makes you slide further backwards. strangely, somehow you do reach the top. it’s a lot later in the day though and you’re tired and scratched all over, but what an amazing feeling to finally stand up and look around. few vistas compare, and an especially good feeling when you’re standing next to your newlywed wife and best mate to take in the expansive landscape. that was almost 30 years ago…

i've lost count of the number of times i have thought back to that moment. when i do think back i’m usually reflecting on where we’re at with a project. the stage where the client indicates their brand project is on hold, the marcomms project is changing direction, that digital project requires more (…), etc.

we recently had a high-profile marcomms project change its course. the project was slowed down whilst many aspects are being reconsidered. this is a tough time for one of our key contacts who has given the project a lot of their energy and is emotionally invested too. a phone call with the client, a chat that was reflective but also forward looking, proved to be a worthwhile opportunity to lend support. we agreed that, although the track had gotten a little more tricky, we’d find a way to continue our way to the top together. 

the promise of success is pretty powerful, if you believe in it. often, we’re the ones who have the opportunity to motivate our clients, keep them going, support or guide them. it can be during these times that the client needs us most. and when we start climbing again, it somehow seems to get a little easier. 

if we accept that the best communications are heard and understood, then it follows that as internal communication practitioners we should create opportunities for staff to be heard and to better understand what’s been said to them. why then, is there still such a resistance to opening up two-way communication channels?

as part of the internal engagement work we do, i talk to many companies about their intranet and its role in their communication programme. for most, it’s about one-way communication, letting staff know the rules, procedures, policies and other fact-based information; a repository of history and knowledge to help people do their job better, or at least in the right way. many have a ‘news’ element, allowing the latest achievements to be shared with staff. its function is to reinforce the right messages, stories and behaviours that support the desired culture. 

unfortunately, there’s still not many companies that have an open forum where staff can just say what’s on their mind, ask questions, seek clarity and share ideas. word of mouth has always been the most effective communication tool and social media has found a way to utilise its power. why then are internal communicators so scared of applying social chat approaches to their craft? is it a fear of the tough questions? being open to criticism? inappropriate behaviour? or is it just being exposed for not knowing?

questions, comments and views are already being expressed by staff around the water-cooler, in the lunch room and right round the business. because we can’t hear them doesn’t make them any less legitimate. in fact, going uncorrected and unchallenged allows them to grow from an isolated opinion to the accepted company-wide grass roots position. why not then bring them out into the light where you can hear them and make them part of your communication programme? 

i’ve heard many reasons why and my response is always the same ‘what rubbish!” if you’ve got an intranet, add blog and comments functionality and invite staff to share whatever’s on their mind. at first staff may be nervous of the consequences but they’ll quickly catch on when they see that they can say anything. go one step further and implement social-style platforms, like yammer or facebook for business, specifically designed to encourage collaboration and sharing of thoughts, ideas and answers. 

word of mouth has always been the most effective communication tool

as communication managers our primary function moves from creators of content to facilitators of discussion. our key goal is to listen and provide information on what’s important to our staff and to address any areas of confusion. this may go against our instinct where, rather than creating more communications, we encourage the discussion to take its natural course. you do have to get involved, however, when the facts are wrong or the opinions are detrimental to the company or individuals. 

encourage senior leadership to participate in the discussion on an equal basis to staff, sharing thoughts and opinions. they also have a role to play in facilitating discussion by liking, commenting and encouraging what others are saying. often it means acknowledging that they don’t know all the answers and asking staff to tell them what they think they should do.

i’ve heard many reasons why and my response is always the same "what rubbish!”

as we see from social media, most people know what’s acceptable discussion etiquette and play by the rules. forums and discussions are self-governing, with groups quickly letting individuals know when their language, opinion or behaviour isn’t acceptable. trust that this works and avoid introducing vetting, censorship or controls, as this discourages open sharing.

the beauty of this open communication environment is that staff are heard, know what’s happening around the business, have a place to get clarity and feel more engaged with the wider business. they participate in the communication process on an equal basis with leadership, leading to more open and honest dialogue. for the company, it means a much better handle on what really matters to their people and what the gaps in knowledge and understanding are. 

i’ve focused on the intranet here, but you should open up your communications across the business. add feedback loops and discussion options to all communications when you can, favouring two-way discussion over one-way telling every time.

i’ve always been an ideas guy. i feel comfortable looking at a problem or an opportunity and then generating lots of ideas about how to tackle it in a creative way. i’ll go one step further and say, it’s one of the things i’m good at. but if i am going to be so shamelessly boastful i should be a bit more specific: it’s the quantity of ideas - not necessarily the quality – that i’m good at.

i’m not saying all my ideas are rubbish (though many are), just that the particular skill i bring to the idea generation process is helping generate that initial long list that eventually leads to one or two nuggets coming alive. after all, all innovative ideas have to start somewhere. often one of my seemingly random thoughts gets refined, expanded and turned it into something good that barely resembles the original idea.

so, what’s the trick to coming up with lots of ideas quickly? the honest answer is, i don’t always know where my ideas come from. i’m not shy in coming forward so often it appears as simply just saying random stuff. it’s not all that loose though, i do have a couple of techniques to help find ideas, wherever they are hiding.

1. learning. there’s not much in the marketing and comms field i haven’t seen before. yes, technology is different and some channels are different but clients’ objectives and customers’ basic needs remain largely the same. so, i examine a challenge in order to understand the real problem that needs to be solved. i then consider other scenarios where i’ve solved this same problem before. this isn’t about copying the same good idea again and again but about leveraging past learning. i think about why i used that solution and what worked and what didn’t. this gives me insights on how to start thinking about the challenge in front of me. 
   
   
2. parallels. it’s one thing to look at what other agencies around the world have done with the same challenge. this is a useful start but can often lead to ‘me too’ thinking. i find it’s better to seek the parallels in other industries and other environments. how have they solved this same problem in their field? what’s the core insight and idea behind their solution? how can we apply this same thinking here to solve the challenge in front of us?
   
   
3. building. my approach to idea generation is to be unfiltered. i love mind-maps so, when brainstorming, i look to rapidly connect ideas and follow the path to see where it leads. follow your head. follow your gut. often this means spitting out whatever half-baked idea is forming in my head and then building on the idea out loud. this gives others the opportunity to add their thoughts and perspectives, helping the idea grow and take shape.
   
   
4. perspectives. the most useful tool i use for idea generation is looking at the challenge differently. i always have this matrix image in my head when i talk about this. the challenge is suspended in mid-air and we spin around it in slow-mo, looking at it from different angles. i run through a checklist of what ifs in my head. what if the client was different? what if the target audience was different? what if the goals were different? what if time and budget were no issue? what if there was no money or time? what if we doubled the problem? halved it? multiplied it? most of these perspectives go nowhere, generating ideas that have others thinking i’m a complete idiot. but sometimes one of those idiotic thoughts becomes the first spark of a really good idea.
   
   

my advice for generating ideas is to free your inhibitions and let your ideas take you to new and unexpected places. one idea sparks the next, taking you down an uncertain path until a moment of clarity reveals itself. and avoid judging your ideas too early, as you’ll quickly close off the most interesting and rewarding paths.

the client briefing at their office had not felt right from the start. we had enjoyed working with this client for some time and had always thought we were in a partnership. however, today was different. 

there were none of the preambles chat about how the weekend was, and the client team looked like they needed to be elsewhere. the brief that was handed out was a tome. it felt as dense as the atmosphere in the room and was filled with pages of technical jargon. 

after being given a cursory review of the opportunity and why the brief had been written, i asked for more details. it was clear at a glance the proposition was vague, and the brief hadn’t defined what success looked like at the end. it was also prescriptive and telling us what the solution had to be. 

“this needs to be done. just get on with it please.”

so with that, the client looked at her watch, stood up and said she had to go. 

as i suspected, the client had other significant issues on her plate and that day’s briefing was an anomaly. however, knowing that later didn’t help me in the ride back to the agency that day.  

the tricky part was being told to deliver a prescribed solution.

reading the brief in the back of the uber, i surmised we could live without clear goals. they could be drawn out in the reverse brief stage. i also knew we could tighten the proposition. 

the tricky part though was being told to deliver a prescribed solution. agencies and clients work best when they start at the beginning of an opportunity or problem with an agnostic approach to the solution. it invariably never works when a client says we must have ‘one of these, one of those and two of them’. it also restricts us producing what we’re paid to deliver – the best insight-led solutions that make people sit up, take notice and act.

besides, if the parameters are too tight, the breadth of thinking becomes restricted and real creativity risks being suffocated. 

however, it’s not just clients who can prescribe solutions. every client service person has been guilty of rushing a brief, ‘banging out a solution’ and handing it over to the creative team without really thinking about what needs to be solved.  

before writing a brief, i always recall one of my favourite lines ‘i apologise for the length of this letter, but i did not have time to write a shorter one’. by making a brief sharper, tighter and more focused, invariably the creative work that comes out is sharper, tighter and more focused. instead of confining the work, tighter briefs will have the opposite effect. they instead have a liberating impact on creatives who can more easily explore in and around the direction the brief provides. 

which also means not being prescriptive with a solution. 

but how to address this with the client?

agencies produce their best work through collaboration. not just within their own walls, but with their clients. no matter how well we think we know our client’s business, they bring a unique point of view to the process. at the beginning of each relationship, agencies should always stress that they want their clients actively involved in the work. this particular client was usually a more than willing participant, and i knew that by asking her more questions – in a day or so – that her experience working with us would come to the fore. 

which it eventually did. based on the original brief it was clear our client hadn’t taken the time to ‘write a shorter letter’. instead of pushing on we went back and asked three clarification questions; 1) what exactly was the business problem and why was solving it was so important 2) what did we want our target audience to feel, think and do as a result of our work and finally, 3) what did success look like and how were we going to measure it.

by being open, not rushing the reverse brief process and helping our busy client ‘write that shorter letter’, we got her to realise her first brief wasn’t going to deliver the results she wanted. 

the eventual result exceeded the expectations of everyone involved.

a new design face at insight, here's a sneak peek into sarah turner's creativity and innovation.

sarah has only been with insight for a short time but has made an immediate impact. all very positive too: she's a strong inquisitive creative thinker and creator. she is also a prolific note taker and great communicator. all the way from palmerston north via taupo, i was keen to share a bit more about this creative talent but forgot to ask about her cat echo!

who has been the biggest creative influence in your career?
i’d have to say my biggest creative influence was very much pre-career! ms wolfsbauer was my high school art teacher and i’m sure it was her forward-thinking and support that lead me towards the design career i have today. every spare period and most lunchtimes we were in the art room with liz, talking design and creativity, as well as discussing the big issues in life. she taught me that art isn’t about being rigid and perfect, just like life isn’t about being rigid and perfect either. she helped me to look at things differently and to always strive to be the best you can be. sure, she hasn’t beaten all the perfectionism out of me (i am a virgo after all), but she was the one who watered the seedling that i call my designer instinct.

"lady gaga. auckland. 2010. where do i even begin?"

most powerful ‘creative’ experience you’ve had?
lady gaga. auckland. 2010. where do i even begin? a glowing deep sea angler the size of a truck. a fibre optic dress. a fountain of blood. the piano slowly catching fire as she sings acoustic. a black and white art film played on a giant led cylinder screen in between songs (which also doubled as a changing room for the lady herself!). leather-clad dancers, so many lights, a pumping bass, and the all-time classic – a metallic sparkler bra. for me the most powerful creative experiences are totally immersive, and this show really saturated all the senses. forever remembered as the best performance i’ve ever seen, i have always admired the way lady gaga mixes art and conceptualism while still reaching the epitome of ‘popular’.

"bloody receipts!"

if you could make one creative or innovative change to a thing what would it be and why?
bloody receipts. with all this talk of reducing plastic waste by turning down a straw or using a fabric tote, surely there is also something that can be done with these little (or sometimes not so little) bits of plasticy paper we get handed every time we purchase something. i get annoyed with them floating around in my bag when i do take one, but also annoyed when i tell the cashier to keep it. either way they all end up in the same place! won’t someone please think of the children…?

christmas day early 1970s, i opened a bag of lego blocks. just blocks, no people, characters or wheels. one of my favourite ‘toys’, i loved creating houses, forts and spaceships. today lego produces hundreds of options, variations and themes and in 2008 it broke with its creative conventions, setting up ‘lego ideas’ as an offshoot of the japanese website cuusoo. it allows users to submit ideas for lego to develop commercially. fans get an opportunity to ‘co-create’ on submissions online and give feedback. if a project gets 10,000 votes, lego reviews the idea and gives the original creator 1% of the commercial sales once in production.

fast company credits this breaking with convention for winding back a decade of sales slumps and putting lego in the same league as apple.

we all have ways of doing stuff. when we’re looking to stretch our creative, digital, and innovative thinking, it’s worth taking a look at our personal conventions and reshaping our thinking.

some tools to reshape your own creative conventions

a bit like therapy, you’ve got to ‘own’ the idea that there’s an opportunity to grow and develop. once this is done you’re on your way.

the next critical step is to move from theory to practice. one of the simplest ways to get tangible is to create a visual trigger. take some post-it notes and write reminders of what it is you're aiming for, such as:

"what’s the creative/innovative opportunity here?” 

"just be creative!"

"listen more."

you’ve just got to remember to refer back to them as you generate ideas!

like lego, you need to continue to develop your strengths, values and desire for co-creation by doing less in isolation in front of the computer. get busy communicating, sharing early and progressively with your project team. your best results will be achieved when you collaborate, value each other’s angle and captain your own specific area of expertise. 

as fast as possible, define clearly the issues and challenges you’re creating for. at the briefing stage, gain personal empathy for the task and ask the ‘dumb’ questions. get what you need to do the job. start with why? work on shared options through discussion then agree on a shortlist. 

agree on a ‘good enough for now’ thought process. this saves time and creates enough to communicate the ideas you most want to progress with. this will mean different things for different organisations obviously. working with each other creates a stronger, unified belief and understanding in the idea and direction, thus making it easier to support.

shape the individual and collaborative design process into four clear steps:

• explore
• expand
• apply your knowledge and insights
• focus

so that everybody in the team understands where you're at and where you’re going.

make time pressure your friend by using words only to describe an idea and why it works. it’s quicker to come up with the words ‘tomato with an umbrella sticking out of the top with a pink flamingo sitting on top’ than finding visual reference!

apply a bit of this thinking to shift a creative convention or two and you might just start humming the lego movie anthem… everything is awesome… 

credit: magenta lego house by luka hooper

recently, my daughter had a eureka moment when she realised that by copying her project from google docs into a website template, it would invoke a completely different response or level of engagement from her audience. same copy, different outcome. excited by her breakthrough, she’s now an advocate of delivering her work by all sorts of varied means.

from this initial discovery, she’s also realised that sometimes a straight copy-and-paste just isn’t enough. sometimes additional crafting is needed depending on where her story is being told. now she’s graduated to adding pictures, quotes, videos and (of course) glitter to engage her audience.

this revelation isn’t new, but it is a reminder that we should continually look to craft our content to maintain its effectiveness – regardless of channel. but do we?

too often the focus becomes central to one channel. one output. all the thinking, crafting and love get poured into a single delivery. then, with what’s left, we make it work for the other channels. the risk is that the story can be diluted. lose its shine. or worse, its effectiveness.

as storytellers, this is on us.

so, whether you're a client, a strategist, marketer, creative or copywriter; if you’re planning, creating or delivering a multi-channel story, then (please) pause. think about how you craft your content. think about its effectiveness for every one of the channels you’ve identified. explore and understand all the opportunities; be aware of the challenges and limitations. in short, work towards telling the clearest story you can – for every channel.

the surprisingly simple idea of ‘clarity’ will invariably unlock the answer to the question of what makes visual design effective. clarity of understanding based on the accessibility, usability, and desired activation for the primary audience that the design is intended for. if clarity doesn’t completely unlock the answer, it will without doubt get the designer in the right space.

this may not sound like a design theory ‘go to’. it almost sounds more like a side step: bounce the problem back to the client or the brief author to provide more information. however, until the designer has clarity on the audience, their ‘profile’, what makes them tick, sit up and take notice, they’re going to be reliant on their own personal bias and preferences. and that’s dangerous because we’re often not the audience. so more than a nominal stab at this, it is essentially going to be the first thing to get right in creating effective design.

beyond the brief, day after day we’re flooded with information, products, services and decisions to be made. effective visual design principles have evolved over time, from the early cave drawings through to today’s virtual realities. the eye and mind need space to work out what’s being communicated.

until the designer has clarity on the audience and what makes them tick, they’re going to be reliant on their own personal bias.

if everything stands out then nothing stands out. as designers, we need to create a visual path and hierarchy based on what we believe will stimulate the audience to be engaged and activated. this doesn’t mean a boring solution. this means we need to think, not only analytically but creatively about what will push the right audience buttons - and not necessarily those of the internal corporate client hierarchy who have their own bias and preference. chances are they’re not the audience either.

scan, weigh up, select, digest. composition is vital.

a designer needs to be a master of information architecture and navigation. if you’re a client assessing a proposed design, think about what the designer has crafted. allow your eye to scan. very few people read all the information you’re providing at first glance, like body text. think smorgasbord. scan, weigh up, select, digest. composition is vital in assisting the primary audience in navigating the information. an underlying grid will create structure and form. 

look for the underlying presence of classic, proven design rules: consider the appropriate application of the rule of thirds where designs are segmented into nine equal sections and key information is clustered into one of the top or bottom left or right segments. balanced ‘golden mean’ mathematical proportions developed by the greeks and used to create the proportions for the credit card just feel ‘right’.

yet, unbalanced visual design that can either break, or appear to ‘randomly’ conform to, underlying grids can also be the right ‘feel’ for the audience. it can work because it creates tension - a totally valid tool in stimulating a response that draws the eye to a specific element of interest or desire.

graphics, colour, images, shapes and text selection will all be based on how the designer wants the audience to feel and assist them in navigating the information. selected audiences will respond to each element based on demographic-specific preferences. 

a designer will often contrast elements to create emphasis, scale and pace and will never ignore the eye’s need for ‘white space’. the eye and mind needs a rest from the flood of information. sometimes you need to create your own white space in a crowded environment, so as designers, we often simplify things to get noticed rather than try to shout louder than the crowd. 

so, next time you’re assessing a piece of design from your agency, look beyond the surface to the considered architecture beneath.

semi-permanent has always been a calendar event, but previously there was never really enough ‘digital’ to justify shelling out any sort of investment. this year, however, the ‘day one’ agenda looked particularly designed for the technically inclined. speakers from air bnb, google and uber spoke alongside netflix and facebook forming the opening salvo for this year’s event. dad, can i go? pretty please!

the morning was crammed back-to-back with the above speakers, and they were all good (well, mostly). each offered a mix of wisdom and experience, which is still echoing away in my mind. one clear theme from all speakers was a need to craft the solution, prototype, test (and repeat and repeat and repeat), before deploying at scale (and by scale, think 80 million uber users generating over 10 billion rides (to date) or 120 million netflix users over 109 countries). what’s even more mind-blowing is the netflix product design team is only ten-strong and constantly on the move, experiencing the different countries and cultural differences to maintain relevance for each country netflix is in.

another core theme was the notion that ‘there are no sacred cows’, citing many examples where improvements can be found in areas already thought perfect.

whereas the morning talked digital, the afternoon couldn’t have been more different with a series of talks aimed at diversity within the creative industry. really powerful stuff! talks from beth o’brien (colenso) and tea uglow (google) left me particularly inspired (for different reasons) and reminded me of the benefits that pursuing more diversity brings to our own creative pursuits.

for me, ‘day one’ was a success. well done semi-permanent! knowing me, the speakers’ experiences will now slowly be deconstructed and repurposed' eventually touching aspects of my work. thanks for letting me go, dad. 

when thinking of great things that have helped form me as a designer, the top of the list would have to be semi permanent. for those who haven’t heard of it it’s a “global creative and design thinking platform”. which all sounds very fancy, but in my own words is a multi-disciplinary creative conference that is (to put it simply) ah-may-zing!

of course busy schedules and budget restrictions can put a dampener on things; but i would strongly recommend you to go check it out one day. whether you consider yourself “creative” or not, semi permanent will inspire you, excite you, and send you out into the world refreshed.

still not convinced? here’s five reasons why i love semi permanent:

1. the diversity

the first thing you’ll notice about semi permanent is the diversity of the speakers. so much more than just graphic designers, there are photographers, videographers, fashion designers, typographers, experiential designers, fine artists, poets, musicians, product designers, restaurateurs, creative directors, brand strategists, smell scientists, ar, vr and mr specialists, animators, body architects, web architects, actual architects – creators of all kinds!

i’ve been to six semi permanents in my life (yes, i counted them) and there has not been a single talk that i have missed. why? because even though it’s a three-day mammoth marathon of mind-blowing mish-mash, you learn something from every speaker. not into surfing? i still learned something. don’t even know what a body architect is? neither did i, but i do now!

2. the creative community 

with the diversity of speakers naturally comes a diverse range of viewers. hundreds of creators, coming to gain inspiration – just like you are yourself. it’s such a great feeling to be in a room of like-minded creatives (who may be in fact be nothing like you at all). the point is you’re there, they’re there. they’re just as immersed as you are, just as hungry as you are. and that vibe feels pretty dang good.

3. future state

semi permanent hosts a long-standing segment they like to call ‘future state’. it’s usually made up of a series of talks from the big movers and shakers (like google, uber, airbnb, neflix) disussing the big changes that our society is going through, and what the future of design (and indeed creativity itself) looks like.

this is where the big weird thoughts start creeping in; and like a lowly art student you ponder your small part in the complexity that is the universe. wow, that sounds deep. some of the heavy themes that have been tackled in future state to date are the importance of diversity, authenticity, inclusion, empathy, ar, vr, mr (all the rs), data influencing design, the ethics around ai, the ethics around social media (and yes, this was prior to the infamous zuckerberg testimony before congress).

4. the big names 

i’m not one to throw around names, but when i’ve had the privilege to listen to some of these people speak, i think it can be forgiven. david carson. kate moross. jessica hische. tobias frere-jones. plus representatives from pentagram, instrument and all those other big-name companies i listed in #3.

it’s really not about the names. these well-known creatives give us all an insight into their creative processes, to their wins, to their losses, to them as a person and as a company. their achievements somehow seem both attainable and unattainable at the same time. and like i said before, you learn something meaningful from each one of them. something you hope to implement in your own life, even if it’s only to the smallest of degrees.

5. the kiwi host

te radar. if you’ve never had the pleasure to watch this guy perform in person, this is a great way to do it. hilarious, creative, intelligent, and a raging ginge. what more could the audience want? he keeps the audience going in-between talks, with joy and enthusiasm and some welcome light relief. pondering the future of wellness through technological innovation getting you down? well here comes te radar in a funny hat. you’re welcome. 

despite the fact that i deal with the term ‘brand’ on a daily basis, the irony is that i have a love/hate relationship with the word. and that’s because whenever a client uses the word, i have to stop them and ask them what they mean when using it because it means so many things to so many people. do they mean their logo? do they mean the brand colour? do they mean the customer experience? or are they using the word in the fullest sense of what i like to think the word really means – in jeff bezos’ words: “what people say about you after you leave the room”. 

and there are so many nuances within all that. so let’s have a look at some of the branding terms that get bandied about and define what they mean, how they describe slightly different things, and where they sometimes overlap:

brand equity
this is the commercial value of all associations and expectations that people have of a brand based on all their experiences with, and perceptions of, the brand over time. that sounds very academic, but think of it as the reservoir of goodwill that a brand can rely on, as long as the reservoir remains full. if people think highly of a brand, it enjoys positive brand equity, but when a brand consistently disappoints enough for people to talk about avoiding it, then it has negative brand equity.

the great thing about positive brand equity is that a company can charge more for a product under that brand; or introduce brand extensions so that the company can sell a wider range of products under that brand.

brand image
brand image is the sum total of perceptions resulting from all the experiences and knowledge someone has had of the brand. it is the impression of the brand in a consumer’s mind.

brand associations
anything a consumer brings to mind, consciously or unconsciously, when presented with the brand. these associations could be organisational, product related, symbolic or personified. they can include awareness, accessibility, value, relevance, differentiation, emotional connection, preference, usage, loyalty and vitality. for example, when somebody says kfc to me, i think of the colour red and an old southern american dude.

brand positioning
this is the way the brand is perceived comparatively within a given competitive set in the consumer’s mind. so it's all relative - a relevant differentiation is the most important aspect of brand positioning because it allows your brand to ‘own’ a distinctive position within your target customer's head. 

the brand’s brand position should be a function of the brand promise, and may relate to quality, innovation, leadership, value, prestige, trust, safety, reliability, performance, convenience, concern for customers, social responsibility, technological superiority etc.

brand essence
this is the heart and soul of the brand – a brand’s fundamental nature or quality, usually stated in two to three words. it’s often emotional and intangible and so speaks to the heart more than the head. examples include nike (‘innovation and inspiration’), southwest airlines (‘freedom’) and volvo (‘safety’). this is powerful stuff!

brand promise
sometimes called a brand value proposition, a brand promise is your brand telling the world what to expect from it. it states the differentiated benefits that are relevant and compelling to your consumer – they can be functional, experiential, emotional or self-expressive.

brand personality
basically, it’s a bunch of adjectives that describe the brand, such as fun, kind, safe, sincere, sophisticated, cheerful, old fashioned, reliable, progressive etc. it’s something to which the consumer can relate because, more often than not, it’s a set of human characteristics attributed to a brand name.

brand identity
this is where we get a bit closer to the stereotypical 'brand = logo' ignorance. your brand identity is a combination of sensory components that create recognition and represent the brand promise, such as what it looks like, what it sounds like, and sometimes, even what it smells like (think peter alexander or lush retail stores).

brand portfolio
the mix of brands and sub-brands owned by an organisation. these brands can sometimes be related in a ‘branded house’ configuration with overt connections to each other, and, conversely, they can be part of a ‘house of brands’ where the various brands aren’t obviously related to each other at all. basically, when you’ve got a handful of different brands or sub-brands, you need to start thinking about how they relate to each other or not. and most likley what you’ve currently got is some degree of chaos brought about by the legacy of past management decisions, some acquisitions along the way and some competitive realities involving strong brand equity situations that you dare not meddle with. and that’s where some ‘brand architecture’ planning can prove life-changing. see below.

brand architecture
brand architecture is a system that organises how a family of brands relate to one another. it indicates how many levels of hierarchy there are, which brands sit at which level in the hierarchy, which relate as brand/sub-brand, and which remain independent of each other.

and that's a good place to end, as brand architecture opens the door on another whole raft of branding jargon which we can perhaps take a look at when we’ve all had a lie down and a cup of tea. in the meantime, hopefully the above list and descriptions will help you separate the different notions in your mind, so that when we talk, we're talking the same lingo.

i’ve just spent two full days with about 20 annual report preparers on an integrated reporting training course.

in amongst the learning and sharing experiences about preparing content for integrated reports, it became very clear that the internal process of herding the various cats within the organisation who are responsible for their own pieces of content can be a harrowing experience.

as annual report producers, we feel it hugely when clients don’t meet the contract that is the agreed timetable. currently we have 15 annual reports progressing their way through our artwork studio, and managing the logistics of typesetting and design turnarounds and checking all the changes accurately is an enormous challenge at the best of times. but when the client is late with their content – and more than one coincides in that regard – the pressure goes on us to catch the timetable up, and that’s usually physically impossible (although we always try our damnedest!).

"it became very clear that the internal process of herding the various cats within the organisation can be a harrowing experience."

and so i couldn’t help but have empathy with the individuals on the course. their task is a thankless one, often. and their demands on others in their organisation are often dismissed as less important than their own work and thus ignored. and because these contributors are often many levels senior to the poor content co-ordinator, the imbalance of power plays out very visibly.

occasionally companies will even outsource this co-ordination – and often writing – to a short-term internal or external contractor. well, if an internal employee has no clout, then you can imagine how well demands from some hired help is accepted (or not!). one attendee even told me of last year’s contractor whose contract wasn’t renewed this year because his efforts to deliver to the timeline were not taken at all well by those whose job it was to deliver content but failed to do so on time. and now the internal employee is being treated in much the same way. and this is from a major new zealand company who should, quite frankly, know better.

these projects are a massive undertaking for any organisation. but they’re not a voluntary exercise. companies don’t do this because they want to. they do it because they have to. and they need to do it to the best of their ability because so many critical people will form their views of the company – and make critical decisions on the company – as a result of the stories that are told, the future picture that is painted, the risks and opportunities that are highlighted, and the strategies that management are activating to achieve the company’s goals.

that’s no small thing.

so what’s required to grease the wheels for these projects?

first, leadership. the c-suite needs to send clear messages that the process is important to the business, important to the board, and set clear expectations that those contributing must meet their deadlines. often the target for this message is the members of the leadership team itself, so it falls to the ceo to make his requirements vividly clear.

second, the project co-ordinator. this role needs a loud and strong champion - his/her manager and department head. that manager also needs to set clear expectations and fiercely defend and support the project co-ordinator, taking the internal battles on personally if required to reset the tone. the project co-ordinator also needs a certain personality: dogged, persistent, strong, resilient, and yet always professional and polite. they also need the appropriate level of seniority and maturity to achieve the goals.

and finally, the internal process. there are a host of elements to be brought into play here. perhaps an initial meeting of all contributors where they are educated on the intricate and highly inter-dependent process, where domino effects can easily jeopardise the vital end delivery. perhaps a shared online project management system where every contributor’s role is mapped, tracked and monitored, and visibility is such that peers can see who’s letting the side down, whether it’s in content delivery or meeting their deadlines through the iteration and checking part of the process.

but in the end, it’s about the corporate culture. the working together. the seeing internal clients as ‘clients’ that need to be serviced just like external clients. and culture is established by the company’s senior leader.

it starts and ends right at the top.

what do clients want?

it’s been 25 or so years that i’ve been, in some capacity, in front of clients. in fact, longer if i add the time i’ve been in front of customers: the lovely people that visited our liquor shop back in holland. their needs were rarely a challenge. they would point to a bottle (jenever, whisky, beer, 7up, etc), followed by an exchange of money, and that was that. 

occasionally a wine connoisseur would drop in – my mum loved these people since wines were her passion, her specialty – they described at length, and sometimes rather colourfully, the type of wine they were looking for. 

they loved my mum. she’d talk with great insight and fluidly flick between dutch and french and german to articulate the wine’s properties, its background, etc., making the whole experience rather authentic for the connoisseur. we stocked good and great wines, and some were collectables with prices to match.

once a year, the regulars would be invited into our living room, literally at the other side of the shop’s till, for the first release of the beaujolais primeur or nouveau. we were the first ones in our home town every year to stock the new release (that was my dad’s thing – always wanting to be first with everything. something about differentiation). these were exciting social get togethers. mum and dad would be chatty, hand out cheese and bread with a glass of beaujoulais and in the company of ‘friends’ tipple a few afternoons away (incidentally, i’ve never seen them drunk. some of our customers yes, but not my mum and dad). 

customers loved it, they felt very special. 

"no one created the experience my parents offered, such was our brand."

you could get the wine in most liquor shops within a day or so of the release, but no one created the experience my parents offered, such was our brand.

working with a design agency now, the client doesn’t point to a product. they are much more like the wine connoisseur. like in my mum’s world, these people come to us because we are the specialists, they have a particular need not easily come by. what else do these clients want? 

a rounded, authentic, savvy offering means a lot more to these clients than a clinical transactional exchange of service for money.

my mum was a good listener and took her time with customers. mum always let people finish what they had to say, used pauses for reflection and asked lots of questions to find out more about the customer’s likes and dislikes. being genuinely interested in people’s stories made the whole approach a lot easier.

mum was excellent at talking the customer’s ‘language’. she would pick up on people’s jargon and use it back to them in a respectful manner. so much so that wannabe connoisseurs (the odd wine dabbler deserving of an education) would be suitably advised in their own ‘language’, leaving a whole lot smarter, only to come back for more another day. she also managed to elevate conversations so it all felt a bit more special. she would use words like 'chique' (french for elegant) and kostbaar instead of prijzig (prijzig = costly, kostbaar = valuable), simply adding a bit of panache which reflected the wine on offer. you could say that she used her own tone of voice.

and mum was and is a gezellig mens (a cozy person, inviting, engaging, warm and appreciative - words fail to explain it properly), with a slightly dark wit that keeps you tuned in, in a good way.

what do clients want?

let’s rephrase. how do we make our clients feel when they come looking for what they want?

spark has announced it's adopting an agile way of working across its business. i applaud them for so tangibly demonstrating their commitment to breaking down silos, improving speed to market, innovation and achieving more customer focused solutions.

i’ll follow their progress with great interest, knowing that what they’re proposing challenges almost everything we know about organisational behaviour.

an agile spark transforms from a traditional hierarchical structure, with large business units, to small self-managing teams (squads), each with clear accountabilities. they collaborate with one another to deliver specific products and service projects for customers and for the good of the organisation. it’s no longer about people working in a particular business unit or function. in this model, senior leaders act as catalysts, setting direction and establishing systems for people to do their jobs effectively. and they assemble the right mix of skills, talent and experience to collectively make decisions about the what, how and when of each project.

i worked in a self-managing operational team 20 plus years ago (an experimental team within a bigger traditional structure) and my experience was mostly positive, especially at the start. some of us embraced the freedom self-managing teams offered and the opportunity to contribute ideas, to learn, to step up and have a voice beyond our title. for others, the transition from what they knew was a step too far. eventually, as we settled into bau, my enthusiasm waned and i got frustrated at the inability to just get on and do stuff without needing a whole team involved. over a year, people naturally settled into a more specialist division of labour. as far as i can remember, the experiment never ended, it just naturally devolved back to the old way.

maybe this experience is driving my slight nervousness about how spark’s tribes approach will work for the people who work there.

"people at work are largely driven by fundamental motivators closely aligned with maslow’s hierarchy of needs."

history has taught us that people, and groups, at work are largely driven by fundamental motivators – closely aligned with maslow’s hierarchy of needs - like survival, recognition, reward, progression, belonging and identity. spark’s new approach delivers a number of challenges on many of these fronts. 

with more emphasis on the team’s deliverables over an individual's, how do people know they are achieving? team success is one thing but we all still want to be recognised for our own contribution. and without a clear and recognisable hierarchy how do people plan for progress and feel that their career is going somewhere? no doubt, as you deliver more and more successful outcomes you’ll get to work on more complex and wide reaching projects. maybe this represents your growth and progress but people may still want the visible symbols of progress that titles, responsibility and hierarchy offer. 

our jobs are a big part of our identity and therefore more fluidity in what i do has the potential to lead to less clarity in what i stand for. without a defined work identity there is a danger that people struggle to see themselves in their jobs and this could lead to some dissatisfaction for some.

traditional functions, teams and divisions also provide a sense of belonging that this team collective may not be able to replicate. i’ve worked with a number of clients who’ve moved to open plan, hot desk approaches only to find that people end up all sitting together in the same place and same desks every day. apart from the functional benefit, the clear lesson here is that people need to feel that they belong to something. as you move from project to project where do you actually belong? who are your people?

"as you move from project to project where do you actually belong? who are your people?"

organisational behaviour has a strong competitive undertow and this approach plays well to this. short sprint work allows quick results and satisfies our desire to achieve and win. but without that longer term focus, competitiveness may see the good of the project override the longer term good of the organisation. clear measures of success are needed to signal what really is important.

despite my concerns, i love the braveness of what spark are doing here. i really do want it to succeed. i encourage them to invest in a strong company-wide internal communications programme that builds momentum in the core idea behind this initiative. a programme that reinforces key long-term outcomes as well as immediate success stories, keeping people engaged with the entire organisation and its objectives. regular communication that promotes aligned interests and behaviours and helps people feel they belong to the bigger spark team and where the organisation is going.

we describe ourselves as a strategic-creative agency. this leads to the obvious question, what is it? you just design stuff, right? strategic-creative is about how we go about making sure that the stuff we create is fit for purpose and delivers results for our clients. 

strategy in the design world is very different to strategy in a military, corporate or even advertising world. what they have in common is that sense of thinking about where we are now, where we want to be and making a plan to get there. here’s a quick run-down on how a design agency strategist fits into the design process.

understanding of the brief

finding a great solution starts by understanding the real problem to be solved. a strategist engages the client, asks lots of why questions and listens in order to really understand what is needed. how does this brief align with the value drivers and the business, brand and marketing plans? what will success look like and how will we measure it? a well-defined problem is critical to helping the team come up with a well-conceived solution.

1. audiences. a strategist defines the target audience, their needs and motivators and what their current behaviours and perceptions are. this clarity helps everyone on a project focus on what journey we need to take the audience on. audience insights mostly come from research – either directly by talking to them or through secondary sources. often it comes from a long-held appreciation of human psychology, group dynamics and organisational behaviour.
2. frameworks. there are a number of proven best-practice models that define core communication processes like engagement, decision-making and purchase. a good strategist knows when and how to apply these frameworks to different briefs in order to move audiences towards the desired outcomes.
3. positioning. working closely with the designer, the strategist helps define how something should be positioned in the eyes of audiences through its messaging, tone and visual language. this positioning allows a differentiated market offer that aligns closely with the audience needs and motivators.
4. channel/medium selection. good thinking and design is pointless if it doesn’t reach and/or register with audiences. the strategist works with the designer to identify the best way to get to audiences, and what mediums work best. 
5. creative development. as we move into design, the designer takes lead on the creative process. the strategist plays a supporting role, helping identify and evaluate design ideas and approaches. they review designs and provide feedback to help improve single-mindedness, effectiveness and strategic alignment with the brief and audience needs.
6. selling ideas. rarely do clients buy into an idea just because it’s a thing of beauty. mostly they chose it because they can see its potential to solve their problem or realise an opportunity. the strategist works closely with the design team to sell-in an idea to the client by highlighting how it will deliver the results they need.

strategic-creative is both a mindset and a process, ensuring that the discipline of being creative to a brief is geared towards achieving the right outcomes. strategy-creative equals better design – but i would say that, i’m a strategist.  

this week a client asked me for a service level agreement. we’ve produced a few of them over the years but for more technical processes such as website management.

given that managing expectations is key to good service, i approached the task with a broader client distribution in mind. as a result i’ve been drafting a ‘service promise’ that outlines what clients can expect when they work with us. and – fair’s fair - i’ve also outlined what we expect from them.

what do you think? does this fairly represent what you would expect from us if you were a client?  what else do you think we should expect from clients?

what you can expect from us:

we will

• listen and ask questions to make sure we are clear about your challenge, your audience and what you need.
• always deliver creative and innovative ways to engage your audiences and deliver the results you need.
• base all our recommendations on good insights, research and/or best practice models and frameworks.
• deliver the best solution across multiple mediums including print, on-line and experiential.
• give you our best professional advice on what the best course of action may be including challenging you (in a good way) if we think something isn’t right.
• utilise your expertise as a subject-matter expert.
• collaborate with you, and other parties you work with, to deliver the best results possible.
• ensure our work is correct and accurate at all times.
• assign you a dedicated relationship/project manager who will be your main point of contact for all dealings with us.
• take the time to understand your industry, your business, your objectives and the way you like to work.
• celebrate success with you.
• always allocate the required resource volumes and skills to your projects to ensure we can deliver what you need within the agreed timeframe and budget.
• return your calls, emails and texts within a reasonable timeframe.
• provide you with estimates for all work we undertake and outline the assumptions we’ve used in the estimate.
• never charge you more than the higher range of the estimate, unless the scope of the project has changed.
• notify you if something is out of scope before taking on the additional work. we’ll provide you with estimates for the additional work as soon as we are able to.
• deliver detailed project plans for all projects of a significant size, as agreed.
• use clear project methodology that facilitates the efficient and effective delivery of projects on time and on budget.
• keep you informed of progress against timeframes and budgets and raise any risks which arise that could compromise quality, budget or timeframe, at the soonest opportunity.
• work with a network of specialist partners who have the skills and professional practices to help us deliver the outcomes you need.
• take responsibility for all freelancers or contractors we bring in to help us deliver your work.
• have the appropriate insurances in place for the nature of the work we do for you.
• ensure adequate health and safety processes are in place for all work we undertake for you.
• make all endeavours to keep material, information and other items provided to us confidential and safe.
• notify you as soon as we become aware of any conflict of interest that may arise and propose a course of action to mitigate and manage the conflict to your satisfaction.
• have a clear escalation process if you are not happy with some aspect of our work or the way we are working together.
• comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
• keep good records of all time we spend on your projects.
• invoice monthly within eight working days of the end of the month.

what we expect from you in return:

you will:

• provide us with reasonable notice of work you intend to give us so we can plan the right level and type of resources for what you need.
• be open and forthright with all aspects of your business so that we can tailor our solutions to what’s right for you.
• be clear with your objectives and how success will be measured.
• give us some leeway to explore ideas and solutions that have the potential to deliver better strategic-creative outcomes.
• be reasonable in your expectations: effectively balancing the budget, time and quality trade-offs to achieve the best result possible.
• carefully consider all material we provide you before approving it. this helps minimise changes at later stages in the project which may add additional effort.
• provide us with the necessary information, content and approvals in a timely and orderly manner that allows us to deliver the agreed specifications, budget and timelines.
• keep us informed of any developments that may impact our ability to deliver the agreed specifications, budget and timelines.
• give us the opportunity to address any issues or concerns you may have.
• give us open and constructive feedback on our work and process so that we can continue to learn and grow as an organisation.
• pay us for all work you commission us to do – whether you progress with it or not.
• pay our invoices by the 20th of the month following the date of each invoice.

leave a comment below with your thoughts!

the un sustainable development goals (unsdgs) are great, so why are they making me feel uncomfortable? they set wonderful global targets to ‘end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all’ over the next 15 years. they’re resonating with our clients and matching non-financial activities to sdg icons is a highly discernible trend in our recent annual reports.

and so nearly every integrated or sustainability report that we work on today includes a smattering of sdg icons. 

in fact, almost every day i see evidence of an almost exponential ramping up of fervour about the sdgs. only last night i was at a seminar on charity fund-raising and one of the key strategies put forward by the speaker was the sdgs – in this instance by framing a funding application towards a company’s need to tick an sdg box or two.

"nearly every report that we work on today includes a smattering of sdg icons."

so, why do i feel uneasy?

perhaps it’s because i’ve been through the greenwashing era – a time of ‘band-wagon-jumping’ when some companies overstated their environmental credentials to be seen to be doing the right thing.

perhaps it’s because i get the sense that some companies are just being a tad too quick to jump on the sdg bandwagon. it’s actually pretty easy to ‘re-badge’ existing csr efforts to fit the sdg formula at a ‘lip service’ level.

perhaps it’s because i like the intent of the sdgs so much that i’m concerned about them being devalued by cavalier use.

but most of all, i think it’s because i believe that absolute authenticity and transparency works much more effectively than superficiality of badging. both because companies are rewarded for their honesty in the long term, and because in this age of social media, you'll be found out pretty quickly. the integrity of the use of the sdg icons comes when the depth of strategy and activity is genuinely driven towards improving the underlying goals in the lives of the people the company touches.

"i believe that absolute authenticity and transparency works much more effectively than superficiality of badging."

for me, the integrity test is to assess your strategies and operational initiatives against not just the name on the icon, but on the description that accompanies it. take ‘decent work and economic growth’ for example. does providing jobs and offering a wellness programme really ‘promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all’ when roughly half the world’s population still lives on the equivalent of about us$2 a day? read the actual wording around this particular sdg here - particularly the goal 8 targets section part way down the page - and you’ll see what i mean. in reality, are you only taking credit for solving a first world part of the problem? are you addressing the goal right through your supply chain?

and that’s only one example. i encourage you to read the wording accompanying all 17 goals before you tack your colours to these particular masts. you might well find that your association with some of them is trite, trivial and verging on overstatement.

"let’s not play sdg bingo to see how many boxes we can tick."

let’s not play sdg bingo to see how many boxes we can tick. let’s be authentic in our sustainability activities and how we report on them.

as our first significant piece of work with victoria university of wellington – the undergraduate recruitment campaign for 2019 – hits the market, i have a chance to reflect on everything i’ve learnt about the higher-education sector in the last six months.

i knew it was a sector in change but hadn’t fully realised the extent of the disruption that universities face and how it will fundamentally change everything they say, do and stand for. building long-lasting communication programmes in this dynamic environment requires bravery, a desire to keep adapting and the on-going questioning of your reason for being. 

the rear view mirror

historically, universities have been the centre of knowledge and exploration. the place for critical thinkers to advance their wisdom and understanding for the benefit of all mankind. like the church and government, universities have held a central role in society as a voice for what is right, and what direction we should take. as a pillar of modern civilisation, it’s not a coincidence that the traditional university is characterised by large, solid, classically inspired buildings erected on stable foundations.

for centuries a university education has been seen as the pinnacle of higher learning. despite being free for many, it’s always been seen as highly valuable. parents worked hard to send their kids to university, believing they were setting them up for life. a degree enhanced your social standing, perception of your worth and desirability and was (almost) a guarantee of employment. 

contextual change

in a rapidly changing world, the role of the university has also evolved. most universities, including those in new zealand, have experienced declining numbers, particularly at undergraduate level. primarily, this is a demographic shift with lower post-baby boomer birth rates and the delay in having children. each year the pool of year 13s available is declining, meaning the competition to attract them is growing. 

there is also a plethora of other higher-learning options available to students. historically, a university degree was the primary option, with polytechnics and other skills-based institutions seen as lesser alternatives. with new accredited learning organisations, and more diverse qualifications being credited as degrees, a world of study possibilities is now available to students.

and affordability has moved to the forefront of student thinking as the cost of a degree, and the university lifestyle, have skyrocketed. without the certainty of gaining employment, coupled with the change in long-term employment patterns, students are questioning the wisdom of taking on student debt. the financial burden of repayment and the impact on lifestyle, has made the roi debatable for many, although the new government's free year of study may readdress this equation.

maybe the single biggest change though is relevance. students don’t see a university education as necessary as it once was. with technology, all the knowledge in the world is at their finger-tips and being lectured on it seems pointless. their perception of success and career also differs from previous generations and today’s students don’t see a degree as the only way to succeed. entrepreneurial mindsets and innovation are the new career currency as students think more about how to change the past than how to apply it.

maybe the single biggest change though is relevance. students don’t see a university education as necessary as it once was

even employers are placing less value on university qualifications. a degree represented a ‘quality mark’ that helped weed out the good prospects. it now signifies an ability to learn knowledge rather than an ability to think and apply. employers are looking for skills that align with the dynamic reality they face. they seek employees ready to challenge convention, adapt, collaborate and work more flexibly.

evolution

to be fair, universities haven’t sat back and done nothing. they’ve felt the water heating around them and have looked to change, albeit slowly. local universities have successfully leveraged new zealand’s ‘safe, clean and livable’ reputation and our standing as having many of the world’s top 1% of learning institutions to attract international students. this has helped boost student numbers and helped plug the funding gap.  

reaching a wider and more diverse audience through technology has also seen most universities embrace online learning. massive open online courses (moocs) are now common across the sector, offered by new and traditional players. just last year, coventry university launched 50 online degrees which are equivalent to the courses they offer on campus. harvard launched their remote learning extension school in partnerships with a number of international universities. 

massive open online courses are now common across the sector

universities are also starting to promote the experience of going to university alongside the quality of the programme or the qualifications students can gain. university learning is more than academic, it's a life-changing rite of passage. this is an advantage on-line offerings struggle to compete with and a proposition that appeals to both international and domestic students. this focus on intangible ‘life value’ continues to attract students and has seen a positive impact on student numbers for many universities, otago university being the obvious example.

being ‘employment ready’ is probably the single biggest mind-shift that universities have made. students want this, so do employers, and tertiary institutions have responded. at one extreme this means incorporating technology like google glass, virtual reality and ai into the curriculum to help student learn the tools of their future jobs. at the other end, it means making the learning more hands-on, vocational based, by working with industry to create job-skills and real problem-solving experiences.

digital disruption

the disruption we’ve experienced over the 25 years since i was at university is nothing compared to the changes that will happen in the next 25. universities need to think about how they will continue to adapt and evolve as their role changes. and that’s difficult to do given the rate of change and the uncertainty of what the future holds.

we hear a lot about the acceleration of technology and universities will feel the full impact of this. automation and the rise of artificial intelligence will lead this transformation. a study completed by pwc called how ready is university to embrace the future? highlights the urgency of the situation – raising the possibility that the organisations many see as dinosaurs will end up extinct unless they evolve.

a university of oxford report on the future of employment argued that 50% of us jobs are at risk of technological advancement that will severely impact the need for them. already machines are running production lines, solving complex engineering challenges, providing legal advice and diagnosing medical conditions. universities taught people to do this work, but the future may mean teaching them to intelligent machines or, at the very least, teaching a small number of people how to programme and populate the machines.

this once dominant role of universities will be further depleted as the digital-era further pervades all aspects of life. but technology will also be an enabler for universities by removing the physical and geographic boundaries that once constrained them. those universities that embrace technology can reach anyone, anywhere in the world, not just those who live nearby or have the means and willingness to move to the same location as the university. 

those universities that embrace technology can reach anyone, anywhere in the world

this global reach of education requires universities to think and act more globally, trading on the quality of their programme offer. already we see universities offering course from other universities, creating the possibility of an institution becoming a gateway for students to create their own learning programme and qualifications, choosing from a variety of the best courses and schools offered anywhere in the world. 

a new model

beyond technology there are a number of social, demographic and environment changes expected to further impact the university offer. the traditional university model that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years will become radically different. the obvious move is a shift away from fixed time and process to a ‘fixed outcomes’ approach favoured by our information economy. this will drive new funding models, with ‘pay for performance’ structures already becoming even more prevalent, especially in research. 

institutions will need to become much more agile to appeal to the needs of a hugely diverse target audience wanting a personalised and inclusive experience. this may see many more new courses and support services offered and a more holistic approach to student life and well-being.

the distinction between physical and digital will become blurred as the educational experience incorporates both. students who have the money and access will be able to make active decisions about what, how and when they move between online and physical interaction with a learning institution. this requires a repositioning of the physical offer, delivering a higher-value experience, that incorporates a strong sense of place. 

the distinction between physical and digital will become blurred as the educational experience incorporates both

many large global organisations are already creating their own in-house universities, populating them with courses from some of the best schools in the world. the expectation is that this trend towards skills and vocation will continue, with employers asking universities to tailor specific programmes to them. this requires a significant focus shift, away from supply-side – what we teach – to demand-side outcomes - what students need to learn and be able to do.

another trend that’s already emerging is cross- and inter-disciplinary programmes. traditionally the different faculties within a university didn’t work well together. the new model, tailored to a wider audience who want tailored choices, will see programmes that span across faculties, allowing students to combine the things they are passionate about with the career-learning they require.

up for the challenge

with all these drivers of change, i see the university of the future as being global, 24/7, focused on learning rather than teaching, offering students a completely tailored and holistic experience as and where they want it – on-line, physical and a combination of both.

i love a challenge and the dynamic universities environment definitely offers this. like many organisations, victoria is having to revisit how they position themselves and how they speak to the changing make-up and needs of their audience. they’re ready to adapt and well-placed to do things differently. it’s an exciting time and i am excited to be able to make my small contribution to their thinking, their positioning and their communications.

i was recently asked to be part of a discussion on the kiwi design aesthetic which got me thinking about the topic. so here are my views on what defines the kiwi style. given i’m not a trained designer or artist, there is a good chance my views are well wide of the mark. i can only tell you what i see and feel.

like many, i’m of the view that a country’s approach to the creative arts is a strong reflection of its culture. australian and american creativity is broadly bright, loud and confident, very much like the cultures of those nations. scandinavian design is minimalist, considered and efficient. french design is sensual, with flair and individualism.

it follows then that kiwi design is like us: understated, individual, complex and extremely grounded in nature and reality. we seek to tell stories by creating moods and feelings, crediting our audiences with a level of intellect, rather than always stating the obvious. it doesn’t mean that it’s all dark, brooding and intellectual, in fact, it is often the complete opposite, as we rarely take ourselves too seriously. the hunt for the wilderpeople may be one of the best expressions of the kiwi creative mindset with its complex relationships showcased through off-beat humour.

much of our graphic design style comes from our colonial heritage but, whether we like to admit it or not, our graphic palette also has a strong pacific flavor to it. we see this often in simple two-dimensional shapes made to stand out against flat colours. similar to the japanese aesthetic, we prefer design to not be overly perfect and crafted but to feel natural. we favour flowing forms over straight lines, again a reflection of our surroundings.

the tone of our work is often muted and dark with a heavy dose of realism. we use a lot of natural and rustic colours such as greys, greens and browns to express the world around us. we prefer real life over presenting places and scenarios in idealistic ways. and reality is also the driver for depicting people, staying away from over emphasising an individual’s positive assets, preferring to highlight their imperfections.

what i love most about the kiwi aesthetic is our use of language. there’s always that cheeky, sarcasm-loaded, sense of irreverence that reflects kiwi humour and our ‘she’ll be right’ approach to life. i think it’s what makes our work, particularly in advertising, stand out from work from around the world.

the nz design aesthetic will continue to evolve as the diverse tapestry that makes up our nation broadens and as we become more regional and global. to some degree i welcome this, but i do worry that our style will become less our own. i’d like to see us embrace more of the maori and pacific flavours that make our design voice unique, while also working hard to ensure our kiwi tone of voice never loses its cutting edge.

what do you think defines the kiwi design aesthetic?

image from https://www.glennjonesart.com/products/kiwiana-flavour

this article appeared in the autum 2018 edition of idealog magazine

it might surprise you to know that, even though i run a design agency, i loathe the notion of latest design trends. in my view, they promote a distorted view of what effective design is and unnecessarily emphasise the tactical components of design rather than the outcomes they deliver. i am particularly frustrated when (mostly junior) creatives suggest a design that is a blatant homage to the look our industry is currently obsessed with. this leads to lazy, unoriginal design not driven by the needs of the client or the audience we are trying to engage.

i therefore hesitated when asked to write a ‘latest design trends’ article. so often these articles just represent the writer’s opinions and preferences on what is “hot right now.” i just couldn’t bring myself to do this, so if you’re expecting recommendations on a particular shade of beetroot red or a kerning style then this isn’t the article for you.

good design is as much a study of human psychology as it is a technical skill. for me, design trends represent shifts in consumer preferences and behaviours. they are driven by cultural and social changes, technology, new channels and mediums and changing consumer demographics. so my design trends aren’t the hot new thing but fundamental consumer shifts that inform the way we should be approaching all design communications.

think human. seek engagement. be authentic and responsible. tell stories. go simple.

think human. based on a number of well known design-thinking philosophies, human centric design has grown as an idea thanks largely to the user experience (ux/ui) emphasis in web design. the core idea though extends to all design – put the needs of your audience at the forefront of the design.

start with the underlying human need that the design is looking to address, both physical and emotional. this immediately gives you a sense of the tone and feel needed. then think about the user’s journey. what leads them to your communication and why? is this the communication piece that creates that desire to buy or the rational follow-up that convinces the head that it’s okay to buy what the heart wants? and finally, think about how the end audience will interact with your communication. always work with audience expectations, creating an easy, intuitive and natural interaction. 

seek engagement. in the last decade, we’ve seen a huge drive to digital. it’s reshaped advertising, direct marketing and pr and the way we think about design and branding. digital offers reach and cost-efficiency but often it’s at the expense of audience engagement. and that’s why in some areas we’ve seen a shift back to using more physical mediums to connect with audience. this manifests in simple things like a handwritten note, a clever direct mail piece or sending a printed newsletter rather than firing another email into a crowded inbox.

at the more complex end, it’s about creating experiences that audiences can interact with, immersing themselves in your brand. this trend is influencing the design of physical spaces like office and shop fit outs. it’s also driving the growth of temporary spaces, like containers, as experience centres that utilise both physical and virtual reality (vr) to create full-sensory experiences. with vr spanning the digital and physical worlds, and its growing accessibility, we see this becoming a leading force for delivering more meaningful audience engagements.

be authentic and responsible. there are some significant social trends that are changing expectation of communications and design. first, there is a move against the over-manufactured reality that we were increasingly fed over the last few decades. consumers now want authenticity and that means representing everyday people, in real locations and situations using everyday language. not that there isn’t room for hyperbole, fantasy or escapism, but we can’t keep passing off fake as real.

and there’s a growing sense of responsibility for our actions and those of others. catalysts like #metoo, global migration and environmental change have consumers looking at communicator’s social purpose, credentials and actions. we must reflect this in design application, through the responsible depiction of gender, race and environment and with more considered application of language and humour.

tell stories. ironically, social media with its short word counts has driven growth in story-telling. as instagram shows us, a picture (and a few words) can tell a powerful, engaging story. it’s facilitated the move from saying things to showing them. audience’s want organisations to tell stories that demonstrate who they are and what they stand for, allowing audiences to seek alignment with their own beliefs and ideologies.

designers can learn from social media on how good stories engage audiences. this means capturing those real moments, and the feelings they evoke, as well as finding ways for audiences to become part of the story.

go simple. our lives are busy. email, news and social feeds bombard us constantly across multiple channels and devices. in this cluttered world, getting cut-through and resonance with communications is increasingly difficult. design can help bring calm and order to this chaotic world and that’s why we are seeing a rise of simpler design approaches. make it as easy for audiences to engage with less visual clutter, clean colour palettes and typography, good navigation and sign-posting, fewer words and meaningful icons and graphics.

applying all the above won’t necessarily make your designs more effective in driving audience perceptions or behaviours. as i said earlier, good communication design is about understanding the human psyche and this changes from audience to audience, situation to situation, and brief to brief. however, considering how to apply these (so-called) trends will go a long way to helping solve any design challenge from a consumer-led perspective.

i’ve been thinking a lot about how we innovate and how we help our clients do the same. in an industry where much of what we do has been commoditised, our most valuable skill is our ability to think creatively in helping our clients solve the problems that matter most to them. i’d heard of strategic inventive thinking (sit) but had never taken the time to really understand it. thanks to a course on lynda.com, now i’m a big fan.

sit uses a number of tricks and techniques that require you to look ‘inside the box’ to unlock ‘outside the box’ thinking. it starts with the existing solution rather than the problem itself. (now that’s innovative in its own right.) and it’s a technique many successful firms, like apple and 3m,­­ have been using for ages.

"sit uses a number of tricks and techniques that require you to look ‘inside the box’ to unlock ‘outside the box’ thinking."

for each existing solution to a particular problem, you identify its key components and attributes and then use the following techniques to think differently about them:

1. subtraction – what if we take away certain features and functions? apparently, the idea for the ipad came by applying this technique to the laptop.
2. task unification – what if we associated relationships in different ways. rather than having its own cooling motor, what if your fridge was kept cool by your home’s air conditioning system? no motor and suddenly the fridge has more capacity for food, is cheaper and quicker to manufacture. and you have more possibilities for shape and size!
3. multiplication – what if there were more that one of these components? what if your laptop had more than one screen? what if your phone had a screen on the front and the back?
4. division – what if rather than having one big feature we have lots of small ones? the development of the dish draw dishwasher is a good example of this thinking.
5. attribute dependency – rethinking what a thing is designed to do. what if it did something else instead? what if your light-bulb also heated your room for example? the best example is the mobile phone. someone said what if it wasn’t just for calls but a mini-computer, a camera, a dictaphone, a mini-tv, an audio device, a games console, etc. and now it is.

once you’ve generated lots of ideas using these techniques, they are evaluated against both customer needs and the feasibility to produce.

the two things that i like most about the sit approach are:

(1) it’s driven by customer-led design thinking – it’s not about brainstorming wild ideas but really thinking about the customer experience and how to better meet their underlying needs and wants; and

(2) it targets ‘fixedness’ thinking which stops innovation. fixedness is the pre-set ideas we have that things need to be in a certain place, look or work in a certain way or work in tandem with something else. change your mind-set on these and you open your mind to a whole lot of possibilities.

innovation leads to new, useful and surprising outcomes that allow our customers, and their customers, to better have their needs met. i’m a firm believer that innovation comes from within – changing your perspective – and that’s why strategic inventive thinking really appeals. the next step is for us to give sit a go. what if…..?

a hang-up from my client-side days is that i expect my agency to be all about delivering on my goals. after all, business results – not big ideas and clever design - are what i’m paying for. agency leaders have a responsibility to ensure their teams understand the basics of business so they work on solving the problems that really matter to clients.

we recently launched a series of staff training presentations to ensure all staff have the skills to live our client-first value. the first two sessions were run by actual clients. now that was cool. the first session focused on the client/agency relationship and what clients value. the importance of strategy, transparency and accountability came through very strongly. the second looked at the client decision-making process from business planning, budgeting, business case development right through to sign-offs and how the effectiveness of our work is measured. 

for the third session, i went back to my uni days to cover the fundamentals of business strategy. clients often tell us that they want a brochure, a website or something similar without explaining the why. it’s this why that tells us what they really want, how best to approach the challenge and what results we need to deliver.

"the importance of strategy, transparency and accountability came through very strongly"

we started the session with milton friedman’s free-market theories and gordon gecko’s ‘greed is good’ philosophy before easing into triple-bottom line thinking. this sparked lively debate on the real purpose of business, with few siding with a pure capitalist mindset. we have a variety of clients from small, medium and big business, government agencies and ngos, so the discussion quickly identified that long-term value (both real and perceived) means something different for each of them.

we then focused on profit using the old-fashioned ‘opening the profit-jaws’ analogy to understand the decisions our clients might make around profit. we boiled it down to three basic drivers: (1) make more profit today; (2) make more tomorrow; or (3) create more certainty of making profit. broadly, all decisions are about more revenue, less costs and/or less risk. economic theorists are no-doubt horrified by this naivety but simplicity was crucial here.

for revenue, we used the classic pie metaphor to address market share, share of wallet and new market segments. for cost drivers, we first discussed productivity and efficiency and how companies try to do more with less. we then talked quality and how it helps reduce wastage, rework and ultimately cost. we related this back to how we approached our own work.

"we spent time pondering what some of our clients cared about most by considering their value chain, their sustainable advantage and competitive strategies"

and we talked about the reward maximisation vs risk minimisation trade-off companies face, the competitive forces they operate within and the various factors that add to their uncertainty. we considered some of the client briefs we work on and how they drive profit by managing risk.

we spent some time pondering what some of our clients cared about most by considering their value chain, their sustainable advantage and competitive strategies. 

we finished by discussing some of the key work we do – brand, websites, campaigns, staff engagement programmes and annual reports – and how we might approach each one differently if the client driver is revenue, cost or risk management.

to provide effective client solutions agencies need to understand the real business problems they are trying to solve for their clients. design people don’t naturally take to numbers and business concepts but it’s knowledge that all design agency leaders need to invest in if we are going to elevate our industry from ‘making things pretty’ to true business enablers.

the following article by insight ceo, steven giannoulis, was published in the march 2018 issue of nzmarketing magazine.

client-agency partnerships are often love/hate relationships that leave both sides delighted and frustrated all at the same time. insight creative’s ceo, steven giannoulis, shares his experience on both sides and dishes up advice on working better together.  

many agency suits, strategists and even creatives switch from agency to client side at some point in their career. maybe it’s the ability to focus on one thing and do it well or the opportunity to call the shots on what gets done. often, it’s just that greater sense of job stability and structure that corporate life appears to offer.

when i started out as a marketer, the glamour and pace of the agency world really appealed. i envied them having the freedom to come up with clever ideas, every day working on cool and exciting projects, with the latest technology and hanging out in uber-creative environments. i, on the other hand, spent my life writing memos and business cases, analysing research and data, coordinating internal meetings and sign-offs while wrangling suppliers, distributors and sales teams. from my dull grey office-cubicle, the grass definitely looked greener on the other side.

over the next 20 years, as i moved up the ranks (and age brackets), i found myself falling less and less in love with the agency world. having worked with dozens of agencies - across advertising, digital, design, brand and dm - i found myself constantly frustrated at their focus on the coolest, newest and shiniest things. i seemed to be the financier of their obsession to come up with the most out-there ideas, win as many awards as possible, be the first to try the latest technology and to out-do something someone else had done.

it’s not that the work wasn’t great. most of it was brilliant and ultimately very successful, but often it felt like i had to work really hard to make it ‘fit for purpose.’ mostly agencies showed me extremely clever execution ideas and left it up to me to determine whether the ideas would communicate the messages and deliver­ the results needed. if i felt it didn’t (but had potential to), i got actively involved in dictating design and copy changes. this was often a battle of wills, as they focused on preserving the creative idea while i fought to improve roi. no doubt they were just as frustrated with me as i was with them.

"this was often a battle of wills, as they focused on preserving the creative idea while i fought to improve roi"

ironically, though many clients covet agency life, few make the switch across. it’s more common the other way.

in 2011, i had the opportunity to swap my cmo role for life as a strategist in a branding and design agency. i’ve always been a strategic marketer and i liked the idea of being able to work across multiple clients and industries to solve diverse business and communication problems. i was determined to use my own experiences with agencies to drive a client-led approach to delivering effective work.

over seven years, i’ve learnt that there is a lot of grind behind the creative exterior that agencies let clients see. i work just as hard now as i did when i was on the corporate side and (surprise, surprise) the bulk of my work is neither exciting nor glamorous. i’m always blown away at how passionate creatives are about producing amazing work. and they are way more strategic than we give them credit for. they prefer to let the work speak for itself rather than attempt to articulate the logic they followed.

and many clients have unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved, by when, and at what budget. in hindsight, i know i did. often this comes about because account management teams fall over themselves to deliver, constantly raising the expectation that clients have. and clients often expect agencies to just know stuff about their industry, their business or their other marketing activities but they don’t take the time to tell us about it.

“there will always be a tension between clients and agencies and in many ways this is healthy, driving each of us to do more”

there will always be a tension between clients and agencies and in many ways this is healthy, driving each of us to do more. we may think differently and speak a different language but we need what each of us brings to the relationships. understanding just what each party brings – and respecting it – can build a trust that creates powerful work. like the words of a good joni mitchell song, it always comes down to good communications, a little compromise, a whole lot of empathy and a shared vision of what you can do together. 

once you’ve found it, hold onto it so both businesses can prosper.

steven’s advice to agencies on working better with clients

• take the time to learn the client’s business and their key challenges, opportunities and their strategy. these are the ‘why’ behind every brief and if you can deliver on these clients will always love you for it.
• invest in training your people on explaining their thinking using the client’s language. give them skills and tools to connect creative ideas with how these will lead to the desired business outcomes clients are paying for.
• push clients to think beyond what they know. they’ve done things that have worked and often look for you to do the tried and tested. show them why doing something different can deliver something better. 

steven’s advice to clients on working better with agencies.

• brief in the problem or opportunity, not just the solution you think is needed. this allows the agency to think about all the best possible solutions to achieve the results.
• invest in the relationship. take time to ensure your agency knows your business, your audiences, your channels, what’s important to you and what you expect from them. let them know about the strategies and bigger picture their works fits into.
• there’s no point having a dog and barking yourself. trust the experts to do their job but always challenge them to come up with more creative and innovative ideas than you could have come up yourselves. 

i recently got a ‘dear valued client’ letter from a supplier offering me a discount for the next time i used their services. it’s a supplier we work with lots and have done for a long time. i suspect they’d be horrified to know that their letter was the catalyst that finally led us to look elsewhere.

i’m sure they had good intentions – after all they were trying to reward my loyalty by giving me a discount – but little did they realise that this communication reinforced my niggling feeling that they really didn’t give a shit about me or what i wanted.

the problem started at the top of the letter when they didn’t even bother to use my name. the dear valued client introduction suggested this was a mass-mailing to all their clients, and i was ‘important’ enough to be a line in their spreadsheet. this did nothing to make me feel known, let alone valued.

the truth is they know who i am - they used my name on the address sticker – so how much effort would it have taken to address the letter dear steven?  it’s just an extra field in their mail merge that could have set the communication off in the right way.

secondly, the letter gave me no indication that they understood the nature of our relationship. they talked about how long they’d been offering their services and proceeded to list them all. we use some of these services but most of the stuff on their list had nothing to do with us. i would have liked to see something that acknowledged that we’d been working together for x years and that they partnered us with services x, y and z.

and finally, the simple percentage discount offer failed to acknowledge what was important to me in working with them. they might as well have offered a free set of steak-knives in terms of relevancy for our relationship.

here’s how i think this should have gone. first, i would have chosen a different communication medium. we have a relationship manager and i think something that is designed to make me feel personally valued should have come from them, face-to-face or at the very least by phone. this would also avoid the generic message issue, as the relationship manager can talk about specific things that demonstrates how they value our relationship.

for a while i’ve been talking to this company about a couple of things that were bugging me. they could have easily rewarded me by addressing just one of these things. now that would have told me that they’d listened and understood me (and probably cost them less than the discount).

technology has made communicating much easier but the fundamentals of thinking about your audience and what you want them to think, feel and do hasn’t. relationships are always personal so if you want to tell me i’m valued, show me and make me feel it, otherwise don’t bother.

your brand needs an evolution or a revolution.

but how the heck do you choose the right people to work with to develop, evolve and roll out you brand identity? there’s a fine balance to be struck between ‘contemporary’, ‘trendy’ and something that’s going to 'last the test of time’. 

with regards to trends, by nature they come and go, right? some stick around and morph from one thing to next. 

the contemporary ‘now’ creative air is filled with minimalist logos, geometric shapes, bold and playful typography, a touch of whimsical illustration and digital movement. not too much but just enough: to catch the eye, keep the file size down and not distract you from the content. the 'test of time’ approach though, may take a little more time, funnily enough, but will be worth it. 

"your creative partner will need to start each project like they’re fresh out of art school… but with at least 10 years solid experience."

each creative brand project should be approached as a unique challenge, so your creative partner will need to have the dexterity to constantly evolve and start each project like they’re fresh out of art school… with at least 10 years solid experience. otherwise you run the risk of buying a ‘style’ without substance and working with a bunch of ‘cool’ people just going through the motions but not quite 'getting' business and strategy. 

so what do you need to be looking for when you go ’surfing’ for a branding consultancy?

the first and most obvious thing to ask before you start, is what kind of partner are you looking for? strategic creative, visual guide or somewhere in between? get this right and your path will be a lot easier. then stay alert, watch, listen and be an active partner in the process.

"what kind of partner are you looking for? strategic creative, visual guide or somewhere in between?"

online, what does their website tell you about their view of user experience or customer journey? did they think about you or themselves when designing their site? are you being forced to read 9pt text? a trend where designers tried to force readers to squint through the pain barrier has surely been and gone. what about navigating from project to project. clear and seamless?

what’s their site's work section telling you about their design approach? can you see a strong 'house' style repeating through their work? or are you seeing unique solutions in their identity work that closely reflects the characteristics of their client rather than themselves? is there a focus on the executions with lots of energy put into the business cards they’ve created or is it clear what the client challenge was and how they solved the communications challenge? 

have you spotted an overuse of drop shadows or gradient effects, typography that’s gratuitously stretched or squeezed or work that is simply unclear? any swoosh in their identities? … great in the late 1990s and keeps on giving for nike.

designers solve problems and very few problems are exactly the same, so it follows the solutions you should expect to see would be different. there’s nothing at all wrong with developing stylistic elements to our work, but if it doesn’t distinguish the client from its peers and represent them individually, then 'bad move'.

"designers solve problems and very few problems are exactly the same, so it follows the solutions should be different."

to sum up… as communicators our job is to walk a fine line in brand communications that create individual, strong, distinct voices for our clients that allow them to evolve over time.

your website’s live – you worked so well to get all the copy and images looking their best. everyone’s happy and the champagne is swinging.

fast forward six months. everyone’s still happy but, the website is looking a little tired and the news section hasn’t been updated since it went live. sound familiar? or worse… maybe swap out six months with sixteen months?

once a website goes live, it’s just the beginning. 

i’m sure we’ve all heard that before, so why do we ignore it? time. money. forgot to do it. know-how. motivation. too busy. this list sounds like the reasons why i don’t wash my car! in the end, it comes down to procrastination because there are ‘better’ or more demanding things to get done.

what does this mean for your website? well let’s look at some different scenarios from a client perspective…

the client who never updates/

the website is looking a little bit tired. that one seasonal image is now looking super out of place… but hey! if it was left for another quarter it could be relevant again!

search engines are indifferent to the site. they are ranking the website, but it’s slowly moving down the list because competitor websites have more recent content.

the client is probably happy, thinking that everything is ticking along nicely and that now that the website project is completed they’re ‘done’!

the client who updates weekly/

the website is looking good! a fresh face every week, or new articles in the news section every other day.

this client is signaling to their customers that they are active, relevant, available. newer content is perceived as more trustworthy.

search engines are happy there is new content! new content is improving the website’s ranking. tip: keep in mind that search engines like to have longer and quality posts to index.

updating websites has huge benefits, not only for you, our clients, but for search engine optimisation too.

some of you might be saying “we update our content all the time…”

well done! high five! keep it up, and don’t stop at the website – update your social media too!

can you update more than what you are doing at the moment? remember, constantly and consistently align your content with your website and business strategies to maintain your marketing effectiveness, to stay relevant, topical, fresh, and to keep the search engines constantly ranking you highly.

user-centered design exists to reduce the gaps between people. because more often than not the person designing the product and the person using it are very different.

our users ( customers, visitors, friends ) have different ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, political views. they come from different places, but most importantly – they think differently than you.

research has shown that we do the majority of our thinking in our subconscious mind. this is where we store our habitual or unconscious biases.

did you know – if your brain was given a choice it would like to do the same things over and over again to conserve decision-making energy?

as creators, we have great power and therefore a great responsibility to be aware of our natural biases.

because of our design decisions, our audience will have a pleasurable or frustrating experience with a product. as a flow-on effect, that shapes how they feel about the brand and sometimes themselves.

here are some strategies we can use to start closing the gaps and combating bias:

1. incorporating user research into our process: take the time to really know your audience, so you can have empathy for them.
2. by hiring a diverse team: no surprises here, we need more unique perspectives to see what we don’t.
3. building emotional intelligence: some people naturally have more than others but it can be learned. it assists in problem-solving and inspiring others.
   
   

so how will we bridge the gap in diversity so that our design captures a wider audience, making the experience more positive for a larger proportion of the population?

te papa asked us to put together a campaign to drive visitation during the summer period, focusing on the wellington market, particularly families with kids.

this summer, say 'hi' to moa the big bird, catch a giant squid, feed ice creams to an enormous raptor, see lego at large, and check out the big creative spirit from a small nz iwi, and that’s just the start of it.

you’ve probably guessed it, the theme for the campaign is ‘it’s bigger than summer’.

the idea behind this campaign is to recreate all the things we love doing as a family over the summer holidays – going to the beach, fishing, water fights, ice creams, bbqs, etc., whilst giving them a larger than life spin that ties back to the exhibitions showing at te papa this summer.

we’ve created a campaign that encapsulates a sense of fun, awe and wonder. but ultimately, how exciting a day at te papa with the family, can be.

great outcome in a mere four weeks.

do you know what type of content our clients should be creating when they’re wanting to:

educate customers about their new strategic direction for this year?

what about inspiring their customers to engage with their product more? 

or convincing their customers that they should lease that new property… 

or perhaps our client’s goal is to entertain their customers

what sort of content should we help them create?

+ + + + + + +

i have a super cool infographic to share with you that will help you answer all of the questions above – the content marketing matrix.

what is it? it’s a content creators dream. it’s a tool that suggests the type of content clients (and therefore us, #clientfirst) should be thinking about creating, depending on what they’re wanting to achieve. 

the content marketing matrix

source: smart insights

as you can see there are four quadrants that categories are split into (entertain, inspire, educate and convince) and along the outside are the overarching type of content you’ll be creating (rational, emotional, awareness, purchase). inside the quadrants are the recommended best type of content to create!

let’s give this some perspective, examples are our friend!

buying a bbq.

last weekend (after years of wanting one) my husband and i bought our first bbq. pretty exciting, right? a lot of thought went into the purchase as we wanted one that would last, but didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily.

i’m sure you can appreciate that if you were in the market to buy a new bbq, you’d want to shop around. compare features, read reviews, compare prices, perhaps even watch videos about how to use them.

if you’re shopping for a bbq then the goal of the marketer/content creator is to convince and inspire you to purchase one. using the matrix above the best types of content you should have are: celebrity endorsements, ratings/reviews, checklists, product feature documents and price lists.

do you agree?

what about an annual report?

the primary goal of an annual report is to tell the corporate story and educate and inform shareholders of the companies activities and financial performance throughout the previous year and propose new goals for the year ahead. shareholders are wanting to be reassured that their money is being spent well, and be convinced to continue to invest in the company. some of the content created is very rational and analytical – very different from buying a bbq - while the storytelling components are very much about painting a bigger picture: inspiring and convincing.

do you agree?

we use these to support our strategy and design to deliver what the client is wanting to achieve.

+ + + + + + +

there has been a huge amount of research poured into this way of thinking – it’s fascinating. you probably looked at the sheet above and thought “well yeah, that’s just common sense” – exactly – it’s all about knowing and creating the right kind of content for our customers, and their customers.

laura

ps. we bought a weber bbq

getting married at first sight is a dumb idea, but a surprisingly good tv show. you go blindly into a massive commitment, things get ugly but you come away having learned a lot about what you really want. in many ways, this is exactly like a design sprint.

we don’t know what we don’t know, and as much as we think we’re good at envisioning what our audience want we can’t really know without asking them.

so, when it comes to investing big money it’s a good idea to do a rehearsal.

recently we conducted a sprint to validate a few big questions we had before leaping into building the margaret mahy website. the website would be a place to house margaret’s legacy, with around 160 pieces of work, and a range of audience groups young and old. it needed to be magical, easy to search through large amounts of content and also have the potential to win awards.

a lot to ask for with a small budget and a lot of investment by insight creative.

"when it comes to investing big money it’s a good idea to do a rehearsal."

to start with we took one week to validate if we even liked the idea enough to invest, and to explore how practically it would work from a functionality point of view.

then with week two, we prototyped the key functionality so we could see if it would work and if it was going to be as cool as we’d built it up to be in our minds.

what we learned from this experiment was there is some key functionality that needs to be invested in, that quality content will be very important, and that overall it is an exciting opportunity to make an award-winning site but we’re going to need to invest a lot of our time.

the great thing about a sprint is having all these key learnings at the beginning so we can make better decisions and have a clearer expectation of what’s to come.

i want to share my thoughts about the wonderful world of account management. i will admit it has taken me some time to work out what to write, mainly because there are so many parts to our roles in the account/project management team. where to start?

i decided to simply relate what a typical day is like for us. our role varies so much depending on the day.

there are days when we have our heads in figures – be it creating estimates, planning projects in detail, tracking project budgets or invoicing. working out how we can deliver the project within the set budget and ensuring the client is getting the best value. we work with the strategy, design, digital and studio teams to ensure the approach is correct and they have enough time to complete the job. we work with suppliers – printers, photographers, production houses etc., negotiating where needed. these days a good calculator is required!

there are days when we are fully in client-focus mode – ensuring they are getting everything they need, multiple phone calls and meetings covering off different elements of the project, talking through the approach, the strategy, why a particular direction has been chosen, talking through any concerns. working out how we can fit in 3 extra pages of copy or how some new imagery can work. we ensure that they are happy and comfortable every step of the way.

"we are the voice of our client in the studio and the face of the agency with the client."

 

timelines. enough said – these are normally done, redone and then changed at least 3-4 times through a big project. and that's a time-consuming job requiring a lot of juggling to make sure the final deadline can still be met.

there are days when we are trying to solve the weirdest requests – cubes, oar shaped trophies, a sudden request for 200 t-shirts by the following monday. or we are out and about at shoots – watching weeks of planning come to fruition in a studio or office.

most days we are actually doing all of the above. we do a lot of juggling and balancing in our roles – working to ensure people are happy both internally and externally. we are the voice of our client in the studio and the face of the agency with the client. the variety of projects we are exposed to makes it exciting and keeps it interesting with no two days being the same - and often not panning out the way envisaged at the beginning of the day!

talking to a (hopefully soon to be) client last week about growing staff advocacy for their client service experience, got me thinking about how well we apply our own service ethos to ourselves.

this prospective client works at one of the big banks and the discussion was about how to give staff a first-hand appreciation of the customer experience. it’s a wonderful idea and it aligns nicely with my desire for us to all see ourselves as our customers do.

client-first is one of our values. we track client satisfaction, monitor net promoter scores and actively look to engage clients in discussions about what we can we do better. these are all good actions and collectively they’ve contributed to making us exponentially more client-centric than we have ever been.

but it seems we still struggle to recognise the internal client as a real client. this manifests itself in numerous ways: from not meeting internal deadlines, not making time to address key internal matters, being late to internal meetings with no ‘heads-up’, or postponing internal meetings last minute because “i’m just too busy.” it shows in the priority given to new business proposals, marketing activities or other similar jobs, which are essential to our survival, but are the first to be put aside when external client work comes in.

mostly i see it in our business plan activities whose importance is somehow always trumped by the ‘urgent.’ it’s this work that will make the biggest difference to us and our clients but doing this work is never as high priority as even the smallest client job.

we wouldn’t dream of saying to a client “sorry, we didn’t do your job because work came in from a more important client.” effectively, that’s what we do every time we don’t deliver on our internal timeframes and promises. if we were our own client, we’d probably sack ourselves!

am i suggesting that we need to give our work priority over paying client work? yeah, maybe. mostly i’m saying that we can’t use clients as the excuse for not doing what we said we would. we must treat ourselves like a real client and manage expectations, agree realistic timeframes, communicate proactively and do everything we can to deliver what we said we would. and it starts by giving external clients realistic timeframes for delivering their work based on our full workload. never assume that we will just drop the internal work.

reality is, things happen and we need to reprioritise. and sometimes we just can’t find a way to do what we promised to do. talk to the client (internal or external) before the due date and agree a new timeframe and deliverables. most clients will be reasonable about it, if they can. and if the scope can’t change then at least they have the option to find alternative ways to achieve what they need. chances are they’ve also made promises and this allows them to manage any expectations they’ve created.

and as we all know, good service experiences are all about expectations being exceeded.

we’ve all been there. you’re racing through ten major projects and you need to get through them as efficiently as humanly possible. and for this one, you need some images from your company’s photo library and the right logo. where are they? how do you get them quickly and easily? are they the right resolution and size for the purpose?

and then you spend the next two hours asking all sorts of colleagues whether they have them in their folders, are they on an external hard drive somewhere, which hard drive would they be on, where are those hard drives? or are they on some dvd somewhere in someone’s drawer? or maybe they’re with the agency, but who would know? who organised the shoot? who has the agency relationship? and then you don’t know whether you need a jpeg, a tif, and eps or a png.

most clients with a medium to large image library experience frustration in managing their digital asset files.

most clients with a medium to large image library experience frustration in managing their digital asset files. if that all seems too common an experience, then dam is the answer. dam software that is: digital asset management software.

a good solution can change your life:

• centralise all assets in the cloud and make them readily available to everyone in the business and selected external stakeholder
• shift dependence from any one individual’s knowledge of the whereabouts of resource
• save a lot of time, frustration and money when searching for assets
• provide clear visibility of assets
• easy for anyone in the business to find and distribute files
• make collaboration much easier
• manage non-compliant use of licensed content or stop use of out of date (unapproved) assets.
• encourage reuse and repurposing of assets rather than recreating them
• help with ‘brand guardianship’
• assets are backed up
• more agility (get that asset out there quicker) 

but the right system needs to:

• be easy to use and provide great support
• be secure and offer various users appropriate user permissions
• be scalable
• support any type of digital asset, including logos and videos
• help you identify just what file format you should use for your project
• allow easy exit from the service i.e. be simple and low cost to change the solution

is a dam worth the investment?

international data corporation (idc), a market research, analysis and advisory firm specialising in information technology, published a paper titled “proving the value of digital asset management for digital marketers and creative teams” in june 2015. idc surveyed 123 companies. their executive summary claims that the roi realised is as follows:

a) 79% have increased revenue by 10% or more

b) 97% have reduced asset creation costs by 10% or more

c) 86% have reduced risk by 10% or more

d) 97% have increased productivity by 10% or more. 

choosing the right option

there are hundreds of dam solutions on the market, ranging from complex, feature-rich enterprise solutions to mid-range solutions with fewer features but still offering appropriate asset management features. and at the low end there are community image sharing and hosting solutions - basically online photo galleries. so, choosing the right one for your needs can be time-consuming exercise. let’s see if we can help.

your ‘right’ solution will depend largely on the number of assets you have. ranging from 100s or 1000s to 10s of millions of assets. most of insight creative’s clients are in the 1000s of assets bracket, but you should still expect the solution to be scalable within reason.

feature rich dam solutions can be cost prohibitive for many companies. and feature-poor ‘affordable or free’ solutions lack functionality, offering little advantage to make the change from existing methods. but somewhere below the high-range solutions at exorbitant set up costs and annual licensing fees, there are moderately priced options that have appropriate features for your scale of business.

i’ve assessed many solutions spanning the range above, looking for inherent features that:

automate

• process
• collaborate
• manage duplicates
• are cloud-based/centralised
• have searchable meta data
• repurpose assets on the fly

not to mention:

• be intuitive and easy to use
• be easy to train users
• offer great support
• be secure
• manage access and user rights

one of the things i considered incredibly important was ‘ease of extracting assets’ from the service. 

the inconvenient truth is that, to be useful, a digital asset management system needs consistent management.

for me the most important aspect of operating a dam solution is understanding the importance of its management, not so much the solution itself. the inconvenient truth is that, to be useful, a digital asset management system needs consistent management. images need to be uploaded religiously, in the right way, and naming and tagging is critically important for smooth later searchability and usability. it’s the classic ‘garbage in, garbage out’ (‘gigo’) scenario.

if you don’t have someone managing the assets and making them easily available you might as well revert back to using that dusty hard drive that’s stored in the third draw down.

but get the management right, and you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it. productivity will soar.

if you can see that a dam will make your life easier, talk to us. we’ll help fit you into just the right solution for your company’s needs.

when i visit a website, i typically (and quickly) scan the homepage. i might scroll just beyond the fold to see what content morsels lie just out of sight – and if i don’t find anything to sink my teeth into – i check out the menu. if it’s a burger, i open it.

every website has a goal. an intent. whether measurable by dollars & cents, subscription or shares, or likes or engagements. in an ideal situation, users would all view a website in the same way, they would understand the intent and participate – consciously or sub-consciously. the problem is, that even with the clearest of journeys, the user will always do what the user always does. the challenge then becomes one of designing a better user experience. one that marries the user’s needs with the business objectives.

when we develop a website, we factor in that people engage differently. they navigate differently; some consume content, others snack; some anchor themselves to desktops, others view things on the go. the one truism is that people engage differently.

so, given that people engage differently, how do you build the perfect website to cater for all the differences? the answer is, you don’t.

when you start defining an experience, you research, and plan, and interview and develop and trial all of the ideas and possibilities you think will solve the challenge. at some point, you have to put it out there and watch. and learn. and then refine and evolve.

knowledge, creativity, and experience provide a perfect starting point, but ultimately your users define how they will engage with you and your brand.

"at some point, you have to put it out there and watch. and learn.

and then refine and evolve."

through observation of user behaviour, you can refine your service and offer more meaningful choices. you can cater for better engagement. ultimately, you aim to aid your users to achieve your goals by delivering a better experience. to assist in your quest for clarity, a wealth of knowledge, tools and analysis is on offer to help you maximise the online experience of your users.

don’t be afraid to not know all the answers when you go live with a website. be galvanised in the notion that you’ll learn, and refine, and improve with each user interaction. your goals will be more achievable, fuelled by an increase in your understanding. your platform will become more resilient to change the more you know about how your users engage – regardless of browser, device or time of day etc.

to create meaningful online experiences that ebb & flow based on user needs and business objectives – don’t ever see the ‘going live’ of your website as the end of your project – but instead, the beginning. be prepared to learn more about your users, beyond what you thought you knew. and don’t shy away from changing your direction off the back of analysis of your users’ behaviours.

new business pitches are a fact of life and i’d be concerned if we weren’t involved in them on a regular basis. all i ask is that clients play fair. here’s some things that annoy me most about pitching.

invite the world / ask for the world.
clients have a responsibility to do a little bit of work themselves to determine what they need and who could potentially do their work, rather than just putting open tenders out there or inviting lots of agencies. if they genuinely don’t know who’s available, and can’t get recommendations from others, then they should put a simple and quick eoi (expression of interest) out there. use the responses to shortlist a handful and invite only those to pitch.

worse than a big invite list is a huge list of requirements. often it means answering fifty plus questions to get to round two, only to have further requirements to complete, followed by a presentation. many pitches take thirty plus hours to prepare, some more than double that. ask us for what you really need, not everything you can possibly think of.

asking for free stuff.
our general rule is that we’ll never pitch for anything that requires us to present work. it’s just rude to ask a specialist to do work and not expect to pay for it. we’re happy to demonstrate our capability with some general thinking or direction but we draw the line at being asked to present a specific strategy or creative concept.

if you want to test us, give us a small brief and pay us to deliver the work. if you like it then it’s win/win. and if don’t want to keep working with us, then don't, but the work is yours to keep.

be transparent.
just recently we did a pitch where we went through a number of stages only to be told they had a small fixed budget. it would have been good to have been told the budget upfront as we may have not gone for it. more likely we would have presented two quotes. the first based on their requirements. the second, showing what they’d get for the money they have.

worse still is where there is an agency the client wants to work with but they’re required to do a competitive pitch. i’ve been on both sides and having to pitch for work you’ve already won is just as frustrating as pitching for work you’re never going to win.

always tell us honestly what the evaluation criteria are and if you have specific requirements about where we are located, the type of agency we need to be or the level of sexual or ethnic diversity we must display to win the pitch.

let’s talk about the price.
earlier this year we pitched for an account and apparently outscored in all areas other than price. the prospective client rang us and was upfront about their dilemma. they wanted to work with us but were struggling to get it over the line with their board. after some discussion, we agreed on a new approach to pricing that was palatable to all.

so, if price is the only issue that’s stopping you from picking us, let’s have a conversation. but don’t do it just to screw our price down. in the long-term we’ll find a way to get the value we need. generally, it’s by having no flexibility with scope and charging you for absolutely everything.

give us feedback.
providing open, honest and constructive feedback to all parties at the end of a pitch process is mandatory. i often ask up front if feedback will be available and this helps me decide whether to go for a pitch or not. no feedback tells me something about the one-way relationship we'd be in for.

we have a criteria for what we pitch for and how much we’ll invest to get it. we only go for stuff we genuinely want to do and know we can do well. in return, we ask for a similar level of respect from anyone who invites us to pitch for their work.

the charity sector in new zealand is facing new reporting standards with the gradual adoption of statement of service performance (ssp) in addition to the traditional financial reporting.

rsm new zealand, an accounting and audit firm with a leadership position in the not-for-profit sector, held a seminar in mid-september to coach management in the skills needed to meet the new requirements, report beyond financials, and optimise the telling of their story.  

insight’s founder and strategist, mike tisdall, outlined some key tools to help these organisations structure their thinking, understand their audiences, plan perception shifts, and simplify and clarify their key messaging. using mainly corporate best practice examples, mike was able to show the audience how storytelling can reach out to both hearts and minds by capturing the soul of the organisation, painting the vision and supporting the big picture with facts and data to indicate progress towards the goals.

examples from the corporate world included mercury, vector, sanford, auckland airport and ravensdown. but insight has also been applying these storytelling principles to selected nfps for a number of years, and shared a series of award winning reports for stand children’s services (previously children’s health camps) to show how the principles can easily make the transition from corporates to charities.

i’ve been ceo of insight creative for nearly three years now. it’s more than a job i love. it’s an all-consuming passion that drives me to want to do more and to do it better. i give it everything and it gives me a whole lot back. there’s nothing i’d change about it. well almost nothing. i’d really like to redefine success so that i don’t always feel like i’m failing.  

running a creative agency is an interesting business challenge. if we were a corporate then life might be easier when it comes to expected outcomes. i’ve been there and i know how it works. the shareholders (often the parent company) have an expected return number in mind. decision-making then becomes very single-minded, focused on delivering that number each year. you do and there are rewards. you don’t and there are consequences. if roi was the only outcome i needed to achieve with insight then i know exactly how i’d go about it. but this is just one expected outcome. and anyway, i don’t want to work for a company focused only on money – been there, done that, not again.

what really drives people to own and work in a design agency is creativity. we want to deliver clever ideas and creative concepts flawlessly executed. stuff that makes us proud and makes people notice and admire us. project plans, timesheets and processes, all aimed at managing the dollars, don’t exactly endear themselves to creative outcomes. so immediately you’ve got the challenge of balancing the needs of two masters.

at our place, we’ve got a third master. the fulfillment of our people. insight is a family business, owned by the people who work here. we’re not workers, resources, human capital or any other such crude term, designed to remind us that we can easily be swapped out for another fte. we are individuals, all with our own strengths, challenges and aspirations. we see work as an outlet for expression, growth and belonging. our staff engagement score, of close to 90%, says we are doing this well but this comes at the cost of other outcomes.

he with many masters serves none at all. it’s either a chinese proverb or some shit, disguised as wisdom, i just made up. regardless, it’s exactly how i feel. constantly trying to deliver the money, the creativity and the people outcomes seems to be an exercise in endless compromise. at best, we make a couple of masters happy. at worst, we disappoint all three. i’m quickly learning that the trick is to lower everyone’s expectations (including my own) but that’s not how i’m naturally wired. i prefer big challenges, delivering great results even when you fall short of the stated goal.

absurdly, i cope with the schizophrenia of three masters by focusing on a fourth, our clients. my thinking is that if we do what’s right by the client then everything else will look after itself. happy clients will give us more and better work and that will take care of the money, creativity and the opportunities to grow as individuals.

telling your story powerfully is central to brand strategy, and when mercury rebranded last year, their annual report was one of the first vehicles off the rank. now winning the accolade of ‘best international annual report’ in 2017’s global arc awards, the report reinforces our assertion that annual reports are one of a company’s most powerful brand positioning assets.

it is now the key lens we look through when discussing investor communications with clients - because the annual report has become so much more than an investor communication. one ceo briefed me last reporting season that he wanted his annual report to be his new 'international calling card' because he had such a new and different story to tell. we delivered that in august.

when this 'corporate repositioning' trickle trend started to turn into a rapidly flowing river lat year, i asked myself whether the annual report was the right vehicle for this task - wondering whether a corporate profile and website upgrade wasn't the more appropriate approach. and then i realised that the annual report is being seen as the 'ultimate corporate profile' - because it has the gravitas, the stamp of corporate authority, signed by the board itself to send the strongest possible signal that this is who we are.

in august we launched two other reports with perception-shifting goals. the first was for vector - a report that signficantly changes the game in terms of what business they're in. and the second was ravensdown's first integrated annual report - taking a highly authentic approach by lifting the shrouds and exposing their soul. another report that will shift people's perceptions of the company.

we first saw the power of this 'brand soul' expression in the first integrated report we produced for sanford in 2014. the respect for sanford accelerated rapidly over the weeks and months following publication. the perception needle shifted demonstrably and people looked once again at the company and saw it with fresh eyes that matched its fresh leadership. this report too went on to win many awards, locally and internationally.

so what's the secret sauce here that has made these reports really 'work' for the companies behind them?

• first, it's leadership. like all such things, it starts right at the top.
• second, it's authenticity. these companies don't try to pull any wool. they embrace the notions of corporate citizenship, shared value creation and 'doing the right thing' and have embedded these values deepy within their company cultures. it ain't ever lip service. it's genuine behaviours, their core belief systems, the way they naturally think. and more and more, it's about transparency - believing that honesty and openness will win out over any concerns about feeding strategies to competitors. they've come to realise that a competitor might be able to copy a strategy, but they can't copy the 'package' of authenticity that gives it true differentiation. the companies are simply organised this way, from the top down. and they hire the right people who think incredibly responsibly. at the end of the day, it's about 'trust'.
• third, the companies' strategies and visions are exceptionally well conceived and thoroughly thought through. they're elegant in their cohesion, with no hint of hedging bets, commercial dilution or dissonance.
• fourth, the visions, values and implementation strategies have utter clarity and are very simply articulated - internally (critically important) as well as externally.
• fifth, they work with us to clarify and amplify that articulation and adopt powerful storytelling techniques - both visual and voice.

we've shared our stories about vector, ravensdown and this year's mercury reports elsewhere on this website, but by way of explaining the above theories in practice, here's a little background about how we went about last year's mercury report that has just been judged last year's best international annual report by arc. 

the 2016 annual report was the first major publication following their rebrand from mighty river power, expressing everything the new brand stands for. it set the tone for how they wanted to be perceived from that day forward.

because the brand shift from mighty river power to mercury was so visually striking, our challenge was to not spook investors about the change but to clearly show continuity while boldly illustrating everything had changed under the new brand. no easy ask.

we made the new brand the hero, unfolding the brand story over the opening three spreads. showcasing the visual identity and positioning the brand as a new expression of their ongoing customer-led business strategy was key. 

a new strategy spread and business model diagram were introduced to tell the continuing investor story in a fresh way, more aligned with a more dynamic retail-led brand. magazine style case studies were used to showcase the brand story in action, highlighting how the core aspects of the brand manifest themselves every day in 'what matter most.' 

see our full case study in our work section

having recently announced a whole string of national and international awards for our work, it’s strange to be sitting here wondering, who really cares? obviously, we do. the question is, who else cares and why?

our design team cares about awards. for them, they represent recognition from their peers: people they admire, aspire to be like and whose work they covet. it’s recognition of a designer’s creativity and therefore, it’s a source of both self-satisfaction and motivation.

for the wider team, awards are about meaning. they’ve worked hard to manage a project to time and on budget, to lay out all the various elements and to produce the different components. award recognition says it was worth it and that their hard work contributed to something that mattered.

as a business leader and a strategist, awards are a measure of quality and effectiveness. they say we are doing something right in the way that we run the business, the people we hire and the way we structure our processes to deliver great ideas, executed beautifully. effectiveness awards, in particular, acknowledge that we are doing the right thing by our clients, delivering results that justify their investment.

we often think about awards in terms of reputation. last year we undertook research with prospective clients and it was clear that a ‘pool room’ of awards didn’t drive them to pick an agency. i think about my own experiences on the client side, selecting new agencies. awards were never a consideration. they came more into play after deciding, providing a post-decision reinforcement that i had made the right choice.

but clients sure love it when you win awards with their work. it reinforces their individual self-worth as marketers and communicators, telling them they are doing a good job. and it gives them a tool to go back to the accountants and other peers who struggle to see the full value they deliver to their business. and of course, it reminds them they are working with the right agency partner.

our industry really cares. awards represent best practice and a celebration of what we collectively contribute to our economy. i am often frustrated (and vocal) about how creative awards are handed out. we celebrate the latest, the weirdest and the boldest, often ignoring a work’s obvious failure to communicate effectively or to deliver the results the client commissioned it for.

despite all this gusto, i still get an immense sense of pride for me, our team and our clients, when we win an award. and it’s this pride that makes us all care about winning awards.

creating a campaign months ahead of it appearing in public is always an interesting exercise. not only is there the delayed creative gratification but also trying to gauge how effective the idea will be in reality. this year, it’s been exciting watching our new zealand symphony orchestra (nzso) ‘expect the unexpected’ creative platform gradually unfold. the cumulative impact of the visually distinctive campaign has definitely been building momentum as it has hit the streets with our striking posters and social media alignment.

we're now midway through the 2017 nzso season and are now starting to see some of the stronger campaign images popping up across our main centres.

this time last year we did a three day shoot of the some of the orchestra members dressed in ‘civvies’ to strategically break down a few barriers and challenge misconceptions about the orchestra. one in particular is bridget douglas, section principal - flute. our ‘expect the unexpected’ theme was totally reinforced at the shoot when bridget stepped in front of the camera. she needed little art direction to physically embody the idea and like a true professional got straight into the right head space. she’s perfectly paired with hector berlioz’s fantastical metaphysical drama ‘the damnation of faust’ concert (wellington 25 august, auckland 27 august) and so creates great alignment to the concept.

malaviya gopal, 1st violinist, was also great to work with. paired with the schuman and barber concert, she really breaks down preconceptions that orchestra music isn’t relevant and could actually be worth a go. in her leather jacket she’s very natural, real and very much aligned to the target audience of the arts crowd.

a new study by pwc released last week calculates design's economic contribution to new zealand is $10.1 billion - yes, that's billion. approximately 4.2 % of the country's total gdp. the research reveals that if design were treated as an individual industry its contribution to the new zealand economy would be larger than agriculture and on a par with retail trade ($10.6 billion), and food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing. the sector also provides approximately 94,200 fte design positions in new zealand, roughly 4.4 per cent of employment.

the value of design report was commissioned by designco, a consortium which comprises massey university’s college of creative arts, the designers institute of new zealand, otago polytechnic school of design, nzte, aut’s school of art and design, the auckland co-design lab, callaghan innovation and victoria university’s school of design. 

finance minister stephen joyce expressed his excitement in his forward to the report: “design is a powerful tool of the modern, interconnected world,” he said. “it is a key component of innovation, turning great ideas into services and products that consumers want to buy and use, it can help ensure that public services are user-friendly and more efficient, and it can help make cities more attractive places for citizens and skilled migrants to live and work. in short, these design-led firms are contributing to new zealand’s success as a diversified, resilient and growing economy.”

professor claire robinson, pro vice chancellor at massey's college of creative arts and convener of designco, was even more succinct. “there is a strong correlation between national prosperity, economic growth and a thriving design sector,” she said. “international evidence confirms that design leads to more competitive firms making and selling higher value products and services."

among designco’s recommendations for future actions are:

• treasury to develop a national design strategy in collaboration with the new zealand design sector.
• establish and fund a body similar to the uk design council responsible for the strategic coordination of design in new zealand, bringing together the design industry, research and education.
• establish a programme of business support for the use of design by smes, similar to the nzte better by design programme.
• increase targeted funding support for design-led service transformation in the public sector.
• widen the current conceptualisation of stem to include creative arts subjects such as design and creative media production, and increase the efts funding for these subject areas.
• establish a dedicated research fund for design researchers to access, and infrastructure to support the allocation of funds (separate from science, health or arts funding).

you can see the value of design report in full here.

in the june issue, ceo, steven giannoulis, tells nzmarketing magazine that 'good design should always deliver business results for the client'. in nzmarketing's research for the prior issue of the magazine, marketers expressed their frustration at an industry generally more interested in winning creative awards than truly helping the client - something steven had been on the receiving end of when he worked client-side. this is part of the reason he does everything he can to ensure that the work that insight develops actually drives value for the client.

click the image to read the full article.

"funders want to see failure"

this may initially seem like a strange statement from people who on behalf of their organisations have invested considerable sums of money with an express desire to achieve successful outcomes. and even more so when you learn and appreciate the very detailed assessment and due diligence processes that these particular funders undertake before making any decision to fund a charitable initiative.

hence the statement appeared worthy of pondering and some unpicking. the rationale behind my enlightened funder friends' statement is that theyare realists. by virtue of being human and part of the world we all get to "enjoy" a range of experiences every day. any experience is intrinsically valuable, and especially negative ones. but only as long as one is aware of it, and then able to objectively analyse it to seek to understand what happened and why.  and then most importantly; to take some remedial, corrective, or different action in the future as a result.

we learn more from our mistakes than our successes

this is a life lesson well worth learning. we would all like a life where everything progressed smoothly and to plan. but sadly that is just not realistic. (or at least not in the world i and all the organisations i deal with live in!). mistakes or failures can often be painful, soul destroying experiences. as with most painful things it is generally human nature to do our utmost to avoid them. and this includes trying to not even think about them to avoid re-living the pain mentally. but such avoidance (and let's be honest; some of us have got very good through years of practice and experience at avoiding confronting painful things) is actually a lost opportunity. 

our failures, mistakes and other challenges in life when things haven't gone to plan are actually a gift. if they haven't killed us and our organisations, then they represent a fantastic opportunity for learning. 

modern start-ups and software development also provide useful learning with the concept of "fast failure". recognition that you are likely to need to try lots of different things before you succeed. hence, it is best you do this as quickly and inexpensively as possible. 

how does all this apply to organisational reporting?

i've also been thinking about the value of reporting bad news in the context of the requirement for service performance reporting. this new requirement for registered charities in new zealand is already impacting tier 3 & 4 charities and will be impacting tier 1 & 2 in the not too distant future. the service performance reporting essentially requires them to report what they set out to achieve, and what they actually achieved. 

when you consider that this reporting is intended to, and i believe will, become a key communication vehicle to stakeholders, there is a natural tendency to want to present one's organisation and its experiences in the best possible light. after all, who doesn’t like to get dressed up when they go out in public.

but have you ever read what you were expecting to be an informational report, whether it be from a corporate or a charitable organisation, that just read like a marketing or promotional tool? i'm sure you have and i am equally sure that your reaction to it was fairly similar to most people - our natural scepticism tends to kick in, and we often quickly discount the truth, or the value of the information. 

for this reason one of the qualitative characteristic requirements for service performance reporting is "faithful representation".  this is attained when information is complete, neutral, and free from material error. neutrality is the absence of bias. hence for service performance information to be neutral it needs to report on both favourable and unfavourable aspects of the entity's service performance in an unbiased manner. 

so back to my enlightened funder friends; they are realists and hence they want to see the real story. they will not "mark organisations down" just because they show some bad news as well as the good - as long as it is clear that the organisation has got value from their negative lesson and hopefully can improve their future experiences as a result. 

so don't be afraid of bad news. there is nothing wrong with it as long as it can be explained and contextualised, and the organisation can show what it has learned and hopefully will do differently as a result in future. 

interesting resources

if you want to explore this topic further, the following link from a coffee chat with a be accessible team member and founding member of the fail club may assist you in further peeling the onion of failure: 
https://www.admittingfailure.org 

at the australasian reporting awards held in melbourne on 21 june, two of insight's clients were recognised for their successes.

sanford

the 2016 sanford annual report won the integrated reporting category and a gold award. it was also a finalist for both the sustainability reporting award, and the supreme report of the year.

here are a few of the judges’ comments:

“an excellent, well rounded application of the integrated reporting framework, with a good balance of narrative, tables, graphs and stories making the content reader friendly.” integrated report award

“for such a large complex organisation organisation, this report presents a picture of simplicity.  the coverage of areas of material interest to sanford stakeholders is exemplary.” gold award

nz super fund

the 2016 nz superannuation fund annual report won a gold award and the public sector governance category. the supporting annual review microsite was also a finalist in the online reporting category. this repeats their success at the 2016 awards.

i'm currently documenting my 'methodology' for creating sound digital strategy, and what strikes me is that there’s no ‘special digital strategy sauce’ that makes me more special, more current and more in the know than non-digital strategists. i’d like to position what i do in digital projects as a superpower, a dark art or a magical calling bestowed on us chosen few. reality is, i’m doing the same sh*% that has underpinned good marketing strategy since eve promoted her ‘apple’ to adam.

as more things change –  technology advances, consumer expectations sky-rocket and sources of information explode – the fundamentals that make a good marketing and communication strategy remain even more relevant. it’s not to say there aren’t some things that apply specifically to digital, but we can say the same about every communication medium.

when developing a strategy for a digital project like a website, we must carefully balance the needs of the client and the user. it’s easy when they perfectly align but, frankly, that just never happens.

let’s start with the client. a digital project always starts with understanding what we are doing and why. what’s the business objective? a good strategist gets to the heart of a brief – the why – rather than just focusing on just capturing the what and how. in my experience, the why will always come down to delivering revenue or cost-savings, enhancing reputation, driving efficiency or quality and/or managing risk. the quicker you can determine which of these is the primary driver, the quicker you can work out what success looks like and how to deliver it.

then we move to the communication strategy. where does the project sit in the client’s wider communication programme? how does it integrate with other activities, offline and online? these days a website can be both the fulfilment piece at the end of a promotional chain and/or the gateway to starting two-way dialogue with customers via social media. understanding where it sits in the wider sales or engagement process influences how we design and structure a site and its content. and of course, there’s the wider industry and competitive context your online presence co-exists in.

and then there’s our target audiences. who are they? why do they come to the site? what do they want to know, do and feel?  what content is important and why? what engages them and what turns them off?  when do they come? not just time of day but where in the decision-cycle? where do they come from and how do they get here – desktop, tablet, phone or cross-device? lots of questions, many which clients can answer, some we understand with research and others we observe through analytics and testing.

digital strategy is an exercise in balancing the needs of clients and audiences.

there’s lots of talk about good ux, and you can’t deny its importance, but a good user experience won’t necessarily drive the outcomes the client needs.

i may be the odd-one out here but i always start with the client need first. after all, they’ll judge our success (and they’re the ones paying!) i develop a small number of high-level approaches that i think will deliver the result the client needs. these usually come from a combination of experience, research and on-going reading and learning. i run these through a top-down checklist in my head. how would this strategy manifest itself in site architecture, navigation, content, story-telling, interaction, experience, integration, seo, tracking, sign-up/fulfilment, etc? talking myself through these answers eliminates some options and ensures the remaining ones are better considered.

the final step is to apply a bottom-up client-led review of the remaining strategies. audience by audience. will this strategy drive this audience to the site? will it give them what they need in a way that will engage them? what’s the primary user journey? what would make them dive deeper into the site, stay longer or explore more pages? will it drive them to buy, call, email, subscribe, like, comment, watch, or whatever other action we need them to take?

most strategies fail in execution which is why i see clarity as the single most important aspect of a good strategy, digital or otherwise. the more-single-minded the strategy is the easier it is for clients to understand it and for designers, developers, content creators and others to work out how to best apply their expertise to implement it effectively.

so, there it is, a glimpse behind the digital strategy curtain. disappointed that it’s not exactly magic and more science than a dark art? and as mysterious as i try to make it, i’m just an old dog doing the same old tricks, in a new medium, that strategic marketers have done forever.

we're excited to have been appointed as airways corporation's design & digital agency after a rigorous competitive pitch.

airways controls all domestic and international air traffic across 30 million square kilometres of airspace in new zealand and over the pacific, handling over 1 million air traffic movements a year.

but what's a little less known in nz is that they are renowned globally for leading innovation and development in the aviation sector, with 780 staff delivering air navigation and air traffic management consultancy and training services in over 65 countries!

it's going to be a fascinating and fun journey . . .

the continued reign of content online is undisputed. it remains central to any online patronage. it motivates engagement, drives purchases and creates connections between individuals and brands. think about it. when was the last time you visited a site because they used a certain cms or technical infrastructure? i’m guessing, never! although if you’re more technically inclined <cough>geek</cough> like me, maybe you do on occasion. 

arguably, sites are visited because of an article, or video, an animation, a meme, or a blog… etc. etc. etc. don’t get me wrong, the platform or the container is important. just not important to the people visiting your site.

clearly, content matters! this is not a new concept by any stretch. not even one i can lay claim too. in 1996, bill gates coined the phrase ‘content is king’. he predicted that the internet would eventually make money via content, as it does in broadcasting. fast forward 20+ years, and many notable individuals have gone on to endorse bill’s sentiment. arguably, his predictions not only hold true today but are central to developing rich user engagements and loyalty.

"good content allows us to tell the clearest stories."

good content allows us to tell the clearest stories. we use video to make the complex simple. we deliver interactions that engage and surprise. we contextualise to add meaning. and we wrap it in brand to create a connection and deliver an experience.

the digital landscape continues to change – with new technologies, frameworks, tools and methodologies to enable us to maximise how we engage with our users. through this transformation, the value of content has been a constant, and with new tools & technologies, we’re able to create (and deliver) even better content than ever before.

however, given this transformation, we must now balance a new set of challenges. challenges like understanding how people navigate, search, scan and engage with content. these components must then be reflected against supported devices (i.e. mobile vs desktop), with consideration placed on the content pace & structure - potentially offering things like a tiered content structure to allow users to drill deeper – where relevant/interested.

"users visit sites because content has meaning. but they can also leave, due to lack of it."

by wielding these new tools, we can create more meaningful and engaging online experiences. we can contextualise content based on location, device and/or previous user engagement. we create intimacy by providing relevance and conversation. we use functionality to amplify (the content) – because we understand that people don’t visit our sites because we’re using wordpress or drupal or {insert cms here}. they visit because our content has meaning. and (sometimes) they leave, due to lack of it. content truly is still king.

so, if content is king, how do you encourage engagement, drive purchases and create connections with both your users and brand? how do you deliver a memorable experience?

as a senior corporate marketer i worked with numerous design and advertising agencies before moving to the agency dark-side. i remember sitting through a number of creative pitches wondering “how will this actually drive the sales i need?” often it was a case that it would, but the agency just needed to get better at presenting it to me in terms that met our business objectives. the sooner agencies learn to speak the language of business, the sooner they’ll be seen as professional partners and not just suppliers.

in many cases, the agency hadn’t thought beyond the self-perceived brilliance of their big creative idea to what me, or my audiences, actually needed. when i took on the ceo role at insight, i was keen to use this experience to make us a client-led, rather than design-led, agency.

at first it seems a radical step for a design agency to not drive the business from their core expertise. reality is that most big industries have already moved from production-led to customer-led. changing customer expectations and technology have necessitated this. the design industry, as a professional services provider, has been slow to realise the need to change.

we are into the third year of our client-first programme and while we have come a long way we still have further to go to be fully transformed. a philosophical shake-up of this proportion takes time.

the first year was about the basics. for example, making sure we’re asking the right questions at the briefing stage and really hearing, and understanding, what clients want and why. we redesigned our processes to drive our design thinking from tangible audience insights and to put steps in place to check the effectiveness of the work along the way.

we also gave all our client facing teams training on how to listen and read clients, how to get answers to the key questions and also how to sell in ideas (and not just designs) in ways that engage the client need.

in year two we ran ‘what clients want’ sessions where we invited clients to talk to our teams directly about the expectations and frustrations they have with agencies, how they measure value and the challenges they face getting things accomplished within their business. staff really engaged with this and enjoyed hearing it first-hand.

we also ran basic marketing strategy sessions for staff explaining the business drivers behind client briefs - such as growth, efficiency and risk management – and how each of these influence the channels, messages and design approaches we select.

you can’t be client focused if you don’t know what clients need, want or think. over the last two years we’ve run an annual client satisfaction monitor to track how well we are meeting client needs but also how the initiatives we are implementing are changing their perceptions. we supplement this with in-depth qualitative interviews to understand the why behind the monitor results and to get ourselves across the business challenges our clients face.

the year ahead has a strong client intimacy theme to it, designed to build a deep understanding of each client and the ways we can better deliver value to them. we’ll use this understanding to proactively address the problems and opportunities they face with tailored thinking and solutions. 

we’ve started and, not surprisingly, we’re finding clients are very receptive to their agency proactively designing solutions that help them achieve their goals.  

we regularly work with clients on internal communications projects, helping them engage their staff, drive behaviour and performance, embed change and continuous improvement programmes and align their internal and external brands. as a business, we face the same challenges our clients ask for our help with. we too work hard to engage a diverse group of talented individuals to create an aligned team approach that spans multiple locations and disciplines.

i was delighted to see the results of our latest annual staff perception survey. it was the first project i instigated as ceo in order to identify the key issues staff perceive and to track our progress in addressing them. each year we’ve moved forward in leaps and bounds and this year we achieved a staff engagement score of 88.8%. there’s no doubt our team is now (mostly) happy and this comes through clearly in the many positive and constructive comments made.

so how did we do it?  many clients tell us they need a campaign to drive culture change, embed value and to improve performance. my answer is always the same. staff engagement isn’t a campaign but an on-going embedding process achieved over time across multiple channels and touchpoints. it requires consistent messages and actions that move the team seamlessly through awareness, understanding, acceptance and adoption. and that’s simply what we did. here are some of the key initiatives from our own staff engagement programme:

• improved regular communications including a monthly staff newsletter (now a video blog) covering results, work-in-progress updates, people and client stories and fun competitions. this is supported by a blog-based intranet for regular cross-office discussion and managers running regular team meetings. communication, transparency and trust were areas we scored particularly well in the survey.
• line of sight – our annual strategy day allows us to walk the entire team through our vision, purpose, strategy and key plans for the year ahead. this enables them to make a direct connection between what they do and the results we need to achieve. we also use this session to review the year just passed, directly linking our performance against goals with any staff profit share.
• last year we established an internal team to develop our values from the ground up. this ensured that the values reflected what is important to both staff and the business. we made a big deal around the launch, facilitating better recall and understanding. and now we are working on embedding them further into our every day vernacular and actions. see our values launch case study.
• our staff benefits/wellbeing programme is an on-going labour of love. we regularly add new benefits such as medical check-ups, access to financial advisers, flexible working arrangements, community days and healthy living advice.
• establishing a structured performance and development framework has meant all staff are clear on what they need to do and how their performance is measured. everyone has a development plan which is executed through regular individual and group development activities.
• our new recruitment framework ensures that that we hire people that are aligned with, and add to, the culture we have created.
• the physical environment also plays a role in culture and engagement. we moved offices in auckland, creating an environment more conducive to collaboration, creativity and good communication. we’ve made progress with the wellington office too and will go further with a new fit-out.
• we do lots of fun activities together as a team (but we still need to do more). some are little things like shared lunches or morning teas to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, project success and individual ‘gold star’ performance. others are much bigger, like getting the whole team together for a day of eating, drinking and fun at my place or our masterchef-styled christmas function. getting together regularly in a relaxed, non-work environment helps with unity and creating a sense of belonging.

for me the key to achieving our outcomes is embedding our goals, values and culture into our everyday actions. the leadership team have led this charge, modelling the sort of culture we want as well as reinforcing it with their teams. and if you’ve been in a meeting with any of us, you’ll see we all carry our designer notebooks. these house our vision, one purpose, our brand story, our strategy and business plans, values and kpis. effectively, the team engages with them every time they take notes at meetings (which for most, is every day). see our strategy book case study.

yes, but has it worked? being personally fulfilled at work is one of our goals. but our engagement programme isn’t only about soft benefits. it’s also helping us deliver the hard results shareholders need. in the last three years, our revenue has remained relatively consistent but our bottom line has moved steadily upwards. a more engaged team manifests itself in greater productivity and a willingness to find and adopt new and better ways to do what we do. what do they say? “happy staff equals happy clients and happy clients means a happy bank manager.”

could we do more? without a doubt. we’ll take a few moments to reflect on how far we’ve come and then get back to going further. we’ve got some exciting plans for the year ahead. suddenly 90% engagement doesn’t seem that impossible.

now, you may already know this, but the digital landscape harbours a polarised community of data-driven practitioners and their design counterparts. this tension is (typically) born from perceptions that data driven design diminishes – if not eliminates – creativity. really!?

let’s be clear, what is data-driven design?

(for simplicity) we can define data-driven-design as the use of quantitative data to inform the design deliverable.

data+design=?

without doubt, there are large companies that live & die by their data-centric approach to design – i’m looking at you google & facebook. but this focus is equally balanced by successful counterparts like apple – who are particularly anti-data – and who openly express a heavily design-centric process. so, who’s right? both? neither?

could it be that both are wrong? with the answer lying within a blend of both? now before ‘heresy’ is suggested from the respective camps – let me explain.

data creates opportunity. delivering opportunity to gain user empathy and inspiration. it pulls back the cover on what people say they do and displays what they ‘actually’ do. remember that numbers represent people, behaviours and engagement; then this intelligence allows design to drive innovation and fuels informed improvement.

as a tool, data then allows for better designed experiences, elevating the human-centred design process.

as the world becomes increasingly more digital, we’ll need to continue to embrace the ‘data by-product’ of user engagement to continually craft better outcomes. by leveraging analytics, we enrich our understanding of amazing (or awful) experiences and, therefore, can iterate in more meaningful ways. this, ultimately, will lead to better products. increased user engagement.

bear-hugs all round.

perceptions aside, it's time to hug an analyst and/or high-five a designer, then wield the power of data & design in pursuit of crafting more meaningful digital experiences.

data+design=amazing experiences <3

i don’t like arriving late but what if, as mr friedman suggests in his book, it can create value. 

being late, early in the process, can create time to reflect and, above all, clarity. clarity we so often lack. clarity we don’t seek because there’s no time. clarity.

like you, i acutely feel this pressure to meet deadlines. and often the pressure to meet these deadlines has a canny way of overshadowing the opportunity. 

there’ve been too many days when anxiety kicked in, when i just wanted to get things underway as soon as humanly possible, so not to lose any precious time. dragging those around me into the doing, somehow trying to get on with the job. 

until i noticed someone much wiser than me ask a client a few well-chosen questions. at face value, asking these questions seemed to challenge the deadline (we were supposed to be all go, right!), but instead it helped to achieve three things:

1/ brought more clarity around what’s required and why

2/ made everyone feel more confident doing their task, and

3/ culminated in better results, delivered on time

on reflection, my best work comes from having sound client insights. a few good questions, suitably put, go a long way. 

btw, friedman’s book is a good read if you'd like to find out more about how we must learn to be fast (innovative and quick to adapt), fair (prepared to help the casualties of change), and slow (adept at shutting out the noise and accessing their (our clients) deepest values) – all in the age of acceleration.

a little over 20 years ago i became a father of two pretty fabulous daughters. every year, most days i got to figure out how to be a father. books don’t tell you everything there is to know. my own parents turned out to be right more often than i’ve given them credit for (something i figured out much later in life). 

kids are kids are kids are kids. they learn to crawl just when you get used to them sitting up (all precious things soon move 6 feet off the floor). they learn to talk and before you know they talk back. let them play dress-ups in the garden and hey presto they’re dressed up and off to the ball. it seems one direction only for my daughters, called independence - all the way. i (alongside my amazing wife) figured the best i can do is to give them some good values, something to fall back on when i’m not around.

as the girls grew up and years flew passed i learned to adjust my sails, whilst staying on course, doing my best to instill these values. i think i did pretty ok, but let my girls be the better judge of that. 

likewise, most days our clients look to resolve a challenge they have. i give them process, feed them information, let them run with an idea. but adjusting my sails again, i figured i could do better, to modify how i interact with them whenever necessary, to make the overall experience worth their while. we can’t presume that they will do as we would like them to do with their brand & comms once they’re out of sight, but sure hope that through their experience working with us they truly value what we’ve taught them.

some years ago, as i gradually moved into a client service role, my biggest anxiety became the fear of failing our clients and letting down the people i represent. worried to be found out, to be not quite good enough for the job.

i was working at another design agency at that time, where people talked about opportunities and were actively discouraged from seeing things as problems. it all just sounded like hollow words, until it became clear to me it was ‘attitude’ they were talking about. 

dealing with clients became less tricky when i started to look at them as people just like me. using my insecurity helped me level with clients. turns out some of them were also a bit worried about being found out. others were smart and in areas very different from me. some were actually quite funny but not everyone around me thought they were funny (i get that all the time). best of all, opportunities to relate proved omnipresent. changing discussions to conversations, shifting business topics to personal. making these connections created stronger relationships where all of us became more open, until there was nothing left to be ‘found out’.

lately i’ve been recruiting for a new business person and i had an experience with one candidate that made me think about the importance of brand feelings. yes, feelings. brace yourself, i am going to talk about them.

for the first time i didn’t use a recruiting agency but posted my role on social media. i had 33 applicants, and once i got through the obligatory bunch of those kidding themselves about their suitability, i had a dozen or so really good applicants.

one particular applicant had a strong cv and i checked him out on linkedin, found he had some good endorsements and a number of connections i knew. all looked promising so i arranged an initial chat to get a feel for him and whether he’d be good for the role and our company.

after 20 minutes or so we hung up and i reflected on the discussion. he gave the absolute perfect textbook answers to every question – i couldn’t have scripted them better myself. but i walked away feeling something was off about this guy. he shared nothing personal, no stories, experiences or views that would have allowed me to like him. he was siri responding to my questions with programmatic accuracy and robotic warmth.

as you do in this ‘everything’s public’ age, i looked him up on facebook and instagram. he was into sports, did lots of community stuff, looked like a great dad and had a wide circle of friends. and we appeared to share some common musical interests. was i wrong about him? i invited him to meet to find out.

within 10 minutes of more of the same, i stopped listening. i have no doubt his remaining answers were great but i just didn’t care. he may have promised to do the job 24/7 and for free but i still wouldn’t hire him. i ended the meeting and promised to let him know as soon as i’d made up my mind. i lied, i had already made up my mind.

like people, brands have to appeal at an emotive level as well as a logical one. we have to trust a brand, and like (or at least not hugely dislike) it, before we’ll even consider getting into bed with it. this liking-heuristic is well proven in brand psychology. connect emotionally and it’s glass half full. don’t and it can never be anything more than near empty.

the guy i hired maybe on paper wasn’t the natural choice, but within 10 minutes we were talking like old-mates. within 30, i felt i knew him and within an hour i was ready to pick him. and that’s exactly what i think potential clients will feel when he’s talking to them.

ask most new zealanders “what sort of culture does our capital city have?” or "describe our teenage drinking culture” and you’ll probably get pretty clear answers. cafe and binge. however, ask many businesses what sort of culture they have and the answers can get a bit vague, woolly and glib.

why is this? and why are we only now starting to be aware of the value of a healthy and positive working culture?

usually because of a lack of appreciation of the value of workplace culture.

in an age when companies are experiencing growing competition for both employees and customers, we’re realising that retaining and attracting the best people – and ensuring they’re focused on being the best they can be – is a key competitive advantage.

employee retention is a significant challenge facing all businesses today. as the economy continues to look up, employees, who are connected like never before with the linkedin and social media networks, have more opportunity to ‘shop’. if you’re a great place to work with a healthy culture, everyone can find that out pretty quickly - and vice versa.

and gaining a competitive advantage from a positive culture is born of clarity and congruity – having everybody rowing in the same direction with clarity of purpose; and in perfect synchronicity, everybody behaving consistently from the top down.

with so much to gain, no company can really afford to be vague and woolly about its culture.

think about what the value proposition is here: when you have a positive work culture, it follows that you have a higher performing and strongly productive, engaged team. for longer.

what to do?

recognising the value to be unlocked is key to embarking on a positive work culture journey.

organisations need to move past the ‘vague and woolly’ gut feel assessment of their culture and systematically and objectively research the groundswell of opinion on the ‘shop floor’. the immediate value to you will be an increased sense of understanding and appreciation of real perceptions. actively value this feedback. this, in itself, has to become part of your culture if you are to really move into a new gear.  

but be careful not to simply paper over the cracks of what your internal study finds. authenticity is the only way to succeed in today’s environment. and don’t think of ‘culture’ as a programme, but more a way of being - your way of being. embed and amplify your genuine positive qualities, and create systems and environments that say "it’s the way we do things around here”. don’t simply put up a few words on some walls, put in a new kitchen and go back to business as usual. 

culture is the sum total of the embodied behaviors, values, environments, reward systems, and rituals that make up your organisation. you can "feel” culture, through the enthusiasm that people exhibit and in a workspace itself.

we often have to say to a client “until you get this part of the organisation sorted, sure we can implement this internal fitout or leadership programme, but what has really changed?” it’s most likely going to feel like spin. we’ll only be solving part of the picture.

it’s up to the organisation to know clearly what it wants to be. yes, we can help you discover, distill and articulate that. and we can help you identify what needs to change internally. but we can’t impose a culture from the outside. if it’s not genuine and embedded in reality, it will never be believable nor effective, to your people or your customers.

leadership is key

once you’ve implemented the changes collectively agreed and that make sense to your business, leaders need to lead and this is defiantly an area where the implementation of any changes needs to be strongly led.

so, look closely at yourself as potentially someone who sets the tone. measure how strong your culture is by getting to grips with understanding how things are working or not. be consistent. lead the relevant changes. simple, right?

our client, tāmaki regeneration company, really want people to know what's happening in the tāmaki, glen innes and panmure area. so they've dropped a big box into the neighbourhood that opens next monday.

the container will move around within the tāmaki community - to community events or neighbourhoods breaking new ground. when open, the box will be manned by tāmaki representatives and the inside features detailed information regarding new housing developments, the story of tāmaki and what regeneration means, as well as a timeline, progress and future projects. and a touchscreen featuring interactive maps.

the container is powered by solar panels and includes a retractable awning to ensure it can operate in all weather conditions. our design is bold and bright, and on message: tāmaki is an awesome place to be!

when i was a kid my dad told me that i don’t think. it made me very sad that he thought of me that way. only much later in life did i work out that we were simply seeing and processing things differently and not very good at communicating to each other how we see things.

my dad was very analytical, good with numbers, magical with things that follow a logical process. he was a big thinker of many small things. you could see a big picture emerge once you’d added up all the little things he had in his mind. problem was extracting the little things. i seem to have flipped the other way. full of big ideas that often appear random and scattered, missing the detail. dad and i got there in the end though. standing on my own two feet in a foreign country did somehow bring our minds closer together.

most of our clients come for one of two things. they’re either looking for big ideas or need help delivering big ideas. i have come to appreciate that things go a lot smoother once i understand what people are looking for. if i always did what trump suggested i’d be in trouble.

thanks dad.

. . . and we enjoy the talent of a wonderfully diverse - and international - group of women.

the first ever concert of the new zealand symphony orchestra (nzso) was held on this day in 1947. 70 years on and they are still going strong, attracting the cream of talent from new zealand and around the world. globally applauded and grammy-nominated, yet they still put all their passion and energy into entertaining and delighting kiwi audiences right round the country. happy birthday nzso, you make us very proud kiwis.

nzso has been a client of ours for three years and we are delighted to have helped them tell their brand story, grow their ticket sales and attract new audiences. they represent the pinnacle of creative excellence, inspiring us to lift our game to match theirs.

so what do you have on your 70th birthday? cake of course and our team were pleased to be a able to celebrate with them, presenting them with this special hand-made card designed exclusively by our creative director, brian slade.

i think it’s about time that i say thanks to all of you who patiently endure my use of the english language. 

using good english but not quite right has had some entertaining effects on people. ‘how goes it now?’ ‘well pretty good’ was the reply, with a little smile in the corner of his eye. things were a bit more painful after i worked out that ‘let me take him apart when the time is right’ means something completely different from ‘take him aside’.

in the 25 years i’ve been in new zealand, i’ve met many guests like myself who’ve come from another place. the french and german variants, south african, ethiopian, canadian, belgium, italian, russian, a few from back home, and some whose lingo totally confuses me (is manchester classified as a country?).

what we all have in common, most of the time anyway, is that we want to be understood. the same goes for our clients. they also, sometimes, speak in what seems like a foreign tongue when meaning inadvertently takes on a different guise. 

on behalf of these clients, i thank you for your patience and understanding (please keep it up).

immigration and the so-called identity dilution that diversity apparently brings is a hot topic on local and global political agendas. as a brand strategist and a descendent of immigrants i naturally have a strong view on the subject of identity. 

being from immigrant stock is actually what makes us kiwis. the nz story doesn’t just take in english and maori heritage but also incorporates pacific, indian, italian, dalmation, chinese and many more cultures. this eclectic tapestry of ethnic backgrounds has today fused together forming the unique kiwi identity we have today.

people came here in search of a better life for themselves and their families. this spirit of improving our lot is still alive and well in our culture today. most endured long journeys and tough beginnings to establish a life here and this sense of working hard for self-made success is something we still celebrate. and because of, and not despite of, our distance, we’ve learnt to improvise, think differently and find new ways to create the lifestyle we all enjoy.

immigrant culture is also the lifeblood of what our identity is evolving into. most of us live a life which embraces the best of our parents' heritage and our kiwi upbringing, creating the new cultural norm. let’s encourage and welcome all those who add to our kiwi culture, finding ways to celebrate the richness diversity brings. without it, we’d be a very dull place indeed.

all this diversity talk extends into the workforce and i’m all for it. diversity offers broader experiences and perspectives and therefore leads to better thinking and decision-making, greater creativity and innovation. at insight we have a great mix of nationalities, ages, interests, beliefs and personalities but we still need to do more. so we promote an active policy to encourage diversity in recruitment while not tolerating reverse discrimination.

i grew up in a cultural minority so i get frustrated at being lumped into a generic european majority or being told i don’t understand bi-culturalism or what it’s like to be different. we ‘white folks’ are not homogenous and interchangeable, all expressing one view and a single perspective. my background, growing up greek in new zealand, is very different from my colleagues who are dutch, german, scottish, south african or russian. we may all be white but we all have unique identities and cultures and each one of us brings a distinctive perspective.

so let's encourage, foster and celebrate the diversity we also bring to society and the workplace, remembering that everyone contributes to greater diversity.

when graphis recognises your work as world class and publishes it in their respected biennial book, you know you're doing quality work. and we've been there a few times before over our 40 years.

but to see six of our projects in one book, with five golds and one silver - well, even we were feeling pretty good about what we come to work every day to do!

(with thanks to sanford, ebos, stand children's services and vital healthcare property trust for entrusting us with you communications).

the november issue of idealog magazine features quality branding advice from our ceo, steven giannoulis. some particular gems: "making the brand rhetoric true has wide-reaching implications, requiring a review of everything from organisational design, culture, sales practices, products and services and operational processes." and "in many ways, developing an appealing brand and sales story is the easy bit. making them true is how brands go to that next level in creating enduring value."

click the image to read.

ngāti whātua Ōrākei's 2015 annual report suite has been awarded silver in the 2016 best awards among an elite field in the ngā aho category.

ngā aho is the network fo maori design professionals who partner with the designers institute of new zealand to award design that reflects a clear understanding of who we are and where we are in our unique corner of moana nui a kiwa, the pacific ocean, and that results from meaningful collaboration. 

a full case study tracing the communication strategy and creative solution for this project can be viewed here.

overall, insight creative achieved four finalists in this year's best awards.

nz may not be doing too well in the rio olympics, but insight is winning golds, slivers and bronzes where it really matters: the new york based international annual report competition (arc awards).

gold: sanford. the best combined annual and sustainability report in the world (they don’t have an integrated report category yet):

silver: nz super fund. with no gold awarded, it's still the best pension fund annual report in the world:

silver: stand children's services. the second best charitable organisation annual report in the world:

bronze: auckland international airport. the third best airport management annual report in the world:

this is effective design that is driven by the collective collaboration of our strategists and creative talents. you can read in depth case studies on the gold and silver winners here on this website. to help you find them easily, we've collected them together for you right here.

last week's australasian reporting awards (ara) resulted in massive success for every one of our clients who entered (all two of them!) but 100% success is still 100% success. and as insight is the common denominator, let's draw this achievement to your attention.

nz super fund

not only did the 2015 nz super fund annual report receive a gold award (one of only four new zealand companies to receive a gold), it also won best of two categories in the special awards:

winner, governance reporting - public sector, and

winner, online reporting - public sector

and all this on top of last month's win as best annual report in the 2016 asia-pacific excellence awards

view the printed report case study here, and the online version here.

sanford limited

our sanford integrated report also made a big impact at the awards, also winning a gold award, and also taking out a total of three categories in the special awards:

winner, sustainability reporting award - private sector

winner, integrated reporting

winner, ara hong kong sustainability award

view our case study on this integrated report here.

congratulations too, to the only other new zealand company to win a special award: watercare services (sustainability reporting award - other).

i’m really not a morning person, my circadian clock cringes whenever it’s forced to rise before 7am. however, the promise of a freshly brewed, extra strong, double shot of morning inspo was enough to lure me out of bed last friday.

creative mornings is a breakfast lecture series for the creative community, and this month, the theme was reality. reality on the surface feels so tangible, so concrete. but… in reality, it isn’t quite that simple. after catching up with a few familiar faces and eating roughly my weight in free mini bagels and croissants, i sat down to listen to this month’s guest speaker, anna jackson, spin some truths.

anna is a lecturer at colab, the ‘collaboratory’ for design and creative technologies at aut. she also co-founded the documentary initiative loading docs (a launchpad for new zealand documentary shorts, if you have 3 minutes spare, check one out! my favourite is ‘dancing in the dark’). here’s what i took away from the talk, so i thought i’d share it with you guys!

“if we want to change reality, we need to see it.”

much of what we do as designers is creating a reality. we set the context for how content will be perceived by people. a viewer will start forming judgements about a piece of design within a few milliseconds. long before they’ve read a single word, they’ve formed opinions based solely on the design created to hold the all important message. if you wish to change the way people see reality, you need to show them. they need to see it to believe it. it’s all about influencing perception.    

here at insight we work on awesome projects every day that visually portray a reality in one way or another. we find ourselves in quite a powerful position because we can choose how to best show these in engaging, insightful, entertaining ways that can have a real impact on people, make them think or feel a certain way and effect change.

there was also a sweet-as virtual reality demonstration, i had a turn on “the green fairy”, a story-driven experience by master of creative technologies student alejandro davila. lovely, lots of fairies and mushrooms, see the pics of me enjoying it way too much below.

creative director, brian slade, looks forward to see what we’re likely to see emerging in our industry in the next 12 months.

“a trend never simply emerges for a single year and then disappears in a puff of smoke. instead, an aesthetic becomes popular gradually, even mysteriously, over time before fizzling out slowly without much notice at all.”  madeleine morley, the american institute for graphic arts.

forecasting trends with any certainty is tricky but here are ten possible aesthetic design trends to keep an eye out for and a few trends that may particularly impact us through this busier part of the year. given that brands are about creating and maintaining competitive differential, following trends that dilute competitive distance can be counter-productive. the trick for a design agency like ours, is knowing when following such trends is ‘right’ for our clients. as usual, being true to the brand essence is the first priority. at the same time, being relevant, contemporary and appropriate to the business communication imperative is also at the top of our list. a healthy tension . . .

01. “modern” retro style. stylistic influences from more recent decades, the late 1970s through the 90s. think early pcs and video games, pixel art, and space themes.

02. material (flat) design. bold flat, graphic look.

03. bright, bold colors. fitting in with both 80s/90s styles, vibrant hues should continue to prove popular picks into 2016. colors that transport us to a happier, sunnier place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves.

04. geometric shapes. geometric shapes, stipes and patterns applied in all sorts of ways. also keep an eye out for a style known as “low poly,” which got its start as a 3d modeling technique for video games.

05. negative space negative and/or white space is an essential part of any good design. but used strategically, negative space can be a clever way to add deeper or double meaning to designs, particularly for logo and branding projects.

06. grids. modular, card-based (grid) layouts have been adopted by some of the biggest brands for their websites and mobile apps.

07. dramatic typography. according to this trend, typography isn’t just for reading, the message is the medium. look out for big, bold type that’s the center of attention.

08. abstract, minimalistic style. this trend relies on less being more and deconstructing or distorting recognizable forms. elements are picked apart and put back together in a unique way and a seemingly random layout.

09. serifs get their due. while sans serif designs continually dominate the lists of top-selling typefaces in popular font marketplaces the serif can more than ever be reproduced with dignity and not degraded. higher resolution screens becoming more prevalent increasingly they can handle the more delicate, refined nuances of serif typefaces and smaller sizes.

10. prominent custom type and type awareness continue. whether consciously or unconsciously, everybody knows type is everywhere. the san francisco typeface, a design that debuted first for the apple watch, and subsequently rolled out for ios and os x el capitan, continues the trend of the public becoming more aware of the importance (and, indeed, fashionability) of type.

we often get asked by our clients about what the trends are in annual reporting. sometimes i wonder why, because most actually stay on their conservative paths. but some brave few follow through and strive to find more effective ways to communicate with their shareholder base.

some of the trends currently playing out have actually been quietly influencing reporting for a few years now, but others are quite new a little more radical.

the greatest shift is that because the structural rules are now so few, it has become possible to approach every company’s report with a blank sheet of paper and create a unique plan that is bespoke to the company’s situation, needs and philosophies rather than the straightjacket of what most companies still sense that an annual report should be, based on historical tradition.

let’s whip through some of the more notable trends. and then, if you want to know more, you can download the more detailed white paper that explores each of these trends in more detail.

summary

1. first principles: it's about the investor brand, at its core. the report is merely a component in a much bigger strategic year-long communication plan, which in turn should be designed as part of a longer-term investor brand plan. all annual reporting decisions should align back to this touchstone and not be made in isolation.

2. anything goes. now that regulations no longer dictate a prescribed format, what each company does for their annual reporting depends on the company, its view of the world, its appetite for best practice communication, its register make-up, its size, what its peer group are doing - and most commonly, the proportion and influence of its retail shareholder base vs its institutional investor base. because the legal requirements really only apply to the financials and compliance components, the opportunity for communicators is to approach how they choose to tell their investment story in many different ways.
3. integrated reporting (see in-depth blog lost on integrated reporting) is making traction and more new zealand companies are actively exploring this to some degree. it requires a major change in thinking. but transparent reporting of all material issues, and their future effect on the company's longer-term outlook, are factors that will grow in importance and become more and more expected, whether labeled as integrated reporting or not.
4. storytelling continues to mark the best practice reports - the back stories, the human impact, the strategies, the emotional connection. but not all companies agree that this approach is appropriate to them.
5. online is important, but there are many ways to skin that cat. but the important point to register is that online is a 'pull' channel: people have to make the effort to go there for it to be effective.
6. the opt-in gap is a real one. the percentage of shareholders who opt in to receive a copy of the annual report averages around 10% of the shareholder base internationally. the company must decide whether the 'push' channel necessary to plug the 90% gap of unengaged shareholders is a viable one for them (i.e. a printed/mailed shareholder review/ annual report/ newsletter), or whether that investment doesn’t provide a meaningful return.

 for a more detailed explanation of the above brief summaries, download the full white paper here.

clients ostensibly hire creative agencies to produce creative solutions.

you think?

we prefer to believe that they hire us for effective creative solutions. and effectiveness is what gets us going. it powers up our brains, focuses our minds and provides purpose for our cerebral wanderings.

however, both in our internal project progress reviews and when clients give us feedback, inevitably a strong element of subjectivity sneaks in.

with any project, once we’ve gone through our internal creative process and filters, powered through those stretch creative visuals and presented sketched ideas or well-honed creative concepts, most clients come back with some version of . . .  ‘can you move this?’, ‘change that’ and (obviously) ‘make the logo bigger’.

faced with this, i’ve learnt that both creativity – and effectiveness - can be really enhanced with a simple question: after a slight pause i’ve found. “yes… but why?” really helpful.

i like to say “yes” because it’s simply a client-focused view. it acknowledges their role and reinforces our service ethic. i’ve always appreciated that we are commercial artists, not bohemian artisans living on the beach with delusions of grandeur. our salaries, after all, come from clients asking for these changes, right? “yes” helps build empathy and understanding, allowing us to remain both informed and professional.

“yes”, is also an exercise in remaining open minded. and when we’re open minded we’re more likely to see opportunities. after all, just because we’ve done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid for some reason that we’re not fully equipped to see. the client is a key part of the team. they know their environment, product or service infinitely better than we can ever do.

passion and belief in our work is great, but sometimes we can all be guilty of a touch of pride, so i try to apply a little perspective here and respect each individual’s view and consider its merit. the client’s request can often be implemented easily enough. it’s not too hard to move something, change a colour or even make the logo bigger . . .

so “yes, but why?”   

what’s behind the “why?” fundamental to being an effective designer is ownership and understanding. if it’s not obvious and i don’t ask, i’ll never be in a position to understand what the client is thinking.  it’s simply part of being clear about what we’re all doing. if we’ve done our job well internally we will have explained the solution and how it directly solves the client’s problems as understood and expressed in the brief. staying calm, taking ownership and being positive usually helps here – as does not taking it personally!

leading the creative is our job. if, as designers, we abdicate decision-making and responsibility, we’re never going to get the best creative outcome for our client. designing is, in part, being inquisitive, actively engaged and problem solving. it’s impossible to solve problems if you don’t have enough input or knowledge. so by asking “why?”, we leverage views and thoughts that we can then work with to make informed decisions and lead effectively.

finally, there are efficiencies and budgets we all need to consider. by asking “but why?” we can collectively make a call on any scope change or debate whether the change enhances or dilutes the effectiveness or the integrity of the creative.  

clients and agencies enjoy a relationship that, in the best circumstances, creates a positive and focused tension that can result in awesome and effective results. designer, sabo tercero, put it like this, “we are all designers, the difference is that only a few of us do it full time.”  

making the tension healthy and constructive relies on understanding where people are coming from so we can work together, always looking for that win/win to get the most effective creative outcome for everyone.

brian slade
creative director

insight into integrated reporting

if you’re in the field of investor relations, the jungle drums have probably already informed you of the impending avalanche of ‘integrated reporting’ (referred to internationally as <ir>).

it’s early days, but because of the many listed clients we work with, we’re in a pretty good position to watch the trends play out and see where the patterns lie. in fact, we’ve now produced two integrated reports, for sanford. 

because the subject is gaining some buzz, there’s every chance that if your ceo doesn’t raise the question, someone on your board will. the temperature was raised in the last couple of weeks by the visit and speaking rounds of paul druckman, the london-based ceo of iirc (the international integrated reporting council). paul spoke publicly at the university of auckland, a sustainable business council breakfast and met with influential government ministries. i also had the privilege of spending a couple of hours with peter privately.

paul druckman, ceo, international integrated reporting council

how quickly will we see local listed companies diving into producing fully-fledged integrated reports like sanford? it’s hard to tell, because of the mindset shift required, the amount of work to measure what the framework requires you to measure, and boards’ perceived liability over future-focused utterances on value creation. 

just what is an integrated report?

the new <ir> framework urges companies to turn a spotlight on how their strategy and business model creates value over time. 

companies are encouraged to tell a clear, concise story to investors about future prospects, taking into account all the resources and relationships used by the business, not just the financials. this way, investors and other stakeholders will be able to determine if the business model is resilient over the medium and long terms. 

adopting a holistic approach to reporting expects you to report on the connectivity of all these resources, relationships and financials; for example, divining the non-financial impacts in $ terms in the medium and long term - a big challenge for most companies. in this regard, an integrated report differs materially from a siloed triple bottom line report. the <ir> evolution breakthrough comes when you can report on the interdependencies between them and the future likely affect on value.

fundamentally, it flips the question ‘what impacts does your business model make on such things as your people, your community and the environment?’ on its head: to answer the direct opposite question: ‘what impact will those factors have on your business in the short, medium and long term - and therefore, what are you doing now to mitigate or leverage them?’

is it good for business?

there is much to commend the <ir> framework.  

the shift in thinking applied to how you communicate to your stakeholders will improve what you report, making it more meaningful, believable and future focused because it prompts companies to think about their reporting in a ‘joined up’ manner. 

but perhaps the greatest benefit is that it drives board and management to look at their whole business through this much more integrated and holistic lens. they’re finding that this can lead to stronger cross-functional communications, more productive dialogue among employees at all levels across business activities, and more meaningful dialogue with external stakeholders. 

those who think deeply about such things expect that the payoff for companies that do this right will be lower cost of capital.

how does it relate to sustainability reports?

while <ir> is principles-based and provides a good practice framework, sustainability reporting generally abides to the more rules-based and usually audited gri process.

elements of both financial reporting and sustainability reporting would be included in an integrated report if the information is relevant to how your organisation creates and sustains value. this would require assessing the connectivity and interdependencies between your business model, the context in which you operate, and the resources and relationships on which you rely and that you affect. 

companies that are already collecting quality metrics on their environmental and people impacts for csr reports will find it easier to make the step up to integrated reporting because much of the data will be at hand to tell a connected story.

but a separate detailed sustainability report may still be required, depending on the degree of complexity involved in what you report on. 

some companies, such as sanford, have decided that their integrated report should combine all factors and be a single source of transparent information.

what does it all mean for you?

the decision to pursue an integrated report is not for the faint hearted. it requires a major commitment for a total change in internal processes and business view to be meaningful. 

it requires you to really work to identify what’s material to your business in terms of value creation over time. that means consulting stakeholders broadly to ascertain material issues, and having enough information and data to be able to talk clearly about the impacts that your operations have on all your inputs (financial, manufactured, intellectual, human, social, relationship, and natural).

it requires an 'integrated thinking' approach to your business before you can realistically report in an integrated way.

it requires a clear explanation of your business model, and how it adds to or subtracts from your various inputs to result in your various outputs.

it requires you to expose your strategies and the expected impacts that these will have on your future value creation. many boards find this challenging.

and it expects you to report on the interdependencies of all your activities, how they interact and how that interaction will affect your performance over time.

our sense is that certain types of companies/sectors will feel more need or pressure than others to move in this direction. companies with the highest sense of responsibility to think about their business in this way tend to come from those industry sectors that rely on or affect natural resources, such as energy companies, mining and resource companies, and food harvestors. however, the degree of difficulty in measuring, reporting and mitigating their impacts also means that the journey takes more time. in reality, we are seeing more integrated reporting activity coming from from entities with less environmental impact, and arguably more people/society impact, such as banks and property companies, probably because the material impacts are easier to identify and measure – or, more cynically perhaps, aren’t as sensitive to negative publicity from their disclosures.

many companies will simply find the process too challenging or will find it hard to find the roi given the lower material impact of their business activities.

but while the hurdles may constrain your ability to produce a bona fide integrated report, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t be reporting to your stakeholders about your responsible citizenship and how those initiatives are likely to affect your business in the future. and if you can demonstrate that the initiatives are good business practice that also increase revenue or save cost – or sustain your social licence to operate - then ‘win-win’ is a winning message anyway.

our sense of the immediate future

we’re not convinced that the current ‘hot topic’ buzz will turn into a wholesale shift to integrated reports in the short term. we believe that many will feel the pressure, explore the topic, discuss with their boards, and delay until it makes more sense for the organisation.

however, where there’s smoke there’s fire, and we believe that the thinking processes inherent in the <ir> framework will influence and infiltrate what you report – and over time, more components of the framework will be fulfilled. 

want to know more?

we are always available to help and advise on your stakeholder communication needs. speak to your account director or call me direct on 09 919 6002.

the sanford case studies on our website provide an insight into what these projects entailed. you can also view their 2014 and 2015 reports here and here.

this video inteview with paul druckman does a great job of outlining the principles and purpose of the movement towards integrated reporting.

the <ir> framework guidlines can be downloaded here.

mike tisdall
insight creative founder and strategist

creative director, brian slade, concludes his review of insight's body of work over the 2015 annual reporting season.

in the last in this series, we take a look at how a picture can say quite a bit.

as designers, we use imagery a lot right? it obviously ranges from the well considered, art-directed, idea-based to the sometimes not so much! personally i like to encourage clients to allow us to generate their own imagery, but image libraries have come a long way and definitely can play their part.

precinct decided to go very low key with their report this year, but all it took was the inclusion of one hero image to set the document up to be more than the simple mandatory regulatory document. 

fletcher building fully embraced our art-directed, direct-to-camera approach to show the scale and scope of their operations. with a good mix of detailed ambient imagery and site specific images the reports are high impact and engaging.

a clever use of metaphor imagery was used in this spread for auckland international airport… simple but effective integration and play with the type and messaging.

stock photography that worked well in my view was used on the vital healthcare property trust investor newsletter update. a touch of humour, and it mixed well with the overall graphic direction of this year's report.

the final word goes to the sanford team, the last of this season's reports. with a theme of ‘salt in our veins’ connecting sanford's genuine passion and resolve to achieve a sustainable future, we worked with lush and beauftifully executed ‘brand’ imagery supplied by a third party.

thanks for reading this far… let me know what you think of these creative projects and this review of our reports.

creative director, brian slade, reviews aspects of insight's body of work over the 2015 annual reporting season.

as designers, it’s what we do. the definition of graphics, from the greek graphikos, is ‘something written e.g. autograph, visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper or stone to inform, illustrate, or entertain…'

vital is a great example of the use of graphics combined with the overall message to communicate with a very positive effect. the target device works well to keep on giving, used on a few spreads and as a cover for the shareholder newsletter - simple, clear and effective.

nati whatua o orakei has this delightful spread in it: a timeline that is a real pleasure to look at. aesthetics are crucial in delivering strong graphics and this spread is confident, bold and assured. giving me a sense that what i’m looking at is controlled and purposeful. i think this is a real win for the report.

in a previous post in this series, we looked at the deconstructed typography in stand children’s services report this year. however this report also illustrates how type can be treated as a graphic element to help tell the story. each deconstructed typo’graphic’ element was balanced and considered in relationship to the image on the spread and the accompanying text.

a strong part of our ports of auckland identity tool kit is the set of icons we use to illustrate the volumes and diversity that come across its wharves each year… 28,349 tonnes of tractors… and how many tonnes of bananas do you think?

steadfast threw up its challenges this year. we were required to explore a very high number of cover options. it was finally resolved with this well-executed graphic cover that draws from the logo shape to house a diverse range of staff and customers linked through the client's logo.

we’ve been working with transpower to graphically illustrate how they are connecting new zealanders through the use of an illustrative image. we’ve been able to use this graphic flexibly across the reports to give the appearance of change without the base document elements changing. this has  allowed for economic production and efficiencies.

if you’ve read this far congratulations… let me know what you think of these creative projects and keep an eye out for the last powerful annual reporting results 05. imagery.

creative director, brian slade, reviews aspects of insight's body of work over the 2015 annual reporting season.

a highly emotive aspect to all graphic communications and subject to trends and association, colour throws up challenges that can scare even the most battle-hardened of designers and be an ‘aladdin’s cave’ for others.

ngati whatua’s three reports rely on strong colours to distinguish between them, ochre, blood red and green with a healthy dollop of black. this primary colour palette supported by desaturated and well graded full colour imagery has developed over the past three years, creating a very solid and consistent look and feel.

if you're after a colour fest, stand children’s services' report takes it to the next level. the first 27 pages are uncompromisingly full-on colour, multiplied over full colour images that were delicately image-worked to create subtle depth. a brand full of colour, this document is colour central.

soft and muted tones support nz super fund's visual identity. excellently executed, this year's report creates a sense of calm, organisation and thoughtfulness. colour tabbing is cleverly used on the leading edges of the pages to aid navigation between the multitude of financials.

vital’s two primary support colours are used really well in this report to focus the viewer on the graphic message. strong use of ‘controlled’ white space guides you and helps focus the eye on the target. this report feels clean, fresh and clinical.

there are generally two ways to ‘own’ colour in a visual identity. either minimise its use within a communication, using supportive neutral colours for it to be projected off, or minimise the use of other colours in the palette and use it boldly. this year for ports of auckland, we pulled back on the colour usage with a few notable exceptions on the infographics pages, restraining the report to only a couple of colours.

if you’ve read this far, congratulations… let us know what you think of these creative projects and keep an eye out for powerful annual reporting results 04. graphics, coming soon.

creative director, brian slade, reviews aspects of insight's body of work over the 2015 annual reporting season.

typography remains a powerful weapon for any designer to wield in their creative work. in the last few months of 2015, the design team showed their skills and passions to good effect.

david storey and natalie moinfar created a new headline font for nati whatua’s three reports. completely bespoke, this hand crafted font has an authenticity and freshness that uses three parallel lines working in harmony to depict the three areas the iwi are focussed on: governance through the trust; social wellbeing for whai maia; and commercial profitability for whai rawa.

building on the strong visual identity we created for esr, we had the opportunity to showcase its flexibility by creating a type face for their internal team to implement across their report. robust and strong it is powerfully used on the cover and used as initial caps within the document. it seamlessly ties esr’s graphic language to this year's core message.

deconstructed type was used to communicate this year's message in stand children’s services report. fragmentation within the sector is tackled head on with the typography building to the rally cry of ’stand up’. secondary messages of stand strong, stand with purpose, stand with courage, stand as one etc… complement this narrative.

without introducing anything new to the identity guidelines, we created an adaptation of transpower’s corporate font trade gothic. a simple outlining and inlaid chevron created a contemporary and lighter weight version of the typeface that is used as a display face on high level communications.

finally, it’s not all simply about adding more to create impact. edwin hooper’s mastery of white space, scale and expert detailing in fletcher building's report this year showcased the very best of balance. he has managed to create a compelling and engaging feel with the use of font weights and the introduction of a stencil display font fit for purpose.

if you’ve read this far, congratulations… let us know what you think of these creative projects and keep an eye out for powerful annual reporting results 03. colour, coming soon.

creative director, brian slade, reviews aspects of insight's body of work over the 2015 annual reporting season.

meet lulu and rufus/ over the past six months, in one of our busiest periods, we’ve managed to create some really powerful work. one of the key aspects for the reports we do is the messages they communicate.

a great article by steven giannoulis in the november/december issue of idealog. this one explores ux (user experience), and tracks the notion beyond the website to its application to any customer experience in any, and across many, channels.

building a design-driven culture

it’s not enough to just sell a product or service—companies must truly engage with their customers. a recent research paper from mckinsey suggests how experience design can be embedded in your organization:

really understanding the customer:

this means going well beyond understanding what customers want to truly uncovering why they want it. design-driven companies turn to ethnographers and cultural anthropologists to gain insights on empathy. they want to know exactly what motivates people, what bothers them, and where there are opportunities for creating delightful experiences.

bringing empathy to the organization:

make sure the right people with the right skill set are in the right place. that means a chief design leader is at the table where strategic decisions are made. he or she must bring the customer’s point of view to business decisions, translate business goals into customer-friendly initiatives, and build a culture in which employees think about how what they do affects customers.

designing in real time:

a “braided” approach to business combines design, business strategy, and technology. these functions should work together to make decisions, ensure that the designed journey aligns with the business strategy and is delivering value and keep customer experience a top-of-mind issue.

acting quickly:

good design is fast. that means getting a product to market quickly, which depends on rapid prototyping, frequent iteration and adjustments based on real customer feedback. in a design-driven culture, companies are unafraid to release a product that is not totally perfect. that means going to market with a minimally viable product, the better to learn from customer feedback, incorporate it and then build and release the next version.

see the full mckinsey insights article here

from nbr, friday 16 october

design was never about making products more attractive.

it’s now treated as a way of thinking: a creative process that spans entire organisations, driven by the desire to better understand and meet consumer needs.

last week’s design institute awards attracted around 1000 industry participants yet the dominant impression was that their potential is being wasted. noel brown, an awards judge and a director of design firm dna, says the majority of companies still use design only as a tactic.

“not many and very few really big businesses are joining all the dots and using design strategically,” he says. “at the heart of being better is really understanding your customers, understanding them so deeply you can predict what they will value, respond to and, of course, buy. gaining this insight and then imaginatively delivering on it is design.”

mr brown speaks for many who say strategic use of design means organising the business around the goal. “they have to alter the way they control risks, the way they invest and the way they manage,” he says. “the design process doesn’t fit neatly within corporate lines of control and the design mind-set doesn’t run on straight lines. it is always challenging – and uncomfortable.”

mr brown co-convened the best effect category, which was judged for the impact of design on the business. the winner, menswear chain barkers, was a standout example. “in some commercial difficulty they radically redesigned the way they do business, with the wants, needs, dreams and whims of their customers firmly in mind,” mr brown says. “their clothing, stores, communication and more have been reimagined to win and hold the heart, heads and wallets of their customers.”

another example is powershop, a winner at previous awards. a start-up launched by meridian energy, it set out to make people care about the energy they used, how it was generated and where they bought it. “they started by really understanding what would move people from their indifference,” mr brown says. “several years down the track they have a strong, loyal and growing base of customers who go so far as to monitor their power usage regularly on their mobile app and change when and how they buy to optimise financial and environmental savings.”

design stories always mention steve jobs, who created the world’s most valuable company with what he called “magical design.” when he died, “people wanted to know what this design thing he did was,” says kleiner perkins caufield & byers design partner john maeda, who was interviewed by mckinsey for a recent research paper. “how is that the advent of mobile is fundamentally changing the need to think about design, the interaction and the experience in a substantive way?” he asks, adding somewhat cryptically: “if you think about design adding value, a lot of what people don’t understand is that sometimes the best design consultants will tell you not to design it.”

design, as you will have gathered, can be hard to define. but an evening spent with a thousand others seeing hundreds of examples provides one answer: you know when you see it.

nevil gibson, nbr

enlightening article in today's quartz daily on logo designer, michael bierut, under the headline: 'michael bierut is the definition of what excellent graphic design can do'

you can read it here.

line of sight

when you're talking to customers, community groups, suppliers and shareholders the length and breadth of the country, and an internal audience the size of a small town, the best advice your design company can give you is create a ‘line of sight’ into your visual identity.

i always enjoy working through the challenges of an identity system that is segmented by key audience groups. it helps you really focus on each identity element and its flexibility to communicate in different ways to different audiences. a ‘line of sight’ is an approach where you create a visual set of cues that you can dial up or down to pre-determined levels dependent on the audience you are talking to. it allows the viewer to get a sense of who you are, with enough rigidity to maintain the integrity of the visual identity but with enough flexibility to allow for agile interpretation. on the flip side, if left until ‘later’ to organically evolve, you can end up leaving budget-shy aspects of the business or under represented areas lagging behind, playing brand and visual identity catch up.

it takes a bit of focus and commitment, with the biggest hurdle getting everyone holistically appreciating the value in creating a line of sight. so who should consider this and why? first, think about the various audiences who interact with your organisation. typically this could be staff, contractors, suppliers, customers, investors, government, media and community groups. they’re all after something slightly different. chances are you’ll want to speak to them in the most relevant way that resonates with them. the next consideration is consistency. you may operate in a marketing or communications team where interpretation may be an issue, and if you're looking to guide a consistent approach, think ‘line of sight’.

we’ve worked with mighty river power (mrp) for a good few years now and when we first started the relationship we realised creating a strong visual line of sight was going to help us. fundamentally we stripped the visual identity back to simply the logo and began to build from there. first we developed their brand positioning and then their visual identity in order to tell an integrated story from generation to supply. our brief was initially focused around a corporate audience, however we knew their audiences were more far reaching. this is where the line of sight kicked in.

without a visual or brand audit or strategically mapping out the full landscape, we could quickly have come unstuck as the relationship evolved. we created three core landing stages that looked, respectively, at a corporate, community and an internal audience. each landing stage has unique elements that build into one visual identity palette. there’s a strong visual continuum that allows for responsive and agile creative design, creating really positive results and continuity.

we defined the tone of voice and personality of mrp. then agreed a framework for managing different types of communications to different audiences. the primary colours used in all communications are the same regardless of audience, although we do use a broader and more vibrant colour palette for internal communications. community communications use a variety of clear cut imagery that reflect the human aspects of mrp, supported by an additional typographic treatment. corporate communications that focus on assets and process have more solid, confident, bold features in the palette.

the internal palette has helped unite all employees as ‘one team’ with a common voice and clear understanding of the company’s external brand story. within the line of sight, the strong overlapping visual elements express unity and collaboration.

this simple but effective approach has allowed us to create a cohesive visual language that clearly speaks to all of mrp’s audiences. the rollout of the identity has been an exercise in logistics management, from environmental experiences in their corporate offices to hard working hydro facilities. internal communications, health and safety programmes, shareholder reports, sponsorships, electric car initiatives, online, profiles, presentations… the list goes on, as do the benefits of the early decision to develop the flexibility of a ‘line of sight’ and not rely on ‘she’ll be right’ or ‘later’.

what the type?

the familiar quote that the pen is mightier than the sword has endured for generations and defended, with rightful eloquence, the intellectual ‘content is king’ premise. however when it comes to the question of what typeface it should be in, the debate between client and designer can often be surprisingly subjective.

for some, if it’s not available in powerpoint, part of the system fonts or in the identity guidelines, it’s simply design affectation. others stand back, open the floodgates and try a whole bunch of things… just because. so why do we have this hotly debated issue?

if we go back to basics we start to get some clues. the four building blocks of virtually all visual communications are typography, colour, imagery (photography/illustration) and the intellectual content. these obviously also form a significant part of any visual identity guidelines and by their very nature these tend to be about creating consistency, ruling out any debate or subjectivity. but should it?

as all things evolve and tastes change, advertising agencies often refer to the need to speak specifically to a need or audience. think about furniture, architecture or fashion. even the classic black dress or jeans are reinterpreted time and time again to keep up with contemporary and evolving tastes. typography is subject to these same forces of fashion, evolution and purpose – but should always be considered in the widest spectrum of impact and implications on the visual identity and extended communications. never in isolation as a one off or just because.

working with type is quite an art form. the mere fact that it’s on the page doesn’t mean it’s easy to read (assuming that’s what you want to happen) or that it effectively connects with the overall idea of the communication. it’s often undervalued, but if ignored it can be horribly hard on the eye - forming an obstructive barrier between you and your audience. whether it’s basic layout that is easily digested or headlines that capture the essence of the communication, having a client that appreciates typography is really liberating and allows it to be a powerful feature of their communications.

we’ve worked with stand children’s services, tū māia whānau, over a number of years. last year they commissioned us to work on a communication aimed at funders (government agencies), staff, and key partner organisations as a positioning and marketing tool. the messaging theme was ‘renew.’

to clearly connect with the concept, we introduced a bespoke display typeface that visually captured and expressed the lead statement ‘wave upon wave of evidence tells us that one of the most crucial ways of changing the end result is address the main cause - child poverty.’

we referenced all aspects of their visual identity in the communication. however, to ensure the strongest possible connection to the overall concept, we identified the communication need to introduce a bespoke display typeface that also acts as a metaphoric and illustrative element.

drawing on waveforms in a graphic and linear way, we abstracted these ‘waves’ that appear relentless in their endeavors. as these waves hit the beach there is a ‘reflected wave’ that is also picked up within the type forms, creating light yet bonded characters. there is a meshed quality in the overlaps yet each strand appears independent.

stand support and lead collaborative inter-agency work to find the best solutions for children, whānau and families. agencies have to interlink and this purpose-specific typeface captured this notion of working together for the same end goal.

the client’s feedback was incredibly positive. ”it’s fabulously beautiful, very classy, sophisticated and grown up!” feedback from key audiences suggests the overall design delivered strong cut through for the powerful messages that underline this work. this simply wouldn’t have been achieved without the introduction of a display typeface that connected directly to the business purpose of the communication.

as one of the building blocks of visual communications, typography should be considered a powerful tool to not only deliver the intellectual content but if used well, capture more emotive qualities that connect the reader to aspects of the overall idea that ultimately gain cut through and enhance communication.

this article appeared in the november/december issue of nz marketing magazine

insight's creative director, brian slade, was recently asked by stoppress for his erudite views on the design of new zealand's new bank notes. see what he had to say here.

the september/october issue of idealog magazine features an article by our ceo, steven giannoulis. it canvasses the user journey from awareness and onto the pathway towards a sale - and the important role that design plays. the primary out take is the need to design the whole journey, not just one component of it. definitely worth a click and a read.

congratulations to our brave client, ibby congress 2016, for their bronze award in the 2016 best awards small brand identity category.

they allowed us the creative freedom to develop a cut through brand, website and promotional material to attract delegates to the 35^th international congress on children’s literature – the first time ever in new zealand and only the second time in the southern hemisphere.

the creative approach recognises that the tyranny of distance dictates that the congress has to sell not only the congress, but also the bucket list chance to visit new zealand.

you can see the marketing case study here. and the website case study here. or visit the full website itself here.

today, at the united nations, john key announced that the waters around the kermadec islands would become one of the largest ocean sanctuaries in the world.

just over 5 years ago we started working with pew charitable trust to make this happen. we knew that the first step was to raise public and political consciousness around the uniqueness and fragility of the waters above the stunning kermadec trench. 

our goal was to make the invisible visible, bringing the beauty of the kermedecs to the forefront and reinforcing with politicians and other influencers the importance of preserving this naturally beautiful landscape. 

that programme kicked off with a rallying visual identity, an awareness building website and a scientific symposium at te papa - all designed to focus informed attention upon this unique natural cornucopia on our doorstep. the lobbying pressure was kept up with a whole lot of marketing, promotional and lobbying material. and then we developed the next phase of the programme with a view to creating a 'long and enduring tail' to this campaign - working closely with pew, we arranged for a group of new zealand artists to hitch a berth on an nz navy frigate following the kermadec trench up to raoul island. their resulting inspiring works have now travelled the length and breadth of new zealand's leading art galleries, creating more awareness and drawing more attention to this exceptional place and its vulnerability, and are now working their way around the world.

the programme followed the classic aida behaviour change formula: raising awareness of the kermadecs, arousing interest in the area's specialness, stimulating desire to protect it, and finally prompting the action we have seen announced this morning.

we are exceptionally proud of our work and the role it has played to achieving this incredible result. we believe we have made a significant contribution to our client and to our environment.

read more about the work we did on our website case studies:

a place to visit in your imagination - the kermadecs website

visual feast to fuel deep conversation - the kermadecs science symposium

we’ve worked with the team at cera & ccdu for over 4 years now. we've seen first hand how hard they work for the people of christchurch - and just how tough a challenge the rebuild actually is. they truly are great bunch of people whose efforts mainly go unrecognised or are undervalued, so it's great to see a document like this one that really brings home the huge amount they’ve actually achieved. it's equally great to see some of our work included in this timely milestone document. 

insight has been awarded two golds in the new-york based arc awards – considered the oscars of the annual report world.

world’s best airport management annual report for 2014:
auckland international airport (click for case study)

world’s best pension fund annual report for 2014:
nz super fund (click for case study)

the nz super fund report also won gold in the australasian reporting awards (ara awards).

naturally we're proud as punch of the respective teams that worked on these two projects, including our clients who enabled us to do such winning work!

the 2015 best awards finalists have been announced and we’re thrilled to have scored five finalists in five different categories:

business communication: 2014 stand children’s services annual report

small brand identity: ibby 2016 international congress

design communication: new zealand symphony orchestra 2015 season marketing collateral

colour award: new zealand symphony orchestra 2015 season marketing collateral

self-promotion: ‘pause’ christmas video

steven’s latest article in idealog (august 2015) goes back to the marketing basics of aida: attract attention, arouse interest, create desire and inspire action. today you’d probably call it a user journey: the path that a person needs to take from the first time they come across your brand if they are ever going to convert to a purchase. steven explains the relevance and role of design to this foundation notion.

insight launched two important corporate websites on friday 7 august.

property for industry’s new website builds solidly on the down to earth brand story, personality and muscular visual identity that we created and launched early last year. it’s a highly complex site made to appear very simple to users, with distinct user journeys for their two separate audience groups. a data rich site, the intelligent back end database makes updating a plethora of property information a one-point-entry, dynamic exercise. the site elevates video to a key role in the communication toolkit of the site.

fletcher building re-work was a timely temporary upgrade while a full site re-vamp is meticulously planned. two quick fixes were employed: the first to make the site responsive and allow the content-duplicate separate mobile site to be retired – now fletcher building only have to update one content management interface; and the second, to redesign the home page completely to move it from static to newsy, topical, interesting and much more dynamic. it allows rapid deployment of important new stories and enables video content as well – all in a much fresher design.

www.pfi.co.nz

www.fbu.com

insight creative has been officially carbon neutral now for seven years. in the last 12 months we reduced our emissions by a further 13.9%, resulting in total emission reductions since 2008 of 37.5%.
the purchase of carbon credits has offset our largest emission contributor, which is, as always, our air travel to service our clients around new zealand and australia.

what might at first seem a familiar creative challenge often requires a different solution from the one used before, writes brian slade. and that is certainly the case for city identities.

you can easily make the mistake of assuming that once you have solved a particular problem, you have the answer to how to solve it again and again. sure it gives you an insight into potentially how you might tackle it again but be careful of the cookie cutter solution. it can lead you up the expensive, unrewarding or ineffective garden path.

one of the great aspects of being a designer is the insight you get into organisations - quickly needing to assess the problems they face and understanding how you can apply your knowledge. past experience is a great framework for assessing a problem or opportunity but, as our experience with city identities has taught us, it doesn’t instantly provide us with the right solution.

over recent years we’ve worked with a number of local councils and government agencies to create city visual identities, brand tool boxes and communications platforms that fundamentally serve to engage in dialogue with local residents, inbound tourism or investment audiences.

the first question to ask is ‘where is the organisation in its visual identity evolution?’ tararua district council was new, created through boundary changes. i worked with them to develop two identites that were visually linked but quite independent. the first, a council one that residents payed rates to and identified services. the second, a tourism/investment identity that leveraged off the first but was much more expressive. this clear line allowed the two to talk to distinctly different audiences and worked really well. this second identity was later evolved further to include a more regional focus. tamaki, auckland, although very early on in their visual identity development, has a long proud history. this was captured in a poem ‘we are tamaki’ which we used to form a unified voice aimed at getting both local community and government to support the vision for tamaki transformation. this objective meant the approach was quite different from tararua although both had been in a similar stage in the life cycle.

the next question is ‘what equity has the organisation already built?’ albury city in nsw, australia was much more evolved as an identity. they had established their logo some time ago, representing the council but also the city. what they lacked were the tools to communicate, under one identity, to multiple audiences. we achieved this by developing a core brand story and visual idea for the city that was then able to be expressed into a flexible tool kit that could be dialled up or down depending on the audience they were speaking to. this  gave them complete flexibility. quite different from tararua or tamaki because of the much earlier strategic decision to represent the city and council under one identity.

after the 2011 earthquake in christchurch the answer to the question of visual identity life cycle was obviously quite different. the  ‘garden city identity’ was in quite a different place. with so much equity lost and subsequent identity ‘noise’, the question was ‘what do local residents need?’ part of the solution was  the development of a vibrant, optimistic and very much independent vehicle to engage locals about what was happening in their city, quite different from tararua, tamaki or albury city.

we inherited a fledgling future christchurch website and identity. the first thing we did was to develop a strategic framework unique for its purpose, giving the work that followed the foundation it needed. we took the bare essentials of the existing creative and stripped these back to a point where all that was left was the core existing name and the idea of using a broad colour palette - the key attributes that spoke to the strategic intent.

working closely with a very positive client we were able to evolve the name to be more regionally inclusive, and give the identity generous stretch. we consolidated this into a practical design system, adding a typographic set, an independent logotype, new visual language and distinctive tone of voice messaging. the new identity sytem allowed for broader communication and stretch across multiple channels. packaging it up into a set of guidelines, with examples of how it worked, we then shared it with the various internal and external design teams to implement.

we’ve managed this collaborative brand rollout process with a few clients, finding the best way is open honest dialogue, working out strengths and weaknesses early on and being honest about them.

it’s one of the most positive experiences contributing to a city that is grappling with how to visually represent and express itself to its audiences. it’s very tangible and ‘real’. you get to walk around and see your work in action. a uniquely special city required a unique solution that was right for them. obviously having that background knowledge to city identities really helped us offer up, not a cookie cutter solution, but an approach right for christchurch at their stage of the identity life cycle.

- published in nz marketing magazine, july/august 2015

or more accurately, 'design in investment'. steven giannoulis' latest article in idealog magazine that hit subscribers today, canvasses the role that design plays in making complex information clear and understandable for investors - from the start up, through the private business and right on to the ipo or listed company capital raising. no matter what stage in the business lifecycle, the principles of clear communication are much the same. click to enlarge and read:

fletcher building, new zealand's largest listed company, joined insight's enviable portfolio of clients in may 2015. already, we're well into projects for their corporate website and annual reporting programme.

ceo, steven giannoulis, has been selected as a judge of the prestigious tvnz marketing awards for 2015.

he says: "entries have to describe the business strategy and objectives, the marketing strategy and all the tactics they put in place. they have to document the insights/research which lead to the campaign approach. and they need to supply tangible results against targets – sales charts, brand awareness monitor scores, click-thru data etc. judges are not provided the creative outputs (and we are encouraged not to refer to them) to stop us judging the quality of a campaign on how much we like the visual execution.

"there’s some amazing work and some incredible thinking which i have found very inspiring.

"two key learnings:  (1) a well written entry makes all the difference – there were some amazing entries but they just didn’t sell what made them great campaigns. i have over 50 campaigns to judge, so don’t make me have to work hard to find out what you did and if it was any good; and (2) they need to have a very clear and direct connection between the business challenge, the insights into the audience, the marketing/comms strategy, the key messages, the channels selected and the big campaign idea.

"votes are in and i have a full day next thursday to review the finalists and hand out the ribbons! i feel like an x-factor judge."

while the ports of auckland are currently embroiled in a public standoff over wharf extension into the auckland harbour, there's still no doubt about the short- and long-term economic impact the port has on our city. and their visual identity needs to operate by the rules of commercial necessity too. and so, in mid-2014, we embarked on an evolutionary update of their logo, colour palette and typography to keep them fresh and contemporary. creative director, brian slade talks about the process and the lessons for other companies looking to refresh their visual identities in this article in the may/june edition of marketing magazine. you can read it online at stoppress here.

may saw two exciting developments for law firm, meredith connell. first, government announced that the firm had retained the warrant as auckland's crown prosecutor after a lengthy - and much delayed - assessment process. and second, the firm's bold new brand was launched. it's difficult to be different in the higher echelons of new zealand law firms, but meredith connell were determined to express an explicit point of view and powerfully differentiated personality. you can see a full case study on the 'work' section of this site, and also have a look at the new website we launched as part of the new brand launch: www.mc.co.nz

hot off the press . . . this stakeholder newsletter for mighty river power was designed for screen and print from the get go. seamless communication.

to design, produce and install signage in transpower's new auckland office in time for their opening day meant we only had 15 days from briefing, through design to installation. by knowing our clients brands intimately through long working relationships, at least the design part of the project becomes easier . . .

a well designed future may be informed by trends but shouldn’t be slavish to them says brian slade.

at the start of each year, just as are getting back from that glorious summer break, there seems to be an ever increasing array of trend predictions - from retail trends, to sports, oscars, careers, celebrities, cars, the work place, sharemarkets, technologies, the list goes on. i find these lists really interesting, as i’m sure half the things on them wouldn’t stand a chance of getting anywhere without these trend predictions and then our own innate human curiosity. interestingly self-fulfilling!

the design industry isn’t without its own predictions. these need to be navigated carefully in order not to simply fall into the trap of being relevant one minute and not the next.

until last year, some marketers had considered cross-device optimisation as a fringe benefit. no more. “mobile first” is the catch cry for online design now. agility marketing (likes and tweets) looks to increase as marketers and audiences talk ‘face to face’ more online than ever before and rich media and video become more commonplace. there’s a growing desire for simplicity and cleanliness in communications with flat simple graphics continuing to lead the way. countering this desire for clarity is a resurgence of crafted typography with an expressive personality and humanity. the colour for the year is apparently masala (pms 18-1438), with pantone claiming it is appealing to both male and female, hearty, yet stylish, universally appealing and translating to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.

i think part of the trick is knowing when a trend is relevant to your communications task and when it’s not, but more importantly understanding what’s behind the trend and relevantly applying this to a project. as a rule of thumb it’s safe to say that if you’re working on a one-off campaign or communication that speaks to a more youthful audience you’ll want to be employing visual elements and language that resonate as being ‘on trend’. having said that, part of a designer’s role is always going to be ensuring that the visual language they are using resonates with their primary audience.

our work on the nz super fund’s website is an example of this. the nz super fund was set up for the government to save now in order to help pay for the future cost of providing national super to kiwis. they have a clear understanding of what their audiences are looking for and speak to them consistently over a long period of time. our design approach needed to be current but, more importantly, be relevant to many audiences and for a number of years to come. 

their primary external audiences include investment managers that follow them closely with strong relationship-based communications, interested members of the public and international and local media. we’ve worked with the fund for a number of years on visual identity streamlining and various offline communications including their annual report which has achieved international recognition.

the website held quite different challenges, speaking primarily to audiences that look to track the fund’s performance and understand its investment approach. working closely with the client and undertaking user testing, we built on their existing website’s good bones by refining the ia (information architecture). we put a lot of focus on the ux (user experience), looking to optimise intuitive site navigation with an enhanced site search to achieve transparent, clear, accurate information. gaining clarity through clear design thinking.

the design solution involved moving the existing abstract imagery to more human imagery of children, parents and grandparents interacting in natural new zealand environments. once again looking to the trend of connectivity and belonging, these give an essential reality to why the fund exists. this approach also delivered on the inter-generational aspect of the fund – saving now to benefit future generations.

rich content such as video was used to explain more complex content, once again on trend but clearly functional and beneficial to the end user, putting a face to the investments.  the design uses a combination of subtle but important humanist design assets such as soft shadowing in the navigation and layered colour tones. while these go against the flat graphics trend, they create a warmer experience that supports the fund’s purpose. 

the nz super website is a well designed site that, although isn’t slavish to a trend, is clearly informed by them. it just takes a bit of courage and judgement.

- published in nz marketing magazine, march/april 2015

in less than 24 hours, this is the feedback received on the new ibby congress website that went live yesterday morning. the following is mostly from nz so far, but some of this is from countries like switzerland, scandinavia and moldova!

see the site here.



feedback re ibby congress website

• congratulations and huge thanks to mike and his team. we simple could not be at this stage without his patience, ‘insight and creativity’. we, storylines and ibby congress planners, are very fortunate to have had his expertise and willing support.

• how absolutely wonderful, rosemary. thanks to mike and you for all the work that has made it one of the most wonderful websites for a conference i think i have ever seen!
• wow
• looks absolutely great – very clear and easy to access! a huge well done, mike and team. congratulations.
• fantastic rosemary – a huge milestone! will be sharing a lot – just saw it (and liked it) via frances on facebook!
• just brilliant!
• well done to mike and his team. have just cruised and perused the site and it is fabulous indeed.  the look, the feel, ben’s illustrations, the enticing content, relating both to the conference and to nz as a destination.
• i agree! it looks really wonderful and the initial ideas still stand up superbly well. if i was 24 hours away i would want to come! (and the nz video has given me a great big lump in my throat … true pride! ). thank you rosemary, libby and all. thank you mike, it is brilliant!
• brilliant! congratulations to mike and his team. very easy to navigate and looks great
• looks wonderful – congrats to mike and his team. and to rosemary and libby for creating such compelling content.
• ditto. great job by mike and his team and supported by the committee
• completely gorgeous! how could anyone resist!
• beautiful! enticing, one would hope
• joining chorus of compliments for the website – looks fabulous, clean, user-friendly and very appealing. well done, all folks involved – especially to mike, who i gather has had something to do with it!
• thought you might like to know that it has gone out internationally. and my facebook post has been picked up by friends in australia and japan so far. amazing job, rosemary
• i have been exploring the website further and it is really excellent! the information is clear, comprehensive and easy to find, and the design is so clear and fresh. yes, it is fantastic! (ibby international president, lucerne, switzerland)
• congratulations! on a beautiful, easy to navigate, interesting and fun congress website. (ibby international coo, lucerne, switzerland)
• the website looks fantastic. the nz page with the 10 must see places looks great.

the first of our six double page spreads in idealog magazine for the year has just hit the bookshelves. the theme of our articles is the role of design as a valuable business enabler and accelerator. have a read of the first one:

the challenge was to dress a travelling container, the visionarium, for future christchurch that was approachable and informative. turnaround was about 5 working days from start to finish. the creative solution was to stretch the more formal aspects of the visual identity we've created; to go bold and visual and get my paints out to create bespoke eclectic typographic elements; and with positive messages that supported the display board content, fly-throughs and website. job done - in 4.5 days.

we’ve been working with the new zealand drug foundation for years. we’ve created core brand identity elements, video, web, symposiums, sub-branded initiatives and a whole lot more, including their quarterly 40 page magazine matters of substance. late last year they moved into new offices and we took a look at their environmental branding application to give their brand a full 360 degree visual and messaging alignment.

you can take all the technology you like but at the end of the day the human interest angle always seems to be a key focus for us… and i think that's a good thing. this was clearly demonstrated earlier this month when the stamps we designed for new zealand post/air new zealand were released and immediately the two stamps that got the focus were the ones that had children on them and the search was on to find them now. personally my favourite was the teal one, what about you?

in 2013, ngāti whātua Ōrākei restructured their organisation into three entities: whai rawa, the commercial arm; whai maia, the community arm; and the trust, the overarching custodian of the people’s interests today and for generations to come. and we produced the first round of three annual reports to articulate what each of the entities stood for, addressing each distinctive audience while representing the hap's unified story across all touch points.

following on from those inaugural reports, the 2014 reports reflected growth and development within the organisation whilst incorporating the notion of a wind of change. while some new elements have been added, the three new reports strongly maintain a visual language continuity from the design approach established the year before.

it’s the end of a very full on year for us and our clients, so we wanted to create something which championed the idea of temporarily pausing our hectic lives in order to truly appreciate life’s beauty. we started working with the nz symphony orchestra for the first time this year and were thrilled that they were open to incorporating the wonderful music they make into our video. the result is a solution that moves from chaotic to a delightful piece of story-telling. a reminder to take a break, re-energise and re-connect with the people and things that are important to all of us. that means you too. have a great xmas and summer break. see you when you are ready to press play again in the new year.

http://www.insightcreative.co.nz/pause

design shouldn’t seek to be creative or effective. it should always strive to be both.

earlier this year we secured the new zealand symphony orchestra as a client for the first time. the nzso is well known for their artistic excellence and high standards of creativity. it’s always a great pleasure working with creatively inspired organisations and we’ve been lucky enough to work with a few including the arts foundation and the royal new zealand ballet.

over the years, the nzso has produced a number of stunning season brochures that have been recognised with numerous design awards. fair to say we were pretty excited to be working on the season 15 brochure and its extended communications programme.

at the brochure briefing, the client was very clear about the objective: “more bums on seats.” this was followed by an explanation that they didn’t want an ‘over-designed’ brochure that made them look pretentious and inaccessible. they wanted something that represented their artistic excellence and worked hard to sell more tickets to the season’s individual concerts. by their very nature, the client understands the tension between creative integrity and business reality but even they seemed to imply that creativity needed to be grounded in effectiveness.

for many designers this outwardly expressed desire for a more functional approach could be a bit of a let down and they may feel that it compromise their creativity. in my view, if you approach a job with an attitude that it’s not a creative opportunity then chances are, it won’t be.

unfortunately this ‘creative or effective myth’ is one we seem to reinforce as a wider creative communication industry. we hand out creative awards to design ideas even though they fail to deliver the client’s objectives. we have separate awards to recognise communication effectiveness as if to say “it’s ok that it wasn’t that creative”.

i am a firm believer that in our commercial design industry good creative is only as good as the results it delivers. our clients pay us to design communications that inform, create desire, drive actions or change perceptions. if they don’t do these things then how can they be hailed as good design? a beautiful chair that can’t be sat on is a failed design. equally, a highly creative sales brochure that doesn’t sell is just as much a failed design.

fortunately, creative design and effectiveness do go hand in hand. good creative assists with cut through, engagement and storytelling, allowing audiences to effortlessly move through the stages of awareness, interest, desire and action. a strong creative idea balances rational and emotional appeal allowing the heart to want and the head to turn it into action.

to understand the season 15 offering we set ourselves the homework task of listening and watching the music and guest artists that make up the season’s concerts. for each concert we developed a story capturing the essence of what audiences would see, hear and experience. we also attended nzso performances to immerse ourselves in the concert experience we were promoting. (i’ve got to say what an awesome experience it was!)

the brochure’s cover is a key focus of immersion - losing yourself, or indeed finding yourself, through the music and the experience. the opening spreads tell a high level story of the season and what seeing the nzso live will feel like for audiences. these pages draw readers into the more detailed concert pages that follow. concert spreads provide a mixture of expressive and passionate imagery and factual cues to further involve the reader. to capitalise on the emotional engagement, the booking information was redesigned to aid the reader to take immediate action.

if you’ve read this far then the question you may ask is, did the season 15 brochure deliver both increased sales and high standards of creativity? so far, season sales are over a third higher than they were at the same time last year. we can’t claim it’s all because of our design (the season itself features an amazing line-up of compositions and guest artists) but the client feels that our work has definitely made a big difference. feedback on the brochure design is that it is worthy of awards recognition. we will no doubt enter it and let our creative peers be the judge.

steven giannoulis has been appointed ceo of insight from 1 december 2014. steven is currently strategic development director.

steven has been with insight since 2011 but his association with the company, as a client, goes back over 12 years. this background has been invaluable in attracting new business, delivering top class business-focused communications strategy and in understanding clients’ expectations from a design agency. steven has over 25 years’ experience leading numerous brand, marketing, product, communications and client service teams for organisations such as tower, nz lotteries, and ing. he has an mba as well as a business degree majoring in both marketing and management. since arriving at insight, steven has constantly displayed his leadership qualities, gaining the trust and respect of his peers, the board and clients.

after 38 years of establishing and leading the business, mike tisdall has decided to step down as insight’s managing director. he will continue to champion the growth of insight as both a member of the board and also as part of steven’s senior leadership team.

mike tisdall founded insight in 1976 and has led its growth to one of new zealand’s leading design agencies. today insight is a multi-national, award-winning design communications agency that works with many of australasia’s largest corporates, government departments, smes and charitable trusts.

with a strong leadership team in place, good governance through the board and a clear vision and strategy to move the business forward he feels now is the right time to introduce new leadership.

mike will remain in the business, managing the company’s financial, reporting and operational functions while also working across a number of key new business, marketing and client strategy initiatives. he also maintains his majority ownership of insight.

wave upon wave of evidence tells us… 24% of new zealand children are living in poverty. the longer they live in poverty the greater risk of physical harm, cognitive development and health issues they face. with this as a background to the brief we approached this years annual report for stand children’s services with a very serious hard hitting visual tone. feedback so far has been very positive, “(i was) very moved by it – loved the theme and the way it was represented with the sea – photographs are amazing and altogether a little gem…” it's good to be making a difference.

no major revelations here but it is kind of interesting - and a good summary of the importance of colour and shape to brand recognition.

re-posted from an infographic by logomaker.

ebos are on a journey that sees them embarking on a very new chapter this year with a change of leadership. last year's best awards finalist ‘combined’ report was split into two documents this year. the strong story-telling shareholder review assures shareholders of sound planning around this leadership tranistion, by looking at 30 years of consistent and diversified growth, 30 months of leadership evolution and how the next 30 years begins. the second document is the 'compliance' annual report that provides full disclosure for the audiences that seek this.

with a clear eye on future trends within the healthcare sector, this year's annual report focuses on vital's effective strategies to meet the demand with a strong clear message: cause/effect. in line with their visual identity, the bold graphic execution is a signal of confidence in their strategic direction and top line messaging.

we have just received our annual greenhouse gas assessment for the financial year ended 31 march 2014 from our auditors, pangolin & associates, and have purchased the carbon credits required to ensure we remain a carbon neutral member of our clients' supply chains.

our total emissions were up 10% on the previous financial year, with the greatest increases coming from our  growth-driven additional computer workstations and flights, but we used a little less power, fewer hotel rooms and taxis and less waste was sent to landfill.

 a better indication of how far we’ve actually come is to compare this result from the 2013/14 year to the year when we started this assessment process: 2007/8: our emissions have dropped 12.6% over that period despite adding the wellington office to our physical footprint:

we continue to actively strive to minimise our footprint, particularly relating to the largest contributor: air travel. where possible, we continue to utilise our video conferencing facilities while always considering the best option for our clients and their projects.

published late last year, lettering large, the new book by the monacelli press ny features our work for alburycity nexus. celebrating all things internationally typographic on a large scale there are 240 pages of impressive global text and letter forms.

with new zealand hosting the 2016 ibby congress (international board on books for young people), the oganisers needed to start generating some interest well in advance. with most prospective delegates coming from the northern hemisphere, getting the commitment to attend was a potential barrier to financial viability. so leaning on the exotic pull of a visit to new zealand - tugging at the 'bucket list' opportunity - was the decided strategy. future iterations of the site will focus more fully on the attractions on the congress itself. but for now, an engaging and innovative one-page site that focuses on the tourism pull of new zealand has been designed to raise awareness, pique interest and encourage forward planning.

view the site here.

vista is the last of a hectic run of seven ipos we've handled in the past 5 months. a massive push on quite an unprecedented amount of this kind of work saw this project finally come home. a full on and effective visual document that is smaller than the average a4 finished size.

this slate article unpacks why typography states that everyone needs to quit with the two spaces to begin a new sentence. the dreaded double space was an advent for the  typewriter age, two spaces were required as the font used was always a monospace font, which meant words  l o o k  l i k e  t h i s . monospace fonts are exactly as the name describes, uniformly spaced letters. while a wide letter like an m fit in the allowed space comfortably, an i will have a lot of room on either side. because of this, an extra space was necessary to indicate that a new sentence was beginning. which is totally reasonable, typewriters.

but we don’t use them now. people put a lot of effort into making sure that the kerning (the spacing allowed between individual letters) is perfect. the computer age has allowed for highly dynamic kerning, some letters interact well with other letters and poorly with some. take for example “lt”. see that the top of the t hangs over the bottom of the l? compare that with “le”. even though the t should create an awkward space between it and the l, it knows to come closer together to allow for visual consistency.

and when you double space after a full-stop you’re thumbing your nose to all that wonderful innovation.

plus it looks ugly as all hell.

sorry if that’s all super nerdy, but really i’m not sorry. typewriters were a blip on the radar, and they adapted the double space for legibility. now everyone needs to drop the double space for legibility.

read aaaaaall about it right here:

everyone who picks up our recent ipo document for scales loves the feel. a high build uv overgloss creates a unique sensory experience that separates this document from other offers. a playful ‘apple sticker’ is applied to the cover to add to the pick me up and read me appeal. it can be a juggling act when up against crazy deadlines, but we managed to hold onto a number of the crafted elements like the apple pie graphs and neat flow charts.

good design thinking brings a great idea to life and increases the chance of a start-up’s success says brian slade.

i think deep within all of us is a desire to make a difference. it creates a sense of purpose, personal pride and self worth when we can reflect on a situation and believe, “i made a difference.” this happens almost every time we work with an individual or small group who have a great idea that establishes a new, or redefines an existing, product or service.

our role as a designer is to bring the great idea to life with passion and focus. it’s a big responsibility. you are acutely aware that often your client is investing everything they have into you getting it right. invariably you invest something of yourself into these projects. i've seen this over the years with the start-ups we’ve been involved with like ecostore,1above and ponoko.

when you consider the huge fail rate of start-ups, and the financial outlay required to get things going, it's no surprise that some cut corners when it comes to design communications. but the right design thinking helps audiences understand an idea and its application to them. this is achieved through a combination of messaging and design working together to bring to life the benefits of the idea for key audiences.

through the design development process, clarity is achieved on the audiences, messages and the sales process. this allows the right communication platform to be established using the channels that are right for each audience at each stage of the purchasing decision. this initial work also sets the tone for the brand and expresses what the start-up wants to stand for. and even if everything isn’t applied on day one, there is value in developing the communication platform with an understanding of where it will go as the business takes off.

done right, a great idea partnered with the right design thinking will help start-ups communicate their idea effectively to attract the right backers, suppliers, distributors, employees and ultimately customers. worth investing in, i think.

over the last few months we’ve been working with the team at savii to launch a new kind of employee benefits programme that delivers savings on everyday living expenses such as power, insurance and mortgage repayments. through an initial workshop, we got a good understanding of the vision for savii and why employees and employers would be attracted to it. we developed a communication plan that defined the messages, by audience, in the awareness, interest, desire and action stages of the sales process.

the next step was to create a communication platform that bought the savii promise to life. we put the emphasis, not on what savii was but, on what audiences could do with it. this strong benefit-focused approach invites audiences to emotional connect with the brand by personalising what savii could mean for them.

through a strong visual application, bold colours and emotive headlines, the concept of ‘more money for living’ emphasises that everyday savings can be used to enjoy everyday living. real life images of surfing, dinner parties, shopping and family time, express savii’s offer of more out of life. 

the positive ‘more’ idea translates to other savii audiences as well. for employers, it encourages them to offer savii to their staff to achieve more staff engagement and retention. for sales consultant, it offers more client leads and engagement and of course more income potential.

the launch programme included employer and employee collateral, sales consultants presentations, website and member’s portal, launch video and a series of environmental graphics for the savii offices. further elements are planned and will be rolled out as required.

it’s still early days but the signs are good for savii, having already started to attract a nationwide network of sales consultants. next step, employers and their staff.   

find out more about savii at savii.co.nz

this article appeared in marketing magazine, march 2014

i enjoy being a designer and sometimes i love it even more. intuitively i know that the work we do changes how people feel about products, services, companies and even issues. however most of our clients are businesses which means we don’t often get to see the real impact our work has on the end consumer. every so often though you get the chance to work on something so truly transformational that it literally changes lives and reignites your passion for effective design. this recently happened to me.

children’s health camps (chc) work to improve the lives of children, aged 5-12, who are at significant risk of harm as a consequence of the environment they are being raised in and their own complex needs. driven by stakeholder feedback, chc felt their existing name and identity reflected an organisation that may not be so relevant in today’s world. our brief was to develop a name and visual identity that “captures the transformational difference they perform with new zealand’s most vulnerable children and to express the passion and urgency they bring to their work.”

the inspiration for the new name, stand, was tane mahuta, the mighty kauri, which stands tall and proud. standing together, its canopy protects and nurtures its seedlings to grow and reach their full potential. the creative idea for the visual identity ‘a brand of colour’ depicts the journey stand takes children on, from darkness to light. colour transition is a metaphor for bringing hope.

bold colour along with a strong word mark, expressive typography, photography and graphic treatments form the basis of an open and adaptable visual identity framework. this flexibility is highlighted by the multitude of launch executions including a new website, social media pages, stationery, banners, brochures, signage, presentation material and much more.

more recently we developed a series of scalable environmental graphics the stand team could rollout across their seven regional villages. the graphics allow an environment to be created where children and their families can interact in a nourishing, welcoming and safe way. the style is fun and uplifting using a combination of direct and intimate language with playfully but engaging illustrations. the messaging celebrates the children, their families, the staff and the social workers who come into contact with each village. 

we knew this work had the potential to inspire a change in the organisation but none of us foresaw the extent by which the new identity would unite people. the positioning statements ‘stand for children’ and ‘a world strong for children’ have become rallying cries for change, uniting politicians, funders and other child-support agencies. but the most significant change is happening on the ground in the villages themselves.  

last week i was fortunate enough to be invited to the opening of the new facility in christchurch, purpose built following the destruction of the previous facility in the earthquakes. it was incredible to see the reaction of the children as they saw the new environment for the first time. they were surprised and delighted as they engaged with the graphics, joyfully laughing as they followed the characters and the stories around the walls of their new home. the atmosphere quickly manifested itself in an overwhelming sense of optimism. for kids that come from a rough upbringing, hope and pride are some of the best gifts we can give them. 

staff were very quick to thank us for our work and they openly expressed what a difference the new visual identity and environment was making on their lives. i feel immensely proud knowing that our design work has helped to transform an organisation which itself transforms the lives of thousands of children each and every year.

this article appeared in marketing magazine, may/june 2014

in the same way that you can never have too many bicycles, you can never have too many typefaces. so i made another one. currently available here and on myfonts in coming weeks.

if you're a stock exchange listed company, investor perception of you as an investment is crucially important to encourage ownership, and help underpin share price.

well built, an investor brand can give your share price resilience

an investor brand won’t stop the market panicking, but it should help investors make more informed and rational decisions about how they perceive your stock, and it should ensure that your stock is more resilient in the face of market panic.

what is a ‘brand’ anyway? and why does the concept apply to investment?

before we go any further, we should perhaps consider what a brand actually is, and why the notion applies to the ‘investor’ part of your business as well as the marketing side. a brand is more than a product, and more than a logo. one of our favourite definitions is: a brand is what people say about you after you’ve left the room.

so, it’s the set of value-associations linked to your name. in the case of marketers, that translates into higher margins. in the case of investors, it translates into stocks that are more accurately valued and that are more likely to be directly associated (by recall) with your strategies. investor brands carry a greater degree of familiarity for investors. people feel they understand them and where they’re going.

a strong brand creates space between you and other stocks competing for the investment

it differentiates the value of what your stock offers from that of your competitors. so it’s about your stock’s overall reputation and profile, and it’s about ensuring that your stock is chosen over another investment options in the same or another asset class. equally, when markets fall, it’s about having the information and awareness in the marketplace that minimises your downside.

to help achieve that, churchill pryce ir suggests that a robust investor brand needs to have associations and present messages to the market that are:

• meaningful

• 
memorable

• 
clear

• concise


• comprehensive and


• compelling

neat little project for an innovative crowd who run an employee benefit programme with a difference. harnessing collective purchasing power savii provide big savings on core household items allowing everyone to get more out of life…

stop press, 5 july 2013

marketers could be excused for thinking that not-for-profit (nfp) sector brands learn from commercial consumer brands, not the other way around. however, developing a new brand for a long-established nfp organisation has been a salient reminder of the wider, strategic roles that a brand can play.

rebranding is not something that a nfp organisation undertakes easily. there is one school of thought that says not a single dollar raised by the concerned public should be used to build a ‘brand’. whereas anxious nfp chief executives are balancing these concerns with the worry that if they do decide to build their brand, their limited resources won’t cope with increased demand the extra attention could create.

and finally, the commercially-averse nfp leadership team believes that building their brand will diminish their separation from the commercial world, removing the vital essence of the not-for-profit relationship with its sponsors and stakeholders.

for these reasons, when te puna whaiora children’s health camps, one of new zealand’s longest running social services, initiated a brand review, it required complex thinking and an even more intricate process than would potentially be employed for a consumer brand.

first we had to ask “what is the role of brand in the nfp sector?” and the complexity of the answer challenged our consumer brand thinking.

nfp brands are now so much more than fundraising tools. management teams are being asked by their boards how their brand is contributing to their social impact, to their external trust, to partner/sponsorship solidity, to internal unity and to capacity.

an nfp brand also needs to perform numerous roles and appeal to multiple audiences. the brand must help the nfp acquire more financial, human, and social resources, and galvanise and help construct key partnerships.

the visual identity is only the first step in the journey to developing a strong nfp brand. it’s the organisation’s ‘shop front’ and is critical to building its ability to change the world on behalf of their cause. however, it is the brand essence that is the ‘call to action’ and a constant reminder of the nfp organisation’s mandate to do things their way; to be brave, and speak out.

knowing the brand story and buying into it also helps ensure their partners and supporters do things their way too and do nothing to undermine the brand’s integrity. most importantly of all, an nfp brand needs to instill a sense of pride in all who engage with it.

the brand developed for te puna whaiora children’s health camps – stand children’s services (stand) – is no exception. from day one, the rebrand inspired a step change within the organisation. it has given stand the opportunity engage with their stakeholders, tell a fresh story and remind them of how important their work is to the community. in a nutshell, it has reframed their call to action and has reignited passion.

in developing the stand brand, insight had to consider a much larger and more varied group of stakeholders than is usually considered when developing a consumer brand. those making a financial or voluntary contribution (funders) aren’t the ones who will experience the nfp’s core promise. they aren’t necessarily looking for a “what’s in it for me?” and yet, at the same time they have a stake in ensuring the brand represents something they wish to be associated with, is professional and portrays the right image.

secondly, a nfp organisation has to be democratic in its management of its brand; harnessing and providing boundaries for enthusiastic members, volunteers and participants, while ensuring it minimises brand anarchy. te puna whaiora children’s health camps actively engaged with all key stakeholders and their feedback was critical in shaping the final identity.

the response from stand’s stakeholders has been overwhelmingly positive. positioning statements “stand for children” and “a world strong for children” have become rallying cries for change. the organisation is reinvigorated, with staff operating with stronger pride and an even greater sense of urgency. politicians, funders and other child-support agencies have also noticed the change and are actively asking “what more can we do to stand for children?”

insight also had to be cognisant of the fact that nfps don’t have the level of clarity between brand functions the commercial world does. managing the brand isn’t simply the responsibility of marketing or ommunications. the entire team have to be custodians of their brand’s identity and be budding brand managers and brand builders.

the brand framework also has to be more fluid as often the cause, the organisation and the offering are synonymous. the visual elements must be adaptable to allow tailoring to the need of the audiences and specific messaging, while instilling a level of brand consistency. such adaptability is also essential for the inevitable use of the brand by social media.

stand’s strong visual image with a bold colour transition, a strong word mark, expressive typography, photography and graphic elements allow for this.

the inspiration for the name was new zealand’s totara. the ‘king of tane’s great forest’ stretches high above the dense canopy of broadleaf trees and protects the other trees from storm damage. the inspiration for the bold colour transition was stand taking the children on a journey from darkness to light.

‘stand’ helps explain the organisation’s unique proposition: they stand together to bring hope to new zealand’s most vulnerable children; they help children and families stand up and be strong; they stand against isolation and fear; they take a stand, acting with urgency to deliver solutions that make a child’s world safer, happier and healthier place. and finally, they nurture dreams and aspirations of our nation’s children, allowing them to find their turangawaewae ‘their place to stand’.

for those interested in the debate around whether native or web apps are the best approach, this article is very interesting. it argues in favour of web apps, but gives good insights on strengths and weaknesses of each. worth a read.

ok so the giant box marked “fragile egg” that was sitting at reception was raising lots of questions in the welly office so here is the broadcast explanation:

i was approached (along with a bunch of other artists) late last year by starship hospital and asked if i would decorate a giant fibreglass egg which would be auctioned off to raise money for the hospital. at easter they are going to be put on public display up and down the country to drum up some media hype.

i agreed and just after christmas my egg was delivered to insight where the boys and i immediately started playing dress-ups

then i took it home and of course being me, i just had to photograph it…


 
before i started to paint it…

and so here is a sneak peek at the finished thing



if you want the full rational (they asked us to supply one) here it is:

stranded in paradise
i interpreted the egg as a symbol of the start of a life – full of promise. taking that as a start point, i turned my thoughts to my own birth and childhood growing up in palmerston north – a small town in a small and isolated country during the 70s. during my teenage years i felt our isolation as a double edged sword – feeling the urge to travel and experience the world but trapped in the relative paradise of nz.

in the design i am represented by a fantail (common in palmerston north) yearning to take flight and explore the world (represented by the compass rose) but being held back by the isolation and conservatism of 70s life in nz (the tendrils of paisley wrapping themselves around the bird). the title is a reference to the book of the same name released in 1988, the title of which struck a chord with me as a youth.

communications need to be dressed differently to communicate effectively to different audiences however they should clearly come from the same source, writes brian slade.

coming into a project with a new client, it can be disarming how ‘off’ you can be with your perceptions of what they do and the people they talk to. i first met ross bell, ceo of the new zealand drug foundation in 2006 at the top of some slightly suspect stairs leading to a mismatched office space in a slightly tired part of wellington. he was dynamic and engaging.

i had headed into our discussions with a somewhat simplistic viewpoint: ‘the law’s the law’. in time, i came to recognise that the drug foundation is a complex and multi faceted organisation with a raft of stakeholders, including government, investors, lobby and interest groups, corporate funders, sponsors, the medical profession, drug users and their families – all of whom must be successfully engaged. even within these groups there are sub-groups. for example, drug users include pot, pill and meth users.

whether we like it or not, new zealanders use drugs and drug use causes social, health and economic harms and costs individuals, families and communities dearly. preventing and reducing harm is a big challenge; one the new zealand drug foundation has successfully taken on.

we knew we needed to get some order and clarity into their brand visual identity and structure. a core strategic intent of the new zealand drug foundation’s brand identity was to establish an authentic voice and position for the foundation as the single authority in evidence based national drug and alcohol policy. this was articulated in a series of ways, including the positioning line ‘at the heart of the matter’.

at the same time, we recognised that we needed an identity that was flexible enough to reach people of very different backgrounds. the politically ‘neutral’ but highly visible colour combination of orange and black formed a solid visual platform for a consistent and considered ‘brand language’ that was bold, clear and single minded with flexibility created in secondary visual executions. for example, it can be combined with evocative textural graphics and typography for conversations with users, or used with restraint for communications targeted at politicians, policy makers and health educators such as the ‘matters of substance’ magazine, website, social media and corporate communications.

“businesses have multiple stakeholders. design applications that appeal to customers may not be right for investors, community groups or other stakeholders.”

understanding audiences, who they are, what they think, what we’d like them to think and what it will take to change their minds and actions is critical to successful design. we often hear of the importance of applying a brand consistently but this can be very difficult when audiences are so varied. what resonates with one audience may not with another. by getting to know the different audiences well you can develop a tool kit of design elements that can be ‘dialed-up or down’ to appeal to specific audiences whilst allowing the brand itself to have consistency.

i love the idea of personas in online design and it has a place with offline design as well. they turn nameless, faceless audience segments into real people, making it easier to keep the audience in mind as you design. we can consider an organisation like a person. we have values and principles and a core visual appearance yet we dress differently for a business meeting, for cheering on the children at saturday morning sports or going out for drinks with friends.

well thought through brands will have audience considerations as part of their dna. their brand guidelines have been designed to allow different core elements to be introduced, removed or applied somewhat differently to allow the design communication to match the audience need.

ross bell says our thinking on how to best apply their brand positioning across the various audiences has helped establish the foundation at the forefront of drug and alcohol policy nationally and internationally. 

this article appeared in marketing magazine, january /february2014

everyone tends to like having a stab at predicting the future of… well… anything & everything. so here goes… my top three predictions for web design in 2014 are:

1. more flat design: more and more we are seeing big brands moving away from skeumorphism in favour of a flat design. design that represents a 100% purpose when considering the function of the product. the most obvious examples (that i’m almost certain most have experienced) is the new ios7 from apple or (from the other camp) the windows metro ui and its wonderful array of tiles. flat design tends to focus on flat shapes and indicators that help the user have a more accessible experience.

click here for an interesting article around the battle of flat design versus skeumorphism. or check out this infographic.

2. focus on mobile: a bit of a no-brainer really. mobile is here. with 4.55 billion people expected to use a smart phone in 2014 – it’s no surprise the shift in focus (source. emarketers, jan 14, 2014). but what this figure doesn’t account for are all tablet users or steady flow of wearable gadgets starting to hit the market. mobile is going to be big.

this (obviously) means understanding the nuances of our users and how they consume information across all these devices will be key to mastering the mobile space.

3. endless scrolling: as much as the concept of ‘infinite’ or ‘endless’ scrolling as been around for a little while – i think it will definitely become more prominent within new sites & over new platforms.

i think it (definitely) will start to reign supreme on mobile devices; as it allows users to scroll through content faster & easier than having to click through links and wait for pages to catch up. typically, infinite scrolling pages are not content-cluttered which aligns itself with the new online design techniques quite nicely. this is especially true when overall layout and design can change as a user scrolls – which makes it easy for users to forget they are scrolling through quite a bit of information.

one of my current favorites (for lots of reasons) is departementcreatif.com – check it out.

of course, other ‘designery‘ stuff which is gaining momentum in popularity at the moment – whether by design, opportunity or necessity has to include:

• less text, more video: a wall of text versus a 30 second video – no contest.  videos are a great way to effectively communicate with audiences who want to be entertained & engaged.
• big background videos: as bandwidth has less impact on design, we are starting to see more big background videos; that (if done right) provide a deeper user experience and greater connection to the brand.
• hidden/slide-out menus: users are becoming more and more savvy in their use of technology. a button to reveal a plethora of menu options is becoming common place on mobile devices. although, some would argue this is a negative from a ux/usability perspective – what do you think?

so, have i missed something important? have i got something completely wrong? be vocal and let me know.

of course, i’d be keen to hear what your web design predictions for 2014? don’t be shy!

design is considered a visual discipline. but what excites me most about being a designer is the ability to speak to audiences at both a rational and emotional level, appealing to senses way beyond just sight.

individuals engage with information in quite different ways, creating a real need for the designer to understand the answer to the question what do we want the audience to feel?

but ask two people how they feel about something and you'll get very different answers.  whatever creative executions we put in front of our intended audiences we will undoubtedly provoke a feeling. the challenge is conjure up the intended feeling. align this feeling with a desired action and you have a potent formula for successful design.

a combination of colour, graphics, imagery and messaging are the main ingredients we have at our disposal to paint the right picture and evoke the desired feeling. 

at the heart of many design communications is colour. the thing i love about colour is the way it sets a mood. dark colours generally express a more sombre, serious tone; here in new zealand black is obviously a symbol of national pride, mana and quality; bright colours evoke fun and optimism. but i particularly enjoy the transitions: the ways that movement of colours, say from dark to light, can be used to symbolise transformation, direction or the emergence of hope.

a distinctive visual language should render a complete impression. choice of fonts makes a message feel architectural or expressive. photography and other visual graphics can be used to depict literal messages, display concepts or to capture a tone or mood. the growing popularity of infographics helps communicate numbers, proportions and relativity in a highly accessible way. page layout too can be used to change the pace of a communication, further informing a reader’s experience.

add this visual language to powerful words and the right tone of voice and you’ll have a very effective communication.

over the years some of the most enjoyable design projects i've been involved with have looked to express the messages and feelings evoked by music, art or writing. the tamaki project began for us with a poem – and it’s a great example of how design and words complement each other to appeal to audience’s heads and hearts.

tāmaki transformation is the first urban regeneration programme of its kind in new zealand. it aims to transform auckland’s tamaki region by working with the community to improve lives through housing, education, employment, transport and social infrastructure initiatives. imperative to the programme’s success is ensuring a connection by key audiences with the vision for the area.

the poem, “we are tamaki” was created by leading pr firm senateshj to express tamaki’s history, culture and pride in the place and its people. on first hearing it, i immediately felt the power of the words and was able to create a picture in my mind of what the area stood for. our visit to tamaki soon confirmed that image - a community that is strong, vibrant, diverse and proud.

the first step was to develop an overarching visual language that would bring the vision for tamaki to life. the real challenge however was to use this language to speak to a very broad audience set - ranging from the youthful community itself right through to outside partners and politicians. the other challenge was to ensure the vision for tamaki wasn’t lost, buried amongst the high volume of detailed information that needed to be communicated.

our design language says we are tamaki in a similar way to that expressed in the poem. the visual identity focuses heavily on the people of tamaki and the pride they carry. it reflects the colour and energy that cultural diversity brings to the area and is supported by imagery of the area’s natural, historic and cultural assets. a lively colour palette with specific emphasis on yellow seeks to engage with maori and pacific island communities. photography is deliberately eclectic – focused on people and the community. typography is solid and bold, almost icon like, and icons themselves are also used as a positive visual shorthand.

combining the language of words and design has allowed a strong tamaki regeneration story to be communicated to all audiences. did the feeling we created resonate with audiences? the community feedback is clear, with many using the word proud to describe how they felt. i guess the answer is a resounding yes.

this article appeared in marketing magazine, november/december 2013

what is the role of brand in the not for profit sector?

in summary, a good nfp brand:

• promotes the cause/raises awareness of the issue

• attracts funders

• attracts the right sort of funders with aligned values

• attracts partners, suppliers and community engagement allowing better results to be achieved and costs to be managed.

• ensures those the nfp works to help trust they will get the right sort of assistance from the nfp so fully engage with the organisation. fuller engagement leads to better outcomes.

• drives a positive internal culture where staff are engaged by the cause and the good the organisation does and are motivated to do more. a positive value aligned culture leads to increased productivity.

• drives efficiency in decision-making.  a clearly articulated brand which is strongly aligned with the organisations mission and values lays a platform for quicker and better decision-making.  this leads to increased results and reduced costs.

why is branding important in the nfp sector? is it more than simply a tool to improve fundraising power or raise profile?  in what way? how does a strong brand work in the nfp sector?  what can it achieve?

branding is important to all organisations because it represents who they are and what they stand for. 

a brand allows an organisation to make an emotional connection with its key audiences, who develop a level of expectation of their brand experience based on their perceptions of the brand.  effectively, a strong brand builds a level of trust in an organisation.

this is idea applies acutely in the npf sector where the usual market-forces don’t apply in the same way. 

those making a financial contribution (funders) aren’t the ones who will experience the npf’s core brand promise. they aren’t necessarily looking for the ‘what’s in for me?’ that consumers consider when looking at brands. therefore funding is significantly influenced by a belief in the cause and in an emotional connection with a brand’s ability to deliver. a strong, well-considered brand appeals to funders because it is closely linked to a cause they feel connected with and instills a high level of trust that their money will be used well to help the cause.

in many ways the npf and the cause are interchangeable and therefore a npf’s brand must be closely aligned with promoting the cause.

but it’s not just about attracting funders, but the right sort of funders. for many funders the decisions is also about brand equity exchange - what does the npf’s brand add to my own brand. an organisation which is positioning itself as being community-minded, action-orientated and progressive would look to support organisations with similar brand attributes. having a brand which showcases what you stand for attracts the right sort of funders who believe in what you do and how you do it. 

a similar line of thinking applies for npf’s partners. npf’s heavily rely on the support and goodwill of other partner organisations and the community. a clearly-articulated brand attracts partners with similar brand values, making irt easier to work effectively together.

those who receive the benefit from npf often don’t have to pay a consideration for it and therefore don’t make the brand value decision consumers often have to make. their perception of value comes from a belief that the npf will deliver the benefits they need.  for example, families need to trust that stand can help them get out of the situation they are in. if they have a level of trust and fully engage with stand’s programmes then they are more likely to achieve the results. therefore a good brand leads for better outcomes for those a nfp is trying to assist.

an organisation’s culture is an extension of it’s brand and is often called the internal brand. a strong external brand drives a positive internal culture where staff are engaged by the cause and the good the organisation does and are therefore motivated to do more. a brand aligned culture delivers increased productivity and can also drive innovative thinking as staff actively look for new ways to do more.

most not-for-profits operate on tight budgets and therefore have to be very considered in how they spend money. a clearly articulated brand, strongly aligned with the organisations mission and values, lays a platform for quicker and better decision-making. this leads to increased results and reduced costs.

how does the process for creating a nfp sector brand differ from a more commercial proposition?

the process of developing a brand is largely the same across the commercial and nfp sector. it starts with a clear understanding of the organisation’s mission, vision, values and positioning.

the strongest brands are developed in a customer-centric way, telling the organisation’s story with the needs and wants of the end-user in mind. nfp brands need to do the same but at the same time they must appeal to funders. these two audiences often have conflicting needs and, because of their differing profile, have a different way they want to be communicated with.  

all good brands have a strong framework which allow the visual identity to be tailored for the specific audiences. for example, how the brand is applied at corporate level vs at product level or as an employment, community or investor brand. this leads to a structured brand architecture with certain elements ‘dialed’ up or down for specific audiences or markets.

nfps don’t tend to have the same level of layers or clarity between brand functions (nor do they have the funding to develop complex brand architecture) which means that the framework needs to be more fluid. the cause, the organisation and the offering are often synonomis meaning the visual identity elements must be adaptable to allow tailoring the needs of audiences and the specific messaging.  for most corporate brands, the visual and written message is generally made to fit into the brand architecture, allowing a consistent brand identity to be presented. for nfps, the brand framework needs to be developed to be more fluid to adapt to the messages, and its audiences, while still instilling a level of brand consistency.

for nfps, surely the need is simply for a great, attention grabbing visual identity/logo? if not, why not?

a brand is more than just its logo. its visual identity also includes elements like colour, typography, photography, graphics and tone of voice. most brand perceptions are however formed by experience rather than the carefully constructed visual identity. our views of a brand are formed by what we read in the paper, see on tv, hear from our friends and family and from our own experience when we deal direcly with the organisation.

therefore developing a great brand is about thinking about the entire brand experience and in particulr those moment of truth which shape people’s perception of an organisation.

nfp are not exempt from this. the need isn’t only for an identity which grabs the attention of the audiences they are trying to attract but also one which conveys the right brand promise. an effective brand sets the expectations for the brand experience.  expectations are then delivered (and exceeded) leaving the audience with a positive brand experience.

in what ways will the rebrand to stand children’s services help children’s health camps?   how does insight believe the rebrand will help the organisation achieve its mission?

children’s health camp felt their name and identity conjured up images of an organisation not so relevant in today’s world and this hindered their ability to attract funders, discouraged families from fully engaging with them and didn’t get children excited at the prospect of being part of one of their programmes.

the brief was to develop a name and visual identity that “captures the magic we perform with new zealand’s most vulnerable children and to express the passion and urgency we bring to our work.”

the rebrand is very direct in the way it has addressed chc’s concerns and objective.  stand is a brand which is very clear in who it is and what it stands for. it is modern, relevant, engaging to all stakeholders and places its cause – the wellbeing of children- at the heart of its brand promise. these elements combined will attract the right funders and partners and will fully engage staff, parents and children to achieve the best outcomes possible.

what are the risks of rebranding a venerable organisation like children’s health camps? e.g. heritage/reputation vested in the existing brand etc.

children’s health camps have been around for 94 years and have built considerable equity in their name and brand. for their existing funders, partners, parents and children the brand holds meaning and history. change creates the risk that these audiences feel less connected to the brand and therefore may not want to continue their association, or lessen their engagement, with it.

the challenge is to bring the trusted brand elements of chc across to the new identity and to take audiences along on the brand journey. the stand rebrand was initiated by stakeholder feedback. stakeholders were clear in their feedback about what they liked and didn’t like about chc’s brand. the positive elements form the attributes of the new stand identity. 

a key feature of the development of the stand brand was the consultation process. the name and basic visual identity was developed late last year.chc actively engaged in discussing the change with all their key stakeholders and feedback has been critical in shaping the final visual identity. this process has allowed stakeholders to understand the need for change and has allowed them to feel engaged in the new brand by being part of the development process.

good design tells stories that excite, engage and resonate with their audiences – regardless if it’s on or offline, writes brian slade.

i must admit i am a relative novice when it comes to the digital environment but always looking to grow and learn, building on my strengths. in the past, i’ve left that to our digital designers. however the world is changing and the line between when to communicate by digital or non-digital means is much less clear. these days, reaching your audiences typically involves an integrated approach that incorporates both on and offline mediums.

everyone says that print and digital design are very different – and they are. what has struck me isn’t the difference but the similarities. essentially, what designers are trying to achieve is the same thing – to tell a clear and compelling story that resonates with their audiences. in both digital and print design we think about how the audiences will interact with our communication and how we can utilise this user experience to tell the most engaging story.

with print, this can seem easier. we think about a page plan and how we pace the story through the document.  we work on the assumption that audiences will interact with the story in a linear way, starting from the cover and working their way sequentially to the end. the story is told largely the way we want to tell it. the story-telling challenge online is a little more complex. each user can start at a different place and their journey through the site will vary based on their own needs and interests or what catches their eye.  on the other hand, you have a whole host of additional tools - like animation, video, audio and social devices - to help you tell a richer story.

i have a lot of respect for information architecture (ia) and those who are expert at it. while fundamentally it’s about making it easy for audiences to navigate through your site, it is also one of the essentials for telling a good story online. firstly, it allows audiences to make the story relevant to them and a relevant story is a more engaging one. secondly, it allows you to direct, or at least encourage, a typical user path ensuring those elements of your story that you want to tell get in front of the user.

telling your story in an online environment can seem more challenging but, done right, it can lead to a much more rewarding experience for both you and your audiences.

many of our clients’ audiences will first experience the organisation through their website and therefore how a brand story will work online is critical in our design thinking. our work in developing maven’s website is a great example of using ia to tailor a brand story to the needs of different audience groups.

maven international is an independent strategy and operations consultancy that helps its clients improve organisational and business performance. they have developed a strong brand reputation for innovative thinking and delivering transformative results. their business has changed significantly in recent years as they’ve expanded across the uk, the middle east and the pacific. they asked us to tell their story online while reflecting the different needs of both their new zealand and international audiences.

maven’s new zealand work provides a perfect starting point for international clients wanting to innovate and transform. we needed to showcase this work in a way that was relevant to how their international clients do business. effectively, we built two views of the same site, driven by a combined base of information. each view of the site was designed with tonal differences to reflect the marketplace and audience while still remaining a true reflection of the maven brand.

the site makes it easy for audience to self-select the journey relevant to them. the interface is different from anything else out there and this further reinforces maven’s innovative positioning. 

maven’s business continues to thrive and they are actively looking at opportunities to expand into new areas. it seems, further tailored on-line perspectives of their story are on the cards.

this article appeared in marketing magazine, september/october 2013

as the media we work with become more sophisticated and diverse, the need to design clearly and deliberately is subject to multiple distractions, writes brian slade.

few issues are as simple as they first appear, and the temptation is always to layer message upon message, visually or verbally, in a bid to provide greater and greater explanation. growing up with dyslexia has given me ultimate respect for the power and the pitfalls of working with the written word, and for what can be accomplished through well-managed design. it continues to drive my passion for clarity in what is said, to whom, how and, most of all, why.

the discipline of effective design lies in being able to sift everything that’s provided down to communications that are clear and compelling to the reader. work we’ve completed for the christchurch central development unit exemplifies this challenge well.

to help attract young people back into the city, we were briefed to develop a competition that asked younger children to develop their vision for the world’s best inner city playground and involved older children working in groups to develop key recovery projects such as the stadium, the convention centre, the avon river precinct and the library.

building clarity into the design process starts with a dissection of the brief. i’ve learnt over the years to take very little at face value – indeed a key contribution that a design agency should make to any project is the ability to objectively and systematically filter fact from opinion, research from impression, realistic goal from unrealistic desire.

at first glance, this particular task seemed straightforward enough. however, on closer examination, there were challenging aspects around pride, ownership and connection. how do you make a competition that is fun for three year olds and hip for teenagers up to 18? how do you ask children to reimagine a place to grow up in that wasn't accessible to them?

we started by determining the name. “the amazing place” captures the aspirations for christchurch and invokes the competitive element through its subtle reference to a well-known reality show. the visual identity was correspondingly flexible: designed to speak to students of all ages and to teachers and school principals whose engagement was critical for incorporating the competition into the school curriculum.

next challenge: does everyone understand exactly what’s required and will they feel excited to be involved? we kept distilling the delivery mechanism … until it was a simple yellow brick. this brick symbolised the building blocks for the city’s recovery while evoking the fun and adventure associated with the ‘yellow brick road’. within the brick were brochures, banners, posters, ‘thinking caps’ and giveaways that schools could use to understand and promote the competition to students. 

the website provided further interest and excitement in the competition and the future vision for the city. it also served a practical function, delivering detailed information for teachers, students and their parents and acting as a cost-effective portal for schools to register and order further materials. facebook and twitter helped generate discussion, encourage collaboration and build ‘buzz’.

the competition has now been running since late january and continues over the first two terms of the school year. ccdu has been delighted with the feedback and support from the local community and the take up from schools and students. my hope is that an amazing place has inspired the children of christchurch to articulate a clear vision for the city they hope to grow up in. through this competition, and all the work going on around christchurch right now, perhaps it will indeed be everything they imagined.

this article appeared in marketing magazine, july/august 2013

i get a real buzz from coaching young designers as they are full of enthusiasm and fresh perspectives. many approach design challenges in ways i would never have thought of which is great for my own learning and development. a common lesson i often have to impart is the importance of simplicity and clarity. often, young designers can over-think a design brief and/or try to apply too many of their newly acquired design skills in one execution.

anyone can use a plethora of bells and whistles to present something eye-catching but rarely does this approach deliver the clarity that one simple and cohesive design idea can achieve. our recent work with wynyard group is a great example of using design to present complex information and tell a compelling and clear organisational story.

wynyard group are specialists in advanced crime analytics and critical threat assessment software that protects companies and countries from global threat, crime and corruption.  it's all very james bond!  they have a strong brand identity within their business circles but very little public recognition.  as part of their 2013 listing on the nzx they needed to create a broader understanding of who they are and what they offer.  prospective investors and media needed to be quickly guided through the complexities of this 'quiet,' under the radar, new zealand global company.

our fascination with international crime, double agents, counter intelligence and the like have been bread and butter for creative authors for decades. the likes of arthur conan doyle, john le carre and agatha christie (my favourite is wilkie collins’ moonstone) have guided us through this mysterious world but even they would struggle to navigate the complex regulation requirement that govern ipos and often result in long, jargon-filled and legalistic offer documents. 

using wynyard’s business as a metaphor, we sought to cut through the prescribed investment information to get to the true wynyard story in a compelling and positive way.

a 3mm hole finely drilled from the cover through the mandatory legal information, takes the reader to the core brand story on page 13. this simple device speaks to the accuracy and precision of wynyard work, cutting through complex information to get to the crux of the matter. the singular black and white colour palette mimics the binary nature of data with small highlights of fluorescent orange drawing attention to a critical piece of information contained in the detail.

reader understanding is heightened through engagement and we challenged readers to explore his or her own perceptions of where crime is being committed.  strong positive and negative photography reinforces that circumstances are not always what you think they are – behind an innocent everyday setting there could be a complex security situation at play. compelling human photography was deliberately used to illustrate the real people behind the data. 

the executive team portraits were shot individually around the world where wynyard has a presence.

a strong visual hierarchy is utilised to structure and connect information, aiding the reader on their journey. within this hierarchy a number of linking devices, such as linear thread lines and elongated em dashes, represent the possible causal relationship between information, people and events.

assurance of stability is expressed in a timeline that again strips any 'noise' to a clear direct path.

to help the document stand out in a crowded investment market, a non-conventional format was used - again positioning wynyard as not simply another organisation. this strong visual story approach extended from the printed document to a dedicated microsite.

wynyard’s listing has been a success with the initial ipo exceeding subscription targets and the ongoing demand for shares seeing the price go from strength to strength.  market feedback suggests the clarity of their communications has been the true hero of this modern day crime story.

this article appeared in marketing magazine, march/april 2013

here’s an interesting and easily skimmable article on where web design is heading. some ‘design’ stuff and a wee bit of more technical stuff, i reckon there’s something relevant in here for anybody looking at reviewing their online presence this year.

such things as:

• mobile first design
• infinite scrolling
• whitespace & minimalism
• natural design elements
• big photography
• cleaner source code