I like it, why is it?
The importance of asking "why?" in building a brand and evaluating creative work.
There's a particular poster that graces the walls of creative companies and creative people across the land. It's a simple, beautifully executed and oddly compelling piece by Anthony Burrill. The text predicts the viewer's response – “I like it. What is it?”
In this case, “it” is a lovely piece of letterpress art: simple, striking typography and cool colours.
But I’ve found myself asking “why is it” that so many of my creative industry peers (and businesses) are drawn to the image?
I wish I’d done that.
“I like it. What is it?”, is a mantra that sums up that desire as “a creative” for your work to be liked, or even loved, at first sight – without context or further need for explanation.
“Hmm, that’s different.”
“Have you seen that great colour combo?”
It speaks directly to the desire to produce something that’s so cool, people want a piece of it before they've understood the basic fact of what it is. This craving for approval of our work has undoubtedly been intensified over time by the ever-increasing daily dominance of social media and the dopamine hit of a “like” in your feed.
Burrill might not have been thinking about brand design specifically when he produced the piece, but it's hard not to draw parallels with the work we do here at Popp Studio.
Thinking about this sentiment in the context of our business, I'm also swept up in that desire, but after some more considered reflection I begin to see where this approach comes a cropper.
It can be easy to impress.
First of all, achieving the desired “I like it” from someone outside the industry can actually be quite easy.
As a creative professional you’re hyper-aware of future visual trends simply because you’re immersed in them day-in, day-out – it’s the day job. Armed with this knowledge, achieving approval from a layman viewer isn’t so difficult. It’s easy to create something that ticks some trendy aesthetic boxes.
So, the real buzz comes from making your creative peers feel the same way. This challenge is immediately much more difficult: your fellow creative professionals are equally in tune with all the latest work. They'll be able to spot what's truly new and different, and what’s just more of the same.
Craving respect from your peers for creating something that’s so arresting they don’t even care what it is – just that it is – is understandable. But, like a beltway political issue, this kind of focus risks producing work that doesn’t resonate with a wider audience and is only relevant to your fellow creative geeks.
Of course, there's always merit in getting people to take notice (including fellow creatives), and certainly in being desirable, but the ultimate goal has to be bigger than that.
Any design studio worth their salt should be aiming to create something that goes beyond the initial adoring glance, work so well-thought-through that it reveals something altogether more meaningful about the subject. In most cases, that would be the product or service you're designing for. It has to go beyond the first impression: say more.
In the world of brands, that means creating work that, yes, catches attention, but is also memorable, engaging and consistent without being repetitive. Of course, most of all, you need to communicate the fundamental idea at the very heart of the brand.
That’s why we always start and finish with “why”.
The importance of why.
“Start with why” has always been the beginning of any rigorous branding activity and has gone truly mainstream in business literature, thanks to the popular book by Simon Sinek of the same name.
It’s the backbone of everything we do at Popp Studio and a very simple question to repeat throughout any creative process. It’s the question we ask over and over to make sure every decision is rooted in an idea and clear strategy for each brand.
"Why" matters at the macro level. To understand or establish a brand's purpose, you have to ask "why" it exists in the first place. Once you have a purpose, everything else falls out of that: your brand idea, values and ultimately your identity.
It's also important to ask "why" on the micro level. Within each design step, asking "why" helps to clarify the rationale for creative decisions. The purpose and that key idea that exemplifies the brand has to run through everything. "Why" will guide you through the most challenging brief and make sure that you're producing work that fully expresses the brand identity and ultimately, means something to your audience.
Everyone wants the initial “ooh-aah” – including us, design is visual after all – but anything and everything we create needs to hold up to scrutiny.
Design that endures.
To stand the test of time, “why” needs to be the red thread running through everything.
Think about the iconic brands that we all know and love - the ones that have been with us for decades, or even a century (Coca-Cola, anyone?). We recognise immediately what they stand for: their purpose is clear.
Without “why”, any creative work you’re doing for your hard-earned, hard-working clients won't go the distance.
Without "why" your work will subject to changing whims and trends, vulnerable to being eclipsed by the next eye-catching visual style on Pinterest. You'll be left in an endless race to get ahead of trends without any substance to fall back on.
For design that endures, “I like it. Why is it?” is key.
Maybe we’ll commission the man himself for a reminder to hang on the studio wall.
