Some time ago I had a chat with Paul Wilson on the ‘Happy Head’ podcast, and we discussed a plethora of subjects.
‘Design is a backup career’.
These were ‘the’ thoughts on design when I was in education.
‘If you’re living in the ‘real’ world, it has to be a side job.’
Due to these ideas around a career in design and the lack of encouragement, it didn’t support my desire to reach for that occupation.
Luckily in the present world, this focus has shifted somewhat to encourage students to chase their dreams, whatever they may be.
I ended up falling into a job, followed by another job, never within the design industry.
Design used to be something entirely for utility.
It was a means to an end, something to be carried out to simply complete a task or boost marketing.
The value of design is undeniable in today’s world, fostered by advanced technology and the advent of a digital interface.
Paul sagely stated that design has existed in plain sight until now and I couldn’t agree more.
Take for instance the tactile paving that exists on our streets and crossings. It took one man’s need (in Japan) for his visually impaired friend to feel safe for him to devise a specific system of pavement slabs.
These slabs helped visually impaired people whilst crossing the road and led to countless lives being saved. It’s now a constant sight across the globe!
The world is created through creative change, and in turn through design.
Marketing your business
As Paul rightly states, “it’s a noisy world out there” from a business perspective. He went on to comment that 80% of his time is allocated to marketing.
I totally relate to this.
I can confidently state that 70% of my team focuses on content production and marketing.
I’ve discussed this before, but most of the time you’ll find yourself working ‘in’ the business, instead of ‘on’ it.
Going from working on the inner machinations of the enterprise to attaining a leadership/management role is critical to success.
It’s such a tough cycle to break out of.
Back in the early days of the business, I realised that most of my commerce originated in social media.
I knew I had to double my concentration in that arena.
I understand that there’s quite a bit of fear around being on camera/video.
For me, once I realised the potential revenue stream from being consistently present in the digital world, this began to melt away.
You’ve got to make sure the message that you’re sending is to the right people, and the only way this is achieved is through consistent posting.
What’s the biggest mistake you see people making in design?
The biggest mistake I see people committing is design procrastination.
What does this mean you might ask?
It’s when people try to rebrand and think that refreshing or changing their logo will revolutionise their business.
90% of my conversations with clients
Client: “How much is a logo?”
Danny: “What’s the problem?”
Client: “…What do you mean?”
Danny: “Don’t redesign your logo unless you’ve got a problem to solve. I promise you that’ll be the biggest financial error you’ll ever make.”
What follows is a usually honest conversation around what needs to be changed, and what simply doesn’t.
Brand confidence Program
Paul enquired about my brand confidence program, and I feel it’s pertinent to reiterate here.
Before creating the B.C.P., whenever anyone wanted a logo, I’d ask a set of questions around their enterprise. This would provide the info that I needed to tailor that design project to them and their business.
- What do you want from the business and this process?
- What’s your mission, both long and short term?
- What are your values as a business?
All these questions and more I’d put to my clients.
The three elements of the process are as follows…
- Strategy– The goals, visuals, and values that your company presents to the industry.
- Messaging– Your storytelling, the key phrases, and linguistic hooks that you use for your audience.
- Behaviours– This essentially is putting the ideas set above into practice.
I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with Paul and discussing design & branding, and I’d love to do another podcast with him.
