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In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the concept of thinking “outside the box” began to permeate corporate America. The world of advertising led the charge. At the time, this approach was brilliant in its simplicity. It let people know that they needed to think, act and do things differently because the outside world was changing. Then came the dot-com era of advertising and “outside the box” became “outside of reality.” In their eagerness to create whole new ways of thinking, many advertisers lost sight of basic business principles. In some cases, creative executions strayed so far from their objectives and their target, that they were speaking a different language to their customers. Not good for business.

We prefer the idea of “pushing the box.” This means you are actually still living inside the world of reality, but you are tied to basic, fundamental truths about what you need to accomplish, who you are speaking with and how you are speaking to them. This is where true creativity is born, because the answer must be grounded while also revolutionary. You force yourself to create ideas that are strategically sound, but require absolute creativity in their execution.

Great advertising comes from taking a simple, true business premise (e.g. an insight about how people think, use or feel about your product) and then pushing that idea creatively until it stretches the box sideways a bit, but never quite breaks outside of it. You might read this and say, all the great work of the past was “outside of the box.” We would argue that the real greats were simply pushing the box…really hard. Consider “1984”, the classic TV spot for Apple by Chiat/Day. This creative was absolutely and soundly based on the premise that, at the time, PC users were tired of not having choices, being told what they needed in a PC and then being given a complex, difficult-to-use product.

Appropriating George Orwell’s 1984 as a metaphor for the Mac revolution was brilliant. But solidly in the box.

 

Remember when you first got your high school yearbook? You grabbed your copy and immediately began scouring the photos? But you weren’t looking to see how your friends looked. You were looking for yourself and beginning to formulate your excuses as to why you were having such a bad hair day. Looking at yourself first is a very natural reaction. (Don’t be ashamed, everyone does it.) But in marketing and communications, that instinctive self-referential response isn’t the most effective. After all, it’s our customers we need to please, not our own ego. And what they do every day, and what they read and watch every day, and their likes and dislikes may be very different from our own.

So whatever you’re trying to sell, be it an idea, a product, a service or simply a place in their mind, remember: it’s not about you, it’s not about your agency, it’s about them – your customers. The smart, good people who will hopefully choose to support your business as a result of how you speak with them. Do what your mother told you in grade school and put yourself in their shoes. Try it; you’ll be surprised at how infrequently you have to make excuses for your hair, and how often you will create a compelling, and above all effective, campaign.

 

One of the common mistakes when designing logos is creating them in a vacuum and not in context. This leads to the temptation to turn a logo into all-encompassing ad, signifying an organization's laundry list of capabilities in one small symbol.

While a logo must communicate a company's core thoughts simply and effectively, it's important to remember that a logo rarely lives on its own. It is almost always paired with some type of meaning or message: in an ad, on a product, on stationary, etc.

So how do you know if a logo is effective?

When you look at the logo, in an instant, do you get its core thoughts? Does it provoke an emotion or an idea? Does it identify the basic brand promise (or premise) of the business, service or organization? Is it functional? Most importantly, is the logo imaginative and unique? This helps with its memorability and likeability, which translates into real value for the organization.

The masterful designer Paul Rand said that a logo should serve as a flag for an organization. Simple, memorable and inspiring, rather than overly descriptive.

What challenges have you faced with logos, as a marketer or creator?

 

© 2008 3 Advertising LLC, a full-service advertising agency in Albuquerque, New Mexico.