I would do it all differently now

The first branding project I even undertook was for a UK based, national recognised charity.

Way back at the start of my design career in 1993. The charity was my first full time employer, my first full time job after graduating from with BA in Visual Communications.

My new employer had a long and proud heritage and clearly defined mission and values. Things I would now look to leverage far more than I did then. But that’s the experience and learnings from 30 + years talking.

In 1993 I had just enough education to perform.

I’d worked throughout my degree studies as a freelance designer (and had the benefit of close relatives who were working designers) so I was not quite as green as many new graduates.

But I was still pretty green.

Had I known?then what I know now, I would have approached the prospect of reimagining the identity for a national entity entirely differently.

Had I appreciated quite what was involved I would probably have been a little overwhelmed, to be honest.

Maybe my naivety was a saving grace, given the circumstances, as it did allow me to forge ahead without feeling daunted. I was energised by the task and relished being afforded the opportunity and the responsibility.

At that time the charity was in bit of a financial hole. The ledger sheets were in the red and on top of that fairly unfortunate fact, a new organisation was challenging their established position.

Had this same brief arrived on my desk today I'd do it all differently. I’ve do a lot of interviews and research. I’d be looking for firm data to support the choices made.?I’d want to identify and understand the specific aspects of their work that held the most resonance for their supporters and their audience. I would want to investigate what people found attractive about the 'new challanger' and what made those qualities attractive.

I’d try to identify what made my employer unique and explore whether that could be presented more compellingly. I would research the heritage and look to identify aspects that I could leverage to attract new donors - or re-engage donors that had fallen away. ? What from the heritage story could be used to make stronger connections and establish trust?

I’d investigate the way the organisation addressed their audience and framed its mission objectives. I’d explore how the messaging directed at donors was (or needed to be) different to that directed to the people they served. And if those two could be neatly held together in one strategy without appearing disjointed or compromised.

In short, I’d interrogate what made them who they were. What made them special? And why that matters?

Only once I had all those answers would I start designing a new visual identity and related brand collateral.

But I was young, still learning 'best practice' - and didn’t know what I didn’t know!

I also didn’t have the authority to do all that work and push for those insights.

I was just ‘the new designer'. Another designer in a long line of designers working for the charity. It just so happened that the difficult financial situation and challenging competitive landscape meant some big questions about identity and effectiveness were being asked.

Some key senior personnel changes were also occurring at around the same time and the idea of a rebrand happened to be on the table just a few months after I had joined the staff. So the question of brand arose during my tenure purely by chance.

Doing the level of research that I now undertake for a brand refresh or rebranding project would have meant straying significantly 'out of my lane' and into?the remit of the Head of Communications. (Someone far more senior than myself.)

I’m pretty sure that I?trod on more than a few toes as it was. But I did so with the best intentions - trying to impact the organisation as positively as I could.

I’m also sure I was shown more grace than I probably deserved as I pushed the bounds of my rather junior role.

But what I could do, I did do. I worked with the Communications staff and senior management to explore a new and updated visual expression of their established vision.? We created a redesigned visual identity that was fresh and lively to match the work they did.

Me of today recognises that what I created in 1993 was far less strategic than it could have been, or should have been. But that does not diminish what we achieved nor its effectiveness.

Along with some other bold initiatives implemented, the charity went from being in the red to firmly in the back within a couple of years.

The rebrand heralded changes elsewhere in the organisation and gave?a renewed sense of vigour and direction to the organisation.

It probably took me the next decade or more to learn the tactics, skills and tools, that I now rely on to deliver a rebrand project.

However, I am immensely thankful that I got to do my first branding project so early in my career.

When the next one came along I was unphased. Reimagining the brand for an SME (after already doing the same for a national organisation) felt relatively straightforward.

As I progressed through my career I learnt those additional skills. I started to recognise what I didn’t know and undertook additional training to fill those gaps in my knowledge.

Recognising where I was lacking and adding those skills (at least to some degree) has been a large part of my ongoing professional growth.

I've studied market research and marketing management.? I’ve read up on general human psychology, and more specifically behavioural psychology.? I've delved into data science, statistical analysis and semiotics. (And I’m in the middle of another semester of study as I write this).

There's still loads more I could add. I hope I remain humble enough to recognise the things I still need to add to my training, and energised enough to still make the effort to do that training. I freely admit some things don't interest me enough to want to study them more )or where I'll can't compete with a fully trained specialist) and so in these areas I've forged collaborative partnerships with experts who are strong in the areas I'm lacking.

As I’ve gotten older I hope I’ve grown wise enough to know that we never stop learning - as long as we stay open enough to remain teachable!