Ringing the changes

Hardest client EVER.

So, yesterday, I walked into probably the trickiest 'sales' meeting for a long time.

What was I selling? Change, people. I was pitching for CHANGE. The 'boss' had asked me to come in and explain that There Is Going To Be A Change. She has been post now for a couple of years and is ringing the changes, with culture, ethos and values, for the better.

I know the team. All 168 members of it – and some of them know me. Two of them can even legitimately call me 'Mum'!

It's our wee local school's identity, y'see. It looks terrible. Some folk think it's a cross between a razor blade and those wee keys you open corned beef tins with. All in boring navy, and with a myriad variants, depending on what it's on – a letterhead, water bottle, flag, kid's jumper. It just doesn't... mean anything. Anymore, anyway.

So there I am, in the middle of Assembly, looking to convince 168 mini humans that their beloved corn beef key badge is going to be no more after the summer.

I found it tricky figuring out how to explain, in easy language that could be understood by a 5 year old and a 12 year old, what a brand identity is and why it matters, even to them. I needn't have worried myself – turns out, they get that they belong to something. There is a glue that keeps them together. And they can't wait to be involved in shaping what that looks like.

I've given them a brief to work with, and now, instead of having 168 clients, I've got a power team of 168 wannabe designers! Start 'em young, I say. Nowt as creative as kids.

'Can we spray paint our shoes?' asked one wee girl. Erm, 'course you can! But don't tell your folks I said so...

It's brilliant to be able to share what we do with hungry little minds, who want to learn new things, push their creativity. And they get to see there's actually people who DO this for a living and love it! (like me).

Cannot WAIT to see what our mini designers come up with!