Link all your themes/learnings with collaborative theory: Prioritise/merge the learnings by testing which ones work well with the theories.
Exercise word count: assign the number of words for each section
Collaborative Unit:
Talk about one big thing/ two to three small things that you have experienced, and what was my role? You can compare if you have had two contrasting experiences as well.
Structure –
Intro – Mention of your idea of collaboration before this collaboration experience, your hopes, fears, worries, and state of mind
Conclusion—Summary of all your collaborative experiences—what have you learnt about yourself? What kind of collaborations are you more suited for? What value have you gotten out of this? This part will have the most crossovers with PPU.
Working collectively (in our communities of practice) to explore the impacts and opportunities within the future of branding, through speculation.
Step 1: Orientate
Read through your assigned 2050 future scenario. Discuss how your scenario might affect you as a branding designer.
Our group’s assigned future scenario
Think about how your discipline is impacted and connected. Consider what systems it is part of and linked to.
What will you do as a brand designer to be proactive, enterprising and agile in this future?
How will you communicate, connect and story-tell in this world? How will you remain curious, confident and resilient amidst future challenges?
Speculating the values & structure of this world
How does branding operate in this world?
Step 2: Construct
Map out a day-in-the-life of a brand designer within your scenario – consider these prompts: What, Who, Where, When, How, Why…
A Day in the Life of a Brand Designer in this world
Step 3: Co-create & Share
Informed by your day-in-the-life narrative, co-create a speculative concept or artefact in your future world.
Visualise this as a social media post – you may show it as an image, message, advert, meme etc.
In a world where a new religion has emerged, people worship the forces of nature, such as water, wind, and rain. They teach their children the importance of respecting these resources, instilling values that emphasize careful usage. Strict rules govern the use of these natural resources, and everything is meticulously calculated.
In this society, listening to the sounds of nature is considered a form of devotion. Many species have already been lost, so hearing their sounds is regarded as a special privilege. Spotify has recognised this cultural shift and launched a new playlist featuring artists who incorporate animal and bird sounds into their music. This post is an artefact of this world in the future.
Reflections
This workshop prompted me to think about the future of branding and the design industry. We created an identity for a person working in this industry under an ethical scenario where laws are very strict. Brands are required to focus on customer relationship management (CRM), making ethical practices a rule rather than a choice. I initially felt that creativity and ethics are diiferent, making it challenging to integrate them. However, through our group discussions, I realized that in this future, this person has been conditioned to view creativity within the framework of being mindful of ethical considerations and resource usage. I now see that creativity and ethics are not separate; they can coexist. And now this is the lens through which I am currently viewing the industry.
With Matthew Hayson (Creative Director) and Oscar Warr (Senior Designer)
Wolff Olins is a branding firm founded in the 1960s. They partner with brands at their pivotal inflection points. At the heart of their philosophy is the belief that
“Brands change how people think, feel, and act.”
Think – Ex: Uber, they changed how people think about taxi services, from an on-demand service to a multi-modal platform.
Feel – Ex: LG, changed how people feel about LG products from lifeless tech to “Life’s Good”.
Act – Ex: TikTok – Using motion to give a sense that the brands is always moving, setting new trends.
The designers at this company manage a balance between working with larger clients and smaller ones. Additionally, the company does not partner with cigarette or oil companies. Most of their clients operate on a B2B model, while a few cater to B2C markets.
Work:
GSK – Their work for this globalcompany aimed to pharmaceutical instill confidence in the company’s vision of “Ahead of Disease Together.” The 3D brand assets were interesting in terms of their application, as they created numerous possibilities for showcasing the brand elements in physical spaces, such as reception desks or wayfinding throughout the offices.
Mercedes F1 – Their earlier identity was heavily shaped by fan feedback, which, while engaging, led to some inconsistency in its overall look. The new branding addresses the previous issue of the car appearing cluttered due to the numerous partner logos, creating a more cohesive look. What stood out was how this updated identity has been thoughtfully extended across different touchpoints—like caps, hoodies, and even high-end merchandise—bringing a stronger sense of unity to the brand.
Agency Structure:
One Agency – Three communities
Design Community – Designers + Specialists + Technologists + Partners
Strategy Community
Engagement Community
The Red Thread: Design + Strategy
Design & Strategy come together such that all the designers are strategic thinkers and all the strategists are creative thinkers. They also believe in the importance of motion and 3-dimensionality.
Real-world over 3D:
It was interesting to discover that they have a dedicated Design Specialist who focuses on various technologies, including 3d printing. His role involves collaborating with different teams, and this hands-on approach is a real asset, allowing both designers and clients to see their ideas materialise as physical models. With so many product brands turning to AI-generated visuals, the key to standing out now lies in the authenticity of the physical world.
The 360 wheel:
It’s a wheel that they present to the client, encompassing branding elements related to verbal, sensorial, interaction, and visual aspects. For instance, in the mobility sector, the sound of the cars is sonic branding. Not every client requires all of these solutions; however, the more you tick off, the more brand experience you are building.
John Hegarty opened his talk with a universal truth: Principles remain and practices change.
I’ve always believed that creativity comes from within, as he noted: “The more interesting you are as a person, through reading, experiencing diverse things, and living fully, the better you become.” The key here is that it’s not just about experiences in your specific field; it’s about embracing a wide range of life experiences. He pointed out that your unique set of experiences—like the places you visit, the books you read, and the activities you engage in—gives you a distinct advantage.
Types of Creativity:
Pure creativity originates from someone’s mind, like working from scratch on a blank piece of paper
Applied creativity is like writing an episode for The Simpsons, using existing characters. This focuses on solving a specific problem.
And thinking about it this, we always are working on specific briefs and they more about solving a problem. Whereas if I do a passion project just because I wanted to – I believe that would be pure creativity. Moving ahead, I want to maintain a balance of both.
What is at the heart of creativity?
Whenever I’ve worked on briefs , I’ve always tried to find out what was actually good about the brand- which can be especially difficult for some brands that I personally don’t resonate with – but the job is to put our bias aside and look for the the truth of the brand.
“Truth is at the heart of great art” – Boris Groys
“When a piece of art has the truth, power remains with the creator. If it doesn’t, it moves to the observer.” – John Hegarty
This applies to advertising & branding as John Hegarty said – “Everything has a truth and so do all brands – even if its just an observation about how people see it.” That’s why the greatest advertisement campaigns are those that found the truth and exposed it. Because the meaning of life is the seeking of truth – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
How do you sustain a creative career?
Most creative careers have 10 years when you do the great work. You can’t repeat what you did yesterday. The answer is:
Curiosity – you keep learning
Work with the best – to work to improve, surround yourself with other great people
Read, Consume, Create
Pessimism Kills Creativity
The word “Enthusiasm” comes from the Greek language which means “to be with god”, and there is a real good reason for it:
“Great creative people are optimists – Because you are trying to change the world.”
Pessimism kills creativity – this also is something that I’ve experienced this unit 1. When starting a project, it’s especially important to be in a positive headspace and be non-judgemental of ideas when in the brainstorming phase. Cynicism has its place but doing this right from the start can really dampen the spirits of all the members and hamper creativity.
How to judge our ideas?
Talking about attitude, enthusiasm, passions and the truth – it all revolves around the human emotions. Our ideas are all about influencing these emotions by using emotions.
We are in an attention economy so this is how you judge an idea –
A Triangle:
Is it memorable? Is it motivating?
Is it truthful? (Because I am trying to build a relationship)
Is it really founded on truth?
Creativity as the green industry
A great idea survives a bad idea – it’s a Green idea. And how does one get to that idea? Always make the product the hero – make sure that it comes out of the truth of the product. Think about what it is about the really interesting product?
Business and Creativity
Business at its soul is a creative construct and to stay relevant – it innovates. Business is driven by creativity. Taylor swift is an incredible example – because she is creating value. The next big frontier is understanding the value of creativity.
Book Recommendations:
Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us – about how we are wired to be creative – Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Ask thesequestions before making the film: Content & style – Film/Animation? Typography/text led? Sound? On screen talent?
Creative & Production – Narrative & scripting – write it very simply & make sure to keep referring to it Storyboard (your best friend) sketch out each scene – everything builds from this (music, pace & colour palette) Casting Music – Work on it as soon as you can Plan out the Budget
Inspiration – Mainly found through insight Or else you can draw inspiration – in terms of how to communicate your idea (can be drawn from dance, music, art).
Things to consider: Audience (make the film style appeal to them) Tap into the skills of those around you Don’t be scared to try something new Be on schedule – set the time for each part of the editing
Tips from D&AD: Don’t go with the obvious idea (in terms of video) Keep it clean and simple Brevity & clarity – Do you know if the video clearly conveys the core concept? First focus on explaining succinctly, and then elaborate
Task: Choose a film (Anabelle) and create a one-minute film video based on the genre you received (Music Video)
Standing out in a crowd of college students can be challenging, and it becomes even more difficult among experienced designers. When I spoke with Rory, a designer at Pearlfisher, he emphasized the importance of narrative. What truly matters is the insight behind the idea, the key problem being tackled, and how effectively it’s being addressed. Even with the most polished execution, it’s the strength of the concept that captures attention, not just technical skills.
I also learned the significance of illustrating the user journey—demonstrating how a concept seamlessly integrates across different touchpoints. A great example of this was Pearlfisher’s Recollagenproject. The concept of collagen was thoughtfully woven into every brand interaction. From the tactile packaging that mimicked collagen’s effect on the skin to the way the products were animated—floating and bouncing—to reflect collagen’s flexibility, every detail reinforced the core idea. Their approach underlined a key takeaway: every application of a concept should emphasize what the brand stands for.
When I visited Pearlfisher, I got a real sense of what they’re all about—finding the gem in every brand. Their process is built around three key stages: Immerse, Explore, Create. They walked us through their approach, sharing case studies and insights into their work, which really brought their philosophy to life.
The Workspace
Pearlfishers Core Values:
Be bold – curious & experimental Lucid – simple, succinct and clear ideas Be unexpected – doing something that no one dares
Teams at Pearfisher:
Client management – Help draft a clear brief by collaborating closely with both the client and Pearlfisher.
Futurists – Experts in trend forecasting, identifying emerging opportunities across various categories. They typically work independently, mapping out future possibilities.
Strategists – Focus on understanding both consumer behavior and category market & distill the brief into a simple insight.
Designers – Specialize in branding, packaging, experiential design, bringing ideas to life through visual storytelling.
Visualizers – A specialised subset of designers, these CGI experts craft hyper-realistic imagery, eliminating the need for traditional photoshoots by creating immersive digital worlds.
Realisers – Experts in production and manufacturing, ensuring that designs maintain their integrity and impact across all print and physical formats.
Business Team – The backbone of operations, ensuring seamless execution and alignment across all departments.
Key Takeaway:
What really stuck with me was the importance of networking. Georgia and Rory, the designers at Pearlfisher who spoke with us, shared their journeys to the studio. Even though their paths were quite different—one got in through an internship, while the other won a D&AD Pencil—the common thread was networking.
Action points:
Tailor my portfolio to each studio, stay on the lookout for events, reach out to studios directly, and share my work with professionals on LinkedIn – a lot of them are open to giving advice, and submit my work for Pearlfishers “Fresh Pearls” brief.
Pentagram is not a typical agency – it’s a group of partners who are so different. But this is what keeps them, relevant – having a multitude of voices. They also IPC – where they meet up each year to discuss everything with their cohort of partners.
Process:
They start with building a strategy
Looking at competitive businesses in the same sector as their client
Collaborate with strategists
Slice through the clients info and find the relevant info
Workshops and exercises – They agree and start sketching
Always present two or three different ideas to the client – with all the logomarks being black and white
Remaining Relevant?
Samar Maakaroun talks about the time taken to become an expert in anything is by putting in 10,000 hours which is 3 years of working hours. While people can work upto 5 years and still remain an ameueur, we can give in these hours on our own and become better. The best learning comes from taking risks. Even then, you have to be curious and engaged to remain relevant.
Accidents generate ideas sometimes! – Things not going as planned can sometimes result in better outputs.
The formula to success?
Some people give you what you asked for and more – outperform yourself – it’s the formula for success
Even if the job is not very interesting, be engaged because there is always a learning.
The Book of Lessons! – It’s a good idea to maintain a Book of lessons – write whenever you fail so that you can always learn from them.
Standing out in a sea of applications?
When appraoching people on linkedin/mail, always think about their perspective. They are busy peole and the reality is that they will see yur work for only 60s.
Do your research and apply to a speciifc partner whose work you relate to, if you do apply to Pentagram.
Side projects are important!
Recruiters wish to see you in your work. and imagine you in their workspace and how well you would fit into it.
The little experiments show what are you interested in and that is what makes you unique. Fascination comes from field I don’t operate in – language and art
Maintain an inspiration bank – It’s something that you can draw from anytime you wish to.
Choosing projects to work on?
Fun, fame and fortunes – that’s how you choose your project
Fame – you want to work for big firms
But working on big projects can sometimes mean that you are just moving a pixel a bit
You just need an observation/insight based on your experience during the collaborations and drawing on theoretical texts to supplement your collaborations. We don’t need a detailed breakdown.These theories are great for giving a name to these natural occurrences.
Reflect on why did you team up with the people you teamed up with.
The 5 stages of group development:
#1 Forming Stage: Introductory Stage: Everyone is careful and polite
#2 Storming Stage: Conflicts & resentments start to arise
#3 Norming Stage: Everyone gets used to working with their partners
#4 Performing Stage: Members are confident and motivated
#5 Adjourning Stage: People start missing their groups
The 5 dysfunctions of a team:
# Absence of Trust
# Fear of Conflict
#Lack of Commitment
#Accountability: Behavioral & Performance
#Inattention to Results
The Risks of Collaboration
Social Loafing:
Diffusion of responsibilities – Individuals performance
Groupthink: When certain group members dominate the conversation
