The Value of White Space

One cornerstone of layout design that can be hard for many clients to understand is white space.

In graphic design terms, white space refers to space in a layout without content — words or images.

One of my favorite longtime clients was a technical expert who knew she needed help with writing and design. She respected our expertise, loved our work and was a genuine pleasure to work with. Early on, we gave her initial concepts for a wellness guide and she was enthusiastic — approving it quickly. It was all good.

Then we went to layout with actual copy.

My clean, crisp layouts designed to direct the eye deftly with color and images came back covered in comments to add paragraph upon technical paragraph to fill up “all that extra space”. You see, my favorite client was not only very invested in her subject matter and its importance, but she was also cost-conscious. Any white space felt like a waste of money and a missed opportunity to tell the audience ever more details. She saw it as a mistake. Her additions resulted in an packed page that would overwhelm even the most patient reader.

I’ve dealt with this a lot.

To be fair, its hard to value something you don’t actually see, or more accurately, don’t perceive. And I get it: their content is important to them and they want the audience to get all the value they can get. To the average person, open space is wasted space. But we know the secret of space. As a designer, it is really satisfying when I can open someone’s eyes to an aspect of design they aren’t aware of.

So I explained to her why white space is important — not only to balance the page, but to give the eye a minute to rest while brain processed the words it had just read. It’s an opportunity to take a breath, instead of being suffocated by words. I even explained that white space can imply modernity and higher quality, whereas packed pages imply archaic, boring text books that no one wants to read. She was suspicious, and it took a good deal of convincing, but eventually she trusted us and let the writers edited down things. Layout was always a compromise with her, but we worked it out.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about white space from a bigger picture perspective.

The world seems to be demanding more productivity and speed from everyone. Our media streams are overflowing with messages encouraging us do, be and achieve ever more. Global conflicts and news make us anxious. Its overwhelming. No wonder we’re exhausted as a society.

A bit of mental and even physical white space to rest and recharge our systems might give us all a bit of breathing room. Taking a real day off, empty time with no screens or agenda really does help me to clear my mind, and somehow things don’t feel as heavy afterward. We work it out.

Orange

Back to the topic of color and the positive and negative meanings it can convey.

Next up: ORANGE.

On the positive side, orange is associated with sunshine, optimism, fun, creativity, happiness, enthusiasm, and youthful connections. On the negative side it can elicit feelings of arrogance, pride and impatience. Interestingly, it can be perceived as less expensive but reasonable quality (e.g.; Home Depot) or luxury (e.g.; Hermes).

We all dread the orange barrels and cones of construction, conveying caution.

Orange is the national color of the Netherlands, because of its association with the Dutch Royal Family: the House of Orange. The collective energy and liveliness of national celebrations is referred to as “orange madness”

It is becoming a color of human rights, increasingly used by organizations around the globe as a calling for peace and change. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine used it in protest of electoral fraud; the United Nations uses it to raise awareness and inspire action in regard to gender-based violence through their Orange the World campaign.

As the color of optimism from a mental health perspective, it has an uplifting, invigorating health-promoting affect on the body.

Seasonally, its associated most with autumn and Halloween in Western countries.

And of course, in most countries orange as a color is tied to the fruit, originally from China.

HISTORICALLY

• For ancient Greeks its associated with Bacchus, the god of hedonism and thus frivolity and entertainment

• Egyptians associated orange with rebirth and eternal life, due to the evergreen orange tree — so oranges were commonly part of religious ceremonies, including funerals.

• The French Impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec used it to symbolize the raucous energy and excitement of Parisian nightlife in the early 19th century

• In Ireland it represents Protestants.

• In Thailand its the color of Friday.

SPIRITUALITY
Orange symbolizes different things across spiritual traditions:

• Buddhism = simplicity, letting go of material

• Christianity = fire, purification, divine presence, the Holy Spirit

• Hinduism = fire/purification, wisdom and the quest for light. Saffron, a shade of orange, is the most sacred color for Hindus

• Islamic = flame of the divine lamp leading to spiritual enlightenment, nobility, royalty

• Judiasm = rebirth, renewal, inclusion of women

MARKETING
Orange in fashion can represent energy, excitement, confidence, adventurousness, happiness, warmth.

Its another color that stimulates appetite and digestion, and is commonly used by fast food restaurants in their identities.

Common phrases using orange include:

• Apples to Oranges = comparing incomparable items

• Orange Alert = heightened state of security

• Squeeze the orange dry = extract all value and usefulness from something

• Throw someone an orange = offering someone a bribe

• Orange hard hat = construction zone, caution required

This list just scratches the surface, but underscores the importance of really knowing your target audience. Its wise to understand cultural impacts of colors as we expand into an increasingly global society.

Spring Green is an Antidote to Winter Blues

About this time of year, I find myself doubting that winter will actually end. After four months of dreary, cold days, it gets old. And depressing. The Winter Blues.

Then a subtle shift happens. A warm day here, a rainy day there and bits of green start appearing. Last week, I noticed the pale halos of chartreuse sprouting on my street’s tree canopy and yesterday the grass came alive. Even if the sky is gray, there’s hope on the ground.

As a gardener, that hope is making me antsy. Oddly, even yard cleanup tasks that exhausted me in November feel energizing. Now, I can’t wait for slight warm ups so I can rake random leaves, wrangle out big swaths of ivy, and cut back dead plants. The tiny tips of hyacinths and tulips breaking through the hard soil seem to be encouraging us to follow suit. My grandiose visions for total revamping of my garden seem utterly possible. Who cares how much it would cost! I have plenty of time and energy to do anything! Pollen? What pollen?!

So what if we see a rain/snow mix tomorrow! In April, Spring always conquers Winter.

Win/win

Career lesson #27: Determine if your business relationships are win/win or win/lose situations.

I learned this one on a sales call with a new colleague. Prior to joining us, he led a competing team in our market and a was sales pro. He was also a really likable guy who could make me laugh. Always a good sign.

Still new to professional consulting, I was eager to learn from his sales experience. My prior jobs at design firms were focused on creativity and quality. In this firm I was also measured on billable hours and sales, so I had a bit of a learning curve. Most of my clients were in other cities and I wanted to be successful at home, too.

Our call was with a new manufacturing prospect and it was tough. One of those discussions where you go in optimistically open-minded, have a good conversation and know you can help solve their problem. It felt like we were connecting, but the client’s mood shifted from friendly to dismissive, even a bit condescending at the end.

After we hung up, my colleague shared an observation that has stuck with me ever since. Years ago, he had noticed a dynamic in our local business climate. A heavy manufacturing city with deep roots in organized labor, clients here often preferred win/lose relationships. Meaning, a good deal meant one party gets more from the arrangement then the other party does.

He then went on to say that it wasn’t a good or bad thing — just an insight. It didn’t mean we had to take a loss, in fact the market is lucrative with a profitable client base. We could still “win” by meeting our goals, but the client needed to perceive a “deal.” It calls for strategic tactics. We had to invest in the relationship, and make our value clear.

It took a bit of grit and grace to learn how to play the game confidently, and I gained useful skills and a tougher skin. It also made me really appreciate win/win relationships and markets.

When things feel off professionally or personally, I try to take a step back and assess my own mindset and expectations. What kind of deal are each of us expecting?

This as actually a solid life lesson. I now seek win/win situations as much as possible.

The Jester

In honor of April Fool’s Day, let’s explore the Jester archetype!

One of Carl Jung’s universal 12 archetypes, the Jester is used in branding as a master category. Categories help teams focus on general profiles to quickly eliminate those that don’t resonate. With a mix of two or three categories, there’s an art to refining them a unique identity.

Common adjectives associated with the Jester imply humor: funny, sarcastic, silly, sly. But there’s more to the jester than jokes.

In medieval royal courts, the jester was both an entertainer and valued advisor to the ruler. Royalty was surrounded by social climbers and politicians with hidden agendas — loyalty could be deceiving. Jesters enjoyed the rare privilege of speaking the truth to the king or queen, masked as humor. Posing as a fool meant their commentary could be dismissed and ridiculed. Choosing the best words to disguise their messages required skill, wisdom and judgement. It was a dangerous role. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the king could result in banishment or even death.

Tricksters are a variation that found in countless myths around the world, including China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Africa and North America. They often appear to provide a lesson to the hero. They exhibit high intelligence and often are keepers of secret knowledge. They can play a powerful shadow role, playing tricks on others and defying rules.

Other variations include the clown, comedian, fool, joker, provocateur, fool and shapeshifter.

Today, stand-up comics are our most common jesters. In addition to making us laugh, they can make us think by pointing out underlying truths that make us uncomfortable. Comedians are also a great example of how individuality beyond archetypal stereotypes is critical. Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer and Trevor Noah’s brands all fall under the Jester/Comic. But their material and audiences are very different. Offending an audience these days can lead to career suicide or banishment, in some ways echoing the experience of a court jester.

If a variation of the jester is part of a project you’re working with, tread lightly. Like a comic, its very important to understand your audience well — and to hit the right note and not offending them. Using humor well for a brand or campaign takes a pro.

#archetypes #branding #jester #30daychallenge #brandstrategy

Seeing vs. Looking

As a child, I loved to draw. My best friend and I spent hours copying our favorite cartoon characters and illustrations from magazines and books. Fascinated by celebrity caricatures and portraits, I strove to capture likenesses. I practiced drawing details and mastering pencil and ink. Teachers and classmates praised my artistic talent and I dreamt of going to art school.

So I felt quite confident in my first college life drawing class — after all, I was good at drawing. As the instructor walked through the class, she stopped to give us individual feedback. When she got to me, she gave me a magic key that influences more than just my drawings, to this day.

She told me to stop thinking about what I was looking at and really see it. She pointed out my drawing of the model’s mouth. Something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was like a light came on when I realized I had drawn 10 teeth when all I could really see was 6. My mind had been driving me instead of my eyes. When I got back to my dorm room, I looked at some old drawings and was mortified to see I had a habit of drawing not only too many teeth, but fully outlined ones. How could I have missed that?! And why did other people praise my work?!

It’s easy to look at things, yet not truly see them. A scanning mind may recognize the overall visual effect but not necessarily the details. It’s easy to make assumptions based on past impressions.

Now I focus on and study things I need to draw. Even if the end goal is a stylized illustration or logo element, I like to have a solid understanding of the details that make something uniquely what it is.

I try to do the same thing with people — aiming to really see them and hear what they’re saying, not just listen to them talk. I think that’s where authentic connection starts.

Red

Color is one of the most powerful forms of communication in the world, rich with cultural, historical and spiritual themes. Colors quickly convey emotions and meaning, both positive and negative. It can make or break a brand or campaign. When choosing color, thoughtful designers consider the reactions each color can evoke.

It would be impossible to cover every meaning, but here’s a start:

First up: RED.

In Western cultures, red is associated with passion in both positive and negative forms: love and war. The color of hearts and Valentine’s Day is also often used to alert us of danger with stop lights and delete buttons.

In Asian cultures it represents good fortune and joy and often prominent at weddings and celebrations.

From a health perspective, its the color of blood, vigor and life.

It is the first color babies perceive after black and white

In some tribal African customs and traditions it can represent the blood of ancestors and the ongoing struggle against repression and racism.

HISTORICALLY

• Paleolithic tribes used it to bury their dead from protection from evil spirits

• Egyptians used it to represent danger

• Roman soldiers and gladiators wore red, representing courage. It was the color of Mars, the God of war.

• Ancient Byzantines adopted it from Romans as a color of majesty and authority

• Some Native American tribes consider it a color that transcends worlds, used red to call to ancestors in the spirit world.

SPIRITUALITY
Red symbolizes different things across spiritual traditions:

• Buddhism = achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune, dignity

• Christianity = sacrifice, blood of Christ

• Hinduism = root chakra, sexuality, love, energy

• Islamic = life force

• Judiasm = compassion, generosity, beauty

MARKETING
Red in fashion represents confidence and boldness.

Sale items are often advertised in red to get attention and express urgency.

Over 40% of fast food chains have harnessed red’s ability to increase our heart rate, blood pressure and appetite. Not only can it urge us to quick action, but it can make us hungry!

Common phrases using red include:

• Red in the face = embarrassment

• Seeing red = rage

• Red flag = warning, danger

• Being in the red = Debt, financial loss

• Caught red handed = catching someone doing something wrong

• Paint the town red = going out and partying

• Red carpet treatment = treating someone like royalty

• Red tape = excessive bureaucracy

This list just scratches the surface, but underscores the importance of really knowing your target audience. Its wise to understand cultural impacts of colors as we expand into an increasingly global society.

Walking is an antidote to creative blocks

We all hit creative blocks. You know the brick wall you can’t seem to get past, usually as a deadline looms.

When I hit that wall its a signal that my well of inspiration is drying up and I need a big refill. Unfortunately, I may need rest or a trip somewhere to replenish my well, but I don’t have time for it. If I’m on the hamster wheel of production I need a quick fix.

That’s when I get up and talk a walk without headphones.

Something about being outside quickly stops my rumination. I become present and the repetitive thoughts start to fade. Maybe it’s the fresh air or all the details of the world around me. Maybe its the randomness and lack of control I have over what I encounter. It could even be that physical movement shifts my energy and focus outside of my head.

After 20 minutes or so, new thoughts come in. I feel clearer and often sparks of new ideas may pop up. If nothing else, I’m less anxious and frustrated.

I used to dread creative blocks. Now I just get up and get moving.

Rails are an antidote to scope creep.

When designers use the term “rails” they’re referring to the creative boundaries set for a project. Rails are intended to keep the team from wandering off on tangents. Clear rails set up a win/win situation where the client doesn’t waste money and the creatives don’t waste time. They’re fleshed out in the creative brief, but are born in the scope document.

Project scope may not seem like an inspiring topic, but it’s an important foundation for any successful project. It outlines the client’s situation or request, the high-level objective, suggested approach or solution, project management overview, timing by phases, roles of team members and fee arrangement. It’s usually dry stuff, often drafted by committee, based on a template. I think its important for designers to be involved in scoping, if not draft their own scopes.

More than just legal documents, scopes are an opportunity to set expectations. Knowing how much time and money you have to work with are the first set of rails in any project. So is a clear definition of the project’s basic objective.

Creative solutions can live in a vast world of imagination, where we can do anything. And its tempting to promise the moon, because we all aspire to delivering amazing work. A good scope brings blue-sky thinking down to earth so the real work can start.

I’ve learned to enjoy the creative challenge of solving client challenges on a tight budget and savor those with large budgets. There’s never an endless pile of money for any project — the best designers embrace rails and rise to the occasion.

Beauty is the antidote to discord.

I believe beauty can transform the ugliness around us and inspire our souls. It has the power to capture us emotionally, overtaking logic in a nanosecond. It can lift our spirits, surprise us, calm and heal us. It’s intrinsic value is immense.

Over the past decade, I’ve noticed a change in the design zeitgeist. After decades of adhering to narrow aesthetic standards defined by minimalism, especially in graphic design, an explosion of beauty is expanding our definition of “good” design. The idea that one single, International Design style could be appropriate to all applications with global appeal was preposterous and arrogant.

Following WWII, midcentury design injected an optimism that lightened things up in furniture and interior design while humor inched into advertising. But as companies grew and diversified, corporate standards increasingly dismissed ornamentation as unnecessary or indulgent and led a streamlined conformity that dominated much of the graphic design world. Beauty was a disregarded, archaic ideal.

Thankfully, there’s been an explosion of diverse styles that balance the neutrality of the past. Personality is not only allowed, its embraced as differentiator. Openness is an antidote to conformity, and expansion is an antidote to boredom.

Don’t get me wrong — the cool intellectualism of the Bauhaus, succinctly summed up by Mies Vander Rohe as “less is more” will always be relevant. There’s a timelessness to mid-20th century design. I embrace the grace of a Barcelona chair, the balance of Helvetica and the simplicity of Philip Johnson’s Glass house. AND I also appreciate the lyricism of William Morris’ Pimpernel wallpaper, the streamlined glamour of the Chrysler Building and the extravagance of Justina Blakeney’s Jungalow interiors.

In a world that seems to be brimming with stress, anxiety, and tension, creating beauty used to feel like an act of rebellion. Now it just feels like freedom.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen was the first stop on a Scandinavian trip I took last year. As a design mecca, I expected it to be a visual feast. But it was so much more.

I filled my museum well with visits to the 3 Days of Design conference exhibits, Designmuseum Denmark and The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I got drunk on classic modern furniture juxtaposed against classic architecture, a visual history of Danish design and an afternoon in a glorious sculpture park. Of course the food was great and the historical sections were charming. Don’t get me started on the amazing public transportation.

But the thing I loved most about Copenhagen was wandering. Wandering is my favorite way to discover the things that give a location its unique sense of place. I happily filled hours documenting the design details around me: typography on signs, architectural carvings, building numbers, pavement textures, even manhole covers filled up my photo feed. On this trip I captured unique color stories for future pattern design palettes. These images become my favorite souvenirs.

It was my first trip to Copenhagen, but definitely not my last.

Archetypes 101

I first became fascinated by archetypes when a spiritual friend of mine introduced me to Bill Moyers’ The Power of Myth, over 20 years ago. At the time, we were both intrigued by the idea that these universal characters could have major impacts on our life paths, and how exploring their lessons could help us navigate the world at a deeper level. I became hooked on Carl Jung’s work and Bill Moyers’ PBS series.

Another thing that stuck with me was how blockbuster books and films harnessed storylines and character profiles from ancient myths. The most famous and convincing example at the time was George Lucas’ work on Star Wars. Fast forward a few years and the concept of leveraging storytelling in advertising and marketing had become mainstream.

As a corporate communication and design consultant, I helped HR clients educate employees on complex health care and retirement plans. Not exactly an exciting topic area, we used storytelling to strategically reach people. And every story relies on characters.

Part of my job as a creative director was facilitating workshops to define the face, or look and feel, of campaigns. We had a set of exercises that worked well to define aesthetic preferences, but I wanted to do more than create visually appealing media. I wanted to attract the audience’s attention and help them make good choices that would benefit them long. Since employment is essentially a relationship between the employee and the company, I turned to Archetypes to create personalities that would resonate.

Incorporating the 12 core archetypes defined by Mark and Pearson in their seminal brand psychology book The Hero and the Outlaw, I built my own workshop exercises. My goal was to identify one core and two supporting archetypes to use as a starting point to reflect each organization’s unique culture. Surprisingly, my new exercises resonated with clients right away.

A team of senior leaders in a manufacturing company told me my session was the best meeting they had ever attended. One client at a university was studying psychology and reminded me not to forget about the Shadow side of archetypes. Colleagues started asking for slide deck and embraced the whole concept. I loved how interested clients were to learn more and how willing they were to collaborate.

Over multiple sessions I started to see patterns of common combinations across clients. Inspired by Margaret Hartwell’s Archetypes in Branding Toolkit for Creatives and Strategists, I expanded my understanding beyond the core 12 Archetypes into 60 variations. When I was limited by project scope and time constraints on corporate projects, I experimented with one-on-one sessions for friends who wanted to articulate their own personal brands. That led me to develop more exercises to build brand voices and value propositions.

Somewhere along the line, an interesting shift happened: I stopped thinking about how much I could get from these sessions and started thinking about how to give my clients more. More profiles + more insights + more ah-ha moments = more fun.

That’s when I felt successful.

Branding 101

I love facilitating branding workshops. All aspects of it spark joy for me — from developing the presentation and customizing the exercises, to leading the session with clients, to drafting the summary and creative brief. It gets me in the flow. Plus, there’s nothing like watching a skeptic when their eyes light up as they realize something they thought of as fluff is actually smart strategy .

When I’m working with a new client, or a team that isn’t composed of creative professionals, I like to position the session as Branding 101. Focusing everyone at the start, I open by level setting using the term “branding.” It may sound basic, but experience has taught me that many people misunderstand what a brand really is. They may assume its a logo, or the tagline, or the name itself. If everyone isn’t on the same page things can fall flat really fast.

After a visual exercise I share AIGA’s succinct definition, then expand it a bit:

BRAND: a person’s perception of a product,
service, experience or organization

BRANDING: the conscious crafting and nurturing
of that perception

The reality is every organization, product, experience and location has a brand — even if they’re unaware of it. Neglecting it or letting the public define a brand leads to disjointed, confused and even conflicting perceptions in the market. And that’s never profitable.

Thoughtfully developing the narrative and managing the evolution of that brand may be overwhelming, but its critical to authentically connect with your target audience and build trusting relationships. Relationships bring revenue. Articulating a brand is no longer nice to have — It’s needed to play.

Brand building is relationship building, and relationships have never been more important than they are today. Trying to appeal or sell to everyone isn’t viable anymore. A steady stream of options for pretty much everything from products to events to jobs scroll past us with lightening speed. In our over-saturated, over-stimulated, global marketplace it’s easy for a brand to get lost or forgotten. A differentiated, clear and consistent narrative is needed to thrive.

And helping clients thrive is really fun.

What is the problem we’re trying to solve?

I believe success lies in knowing the right questions to ask from the start.

As a corporate consultant, I developed strong listening skills that are critical to working collaboratively with clients and internal project teams. Ironically, effective listening starts with asking effective questions — the kind that lead to clearly uncovering the real problem itself.

For example when it comes to design projects, plenty of clients think the creative problem they need help with is just a lack of appealing visuals. Jumping into tactics and sketches may meet their expectations, but there’s usually something underlying that need — maybe a sales or engagement issue. Or my favorite: a client is sure they just need to refresh their brand identity to reach their audience, when they really need to first identify their “why” and build from there.

Discussion brings the biggest problems to light pretty quickly. And successful creative requires a solid foundation — clear rails, objectives and a defined purpose are essential. Without them, you risk spinning your creative wheels and throwing ideas at the wall hoping they stick.

I’ve annoyed plenty of my overworked, deadline-driven colleagues by asking my favorite question: What is the problem we’re trying to solve? The conversation that follows usually leads to thoughtful insights, better scopes and clearer creative briefs. When brainstorming starts going off the rails, or concepts just aren’t hitting the mark I step back and ask the same question again. That really annoys people, but it tends to make it easier to identify which ideas are nearing the mark and which to give up on. It also tends to curb scope creep which makes pretty much everyone happy.

Antidotes

an·​ti·​dote ˈant-i-ˌdōt : a remedy to counteract the effects of poison

A blog focused on design’s power to solve modern problems

This blog is a place for me to explore and share design-related ideas that float around my head. It’s a place to test my theory that writing just may be an antidote to rumination, and that embracing imperfection is an antidote to the paralysis of perfectionism. It’s a way for me to share more than work samples with potential clients and colleagues. My intention here is to a share of how I work, think and see the world.

It’s also a personal challenge to write a daily blog entry for 30 days. I’m a designer who is learning to write. In all honesty, writing in a public forum intimidates me. I get tangled up in balancing the rules with being authentic and relevant. I agonize over phrasing and choosing the right words. But when I’m intimidated by something I really want to accomplish, my nagging curiosity eventually drowns out any mental resistance. That’s when I turn it into a personal challenge. In this case, I’m choosing to invest time and energy into building confidence in my authentic voice. Wobbles and mistakes are ahead, but I know how to roll with it.

Let’s see where this goes!