Let’s say we are launching a new product. We know we can’t fail in core functionality or target, but we might try a daring colour combination which we suspect might not appeal to the greater masses. At least we will then stand out from the crowd and know what our next step will be. Try it! We will soon discover that the knowledge we gain from failure is actually greater than any of the initial frustration.
One of the most common misconceptions with regards to consistency is the all-paralysing fear of change, as many companies tend to confuse consistency with lethargy.
The consequence of this attitude is inevitably becoming obsolete and commonplace as they can’t seem to distinguish between image and identity.
I once asked a top manager at Hermès how they maintain such consistency across all their communications without ever being boring or dull. This was his response:
“As we develop products and images, the essence must be there with or without our logo; we are always unmistakably Hermès in every detail. From our choice of colours to the quality of paper we use in our bags and boxes, to the embroidered ribbons that are regularly redesigned to reflect different themes.
Put simply, we always express art, craftsmanship and elegance. These are our core values and we never compromise on them. The rest is just make-up”.
The essential duality in every brand, business or design exists between its IMAGE, a representation of its external form, and its IDENTITY, the sum of characteristics determining who or what that brand or design is.
In other words:
Image is how we look.
Identity is what we stand for.
One of the most fascinating aspects of design is the ever-changing nature of this profession. 50 years ago, design was very different from what it is today, and I’m excited to think of what it will become in the next 50 years.
That said, the past can be just as fascinating, and it’s astonishing how little we ponder on it. Maybe that is the reason I titled this series Timeless. It’s impossible to accurately predict what design will be in 50 or 100 years, but one thing remains certain: what was valuable 500 years ago is still relevant today, more than ever. To quote the greatest design thinker of all time:
“ Nature must be your guide … Nature begins with a cause and ends with an experience. So begin with the experience and then investigate the cause. ”
— Leonardo da Vinci, Manuscript E, folio 55r, circa 1513–1514
I have attended several workshops where “Design Thinking” is reduced to a gimmicky step-by-step linear process that promises to boost creativity rather than understand the very foundations of design itself.
When the foundations and underlying principles of design thinking are not clearly understood and embraced, the process becomes tedious and, quite frankly, a little frustrating. So let’s begin by understanding the three main pillars of design thinking:
Human centered: Design must address basic human needs, taking into consideration the different contexts of where and how a design solution is applied, and culminating in a practical, tangible solution.
Experimental: The process is not a predetermined sequence of events, but rather an organic conversation. We sketch what we know and quickly respond to those marks, constructing something which hopefully we’ve never seen before. To validate those ideas, we create prototypes, often exploring and deconstructing problems to generate new solutions previously unknown to us. We embrace failure as an indication of the next step, not as a demonstration of incompetence.
Collaborative: In design we embrace subjectivity, and understand that many new ideas are simply variations or combinations of existing ones. This helps avoid idea fixation. Design is truly multidisciplinary. We recognize the power of a holistic solution that unfolds itself in every part of the process.
Nowadays, design has more in common with the direction of a piece of musical work than a simple trade/production of goods: multiple players with very specific scores need to perfectly execute their part so that the ultimate result is a harmonious and precise performance. Design is a common language between all parties, from production to distribution to sales.
The underlying power of good design is the ability to offer a means of increasing understanding and building consensus in a complex world. It is a way to accelerate the adoption of an idea. Design’s ultimate goal is to create a cohesive culture that grants meaning, not only to our words and drawings, but also to people’s emotional and rational intellect.
Good design has the ability to involve each party in its creation, ideally in equally relevant ways. The common impression should be that the design has become a work of art in which all parties have played a role.
The ideal state is a harmonious performance of many parts, just like an orchestra that plays well together. Our role as designers, entrepreneurs and creatives is to meticulously compose the symphony before distributing a clear, simple, and agreed-upon score.
When this happens, a design, business or brand is not only prosperous, but also beautiful.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this book, the lines between product design, graphic design, branding, marketing, advertising and business in general are blurring.
Therefore, we have to approach business design as a holistic practice in which the whole is different from the sum of its parts. We must regard it as a complex system in which relationships are key. It is the connections and relationships between all these parts that define why and how a complex system such as business design works.
— • —
THE ESSENCE OF CONSISTENCY
Being consistent doesn’t mean being static; quite the opposite.
When our core values are solid, we can be formless and shapeless, adapting to different conditions without ever losing our essence.
Our solutions must be
human centred, experimental and collaborative.
Consistency allows us to deal with variability and choice.
Avoid subjectivity in design choices but embrace it in regards to our target.
The complexity of design reveals itself as we create a variety of different solutions for a variety of different targets.
Therefore, appropriateness and discipline are extremely important, but so is ambiguity.
FINAL
THOUGHTS
THE BEAUTY OF
COMPLEXITY
I find it puzzling that the more complex and competitive our world becomes, the more simplistic and mundane our solutions are.
There is an intrinsic beauty in complexity— in the process of thinking deeply about a problem and then exploring, evaluating, and testing the most appropriate solution.
There is beauty in a well-crafted thought, a deeply intense elaboration and a sophisticated line of reasoning.
There is beauty in caring for the apparently insignificant details that can’t be seen but can definitely be perceived.
And there is beauty in the maniacal search for the most suited solution after a frustrating series of failures.
I must admit that I’m terrified by the inadequacy and thoughtlessness with which we approach complex problems nowadays. I always try to create work with deep social and cultural meaning, and believe this is what will set us apart from the crowd.
— • —
OBLIGATION TO
SIMPLICITY
One of the most fascinating paradoxes in design and business in particular is that the more complex and profound a concept is, the simpler we must express it.
This is our duty as entrepreneurs and designers: making something remarkable accessible to many, and positively impacting their lives.
The ultimate sophistication is presenting a complex and meaningful product or service in the simplest way possible. If we fully embrace the beauty of complexity, the expression of simplicity will reveal itself almost naturally.
The little things are the ones that create a great difference— be it the three clicks of an iPod, the distinctive sound of a guitar in a group of mu
sicians, or the use of a particular spice from a famous chef.
The small details, the simple ones, are the ones that hold great force. Obligation to simplicity is the foundation of respecting our customer base.
When our values are simple, clear and understandable, our users will embrace our design as their own and that is what really matters.
— • —
A LOOK AT THE FUTURE, A THOUGHT TO THE PAST
Is it still possible to create truly meaningful and timeless designs even in the complex world we live in today? I believe so.
Design is an exercise in dedication, love, care, and discipline. It is an exercise in researching the perfect synthesis between value, meaning, harmony, and proportion. I believe this to be the foundation for crafting a successful, meaningful and timeless design.
The more access to information we have and the more globally connected our world becomes, the more we tend to disregard a product’s place of origin, heritage, or craftsmanship. Sad, but true. Even if we would like to capitalise on them, none of these attributes are valuable if they aren’t appropriately expressed, contextualised, and even more importantly, shared with the public.
It is essential to understand that design must shape cultures rather that just generate visual or physical clutter. While there are important differences between each and every market or target, there are many philosophical concerns that transcend cultural differences, and there is much to be gained from seeing familiar problems in a new way.
As designers, we must embrace the dynamism of the world we live in. This shouldn’t be an excuse to be incremental and commonplace, though even if low hanging fruits are temptingly placed at the ends of our fingertips.
We must rediscover the greatness and refined sophistication that was once a distinctive point of pride in our craft.
There is so much more to it—than creating simple merchandise or performing a task. We must realise that the most important objects and experiences surrounding us are the ones that positively impact our lives. Those are the meaningful and timeless objects and experiences truly reflecting the candid story of who we are. These are the kinds of objects and experiences we should strive to create.
As a creative professional and educator, my job is to look at things and constantly ask myself, how can I make them better? My real job is not to create pretty logos, fancy books or sexy packaging. It is truly to awaken possibility in other people, to honour great design and form talented designers for their future careers.
I believe that as designers, entrepreneurs and creatives, we share an enormous responsibility. We are responsible for crafting the messages and visions about what the world is now, and what it should aspire to be.
THE END
APPLYING THE MODEL
A SIMPLE YET COMPLEX CASE STUDY
In the following section, I will present a simple case study on how we can apply the model to redesign the business of a coffee shop. I choose this example as it is easily understandable across the board, but at the same time quite complex.
This example is particularly suited as it involves several dimensions of the business: the service, the product, the image but also the management of human resources and communication. Our goal is to assess the current situation and then derive specific appropriate strategies to redesign the business of our café.
Let me introduce our case, Café Sausalito is an independent coffee shop with a unique location in the centre of the commercial district of Sham Shui Po - Hong Kong. The Founder, Michael, had emigrated to San Francisco where he studied and learned about coffee. He then decided to come back to his origins and open a coffee shop.
We will begin by analysing the current situation by grading our café business according to each principle. A deeper understanding of each business design principle will lead to the creation of entirely new strategies for our business. This strategy might be very specific or quite broad depending on the results attained in the first assessment.
For each principle, we will begin by asking five yes-or-no questions. If the answer is (YES), the score will be one (1); if the answer is (NO), the score will be zero (0). If we are uncertain or we can only partially respond to the question in our assessment, we will mark (Y/N) scoring a half point (0.5). An overall score of five (5) represents a mastery of the principle, while a score of 1 or 2 indicates a that our business is lacking in that area.
Let’s begin grading our business starting from character; we will then move forward to each principle in order.
CHARACTER SCORECARD
DESIRE SCORECARD
EMPATHY SCORECARD
TRUST SCORECARD
CONSISTENCY SCORECARD
Now that we have the score for each principle we can start plotting the results on our spider diagram. Based on my experience, I identified that for a service-related business, the average score is 3.
THE MODEL - CAFÉ BUSINESS DESIGN
A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Looking at our spider-gram, we can see that there is a severe imbalance within the model. As previously said, the ideal state is to keep all five principles in perfect balance, regularly monitored to guarantee a continuous improvement.
Our business design strategies must be crafted therefore with both a short-term and long-term perspective.
In the short term, we want to address the most lacking principles by raising the score as close as possible to the principle with the higher score (trust), to ensure symmetry.
In the long term, we want to ensure constant growth and total harmony within the model, bringing each principle to a higher and even score.
We shall now start compiling the work sheets to identify areas of improvement, inspiration and meaningful insights to then craft our business design strategies.
In the following work sheets, I will report the answers collected by the founder of the café. Some of the answers might be incomplete or contradictory with what was previously stated and in some cases also inconclusive. Some questions have been left blank, so I compiled them on behalf of Michael. These answers are marked with an asterisk (*).
In the conclusion sections of each principle, I will present my notes and reflection on which sections have been overseen or not compiled thoroughly.
I have decided to maintain the original answers so that we could evaluate common misconceptions and avoid pitfalls when compiling your own work sheets.
CHARACTER WORK SHEET
Whether we are creating a new design, business or brand, these simple exercises will help us lay the foundation of our first principle: Character (On this work sheet, for the sake of simplicity, “Business” will refer to any solution).
I. VALUES:
Are our values clearly expressed and understandable?
1. What does our business stand for?
Connecting people through coffee
2. Describe the business in one sentence:
Independent coffee shop from San Francisco to Hong Kong
3. Describe the business in two words; In one word
Coffee - People
People
4. What is THE ONE THING our business wants to communicate/achieve?
Building a community through coffee
II. ATTITUDE:
Do we have a distinctive attitude and approach?
5. Business personality: What gender is our business?
5.1 Which age segment does our business fall into?
5.2 Which socio-economic group is our business a part of?
6. Define the following attributes of our business:
Employment:
Barista
Lifestyle:
Chill - live music - Jazz musician
Geography:
Hong Kong - San Francisco
7. Define our business traits (distinguishing qualities or characteristics)
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
Chill
Messy
Talented
Introvert (shy)
Spontaneous
Inconsistent
8. Is our business...
III. DETAILS:
Do we care about/own unique characterising details?
9. What are the nuanced details we should consider?
People, coffee, gathering, originality, connection with the area
10. What is the most pressing priority?
11. What is the ONE THING that makes our business unique?
The environment, live music that connects people through coffee
12. What does success look like? Smell like? Taste like? Sound like?
All staff will be happy sharing and learn more about coffee while networking and creating a friendly environment for everyone to enjoy coffee. It will smell like strong aroma and fragrance of ground coffee. The sound of laughter interacting with each other and customers.
IV. ORIGINALITY:
Is our approach original, unconventional or disruptive?
13. Which of the factors that the industry takes for granted should be eliminated?
Table service, Payment methods
14. Which factors should be reduced well below the industry’s standard?
Paper cups, Cash
Business Beyond Design Page 5