My Lifelong Branding Lesson

I find it interesting that my career has become so focused on branding. Keep it simple, dummy. Have an easy to remember brand name. Don't muddy the waters with too many messages...

Why do I find it interesting? Because I'm Dutch. That's right, Dutch. You know, from Holland. Yeah, right, the Netherlands. You got it.

And with a name like Hoekenga, I have to divulge my family heritage nearly every time I visit the grocery store. Yeah, right, Dutch. You got it.

It's interesting to try and figure out where the innate skills you're born with and choose to develop come from. My Grandpa was a brilliant Danish architect and house builder. Clean lines, Scandinavian sensibilities. His father was a painter. Not by trade, but just for fun. The other side of my family (Yeah, right, the Dutch side. You got it.) has a number of very talented artists. They're no Rembrandts, but talented for sure.

So I'm pretty clear on where the artistic thing came from.

But why, as someone who really never 'studied' branding (besides my everyday occupation I suppose) does it all come so naturally? Why, when I read an article on branding, do I think "duh" when they come to the inevitable Do's and Don'ts portion?

The Dutch. That's right, I've learned from the follies of my countrymen.

I believe, having spent my entire life trying to explain that the Dutch are from Holland also known as the Netherlands to others, that I have learned that the biggest mistake in branding is not having a clear message. Who does that?! Who has 3 names to describe one 'brand'???

I'm trying to think of an example of a company that's got multiple names. But my guess is I can't because the company that tried to do that failed miserably.

One thing I WILL say for the Dutch... they own the color orange. And they owned it long before it was the 'new black.' Anyone who watched Olympic speed skating this year will agree.

Anyhow, I guess it comes down to a big 'thanks' to the Dutch, from Holland...also known as the Netherlands. I've learned a valuable lesson from you....whether I wanted to or not!

Proving My Worth

I'm having a rough time today. Gotta tell you. As much as I love graphic design, I hate the negotiating, pricing and games that surround actually doing it for a living. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty good at the game, but I definitely don't enjoy it. I know there are people out there that just love negotiating, trying to beat people down in order to get a better price, etc. That's just not me. 

I guess part of it is because I can't help but take my work personally. It's my art. That's cheesy, but accurate. And it's hard to not have hurt feelings when someone doesn't like your work or when someone doesn't see the value in it. 

The tricky thing for me is that I realize my area of expertise is expensive! I once traded an original commissioned painting for a website. And I felt dirty! To think that a website would be valued equally or even higher than an actual painting just seems backwards to me. But that's the way it is. At the same time, I realize that I've got a talent and have developed it to a point where it's worth a fair amount of money. And find someone else that does the quality of work that I have been told I do and you're going to pay more than what I charge.

I guess that's how I sleep at night. I charge less than someone with comparable abilities, so I'm not being greedy. Right?!

Anyhow, that's the game I have to play. It's a good thing I'm tough.

So Yesterday's Rant...

may have been a bit extreme. Last night I went on Brand New and scrolled down into the infamous comments section. For once people weren't ridiculously negative. Some actual props for the logo. But believe me when I say this is a rarity.

There were the obligatory comments about the use of fades...which I don't get. Yeah, they're trendy. But they're also appealing when done well. And avoiding a technique merely because it's considered trendy is just as bad as using a technique because it's trendy, right? Either way you're letting someone else dictate your design rather than just doing what you feel is right. 

It's that same philosophy that allows me to periodically break through the guilt of listening to a Brittany Spears song: I'm not gonna let someone else tell me what to like, dammit!

Brandt Randts...or tries to

I'm going to try and rant a bit this time to justify my choice of names for this blog. If you're reading this a couple of months from now and the name has changed to something like Design Whine then you know I didn't feel like I could pull off the rant thing anymore...

So I follow this incredible website called Brand New. Their site offers (and I quote) "Opinions on corporate and brand identity work." I don't know how they keep up the site so beautifully, find the details of the latest redesigns and find the time to comment so thoughtfully almost every day. But I love it as a way to stay up with what's going on out there. I think it's so important to see what the 'big boys' are doing. Even if it serves no other purpose than to highlight the trends you need to be aware of (and perhaps steer clear of).

However, on the other end of the relevance spectrum are the majority of the people who comment on the site. The top of the page is a thoughtful critique of the design, the motivation for the design, possible shortcomings and strengths by the folks who run the site. Directly below is a section populated by the comments of the most pretentious, negative, ready-to-hate-everything designers that I've ever encountered! 

You can't do right by these people! Check out the new Avid logo that was posted today. It's brilliant! It's one of those designs that is so obvious that it's perfect. But if you scroll down through the comments of the majority of the people they're so petty and negative that it makes me want to pull my hair out and scan it and send it to them to show them what they're doing to my hairline! 

It's that "if I didn't do it, then it's not good" mentality that populates the design community. God forbid we pat each other on the back for a job well done! It's just bad and it serves to remind me why I don't hang out with any other designers. 

How was that for a rant?

Design Randt Introduction

I'm not a ranter. I leave that to my wife. She comes from a long line of very passionate people who are not shy about letting people know how they feel. Gotta love 'em for it. But there's one thing that can really get me wound up...my passion, my career of choice, graphic design.

Wow, seeing that in writing makes me realize how completely geeky that is. But that's who I am. So I thought, "Why not embrace it and get on the blog train with everyone else?" Frankly, I find blogging odd. It's right up there with Twitter on my list titled "Why Would People Care?" But people do and I suppose I see the value in that. However, I don't really see this blog as a way for me get my name out there in the design world. Hopefully my work will do that for me. I see it more as cathartic. For me.

But, if for some strange reason you're interested, feel free to read on, comment...all the other bloggy stuff people do that I don't know about yet.