Brand space has never been more accessible. Consumers’ time has never been more scarce. What does this mean for the way we work? The elements we use to create attention have shrunk exponentially. The spaces we use have become cheaper and, at the same time, more precious.

1. Ash Gibson
Creative director
@ash_gibson_
ashgibson.com
ideasformsfunctions.com

2. Brand space has never
been more accessible.
Consumers’ time has
never been more scarce.
What does this mean
for the way we work?

3. Ash Gibson
Creative director
What is a Creative Director?
@ash_gibson_ ashgibson.com ideasformsfunctions.com

4. Ash Gibson
Creative director
My job is to pull together all the significant factors and
elements that make up the experience of the brand and
make that brand coherent and relevant.
@ash_gibson_ ashgibson.com ideasformsfunctions.com

5. I might do that in order to create:
Brands Ads Apps M agazines Websites Content

6. I make those things by combining these visual elements and experts
Type, pictures
and graphics
Facts, opinions
and brand
expertise
Technologists,
image makers
and writers

7. The way we combine these common
elements to create things that
communicate brings me to the
subject matter of this talk:

8. Brands in
the age of
reduction12:55

9. 1. Brands in the age of reduction
t00:55
The spaces where we work to create brand messages are
smaller than they have ever been:
Units of space, units of time, word counts, picture sizes,
screen sizes, colour palettes and graphics options.
The elements we use to create attention have shrunk
considerably. The space we use has become cheaper yet,
at the same time, more precious.

10. 1. Brands in the age of reduction
a
Ownership
In the past the ownership of the look, feel, experience
and understanding of a brand was almost entirely
owned by the brand itself.

11. 1. Brands in the age of reduction
b
The ownership of that footprint by
brands has been unlocked.

12. 1. Brands in the age of reduction
00:55t
That is the age of reduction

13. What are the key factors
of this environment?
2.
As designers and makers what do we
have to account for?
How much can we say about our
brand with how little?
Can we still generate character
and uniqueness?

14. 2. What are the key factors of this environment?
Simplicity
Brands must present a simple and honest image of
what they stand for.

15. 2. What are the key factors of this environment?
Technological and
cultural relevance
Products won’t survive by fixing one thing alone. If you
aren’t technologically appropriate for your business
and clients you will fail. Equally you must be, and prove
that you are, culturally relevant.
That is your message: the shared public
representations of you and the appropriateness
of your technology.

16. 2. What are the key factors of this environment?
Tone and credibility
Be charming and of the moment. People don’t buy
things from people they don’t like or places that are
outdated. They never have.

17. 2. What are the key factors of this environment?
Context
The situations in which people consume and make
decisions about things has changed immeasurably.

18. 2. What are the key factors of this environment?
Image space
For certain kinds of brands the percentage of their
image created and managed by other parties has
become extraordinary. What can brands do to regain
control?

19. What can we do with
these factors?
3.
These are not necessarily new ideas or situations
for brands but there has been a shift in their relative
importance. I don’t believe there is a set of catch-all
answers but if we look at individual cases certain
answers seem to repeat themselves.

20. 3. What can we do with these factors?
1. Make as many things as you
can your own
Library shots and free typefaces do not say as much
as items chosen for a very specific message. You can
say a lot with a little if you plan and commission your
assets well.

21. 3. What can we do with these factors?
“British Airways trying to convince you that you should
pay a premium with advertising that uses cheap stock
photography. Land Rover trying to convince you that
they’re the pinnacle of automotive engineering with a
sh*tty website that doesn’t work.
This stuff matters. The expectations and associations
people have of a brand, its products and its services are
set and met everywhere. Or else they’re not.”
Pavlos Themistocleous,
Creative director of digital, Publicis

22. 3. What can we do with these factors?
2. Tell stories - good ones
What makes a good story?
“Truth of intent. Not ‘is what it is saying true?’ or not
- ‘fish can swim, figs are sweet’ - but ‘does it believe
what it is telling you?’. If so it will be compelling and it
will avoid cliche. In that way purpose shapes aesthetic.”
Michael Hodges, Journalist

23. 3. What can we do with these factors?
3. Ensure your message
is honest
The age of sharing means what you say must be both
true and believable.
“Nothing works unless you have a great product.
Successful marketing come from the product being
great. When customers are interacting with either
marketing materiel or the product they should feel
like they are engaging with the brand. Everything else
should be invisible”
Kerin O’Connor, CEO, The Week

24. 3. What can we do with these factors?
4. Ensure your message
is relevant
Relevance is so many things at the same time:
your message is contained in everything from the
functionality of your interface to the timeliness
of your typefaces.

25. 3. What can we do with these factors?
5. Make your technology
and channels appropriate
A large amount of third party digital solutions are
fantastic. Populate them with brilliantly executed
images and compelling copy and your product will be
just that. Users’ priority isn’t necessarily the innovation
within your product. Users are more interested in if it
solves their problems effectively. Did it work and how
did I feel using it?

26. 3. What can we do with these factors?
1. Make as many things as you can your own.
2. Tell stories
3. Ensure your message is honest.
4. Ensure your message is relevant
5. Make your technology and channels appropriate

27. Conclusion
Large and small brands have seen incredible gains from
both bespoke technologies and from using third party
platforms to represent their digital fronts.
The goal is to prove that you are unique and relevant
when so many products have a shared technology,
shared purpose and shared functions.

28. Ash Gibson
Creative director
This presentation was made using:
- 5 colours (not including black and white)
- 1 typeface (in three weights and five sizes)
Thanks!
@ash_gibson_ ashgibson.com ideasformsfunctions.com