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Stokefire Chief Creative, Tate Linden (@Thingnamer) fielded questions from HOW (@HOWbrand) via Twitter last week as a follow up to Tate's presentation Three. Word. Taglines. (And Other Horrible Branding Practices). The 140 character limit didn't provide much of a hurdle at all and a lot of good insight came from both HOW and Tate. Maybe a Facebook interview that is limited to only "likes" is on the horizon? Read the full Twitterview in all of its glory after the jump. HOWbrand - First, tell us a bit about yourself and the work you do. Thingnamer - I like the softballs. President/Chief Creative of @stokefire - a brand/ad agency in Alexandria, VA - Home: Married, two young kids, dog, cat, bliss. Office: 12 Staff working on stuff for tech, assoc, gov't HOWbrand - Sweet! So, the 3-word tagline is a branding no-no. For #HOWConf, we used Create. Connect. Community. (oops)Bad idea? Why? Thingnamer - Would it make you happy if I said it wasn't actually all that bad in this case? HOWbrand - Why yes, yes it would ... but seriously, feel free to pick it apart or say why it didn't suck. Thingnamer - Where they don't work is in situations where you need to create a PERMANENT connection - At #HOWconf you had the tagline everywhere so it demanded people acknowledge what you wanted to convey. - And it made for a wonderful intro to my session! HOWbrand - So, maybe for an event or a usage that's very concentrated like at the #HOWconf, it was OK. (We did that for U on purpose! Thingnamer - for a short term thing it's fine. Why invest in a tagline that's going to evaporate after four days? HOWbrand - So, a designer's working on a branding project. What's a better approach than the 3-word tag? Thingnamer - Alright… we're getting into secret sauce territory, but I'll give a taste... - Instead of telling people what to think try to find ways to get them to come to the conclusion on their own. - So for #HOWconf - instead of telling us to connect and the other two 'c' words... what could you say to get us to actually do it? - It's cheesy, but trying to figure out the motivation is really important. HOWbrand - Aah ... I get it. It's much harder to tell someone than to get them to feel it and act accordingly. Thingnamer - When advertising tells you to do something the natural reaction is to resist. So make them decide to do it themselves. HOWbrand - Your #HOWConf presentation noted that, on a brand project, your opinion doesn’t matter but your instinct does. Explain, please? Thingnamer - Opinion doesn't matter. It's interesting, and perhaps even entertaining, but without facts and experience to back it up - it's entirely useless. Who cares what I think unless it has basis in fact - or in shared experience? - Some smart guy said "Instinct ... is memory in disguise" and that seems to be the case with me. - Often when a design feels 'right' to me it's because it is derivative of something else I've seen or done. - The challenge is to figure out where instinct came from and ensure that the inspiration doesn't conflict with your idea HOWbrand - So instinct can feed into an idea, but opinion can steer you in a wrong/irrelevant direction? - You talked at #HOWConf about using consensus to SET goals but not to ACHIEVE them. Could you elaborate? Thingnamer - Perhaps. I guess it is a fine line between the two. I'd not actually seen them as so similar before. - If you don't have agreement as to where you're headed chances are good you'll never get there HOWbrand - Can we get an 'amen' for that? - You cool to hang in for a few more questions sparked by your #HOWConf session? Thingnamer - Sure! HOWbrand - I jotted this in your #HOWConfpres: It’s not your talent that’s holding you back. It’s your ability to influence my decisions. - Why do creatives have a hard time with influence/persuasion? Thingnamer - Yeah. I can be a SOB sometimes. To all designers everywhere... I apologize for my bluntness... - because designers are often taught technique rather than storytelling, perhaps? I'm battling this daily. Still. HOWbrand - Someone suggested to me that designers learn to present through crits in school. They're pitching to other designers. - Design-school critiques are all about type, color, layout. Not what clients care about. Thingnamer - because designers are often taught technique rather than storytelling, perhaps? I'm battling this daily. Still. - I'm not a designer so I don't have exposure to this. But I've interviewed hundreds and only 1 was a natural storyteller HOWbrand - You said, Beauty is easy; meaning is hard; adding value is harder. Designers are good @beauty. How can they add value? Thingnamer - So many see design as the summing up of everything else. It is so much more. It's a chance to say something new - Stop drawing green tree logos for sustainable causes, and sunsets for retirement homes. Get people to think & act. - Find what is different and powerful - and just revel in it. - Great branding looks simple. It is incredibly difficult - not just the idea, but convincing the client to use it, too HOWbrand - That's the point (and the challenge), right? Making the solution look simple, inevitable, obvious, natural? Thingnamer - This has been a lot of fun - and I must admit you've taught me a couple things in the process.#HOWconf HOWbrand - A great exchange of ideas ... thanks a million for your time! #HOWConf Thingnamer - Yep. I must admit I think, hard as it is, that I freaking love my job. And I think it even on the bad days. - An honor to participate. Great questions and redirects. Thanks for your time. Bye all!
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