Perhaps it was growing up with my mother’s love of books and reading, or being enraptured with my father’s war stories from his days in the U.S. Navy — or maybe it’s just the Irishman in me — but storytelling has always been at the root of everything I’ve always enjoyed. The same should hold true in branding, campaigns, websites, logos … anything in marketing. They should all tell compelling stories. As an Creative Director, Art Director and Designer, I’ve always strived to meld the client’s story into the visuals as elegantly as possible. Buckminster Fuller was once asked what he considered the most perfect design. He replied “the airfoil.” Elegance was his benchmark. If anything more was added to an airfoil, or anything taken away, it would not work as well. Branding, campaigns and logos are often much the same. A Brand depicts the essence of its company’s story. A campaign presents a special chapter. And the logo (ah, the logo!) should tell as much as possible with the fewest necessary elements, no more, no less. When handled properly, a brand is associated in the consumer’s mind not as a company, product or service, but as a story. Once a compelling story is in the mind, it tends to stay there, it is likely be shared.
