If You’re Gonna Say Something, SAY Something
No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.
— Robin Williams
Language Is A Mirror
Our words tell us a lot about ourselves.
The Saami people, who live in the northern tips of Scandinavia and Russia, have over 180 words for “snow” and “ice,” and as many as 1,000 words for “reindeer.” Clearly, reindeer, snow, and ice are essential topics for them. This extensive vocabulary is a roadmap to what they deal with on a daily basis — more than just naming, these words communicate details about the reindeer for breeding and trading, and specific words for snow and ice help the Saami to navigate their environment. In a nutshell, they illustrate that language reflects what matters most to a culture. Language is a mirror.
The same is true for building a great brand. World-class brand design comes from clearly understanding why a brand exists. What is it for, who is it for, and why? Asking these questions is not initially about the outward-facing, beautiful expression of a brand — that comes later. Rather, they’re part of an internally-focused exercise about clarity, specific to the stakeholders of the brand.
In addition to being a mirror of our surrounding context, the language we use also shapes how we understand ourselves within that world. Culture shapes language, and language shapes culture. It’s reflexive, and this dynamic is ultimately at the heart of why storytelling is so important.
One of our favorite thinkers, Seth Godin, gives a great example of this with his poignant insight on the topic of global warming. He poses that one of the biggest reasons why some people have such a muted response around the issue is rooted in the term itself. He writes:
‘Global’ is good.
‘Warm’ is good.
Even ‘greenhouses’ are good places.
How can ‘global warming’ be bad?
I’m not being facetious. If the problem were called ‘Atmosphere cancer’ or ‘Pollution death’ the entire conversation would be framed in a different way.
How you talk about something is just as important as the thing itself. By shifting the language to something equally truthful and accurate (and more alarming!), you change the entire framework of the conversation.
At OMFGCO, it’s critical to our process that we use the right language to set the guardrails of a brand at the beginning of the project, long before we push any pixels around. Beginning with the end in mind consistently leads to good results. (In fact, defining this process is a key reason why we’ve set out to write this Medium series.)
How To Choose the Right Words
We humans have an innate tendency to focus on our similarities to gain favor from our peers — we conform in order to be accepted. But good branding works oppositely. Rather than focusing on the similarities your brand shares with those around it, the first step in effectively using language to define your brand is to showcase what makes you different. Instead of seeing what exists in the world already, it’s our job to try to see what isn’t there, and what problems have yet to be solved. Then we figure out how to fill that void or solve those problems. Similarly, we aim to use different words to define a brand, and we try to be specific. Trendy generalities and buzzwords are the enemy.
Next-Gen. Paradigm Shift. Frictionless. Disruptive. Bespoke. Innovative.
Words like these can quickly become trite, as there are precious few brands who wouldn’t want to check some combination of these boxes. Who in the tech industry isn’t trying to disrupt or innovate? These words are table stakes, not core differentiators. Meeting those marks is the baseline requirement, so when it comes to defining who you are, using language that differentiates you from everyone else is critical. Some words just get worn out. We recommend that you be aware of this lazy approach to defining your brand and avoid it — instead, find words that not only accurately reflect who you are, but also speak directly to your audience.
This is easier to do than you might think. There are so many useful, beautiful words out there (hello, thesaurus). And don’t worry — it’s not crucial that you use language that no one else is using (it’s inherently impossible) — what is important is to avoid words that everyone else is using. If you feel like everything has already been said, try combining different words and phrases that help to pinpoint the exact meaning you are going for.
In striving to create uniqueness, people often reach too far in one direction or another. While it’s important to be different, it’s essential to always use words that are clear and easy to understand. As tempting as it may be, it’s not great practice in this scenario to invent new words or redefine words that have an alternative meaning — that’s just confusing. Remember: the goal of this exercise is clarity, not romance.
Authenticity Is (Not ‘Trying to Be’)
The one word out there that is overused the most (without much clear definition of what it really means) is “authentic.” Authentic used to mean “real.” Something being itself. Something steeped in tradition. What the word seems to evoke now is more like “trying to be,” or “old and new at the same time.” At least, that’s what we think it means.
Yoda was right: Do, or do not. There is no try. The key to being genuinely authentic is not trying to be something, but being that thing.
Don’t waste time trying to convince people that your brand is honest — just speak honestly. Don’t bother calling yourself a market leader — lead the market with your innovations. Don’t tell people how cool you are — just be cool, man.
Folks come to us all the time for help in bringing authenticity to their brand. But authenticity never starts with us — it begins with the product or service itself, and the intent of the visionary behind it. What our clients are really asking for is to be relevant — to reach the right audience in the right way, at the right time. We can help them find their authenticity, and even express it in the right ways, but we can’t create it. That’s their job.
The Space Between
French composer Claude Debussy once said that “music is the space between the notes,” and brand personality keywords work the same way. When choosing the words which will define your brand, remember that it’s not just about the words themselves — it matters even more how they work together within the context of the brand. Those internal dynamics are what make the magic happen.
To that end, it’s a good idea to limit the number of keywords you use. Too many words make the context feel diluted or redundant. Conversely, too few words won’t provide enough dynamic energy between them to feel substantial. Five feels like that magic number to us, but you can likely get by with three or four.
Once we’ve established these five keywords, we refer back to them consistently throughout the project, from the visual identity exploration to choosing materials and designing interiors. “Does this mark feel dramatic and lush, while also being a little surprising?” If it does, great. If not, we need to scrap it and make a brand mark that is more aligned with our list. The more keywords we can hit with each of our decisions, the better. You don’t have to hit them all, but hitting three or more is better than hitting one or two. There is no one right solution when dealing with creative problem solving, so this is one method to help make our aesthetic choices feel a little less arbitrary, and a little more specific.
If You Know What You Stand For, Please Say It
After doing this for almost a decade, we have found that most brands simply don’t know what they stand for, regardless of their size or tenure. They might have a Mission or a Vision statement, but these are often convoluted paragraphs that use a lot of words to say very little. They might sound nice on the surface, or maybe to shareholders who aren’t giving it too much thought, but often the language chosen to define a brand is hollow once you drill into it — to customers, employees, and even to the leadership who wrote them.
This lack of brand self-awareness is usually a repercussion of an entrepreneur or business owner simply not taking the time to sit down and figure it out, or maybe not knowing how to. But this is pretty common — for the first 8 years of OMFGCO, we admit that we fell into that same camp. Ironically, we had gotten pretty good at doing this for others, but hadn’t ever taken the time to sit down to do it for ourselves. The cobbler’s kids have no shoes, right? Well, let us tell you first hand that it is worth it to take the time to figure this stuff out. Doing so has made an indelible mark on everything we attempt at our studio.
So, if you’re in the small, lucky bunch who have taken the opportunity or initiative to figure out what your brand really really stands for (or worked with someone like us to help you get there), it’s crucial to actually tell that story. And try to embrace who you really are — regardless of what that is, it’s important to lean into that because it will eventually come out anyway. If there is a secret to being authentically authentic, it’s this: be it, don’t say it. Choose clear words about the things that define your brand, be proud enough to say them, and then do your best to live up to them every day. That’s how you create a brand worth supporting.
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This is our eleventh installment of our year-long series, “Every Decision is a Brand Decision.” Check them all out here. Original illustration by OMFGCO. (And props to Gang Starr for the inspiration on the title of this one — Rest In Power, GURU.)
