sinSign[dot]com

As discussed in a previous post, Bruce Mau and the Institute without Boundaries’ Massive Change proposes to filter culture through the eyes of design in an effort to apply the transformational techniques and overall problem-solving philosophy of the discipline everywhere. Design transcends design itself, augmenting “human possibility” while reducing “complexity.”

Communications as part of the broader system of Information Economies, offers an interesting area of analysis when it comes to the application of the fundamental thinking and philosophy of design to the process of planning communications programs.

Modern society certainly demands better communication, businesses and other organizations crave great communication ideas as an essential part of their very existence (corporate, brand, etc), the media establishment is intensively reinventing itself around new communications systems that include people in their new role as active participants, new media outlets experiment with their own systems as the balance of power is shifting in favor of the stronger idea as opposed to just capital… the list of actors can go on for a long time, in short, communications is at the core of society, better communication systems, programs, plans, will benefit many.

Fortunately there is a wealth of literature that can help people considering applying rigorous Design Thinking to Communications Planning. This month Wallpaper magazine invited the legendary Dieter Rams to edit his own 20-page section of the magazine [plus one of the three covers], where among other things, the designer offers “ten simple statements” that capture the philosophy that influences his work.

The following is an exercise that attempts to apply those principles to Communications Planning as a way to illustrate the tremendous possibility of interdisciplinary thinking. As the “product” of Communications Planning is communications itself, feel free to substitute “product” for campaign, program, ad, poster, website, and the like.

ONE: “Good design is innovative.” – Rams explains that copying existing product forms or creating novelty for novelty’s sake won’t do it. Perhaps the best way to stimulate innovation from the beginning is by tackling every communications project in its own unique manner, eliminating overused processes and documents that lead to familiar territories.

TWO: “Good design makes a product useful.” – The use of any piece of communication results in value for people interacting with it. Value can exist in multiple forms (information, entertainment, connectivity, etc.) and is intimately linked to a particular context.

THREE: “Good design is aesthetic.” – Richard Lanham has an entire book on the subject, in essence, the Attention Economy demands communications that are able to seamlessly navigate between Substance and Style, which are not only inseparable but interchangeable given the right context.

FOUR: “Good design helps a product to be understood.” – Just avoid having to explain whatever is that you are trying to communicate; if the communication creates more questions than answers, then it needs to be reinvented from scratch.

FIVE: “Good design is unobtrusive.” This statement will probably spark a few discussions around interception versus interruption. Mau’s book starts with a clever line: “…design is invisible. Until it fails.” It seems counterintuitive that a communications campaign should be unobtrusive but it all boils down to making communication that is “useful” and that negotiates a proper “aesthetic” balance.

SIX: “Good design is honest.” Don’t lie or use false claims and avoid being pretentious, that simple.

SEVEN: “Good design is durable.” Rams adds that “Waste must no longer be tolerated.” This principle lives at the core of great product design and clearly opposes the “waste-producing” nature of certain areas of our modern economy. Waste in communications is easy to spot and comes in many shapes: Repetition to the point of saturation, meaningless messages, faddish use of media channels, pointless executions…

EIGHT: “Good design is consistent to the last detail.” The application of messages to different channels without considering the functional nature of the medium often leads to deep inconsistencies that radically affect what we are trying to say. Video pre-roll ads are the perfect example.

NINE: “Good design is concerned with the environment.” Rams is concerned with nature as well as with “visual pollution” and other undesirables that affect a broader definition of environment. In the case of communications, we might want to consider the “social environment,” which might lead to socially-responsible communications. Think of the old British motto: “Unwelcome means not working.”

TEN: “Good design is as little design as possible.” Let me refer you again to Maeda’s work on simplicity.

Timeless design...