To Be Revolutionary or To Remain In The Safe Zone? Hayley Solich

Written by Hayley Solich, PR & Marketing Specialist from The Creaticians

When you are in such a creative industry as the one in which I exist, the challenge is to stay within the boundaries of what works, but to press out into the unknown and bring into existance something fresh and new.

There are definite set rules for how you should do some things. For example, photos work when you follow some of the standard principles of composition like the rule of thirds, leading lines, tempering the lighting etc. So when you go beyond what you know to work, into the unknown, experimenting with new ideas, you tend to feel the pressure that comes from pushing the boundaries out. When you start to feel that pressure, do you draw back, complying with the standards that you know work, or do you push that little bit harder and break through to something new?

I think you can work out what’s right and wrong by looking at the example of parenting a toddler. A toddler needs to experience all kinds of things to learn. However, this doesn’t mean that a parent leaves a toddler to get themselves into trouble. Supervised progress is required. For example, in it’s lust for mobility, the toddler must experience falling down. In fact, it must experience falling down and feeling the pain of landing heavily. But for it to endure the pain, it must also have a sense that there is something beyond the boundary of it’s immobility that is worth obtaining. Otherwise why would it continue to hurt itself? It is this desire to explore that causes the child to continue to perservere until it gets it’s breakthrough. However, that doesn’t mean that a parent who understands consequences and knows what works and doesn’t, abandons the child.

How true is this of the creative areas of our lives?

It is all good and well to look at something that is already established and to be bored with it and to easily dismiss it. However, there may well be real value in it. Sometimes our familarity with things causes us to have a jaded attitude towards the known and a hunger for the unknown. However, the unknown is not known because it has not yet been tried and tested. Too often we discard the known, in preference for the excitement and adventure of seeking out the unknown. However, the end result can be disappointing and you have to ask the question, “Would it be better to remain in the vein of what is known and guarantee a solid result, than to forage into the unknown and risk failure?”

So how does this apply to business?

If you are seeking to move your business in a new direction it is obvious that you cannot continue to simply do the same things because you will only get the same result you are experiencing currently. Something must change for there to be progress. However, the quick decision to ditch what you have already done in favour of a new and exciting start may also be foolishness, because obviously the current has been tried and tested and you know what result you will get using it. There must be a middle road where you can move forward into the new but also bring with you the wisdom of the old. For I believe, it is in the melding of the past with the present that guarantees us a successful future result.

In terms of your branding, if you are wanting to go somewhere new with your logo or colourscheme, you may want to consider your current clients. If you bring something from the old into the new, you will maintain consistency for your clients and this will help them to transition with you. The same is true of your staff, who may find change a difficult process to work with as most people are afraid of change.

You can spice up a tired brand by adding contemporary music, contemporary colours or contemporary imaging without having to change absolutely everything.

Take Woolworths for example. Over the past 20 years that I have been a customer, Woolworths have gone through several brand changes, but all have maintained a consistency in either colouring or imagery and the branding has gone across everything – their signage, their literature, their property.

Coca-Cola is another iconic brand. You may remember it as the red and white can, or the green glass bottle. The theme song has changed several times. I remember humming along to the tune, “It’s the real thing”, then they moved onto the slogan, “Coke adds life.” There was nothing wrong with them changing. In fact, they had to change to keep up with the marketplace and to stay ahead of their competition. However, the basic branding – the colouring, text fonts and name have been carried forward in all their branding.

So I would caution any business seeking to move forward to build wisely. There are plenty of businesses that will be very happy to take your marketing dollar and come up with all kinds of fandangled campaigns. However, at the end of the day your brand is YOUR brand. It is up to you to own it, to guard it jealously and to improve it without destroying it.