Advertising agencies are suddenly discovering design. They’re putting it on a pedestal, and it’s making headlines.
No wonder – creating a brand that lasts, that captivates, and that people buy in to, is one built by design.
But to think that simply re-labelling an existing capability is enough, is a mistake.
Droga5 London recently announced the appointment of Dan Roberts and Matteo Alabiso as co-creative directors of design, while, last month, Lucky Generals became the latest creative agency to set out its intention to see design as a creative force in its own right.
It announced the appointment of its first executive design director to prove it.
It’s not alone. And nor is it the first – Mother, Uncommon, Not Wieden+Kennedy and our team at Wonderhood Design were among the earlier trailblazers. And as under-pressure agencies belatedly scramble to find new revenue streams in a tough financial landscape, it won’t be the last.
But if you’re only now treating design as a shiny new capability, you’re already behind the curve. Here are some reasons why…
Selling design
Behind many ad agencies’ decision to open a design studio is the growing realisation of the need for course-correction. This comes after years during which design departments, by and large, were rarely seen or heard in the creative process.
This created a profound problem – a diminished role for design, in turn, diminishes their ability to impact how a brand shows up. And if the designers go unseen, it’s unlikely their time can be sold to clients effectively, either. Lose, lose.
Dream teams
For a long time, the remit of a designer in an ad agency was to layer-in their graphic approach to advertising campaigns.
Whereas building a brand, or creating a visual identity. remained the exclusive responsibility of branding agencies. For good reason – the skill-sets are very different.
For a creative agency’s design studio to succeed, the department needs to be carefully curated, with a diverse range of designers from different technical backgrounds.
This allows for both design teams who are quick on the tools, and can work successfully on a fast-paced retail account, for example, or more conceptual designers, who can collaborate on a slower moving, holistic brand-building exercise.
It’s a mistake to think that one designer fits all.
Process
Building an ad agency’s design team is hard to get it right. And you probably won’t, the first time.
Because we have advertising in our bones, agencies have existing creative processes that we assume design will fall into line with.
But that’s simply not the case. And it takes time to bend, flex and test the process, to ensure it welcomes designers in, and allows them to flourish.
The consistent thread is the presence of design from beginning to end, on each project.
Design is woven into the fabric of Wonderhood Studios and always has been. So, when we launched our standalone design studio three years ago, we were ideally positioned to start testing our own process, and design’s role within it.
It remains a work-in-progress. But it’s important to recognise that we’re prepared to make mistakes, to challenge ourselves, and to improve every day, in order to have the best framework for crafting distinctive design.
We have done so with branding projects, working in partnership with design-literate clients who value our influence to make brands last.
And we have achieved this for our ad campaigns too, by ensuring design remains at the heart of our creative process, and designers are seen and heard – both internally, and by client partners, too.
Educate
It’s almost 10 years since Uncommon’s Nils Leonard, at the re-opening of London’s Design Museum, declared, “Design lasts, and it’s time the world paid attention.”
He wasn’t wrong. And a growing number of clients now seem to agree.
Even so, the fact a creative agency announcing a new Design Capability™️ still makes headlines suggests it takes a lot for design to be seen, and sold
For it to work, it requires an education of the entire agency, to ensure everyone understands design’s role and value. And then a commitment to putting it into practice every day.
This means account management working closely with their client partners to shape and build vision and ambition.
It means a receptive client paying a fair amount for the role design plays – not as an afterthought, but throughout the entire lifecycle of a campaign.
And it means a brilliant design team making banging work for brands, and proving their worth.
As agencies and clients recognise the power of design, those ambitious enough to embrace it will understand the truth – you can’t build a captivating brand without it.
Roy Barker is co-founder, and creative and design operations director at Wonderhood Design.