Restoring vs. Creating
September 8th, 2008
The past month we’ve undertaken a huge project. No wait, I’m not talking about Brains on Fire, I’m talking about our house. You see, in the backyard of this almost 100-year beauty was a deck. Let me rephrase: The whole backyard was a deck. Built one 2×4 off the ground. So by the time we moved in, it was all rotted out.
So we decided to pull it up and start over. But in the course of 2 dumpster loads of rotted wood being pulled up, we found something: bricks. Old bricks. Of beautiful colors and textures. These bricks weren’t only buried below the deck, they were buried below inches of back-filled dirt, too. So we kept uncovering them. And every time we thought we’d found all of them, we found some more.
We’re reusing these bricks to make a patio. And while my back and hamstrings can attest to the progress we’ve made, only a fourth of it has been laid so far. And it’s really going to be remarkable – not because of my sub-par brick laying skills, but because it’s going to be made of bricks that we found. That have history and character. That BELONG there.
Thinking about those bricks got me thinking about us as an identity company. And that we have clients that come to us because they are starting a new business or launching a new product and need a new identity to go with them. But we also have clients that come to us because they are looking to reconnect with what made then great in the first place. To restore their soul. To rediscover that entrepreneurial spirit.
I don’t know which one I enjoy more. But if you really think about it, when we’re igniting movements, we’re searching for that “history” within the fans. And bringing it out. So, as we’re prone to do here on the blog, I’m turning the question on you:
What do you enjoy more: restoring a brand or creating one?
Other posts by Spike.
Whit says:
I’ve got to go with Restoring the Brand - which of course can bring with it the creation of new ideas within the brand. If used correctly, history adds depth to a brand and the ability to give the consumer a sense of coming home, to some place familiar, and can create traction for the movement as people are excited to see its growth.
September 8th, 2008 at 8:11 amkamran says:
One of my first projects - nearly 20 years ago- was some pitch materials for Ritz Carlton. The AD- almost as old as Ritz himself- had some very pronounced ideas about paper weight and hand, letterpress depth, deckle edges, and all the tactile elements around the paper and printing process. It was really neat to be part of such a piece that really understood the historic weight of the brand. He wanted an old school feel for an old school client. Google could not carry that level of gravitas.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:01 amYet.
Personally, I think it would be tougher to work with a tabula rasa of a startup.
Good luck with that brickwork. And be glad to be able to get up and walk away from it on Monday am- not everyone can say that.
Chris Rackley says:
I enjoy “restoring” a little more, I think. Sometimes creation is fun - but usually people who are taking the first step with their business don’t have the budget to really go all out, like a company ready to invest in reinventing/restoring themselves. Of course, this wouldn’t be bad, except many times start-up small businesses want the moon for their small budget.
On the flip side, I love “nailing” a design and seeing my client’s response when we unveil it. When they say, “This is so much better! This is what we needed!” - that makes my day.
September 8th, 2008 at 5:45 pmolivier Blanchard says:
Great post, Spike.
All in all, both are pretty darn fulfilling. I guess it can be more satisfying to restore as the client and their community of users always appreciate it so much. It’s the difference between creating something cool vs. letting in a big breath of fresh air. The latter has a deeper impact.
September 12th, 2008 at 8:04 am