With design in its DNA EVRY won gold in Farmandprisen
There are many factors that make a great brand identity. The mix of strategic ambition and creative vision is in fact the easy bit. It's the external influences such as the pace of change, legacy, unwarranted opinion and aggressive competition that can interfere with a fluid process and diminish the outcome. Experience has shown us, that collaboration in the best sense of the word, can overcome these obstacles and create outstanding results, every time.
Gold and silver in the Farmand Prize
For the purpose of this article I’ll use EVRY as an example of the power of collaboration. Mission began working with the digital services supplier, one year ago. At the time their industry was facing upheaval from “Digital Transformation,” a so called 3rd wave within the industry, where businesses race to take advantage of the game changing potential of new technology. Their owners (Apax), wanted to see EVRY capitalise on this, which demanded a direction that would carve out a sustainable market position within a three-month deadline.
Finding a good fit
EVRY were time pressured and couldn’t afford a long learning curve, so they approached Mission for our experience in transforming large organisation. We invested the time to get to know their business before our first conversation. They’re a highly specialist business so you need to know your “SAP” from your “ECM” if you hope to offer advice. The same can be said for the branding business, which is notorious for its buzz words which can often intimidate. To get up to speed as quick as possible we had to, speak plainly and frankly, with mutual respect that cuts through both party’s inexperience, and makes the most of each other’s strengths.
Shared understanding
From Mission’s external perspective, EVRY lacked an agenda and the tools to convey it. There was a tangible pride in their expertise, (which was easily verified), but their high performance was only known to people close to the business. We suggested that EVRY had been too introvert, they needed to sharpen their message and build their profile. This would be a hard pill for any business to swallow, but by confronting the real problem we formed a common understanding of the challenge ahead.
Making informed decisions
EVRY had a strategic brand platform in place, but it was very static. It didn’t provide the answer to the direct question, how does EVRY create value? Surprisingly this kind of answer is hard to find in most companies, big or small. We chose to open the discussion with key people within the organisation, to gather varied input. By laying the foundations for good teamwork we avoided the second guessing, nit picking and fragile egos that can often derail these processes. With unanimous support, " Digital Advantage " emerged as the clearest expression. EVRY’s skill reaches beyond implementing technology, they guide customers to improve their competitive position in a fast moving world. The idea wasn’t the first choice, typically compromises were fought over and thankfully dismissed. The spirit of collaboration injected energy into the process, helping to raise the ambition level with everybody working to find the best solution.
Access to decision makers
Moving forward we would need the Executive Management Team’s approval. Most people are accountable to some body that can make or break your idea. In this case we risked a carefully conceived idea being shot down by decision makers, with little experience in evaluating branding. Preparation was everything, we put ourselves in the manager’s shoes and made a presentation that rationalised our thinking. The Digital Advantage concept isn’t obvious, but it had the potential to yield results for years to come. Our presentation was both pragmatic and inspiring, earning the trust of the decision makers and avoiding the curse of all good things - ‘design by committee.’ Most importantly it gave everybody belief, and we could move forward with confidence.
Taking advantage of unique skills
Designers are a strange breed, aesthetics, commerce, future thinking and psychology all live in the mind of a designer. A good designer doesn’t just care about how something looks, but how it will solve a problem, how it will help a company to do business. This unique skill set is perfectly aligned to help businesses develop their brand. But unlike other professional services, such as accountancy, it’s not something a client can brief and expect a perfect result to be delivered. Branding is a team sport that works best with collaboration, when the team shares their knowledge breakthrough progress can be made.
Collaboration gets results
A year has passed and EVRY is about to see real changes. The implementation of Digital Advantage is well underway, with many new initiatives emerging from the original concept. Influential partners such as Facebook and Google have chosen EVRY as their Nordic partner. New contracts with high-profile customers have been signed. Quite recently, EVRY won its first design awards, and took gold for both the annual report and websites in the prestigious Farmandsprisen . To get the most out of a design, it is not enough to include it in the schedule. It is something you build into the business plan and create space for within the corporate culture. Look at the market leaders in most business sectors and you will see that good design is part of their DNA. Getting there requires understanding, vision, talent and last but not least, being open to sharing this journey with someone.