Soaring above the Pacific Ocean, the albatross is scanning below for her next opportunity to feed. With promising prey in sight, she dives and breaks the ocean’s surface only to acquire a fraudulent meal of discarded plastic. When repeated, this scenario becomes a deadly feast, for the excessive abundance of plastic waste is ‘false food’ to birds and other creatures of the sea, making their struggle for survival even more difficult.
In the case of the albatross, the ingestion of plastic eventually inhibits the ingestion of real food and the bird starves to death. The albatross feeding on false food is a very real example of how humans disrupt the natural order, it is also a metaphor for what may lie in our future. Plastic does not biodegrade like organic debris. It photo-degrades into smaller and smaller particles until there is a soup of molecular plastic. At this size, plastic enters the food chain and ‘we’ become the albatross. To understand ecosystems is to know that our own well-being cannot be distinguished from the well-being of others. What we do to the environment, we do to ourselves. Environmental issues transcend all boundaries.
As our interdependence becomes clear, we are faced with responsibilities of immense magnitude and complexity. As an artist, I feel a responsibility to use my medium to illuminate issues that are important to me. I view this responsibility as an act of citizenship; the outcome of which I hope is an original expression that brings attention, awareness and an understanding of our personal accountability. In this work, I am exploring the illusion of separateness—we do not live in isolation from other beings. We are all connected through the environment. We breathe the same air. Drink the same water. These photographs are not documentary—they are a visual fiction; altering reality to communicate a deeper truth.
Since 1969, I have designed messages for environmental conservation. With the False Food series, I am using the photographic image to bring attention to this issue. It’s a way of taking an overwhelming environmental problem and finding a way to make it personal. Since beginning the project, I have become acutely aware of the abundance of plastic in my life and in my world. The albatross have provided me with a new awareness of the web of life. Creating these images helps me to integrate the tragedy of the situation with a sense of hope—hope that by telling and re-telling the story—observers may be inspired to act, not to turn away. Statistics, information and analysis can present a compelling case for change. I believe art has the power to generate feelings that inspire the desire to change. Integrating feeling with knowledge makes the message whole, guiding us to act accordingly.
False Food photographs may be viewed here.
False Food catalog may be purchased here.
Special thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for generously providing the plastic artifacts used in making these images.
August 29, 2011
January 10, 2011
Always Imagining Better
At Takigawa Design, “Always Imagining Better” is at the heart of what we do. It’s in our DNA to advance everything we touch, be it the environment or your brand. Our intuitive approach to design yields original insights that result in authentic connections with your audience. Everyone benefits.
When I was in high school, I was torn between an interest in two subjects: biology and art. I resolved that decision by the time I entered college. I determined that science was about observing what is, while art was about what is possible; science felt finite while art felt infinite. So I chose art. After 35+ years in the art and design world, I have found my early philosophy—that art and design are vital tools for tapping deeper meaning and purpose in life—to be true.
I have also discovered that science is no longer the finite field I once assumed. Quantum physics and new biology offer some very revolutionary findings about the interconnectedness of all things. Over the years I have come to understand that science and art are not only intertwined at a fundamental level, but that science underscores why my intuitive approach to communication has been successful.
HEARTS FIRST, THEN MINDS
Consultant and author Marty Neumeier reminds us that the simple objective of branding is to have “more people buy more things for more years at a higher price.” Brand loyalty, knowing people will stick by you through thick and thin, is essential for long-term success in today’s transforming economy. Successful leaders intuitively know that it is more powerful to inspire people as opposed to manipulating people in order to motivate them toward a desired result. Smart brand communication is about winning hearts and minds—specifically in that order. From feeling to facts—not the reverse.
Are you leading your marketing initiatives with promises of rational features and benefits? If this is all that you are doing, I believe there are two imminent pitfalls to your mass-market acceptance. First, it will become extremely difficult to differentiate your brand or to create brand loyalty; features and benefits that are more novelty than true innovation can and will drive sales, but do not add any long-term value. Second, this approach of differentiating with more features can eventually lead your product or service to appear like a commodity. Over time it will add to your costs and result in constantly having to defend your position and price with more and more information, features and benefits. In addition, research at Columbia and Stanford universities has shown that too much choice can result in demotivation of your audience.
A NEED TO KNOW “WHY” BASIS
The current recession has many businesses in a tailspin. Short-term sales strategies abound and the marketplace is in turmoil. It’s important to remember that what we do at this low point in our history defines who we will be at the next high point. Slow down long enough and you’ll see through these patterns. You will be inspired to go deeper to connect with your audience. Remember, the best products and services are not necessarily guaranteed success.
In his book Start with Why, Simon Sinek repeatedly states “people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” Sinek’s “why” echoes a telling question that we employ in our brand interview: “Why do you matter?” In brand sessions, “what” you do is always easily answered and in most cases pretty uninspiring. The underlying meaning or substance unarticulated to the audience is the “why” element, and this is what wins over the hearts of customers. This is not a new discovery. In 1959, Sidney Levy, Professor Emeritus of Marketing and Behavioral Science in Management at the Kellogg School of Management said “People buy products not only for what they do, but also for what they mean.”
Sinek explains our need for meaning through the study of how our brain responds to messages. The neocortex grasps rational features and benefits—the “what” of a message—but the process ends there. However, when a message is conveyed in emotional terms—the “why” element of the message—our limbic brain, the part responsible for decision-making and behavior, springs into action.
Approaching branding in this way transcends the daily tidal wave of information and begins the conversation with “why should I care?” We have experienced the success of this communication approach many times with clients that have trusted us to “always imagine better” and create fresh communication campaigns that for many, may seem counter-intuitive. In fact, our strategy is counter-intuitive to what everyone else is doing. In essence, we know that where analysis and data supply compelling reasons for change, art and design have the power to instill in people the desire for change.
OUT WITH THE OLD
Today, it won’t be an 8-step PowerPoint presentation that will inspire us to try something new. Companies that feed us information—and expect a desired behavior— are asking us to decide on empirical evidence alone. The desired result then takes more time and mingles with doubt as there is no sense of relevant “why” or purpose. Without an underlying foundation of meaning, any decision is harder to make.
Branding, done well, is designed to uncover deeper meaning and purpose. The task then is to express this purpose in new and symbolic ways. It’s not easy to win hearts before minds. It’s a delicate dance of art and science. To be effective, each piece of the process needs to be in balance and in the right order. Everything you do and say must radiate your purpose. How else will your audience know what you believe? You need consistent, clear messages and above all innovative ways of communicating and creating experiences. Do not underestimate the power of the emotional limbic brain! It can cause us to make decisions that fly in the face of all rationality. Companies who have the greatest brand loyalty are doing something different than most—they are communicating and providing a deeper sense of meaning and purpose to audiences who readily identify and embrace these beliefs as their own. These meanings already exist in their hearts but their non-verbal limbic brains are unable to articulate them. Still, people know when a message resonates emotionally, and consciously or not, they are motivated to buy based on meaning, not things.
When I was in high school, I was torn between an interest in two subjects: biology and art. I resolved that decision by the time I entered college. I determined that science was about observing what is, while art was about what is possible; science felt finite while art felt infinite. So I chose art. After 35+ years in the art and design world, I have found my early philosophy—that art and design are vital tools for tapping deeper meaning and purpose in life—to be true.
I have also discovered that science is no longer the finite field I once assumed. Quantum physics and new biology offer some very revolutionary findings about the interconnectedness of all things. Over the years I have come to understand that science and art are not only intertwined at a fundamental level, but that science underscores why my intuitive approach to communication has been successful.
HEARTS FIRST, THEN MINDS
Consultant and author Marty Neumeier reminds us that the simple objective of branding is to have “more people buy more things for more years at a higher price.” Brand loyalty, knowing people will stick by you through thick and thin, is essential for long-term success in today’s transforming economy. Successful leaders intuitively know that it is more powerful to inspire people as opposed to manipulating people in order to motivate them toward a desired result. Smart brand communication is about winning hearts and minds—specifically in that order. From feeling to facts—not the reverse.
Are you leading your marketing initiatives with promises of rational features and benefits? If this is all that you are doing, I believe there are two imminent pitfalls to your mass-market acceptance. First, it will become extremely difficult to differentiate your brand or to create brand loyalty; features and benefits that are more novelty than true innovation can and will drive sales, but do not add any long-term value. Second, this approach of differentiating with more features can eventually lead your product or service to appear like a commodity. Over time it will add to your costs and result in constantly having to defend your position and price with more and more information, features and benefits. In addition, research at Columbia and Stanford universities has shown that too much choice can result in demotivation of your audience.
A NEED TO KNOW “WHY” BASIS
The current recession has many businesses in a tailspin. Short-term sales strategies abound and the marketplace is in turmoil. It’s important to remember that what we do at this low point in our history defines who we will be at the next high point. Slow down long enough and you’ll see through these patterns. You will be inspired to go deeper to connect with your audience. Remember, the best products and services are not necessarily guaranteed success.
In his book Start with Why, Simon Sinek repeatedly states “people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” Sinek’s “why” echoes a telling question that we employ in our brand interview: “Why do you matter?” In brand sessions, “what” you do is always easily answered and in most cases pretty uninspiring. The underlying meaning or substance unarticulated to the audience is the “why” element, and this is what wins over the hearts of customers. This is not a new discovery. In 1959, Sidney Levy, Professor Emeritus of Marketing and Behavioral Science in Management at the Kellogg School of Management said “People buy products not only for what they do, but also for what they mean.”
Sinek explains our need for meaning through the study of how our brain responds to messages. The neocortex grasps rational features and benefits—the “what” of a message—but the process ends there. However, when a message is conveyed in emotional terms—the “why” element of the message—our limbic brain, the part responsible for decision-making and behavior, springs into action.
Approaching branding in this way transcends the daily tidal wave of information and begins the conversation with “why should I care?” We have experienced the success of this communication approach many times with clients that have trusted us to “always imagine better” and create fresh communication campaigns that for many, may seem counter-intuitive. In fact, our strategy is counter-intuitive to what everyone else is doing. In essence, we know that where analysis and data supply compelling reasons for change, art and design have the power to instill in people the desire for change.
OUT WITH THE OLD
Today, it won’t be an 8-step PowerPoint presentation that will inspire us to try something new. Companies that feed us information—and expect a desired behavior— are asking us to decide on empirical evidence alone. The desired result then takes more time and mingles with doubt as there is no sense of relevant “why” or purpose. Without an underlying foundation of meaning, any decision is harder to make.
Branding, done well, is designed to uncover deeper meaning and purpose. The task then is to express this purpose in new and symbolic ways. It’s not easy to win hearts before minds. It’s a delicate dance of art and science. To be effective, each piece of the process needs to be in balance and in the right order. Everything you do and say must radiate your purpose. How else will your audience know what you believe? You need consistent, clear messages and above all innovative ways of communicating and creating experiences. Do not underestimate the power of the emotional limbic brain! It can cause us to make decisions that fly in the face of all rationality. Companies who have the greatest brand loyalty are doing something different than most—they are communicating and providing a deeper sense of meaning and purpose to audiences who readily identify and embrace these beliefs as their own. These meanings already exist in their hearts but their non-verbal limbic brains are unable to articulate them. Still, people know when a message resonates emotionally, and consciously or not, they are motivated to buy based on meaning, not things.
September 8, 2010
Design Thinking for a Transforming World
Many Hats explores approaches to innovation, the creation of ideas, and their value to the future of business in a transforming world. What is the relevance of being socially responsible? Why should business be looking at supporting the evolution of human consciousness? How is design thinking an essential piece of the business and branding puzzle? Where does social media fit in the brandscape? And what role does meaning play in connecting to your target audience?
Download Many Hats (PDF Download)
Read Many Hats online
Download Many Hats (PDF Download)
Read Many Hats online
August 2, 2010
Print in the Digital Age
We’ve been observing some of our clients making blanket strategic decisions to “move everything to the web.” While there is ample reason to craft a compelling Web 2.0 presence today, real power most often exists in creating a balance or integration of communication. This blog post is meant to open a conversation.
All organizations are viewed through the filter of design. Consequently, design is the most powerful expression of who an organization is. Everything has been designed and we exercise judgment about these things—often on a subconscious level.
While Web 2.0 provides an avenue for wider broadcast and facilitates feedback on relevant content, print communicates with the reader on more levels. When a company crafts a relevant message in print, there is an inherent credibility and longevity—a time-honored value—that is still lacking in an online relationship. Print is unique and effective in that it engages a number of our senses. Designers, therefore, create a tactile/emotional experience with print. Even when a print project is reproduced in a design annual such as Communication Arts (distinct honor and peer recognition notwithstanding) the “sensibility” of the piece is missing. There is no substitute for holding that piece in your hands. Turning each page. Feeling the weight. Experiencing the size and sound of the object. A printed piece expresses more than just information.
Elizabeth Cooney, of the Globe and Mail, recently wrote, “Our sense of touch primes our impressions and influences our decisions, even when our tactile sensations have nothing to do with the matter at hand, researchers from MIT, Harvard, and Yale conclude in a paper published today in Science.” Physical experiences strongly influence how people view the world because these experiences incorporate both the body and the mind.
Tactile sensory experiences are absent online except for the mouse or trackpad. We are interfacing with a machine. There is also the issue of the audience’s screen environment: personal browser preferences, color calibration, resolution, bandwidth. Online there is a gain of dynamic motion and audio and I do embrace the exponential viral nature of social media to broadcast a message. As Americans, we wholly embrace new technology. Still, there’s a unique appeal to print and there is much longing and desire in our culture for authenticity. We have a yearning to connect with one another in an authentic and personal manner.
Nicholas Carr, in his recent book The Shallows writes, “The Net’s cacophony of stimuli short-circuits both conscious and unconscious thought, preventing our minds from thinking either deeply or creatively.” The Net is a growing force that demonstrates what Carr describes as “the single most mind-altering technology that has ever come into general use.” Interestingly enough, the nature of the online reading experience has been described as an “interruption technology.” Carr states, “The Net seizes our attention only to scatter it.” There’s an irony in the average person’s avoidance of traditional advertising (an interruption model) only to escape to the Net’s myriad distractions. Carr summarizes recent research regarding hypertext reading and comprehension with “The medium used to present the words obscures the meaning of the word.”
Print Misperceptions
What useful role does print play in a digital world? Everything is changing around us and sometimes deceptively so. When it comes to print, many clients feel cost is an issue. It’s true that print is not the lowest cost option on the front end. But what happened to “you get what you pay for”? To create a successful website or online campaign, it might cost more than you imagine. Many clients do not understand how to effectively leverage the Web 2.0 environment. Examples include creating link-building through distributed engagement, creating fresh, relevant content, monitoring social media comments and responding when appropriate. Mistakes can be made or expectations can be miscalculated.
While discussing costs—actual costs—we must include environmental impact. When I was at the bank the other day, I read a poster promoting online statements touting the benefit: “save a tree.” The paper industry has been around for a very long time. They’ve assessed their impact on the environment and have actively responded in many beneficial ways. From raw materials to energy consumption to end-of-life recycle and reuse, paper currently is more sustainable than electronics. Burning coal, fossil fuels, and nuclear energy keep your screen glowing and the servers running. At this time, an analogy is the organic industry. Organic products cost more, yet they do less harm to the environment. For most cost accounting, the environment is an externalized cost. And this is not sustainable or socially responsible.
Design Thinking
We need to consider the environmental benefits of each medium and balance them with the desired efficacy of the communication. Is electronic delivery greener than paper? No. Yet, I believe electronic media has the potential to create a sustainable model in the future. I fully embrace the exciting potential of Web 2.0 and, at the same time, I know when an effective print concept will establish a direct trust and credibility that online alone could not accomplish. The power is in the combination—understanding how to use both effectively and in tandem. Companies must realize that they will be refreshing their web presence as often—or more often—than print. When viewed in the context of design thinking, a great print campaign generates relevant content, quicker response, credibility and trust, and mnemonic retention—in a word: branding. The Web 2.0 counterpart broadcasts that relevant content to infinitely more people with benefits accruing over time. It will initiate a conversation and link-building that can be considered a long-term, durable asset. Forrester Research and FEDMA summarized this by stating “Marketing is entering a new phase that transcends the mere coordination of messages across digital and physical channels. In this era of integrated marketing, advertisers will knit messages and media to involve consumers in a continuous brand experience.” Innovation, through the resolution and integration of print and electronic media into a superior solution, will help businesses stay balanced across all of their branding efforts.
For more on print’s role today:
Is Print Dead? by Jeremy Loyd
Print in the Mix
All organizations are viewed through the filter of design. Consequently, design is the most powerful expression of who an organization is. Everything has been designed and we exercise judgment about these things—often on a subconscious level.
While Web 2.0 provides an avenue for wider broadcast and facilitates feedback on relevant content, print communicates with the reader on more levels. When a company crafts a relevant message in print, there is an inherent credibility and longevity—a time-honored value—that is still lacking in an online relationship. Print is unique and effective in that it engages a number of our senses. Designers, therefore, create a tactile/emotional experience with print. Even when a print project is reproduced in a design annual such as Communication Arts (distinct honor and peer recognition notwithstanding) the “sensibility” of the piece is missing. There is no substitute for holding that piece in your hands. Turning each page. Feeling the weight. Experiencing the size and sound of the object. A printed piece expresses more than just information.
Elizabeth Cooney, of the Globe and Mail, recently wrote, “Our sense of touch primes our impressions and influences our decisions, even when our tactile sensations have nothing to do with the matter at hand, researchers from MIT, Harvard, and Yale conclude in a paper published today in Science.” Physical experiences strongly influence how people view the world because these experiences incorporate both the body and the mind.
Tactile sensory experiences are absent online except for the mouse or trackpad. We are interfacing with a machine. There is also the issue of the audience’s screen environment: personal browser preferences, color calibration, resolution, bandwidth. Online there is a gain of dynamic motion and audio and I do embrace the exponential viral nature of social media to broadcast a message. As Americans, we wholly embrace new technology. Still, there’s a unique appeal to print and there is much longing and desire in our culture for authenticity. We have a yearning to connect with one another in an authentic and personal manner.
Nicholas Carr, in his recent book The Shallows writes, “The Net’s cacophony of stimuli short-circuits both conscious and unconscious thought, preventing our minds from thinking either deeply or creatively.” The Net is a growing force that demonstrates what Carr describes as “the single most mind-altering technology that has ever come into general use.” Interestingly enough, the nature of the online reading experience has been described as an “interruption technology.” Carr states, “The Net seizes our attention only to scatter it.” There’s an irony in the average person’s avoidance of traditional advertising (an interruption model) only to escape to the Net’s myriad distractions. Carr summarizes recent research regarding hypertext reading and comprehension with “The medium used to present the words obscures the meaning of the word.”
Print Misperceptions
What useful role does print play in a digital world? Everything is changing around us and sometimes deceptively so. When it comes to print, many clients feel cost is an issue. It’s true that print is not the lowest cost option on the front end. But what happened to “you get what you pay for”? To create a successful website or online campaign, it might cost more than you imagine. Many clients do not understand how to effectively leverage the Web 2.0 environment. Examples include creating link-building through distributed engagement, creating fresh, relevant content, monitoring social media comments and responding when appropriate. Mistakes can be made or expectations can be miscalculated.
While discussing costs—actual costs—we must include environmental impact. When I was at the bank the other day, I read a poster promoting online statements touting the benefit: “save a tree.” The paper industry has been around for a very long time. They’ve assessed their impact on the environment and have actively responded in many beneficial ways. From raw materials to energy consumption to end-of-life recycle and reuse, paper currently is more sustainable than electronics. Burning coal, fossil fuels, and nuclear energy keep your screen glowing and the servers running. At this time, an analogy is the organic industry. Organic products cost more, yet they do less harm to the environment. For most cost accounting, the environment is an externalized cost. And this is not sustainable or socially responsible.
Design Thinking
We need to consider the environmental benefits of each medium and balance them with the desired efficacy of the communication. Is electronic delivery greener than paper? No. Yet, I believe electronic media has the potential to create a sustainable model in the future. I fully embrace the exciting potential of Web 2.0 and, at the same time, I know when an effective print concept will establish a direct trust and credibility that online alone could not accomplish. The power is in the combination—understanding how to use both effectively and in tandem. Companies must realize that they will be refreshing their web presence as often—or more often—than print. When viewed in the context of design thinking, a great print campaign generates relevant content, quicker response, credibility and trust, and mnemonic retention—in a word: branding. The Web 2.0 counterpart broadcasts that relevant content to infinitely more people with benefits accruing over time. It will initiate a conversation and link-building that can be considered a long-term, durable asset. Forrester Research and FEDMA summarized this by stating “Marketing is entering a new phase that transcends the mere coordination of messages across digital and physical channels. In this era of integrated marketing, advertisers will knit messages and media to involve consumers in a continuous brand experience.” Innovation, through the resolution and integration of print and electronic media into a superior solution, will help businesses stay balanced across all of their branding efforts.
For more on print’s role today:
Is Print Dead? by Jeremy Loyd
Print in the Mix
July 1, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to the Idea Soup blog. The “book” that started the blog began with a set of quotations I had gathered over the years. Just reading them provided me with a sense of lightness. So I made a list of all the quotations I wanted to use and thought I would make a simple promotion piece using the quotes as the only copy. A little time passed and when I shared the quotations with a friend, I began to see that there needed to be a little narrative linking the quotes together, and three months later Idea Soup was born. There are, admittedly, a lot of thoughts compressed into a small space. So in the interest of understanding and perhaps clarity, I invite comments and questions that relate to the concepts presented in Idea Soup.
Read the entire Idea Soup text online at takigawadesign.com/ideasoup
Read the entire Idea Soup text online at takigawadesign.com/ideasoup
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