The Rise in Visual Culture: An interview with Creative Director, Justin Ahrens
In today’s world, visual storytelling is an essential way of communicating your brand’s message and values. We talked to founder and chief evangelist at Rule29, and former AIGA national board member (07/2018-06/2019), Justin Ahrens, about the power of narrative marketing and how authenticity and defining your brand’s story can help you stand out in an overcrowded marketplace.
Justin, what initially drew you to visual communication?
I was that classic kid who drew pictures on my math paper in school. We had to do this book report every month and present the written report to the whole class. I was terrified of that.
Well, this particular teacher, I think it was in the 6th grade, encouraged me to draw the report instead of writing it. He totally saw me for who I was. I was reading a book about gnomes at the time. I was a total dork. So, I drew this poster of a gnome in his house. I gave the presentation and it went really well. I felt energized, and I really loved it. That day was special for me because it was the day that I realized I was a visual learner and really a designer.
I couldn’t have articulated it back then. I reflect back on this experience almost monthly when I’m working out how to break down a complex problem, or how to communicate something about a specific topic or product. I like using creative perspective to solve problems.
In your opinion, why is it important for businesses to be communicating visually?
The most shared asset online is a video or image. If you’re not engaging in that space, then you’re missing out. We have a very short attention span, and social media has exacerbated that. In a twitter led world, it feels like everyone skims now, and you have to compete with that mindset.
One crucial thing is being consistent with your message. Depending on the demographic you’re going for and depending on what you’re asking someone to do, whether it’s to donate or to buy a product or service, people want to know that the investment they make is going to equal their experience. It’s essential to understand who you’re selling to, and what’s going to make them engage.
As a business, the more you can provide a purpose and a strategy and an engagement flow into that image or story, the more successful you’re going to be.
I’ve read studies that reveal inconsistent branding can hurt your product and your company.
What advice do you have for people who don’t yet have the budget to work with an agency, but would like to create a visual strategy?
Let me share some statistics. I was talking to a client today. She was trying to get the senior management at her company to understand the value of consistency. I was telling her that even if your brand isn’t where you would like it to be, you’re wasting dollars the more inconsistent you are.
Consistent presentation of your brand increases sales on average 33%. You’re not benefiting from this uptick if you’re not consistent. 86% of consumers say authenticity is what helps them decide what to purchase.
Ideally, if you’ve done your homework and understand your story, the pain point that you solve, and how you guide your ideal consumer on a journey, and you are consistent in the way you present it, that is very powerful.
Logos are a tricky thing. They seem so simple, and yet creating something memorable and iconic is quite hard.
What advice do you have on logo design?
We try to vet client opportunities to make sure we match, not just culture-wise, but also on the perceived value of what we can bring as an agency. There are places you can go and get 100 logos for 50 bucks, and you could say, “That’s what I need to do right now,” and it’s hard for me to argue with that if you’re a startup. But my argument would be this; Whether you are using a freelancer who is experienced in logo design, or a small agency, there is a thought process that goes into the entire brand ecosystem.
Your brand is not just your logo. Your logo, depending on your brand, can be a very significant part of it. If you think about social media and all the different interactions you have digitally, your logo becomes a very identifiable asset.
For example, if you have a store or a small product, people see your logo online and try to find you on Instagram or Linkedin. That’s incredibly valuable. You only have people’s attention spans for a few seconds. So, whatever your budget is, do yourself the favor of investing, at whatever level you can, into someone who is a professional creative.
A logo is a foundational item, and we talked about consistency earlier. Knowing what your story is and connecting that with a really strong logo, that’s extremely valuable. It may be a bit more investment upfront, but it will repay you in consistency alone as you go out and introduce your brand.
Think about the brands you enjoy and the feeling and emotion attached to those brands. In today’s marketplace, if you visit someone’s website and it feels homemade, unless there is a specific reason and intention for that, it can let your brand down. For the vast majority of items that we purchase, we want to feel the brand is trustworthy and legitimate. We often work with startups, and we notice that as soon as we push their brand out, their activity jumps because there is a belief that they are not going away, that they are legit, and have something to offer.
What advice do you have for finding the right creative agency for your company?
There are a lot of elements to that, but I’ll boil it down to one of the most important ones. It’s really about having a cultural match. This cultural match could be a couple of things. It could be the way you talk to each other. Do you feel seen and heard?
I would encourage you to do your homework before you speak to an agency. Do they have experience in your industry? Or do they have cross-experience in other industries? That can bring shared learning to make your brand even better. For example, we did a project for McDonalds, which was fantastic, and we took what we learned and applied that to a startup and then subsequently to a non-profit.
It’s important to understand, as best as you can, what your needs are. Don’t be afraid to get clarity. If I was on the other side of the fence, I’d want an agency that would do their homework, understand our business, and care about what we are trying to accomplish.
Any advice for people creating their own video content?
There’s so much out there. How can you make your video stand out?
There are a couple of things you can do to improve the success of your video content and campaigns. First of all, the quality and style of your video needs to be targeted to the specific audience you are trying to reach. If it has the wrong tone, then you are swimming upstream before you even start. Or perhaps you target it perfectly, but you are on the wrong platforms. These sound very basic, but the reality is that many videos don’t perform well because of these factors.
Do your homework: Who is the target audience? What’s going to make them want to engage/share? What platforms do they visit? You can also consider an additional investment to target certain ads and/or to co-brand with different outlets (blogs, websites) to push your content further.
Having a strong, authentic brand also makes an impact. You can’t talk the talk unless you walk the walk. The most successful brands are the ones who say, “Hey, this is who we are,” and they are actually that thing. They have policies, procedures, and culture to reflect that. Authenticity needs to be internal and external, and then it’s a really magical thing.
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