In the Disney classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” you’ll remember that each dwarf’s name described their strongest attribute. Dopey was dopey. Grumpy was grumpy. Sneezy needed Zyrtec. They all probably possessed other noteworthy attributes, too, but these were their key differentiators.
It doesn’t matter how big or small the difference is; it only matters that there is one. From a communications perspective, there needs to be something you can call your own. Some people call this your Unique Selling Proposition. Basically, it’s personality.

If Disney hadn’t identified the dwarfs with descriptive names, I don’t think anyone would’ve cared for them. Who would buy a snow globe featuring the fourth dwarf from the left? Even if it was only $2.99 with purchase of a kid’s meal? However, when you differentiate all seven and name one Happy, you open up the possibility of making a real connection with a specific audience. Similarly, focusing on a point of differentiation allows you to reach a more specific market.

It’s important to realize that choosing a main message or value proposition for your product’s positioning doesn’t negate it’s other strengths. What it does do is allow people to connect with it more quickly. The dwarfs’ names were short – one simple word. If they were any longer, we wouldn’t remember one or two – let alone all seven. Our brains like to compartmentalize information, and so processing one message is much easier than processing five key points about your product or service.

The good news is that once your customers are able to process your unique personality, you own that space in their brains. If Snow White needed someone smart, she didn’t approach Bashful or Sleepy. She went straight to Doc.

If you focus on what differentiates you and develop a concise and unique identity, that territory is yours.

Recently I exchanged emails with one client who has engaged us to redesign their logo, but started to hedge just before finalizing the work. They asked if I could run down the opportunities and risks of changing the logo as I perceive them. I thought I would share my (edited) response here. It applies to anyone looking to evolve their identity.

Changing the graphic identity of any company is always a big step. Companies often get very excited about these efforts right until someone asks: “Do we have to repaint the trucks?” or “How much is that sign going to cost?” That’s about the time they get cold feet. If you find yourself at that point, ask yourself: How serious am I about it? Is it really a step my company is willing to take?

If you prescribe transformative changes and commit to implementing them, if conditions spell opportunity for you to gain market share, then perhaps now is the time to change your logo.

Is it absolutely necessary for your survival? Perhaps not. Is it the best way to signal a change? Absolutely. So the question may be: How committed are you to transforming your brand and signaling that change your stakeholders and customers? If there is not a broader commitment to change, then don’t change the logo. If there is, I can’t imagine not changing it.

If you’re contemplating such a change, you may already be in it. Are you embarking on new initiatives or strategies? Is it a new day in your market? Does your logo symbolize the best of what your company offers? Is your current logo becoming more or less valuable with age?

A new logo is the best way to signal to all stakeholders that your company is doing something different: You have been busy, you are worth another look, you mean something different today. Or, if your customer is new or never took notice in the first place, perhaps they will now.

Changing logos isn’t as scary as it used to be. It shouldn’t be a regular affair, but companies who deal in customer perception (which is to say, all companies with an eye toward the future) evolve their identities regularly. Customers are used to this.

It’s a big investment in your future, in terms of both time and money. But you’re going to be investing anyway – it’s just a matter of how. Invest in the current course, or in a direction that suggests a new future. It’s a tough time in the market for everyone, but it spells opportunity for someone.

People fear change, but to evolve is to change. Not everyone will agree at first. In fact, it’s practically guaranteed that someone won’t like any new direction. But in my experience, the best people will support progressive steps. It can take time, but good ideas generally win. What’s common practice today was new at one time.

Leaders lead. Have the courage of your convictions to confidently take a bold step.

The ArtPrize attempts to connect three very different audiences. A global audience of artists, a local audience of venues and an interested community of art lovers. Three audiences with different ambitions.

The logo we created for the ArtPrize strives to reach all these audiences. Calder’s La Grande Vitesse is a familiar symbol of Grand Rapids, a city that values public sculpture as an important part of its civic identity. Turned on its side and coupled with the letter form of a large A, the two create a symbolic equivalence. The abstract shape is a communicative form equivalent to the letter. To the Grand Rapids audience, this symbolizes not just the Calder, but the city turned on its side. A new perspective. To a global audience unfamiliar with La Grande Vitesse, the logo may represents a desire to transcend language. A code. A cipher. A key.

Barack Obama speaking in Calder Plaza, October 2008

A public vote is a core component of the ArtPrize. This attempts to couple the power of the internet to disseminate information with the cultural value of the artwork. An internet-enabled art must survive the cultural filter of such rapid communications. The work must market its value to an ongoing discussion or spark a new one. Controversy is one means to accomplish this. Cultural relevance is another.

The strength of internet communication is the ability of the audience to redistribute content. Linking, Digg-ing, Facebook-ing, etc. allows a message to disseminate fluidly. Each access point re-distributes a subtle interpretation of the narrative event. Each online venue exposes a new audience. A community quickly formulates dominant interpretations and reforms itself around the narrative. When we speak though this medium, we engage in a dialogue.

The problem with internet communications is that they are short lived. As long as a narrative has presence within the stream of information, it stays relevant to our cultural awareness. We form a communal memory that is very short. A Twitter post is good for a couple hours before it passes out of twitter consciousness. A Facebook post can stay relevant for a few days depending on the reach of the communicant’s network. The narrative must be continually reinforced to stay relevant. It happens over time. The ArtPrize is busily juggling the many streams of internet-enabled attention to keep focus on the project as it evolves.

The careful staging of a narrative online depends upon timing. When and where is the receptive audience interested in paying attention? What etiquette is appropriate to provoke the desired response? These considerations give the narrative the best chance to reach the desired audience intact. This is true for any online marketing, but should these become considerations for the artist?

The ArtPrize is very buzz-worthy. But what about the artist? Can the internet serve as the medium to bring art to the foreground in our culture? Can a local audience find a voice on the world stage? Does the public vote create a Lowest Common Denominator art?

Would the city of Grand Rapids have voted for La Grande Vitesse as its symbol? Perhaps. That Alexander Calder chose this form a public sculpture in Grand Rapids was his prerogative as an artist. Within his aesthetic, this form seemed most appropriate to its venue. Subjected to a public vote, would he have crafted a different form, one more appropriate to the broader aesthetic judgement of the public? It seems unlikely. Alexander Calder was an artist. He made his art to his own standards. The city entrusted aesthetic considerations to him alone. The public vote should have no impact on the character of the work.

Calder was already an international success when he was commissioned to create the first public sculpture to be funded by the National Endowment for the Arts through their Works of Art in Public Places Program. Before he began his design, Calder studied the architectural plans, scale, and materials of the buildings that were adjacent to the site. He designed a sculpture that responded precisely to the color, size, and shape of the plaza and the city and county buildings. That work, La Grande Vitesse, was dedicated to the City of Grand Rapids on June 14, 1969.
from www.sculpturesitesgr.org

To transform the city of Grand Rapids into a gallery for the world’s artists to express themselves is an exciting proposition. I suspect the works that resonate the most with me will not be the ones that the city’s population will choose to award the prizes to. That’s cool with me. As in the national election, the determination of the prize will depend as much on the charisma of the artist in presenting herself as on the character of her work. I hope to be shocked, surprised, awed and inspired by the result.

As an artist and writer myself, I am most interested in being inspired by the works. I hope to see political controversy. I hope to be subjected to bizarre aesthetics. And I hope the enduring result is to foster a flourishing local art scene enriched by such inspiration. I hope that the artists who come to present their works find Grand Rapids to be a receptive audience. I hope they stay to teach and continue to inspire local artists through exhibitions in local galleries. I hope to see local artists among those awarded national recognition and much needed encouragement. I hope that Grand Rapids can prove itself a worthy stage for the world’s expression while not losing sight of the many talented local artists whose work has been here all along.

Regardless of the merits of a public vote, regardless of the size of the prize, I hope to see art, in all its glory, telling its story in my city.