Headspace Halifax Website Design

The distinction between design and advertising

It’s been said that ‘advertising is a knock-knock joke, design is a conversation.’

Interestingly enough, many firms that began as design boutiques, eventually turned into advertising agencies. There was just more money in advertising. Why is it that advertising and design is perceived this way?

There’s definitely a quick-turnaround mentality with advertising. Like a summer fling, there’s no commitment. A company can choose an agency, get a campaign conceived, story-boarded, shot and published relatively quickly, and then wait for six months to see if there was a change in revenue. If it wasn’t successful, they try again, maybe with another agency. If it was successful, they ask the agency to shoot the same campaign, but to “mix it up a little”.

Design is a totally different mentality. By design, I don’t mean just the act of laying out a brochure, or sketching a logo. I’m talking long-term. Like a solid marriage, a company’s brand will evolve and refine itself over time. It speaks a language, it communicates. It has a personality and constantly, and more importantly, consistently, gets it personality out there for people to see, touch and hear. Many of the worlds biggest brands have not changed radically over the decades, they simply evolved. They still say the same thing, but maybe with a little more style. But either way, you know them when you see them.

Think of how Apple has invented and reinvented themselves over the years. They keep changing with the times, but they are still projecting the same image as before. And people will remember that long after the “I’m a PC, I’m a Mac” ads have run their course.

No disrespect to advertising. It has it’s place. In many ways it is a great way to remind consumers of a brand’s personality. After all, who doesn’t like a good knock-knock joke?