Design Strategy by Continuum

"As important as understanding what to do next is having the confidence in being right to make it real."

As I was catching up on Design Sojourn the other day, I came across this great video on Continuum's approach to and beliefs about design strategy. It's a very worth-while watch - providing a lot of good things to think about.

When you step back, it's really about putting people at the center of the approach, rather than profit or your own desires as a company. Not only is this relevant to design, but it is also paramount to creating great advertising.

One of the things that could easily get lost in this, but I think is important to call out, is our role as creative thinkers and strategists - to find ways to surprise and delight people. When you think about what makes a great product or a great ad great, it's often that there is something, or multiple things, about it that surprise and delight people.

That's why having a smart insight is one thing, but bringing an idea to life that addresses it in an interesting and relevant way is much harder, often takes more time, and really is something that not everyone can do.

I could go on, but I'll just shut up and let you watch and think about it...

Comments

[Michael Maurillo]

hey paul, this idea that delight is something we should strive for in creating experiences is relatively new for me in the past 4 or 5 months. as a result i was combing the net for articles, etc. and came across this great one by a former co-worker of mine, Parrish Hanna. it's from 2002!

http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/from_satisfaction_to_delight

since reading it i've referenced it quite often. the debate in the comments are just as interesting.

i like the idea that delight can be the result of simply exceeding the users expectations. delight can be very simple things that are easy to provide. the hard part, as the video explains, is figuring out what will delight.

[Scott Karambis]

Some interesting executional ideas as well, especially for an agency video. I'm particularly intrigued by the opening get-rich-quick motivational-speaker monologue at the beginning. Anyone know who/what that is?