- Change is hard.
I've seen many people stay at a job
or remain in a relationship that is destructive
rather than quit and risk change.
The same is true for design change.
There will be a thousand reasons
why something should stay the same.
But in the end,
the only one that matters is
will it produce the desired result and success?
And sometimes this does require moving forward
and starting brand new.
Starting at the beginning of an entirely new approach,
I've done my research.
From interviewing people internally and externally,
I've found that the only person who cares
about the current solution is the owner.
Everyone else had a tepid response to it.
Sales have plateaued
and the audience is slowly disappearing.
The best way to increase business
is to attract a different audience
while not alienating the existing one.
Take for example the redesign of the UBS Network identity.
They wanted a redesign to update a stodgy and dated image.
I could make a slight adjustment,
change the typeface and colors,
but in the end this would simply be
a rather poor facelift.
For anyone to believe that the brand has improved
or now relevant to them
I needed to turn up the volume dramatically.
This wasn't the time for baby steps.
It was time to work in broad gestures and get attention.
Here is the process I used for this project.
First, start with the existing design,
but rather than slowly evolving away
from the existing version,
try something radically different.
I do this on 11 by 17 size pages
and keep each iteration.
These concepts are for my eyes only,
so I can be as extreme as I need to be.
Nobody is looking over your shoulder,
so don't pre-edit yourself.
The end result will be a dramatic shift
from the original design to one that is fresh,
unexpected, and exciting.
When I narrow down my choices
and present the work to the client,
I explain, even if I've done so previously,
the reasons why a dramatic redesign is the right choice.
This process also helps the client to come to terms
with the redesign.
The solution is based on the reasons for change,
not just because it was boring.
He or she may be emotionally connected
to the original design so be prepared
for a surprise response.
Give him or her some time to adjust.
Like most new things,
the work may be met with criticism
from those would prefer the previous in-crin-a-tion
of the work.
But in a few months,
after living with it for a while,
they'll be the same people that defend it
as exactly the best solution.