| Yang Kim
Yang Kim, Executive Creative Director of Peopledesign, talks with Anaezi Modu for the REBRAND Expert Interviews series. Their methodology has resulted in success for clients. View the slideshow, video, and learn about their new book: Brand Identity Essentials below. > peopledesign.com > brand-identity-essentials.com Who are you?Peopledesign transforms businesses by helping them conceive and produce innovative customer experiences. We work with leaders to find new sources of value through insights into customer behavior and customer experience strategy. Then we design tools to support the touchpoints between the business and its customers. Rooted in empathy for people, our work results in smart strategies that connect our clients with their customers and foster loyalty. What do you do?Our work aims to change what people think, feel, and do. Our clients hire us to methodically move them from their present state to their future goal. We don't assume that what the client wants is always what they need, so we ask a lot of questions to learn about the context of their problem(s). To develop these insights, we use our Peopledesign Method. 
This framework can generally be described in three phases: Empathy, Strategy, and Realization. In Empathy, we try to understand what customers really think and desire. Then in Strategy, we decide what we want them to think. And finally in Realization, we take action to shape what they think through identities, digital media, communications systems, showroom experiences, etc. Why does what you do for clients matter?We look for long-term commitments from our clients, partly because this type of transformation takes time. In our experience, the work takes three to four quarters on the short side to develop and implement. Because we go through this systematic process, the recommendations and solutions are smart. They are born out of research. Companies often ignore customer/user perceptions, thinking instead that they know what's best. They often don't take the time to really ask the questions and end up exhausting resources not in the most thought-through manner. We get to the core of the problem, discovering unmet needs and delivering a compelling and – of course – awesome solution. Who do you do it for?We have long-standing relationships with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500, and covering a wide variety of industries, including business and online services, health care, education, manufacturing, automotive, finance, design, and consumer products. Clients include Amway, ArtPrize, Dow Wire & Cable, Dow Automotive, Herman Miller, izzydesign, The HON Company, True Textiles, InterfaceFLOR, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, and Whirlpool Corporation. What one thing have you learned in your business about yourself or Peopledesign?It's such a cliché, but clichés work for a reason… It's continuous improvement. If we don't grow and learn and look beyond ourselves, the world will pass us by. Just as natural organisms evolve when faced with changes in nature, businesses should too if we want them to survive. "Get out of your way" is a mantra that I personally live by. What one thing have you learned about clients?Clients are part of your team. There's a job that we need to do and we need to put together the right team to do it – and that includes the client as an equal participating member. Forget the notion that we work for the client, or that the client has no design sense. We have skills. The client has skills. We have opinions. The client has opinions. We're responsible. The client's responsible. No amount of research will make you an expert in the client's business, product, or service, and therefore they are a very valuable member of the team who can validate ideas. So use them as a resource instead of demonizing them. We work with people who get that notion. You and Kevin Budelmann co-authored your new book Brand Identity Essentials. What key learning on brand transformation can you share from the book?The key learning is that brand transformation isn't one thing. It's many things. It's not just the logo. The logo stands as the tip of the iceberg (to use another cliché). You would be foolish to think that even the best logo ever designed will do it all. The fact is that a person never experiences a logo on it's own. A logo is always seen in application: on a website, truck, business card, iPhone app, and so on. In our experience design touchpoints map, you can visually see where the gaps are in the customer experience. Doing one thing, like the logo, doesn't help you with PR, customer service, retail merchandising, etc. Brands are experienced through a repeating cycle of many touchpoints, and the brand promise should be consistent throughout. What tips would you offer someone just starting in the business?Run your business without debt. Be cautiously optimistic. Work with a variety of clients in a variety of industries. Never rely on any single client for more than 50 percent of your work. Expansion can be both a temptation and a risk. When you think you need to hire more staff or make improvements to your office, give it another thought. It could end up being the best thing ever – or a bad mistake, if your largest client leaves you. In general, clients rotate out every three years; be prepared for the turnover. Have four or more months of operations costs available. What advice would you offer a prospective client about the best way to work with a branding consultant?Take a meeting. You can only glean so much from the website or a phone conversation. A face-to-face meeting always benefits both the client and the design firm. You're considering entering into a relationship, so both parties need to be comfortable with each other. Don't get in the way. You have just hired professionals to give you professional advice and recommendations. The creative process isn't linear and can be unpredictable, so give the design team the space to create something great. Rushing or micro-managing ultimately gives you less than ideal results. At the same time, the design firm shouldn't get carte blanche. Give them the parameters, constraints, anything that is relevant and pertinent. The more the better. A target will give you more accurate results. Voice opinions and give feedback, but don't expect your feedback to be manifested exactly as you have prescribed. More than likely, the solution will be better than what you may have suggested. After all, we are also professionals in our field. It's true that you are paying for services, but treat the people delivering those services like human beings. Remember, clients can get fired, too. I tell my kids that "please" and "thank you" go a long way. That goes for adults as well. Very useful advice and information to share, Yang. Thank you.Thank you, Anaezi. |
