It’s nothing new

It’s nothing new it’s just hidden. 

I was thinking about this the other day after a conversation about branding with someone, and specifically around the work that I do in discovery.

I am generally sorting through vast amounts of data, research, and interview notes looking to understand the subject matter and brand. Contrary to what is often expected, I’m not trying to find something wrong, or suggest some major shift or approach, (although I won’t ignore it if I find it.) I’m usually just trying to uncover what’s been there all along. What’s special, beautiful, and unique. And it’s been lost, hidden, or misunderstood. 

Branding, at it’s core and most effective, isn’t about coming up with something new, or creating some fake persona to dupe the world with.

Branding is about finding something old and telling the world about it in a new way. 

I often refer to the quote attributed to Michelangelo when asked how he created the masterpiece that was “David.” He essentially said, “I didn’t. I just chipped away everything that wasn’t David.”  

I started a new project some time ago and while interviewing some of the product owners someone gave me a warning. “We do so many different things here, it’s very complex.” And I said “Great, and I’m here to help show you how those things are the same and how that story can be simple.” 

Finding that thread is the magic. But it often isn’t new. It’s been there all along, waiting for the stone to be chipped away.