On branding as a business tool, and Design with a 'D
Itu, our ever present voice on design, was interviewed by two magazines in the same month.
First up, SmartCEO ran a full interview with Itu on design thinking, design management and such; whether and how companies can use design and its methods to profit, change and grow, and if Indian companies are there just yet.
The full Interview can be found at http://thesmartceo.in/detail_article.html?rid=252&rId=5. Meanwhile, an excerpt:
"Companies rebrand themselves because they have changed the way they want connect to their customers, employees, investors or the media. Change comes in two shapes. One, when the company changes from within (new direction, focus or even new management) —you could call this inside-out. The second kind, outside-in change is often because the markets the company addresses have changed and now views them less favourably. Of course, if the outside-in change in identity does not become inside-out eventually, it tends to fail."
Next up was Inc, "the magazine for growing companies", which ran an article on branding small businesses and startups.It featured Itu Chaudhuri and Sujata Keshavan (the Bengaluru branding biggie).
Keshavan spoke about the design opportunities (they don't quote research to back up every decision, leaving space for instinct and radical work) while Itu dwelt on branding as a tool to run a business, much more than a name on the door.
Here's an excerpt:
"…Few people think about design as a tool that guides the business. The singular focus is on its visual aspect," Chaudhuri explains. "But identity transcends the visual; it's about interpreting the experience people have of the brand. It flows not just from the service or product but also from where it's sold or seen, and what an entrepreneur envisions the company to be…”
