NG&A GLANCE-Q1 2014neilgaught.com/pdfs/glance/2014_quarter1.pdf · branding. The viability of fine...

GlanceA quarterly publication from Neil Gaught & Associates

Glance ❘ Quarter 1 - 2014 © 2014 Neil Gaught & Associates Ltd

All around us design is being harnessed to differentiate brands, fuse communities and effect corporate and social change. Helena Willes uses a broad brush to demonstrate how designers, artists and industry have forged successful relationships and the impact that this can make on business, society, culture and environmental issues.

Understanding the power of design and the importance of image is a key element to success. Technology without creative input and without a design focus is mere machinery. I want to demonstrate in a broad way but with specific exempts of how designers, artists and industry have forged successful relationships and the impact that this can make on business, society, culture and environmental issues. All around us design is being harnessed to differentiate brands, fuse communities and effect corporate and social change.A curator of the Absolut Vodka art collection once commented: “Art has always been used to advertise something or someone. In the middle ages it was God and the church - after that it was for kings - I don’t think it’s all that different nowadays.” Although a gross generalisation in some ways, Absolut knows what it’s speaking about and has been on the forefront of artist/industry collaborations since the early 1980’s when they developed their own brand of advertising, featuring the iconic design and simplicity of the bottle - a perfect canvas for collaborations. In 1986 Absolut initiated the seminal Absolut Warhol advertising campaign, the first of many between 1986 and 2004. To date, hundreds of artists have collaborated with Absolut and the Absolut collection contains over 850 commissioned works of art that not only embody the spirit of those individual artists, but also the vision of Absolut for its product. The importance of such a collection was recognised by the Swedish government and deemed part of Sweden’s cultural heritage. Today 70 works out of the Absolut collection are on display to the public for the first time in an exhibition at the Spirit Museum in Stockholm, entitled Face It! The iconic collaboration between Warhol, other artists and Absolut not only redefined the relationship between artist and industry; it changed product branding. The viability of fine art and commercial

compatibility in turn opened up new avenues for corporate collecting through collaboration. The future is yours to create - Project Open Canvas. In Mid 2013 Absolut Vodka painted a whole Brooklyn Street white for emerging artists to transform it into a large-scale art exhibit. On June 10, the street-scape located on North 6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York was ‘blanked out’, for the more than 20 celebrated artists to work with. On June 22, artists took up the call to transform their ‘canvas’ under the motto “The future is yours to create”, unleashing their creativity on the spot. Residents, passersby, visitors and on-lookers of all types were able to experience the creative process in action. The result: a full-scale extraordinarily immersive, co-created art exhibit - at street level. From wind art to crocheted fence tapestries and digital projections, this project was the first iteration of Absolut’s global campaign “Transform Today”.“Open Canvas is a reminder that we can all transform our present and future if we adopt a daring spirit and use creativity to stretch everyday reality,” said Maxime Kouchnir, VP of Vodkas at Pernod Richard. “Collaborating with artists who deliver the unexpected is part of our rich heritage; ABSOLUT has creativity in its DNA.” Fashioning the package Collaborations with contemporary artists and designers can reposition a brand’s image, appealing to new and often younger consumers while the limited availability of the product line will still draw brand loyalists. There is a long history of product endorsement in advertising and packaging that everyone is familiar with. Following on from Absolut, many brands have since implemented their own style of artist collaboration in product packaging. With massive brands such as Coca Cola and Kronenbourg collaborating with fashion designers, we see interesting cross-brand symbioses emerge. On the one hand, the product brands seek to engage a whole new set of consumers by re-positioning their product and making it more exclusive with the launch of a short


run of “collectable pieces”. And on the other hand, fashion designers cement themselves as global brands in wider realms while benefiting financially. Additionally, for designers of all stripes, collaborating with a global brand can be an interesting challenge and a stimulating experience, often leading them out of their normal scope of operation.After a two year collaboration with celebrated artist Jeff Koons, champagne brand Dom Pérignon used social media to show the work to a whole new set of potential younger consumers. The limited-edition Balloon Venus bottle and gift box was unveiled at New York Fashion week. Kronenbourg 1664 commissioned Christian Lacroix to develop artwork and packaging concepts for beer bottles, pint glasses, trays, bowls and coasters. The allure of Lacroix creativity in fashion forms the exclusivity of the product.The Art of FashionIn a commercial context we’ve seen fashion labels themselves also team up with artists and designers to create new ranges and product designs. The world’s largest luxury goods brand, Louis Vuitton, has distinguished itself as also one of the world’s most enterprising fashion brands due in part to it’s cutting-edge art-led campaigns. In 2001 Louis Vuitton commissioned graffiti style artist Stephen Sprouse to collaborate on bags and accessories - which led to a virtual stampede by the public to get products. The success of this collaboration was so great that Marc Jacobs (creative director at Louis Vuitton) launched a revamped Sprouse campaign some 8 years later with resounding success. These items, no longer in production, fetch incredible prices on auction websites. What became one of Louis Vuitton’s most successful collaborations was when Marc Jacobs invited the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami known for his bright pop-art characters to work with the legendary Louis Vuitton monogram,. In 2003 the new design appeared on products, print material, giant hot air

balloons, at runway shows and on the “it” handbag of the season. It is still a cult favourite today. Murakami went on to make large scale paintings inspired by the collaboration. The Louis Vuitton accessories and bags have also been included in the Takashi Murakami exhibit at the Los Angeles MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art).Back in 2001 when Absolut started the artist collaboration, there was a lot less publicity and media hype than today. But what are the benefits of collaborations between luxury brands and the world of art? According to Marc Jacobs, the collaboration “has been, and continues to be, a monumental marriage of art and commerce”. Clearly for Louis Vuitton, commerce can be fused with art and be both a creatively and commercially rewarding experience for both parties. The value that these on-going collaborations add to the Louis Vuitton label and brand though is immense.Missoni & Havaianas The Brazilian brand Havaianas, famous for its wide range of flip-flops, launched a special footwear range designed in collaboration with Missoni, under the Missoni Loves Havaianas label. Due to Havaianas huge distribution and large number of stockists, the wide distribution of the product detracts slightly from the exclusivity of other such collaborations - which depend largely on small run production to generate the aura of luxury.This collaboration is still quite a successful one, benefiting both parties: from Missoni’s perspective it allows customers to buy into the brand at a low price point. After this initial “affordable” purchase, new consumers are more likely to buy more Missoni products as they are able. From Havaianas perspective, the collaboration has brought them luxury customers that they might not have previously had as well as distinguishing them significantly from the competition.


Fashioning Art Another exciting collaboration of Fashion and Art is Damien Hirst for Alexander McQueen. “Alexander McQueen are notorious for the skull motif on their products, and Damien Hirst is the king of skulls in the art world,” said Rony Zeidan, president and creative director of RO New York. “It’s a perfect partnership to celebrate the iconic motif in an artistic manner,” he said.“Art and Fashion have been intertwined in the past year more than ever, collaborations are abundant, and they’re celebrated very well, no matter the size of the business.” (Mr Zeidan is not affiliated with Alexander McQueen, but commented as an industry expert.) Quality not quantity is the key to successful collaborations and it is clear that luxury collaborations, from brands such as McQueen, Missoni, and Louis Vuitton have injected some much-needed colour into both business and the catwalk. When art joins forces with luxury giants like Louis Vuitton the outcome can really help to shape a brand’s success. Originality is the key to successful, profitable artistic collaborations and we can expect them to continue to evolve in the future.The Art of Living - by Kohler From high-fashion to high-end, collaborations can help modernize and keep current the image of industry and products. Kohler bath and kitchen fixtures are models of artist/industry collaboration that stretches back to 1973. The number-one producer of bath fixtures in the US, Kohler began its artist-in-residence programme over 30 years ago, inviting artists to spend several weeks working with factory technicians in the ceramic and iron foundries, developing their own art works. This programme has built an enormous brand visibility for Kohler and it’s products through press and exhibitions.The donation of the finished artworks by the participants has increased the size of Kohler’s

corporate collection, which they exhibit in their own gallery as well as throughout the corporate offices. Kohler can assess the success of the artist/industry programme from both a human and a business standpoint. On the one hand, there is the experience of hosting artists from all over the world and the resulting creative interaction and on the other hand, there is the bottom line.Over the years, designs generated by artists have been translated into innovate new product lines. One example is Kohler’s ‘Artist Editions’ collection of surface decorated plumbing fixtures that grew directly out of the arts/industry programme. Another example is the public washroom at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center which epitomises the decades-long collaboration as originally conceived by Director Ruth Kohler. The importance of art in everyday life is further illustrated by the series of murals found in the corporate headquarters. The murals were commissioned to enrich the working life of Kohler employees. It was former director Walter J. Kohler’s philosophy that art, beauty and pride of workmanship could inspire workers to greatness.The Art of IndustryArtist involvement in industry is not limited to the surface decoration of packaging and products. Programmes such as those developed by Artist Placement Group (APG) in the 60’s and 70’s embedded artists in major corporations to produce work inspired by what they experienced in the corporate, industrial and work environment. Often the artist would raise questions and study situations that led to fundamental corporate culture change.APG’s first placement was with British Steel. Garth Evans, the artist, went to Port Talbot (UK), one of the largest steel-producing complexes in the country. He was inspired by what he saw which led to many works, including “Objects found resembling sculpture”. Apprentices at British Steel were producing art-work like objects as they acquired welding skills in steel fabrication. At the time, British


Steel had fellowships for meterologists and sociologists to come and work in the industry, but it never occurred to them to have an artist on board. On accepting the placement proposal by APG they assumed they would get a number of sculptures - and they did - but that wasn’t the object of the exercise. In his researches Evans interviewed apprentices and studied the corporation and industry from an artistic and intellectual point of view. In the paper he wrote for The Steel Federation, he made observations and raised many questions, impressing them to the extent that they extended his placement for another two years.Designing ChangeThe topics of sustainability and international development also continue to be a strong platform for collaboration between artists and communities. These fertile relationships have been responsible for effecting significant change in communities and environmental issues in all parts of the world. By using creativity to develop products that can be produced by small communities in rural parts of the globe, development teams have empowered marginalised people to improve their livelihoods and quality of life. Mend is an organisation that supports seamstresses that have all been affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. Often captured at a very early age, these women are forced (as girls) into a life of slavery. Once freed or lucky enough to escape, the women are taken to rehabilitation centres where they receive counseling and basic training in tailoring. Unfortunately, many struggle in a market flooded with their same skill set. When a seamstress joins Mend she receives advanced training with a master tailor and learns to produce high-quality bags that are sold internationally. Proceeds of all bag sales go to the parent organisation Invisible Children as well as provide Mend seamstresses with a steady income. The success of the products that are sold

internationally depend on several things but design and creativity is the real key factor. In purchasing a Mend bag, not only are consumers able to purchase a product that benefits these women (feel-good factor), they are more compelled to do so because the product is beautiful. State of Design“..building Maine’s visibility as a creative and innovative place” is the positioning that pervades all of the activities initiated by the Maine Center for Creativity (MCC). With the aim to foster creative collaboration and link creativity and innovation with business, MCC aspires to the goal of a more prosperous, creative state. Founded in 2005, MCC’s mission is to create projects that promote and stimulate growth among Maine’s creative professionals and in the business community. The Center is part of a ‘velvet revolution’ that is doing just that by energising the economy through their arts-industry collaborations. One of the key initiatives is Art all Around (TM) , an international competition and just one example of the successful MCC vision. MCC in a new style collaboration with Sprague Energy Corporation ran an international design competition to transform 16 oil storage tanks in Portland Harbour. Focusing on the surface area rather than the functionality, 560 designs were submitted from 80 countries. The resulting project is to be the world’s largest public painting with more than 260,000 square feet featuring the winning artist - Jaime Gili’s (Venezuela/UK) design. When complete, the project will not only be prominently visible to all air traffic, but more than 250,000 people will be able to enjoy it on their daily commute into the city. Art all Around (TM) has not only generated huge media interest, it has invigorated the state’s economy by providing a destination of importance and enriching the lives of its inhabitants.Saved by designFinally, we as artists and industry have more creative opportunity than ever before. Using cutting edge technology makes for interesting competitive


possibilities. Technological advancements and low cost prototyping allows for a higher level of creativity at the initial R&D stage and that carries through the entire creative process. Consumers are increasingly alert to market saturation of cheap, generic wares (often without much design input) and the raised awareness of exploitation in developing/manufacturing countries. With this growing awareness the trend leans towards customizable, sometimes small batch designs and collectibles that are local and eco-friendly. !Companies that involve artists and designers are forward thinking and dynamic companies. These companies realize it is not only what they make, but how and with whom. !Make design matter. Because design affects every detail of our lives.!Helena has 20 years international experience working across multiple sectors - from airlines to FMCG and property development to international development.Her awards include Design Week London, D&AD, Best Awards (NZ), and Berliner Typo. [email protected]


Neil Gaught & Associates is a strategy consultancy advising organisations on positioning, identity and staff engagement. Our aim is to create strategies that generate growth and build social capital simultaneously.We believe that by asking the right people the right questions, we give clients the strategic insights, creative ideas and practical plans needed to help them succeed.To read past Glance publications go to: neilgaught.com/glance/

London office address Neil Gaught & Associates Ltd78 Pall MallLondon, SW1Y 5ESUnited Kingdom!T: +44 (0)20 7769 6793E: [email protected]

© 2014 Neil Gaught & Associates Ltd

NG&A GLANCE-Q1 2014neilgaught.com/pdfs/glance/2014_quarter1.pdf · branding. The viability of fine...

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