PROJECT OBJECTIVE:

The following interviews are part of a larger project for a third-

year Directed Studies in Design Futures. We have conducted

these interviews with Emily Carr alumni to gather knowledge

about design practices, methodologies, experiences and

advocay, while simultaneously taking the opportunity to

showcase former students of Emily Carr University. The

interviews were prepared with two specific audiences in mind;

Current, the Design Research Journal, and the Design°, which

both are web based publishing mediums for design research

and degree content respectively.

We are excited to share with you the outcomes of our project,

and to create a legacy for Emily Carr, sharing the experiences

and insights of alumni.

INTERVIEW

Bree + Solveig

The following is an

interview with one of

the Principals of

Ion Branding + Design,

David Coates, CGD, FGDC.

The interview was

conducted via email in

December 2011.

Design°: You have been widely engaged in the design

community and have together held many different

positions in various associations; throughout this

period - have you seen a shift in the positioning of the

value of design?

DC: Certainly design and branding have become

business essentials rather than being perceived

as window dressing – which was more the case

when we started 24 years ago. Design thinking

and process is now taught in business schools and

designers are invited into the process at a much

earlier stage to help envision products, services

and branding strategies. We spend much less time

educating clients and more time doing the work for

people who understand the value, and we spend a

lot more time strategizing with them.

Design°: What does design advocacy mean for you?

DC: Design advocacy is the act of promoting

the value of design. Reinforcing the substantial

value that design brings to businesses. It is

also developing a stronger industry by raising

the bar for designers through development of

best practices, business tools, and ethical and

sustainable practices.

Design°: Your work spans over a wide variety of

institutions and businesses.Can you give three

key learning outcomes that you have gained from

consultancy and involvement in the following areas:

Education

DC: We’ve done a ton of work for this sector

over the years. It’s very rewarding work in that we

(mostly) have been working with professionals in

the spirit of true collaboration. It makes a huge

difference in the outcome of projects when all

parties are bringing their “A” game. One of the

most exciting projects we’ve worked on was the

naming, design, content creation and coordination

of the “Leap” Journal for the VP Research at UBC.

We produced this piece for four years.

This interview, with David Coates of Ion Branding

and Design, was conducted via email to

accomodate the hectic schedule of the busy

Vancouver design team of David Coates and Rod

Roodenburg.

We were especially interested in how Ion creates

and retains long-lasting relationships with their

clients, and how they integrate them into the

design process.

Business

DC: Contracts, contracts, contracts. It’s critical

to show businesses that you know your business

and that it is just that, a business. You gain a lot of

respect if you charge what you’re worth, stick to

your process and stand firmly by your professional

opinions. We’ve fired clients or refused to work

with companies who can’t work within these

parameters.

Associations

DC: Probably the single most important thing

to note with associations is that they tend to

work by committee. It is critical that you charge

enough to facilitate large meetings and potentially

mitigate wide-ranging opinions. In these cases

one individual representing the client must be

responsible for gathering feedback and giving

approvals on behalf of the committee.

Design°: What advice would you give to students of

today starting their design journey?

DC: Make lots of mistakes and take lots of risks

now while you have the opportunity in school. It’s

not always easy to do so after graduation, but it

is that risk-taking that will get you noticed when

you do. Don’t rely on emailed resumes, make

something authentically you, cool and tactile and

follow up with potential employers with a phone

call. Do an internship if you can afford it. Real

projects in your portfolio and a reference from a

reputable firm will get you a lot higher in a stack of

junior designer applications. Join the GDC, go to

events, volunteer, network.

Design°: What characterizes the design community

in Vancouver? What would you showcase about the

design community in Vancouver? What do you find is

missing?

DC: Vancouver has a pretty small design

community. Generally a pretty friendly bunch.

There’s good work being done here but overall it’s

pretty “safe”. I look at some of the beautiful work

coming out of Quebec and long to have some

clients there! If I had to showcase something it

would likely be typographic work, as I think that is

very strong here.

Design°: In what way would you say that your work

and professional practice has evolved since you were

‘fresh’ graduates?

DC: It’s definitely evolved most in the strategic

arena or discovery process. We start earlier in

the process and facilitate entire brand strategies,

naming strategies, marketing strategies, product

strategies etc. What we do is far more broad and

interesting than before. We’re much more engaged

with the client and their clients. This has grown to

40% of our revenue over the past 8-10 years.

Design°: How do you define design research?

DC: Business plans, company history, visual

audits, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,

threats (google SWOT analysis), target groups,

competition analysis, semantic differentials all

funnel in to our strategic recommendations for

goals and objectives, key messages, brand

essence, names, elevator pitches and tactics for

implementation. At least that’s how we do it.

Design°: Now that we are living in an increasingly

globalized world, where do you see evidence of the

“world sense of design” in your practices?

DC: While we are always trying to push ourselves

creatively in a global context, we try to maintain a

sense of authenticity about who and where we are

in the world and we hope this reflects in our work.

It’s just too easy these days to search out work

being done around the world and do something

similar. I’m not suggesting that looking outside

is a bad thing, just that the influence IMHO should

be “passive”. There’s way too much homogeneity

out there and adding to the noise is a design

sin. Do something that matters, something with

integrity, something that makes people have an

emotional reaction.

Design°: How do you approach a re-branding versus

creating a new identity for a company? Does you

approach differ?

DC: Same process, but in the case of a rebrand

we add an analysis of the brand equity that has

amassed over time and what, if any, elements

should be kept for continuity.

Design°: How do your clients respond to your method

“brandwise”?

DC: Given that it’s 40% of our revenue now, I’d say

quite well. It gets us all on the same page in terms

of creative so there’s no question what the best

direction is when we get there. Another benefit is

that by strategizing tactical implementation we are

able to write our own job description for several

years, unless of course they have an in-house

design department. This has resulted in another

large chunk of our revenue coming from hourly

production contracts that simply flow through the

studio with very little administration.

“We try to maintain a sense of

authenticity about who and where we

are in the world.”

IN

TER

VIEW

Hello Design°, my name

is_____________________

and I am one of the

________________ at

______________________,

a _____________________

located in _____________,

BC. I am known for my

_______________ and

ability to ______________

______________________.

An Emily Carr Alumni, I

graduated in __________,

and found myself_______

______________________

______________________

_____________. If I could

give a student one piece

of advice, it would be ___

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________X

What is the biggest challenge

Inquisitive, leading, edgy, fun,enduring, authentic, giving, ethical, honest, sustainable.

designers face today?

Maintaining individuality.

How did Emily Carr prepare you for

your career in design?

ECCAD gave us a solid understanding ofdesign principals, art and design history and conceptual thinking. We took it from there.

What skillset is best suited for a

graduate entering today’s design

industry?

A solid understanding of design principals, art and design history and conceptual thinking.

SE

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David Coates

Partners

Ion Branding + Design

graphic design firm

Vancouver

good looks

confuse people

1988

stuck permanently with Rod Roodenburg

make mistakes and take risks