Taking A Punt.
LS001. 12/09/2023 — Posted by Josh O’Neill
Howdy. 🤠
I’m Josh. I’m a big guy with a big heart (for design). I’ve never written a blog post before, but they’re important for keeping your website content fresh, and the sans-serif rainbow reckons that’s good for search results. I love to apply my own advice.
I’m taking a punt, setting up my own creative venture. Fingers crossed it ends up more successfully than Thomas Morstead’s effort directly into the backside of Trent Sherfield. Miami managed to win that game, so I’m going in with hope, regardless.
I am calling this punt ‘Likely Suspects’. You know that, cause you’re here, reading this.
Currently I’m also employed at FCB New Zealand as the Design Lead, so this is a part time gig (shout out to them for allowing me to pursue this, incredibly cool vibes). I’ve almost run the gamut of design practices in my career to date, from corporate to boutique, and the past 6 years at a global network advertising agency. I like to think I’ve learned a bit during that time.
I think I can sum that learning up here: a successful brand is one that is distinctive. It’s what makes something stand out from competitors by offering something different. A business’s best asset should be their product. And their brand should position that product as something people want, more than something else down the road. Brand is influence, if there’s two identical products, brand is what empowers people to make that decision. And we know that inferior products can even win out, if the brand is working hard.
A brand is not a business, it is the intangible feeling people have about a business. It is crafted over time, with unique communications about great products, working hard in alignment with the business’s overall strategy. A great brand is rooted in an idea or a mission that enhances the product, and everything you experience from that brand points towards that.
That is what Likely Suspects is here to help with. Sure, we can do logos, but it’s everything that surrounds that makes a brand—that’s what is important. A coherent brand purpose brought to life in distinctive ways. I’ve worked with a lot of large brands in my career, and want to bring that thinking to smaller organisations, working directly with stakeholders. In my experience, an open and inclusive partnership, founded in collaboration, always breeds the best results. Likely Suspects will be fluid and dynamic, plugging in the right contributors where needed, and able to work to whatever budget is available. That is our product.
Our own brand is in its infancy. We’ve got a name that has a little sass and edge, and a punchy colour palette for this website that I’m hoping appeals to the right partners. We want to have a bit of fun on this journey—our tone is one that shows we know what we are talking about, but we’re not serious. All of this will evolve over time as we find our audience, and be tailored to appeal to them, giving them the confidence that we are the right people to collaborate with.
I’ll keep you updated on how it goes.