I LOVE IT. WHAT IS IT?: The Power of Instinct in Design and Branding

by Turner Duckworth

Genres: Design

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2024

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a total mixed bag; so while I didn't quite "love it," I certainly did ask "what is it?"

The first half is an inconsistent bunch of illustrated case studies, some of them fascinating (Amazon, Metallica), while others are either confusing (Coca-Cola), downright annoying (McDonald's, which was just a shameless plug for the chain and a chance to show the logo on various swag and apparel), or just frankly uninspired (Campbell soup's first redesign in 50 years, which looked an awful lot like a classic example of "okay, here’s a $50,000 invoice for what probably amounted to an hour's creative work plus a couple weeks making up a lot of high-concept marketing mumbo-jumbo" — trust me; I've played that game before):


And then the second half of the book is a series of articles on creativity and branding in general — some of which read like a great conversation with a design or advertising professional over a couple of drinks…while the rest reminded me of the kind of over-thought and overwrought lectures I generally nodded off through back in art school. So yeah, the whole thing was pretty much Forrest's box of chocolates.

THAT SAID though, with much of the book being written by actual designers themselves (the rest apparently coming from various corporate flacks), there were some great quotes and relatable insights. My favorites:

"Since childhood, we've wanted to make things that people like. That's why we became graphic designers. Our big dream was to see our work everywhere: we wanted to design things that millions of people liked."

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

”The worst thing that ever happened to beauty was the idea that it is in the eye of the beholder.”

"A peek inside a designer's mind: get inspired, sketch it out, hate it, abandon it, try something new, like it, find it derivative, scrap it, walk away, get distracted, come back to it — and then somehow, bring everything together in the last hour. This is how designers think. It's messy, but it ends well."

And my personal favorite:

"I can't think of a designer who doesn't have a collection of some sort."

...because in my experience, this is ABSOLUTELY true, with the addition that nearly all of these collections have to do with underappreciated design or aesthetics in some way. I remember a colleague during a summer job at IBM who went out late at night and took rubbings of manhole covers; another friend collects cast-iron tractor seats; a third has a 40-plus-year collection of Asian beer cans. For my adult self, I not only collect seashells and Chinese Nationalist banknotes (although only those printed by the American Banknote Co.; can see some with my review of China's Warlords); but have been a long-time photographer of fire hydrants, because like all these other items, they are just SO FASCINATING when you realize the variety out there. I mean, why are there not just 3-4 standard ones — who came up with all these hydrants, manhole covers, beer cans??

Designers, that's who. Passionate weirdos of vision.




(NOTE: I haven't intentionally been on a graphic design jag the past month — this book, Just My Type: A Book About Fonts and The History of Graphic Design: 1890-Today — it's been more a matter or long-reserved library books becoming available around the same time. But that said…as I grow increasingly disillusioned with my current/final career — i.e., working for the government [don't hate me] — it's been fun taking a nostalgic look back at my first, way back in the 20th Century.)

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

a curation of stories behind designing some of the most iconic brands in the modern-world. i think the biggest takeaways from this reading are:

1) design is not a linear process. it is often messy, and it is through collaboration, inspiration (defined as distraction with meaning), and bold moves to create something that connects with people and is simple enough for people to understand

2) design as gift-giving: anticipation, empathy, specificity. you want to design something that gives people the anticipation as unwrapping a gift, the empathy as if you understand their world, and the specificity as if the design is curated for them and them only

overall good read on a lot of cool anecdotes and good insights into work that goes behind a lot of iconic brands. good place to start for those interested in a career in design.

[Sophia Exintaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories around branding from people who have created the visual identity of great brands. Worth a read.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting back stories in beautiful designs

[suukiyaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

collection of reflections on case studies in branding. my biggest problem w it might just be that it heavily equates branding with logos. lack of flow in the selection of case studies