Brand designer Jessica Hische discusses why early-stage startups should avoid massive brand design expenditures before stabilizing their product direction.
Insight
Requiring a 500-page brand book signals an overly complicated brand identity
“I am of the mind that you shouldn't need like a 500 page brand book in order to direct the, how the brand is used moving forward. And that if you do, the brand might be quite complicated, you know, or there might be even just parts of the logo that make it dif…”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
AI's novelty phase will harm illustration before becoming a useful tool
“I think overall it will become a tool and be very useful, especially in a lot of different fields. But I think this sort of time frame in which it's more novelty is gonna have kind of a not the best impact on things like illustration, but eventually we'll all …”
Insight
Product and team drive company culture, not logos
“Some people start a company and think the logo is going to drive the culture of the company, which I don't think that that is true. I think that, you know, like the product itself and the team you build and the people you put together are the thing that should…”
Insight
Custom typography prevents copycats from easily imitating a company's brand
“If you're using something that's available to everyone, the chances of someone else coming in and copying you are very easy and high. Like you might be one of these lucky companies that just out the gate is like outrageously successful, but with success comes …”
Assertion Supported
Jeni's Ice Cream logo required redesign because it looked like "penis"
“The one that came to mind immediately when you asked was when I did a refresh for Jenny's Ice Cream, which is a really, like, amazing ice cream brand based out of Columbus, Ohio, and they had a few utilitarian things in mind, like, they had this long J that Cr…”
Insight
Early-stage brands must prioritize instant logo legibility over abstract recognition
“You know, when you think about logos and things like that, you want it to be something that at a super fast glance, people can read it right away. You know, that doesn't mean that everything has to be simple, but it just means that everything has to be incredi…”