PARTNER, LIPPINCOTT, LONDON, ENGLAND
I’m a partner in brand strategy at Lippincott, a global brand consultancy, based in the London office. Since 1943, Lippincott has shaped some of the world’s most iconic brands and experiences, from Coca-Cola to Samsung and Starbucks to Delta. To create, grow and transform brands, we focus on six key areas: growth strategy, brand building, experience design, marketing strategy, creative communications and activation.
We believe that climate change is the key driver of corporate transformation this decade, and my team and I are passionate about working with our clients to create impactful sustainability strategies and campaigns that meaningfully reflect company efforts and resonate with customers. While I also work on a broad range of clients and industries, I lead our sustainability work with brands across the globe.
TELL US HOW AND WHY YOU BECAME INVOLVED IN SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATIONS, AND SHARE ANY THOUGHTS ON WHY DESIGN CAN BE AN ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE TOOL?
For me, focusing on sustainability wasn’t totally a moral decision. I’m drawn to complexity, I love to nerd out on it, and love how great strategy and design can cut through it. Transition is probably the most complex topic out there. Every decision has unintended consequences, every angle has a counter-angle, and within this world we have to create something that is instantly understandable without trivializing the complexity. That’s a fascinating world to work in.
Most recently we helped Drax Group launch a carbon removals business. The removals are based on BECCS, a technology that is incredible on paper (creating negative emissions and renewable energy at the same time) but very complex to do right. Our brand, Elimini, reconciled this by putting coalition at the core. Heroing the vision whilst acknowledging the complexity and calling on others to come together to make sure it’s done right.
GIVEN THE CONFLUENCE OF EVENTS AND CHALLENGES OUR SOCIETY NOW FACES, DOES THIS MOMENT IN TIME PRESENT ANY SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES, URGENCIES, OBSTACLES TO DESIGNING FOR GOOD?
For designers and brand-builders, the key is to learn how to design for good, not just for perfect. Transition is messy, but we need customers to buy in to build the case for change. Doing this is hard, but not impossible. A few tricks I’ve learned
1. Good is either the core or an irrelevance: many brands try to make sustainability a ‘pillar’ of their brand. This rarely works. In most customer decisions, sustainability plays no role. You have to force it onto the agenda, and you can’t do that if it’s number three on your list of things to communicate. It’s #1 or nothing.
2. A little humility goes a long way: there is no silver bullet in sustainability. Everything has unintended consequences. And try as you might, there will always be lots you don’t know. Trying to hide from this is a fool’s game. Whether in design, copy or positioning, always remember to temper the bombast with a bit of humility to avoid looking like a lemon.
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