Imagine: you have the opportunity to join a conversation about design with 200 people in the heart of Rome for 2 days. Not only is the line-up made by world-renowned agencies, but the setup is so good and detailed that you literally learn and meet with the best and get inspired for the next 12 months. Well, let us tell you some moreā¦
The Conference
Paradigms is a special event. Yes, it is produced by Frontify and no, itās not a way for them to push their product down our hallway. Since its inception in 2022, Iāve kept an envious eye on the list of speakers and could not wait to be able to be there to learn and get inspired by them. Well, it happened in 2024. My colleague Darja and I enjoyed it a lot.
We were hosted in Rome, late in September, during two full days (and evenings). And when I write āhostedā, I should probably write ācherishedā. The staff did an amazing job with the organisation, the venue, the schedule, the mood and the food. I mean, the food: Italian's finest, tested (and retested) and obviously approved by some French gourmet snob like me.
Content-wise, a lot of topics were covered by the speakers. Sure, you get the usual suspects for a conference about branding: strategy, creativity, copywriting, current trends and culture. But you also get to learn and dive deeper into conversations about IP management, running a creative business, designing for emotions, changing an industry from within or the beauty of poetry.
Surfacing Topics
Out of all the talks, we picked three themes that emerged from the presentations and from the discussions and encounters that followed.
Strategy is Clarity
It sounds cheesy, but letās take this as a good old reminder. We often take for granted that we have a precise vision of our brand. And thenā¦ If we donāt have a (clear) brand strategy that matches this vision, we are in no position to take the right decisions or to adapt to changes. Connecting strategy to clarity then lies in one's ability to communicate precisely and effectively what to do, when to do it and how to support which goals. A couple of speakers explained their current strategies or what their renewed strategies were. We had confirmation that strategies that look complex (or fail to be explained with simple words) are bound to failure. In a business context, clarity and simplicity are terms that you can switch. We had very good examples of clear strategies brought to life by agencies on stage. The exquisite and lively brand worlds crafted by Porto Rocha over the last five years. The constrained yet genuine and joyful creativity of Tony's Chocolonely explained by Emma Baines. And some use cases from Collins, detailed by Brian Collins, Taamrat Amaize and Alex Athanasiou based on their āBrand World Systemā framework. A clear strategy leads to effortless brand territories. Repeat after me: a clear strategy leads to effortless brand territories.
Stand Out, Cut Through
Iām personally super glad that this box was opened by a bunch of speakers. This topic has been on my mind for almost two years. I gathered videos or articles here and there, but didnāt get a chance - until Paradigms - to get a condensed and illustrated moment about it. Letās start with the state of affairs that was depicted by Alex Bec, CEO of It’s Nice That. A ābusiness insightsā and visual approach to what original ideas or trending brand expressions are out there currently. My perception is that the stand out clichĆ©s for brand identities right now are: cute one-colour illustrations, vivid background colours and cheeky claims. There are so much of these āfreshā brands out that it becomes a visual dead-end, rather than a sustainable way of creating true landmarks. And that is just the surface of things related to brand communication. When you work at the core levels, like product offers, customer experience definition and tone of voice: these are the juicy parts. This is where you are in control of how the brand will stand out. Ana Andjelic touched on these opportunities for brands through the prism of sociology. Understanding the cultural and social evolutions and their ripple effects is a great way to learn what is happening and where to steer next. Probably in a different direction. Unless you want to become a commodityā¦
Talk to Somebody, Not Anybody
This third topic is directly linked to the previous one. You cannot stand out for an audience if you donāt know them. Again, it could be the mantra of Captain Obvious. Still, it remains true. Matt Klein gave a very sharp and insightful lecture on what he refers to as āaudience captureā. Who is influenced by whom? Are you the servant of your audience or are you the one driving the conversation? Do you feel free to be yourself as a brand or do you feel anxiety when publishing content? Learning about audiences is in our everyday job, you know: the people-centric approach. We research to understand peopleās expectations and use insights to design better (usually more simple) solutions. And - of course - it goes beyond data or KPIs. It is always about stories and how people feel about these moments and services. About emotions, talking is just one way to reach out to an audience. Bomo Piri, VP Brand at Native Instruments, gave a very moving and deep talk about the power of emotions and music. Emotions are the most powerful way to be remembered, and that is something we tend to forget when we spend our days in front of screens. Designing for (positive) emotions is probably a topic for another post (or a book). For now, weāll leave you with this trope: āIf you talk to everyone: you talk to no-one.ā
Soā¦
There you go: that was Paradigms 2024 in a nutshell, from the perspective of two very, very happy attendees. It always amazes us how you can go abroad for a couple of days to meet with fellow designers and come back recharged and inspired for months to come. This time it was under the hospice of the memorable streets of Rome (and its food). Canāt wait to know where the next experience is gonna be. Maybe weāll meet there!
Ciao a tutti š
šø Courtesy of Paradigms conference
Bonuses
If you happen to be in Rome, here are a couple of addresses that we are happy to recommend:
- For coffee snobs like us: go straight to Faro. They serve roasted beans from the local people at aliena.space + have tons of breakfast options, including French-grade pastries
- The authentic Roman food experience: look no further and head to Tonnarello. Genuine food served with a smile. You might have to wait to enter the place, as it is very popular, but for a good reason
- Vantage point: we found ourselves pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous fountain dell'Acqua Paola. It is usually a quiet spot (relatively speaking for a city like Rome). And the view is amazing on the two fronts: the flowing water view and the panoramic side of the cityscape.