by Jonathan Ford

Many brands claim to be iconic or want to be iconic. Within the design community we frequently cite and benchmark ourselves against what we believe to be design icons, like Vespa, Apple Mini etc… Why? ‘Iconic’ brands are often automatically confused with iconic design. The two are different, but if connected can create enormous long-term desire. We are also living in a society of manufactured and hollow icons with celebrities and some brands are just jumping on the iconic bandwagon.

So what does iconic really mean? The paradox is that true icons never set out to be iconic - they were uncontrived whereas, today, in a quest to be iconic, brands are looking for the best way to engineer this. So it is important to understand and explore the world of cultural icons and investigate the unique nature of iconic brands, how icons are born, how they evolve and why they become such an integral part of our lives.

Because of who they are and what they mean to us, iconic brands need to follow a unique set of principles. They need to present themselves and behave in an entirely different way to other brands and their future depends on knowing and continuously nurturing their cultural, emotional significance. Within this, design as well as communication and innovation have a very unique role to play and the key is tapping into the full potential of each and using them in a perfectly integrated way.

True icons are imprinted in our consciousness. Icons are not like everyone else, what they do matters more and how they do it makes all the difference. So what makes an icon? We can see them where there is an unquestionable connection, deep powerful symbolism and personal and societal impact.

For newer brands, it is a question of interpreting where culture is going as it is shaping up and building your brands in such a way that they tap into emerging desires, transcending the trends and defining the future. We believe modern icons are products of our culture that come out of our desires and go on to pave the way for everyone else to follow - the way brands like Innocent and Green & Black's have done in Europe by connecting with our new desires for freshness and naturalness, and have become the benchmark by which we judge other brands.

Visit Click to Open Web Page to read more.

JONATHAN FORD
Creative Partner, Pearlfisher

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