What Language Do You Speak?

It’s amazing how quickly we fall back on what we know. Rather than look outward, we look inwardly to our comfort zone.

It’s that old saying - to a man with a hammer, every problem is a nail. We solve problems based on our expertise. It just makes sense. The problem is, we stop there. And equally dangerous, we frame problems based on our expertise, too.

When I was in brand management, I was trained to think in terms of a limited range of actions, the language of marketing. If margins were soft or distribution was lagging or we needed news, we’d look at a predictable set of actions: cost reduce the product or retrieve the budget, offer salesforce incentives and get on the calendar for the distribution drive, add a line extension, most likely of the flavor variety.

When I worked in the packaging world, I learned a different language. Do a packaging refresh, design better (portfolio) segmentation, enhance the shelf impact. The structural designers spoke a broader language than the graphic designers. They thought in terms of usability, ergonomics, shelf impact, manufacturability and shipment. They spoke human factors, experience and aesthetics.

The media world speaks yet another language, of active branding, engagement, relevance and experience. Here we think in terms of interactions, process, content, context and business model.

In the end, the paths of innovation you choose depend on what you know…and what you’re able to consider beyond it. It’s so important to branch out, read, experience, learn, observe, stay tuned in, and to give yourself a chance to speak new languages. The more you know, the more you have to offer and the more innovative your answers will be.

Look for partners with diverse staff, experience and expertise. Seek out multi-disciplinary firms. Push beyond the barriers of industrial design or branding or process or media to get to a holistic, innovative solution. The biggest ideas don’t speak only one language.