Essentials, Brand
3 minutes read
Sparks Team
We don’t know you
Maybe we’ve worked in your sector for years. Or maybe we’re embarking for the first time.
Either way, we assume we don’t know. That way we come fresh. Challenging assumptions. Probing things that are taken for granted.
And so we need questions. Big, simple questions. Questions that build knowledge, that might reveal something hidden. Questions about why you exist, what you want to achieve.
We listen, and scrutinise. And then start to think: who matters to you and your organisation?
And, in turn, what matters to them?
Do they love you?
The people you want to influence are already bombarded.
Emails, texts, phone calls. Adverts on social channels, in the paper, on the TV.
So let’s be frank – about your customers or supporters, and the role your brand plays in their day-to-day lives. How important, really, are you to them?
They’re aware you exist? That’s a solid start. Broadly neutral or indifferent? Not as bad as it sounds. Appreciation and warm feelings? You’re doing something right. True love and devotion? Well done if so, but in truth this is rare.
At Sparks, we’re not aiming for love at first sight.
Our focus is finding and expressing what’s distinctive. We’re interested in what’s different. What’s memorable. What’s right for your organisation. What will engage your bombarded audience. Rising above the rabble.
Work, work and rework
The creative process is serious. Alas, there’s no foosball, beanbags, bottles of vodka.
Instead, we’re thinking. Exploring. Making connections, then following their lead.
Early on, there’ll be some duff ideas. Dead ends. And maybe – whisper it – even a hackneyed expression or visual cliché. You won’t see that. We burn the dross, pressing on with what’s strong. Testing concepts. Sweating details. Pushing further.
Reviewing, rewinding, refining, reworking. Repeated until we can be proud of the work that’s emerged. Because great creativity requires discipline, perseverance, the diligent application of craft.
It needs a team willing to challenge and do battle over ideas. A team never happy to settle for average.
We can’t prove it
Numbers rule. They bring credibility and rigour. They seem objective. With numbers, decisions feel better, more certain, more controlled.
But not everything that counts can be counted, or so the saying goes.
Most of our work involves unmeasurable things. We’re dealing with the subjective. With decisions that need creativity and judgement. Not so much right and wrong; more bad, good and best.
Our work shapes perceptions, which in turn shapes reality – realities like income and sales. The precise impact? The percentage change? It’s not something we can ever capture and track.
And, if we could, any credit that’s due belongs to our clients.
So what can you know?
For a start, that we want you to be better off after spending money with us. Branding is an investment. One that creates value. It supports growth. Helps you prosper. For the long term.
We’d like to help
Are you doing something new? Or need to do something better?
Sparks offers clear thinking, new perspectives, a different set of skills. To help you achieve more.
We work best with organisations that want to break free from the bland and predictable. With people who aren’t content to look and sound like everyone else.
Our work spans branding, design, naming and copywriting – for screens of all sizes, and in all forms of print.