Designyatra 2023: Perceiving a product as customers do is instrumental in scaling a business - Dick Powell

Day two of Designyatra 2023 featured a session by Dick Powell, co-founder, Seymourpowell and former chairman of D&AD. 

Powell, who has worked on design concepts for brands such as Virgin Galactic, Ribena and Shazé among others, discussed the world of crafting brand solutions, nurturing innovation, and the art of scaling as a designer to churn out more effective work for clients. 

Change fuels creativity 

“When clients welcome change, the engines of creativity can run smoothly,” expressed Powell in his opening statement. 

He believed that there is a pivotal role in clients' readiness to adapt to change in the endeavour to propel creative visionaries to conceptualise concepts, designs and innovations. 

“Change is an investment that fuels the creative spirit. The adaptive nature of a revolution from a client is the driving force behind innovation and business growth,” expressed Powell.

Brands need to give birth to new solutions 

Powell stated that rewiring businesses is the need of the hour. 

“In a world of constant evolution, there is the urgency of transforming businesses to be more adaptable. Product design for brands plays a central role in keeping businesses relevant and helps them gain market share as the consumer’s need for some novelty is also fulfilled," he voiced. 

Synergy of people, tech, and business for innovation to thrive

Powell stated that the fusion of people, technology, and business breeds groundbreaking ideas for creatives to pitch effectively to clients. 

He said, “Delving into human behaviour is the key to birthing effective concepts. Human behaviour stands as a cornerstone for effective design and innovation. Also, providing simplistic solutions often paves the path to the most adaptable solutions. Executing complex ideas can be challenging, which is why simplicity becomes the linchpin for flexibility in a concept that can be a win-win for both creatives and clients.”

Powell advised brands to curate tangible product experiences, "A brand must embody a product-service experience, and businesses must grasp its integral role in the scaling process. Perceiving a product as customers do is instrumental in scaling a business," he said. 

He further shared how he worked on designing Unilever's Axe bottle and making it less mechanical, underscoring the significance of aligning a brand's vision with a tangible product experience. 

Small ideas, big impact

"Innovation for brands rarely springs from monumental ideas; it emerges from a mosaic of small, inventive solutions, ingeniously brought together”, explained Powell. 

He believed revolutionary ideas are birthed through a constellation of small, inventive solutions and also urged creative visionaries to contemplate the holistic impact of their ambitions for clients. 

Sharing the vantage point of illustrations to decode a brand challenge, Powell said, "Illustrations have the power to capture and convey intricate brand challenges. Visual communication stands as a formidable tool for designers, enabling them to articulate intricate brand issues to clients.” 

Signing off, Powell expressed the need to mint new frontiers. 

“We, as creative minds, are adept at identifying issues and sculpting innovative experiences when responding to a client's brief. Take, for instance, our journey in designing a cordless kettle. Drawing from my personal experience, designers possess the skill to identify problems and innovate solutions, even for everyday products like cordless kettles. Creatives need to foster an intimate understanding of a brand's core, weaving a tapestry of small, inventive ideas, and effectively conveying solutions to clients. Lastly, embrace change as it is the crucible of creativity,” he concluded.