The Conceptual Value
/This is part three of a three-part post about Paula Scher’s Citigroup Logo Story
During a conversation with Design Interview 1Q, in April 2020, Paula Scher was asked the following question:
“What is design for you?”
This was her reply.
Paula scher
“What I do as a designer is really to make things recognizable and understood.
I’m creating some sort of spirit that people can recognize and associate it with something that gives it a particular meaning.”
I can’t help but wonder if what Scher calls “spirit” is actually the “concept” behind each and every one of her works. I like to think it is. Well, in my heart of hearts, I know it is.
Because that’s what concepts do: they give life to what was otherwise just form and matter. And by doing so, they help us recognize and understand the world around us.
1. To be seen as more than just form and matter.
2. To be recognized.
3. To be understood.
Have any of you guys ever felt like that? Like you were really, truly seen. Fully recognized. Completely understood.
In other words, have you ever felt like you actually matter?
If you have, well, then you are part of a very, very, VERY exclusive club. Because most of us haven’t. In fact, most of us spend an entire lifetime chasing that feeling, trying to experience it. Unfortunately, to no avail.
Now, what if someone could help us end this lifelong search in a matter of seconds?
How much would you be willing to pay for it?
Going back to Scher’s sketch, apparently, to the folks at Citigroup, the answer was 1.5 million US dollars.
Was that fair?
Too expensive?
Or a total bargain?
Before we try to answer that, let me ask you this.
Who here has ever watched the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail” (yes, I’m a sucker for romantic comedies), starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan?
It’s based on another rom-com, starred by the same couple of actors, “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), in which the protagonists exchange letters instead of emails.
On a personal note, here’s to the brilliant, late Norah Ephron, who directed both films: thank you. Thank you for bringing extraordinary joy to our very ordinary lives.
And for giving us all more reasons to smile, and - most importantly - more reasons to believe in love. ;o)
Ok, back to the subject at hand.
There’s a scene where Tom Hanks (who plays Joe Fox, the owner of a chain of mega bookstores) and Steve Zahn (who plays an employee of ‘The Shop Around the Corner’, an independent bookstore owned by Meg Ryan) are going over this children’s book, which is carefully and completely illustrated by hand.
Zahn’s view is clear: this is a not a book. It’s a work of art.
These illustrations are not accessories to the story; they’re a testament to the author’s commitment to the craft of writing a children’s book.
This is not something that belongs in the hands of merchants (who deal merchandise based on their cost) but rather in the realm of marchands (who deal art based on their value).
Hanks’ view is Zahn’s polar opposite.
As a businessman, and as the owner of a chain of mega bookstores, to him, that is exactly what a book is: a merchandise.
Their different, opposing views clash in the scene below.
The dialogue starts at 2’42”.
Steve Zahn: The…huh…illustrations are hand tipped.
Tom Hanks: That’s why it costs so much?
Steve Zahn: No. That’s why it’s WORTH so much.
Here’s where the clash stems from:
Tom’s character is talking about PRICE.
Zahn’s character is talking about VALUE.
Two COMPLETELY different things.
But that, in the world we live in, as we know it, MUST coexist.
And the trick is to find this common ground.
So, going back to the question: 1.5 million USD to help a global financial organization experience the most elusive of feelings, vicariously through a conceptual brand identity – sketched in a matter of seconds –, by someone with 34 years of proven record.
Is that fair?
Too expensive?
Or a total bargain?
My super-financially-ignorant self wants to say it was a total bargain (I mean, come on: we’re talking about a 70 Billion USD deal here, for crying out loud…;o)).
All jokes aside, honestly, I don’t think I know the answer. I don’t even know if there’s ONE right answer.
But I do know something that I’d like to share with you and that might shed some light on the issue.
At the very beginning of her Netflix Abstract Episode (6’40” - 7’36”) Scher said:
“Typography can create immense power. (…)
Before you even read it, you have sensibility and spirit. And if you combine that with a MEANING, then that’s spectacular!”
With that in mind, maybe the question should not about how much an idea might cost and how our clients might feel about it.
Maybe the question we should be asking any client who requests a concept from us is this:
Is the feeling of being seen, recognized and understood WORTH to you?
If so, how much does it MEAN to you?
By definition, a concept is an abstraction. In that sense, it’s understandably hard to assign a fixed, exact number to something so complex and immaterial.
However, creative industries (and the world we live in, for that matter) are designed to operate within economic rules, so money will always be part of the conversation. Which means that whenever we’re creating a concept for a client, at some point, like it or not, we will inevitably need to talk about PRICE.
But how does one price a CONCEPT (which is, essentially, an IDEA) in the first place?
Most importantly, how does one do it in a just, fair and equitable manner?
Those are legitimate questions.
From the very first moment creativity became the backbone of an entire “industry”, clients and creatives have been going back and forth at it, trying to answer them, struggling to figure out the best way to price all kinds of intangible assets and intellectual capital: from music composition and screenwriting to advertising concepts and design ideas.
We’ve tried hourly-based pricing.
We’ve tried project-based pricing.
We’ve tried monthly fees.
We’ve tried performance-based pricing.
We’ve tried art commissioning.
It seems like we’ve tried it all.
Still, we can’t agree on which is the most just, fair and equitable pricing model for BOTH parties (I’m not sure if such a thing is even possible in a capitalist market, but anyway…).
It’s ok though. We’ll keep trying. I know I am. For years now, I’ve been growing a ridiculous amount of grey hair trying to solve this puzzle. In case you’d like to learn a bit more about how I believe ideas and concepts should be priced, I sincerely recommend you guys read the following books.
The first one talks about the value of things that… well, are invaluable, such as knowledge.
The second discusses the difference between the value of strategy (intangible) and execution (tangible).
And the third is self-explanatory.
For now, how about if we all agreed on the fact that some things just can’t be priced?
Think about it. It’s true, right?
Some things, even though they’re extremely and undeniably valuable, simply can’t be priced.
Like spending time with our kids.
Or having good health.
Or feeling like your identity (be it as a person or a brand) really, truly matters to someone.
Maybe that’s the case with concepts and ideas. They possess immense value and create even greater value. And yet, somehow, some way, they just simply can’t be priced.
Wait. You know what? I think there’s a word for that…. Yes, of course there is.
No, it’s not “free”.
It’s “priceless”.
Sources
1. ADC Hall of Fame http://adcglobal.org/hall-of-fame/paula-scher/
2. Madame Architec https://www.madamearchitect.org/interviews/2020/7/16/paula-scher
3. Eye Magazine http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/reputations-paula-scher
4. Cloninger, C. (2007). Hot-Wiring Your Creative Process: Strategies for Print and New Media Designers. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, p.38.5. On Creativity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foeV4ZML55s
6. Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/57935/wordsmith
7. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/07/news/citicorp-and-travelers-plan-to-merge-in-record-70-billion-deal-a-new-no.html
8. Clever Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrBTLw1yPBk
9. Design Interview 1Q: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ddshhUa_VQ
10. Abstract Paula Scher Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCfBYE97rFk
11. https://www.6sqft.com/interview-paula-scher-on-designing-the-brands-of-new-yorks-most-beloved-institutions/
12. beyondtellerrand https://beyondtellerrand.com/events/berlin-2017/speakers/paula-scher