Brand + Business x Christine Moody* 

I have always been obsessed with stationery. This started with my love of art but also with the regular visits to my Dad’s office as a young girl. Pre-digital anything and pre-Officeworks, businesses were required to stockpile stationery—paper, pens, paperclips et al. This backroom treasure trove was heaven to me back then. My stationery and drawing obsession is useful in solving problems.

Whenever I start a new project or a new business idea, the first thing I do is start with a fresh new notebook and put the Dymo-taped project name on the front cover. This assists with organising the project by storing all relevant information in one place and also serves as the place to dream, draw, and solve problems regarding the project. Whenever I am trying to solve a problem, out comes the notebook and I draw “what I know to date” and write down the key points in each diagrammatic drawing. I have used technique this to solve diverse and complicated business and personal problems and even legal problems for law school assignments (my lawyer sister even commented: “Contract law never looked so beautiful!”).

…this is not an art project but rather a problem-solving exercise…

Many of you may be thinking you’re not ‘artistic’ or ‘creative’ but this is not an art project but rather a problem-solving exercise. A problem visualised in a one-page format forces you to edit down to include only the key information. It also allows you to circulate key information to all stakeholders. It’s about getting what’s in your head, out onto the peice of paper. Hand drawing aesthetic also helps to create a sense of a work-in-progress draft—helpful for early project discussions.

I find that problem solving is best done by hand (versus computer) because it’s the very act of putting pen to paper that assists with process. The other key thing is to keep the diagram current by redrawing and refining whenever the key information is updated. I remember buying a notebook for a specific matter (read ‘major problem’!) with ‘365’ on the cover—with one page dedicated to each day. What attracted me to this particular notebook was that I knew I needed at least 365 days to work through the problem but it gave me permission to give myself time to work it out.

This notebook went with me everywhere and I loved looking back over my drawings, notes, and diagrams as I gradually worked through things. I noticed that diagrams became more simplified and less complicated. This reflected the fact that I was solving the problem and had a created a clear strategy.

…a picture is worth a thousand words..

They say that “a picture is worth a thousand words” and a hand-drawn diagram communicates so much more than a word document ever could. Try it! I’d love to hear how you go!

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading, multi-award winning brand strategists, and the founder of brand management consultancy, Brand Audits and a diverse range of other brands including The Wrap Dress, Poppy Cakes, Designer Law School, and Travel Stitch. With more than 35 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international high-profile brands with challenging and diverse range of strategic projects—including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, Terry White Chemists, International Cricket Council (UAE), Wrigleys (USA), and Become (USA)—to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation. She is able to think strategically and beyond the obvious, to deliver outstanding insights to executives at Board, CEO, and Marketing Director level. She is also an author with her first book Designer Law School: Legal lessons for design entrepreneurs published in 2015, and is currently working on her second book, Smashing Plates. Christine has a passion for life-long learning and is currently studying law with a focus on the protection of a brand’s intellectual property.

For more information: email@christine.moody.com.au or +61 419 888 468.

(Photo: The Wrap Dress specifications for American Knitting Company NYC x Christine Moody)

Brand + Business x Christine Moody* 

I am often part of ABC Brisbane’s ‘Hidden Persuaders’ segment (part of Stephen Austin’s ‘Mornings‘ program) and I get to talk all things ‘brands’ as well as discuss the trends in one of my favourite cities, New York City! This week on ‘Hidden Persuaders’ we talked retail brands and I mentioned NYC for the food trends.

I am inspired by NYC not because I think Australia—and particularly Brisbane!—is not a great place, I believe that we need to get out of the country (literally or in our dreams via the pages of publications!) to see what is new that we can adapt and bring back and make it ours or to see how our products or services would perform on a global stage.

I constantly keep across the trends via blogs and social media including NYC, New York Post, and of course, The New York Times as well museum, galleries, and restaurant websites. As well as this I read the American versions of a range of diverse publications—from VOGUE (Hello Anna!) to Dwell.

I invest the time in doing this because it allows me to explore, dream, and be inspired by what is happening on the global stage. I lose myself in the pages of the new, the daring, and sometimes outright weird photographs.

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading, multi-award winning brand strategists, and the founder of brand management consultancy, Brand Audits and a diverse range of other brands including The Wrap Dress, Poppy Cakes, Designer Law School, and Travel Stitch. With more than 35 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international high-profile brands with challenging and diverse range of strategic projects—including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, Terry White Chemists, International Cricket Council (UAE), Wrigleys (USA), and Become (USA)—to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation. She is able to think strategically and beyond the obvious, to deliver outstanding insights to executives at Board, CEO, and Marketing Director level. She is also an author with her first book Designer Law School: Legal lessons for design entrepreneurs published in 2015, and is currently working on her second book, Smashing Plates. Christine has a passion for life-long learning and is currently studying law with a focus on the protection of a brand’s intellectual property.

For more information: email@christine.moody.com.au or +61 419 888 468.

(Photo: Yankees Stadium NYC x Christine Moody)

Brand + Business x Christine Moody*

A friend of mine sent me a podcast from The Tim Ferriss Show titled How to Design a Life. In it Tim interviewed Debbie Millman, a writer, educator, artist and designer. Why my friend thought I would be interested is three-fold: 1) Debbie’s brand and business background; 2) the title ‘How to Design a Life!’; and 3) Debbie is based in New York – one of my all time favourite cities. My friend was spot on with her recommendation – this podcast didn’t disappoint.

Debbie is best known as the host of ‘Design Matters‘, a podcast by Design Observer. She previously worked at Sterling Brands—working with brands such as Pepsi, Gillette, Colgate, Kimberly-Clark, Nestlé, and Campbells—President Emeritus of AIGA and Fast Company based in New York City. She chairs the ‘Masters in Branding’ program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), is the Editorial & Creative Director of Print, and a blogger for Fast Company. 

What I found most intriguing about the podcast was Millman’s SVA student exercise, which turned out to be the perfect starting point for planning out the next few years of my life—work + play. Millman borrowed the exercise from another famous NY designer and her teacher, Milton Glaser—best known for the I LOVE (heart) NY graphic that adorns T-shirts all over NY and the world! The exercise is not only for design students but can be used by any person in any industry sector. It is perfect for anyone who has all the bits of the puzzle but still needs to put it all together.

Millman refers to Glaser’s New York Magazine (17 January 1972) article where he describes the exercise he gave his SVA students: “You have two minutes to write down everything you can think of, including where you live, money, career and where you see yourself in five years”.

You describe this in detail via ‘a day in the life of…’ and give detailed descriptions from the time you wake to the time you brush your teeth before getting into bed. Millman did this exercise with Glaser and continues to use it today with her students. This exercise is very powerful and in many instances can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. She said she often receives emails and notes from past students telling her how what they wrote down in her class came true.

I was a little hesitant to do the exercise as I have done this type of thing before. But this one was different as I wrote it in one sitting. I captured in the most minute detail, everything I did and saw that day, for example, what the sheets felt like when I woke up, what my bedroom looked like. The more you describe, the more real it becomes. But the idea of writing it down makes it tangible and you accountable. It also gives you a visual direction.

…Writing down a list of lifetime goals engages even the most dormant imagination and creates a tangible object…

I completed this exercise last week and what it did was create a vision for me (I used words + drawings) and made me commit myself and my future to paper. I intend to read it every 12 months to see how I am tracking!

Try it and report back to me in five years! Happy writing.

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading, multi-award winning brand strategists, and the founder of brand management consultancy, Brand Audits and a diverse range of other brands including The Wrap Dress, Poppy Cakes, Designer Law School, and Travel Stitch. With more than 35 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international high-profile brands with challenging and diverse range of strategic projects—including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, Terry White Chemists, International Cricket Council (UAE), Wrigleys (USA), and Become (USA)—to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation. She is able to think strategically and beyond the obvious, to deliver outstanding insights to executives at Board, CEO, and Marketing Director level. She is also an author with her first book Designer Law School: Legal lessons for design entrepreneurs published in 2015, and is currently working on her second book, Smashing Plates. Christine has a passion for life-long learning and is currently studying law with a focus on the protection of a brand’s intellectual property.

For more information: email@christine.moody.com.au or +61 419 888 468.

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