Richard Murray - Wednesday 12th November 2008 - Watershed
We were delighted to welcome Richard Murray, founding partner of design group Williams Murray Hamm to another sell-out crowd at the Watershed.
Richard split the talk into 10 principles that guide Williams Murray Hamm (WMH) and give an insight into their way of working.
1. Try and work with like-minded clients
If you want to do radical work, find radical clients. If the clients don’t believe in doing something different or understand the power of good design, it is often reflected in the result. As an example, one of the first projects for WMH was for Whitbread. They wanted to produce and brand a British lager to compete with the Australian and German brands. WMH called it ‘GB’ – and ‘lazily’ chose a GB car sticker to fit the approach. It was different, but the client went with it and they used ‘GB’ as a starting point for all the related campaign work.
2. Form an accurate prognosis
(‘You’re often digging in the wrong place’ – Steve Jobs) WMH’s work for Jaffa Cakes was an example here. Sales were falling and they asked WMH to help. Instead of turning to the obvious ideas of saying they are ‘more orangery’, or putting another product shot on the front, they decided to celebrate the ‘self-centered behaviour’ that was associated with eating Jaffa Cakes. They lifted phrases from letters sent in and used these boldly on the packs. Sales increased 15%. But after a change in management, the design was dropped and sales fell again. Similarly with Horlicks WMH concentrated on how Horlicks helps you sleep. Rather than product shots of mugs and steam they used a ‘Do not disturb sign’. It was very successful.
3. Insist on a specific brief
One problem with briefs is the over use of marketing terms – e.g. ‘contemporary classics’ or ‘prestige for the masses’. Do they really know what they want? When WHM worked with Clipper tea, they took one key aspect – organic tea. The brief became ‘Clipper = thinking man’s tea’. With this simple, distinctive brief they made the packs look like National Geographic magazine and with a sophisticated, simple design and cut-out images (e.g. animals etc) sales grew massively. Today‘s consumers want something they can believe in and they won’t put up with spin and manipulation.
4. Don’t waste your time on pitches (or rather don’t expect interesting work)
WMH have done 48 paid pitches and only won four. Their experience of pitching, and being asked for something radical in the pitch brief, is that it never works – and clients won’t go for the radical solution. Their success with a brief from Heineken was partly due to the company agreeing to just work with WMH – all their concepts were accepted and went into production – something they probably wouldn’t have happened in a pitch process.
5. Deal with the top dog
Doing something different requires commitment from top. One of their most successful projects was working with Hovis. They wanted the redesign of their packaging to be a head turner. The ‘baked beans’ idea was presented and embraced. It was used for six years and was incredibly successful. The best jobs are about great relationships.
6. Really believe in what you do (you can’t expect commitment if you don’t show commitment).
Richard believed that work can be creative and effective. Their work for the WKD brand won awards for both. ‘Audacity was the brief’. Rather than produce another branded drinks label, one of their concepts was to produce a bottle with just an animal print, and no label. They wanted to make a statement and provoke reaction. When Organic Warehouse asked for their help, they asked what was special about them. The fact that they could say exactly where all the produce came from resulted in a new name ‘Here’ drawn onto landscapes suggesting the origins of the produce.
7. Manage expectations (and set things up well)
Clients don’t realise how similar they are to competitors. When they started working for Barclays, they first showed the similarities between not only banking but other sectors. They then explained that they ‘owned’ the bright blue and should use it to differentiate. Products need a point of difference.
8. Apply a liberal sense of best practice
This point was about showing examples of good design and how they work and that good design can make a difference.
9. Have a broad range of projects
Working in different disciplines helps keep ideas fresh and work interesting. Projects now include everything from advertising to film.
10. Stick by your principles (a principle is not a principle unless it costs you money)
Richard spoke about some of the clients and projects they have worked on where they did not believe in what they were being asked to do – and pulling out of the project. He followed this with their work for Sainsburys. When WMH redesigned Sainsbury’s Organic range ‘SO Organic’, they had to stick by, and defend, what they had designed despite much initial resistance. Following the launch, sales increased by 43%.
Richard rounded off by a final point – ‘Surround yourself with brilliant people’ – and pointed out that WMH is a large group of people who have all contributed to their success.
Audience questions:
Q: Do you target clients?
A: Yes, WMH put a lot of effort into that. They all sit down each year and think who they would like to work with the following year. They try to anticipate where the next big things will be and spend time creating a theory or hypothesis to take to potential clients, but not creative ideas.
Q: What about sustainability?
A: Richard is interested in the sustainability of ideas and talked about the wasted money and resources spent on pointless redesign. In terms of materials, he felt it was governed by what the client wants to do. The bigger issue was felt to be integrity and the need to act in a different way. Branding should always magnify a truth.
Q: Does WMH take into account accessibility for the visually impaired, particularly as they have produced a number of projects that use two-tone results, such as the identity for Barclays?
A: When working with Barclays it wasn’t considered, although people within the company were providing information in accessible formats. It is often something that gets forgotten and isn’t an area that WMH know lots about.
Branding and packaging design agency Williams Murray Hamm (WMH) set out in 1997 to offer clients an alternative to the intrusive logos and graphic formulas that had become commonplace in 80s and 90s brand design. Since then the company has gained an international reputation for creative and commercial success, winning major awards at D&AD, Design Week, Clio and New York Festivals.
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