Interview With The Artist (Part 2)

This is the second part in a series of interview with Eric Hatheway as conducted by the senior ranking correspondent at EricHatheway.com, the Groovy One – Dirque du Soleil. Dirque du Soleil is a writer of uncertain credentials, extravagant curiosity, and a firm belief that most design conferences would benefit greatly from a brass band and a trapeze act.

Eric Hatheway & Dirque du Soleil – Wave Length Podcast

Dirque du Soleil: Eric, many companies today say they want their brand to feel authentic. I hear this word everywhere. My question is simple: can authenticity actually be designed?

Eric Hatheway: “Authenticity can’t really be designed. It can only be revealed. Design can express authenticity if it already exists in the organization—the products, the behavior, the culture, the decisions they make. But if those things aren’t there, design can only stage a convincing performance for a little while. Sooner or later reality walks on stage and clears its throat. Design can give authenticity a voice, but it can’t manufacture the personality behind it.”

Dirque: So authenticity is not a graphic style?

Eric: “No. Authenticity is the result of consistency over time. It’s when a company’s actions, products, communication, and design all point in the same direction. When that alignment exists, the visual identity feels natural rather than forced. When it doesn’t exist, the logo ends up doing a lot of very lonely work.”

Dirque: Another question that has puzzled me during my various travels through the marketing circus: if branding is essentially a promise, what happens when the product refuses to cooperate?

Eric: “Then the brand becomes a very public promise that gets broken every day. A strong brand raises expectations. If the brand experience doesn’t match those expectations, the brand actually accelerates disappointment. Good branding amplifies reality. It doesn’t replace it.”

Dirque: I have noticed something curious. Many brands today seem to sound exactly alike. They all promise inspiration, innovation, transformation, and occasionally synergy. Why is that?

Eric: “Because vague language is comfortable. When a brand tries to speak to everyone, it ends up saying almost nothing. Distinctive brands tend to stand for something specific, sometimes even something slightly polarizing. Clarity can feel risky in corporate environments. But the alternative is sounding exactly like everyone else.”

Dirque: Now allow me to address the designers themselves. When a company asks for a “bold new brand,” do they usually mean bold… or merely different enough to justify the invoice?

Eric: “Often they mean change rather than boldness. Organizations sometimes reach a moment where they feel the need to signal progress. A redesign can become a visible way to say, “We’re evolving.” The danger is confusing motion with direction. A new brand identity should reflect a meaningful shift in the company, not simply a new coat of paint.”

Dirque: You’ve spoken before about the Authority of Form. Does authenticity relate to form in any way?

Eric: “Very much. When a design is thoughtfully structured—balanced, intentional, appropriate to the subject—it carries a kind of quiet credibility. People may not analyze the composition consciously, but they sense when something is well formed. Good form communicates seriousness of purpose. It also suggests that someone took the time to think. That alone can make a message feel more genuine.”

Dirque: Let me ask a question that may cause a small disturbance in the design community. Is minimalism always a philosophy… or sometimes just an excuse to stop working early?

Eric: “Minimalism can be either. At its best, minimalism is the result of careful thinking—removing everything that doesn’t contribute to the idea. At its worst, it’s simply the absence of effort disguised as sophistication. The difference lies in intention. Real simplicity is usually the result of a lot of work.”

Eric and Dirque At The Wave Length Studio

Dirque: One final curiosity before the management begins waving at me from the wings. How much ballyhoo should accompany a brand?

Eric: “A little ballyhoo is perfectly healthy. Human beings enjoy spectacle. A trumpet flourish can help people notice something worth noticing. But the ballyhoo should always point toward something real. If the fanfare becomes larger than the substance behind it, the audience eventually wanders off to another tent.”

Dirque:
Final question, Eric. Imagine we lock you in a studio with a pencil, a blank sheet of paper, and a fresh cup of coffee. What happens next?

Eric: “First, I drink the coffee. Priorities must be maintained. Then I start asking questions. What is this supposed to communicate?  What is essential?  What can be removed? As questions are asked, my lateral thinking skills help to generate many quality notions. Eventually shapes begin to appear. Structures begin to become apparent. Relationships start to form. The space activates with meaning. When the image is right and when the form is right, it has a certain authority. At that point the design, the artwork or the photograph no longer seeks permission. It simply exists.”

Eric: “And Dirque, remember … you can draw anything I can, just don’t.”

After these two interviews, Dirque has learned several valuable lessons: