Inside the design growth at promoting businesses
“I remember the first time I saw the impact of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper's LP was in the design, ”says Eric Baldwin, ECD at Wieden + Kennedy Portland. “I remember going over this and understanding the story and talking to my dad about it and how this band created this other band and this whole world around this band, right down to the printing of the cover of the record. Then there was an insert that had mustaches to cut out and put on your face and small badges. You could become a part of this band. "
Baldwin's early interaction with design influenced his way of thinking when it comes to bridging the gap between advertising and design. “In wrestling they call it Kayfabe. They don't want to break this narrative so try to keep you in it at all times, ”he says. “This is really what I like about advertising and what we've tried over the years with Old Spice and KFC and all of those brands. We tried with them to expand beyond pure television. There are so many options outside of that. "
Wieden + Kennedy Portland has built a reputation for delivering blockbuster TV spots and campaigns, including a number of high profile Nike ads. However, the agency's burgeoning design arm has grown under the radar despite being part of their DNA. "It was really there from the start. I mean, David Kennedy himself is a handyman. When you think of Just Do It and the layout of that type and the choice of the Futura Condensed, that's all David," he says. "So it was always there, we had this design group and we always did design work for clients, but over the years it became more of a service for the advertising business. "
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Baldwin stumbled upon designing at advertising agencies after moving to Luis Peñas PenaBrand, a design agency at Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners. Ever since he came to the top as ECD at W + K, his focus has been on embedding design directors, "further upstream, not just at the end of a line because that's how they were – you'd go to them at the end of the process" , he says. “Now we have a design director for brands. For the first time in a long time, we've got to the point where brands come to us for identity work, which then leads to advertising work. "