The opportunity for the future is the exploration of a collective story—we need to recognize each specialist has a unique role to play, and then apply those individual talents in an integrated way to create a fluid dialogue through communication and design.

For this to happen, design and communication—as two primary forms of brand expression—need to become more complementary, learning from each other and working harder together.

Design has to communicate
Design has to play a bigger role as the brand's primary and lasting form of communication—telling its constant story while everything around the brand continues to change. It needs to be the place where a brand's truth and desirability reside, and allow communication to surround it and give it evolving meaning.

Communication has to be designed
Communication has to more strongly embody the brand's soul and capture its inherent fabric and texture; it must feel more like the brand itself—besides getting the brand’s message out, it must literally ooze its aura and aesthetic. This needs to be the place where we continuously engage with the brand's truth and allow design to absorb and contain this ongoing expression.

The most powerful brands do that intuitively. Successful iconic, challenger and innovative brands—big and small alike—understand that design is communication and communication is design. The two should be inextricably linked, and almost work to define each other. But surprisingly, many brands miss this opportunity … and often end up with a fragmented and inconsistent stream of expressions.

Interestingly, it is the world of fashion that has historically best understood the link between design and communication. Fashion brands start with a very individual vision, and then follow that vision through in everything they do. It’s often a very personal ethos, philosophy and style that underpins the entire expression and behavior of the brand. From the model on the catwalk to the carrier bag on High Street, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Prada, Dolce & Gabana and Jean Paul Gaulthier are the original designer brands, and for them design is communication.

We are now seeing a new generation of fashion brands that treats the language of design and communication in a more open-minded way. For example, Stella McCartney has created a strong “signature” that is translated across everything from her clothing collection to her fragrance, from identity to packaging, from website to events. Her personality, vision and philosophy are captured in a distinctive aesthetic, yet she is not constrained by one look. She has the confidence to experiment and evolve—to reinterpret and reinvent, rather than being trapped in a certain style. But her look and tone of voice is clear: Whatever the expression of her brand is, you always know it is her. Her story remains solid.

Other sectors are beginning to learn from the fashion labels. Brands that are currently and consistently doing it well have one single, unifying feature in common: they have clearly established their “truth”—consequently, although all brand stories to a degree are engineered or contrived, the ones that do it well avoid a tension or separation between the brand truth and the various expressions of it. Here are some examples:

Coca-Cola Blak takes an iconic story into the territory of coffee through a powerful and rich interpretation of the brand’s key graphic equities. It fuses the effervescence of Coca-Cola and the essence of coffee with an innovative take on the famous iconic bottle shape. The overall communication of the brand evokes the richness, texture and warmth of the coffee mood.

Veuve Cliquot— the much-celebrated champagne—has its signature yellow. It is a powerful graphic equity, yet it is also more than simply a graphic device. Verve Cliquot has turned color into a language—and given meaning and depth to that language. Yellow infuses Veuve Cliquot’s identity and communication—from website to sponsorship of events such as the “Dream in Yellow” cocktail party launch of their limited-edition Yellowboam.

O2 understands communication—that’s what the company does. Yet design lies right at the heart of the brand’s communication. It takes the original visual mnemonic of the droplet of water and transformed it into a highly evocative and expressive visual language.

Waitrose has become the benchmark for fresh, contemporary food quality, with design at the forefront of the agenda. They have created a very desirable experience where customers can buy fresh, imaginative products—in simple, evocative packaging—in wonderfully light, spacious and airy stores. And the Waitrose ethos and expertise is brought to life in a lifestyle magazine that takes you further into their world.

Design and communication span hundreds of products and a wide diversity of categories. Yet the overall effect among successful brands is a distinctive language that can vary its pitch, tempo and tone as appropriate.

Challenger brands bring a fresh take on the establishment. Typically they are inspired by a brave new vision and idea, fuelled by an intense passion and conviction, and the founders live and breathe their brand. For these brands—like Innocent and Green & Blacks—the ability to provide a collective narrative is almost easier. They’re not bound by the rigors of restraining infrastructure—often in place to organize and create efficiency, but seen as the “baddie” of the creative genius.

Nude is a great example of a challenger embracing this concept. It is an organic, biodynamic skincare range—initially launched at Wholefoods and Selfridges in London—that tunes in powerfully to the growing eco-consciousness. This is an ecological offer wrapped up in a very sensual, stripped-down and highly evocative story. The brand is prepared to strip away the layers, and stripped bare it evokes a very single-minded, minimal sensuality through packaging, website and in-store display.

The design communicates simplicity and purity with its pared-down look and feel—from the perfectly balanced logotype and minralesque colors to simple ergonomic curves, smooth tactile finishes and sustainable materials. The communication takes on this idea with an earthy, muted color palette and imagery that evokes the simplicity and soul of the brand. This is a beautiful story to tell, and each element of this brand expression only enhances the last.

Nude clearly takes a very consistent approach. Yet an integrated brand story can also encompass individuality and diversity. Take Soho House. It has evolved as a private- members club that now spans a variety of locations and venues. Yet each club has its own name and creates its distinctive environment and ambience—from the original Soho House to The Electric, Shoreditch House, High House and Babington House.

This brand creates a world that is highly personal, unpretentious and fun … yet with the highest of standards. Soho House can move fluidly and effortlessly from the heart of London to the Somerset countryside to the meatpacking district of New York. Yet the brand is always recognizable, with an unmistakable tone of voice—an international story, but one that remains personal to all its members.

The world of cycling has also seen the emergence of a premium cycle-wear brand. Rapha evokes the spirit, ethos and romance of the halcyon days of cycling. There is a consistent look and feel across the identity, clothing, website and literature. Again, it doesn’t differentiate between design and communication—it simply expresses a strongly held conviction that great cycle-wear should combine the highest levels of quality and style.

As brands become more multidimensional, they inevitably consider how to express that multidimensionality. They need to understand how they bring their truth and their story to life. Each brand will be at its strongest when it’s able to tell one coherent story.

Brands with vision will understand their narratives. They will understand design and how it can bring greater continuity and meaning to that dialogue, and they will understand how communication can bring more texture and soul to design. Design is communication and communication is design.