Work Diaries: Discovering CORE
For those interested in helping clients beyond design.
CHAPTER III
How to Entrepreneur
Past six months went quite different for someone who travels for work. Working wasn't impossible just challenging and I'd like to believe every challenge bares an opportunity. So here I was looking at my 2020 schedule explode all over the calendar and not in a good way (I'd like to blame the current state of the world for this but let's be real - I can't organise to save my life).
In the midst of this scheduling abyss, I was pondering about my site thinking how much I wanted to replace my portfolio with the latest projects. I got excited to update the whole thing + write few case studies showcasing my approach to designing brands. As I started to outline my process I realised I'm diving into a rabbit hole of what else I can upgrade. I revisited every brand facilitation I have done and analysed every outcome it had given. Things got messy. Post-it notes were covering every inch of my desk & Kapferer started to haunt me in my sleep.
Strategy is an essential part of my brand package and I don't take clients who seek just a logo. That's why I ditched all those questionnaires for in-person brand discovery facilitation with key stakeholders. This helped me understand my clients and their customers better, which led to better outcomes and happier clients. Indeed, it was a positive shift for my practice, but it wasn't a smooth ride. Even though facilitation wasn't a foreign concept to me, crafting one from scratch was overwhelming and conducting one - nerve-racking.
In the beginning, I was focused on utilising brand identity prism (J N Kapferer). I based my facilitation exercises on defining brand as a genuine person with specific character traits and a kind of tribe it would appeal to. I knew I was on the right path but felt that: 1. I was providing a brand concept but did it take full care of my client's journey from point A to point B (e.g. from defining the target audience and their needs to crafting the most fruitful solutions and a clear & achievable roadmap); 2. Could I do something extra to help me overcome challenges that are posed by business culture?; 3. Who on earth am I, a designer or a business coach?! I digress.
In the beginning, I was focused on utilising brand identity prism (J N Kapferer). I based my facilitation exercises on defining brand as a genuine person with specific character traits and a kind of tribe it would appeal to. I knew I was on the right path but felt that: 1. I was providing a brand concept but did it take full care of my client's journey from point A to point B (e.g. from defining the target audience and their needs to crafting the most fruitful solutions and a clear & achievable roadmap); 2. Could I do something extra to help me overcome challenges that are posed by business culture?; 3. Who on earth am I, a designer or a business coach?! I digress.
Back to me trying to up my facilitation game...
Despite my attempts to streamline it, there were still a few questions and practical issues to get to. I did one thing every educated professional would do and googled the hell out of it. Most of the things I read didn't spark interest until I stumbled across CORE by Jose Caballer.
Despite my attempts to streamline it, there were still a few questions and practical issues to get to. I did one thing every educated professional would do and googled the hell out of it. Most of the things I read didn't spark interest until I stumbled across CORE by Jose Caballer.
CORE is a strategy framework made for creatives who want to "help any business understand, prioritise, and focus on a clear vision and plan." I watched Jose's video on Youtube and got immediately hooked. I went ahead and registered for the Systm Circles' webinar, where a community of fellow CORE users were applying it in real-time. Unfortunately, I was only able to catch the last three sessions, but still managed to witness how this framework worked in action. Everything I've read, heard and seen spoke to the struggles I was experiencing:
Methodological. We have so much data everywhere and I think there could be a million ways how to harness it. Gathering data is no longer an issue it's how you analyse it, utilise it, and distil it into effective results. When you facilitate it is important to ask the right questions but the goldmine ultimately lies in how you will translate those. This is what has caught my attention with Jose's framework - the way he broke down how he came up with seemingly abstract concepts providing clear steps. It was refreshing to see. As creatives, we often hide our process with a magical veil of secrecy, which often ends up alienating clients. Transparency, on the other hand, gets people excited to join and collaborate but above all - it promotes alignment. This is where I see the most value with CORE's translation principles that leave nothing to a question and add an extra level of synthesis I was looking for.
Practical. Sometimes culture challenges the whole facilitation and if you ever walked into a company with a lack of transparency - you'll empathise with this. I remember this one particular time I experienced it and it caught me off-guard. I wasn't prepared to navigate this on the spot and it made it tough to get everyone aligned, not to mention - the time and effort it took to complete. CORE addressed this through an alignment exercise that is so simple but has a potential to set an open-minded tone for a session. Cultures don't shift in day, but this can help to smooth the process nonetheless.
Doing remote sessions is something I try to avoid if I can, which is currently impossible to do. What can I say technology hates me. CORE will probably not cure this, but at least it does provide tips and real examples on how this could be done.
Doing remote sessions is something I try to avoid if I can, which is currently impossible to do. What can I say technology hates me. CORE will probably not cure this, but at least it does provide tips and real examples on how this could be done.
Existential. For someone who enjoys working with startups and small businesses (who don't always have a business plan), it has become important to help beyond branding. I struggle with this decision: I'm not a business consultant and I don't think I want to be one. What I also don't want is creating an identity that would live for a year or two because a company ceased to exist without effective business solutions. I'm sure neither do you. This is where CORE can help me incorporate exercises that generate and prioritise business objectives. These exercises don't feel overwhelming or too far-fetched and can be easily added to my brand discovery session.
Of course, this is my personal outtake - yours might be different. I am yet to apply this, but I believe it is worth the investment, whether you're already facilitating or contemplating it. Either way, I wholeheartedly advise to at least check it out. I'm personally excited to study it, experiment with it, and hopefully report back to you with results!
With love,
V
With love,
V
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