Driftime® started work with Art Not Evidence in the summer of 2023, reckoning with the challenge of articulating the Art Not Evidence message through a clear visual language and an accessible, engaging platform. Transform caught up with Driftime® co-founder Abb-d Taiyo to chat about all things design and creative strategy.
How did your relationship with Art Not Evidence begin?
We connected with founder Elli Brazill and collaborator Keir Monteith through one of our Driftime® team members who was passionate about the impact Art Not Evidence is set to create. It was a great match from the get-go; and after sitting down with Elli and Keir to understand all the aims of the movement, we wanted to get involved and offered our services pro bono.
Tell us about the insights process. Did you conduct any research beforehand to help inform the creative strategy?
The communities that create movements are not a monolith, with each and every person involved in not-for-profits having unique, often conflicting, opinions. Successful branding for not-for-profits like Art Not Evidence must appeal to both policy makers and people on-the-ground, inspiring tangible change through the power of impact-driven and purpose-led design and branding. This thinking led to some fruitful discussions with Elli and Keir, as well as inspiring research across the communities that have touch points with the movement that helped to inform our creative strategy and plan of action.
Art Not Evidence has quite a disparate audience it needs to appeal to. How did you navigate that in the creative process?
We designed a brand concept and identity for Art Not Evidence that reaches decision makers in the judiciary with an element of familiarity, as well as resonating with those in the community on-the-ground. By putting the concept of redaction into this new context of cultural and artistic censorship, we generated a whole new meaning that bridges the impact of the movement with those who have decision making powers.
What was the most challenging thing about creating the identity for Art Not Evidence? How did you overcome this?
Creating the logo was a huge challenge, especially as we were crafting a brand new identity that involved redaction directly in the wording of the name. We had to ask the question; how can we design a logo that allows people to get familiar with the brand before the brand is immediately redacted? To solve this, we put the logo in two stages, with the face value reading being “Art Not Evidence”, and then at a later stage of the page, the audience sees the redaction of just “Art” without “Not Evidence” to emphasise the concept of censorship. We rolled out the same for the brand assets, acclimatising the audience to the brand concept and identity, before introducing the more complex aspects of redaction.
What advice would you give to other charities or organisations that are trying to engage multiple audiences with potentially different viewpoints?
Invite those audiences in to help inform decision making, and embrace (or accept) an element of imperfection – it’s important to be iterative about the process, and to make room for it to be used in different contexts. If history can tell us anything, it’s that we need to tread carefully in the beginning – the first logo tends to work best with the brand name followed by a recognisable typemark. If we think about the infamous Nike tick, it was first established with the brand name above it, but now the tick remains steadfast in isolation; a universally recognisable mark that resonates worldwide. The same applies to not-for-profit branding.
What is the key to a powerful visual storytelling campaign for a charity or organisation like Art Not Evidence?
Storytelling is more than just a logo in isolation – successful and sustainable branding and storytelling looks like a community of assets that speak to each other in constant creative dialogue. By crafting a solid identity, you begin to unify a cause, communicating what the campaign represents for everyone involved, whilst helping to build a brand with depth and meaning.
What’s next for Driftime® and Art Not Evidence?
Now launched, Art Not Evidence is a movement with a bright future ahead of them, drafting legislative change that will have a profound impact on the landscape of legal proceedings when it comes to art in court. It’s exciting, and an opportunity for us to see how we can further support the team in their next steps. Watch this space!
