DESIGN DISASTER? Motion Designer's Rebrand Quest Sparks Industry Debate: Are They Asking The Right Questions?

A motion graphic designer, now tasked with leading a full company rebrand, is struggling to find the right tools. After five years at the company, they understand the need for a complete rebrand, not just a logo refresh, but this is their first time heading such a project.

The designer's search for "design thinking exercises" to use with their CEO and team, aiming to gather insights and craft a clear brief, has hit a wall. Online resources seem to be locked behind paywalls, subscriptions, or expensive coaching, and the designer is wary of relying on AI for such a nuanced task.

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This predicament has sparked a lively discussion among industry insiders. One camp firmly asserts that the designer is conflating distinct disciplines. As one person said, "UX ≠ branding. Design thinking ≠ brand design." They argue that while there's overlap, and good user experience contributes to a positive brand impression, design thinking and UX are much broader concepts.

What the designer is truly looking for, according to this view, is "brand identity design," which encompasses graphic design, tone, and voice. This is a specialized subset, not the overarching framework of design thinking.

Another commenter in this camp emphasized the process of creating the brand mark itself. "The strategy work benefits from collaboration with the business owner, but the mark itself doesn't," one person argued. They suggested that while owner perspective is crucial for direction and validation, the actual creative exploration of the mark is best done alone to maintain efficiency.

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However, a counter-camp acknowledges the distinctions but champions the adaptability of design thinking. "UX and design thinking are different than branding and visual ID," one person agreed, but quickly added, "Having said that, design thinking is a framework for problem solving and not specific to UX so you could use it for branding."

This perspective highlights that the core tenets of design thinking—understanding the problem, empathizing with users, and generating numerous ideas—are entirely valid for a branding approach. Some suggest that certain workshop techniques used in UX and product development could be adapted for scoping a branding project, though they caution that a seasoned professional should guide such an effort.

Ultimately, the designer's quest for the right methodology has revealed a crucial debate within the design community about the precise definitions and applications of these powerful frameworks. Our hosts on Bad Blueprint dig into this exact dilemma.