Have you ever been so sure you understood what someone was asking for that you stopped asking questions? I’ve been in the creative industry for a decade with significant experience, and it’s always an elementary mistake to assume you know everything. You know what someone is going to ask for, what someone might want, what will be best received; while that might be true in a sense, it couldn’t be further from it in other (very common) cases.
We have been #blessed enough to get to work with NotCo on their nationwide tour with a beautiful truck that immediately makes you thirsty. Thirsty in a hungry kind of way, we mean. The final truck design is simple, extremely brand-correct, and bright. It’s honestly an excellent representation of the NotCo brand. As fantastic as the design may be, it took several passes to get it to that point. The primary reason was that I genuinely assumed I knew what NotCo wanted. Spoiler alert: I didn’t.
Let’s dive into this design roast, shall we?
Pass #1 – Powered by Plants
Easily my favorite, I ran with the idea of having an “Instagram-able moment,” a phrase uttered by the NotCo team during our first elementary call with the NotCo team. On the call, we found out that the star of NotCo is a milk product made from only plants. My idea included plants cascading onto the top and sides of the truck from a large-scale, fabricated milk carton.
“Why not utilize vegetables in the truck design, the primary ingredient of NotCo?” my co-worker asked.
“It’s not as pretty and might make people think the milk tastes like vegetables and fruit (it doesn’t).” – Me. And I must say, I made an excellent point.
However, this didn’t capture the essence of NotCo as they wanted an experience that felt more connected to their overall brand and leaned less into an independent moment. Ok, cool, let’s try again, she says, through tears.
Pass #2 – “It is a gift…”
NotCo’s team wanted a truck design that would grab the attention of people in all directions. My answer? Cue Portlandia: Put a (bird) bow on it. Though I didn’t consider this an official option, I designed it to gauge the overall direction of the activation vibe because, at that point, I still felt a little off my game.
Admittedly, this one was a bit of a long shot, but it was technically within their brand standards, just not right. But seriously, when was the last time you saw a pink food truck? Let alone one with a comically gigantic bow on it?
Still, I agreed with them when they gave it a kind but stern, no.
Pass #3 – Stampede!
For my third pass at the NotCo truck, I stuck with a white truck, added their colors to the brand badges, and sprinkled them throughout the sides. Sprinkled is a bit of an understatement; I more so slathered the badges onto the NotCo chariot. I wanted the NotCo colors to shine through because they have a fabulous color palette of exciting colors. We added in a self-serve smoothie machine with that extra touch of color found swirling inside.
I found this design to be fun and quirky while still within their brand standards. The quote “I don’t need no stinking badges” could not have been further from the truth for this iteration.
Though this was cute and interesting, it didn’t fit in well with the overall launch campaign. I’ll be honest; I saw it coming, so I set my sights on adding more pizazz and sparkle by genuinely leaning into the NotCo campaign strategy.
Pass #3 – Smoke machine elegance
This truck couldn’t have been more in line with NotCo’s previous campaigns. After pen tool-ing the advertisement image to oblivion (oof) and setting it to a bright yellow backdrop, I found it to be the epitome of eye-catching. And you know what, reader? That day, she rested.
My concept included:
- A bright yellow truck.
- Their campaign graphics.
- A literal personification of the “mind blown” marketing language using a smoke machine.
I was so sure I nailed it that I began to take inventory of how to improve the next time around to deliver something on-point more quickly. However, my moments of introspection were short when NotCo notified our team that a new campaign was replacing the old, rendering my concept old news. Oh, to be a flexible, creative human being!
At this point, I needed some profound guidance. I teamed up with the NotCo design team, who were all dreams to work with, to develop a cohesive design for our exciting campaign. We made sure everything we created met all of their top priority wants and needs. It also matched their foundational brand and new marketing language seamlessly. The photo you see below is the final version! What a saga, am I right?
Through this experience, I certainly walked away with a critical new perspective. Even with extensive experience under my belt, I have to remind myself never to stop learning and growing as a creative strategist. Having a good idea for a brand doesn’t necessarily make it the right idea; what makes it right is accomplishing the client’s goal. I must always ask the most precise questions to understand those goals best, even if I think I know. Because sometimes (this is going to hurt to admit), I don’t. Hopefully, this hard lesson rings true to other creative types out there who need a swift kick to the ego to remember their mission. Happy creating!
