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ROBERT BRUNNER
EP.87
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Robert Brunner
Why is mediocrity such an enemy to your success?
In Episode #87, Ross is joined by Robert Brunner, Founder and Creative Director at Ammunition
Robert is the former Industrial Design Director at Apple and current Lead Designer for Beats by Dre. He’s a globally acclaimed product designer with over 40 years of experience. Robert built the pioneering internal corporate design organisation at Apple, and was a partner at the prestigious design consultancy, Pentagram. Under his leadership, his current studio, Ammunition, has developed iconic products for Beats, Lyft, Square, Polaroid, and numerous start-up enterprises.
Ross and Robert discuss the four elements of “making great”, the benefits of not accepting mediocrity, how micro-compromises build mediocrity, and being clear on why what you are designing is worth being designed.
Highlights
Brands are not things. They aren't the artifacts. They aren't your identity. They aren’t your packaging system. They aren't your environment. They aren't your product. They aren't any of that. Brands are a gut feeling you have about something. And when two people have the same feeling, you have a brand. And that's something that you can't really force. You can't make people feel something. You can only influence it. - Robert
And one of the biggest challenges in product design and delivery is “death of a thousand cuts”. When you're moving something through this process and you make all these micro-compromises along the way, they add up and eventually you end up with something which is not at all what you intended to have. Because of constraints. Because of timing. Because of money. Because of all these very important things. But you're constantly pulling back to be able to be safe. You end up with mediocrity. So that's why we say, “I know you don't get it. I know this is some extra time, some extra sweat, but all this stuff adds up.” - Robert
Well, if you ask people what they like or what they want, their framework is very much today and backwards, as opposed to looking out ahead and anticipating anything. And generally, people aren't good at articulating that. They're better at articulating what they don't like. What we like to do is put things in front of people and see what happens. Can they turn it on? Can they understand it? How do they react to it? What does it make them feel? - Robert
One of the things I rail on about a lot is this idea of mediocrity. It's this notion that good enough is a badge of honor and that avoiding failure is the same as succeeding. And that's a lie. It's something that can just completely derail something really great when people fall into this trap of good enough and “I'm fine with fine”. - Robert
When a product is really at its best is when it becomes this portal or window into this broader world, that allows you access and gives you these positive feelings. For me, that’s one of the more fascinating things about the work. - Robert
And it's actually one of the reasons I get asked a lot about what the impact of AI is on design. A belief that design will always be a decidedly human pursuit because people are seeking out those human connections in the things that they acquire. And you can tell when it's not there. - Robert
More about Robert Brunner
Robert, Founder and Creative Director at Ammunition, is the former Industrial Design Director at Apple and current Lead Designer for Beats by Dre. He’s a globally acclaimed product designer with over 40 years of experience. Robert built the pioneering internal corporate design organisation at Apple, and was a partner at the prestigious design consultancy, Pentagram. Under his leadership, his current studio has developed iconic products for Beats, Lyft, Square, Polaroid, and numerous start-up enterprises. Robert’s work is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco, and he has been named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business”. He is also the co-author of the book “Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company.”
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Show notes
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In this podcast, we explore the idea of brand building by speaking to founders who have built multi-billion dollar brands and experts who think deeply about how to get people to connect with their products, services, or companies. If you’re looking for insight into the best ways to invest in and build your brand or company, this may well be the podcast for you.