Date
Words
Poppy ThaxterOn brand copy, community, and the craft of writing: an in-depth dive into Between The Lines
Responding to the often-overlooked voice of brand language in the glitzy, aesthetic-led world of brand identities, Between The Lines is a publication by the verbal branding studio, Opening Line. It’s a comprehensive exploration into the realm of brand language, with a mission to illuminate this critical field, underscoring the joy and endless potential of words in the creative journey. Adorned with a strikingly vibrant neon green cover, the pilot issue, created in collaboration with design studio Extract, showcases insights from industry luminaries – Seun Areoye, Ayo Fagbemi, Zuki Sedgley, Ashley Johnson and more. They delve into a variety of topics, from brand guidelines and the role of writing in the AI era, to the intersecting worlds of language in branding and advertising. For a behind-the-scenes look at the ideation, evolution, triumphs, and challenges of this highly-praised publication, we had a chat with Opening Line’s Zosia Swidlicka and Extract’s Chris Vickers.
Chapter 1: Between The Lines
PT Hi Zosia and Chris! Now the dust has settled a bit, how would you say the launch went? How does it feel to see your (and your collaborators’) neon-green bundle of words and ideas out in the world?
ZS It’s been a big, mad whirlwind since the launch. And totally beyond my wildest dreams – it’s amazing to see the reaction. Someone called it ‘a little pocket mentor’ on LinkedIn a few days ago. That’s proper praise there.
PT Why did you go for this format and not a fully fledged book or website? What guided the decisions behind its physicality?
ZS Originally, it was going to be nothing more than a LinkedIn post, and then I realised it deserved a much more considered treatment that wouldn’t just get swept up in the feed and be relevant for about a minute and then, fall off people’s radars. I’d always wanted to write a book (which writer doesn’t?!) and the more I was sitting with these ideas and information, it just felt like a weighty enough topic to get my teeth into.
The design was happening in parallel with the writing process, so the format ended up naturally being a bit more ‘magazine-y’ in the way that the contents were treated. It’s funny, because in hindsight, it feels like a very intentional format. I wanted the text to be as inviting and visually enticing as possible, so breaking it up into snackable chunks and presenting the information in different formats made more sense than printing reams of text and dense paragraphs.
CV The way we approach any kind of work, but in particular editorial, is to let the content do the talking. So that was always in mind when we were thinking about the size and format of this.
For references, we looked at books and guides on ‘how to write good copy,’ ‘what brand language is,’ among other topics. These kinds of publications often adopt a pocket-sized format for a quick read – something you can refer to when you have spare moments. We didn’t want this to be just another one of those, but there are some elements we borrowed, such as keeping it pocket-sized (if you have relatively large pockets!). We also wanted it to be substantial enough so it didn’t feel lightweight. Going with a larger format would have spread the content very thin.
PT One thing that struck me when I started reading it was the layout – particularly the editor’s letter at the start. You really play with the positioning of the letters on the page to guide your eye. How did that idea come about?
ZS This was originally inspired by the experience of swiping through content – that is the way that a lot of us tend to read nowadays. So we wanted the editor’s letter to be an interactive, collaborative experience, maximising the fact that it is a physical object to touch and hold. It was important to be able to set that intention from the beginning.
CV The editor’s letter was really important in setting the foundations for this publication, and therefore it was crucial to encourage the reader to engage with it.
If we had set it as a page or two of condensed copy, there is a heightened risk of it being skimmed over, or skipped entirely. As it is very deliberate in its layout, and is set over multiple pages, it almost forces the reader to interact with it more, and therefore read it.
The other important aspect is that it provides a different pace to the publication too, and acts as a gentle lead-in before you get hit with big punchy pull quotes, oversized statements and more of the neon green to turn up the volume even more.
Olga’s work completely stood out as something really unexpected.
PT I’d love to know more about this green! How did you land on this colour?
CV While it wasn’t part of the initial brief nor early stages of the project, it was rooted in the idea of being impactful and standing apart from other things on the shelf. We’re not working with sections of wonderful photography that the eyes can feast upon, so we wanted the type, the design and the colour to really ramp things up!
PT Likewise with Olga Prader’s brilliant illustrations! How did she become involved in the project?
ZS Olga’s work completely stood out as really unexpected. She did more than just respond to the content that had already been written, she elevated it even further.
CV In our experience, illustrators fall into two categories. The first, whom you would have to guide very tightly, and they’ll give you a very good response to what you’ve asked for. Meanwhile, others come from a more concept-led side of things and can take something that might be quite plain or hard to illustrate or photograph into another realm.
The outcomes of some of the illustrations weren’t things that we were very prescriptive about. We’d draw out some of the topics from the interviews and those alone acted as a brief for Olga to run with. We asked her to stay away from cliches too as we didn’t want to go with the typical tools and instruments related to writing.
ZS Spectacles, pencils and mugs of coffee – classics.
CV Yeah, so going with the hands and eyes felt right. Once you get into the meat of the publication, they all make sense. Then you see the little cues that they’re pulling from. I couldn’t speak highly enough of Olga and her work.
Chapter 2: Brand Language
The theme at the heart of Between The Lines, brand language, feels like it only receives a fraction of the attention that it deserves. Why does brand language often go under the radar in discussions on brand identities? Most of these conversations focus on design or even strategies, which are now getting more spotlight than before.
It’s about being a good writer, which requires a mix of critical thinking and an outsider’s perspective.
PT Why do you think writing gets overlooked?
ZS How much time do we have? I could speak about this for hours. There are so many reasons, and it’s not always as black and white as it seems. Firstly, there is a bias towards visuals in the design industry. We often hear the concept of “we live in a visual world,” so pictures are always going to be what people are drawn to. Of course, if the words aren’t presented in an effective way, then people are not going to resonate with them as much. That said, what drives me crazy is the saying “a picture says a thousand words.” Of course, this is true in many cases, but the problem is that when every brand and every identity follows that logic, you just end up with loads of beautiful brands, but no one is saying anything. They all look the same and there’s no deeper meaning or weight to any of it – the nuance gets lost. Good writing can cut through that noise and bring depth to the brand which is what’s lacking today.
Another issue has arisen with ChatGPT – the idea that “we don’t need to hire a brand strategist or copywriter, we can write it ourselves, or just use AI to fill in the words.” That makes it even harder for writers and strategists to prove our worth. So it’s about asking “What’s our point of view? How can we say it in a way that’s really distinctive? What is the strategic advantage that we can bring?” And in a way that is going to cut through the generic fluff that AI is trained on and generates, because it’s only going to say what everyone else is already saying. If you want to stand out, AI-generated ideas won’t cut it. Defining your point of view is a very important, very human process.
As with good design, good copywriting requires a mix of critical thinking and an outsider’s perspective, understanding how to define a tone of voice and then how to flex it, use it, and really bring it to life.
Ultimately, it’s about the storyteller’s ability to put it all together. Especially when you’re trying to scale or move your brand from point A to point B – bringing in some external help really does make a difference.
PT How do you propose the industry needs to shake things up?
ZS First, hire writers. Second, put them in a room with strategists, designers, creatives, coders, and most importantly, clients. I think it would be great if studios considered how to fit writing into their process if it isn’t already, or how they can move away from seeing copy as just one page in the brand guidelines to something that is genuinely embedded into the identity from start to finish.
And then on the client side… Ultimately, the tone of voice has to be implemented and done so correctly. There are many different challenges when it comes to communications on the client side; challenges that branding agencies typically do not get involved with. They might help with building a website, launching a new brand, or directing a campaign, but when it comes to verbal identity, we stick around to help with things like training internal teams to use it properly, and be super clear and confident in implementing the identity going forward. And that’s everyone who works on behalf of the brand, not just the brand and marketing teams; it’s customer service, finance, stakeholders, and everyone across the board.
PT One thing that Between The Lines highlights is just how wonderfully diverse writers’ backgrounds can be. Your contributors all have such rich and exciting stories behind them! How did you approach getting these four brilliant people together? Did you want to showcase this diversity?
ZS 100%, given the branding and copywriting industries’ poor track record with regard to racial and gender equality, that was really important to me. I knew I wanted a mix of perspectives. I looked to people who wouldn’t necessarily all agree, as they’re coming at brand language from lots of different angles. From those working in the initial strategic phases, to those whose work is more related to advertising, which comes later down the line. Together they show that whole journey from start to finish, seeing brand language as this holistic system. It isn’t just relegated to one page in the guidelines, but it’s actually a living, breathing, complex code that (our part of) the world revolves around.
PT Could you tell me about the Four C’s that signpost the issue?
ZS They are the four pillars – clarity, character, community and continuity – that we use as a benchmark at Opening Line to judge whether we’re doing our jobs right. Ideally, the best brand language hits all four of these notes. In going through the interviews, it felt like a natural way to structure the book as coincidentally they all lined up pretty perfectly, and it’s always great to find some accidental alliteration.
Chapter 3: Pros and Cons
Looking back at the project in its entirety, from ideas taking root to celebrating the launch, how do Swidlicka and Vickers feel about how everything panned out? What were the hurdles that they overcame? And what saved the day? Thankfully, the hard part is over, so it’s time to reminisce, reflect, and rest!
We really took the time to understand each other before we embarked on this process.
PT What was with your favourite part of bringing this publication to life?
CV It was the collaborative nature of it. Often, we have briefs where clients have a very set idea of what they want. As we mentioned, this wasn’t initially going to be a book or publication at all. It was an opportunity to talk through and make something, have a bit of freedom to explore what’s possible with it, and let it naturally take form. I think that only happens with clients with whom you have a mutual understanding of what each of you are bringing to the table. It’s not something you always get, so for me, that just made it a very enjoyable project.
ZS It wouldn’t have been possible without that collaborative element and Extract being so open to random things. There were so many half-formed thoughts in my brain, like ‘what if we did this’ or ‘could it be that,’ and they would just be game to explore and dive in.
Within my own practice at Opening Line, I’m used to getting a set of deliverables and then working backwards. With this one, it has been step by step rather than, “right, we’re gonna launch Opening Line’s first publication, and this is what it’s going to be like, and this is what we want to say.” It’s been very organic and I think that’s been a really refreshing, albeit difficult, process to go on.
PT Speaking of difficult, what did you find was the most challenging part of the project?
ZS For me, it has to be the writing! I’m much more accustomed to writing for other people. I find it significantly easier to write someone else’s story rather than baring my own soul. It’s been very introspective. There were definitely a million rounds of edits on the editor’s letter in particular; it took many forms. Getting to that final draft was a marathon for sure.
CV For us, the biggest challenge was not having a preconceived idea of what this is or…this should be. Remaining true to that was a challenge because we got the content in a raw form and in bits and pieces. It would have been quite easy to jump to a conclusion of what this could be and keep pushing that agenda.
Trusting in the process, at times, felt like going into it blind. With the illustration, for example, we weren’t exactly sure whether or not the outcomes would feel right. We were very fortunate that, when working with Olga, we really took the time to understand each other before we embarked on this process. But you have to relinquish control, and I think that’s a very difficult thing to do unless you’ve got the right people around you.
PT You’re honouring the material itself without putting anything into people’s minds before they even read it. You all have done a great job in bringing this to life – even in the little details like the embossing make it into such a lovely experience.
ZS Yes, thank you for picking up on that. The aim from day one has been to do this in a way that doesn’t resemble other quickly-cobbled-together books about copywriting and brand strategy. No shade, they’re great. But the challenge is in creating something that is really a beautiful object that people are going to see, want, read, and actually engage with – because that’s ultimately the entire point. We want to get through to people that these are interesting ideas and we really want to encourage people to see words in a different light.
It’s been great to prove the power of what happens when design and words work together and form a single entity. It’s not like the design stops there and the copy starts here. It was really a united approach. So, it’s great to hear that that’s coming through and yes, Issue Two is definitely on the cards. Before that though, I haven’t actually told Chris yet, but we’re eyeing up a second print run already because this one’s proven so popular we’re almost sold out and…
CV Really?
ZS It’s absolutely mad.
I initially thought, “My God, how are we going to shift all of these copies?” and I’ve been blown away. I think it only proves how important this kind of conversation is. Us words people are desperate for beautifully designed objects, publications, and spaces where we feel seen and heard. So let’s get together and talk about it because the need is there – it’s great to see. As for what’s coming next? Stay tuned.
CV The real challenge that presents itself now is, “how do you build a model that’s sustainable, commercially viable, and can tap into the right audience in the same way that we’ve proved with this issue?” That’s going to be the biggest challenge. I feel like we’ve created a nice problem for ourselves in the fact that we’ve made something so beautiful and tactile and the content is resonating with audiences. It’s not just going to be a rinse and repeat.
PT It’s exciting that you’ve got all these thoughts and an abundance of feedback to marinate in. So to think about moving forward, I hope there’s more to come.
ZS Yeah. There’s an idea that persists with writing that it’s a solitary act… and it’s just really not the case in our industry! Design studios are super collaborative, but when it comes to writing (from my experience of freelancing with agencies) you’re normally the only writer in a room full of designers. And as this is proving, we are collaborative beasts – we like talking to each other! I’m excited to see it’s not just me being an anomaly. It’s actually like an entire community of people who feel the same way. So yeah, that’s just incredible to see and looking forward to building that out even more.
PT Before we wrap things up, were there any questions, comments, or shout-outs that you two wanted to add?
CV We’d like to thank Fedrigoni for really supporting the project and helping with the kind of stocks and event space – that was actually amazing. I’d also give a shout out to The Logical Choice who worked on the print for this. When it came to the printing and final finishes, we didn’t want it to feel cobbled-together. A spiral-bound publication is typically something you do at home or in an office environment, like binding documents and other stationery items. There was a fine balance to strike, with it feeling elevated and having all of the other finishes and little details working hard. The fact that it was done so well, the size of it, and how it functions, is a credit to the conversations and collaborations we’ve had with print and paper. So, that was also a very important part of the jigsaw.
ZS I have a fun fact for you! Extract and I had previously worked together. The first time was when I worked on Extract’s name (formerly known as She Was Only) as it was their 10th anniversary in business, and they felt that it was time for a repositioning and renaming. So, I had the pleasure of coming up with the new name, and then, around the time we wrapped up that project, I was in the early stages of conceiving Opening Line. Extract then worked on the brand identity. So we both worked on each other’s branding! We’ve had that previous experience of knowing each other’s processes from opposite sides of the table, so it’s quite nice that it’s culminated in this collaboration.
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