Would you fly in this airplane?
Would you fly in this airplane? So would I. But why do we care what the airplane interior loooks like - will it get us to our destination faster or safer? By the same reasoning, why would a law firm care about design?
I invite you to download my article on that topic Intelligent Design for Law Firms excerpted from our new Edge International Review Magazine.
Thank you to Jordan Furlong for first publishing the article in the CBA National. Also, thank you to Gizmodo for the post on this aircraft interior.
Supplementary in response to Lorian's comment below:
Lorian, I think you are quite right - design should be in harmony with context. I read about your firm with interest - my mother-in-law is a special education specialist and I commend you on your firm's good work.
Posted In Law Firm DesignComments / Questions (2) | Permalink
Newest Issue of Edge International Review Available as PDF
Comments / Questions (0) | Permalink
A Law Firm is like a Box of Altoids
In the newest issue of Fast Company, an article entitled The Interpreter starts out like this:
Claudia Kotchka is holding the secret to understanding design at Procter & Gamble in her palm. It's not a P&G product but a tin of Altoids, the "curiously strong" mints produced by Wrigley. As the scent of peppermint oil wafts out of the box, she points out the nostalgic typeface, the satisfyingly crinkly liner paper. "Even the little mints look handmade," she says. "It's not completely full. The whole thing is very authentic."
Then comes the twist. "Let's say P&G buys this brand. What are we going to do?" asks Kotchka, P&G's vice president for design innovation and strategy. "[Employees] always gave me the same answers. 'We're gonna cost-save on this tin. We're gonna get rid of this stupid paper -- it's serving no functional purpose.'" She plops the tin on the table and picks up another product, unable to suppress a mischievous smile. "And I go, 'Okay! Exactly! And this is what you get.' "Kotchka reveals "Proctoids," a box made of cheap white plastic from P&G's baby-wipe containers. With uniform beige ovals jammed into the container, fewer colors on the lid, and no paper, Proctoids taste like Altoids, but they look as appealing as a pile of horse pills. Gone is the pleasure people get when they buy Altoids. Gone, too, is the up to 400% premium they pay. "That's what design is," she says of the look and feel. "That's what designers do."
Food for Thought: What Claudia says Proctor & Gamble would do to Altoids is exactly what most law firms do... Good lawyers believe that quality work should speak for itself and therefore be in high demand. But in the real world, people are attracted to the "crinkly liner paper"... the "experience"... In our highly fragmented profession, it's time for some law firms to stand out from the pack by creating an attractive experience that goes along with the high quality work. You've heard of practice management - but do we disciuss "Practice Design"? No, most will laugh off the idea - too new... too unusual... but a few will think about it and do something that creates competitive advantage. So, in your firm, who will you appoint as the Practice Design Manager?
Posted In Law Firm Design , Law Firm InnovationComments / Questions (0) | Permalink