What's The Big Idea?
The Big Idea is the words that inspire each way you express yourself from handshakes to hero shots.
“Like a person, organizations are compelled by their unique identities and callings—that’s Big Idea territory.”
One to six words that drive everything. That’s the Big Idea.
It tells who you are and shows the good you offer to people. It brings your team together and invites others in. Big Ideas are simple yet lofty. They bring clarity to the complex. They need to be understood immediately and easily shared. Like a person, organizations are compelled by their unique identities and callings—that’s Big Idea territory.
Sometimes the words are used outside your organization, like “Think Different” (Apple) or “Just Do It” (Nike). More often they’re used within your organization, but the words always inspire each way you express yourself to your desired audience, from handshakes to hero shots.
It’s in the overlap of the butterfly diagram that the Big Idea reveals itself.
How do you craft your Big Idea? Trischler Design Co. uncovers Big Ideas during the Discovery Phase of our Mindful Design Process. We gather a ton of firsthand information through team workshops, one-on-one interviews, and other forms of research. Afterward, we take a ten-thousand-foot view of all of the voices, images, and findings to observe patterns. We use helpful exercises to make a Big Idea easier to uncover, including the butterfly diagram, which we borrow from Wolf Ollins. The exercise first asks “What’s wrong with your world?” Meaning, what’s broken in your industry or field? The second question is, “What’s special about you?” Meaning, what unique gifts or talents does your organization possess? Or, what gets you up in the morning? Or, what do you have that your competition would kill to have? It’s in the overlap of these two circles in the diagram that the Big Idea reveals itself.
Here are a few examples of Big Ideas, including our own, that we’ve uncovered with our clients over the last nine years:
We’re All Hippos
Indigo Hippo is an art supply thrift store believes many of us have challenges getting through life. We all have things about us that make us awkward and beautiful—like hippos.
Unexpected Combinations
In everything—food, drinks, and art—Branch is a restaurant that strives to create unexpected combinations for patrons.
Build Beyond
More than developed land or a custom home, Scroggins builds beyond.
Visionaries Need A Space To Be
Natasha Wallis designs spaces of rest for people who are changing the world.
Multi-Tool For Literacy
Literacy is much more than reading and writing, and so is the Chattanooga Public Library.
Mindful Branding
At Trischler Design Co., we’re driven by your Big Idea. We bring mindfulness of your Big Idea to every decision, every word, every design, every part of the process.
Want to uncover your Big Idea? We’d love to help.
Find out more about how a Brand Strategy Workshop can help.
And here are some additional ways to learn how to uncover your Big Idea on your own:
Read “The Big Idea” written by Robert Jones.
Read Branding in Five and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson.
Take the free “Secret Power of Brands” course by Robert Jones on FutureLearn.