At the end of 2015, I read Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. So many of my clients were referencing it, I felt I needed to be in the “know” as to what the KonMarie Method was. It was such a good read that I flew threw it and immediately followed up with her Spark Joy (the illustrated version). I’ve been an avid organizer for years so her level of crazy made perfect sense to me! Here is the book’s premise in essence:
Hold each object you own in your hands individually and make a decision- does this item bring joy to your life? Do you enjoy using this item? Does it make you happy? If not, discard it. Thank the item for it’s role during the time you had it, and wish it well on it’s way to a donation spot like GoodWill.
Keep only what brings joy. Find a place for everything. I did this to my entire house beginning with my closet and making my way through every room, cabinet, closet and drawer finishing with the attic. I had purged monthly for the past several years but this time was different- I used the “joy” rule. In the weeks after completion, I realized each room had a sense of peace that wasn’t there previously. Everything felt intentional. Chosen. Balanced. On a chilly walk one evening I realized— this entire outlook has a direct correlation to design. We should make decisions that bring joy for all of the design elements related to a business. I’ve always told clients to follow their “gut” response (their natural first intuition) and this is essential an extension of the same idea:
Does your logo bring a sense of pride?
Does your color palette have good, positive energy?
Do your artwork and graphics bring you joy?
All design elements need a feeling of joy. Intention. Conciseness. Essentiality. Your logo design + branding design elements need to have a feel-good-feeling to serve you well. If you’ve been holding on to design elements that no longer bring you joy, wish them well on their way and thank them for their role and start fresh!
