By Alicia Disantis, Owner

What We Can Learn About Branding from the Art Critics at a World-Famous Museum

"You put THAT in the MOWMAH??" I guffawed to myself as I walked past a woman loudly sharing her distain for the museum collection with her partner (as well as anyone else within earshot). She was beside herself. Outraged. Insulted. Confused.

This was in early March of 2024, when I visited NYC for the very first time, and I was determined to visit the The Museum of Modern Art during the 24 hours I was in the city. I had wanted to visit the MoMA and MET for years but had never made it to New York City for one reason for another. It poured the whole time as I waited in line to get in. I spent all afternoon browsing the museum, sopping wet in a flannel, jeans, and sneakers, physically miserable but mentally inspired.

I was toward the end of my visit, and my jeans were almost dry, when I encountered the woman throwing her arms up at Iran do Espirito Santo's Deposition I, from 2008. She was waif-like, in a black turtleneck, skinny jeans, practical flats, and a jet-black bob. She looked chic, which threw me even more that this ignorant remark was coming from her mouth. She said it loudly enough that she wanted folks to hear her indignancy. She wanted someone to either agree heartily or maybe argue with her. It doesn’t really matter, I suppose.

What can we learn about the encounter?

Not Everyone in Your Company will Agree on Graphic Design, and that’s Normal

Someone upset that a contemporary piece doesn't align with their expectations of "museum" art. What's the famous joke - "I could have made that!" "Well, why didn't you?" Recent business psychology studies have reported that an organization’s marketing department is far more likely to receive pushback from other departments. Many leaders enable an environment of marketing cynicism and mistrust. And the dreaded “marketing by committee” phenomenon exists more often than most would admit, even in thriving businesses.

Graphic Design is Art, and Art is Very Subjective

Every single person experiences art in their own unique way. And it aligns with what I tell my clients: "Not everyone is going to love this logo." Good design is art, and art is the most subjective thing in the world, and some people won't like it. That's ok. If you try to please your entire staff or management team with your brand identity, you'll create something that is boring, diluted, and forgettable. If you research any logo created in contemporary times, there will be outspoken customers who hate it - even for logos that are artistically sound and practical (think X or Kia)

Never Judge a Book by its Cover in the Business World

Based on how this woman looked, I would have expected her to be an art connoisseur. Her mind free of societal norms, versed in the rich nuances of contemporary art in all its symbolism. And I've found this to be true of my clients. Sometimes, the ones you least expect to recognize the value of brand strategy and art theory are the ones that fully support your process. And never underestimate how intelligent and savvy your clients are. They’ll pick up on high-quality design, I promise. This is one of the reason’s I consider Nordstrom Rack’s rebrand a failure. They attempted to dumb it down, ultimately creating a cartoonish, Family Dollar-esque aesthetic that makes even me uncomfortable.