A good strategist can learn a sport in two weeks. Sometimes there’s still something that makes a brand sound a bit off.

I don’t think it’s a talent problem. It’s not bad design. Usually it’s very good design.

I’m sure you already heard this before. It’s taste.

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That isn’t in the research. It’s in the years.

I’ve been around racetracks since I was very young. That’s not a credential in any formal sense, not something I put in the CV.

In OFF SEASON we put a lot of time and effort in the research phase and we always immerse ourselves in the culture for the project, and then, we find ourselves already in it. It’s a language we speak everyday.

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When I look at a running brand I’m reading it as a runner first and a designer second. Those two readings don’t always agree, and when they don’t, the runner is usually right about whether it’ll work.

Motorsport audiences are among the most unforgiving in sport, they know the history, they know the details, and they can spot the difference between a brand with true racing spirit or a brand performing enthusiasm from a very long way away.

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The Takeaway

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If you’re building a brand inside a culture, it’s better to have people who are actually inside the culture. Not “have they worked in the category”. Whether they run, ride, race, play, stand in the crowd.

The research will give you the facts, people like me will tell you which of those facts matter.

Everything else is a very well-designed impression.

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P.S. If you’re a creative director at an agency working on sport or motorsport.
Let’s talk.

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