The Möbius loop

The most notorious shape of them all, in my opinion, is the Möbius loop. It was discovered independently by the German mathematicians August Ferdinand Möbius and Johann Benedict Listing in 1858. It’s very simple to make: get a strip of paper, give it a half twist and glue the edges, and you end up with a Möbius loop.

I’m not a mathematician by any stretch of the imagination so I can merely talk from a designer’s stance.
What’s fascinating about it from a topological point of view is that starting from a 2D shape with 2 sides and 4 edges; we ended up with a 3D shape with 1 side and 1 edge. That means that if you make the loop big enough to walk on, you can travel on both sides without crossing an edge, just by going one dimension higher.
This opens a whole range of possibilities when it comes to products and spaces. We can change the way we move through and interact with spaces, explore new properties of materials, change the way we use certain objects, improve fabrication processes and the list goes on – all thanks to a half twist.

Going back to the paper Möbius, if you try to cut along its surface in different ways, you’ll get an amazing array of counter-intuitive results but what I’m mostly interested in talking about is what happens when you try to glue 2 Möbius loops along their edges. It turns out that you can’t, because the resulting shape can only exist in 4D, a dimension incomprehensible and inaccessible to us living in 3D. The closest we can get is by creating what is called a Klein bottle, discovered by Felix Klein in 1882.
A Klein bottle is formed by joining two sides of a sheet to form a cylinder, then looping the ends of a cylinder back through itself in such a way that the inside and outside of the cylinder are joined – a picture here is worth a thousand words.

If you cut a Klein bottle in half, you would end up with two identical Möbius loops, thus giving a topological proof that a Klein bottle is conceived of said shapes. So haven’t we said that it can only exist in 4D? Indeed. If the Klein bottle was in 4D we wouldn’t have that annoying intersection where the ‘neck’ of the bottle passes through the bulging part thus creating an object with 1 surface and 0 edges.

So what are we seeing then?

Let us use an example. If we take the average cube and cast a light on it directly from above, we’ll get a square-shaped shadow. Therefore, we can say that a 3D object casts a 2D shadow. A Klein bottle is nothing more than the 3D shadow of a 4D object (mind blown).
This can be proven further by drawing a diagram of a Möbius loop on a piece of paper. We’ll get intersection when producing the 2D diagram but we know very well that in reality the Möbius loop has no intersections.

The morale of the story is that there is so much that can be exploited in the design field just by experimentation and some good intuition. We can create fantastic products and spaces by stepping outside our comfort zone and experiment with things which we don’t necessarily understand. Following the principles of good design with the right amount of ‘just wing it’ I believe we can radically change the way we think, perceive and design.

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Then it’s my turn

Everyone here knows that I have an incredible ability to babble for hours, head off on unlikely tangents, and in general tire people to within inches of hitting me. Add a subject that I’m interested in enough to present and you’ve added the final pinch of tragedy to the recipe for boredom.
I’ve lately taken an interest in photography and thought I’d pick that as a subject. I say lately because I’ve wielded a camera for a couple of years now but didn’t take any pictures of anything interesting. I just snapped the world around me to make up for my appalling memory.
Then I met some awesome people who pointed out that there was a hell of a lot I was missing and it took me down a rabbithole. Herein lies the problem. If I start ranting about this with my colleagues I’d wind up trying to cram everything I’ve learned into the session. And cleaning up after someone’s tried to chew their own arm off is a bother.
So I used photography as a framework to tell them about my personal journey, using photos as a system for pictorial milestones.

It started with me filling a hard drive with photos of pretty sunrises and lakes and such like. That led me to believing that buying a better camera would help me take better pictures so I started accumulating expensive lenses. This was a rather circular path to nowhere.

Then, thanks to a darling cousin of mine, I was led to a course on black and white film photography. I wasn’t prepared for how dramatically it could change my perspective. What started off as my trying to comprehend the benefit of film over digital, a totally pointless quest, led me to realise that I should be attempting to tell a story via a picture.

So I took up film photography as a discipline really, a means that would simultaneously slow me down and increase my involvement with the craft. The more I learned about how to use the camera, the less I needed to worry about it and the more I could focus, in both senses, on the world around me.

And that’s where I am now, hoping to learn enough about photography to completely forget about it. Because then, I suspect, I’ll be able to start looking for a story that’s worth telling.
— Editor’s note: Ed won’t admit to any of this, but what he calls a tragic recipe for boredom had every one of us bumbling fidgeters glued to the screen. Debates and discussions carried on well into the evening, until we finally agreed that this was not a discussion to restrict to 2 hours. Next thing we know, we’ve set weekly calendar events for photography sessions at the office. Those of us who know nothing about cameras will soon learn a little more about how to capture stories from those who’ve learnt a thing or two through experience. As a complete noob myself, I can’t wait to dig in. We’ll keep you posted! ~ teri

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Enter our latest blog series

Every week, we’ll have a quick round-up of what went on the week before – starting with last Friday and Andrea’s game of Drawception.

The concept is pretty simple, especially if you ever played Chinese Whispers as a kid. Everyone’s given one long sheet of plain paper, a pencil, and a task: you must think of any sentence or phrase and write it at the top of the paper.

At this point everyone’s brain will, of course, blank

Once you’re functioning again and everyone’s written their sentence, you then pass on your sheet to the person on your left. This person reads your phrase and must attempt to draw an interpretation of the phrase. The key work here being “attempt” – please keep in mind that, while we do have a team of hugely talented designers at Switch, the vast majority of us can’t draw a stick man to save our lives.

When you’re done drawing, you fold back the sentence at the top of the paper to hide it from view before passing the sheet over to the person on your left. This person must then interpret the drawing to write out a sentence underneath, before folding the drawing back and out of sight.

This keeps going until everyone gets their sheet back – although most of the time, you wouldn’t recognise it from the end result…

Nice one, Andrea. Ending the week with hysterical laughter is always a good idea.
Until next Friday, folks.

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Structured

If you’re organised, logical, analytical, ruthlessly efficient, or numbers oriented, then maybe this is the category that works best for you. Structured individuals usually make great executives, researchers, account managers and business developers.
These are the guys who turn data into information and studio briefs that will then be interpreted by their creative counterparts in order to come up with something magical.
As you can see, creativity isn’t this category’s forte; however the structured individuals are the ones who find ways to make the great ideas happen.

Chaotic

Then there’s the other side: the chaotic, the artistic and the somewhat crazy. If you are artistic, have some technical skills, can constantly think outside the box and push the boundaries a little bit, then maybe this category might have a role for you.
The creative department is made up of artists from all different types of disciplines. It’s here where the exciting magic happens, where the big ideas emerge from – usually a lot crazier than what you end up seeing in that final artwork.

Hybrids

Modern marketing operations have pushed towards a more integrated approach in almost every aspect. Be it the media mix, product mix or a project team working on an exciting campaign, the need for differentiated talents and benefits are always sought out in order to have a successful formula that achieves whatever the goal is.
This need for a differentiated talent mix has led some resourceful marketers to evolve into a more hybrid kind of role within the industry. Not necessarily a Jack-of-all-trades, but definitely less specialised in any one particular area. Their true strength is adaptability and the ability to communicate effectively with different kind of people.
Sometimes these individuals are dismissed, as their wow factor isn’t based on a skill level that is hard to reach by most, but rather, multiple skills at a slightly lower level.
These are the individuals who have operational procedures, different ones for each project as they creatively optimise the list every time. These same individuals are the ones who contribute realistic creative ideas that push the boundaries slightly. These are the people who adopt a structured way of thinking, but never stick to the same structure.
So tell us, which one do you fall under? 🙂

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Work on side projects

These projects do not necessarily need to be paid jobs. Being your own client can be more creatively gratifying than working for a client, and can help to develop your own personal style.

Identify your comfort zones and avoid them

It is very easy to gravitate back toward your comfort zone but hey, let’s face it, it feels great to progress creatively, and being productive is also hugely gratifying. Therefore identify what should be considered a comfort zone and make a conscious decision to choose the other route.

Challenge yourself

If you’re done and it was too easy, it’s probably not as good as it can be.
So do it again and make sure it’s more of a challenge to complete this time round.
Comfort zones are part of life, they are not indigenous to creatives, they stem onto life decisions and can potentially be the single most cause of never fulfilling your full potential.

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What makes an ad campaign successful?

It’s the beautiful marriage of many hours of research, paired with genius design, which leaves us so gob-smacked. A great campaign does not just come out of nowhere. It’s not pure luck. There is a lot of background work involved to make it seem so seamless and easy. There are years of experience, and an all-star team pushing the envelope with cutting- edge ideas.
Daniel Pink talks about the difference between the two hemispheres in our brain. Creatives are said to be more intuitive and holistic, thus using the right hemisphere of the brain far more, whilst the left is said to be the logical, analytical and sequential side, used more by strategic planners.

But what if we had to use both?

What if we had to become that rare percentage of human beings that uses both right and left equally?

So here comes the whole point of this blog post: How can being creative bridge the gap between strategy and design? If you’re creative, you already have that bit extra that is so sought after. You see things that others don’t, and you have the ability to communicate visually through whatever medium you feel comfortable with. Creatives are usually the backbone of the work.
We then have the strategic thinkers, the brains behind great campaigns. These creatures are the logical beings, perhaps those who feel more comfortable expressing themselves with square-based diagrams and pages upon pages of scribbly writing. But, don’t be fooled, these analytical minds are geniuses at what they do.
A couple of years ago, I was lucky to meet someone who had the capability of using both logic and creativity when thinking and expressing herself. With her background in fine arts and a love of mathematics, I always remained in awe when listening to her rationalise. It’s amazing how much you can learn from a person just by trying to understand the way they think. We were both reading for our Master’s degree together, and that year I learnt to really get out of my comfort zone and own that feeling of the unknown.
That is when I was introduced to strategic thinking within brand management. For the first time in many years, logic and rationality were the foundations of my research, whereas design played a superficial role in the final aspects of a project.
What I discovered is that creativity and logic do not have to be two separate entities. You can approach a problem by thinking in a creative manner. You may think that this sounds quite obvious, but you’ll be surprised to find that the few creative people who explore different ways of thinking are actually those capable of making this look easy. We are already gifted with a unique way of seeing the world; by applying strict rationality to the overall development process, I believe we are able to achieve outstanding results. After all, it all falls under the same industry, you are merely opening your eyes (and brain) to a world that’s bigger than just design. Just imagine, a design brief that has been tailored by you.

So that’s it folks. When you next come across one of those amazing ads, perhaps look at it in a way that you wouldn’t normally. Instead of focusing on its beauty, open your eyes to the reaction of the people watching it, and try to imagine the thought behind the emotional engagement created that makes that ad so powerful. You could very well achieve the same response through your work just by getting out of your comfort zone… and who knows, there will be a day when other fellow creatives will come to you to pick your brain.

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The big idea (or is it?)

From Google searches, and Behance portfolios, to a whole source of other content rich libraries, we are drawn to research, absorb and be inspired. And in most cases, a few external sources of inspiration mingled in with some raw talent proves successful in striking that eureka moment. Whether graphic or written, hopefully by the end of our exploratory process we’ve arrived at the the big idea, or some meaningful solution to answer our client’s brief.
Truth be told, you might have come up with the holy grail of big ideas, which answers all your client’s needs, only to regretfully have it suffocated by the medium/platform it features within. In a world of mobile devices, social networks, media sharing and the occasional print campaign, how often do we truly consider the application of our newly formed big idea? Is our graphic suited for the medium? Where will it appear? Is the copy communicating (clearly speaking) with its intended recipient? Have we even chosen the right media channel?
In order to avoid this sort of ‘creative death’, it’s critical that creatives, media planners, strategists and all other parties work in constant collaboration. Like a well oiled machine, if all the parts are in sync, you’re probably more likely to communicate your idea effectively and consistently at every touchpoint, to ultimately receive your desired consumer response (and those all empowering Facebook likes) rather than have your ideas fade away.

Think broader, rather than bigger

It’s great and inspiring to see creative, powerful, emotional or thought provoking ideas coming to shape, but not all ideas or creative concepts need be ‘big’. Simpler ideas can and have made just as big a splash.
With social media ‘shares’, ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ defining which brands are relevant in recent years, maybe it’s time we adapt our thinking to focus on developing broader ideas, rather than bigger ones. Perhaps ideas/concepts that generate more targeted content, spread over a wider spectrum of media disciplines. And just like a snowball, the more snow you add to it (or content in this case), the broader your idea may get. Once fed and nudged in the right direction, your idea just might turn into a media avalanche, and in our industry avalanches are good.

Target your audience

As a father of a few digital natives, I experience how even small ideas can make for big impact on a daily basis. My children for instance (aged 4 & 8), probably don’t comprehend big conceptual branded messages, and hence tap in to online content they’re comfortable with. They’re constantly watching other young girls on YouTube, simply sitting in front of a GoPro unboxing a few branded child-play items, which in turn garner them tens of millions of hits.
Simple idea right, simple execution too… Yet they’ve figured out where their target demographic lies, and they’re capitalising on this insight. It’s a horrible truth, but ask yourself, how may hits is your content/brand collecting? Is it reaching it’s perceived targets? Or falling short of being a big hit…
Getting the media mix right will prove a huge asset for any brand, especially when we consider the vastness of the media outlets available. Most of which allow us to generate and direct cost effective tailor made messages specific to targeted demographics. And what’s best is that the implementation of our message into the public domain is instant, and so too is feedback, allowing for immediate evaluation and customer interaction.

Bite size, big ideas

I’m not one to promise miracles, but hopefully, this new mindset will mean less head scratching in the future, and more time constructively discussing, evolving and broadening your ideas. And as the heading suggests, why not take the next available opportunity to break your big ideas into smaller digestible ones. Consider your targeted demographic and all media platforms at hand, from social posts, video feeds, direct mailings to dedicated landing pages, the possibilities (consumer touch-points) are endless. Giving your ideas more chance to flourish.
Illustrations by an up & coming designer – Brendon’s very own daughter, Nicole. (Age 8)

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Ever since we saw Google employees getting to their canteen by jumping into a big red tube or getting to the floor below by sliding down a fireman’s pole we’ve thought that office 2.0 is the bee’s knees. I challenge any of you to see the early office scene in the Matrix and not be depressed by the never ending grey cubicles and stark, white lighting. Ok, so I’ve tackled two extremes, but still, many offices still look and feel like that dreaded pre-Matrix cubicle Neo’s struggling to escape from.

But are dress-up days and office holidays conducive towards a more productive office with better, more valuable outcome?

Office space personalisation is also spread across a vast spectrum. At the one end you have an office with barely more than a framed photo of one’s spouse. At the other you have completely unique and different workspaces designed by the individual employees to make them feel more at home. You do, after all, spend more time in your office than you do in your home (awake). If the office architecture and policy allows it, employees should be able to indulge in this personalisation. It even helps to improve client relationships when you meet at your desk, by bonding over items that both parties are interested in – ‘I love your mini cactus garden…didn’t know you had green fingers!’
When Steve Jobs designed Pixar HQ, there was only one place you could go use the bathroom – the central atrium. This meant that people from all departments, departments like accounts and design who would never normally mingle, met and interacted with each other on a regular basis. We bridge this gap in other ways, since our office is a far cry in size from the acres that Pixar is spread across. On foodie days, everyone cooks up a specific type of dish for our pot-luck lunch. We stop work early on a Friday for an office brainstorm – all to try and push cross-department interaction as much as possible.

Being a creative agency does mean that we can afford to think and act outside the box, but every company can help improve their employees’ office experience. I once read a quote along the lines of ‘What happens if I train my staff and they leave? Well, what happens if you train your staff and they don’t leave?’ Borrowing a bit from this, making your staff happier and helping get their creative juices flowing by improving their surroundings is also imperative for greater staff retention.
I can’t say whether the way we work improves our outcome or not, all I know is that it feels great to work here. As to the results of our work, why not see for yourself?

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