On Wednesdays, we look at artist/designer statements or About pages and discuss the vocabulary they use to describe their work. Today we’ll look at the Behance page of Olssøn Barbieri, a graphic design agency that specializes in brand identity and packaging design.
Here is the text from the About section, in italics.
Olssøn Barbieri is a multi disciplinary design agency specializing in brand identity and packaging design with particular focus on wine/spirits, luxury, fashion, culture and art industries. Founded with the intention of working independently and without compromises in regards to conceptual development and quality of execution, the company evolves by pursuing new standards of design through research and experimentation.
Olssøn Barbieri was founded in 2005 by Henrik Olssøn and Erika Barbieri.
Now my comments:
This About page is interesting, but it’s a little too brief, in my opinion. It starts with an introduction to the agency and what they specialize in. Next, we learn about their goals, and a little about their process. This is all good information, but I’d like a little more detail. For example, they list five areas that they focus on, but those areas cover a really broad range of products. Is there a connection? What inspires their designs? Judging by the way they phrase the second sentence, they wanted to start their own agency to be free from the pressures and limitations of working for a bigger agency. It gives the impression that they weren’t able to spend enough time on designing a good product in the past, and so they started this company to have more control over their process. Since they talk about their agency evolving, it would be nice to learn a little more about the ways it has evolved over time and what makes it unique.
Now, let’s look at the language they use. In the first sentence, they mention brand identity, which means the way a business presents itself to and wants to be seen by its consumers. Brand identity includes the colors, design, logotype, name, and symbols of the brand. We also see the word particular, which means we’re talking about one specific thing – their unique focus on this group of products. In this situation, spirits refer to strong alcoholic drinks, like liquor, instead of beer or wine.
In the second sentence, we see the word founded. Used this way, found means to begin or create something. Usually, a compromise is seen as a good thing, but the phrase without compromises is used a lot in advertising to suggest that the quality is better than the competing brands. For example, sometimes a business might have to compromise by having a lower quality product to save money. The phrase in regards to is a way to be more specific, so they are saying they work independently and without compromises in the areas of conceptual development (developing a concept) and quality of execution (the quality of how they make their products). Evolve is a more impressive way to say something is growing or changing, and a standard is a level of quality or achievement, that is acceptable. So they are saying that their company grows by trying to reach new levels of quality in their designs through researching and experimentation (trying new ways to do something).
It can be difficult to give a lot of good information in a limited amount of space. This is the key to a great About page. A good language coach can help you to choose the best vocabulary to describe your work to give it just the right nuance, without long explanations.
At Artglish, we help artists and designers to write a statement or About page that best describes their work. We focus on choosing the best vocabulary and language to help you share your work with others. If you want to learn more, click here to join The Studio and try some free ways to improve your English, or check out our Lessons page to learn how Artglish can help you succeed.
I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.
To see the Olssøn Barbieri Behance page, click the link below:
https://www.behance.net/olssonbarbieri