When it comes to design, time is often viewed as a foe. The mad dash to deadline is legendary in this industry. We’ve had plenty of those ‘ermagod!’ phone calls, too, where we’ve burned the midnight oil to ensure those 11th hour emergency design needs are met.
So when we bang on about the importance of time at Voice, of how wisely it needs to be used, of how we view it as a friend, not foe, of how much we value it, of how we made the decision to throw away our clocks and flip the bird to time constraints, we’re not talking about being slowpokes in the race to meet last minute deadlines.
No, what we are referring to is how much we value time when it comes to building your business and brand. We believe time is a precious commodity to your business and needs to be spent wisely. You can’t rush a strong identity, a loyal following and a stellar reputation; you need to take the time to build them.
In our case, at Voice, we choose to dedicate our time to working solely with founders, with like-minded people driven relentlessly by their craft or cause. Why? Well as we declared in our ethos, Voice is turning 20 years old next year. We know the next 20 years are going to roar past just as quickly and we want to devote our final blaze of glory to those who believe in the same visions of excellence and principles that we do. And, moreover, form more of those rewarding, long-lasting working relationships that we truly hold dear.
Because we only work with founders, we truly understand founders. We know that there are never, ever enough hours in a day for a business founder. Ever. But the unescapable reality is, if you want truly effective, exceptional design, with longevity and influence, and if you want to develop deeply valuable intellectual property, it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s not going to come from a last-minute rush job, either. It will only come from carving time in your schedule to join us for quality design thinking, for clever strategising, and for creating a rock-solid brand foundation that will inform every bit of your marketing and communications going forward.
If you are concerned that you simply can’t afford this time because most designers will slug you by the hour, fear not. At Voice, we don’t charge by time. In fact, we welcome conversation anytime. We know you cannot possibly get an exceptional result if a designer is subject to time limits and pressures from a boss watching both the clock and the bottom line. That’s why, as founders, we made the decision to throw away our clocks. We want to get this investment right as much as you do and are prepared to do what it takes to make that happen.
All fruitful investments take time, so you’ll need to be patient and stay on track. Be inspired by the journeys of successful brands or businesses you admire or strive to emulate, but always remember most of these brands have been built over decades. Avoid being misled by a random ‘overnight success story’, the reality is these instances are rare as hen’s teeth and often misleading. Mostly, the cold hard truth is that it takes time to build and connect with your market in a meaningful way, and to become a true influencer.
As a fellow founder, we know one thing for sure about you: you are a doer. So let’s do this. We’re ready to spend some time on creating greatness when you are.
