After reading the first few sentences of this article I was immediately interested.

“Where does the best creative work come from? Nobody knows. Most of us know that it doesn’t come from a strict set of rules, structures, and templates. But everybody knows that strong brands are consistent. And consistency comes from strong brand standards. From rules.

And rules are the opposite of creativity.”

At work (NC State) I constantly feel the frustration of staying within the parameters of the University’s brand guidelines. On top of that, I hear the frustration from my group of student employees who are learning to work within a given set of standards. It’s probably good for me- it keeps me in check and helps me to keep a positive attitude about the brand. I have to explain to the students the benefits of a brand and why we follow it. Also, I regularly encourage the students to embrace the brand, to use it as motivation to think differently.

Anyway, this article by Ologie is fantastic. When I can’t articulate how I feel about being creative and following the rules: here it is. All in this article.