EPISODE 15
Learning from art
Is freedom of expression still possible for brands?
In today’s society, we tend to take freedom of expression for granted as an established right. But for brands, and for anyone working in communication more broadly, it is far from a given.
In our work, we help brands express themselves and truly connect with people. And yet, while there may be no formal limits to freedom of communication, in practice it is often constrained by very real inhibitions. Fear of judgement, fear of the market, fear of results — all of these can narrow the space for expression.
Over time, this leads many brands to choose conventional, tried-and-tested forms of language in order to appear “safe” and “correct”. In trying not to get it wrong, brands often forget how to truly speak to people. And the price is high: they lose an authentic connection with their audience. Communication becomes distant, cold, unable to create empathy.
That is why, in our work, we need to return to cultivating freedom of thought. We need the courage to move beyond what is already known and safe, to take risks with new ideas and new forms of expression.
In this sense, contemporary art remains an extraordinary point of reference. It is probably one of the last spaces where freedom of expression can be exercised without compromise, where artists experiment with new languages without the fear of being judged or having to immediately please. Not because judgement does not exist, but because it does not hold control. This attitude should make anyone working in communication and branding stop and think.
I like to remember that many of those who do what I do often come from schools that we once called “applied arts” schools. None of us ever defined ourselves as artists, but we have always had a deep connection with the expressive freedom that art brings with it, even simply as an influence on our profession.
Today, more than ever, communication needs to rediscover this spirit: a space for independent thinking, the courage to question the rules we have created ourselves, and the awareness that excessive caution can suffocate brands more than it protects them.
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15
EPISODE
Learning from art
Is freedom of expression still possible for brands?
In today’s society, we tend to take freedom of expression for granted as an established right. But for brands, and for anyone working in communication more broadly, it is far from a given.
In our work, we help brands express themselves and truly connect with people. And yet, while there may be no formal limits to freedom of communication, in practice it is often constrained by very real inhibitions. Fear of judgement, fear of the market, fear of results — all of these can narrow the space for expression.
Over time, this leads many brands to choose conventional, tried-and-tested forms of language in order to appear “safe” and “correct”. In trying not to get it wrong, brands often forget how to truly speak to people. And the price is high: they lose an authentic connection with their audience. Communication becomes distant, cold, unable to create empathy.
That is why, in our work, we need to return to cultivating freedom of thought. We need the courage to move beyond what is already known and safe, to take risks with new ideas and new forms of expression.
In this sense, contemporary art remains an extraordinary point of reference. It is probably one of the last spaces where freedom of expression can be exercised without compromise, where artists experiment with new languages without the fear of being judged or having to immediately please. Not because judgement does not exist, but because it does not hold control. This attitude should make anyone working in communication and branding stop and think.
I like to remember that many of those who do what I do often come from schools that we once called “applied arts” schools. None of us ever defined ourselves as artists, but we have always had a deep connection with the expressive freedom that art brings with it, even simply as an influence on our profession.
Today, more than ever, communication needs to rediscover this spirit: a space for independent thinking, the courage to question the rules we have created ourselves, and the awareness that excessive caution can suffocate brands more than it protects them.