Iconic Beauty

By Jonathan Ford

Many brands claim to be iconic or want to be iconic, and yet so few deliver against this in the quest for following fashion or trend. Within the design community, we frequently cite and benchmark ourselves against what we believe to be design icons like Shiseido, Apple, Mini, Chanel and Absolut.

Why?  Iconic brands are often automatically confused with iconic design.  The two are different, but if connected can create enormous long-term desire, especially within the world of cosmetics. We are also living in a society of manufactured and hollow icons with celebrities and some brands are just jumping on the iconic bandwagon, devaluing its meaning. What longevity is there for fragrance brands like Beckham, Kate Moss, J-Lo, Paris…short term gain, but where’s the substance for the long run?

So what does iconic really mean?  The paradox is that true icons never set out to be iconic—they were uncontrived, whereas, today, in a quest to be iconic, brands are looking for the best way to engineer this. So it is important to understand and explore the world of cultural icons and investigate the unique nature of iconic brands, how icons are born, how they evolve and why they become such an integral part of our lives.

Icons Have Their Principles

Because of who they are and what they mean to us, iconic brands need to follow a unique set of principles. They need to present themselves and behave in an entirely different way from other brands and their future depends on knowing and continuously nurturing their cultural, emotional significance. Within this, design as well as communication and innovation, have a very unique role to play and the key is tapping into the full potential of each and using them in a perfectly integrated way.

True icons are imprinted in our consciousness. Icons are not like everyone else. What they do matters more and how they do it makes all the difference. So what makes an icon? We can see them where there is an unquestionable connection, deep powerful symbolism and personal and societal impact.

If you think of Chanel No. 5, Tom Ford, Vogue or Hollywood, icons offer people identification, idealization and identification. They are the ultimate manifestation of our collective desires and, like the timeless image of Marilyn Monroe with her dress lifted by a subway breeze, they are incomparable, irreplaceable and inimitable.

Madonna remains an iconic figure.

Coco Chanel famously said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”

Who better to champion this notion than Madonna? She emerged out of 1970’s post punk rumblings for rebellion, a change and a desire for a freshness and optimism. By the 1980’s she had exploded on to the scene with unique image and sound, which acted as a catharsis for mass acceptance and imitation, inspiring a generation and beyond. In doing so she finally achieved a timelessness and glorification that endures to this very day. This is an iconic development model for many a brand.

Some Iconic Brands

Iconic brands like Chanel, Dior, Armani, Burberry, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Aveda and Philosophy—all must face the inevitable—how to evolve, and to have enduring significance and stay desirable over time. The ultimate challenge is in getting it right at all times and in every possible way so that everything fits perfectly together and projects a brand that as one of a kind. Gucci has often been cited as an exemplary model where product, design and communication all fit together to support and further its iconic perception.

For iconic brands that have allowed themselves to, or who are in danger of becoming, simply mass in appeal, the challenge is how to retain their magic. In order to do this they have to have an intense, intimate relationship with the individual, whilst still have a strong broad popularity and longevity with the collective.

In order to evolve over time iconic brands first need to establish criteria for iconic evolution:

Firstly, their iconic value—what they are known for: What makes the brand iconic and what does the brand represent that must be carried on?

Secondly, the degree of flexibility—how much we can change: To what extent are people attached to the brand’s expression? What must remain the same and what can be reinterpreted?

Thirdly, the desired impact—what we want to ultimately be known for? What is the enduring impact the brand wants to make as an icon? What is the most appropriate way to do this?

In developing an icon, the key challenge is to understand what to preserve and treasure and what to reinvent and what scale of change is appropriate. For example, if the icon’s history and heritage is key to its enduring role and the original look of the icon is integral to this, the iconic design must be maintained through a design evolution. People perceive the brand as staying the same with the brand demonstrating change elsewhere, maybe through other forms of brand communication. Think of gradual changes made over time to brands like Method, Head & Shoulders, Axe, Dove, Ren, Clinique Skin Supplies and Jo Malone.

Iconic design changes can be made more modern and relevant, but still stay close to the original. A significantly refreshed design brings the brand forward yet maintaining the key characteristics of the original. Think of step changes made to icons like Mademoiselle by Chanel, MAC and Nars.

However, sometimes the icon’s philosophy and attitude necessitate change where the original look of the icon can be re-interpreted in new ways. So the iconic design is reinvented at key moments in time but still captures the spirit of the original. Changes like this make a big brand statement and the innovative attitude is carried through in all aspects of it. Evidence of this can be seen with brands like Jean Paul Gaultier, Burberry, Pout and Benefit.

The challenge for the future of any brand icon, global or local is how to do this continuously, renewing itself in a changing context without ever losing sight of what it represents.

For the newer challenger brands and perhaps the icons of tomorrow, it is a question of interpreting where culture is going as it is shaping up and building brands in such a way that they tap into emerging desires, transcending the trends and defining the future.  We believe modern icons are products of our culture that arise out of our varied desires and go on to pave the way for everyone else to follow—the way brands like GHDhair connect with glamour at a personal level, Agent Provocateur for sheer seductiveness, Korres for an irresistible natural ethos and Stella McCartney, who is a true modern iconic for all celebrity wannabees to pay attention to; she has style and substance.

All these successful challenger or niche brands have the potential to become iconic because they connect with our new desires for substance of ethos, freshness of attitude, naturalness of personality and desirability by design and they become the benchmark by which we judge other brands, iconic or new.

Jonathan Ford is an award-winning designer and creative partner for Pearlfisher —  a London and New York design consultancy. Pearlfisher’s award winning work in the luxury, food and drink markets includes clients such as LVMH, Absolut Vodka and Unilever.
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