Before we draw anything, we write one sentence that every design decision has to answer to. It is the hardest part of every project.
Why one sentence?
A forty-page strategy deck is easy to agree with and impossible to use. One sentence is the opposite: uncomfortable to write, and wonderfully easy to apply.
For Pale Harbour Hotels, the sentence was: “The quietest room on the coast.” It ruled out bright colours, loud campaigns and anything that shouted. It also told us exactly what to photograph.
How we write it
We collect every phrase we hear in interviews, cross out anything a competitor could also say, and keep cutting until only one line is left standing. Then we read it out loud to the founders. If they wince a little, we are close.
