Aalto University Winter School teacher interview: "Great branding comes from solid substance"

The course teachers of the Aalto University Winter School course Designing Brand Strategy, Antti Surma-aho (D.Sc., tech) and Henrik Ilvesmäki (M.Arch 2, M.Des, M.Sc.Arch), have complementary experience in research, design, and branding. 

Antti starts by highlighting the project that students will work on alongside the course. 

‘The most important aspect of a project-based course is the blend of subject matter and a positive atmosphere. The focus will be on hands-on creation, but we’ll naturally provide the necessary support along the way.’ 

Antti continues by assuring that students will be trained for real-life cases during the course. ‘Instead of being thrown straight into the deep end, you will start with smaller exercises. That way, you’ll be more ready when the complexity of designing brands in a realistic project hits you.’

‘On the atmosphere side, I’m used to courses where the teachers are present and available throughout and where everyone’s interested in others’ work and in learning new things. Also, ideally, everyone is able to work in a single space, which allows collaborative work and sometimes play. We'll definitely bring that spirit to Designing Brand Strategy,’ Henrik states.

How is the concept of design utilized during the course?

Antti: For us, design means doing things hands-on, trying ideas out before locking in on a final solution, and being willing to change your mind when you learn new things. We’ll encourage you to adopt these ways of working. They’re all relatively common sense but definitely not common practice. 

Henrik: Design in our course is about critical thinking. You can find lots of descriptions of design processes online from consultants like IDEO or academics like Kees Dorst (Professor of Transdisciplinary Innovation at the University of Technology Sydney), but design in practice is about taking action while continuously reflecting on how those actions should be carried out and being present throughout the process. 

It’s also essential to interact actively with your teammates to test your thoughts, no matter how half-baked they feel at the moment.

What are the most essential parts of a brand strategy today?

Henrik: A brand strategy has to be based on knowledge and seamlessly tie together an organization's practical and abstract aspects. That includes everything from customer service to the mission statement. A brand or strategy cannot claim to stand for one thing if its actions show something entirely different. A brand strategy involves making informed decisions about what an organization should actually do, particularly when it comes to the customer-focused aspects of the business.

Antti: Strategy should also be informed by research. During the course, we’ll be teaching research, whether evaluating the quality of online sources or conducting interviews yourself. You’ll also need to make decisions based on your research, which is what real strategists do constantly.

How will you complement each other as teachers during the course?

Antti: Henrik is definitely the more practical out of us two. He is what you’d call a real expert designer: he is incredibly aware of his surroundings and experiences and able to see and articulate the essence of complex things quickly.

Harvard taught him to look at things from a broad frame of reference, and he’s using that to consult companies on global architectural trends. While mentoring a design hackathon together, Henrik asked the teams challenging questions in a friendly and supportive manner. As a result, the teams returned with significantly transformed thinking. Be ready for that during our course as well.

Henrik: I’ve always been in awe of Antti’s rigour in conducting research. I remember being incredibly impressed when I saw his Google Scholar page during his PhD. It contrasted with how very humble he is, which just goes to show you how he values substance over accomplishments. He never stops questioning himself about how to best approach a given challenge, which is very inspiring. Students can expect to learn a well-tested body of knowledge from him. We will only be able to provide an introduction to everything that’s involved in brand strategy, but that core will be a rigorous sampling of the key concepts.

Any tips for students thinking about applying?

Henrik: Some background in design can be beneficial, but no prerequisite knowledge is required. Alina Wheeler’s book Designing Brand Identity is a great introduction to the subject. Finally, come to the course with an open mind and leave behind possible preconceived notions about branding to get the most out of your course experience.

Before learning more about branding, I saw it as mostly superficial. In reality, great branding comes from solid substance. Without that, the brand feels empty.

Antti: If there ever were transferable skills, design, critical thinking, and teamwork are among the best. I recommend keeping your eyes open for interesting brands – we’d love to hear your perspectives during the class. We look forward to meeting you in Finland!