Gets It / Doesn’t Get It

From time to time, you’ll see posts on this blog categorized as “Gets It” or “Doesn’t Get It”.

It’s a simple concept. Think Brownstoners like to look at things, see if they work, take them apart and figure out how they tick. We like to applaud those who do it right, and when we see things that don’t work – we’ll take those things to task.

We’re not trying to attack anyone; we’re attacking design. Even the most talented designers can make bad decisions. For instance – Russ understands design better than anyone I know. If I need a second opinion on something I’m working on, I go to Russ. Russ is also a highly accomplished musician and rock historian. If I need to know who was the studio tambourinist on Pink Floyd’s Ummagumma, I go to Russ. When it comes to design or music, Russ Gets It.

But even Russ has his faults. Perfect example: Russ is a fan of the 70’s rock band Uriah Heep. Yes… you read that right… Uriah Heep. He even met the band once, I think they were playing his 20-year elementary school reunion or his cousin’s sweet sixteen or something. When it comes to the Heep, Russ Doesn’t Get It. That doesn’t mean Russ always has bad musical taste. After all, he’s turned most of his friends onto the Rheostatics. Clearly, Russ Gets It 99.99 % of the time.

So, you see, when we find a design and say, Doesn’t Get It – we don’t mean they don’t get it all the time… we just mean this one is a hiccup. A lot of things can make a good designer skip a beat: timelines, technology, clients, regulatory/legal issues, or even nostalgia.

At Think Brownstone, we have worked through those issues our entire careers. You may be afraid your project ends up being a Heep, but we’ll make sure it’s not.