VISIONARIES: Brian Grunert
Posted on Thursday, January 7th, 2010
by block club
The idealized image of Buffalo we have in our heads is not always the image that exists in reality. We are a tremendously different Buffalo than the industrial port city of our past. And what we might look like in the future depends entirely on how we see ourselves right now.
Brian Grunert, whose past work in marketing influences his current life as a designer and owner of White Bicycle, a boutique graphic design firm, says that what we visually and verbally say about our region––to those outside of Buffalo as well as to those among us here––is less important than the feeling that’s behind those images and words. -Ben Siegel
How essential is Buffalo’s figurative image to the city’s idea of itself? Is it a challenge being positive?
I don’t think it’s hard to shine a positive light. I still think the chronic problems in the city hold us back. We used to characterize Buffalo as this gorgeous carcass, which I think is a polite way of saying that it’s got good bones. But I think that I didn’t get in touch with the soul of it until later. You know, it isn’t about the bones of the city; it’s about the soul. That’s what ties it together.
And when that spreads, it’s contagious. Contagious is a good word. I think another word is momentum. It’s perpetual if it keeps going.
Where do you think we’ve gone wrong in terms of marketing Buffalo?
I think that there are a lot of destructive forces within these corporate arenas. There are so many dumb, counter-intuitive decisions, just down to where our marketing gets created. For instance, I remember one big campaign, I Am Buffalo, was done by a Rochester agency. Just examine that on the surface and it’s just ridiculous. When you get into it, it’s almost self-destructive. Here’s the business entity meant to generate business in this market, and it’s going to develop a tool to help them in that pursuit, and it’s going to go to Rochester to have it fulfilled. So many of those things make me wonder if we’ll ever get anywhere. That’s really what it comes down to.
What power does good design have in creating, or re-creating, an image of a city?
The essential thing here is that permanence comes from the aesthetics of something. There’s a direct line from the aesthetics of something that goes through to the essence of it. And if it’s worth decorating in this way, if it’s worth finishing and doing right, then it’s worth interacting with it. It’s worth living in it. It’s worth buying it. I think the same is true of design. It’s not decoration on top of something else.
How does advertising Buffalo to Buffalonians differ from advertising it to out-of-towners?
I would imagine drastically. If you just put simple historical tests to it, the absolutely charming characteristic of Buffalonians is we can berate Buffalo 24/7 but if somebody from outside of Buffalo says something bad about it… There’s a trust that Buffalonians have with the city. But from the outside in, I think it’s widely understood that that sort of neurosis, that sort of self-berating, is exactly the problem when it comes to attracting people. It’s why our secret is well kept, because we don’t even recognize the things that are inherently awesome about our own city. But I think it’s heading in the right direction.
What about Buffalo entices you as a designer?
It really comes from having, I think, a history that allowed us to build a soul. I mean, what do you do with your money when you’ve got a mansion on Delaware? Well, you give it to the Albright-Knox, you give it to Shea’s, and you start to build things. It’s mind-boggling to imagine what it must have been like [a century ago] when you consider that there were 12 theaters like Shea’s. I totally get why Frank Lloyd Wright was here. It’s because [Thomas] Edison and [Nikola] Tesla were here 20 years earlier making electricity a reality in cities. I couldn’t have a higher opinion of Buffalo historically.
When marketing Buffalo, do we elevate the good things about us and ignore the bad, like snow, or do we acknowledge our flaws, maybe with a bit of humor?
I think, frankly, there’s a role for actually spreading the word and marketing Buffalo and aggressively doing the kind of bridge work that we need. I think there’s a role for actually building the brand.
I think the best way to brand Buffalo is not through visual design. I think you can put a visual to it, but it’s about inherently taking these things that seem like problems and turning them into opportunities. The Wing Festival is a great example. I mean, that’s what we do here. We eat wings, four or five times a month. We don’t have to go to T.G.I. Friday’s to do it, we can do it anywhere. I think that’s how to market it. If you want people to come to your party, make some noise. Just throw a big party and go out into the street. People will want to come.
Linda Weiss says: January 21st, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I agree with your optimism, to spread the world of our good city, we each need to act as ’sneezers’ and spread the word!
Hey, check out our new website and let me know what you think!
http://www.newbuffaloshirt.com
peace.