ROGER BLACK s INTERACTIVE BUREAUCIRCLE.COM targeting the emotional center

ROGER BLACK's INTERACTIVE BUREAU/CIRCLE.COM targeting the emotional center

Roger Black is one of the world's top designers. He's served as the art director for Rolling Stone and for The New York Times and is now chief creative officer of the Interactive Bureau/Circle.com. Roger is a master in communication through traditional graphic design language. His goal for the spot was to send the message that the Interactive Bureau combines the power inherent in traditional graphic design with a fluency in the latest technology.

The first thing I do when conceptualizing is to literally draw a three-ring target. I'll do this when starting a design on my own, or while in a meeting with clients. It always ends up working the same way for me. If I am in a meeting with clients , I will draw the target and then to the side of the target I begin jotting down words that they might use when discussing the project.

When I met with members of the Interactive Bureau's creative team, I followed the same procedure. The more I listened the more I began to identify the emotional center of the spot. On my sheet of paper, next to the target I began to jot down the following phrases:

• Classic

• Solid

• Foundation

• Communication

• Latest technology

• Innovation

• Convergence

• Experience

After the meeting ended, I began to work with the words next to my target, the idea being to place one word in the center of the target and, if necessary, additional words in the outer two rings. I thought about what emotion the viewers should leave with after viewing this spot. Should they leave feeling like they just played a video game? No, that's not the intention . Maybe they should leave thinking "classic" close. But the emotional center of this spot is much more fundamental. I can look at the Interactive Bureau and this spot and think any number of descriptives, but the bottom line and the emotional center is the word "experience" ”and that's what I wrote in the center of the target.

In the second ring, I wrote "latest technology," and in the outer ring I wrote "convergence."