GIF shenanigans

Welcome back to another designer's soup. We recorded this edition at the PW studio in Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka. Below I'll be discussing the GIF. Particularly three attributes: its potential to evoke strong emotions, opportunities to strengthen common ties within a group, and add meaning to a message.

Welcome to another designer's soup; on this episode, we are talking about GIFs.

I'm going to refer to it as a GIF (...as opposed to a JIF).

They take an emotion that you're trying to communicate and it can stretch it, exaggerate it, and make it more complex. It allows for more sophisticated forms of communication with just one image; if you're like me, and think in imagery, you might find (writing) time-consuming or even difficult to articulate in words.

An image like this (GIF example) allows us to communicate strong feelings without having to use any words. When you consider visuals or messaging in terms of evocative emotion, (GIFs) can add a layer, and sophistication (like the gift does in this case) by contextualizing and reinforcing the meaning of the message.

GIFs also reference other stories. They are in fact a citation or simply a clip from an existing story. They are a form of meme; by definition an image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users. Because of its viral quality, it can also illustrate popular ideas and trends. (for example...) When you open up WhatsApp or any messaging application with built-in GIFs; look at what GIFs are trending. Usually, these are the GIFs that appear first when the tool is selected. These trending GIFs illustrate the general emotional state or the ideas that are most popular at that time. So if you use a popular GIF, you are referencing a popular thought. And I think that connects you with others. When shared, they can demonstrate similar views, shared perceptions, and common interests. They become symbols of a stronger connection within a group. If your objective is to grow loyalty within a group, for example, if a business is attempting to connect with a customer segment, an appropriate GIF can tap into a general idea of a group of people.

A third attribute of the GIF is its scope for meaning. I've used GIFs to inform a client that we (PW Studio) haven't received their payment. As a text-based message, there are often misinterpretations and in my case, it can be difficult to draft a syntax in a way that is appropriate. Finding the right words and tone of voice that is on brand with my business's way of articulating, while also being sensitive to the client or customer is time-consuming for me.

A lot of how we communicate involves body language, eye contact, or other facial features; we pick up on these signals when we're talking face-to-face with someone either subconsciously or consciously. If someone is sitting a certain way or leaning forward, we have a tendency to lean back or we might lean forward in order to create more intimacy. These are helpful signs are not present in a conversation that entirely text-based; GIFs supplement this dialogue through these three attributes: emotional tone, commonality, and contextual meaning.

Food thought…

Alain Parizeau

Director, Public Works

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Richard de Zoysa's other Eden

The murder of Richard de Zoysa was a turning point in the gruesome story of how the Sri Lankan government handled nationwide civil disobedience which grew into dangerous armed rebellion in the 1980s and early 1990s. Marking a dark period in the history of the sunny island, the official figures of the dead and the disappeared from this era cross 75,000 while it’s widely speculated to cross well into six figures. In this terrifying picture, Richard is one of the most visible figures. 

Belonging to a family of influential artists, educated at one of the most prestigious private schools in Colombo and a gifted poet, playwright and journalist, Richard had all the right networks and access. Like most people from his background, Richard could have remained above and beyond the chaos that ravaged the lives of rural and lower middle class youth in the island. Like many with connections abroad, he could’ve left as soon as possible. But, he didn’t. Well aware of his privilege, Richard de Zoysa used his education, talent and connections to speak about the injustices that gripped the lives of young Sri Lankans, the ugliness of strategically propagated racial tensions and the growing anger towards oppressive governance. His poetry, plays and writing resonated the significant mind shifts of the time, questioning the machinery at work to maintain the class and race gaps. He did this in a way that broke linguistic and ethnic barriers to extents that even more directly political figures could not. Of course, this charismatic, creative, and eloquent man with leftist leanings meant danger to many powers. 

Richard’s body was found on a beach, not too far from where he went to school as a child. It was discovered by a fisherman who recognised the face of this well-known actor. The records mention that it was beaten, broken, mutilated and shot at point blank. His mother and other eyewitnesses identified the abductors as high ranking police officers reporting directly to the President, making it one of the most strongly evidenced and widely publicised cases of rumoured government death squads. But, all identified suspects were never sentenced; instead, the leads were ignored by the police and the two main officers identified by eyewitnesses were allowed to walk free while two only got interdicted as punishment after the trial. None were even imprisoned. The two high ranking officers involved in Richard’s murder ended up dying in a bomb attack, along with the President, in an incident that many deemed karmic. Sri Lanka’s current President Ranil Wickremasinghe was one of the youngest ministers of the government at the time of Richard de Zoysa’s murder, and is said to have brushed off the death as ‘suicide or something else.’ 

Not failing to leave a mark even in his death, Richard triggered many significant milestones in the common citizen’s fight against a corrupt regime. Local and international media flooded with tributes, excerpts of his work and most importantly, questions that demanded answers. Time magazine published a piece on his death—that particular issue is still banned in Sri Lanka. The BBC did a tribute play for him many years later. Richard’s incredibly courageous mother—Dr. Manorani Sarvanamuttu— started the Mothers Front amidst death threats. It remains an active voice for families of the forcibly disappeared in the North and the South.

Richard's work—articles, plays, acting and writing remain, changing minds and telling the story of how people get played by governments to stay divided and fighting, for the benefit of a few. His poetry is particularly powerful; some pierce, shake, mock, and prophesy powers and their players as much as the played; others give views into his loves, encounters and lend us glimpses into intricacies of being a queer human in a conservative society. 

This book is a small volume of poems by Richard de Zoysa. It’s a treasured part of our library, reminding how even the most difficult questions can be asked with beauty, grace and wit. It’s an essential collection that carries the very essence of Richard; his daring to ask the hard questions, the strength to remain someone that isn’t the expectation, and most importantly, the beauty of being a human who loves the world and embraces all its experiences—the terrible and the blessed. 

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Understanding archetypes; shaping a brand with personas

We use archetypes to translate characteristics of a business into relatable and easily identifiable personas. Because people relate to other people, and when a business is personified, it is distilled it into an easily understood form. 

Jungian Archetypes have universally recognized patterns that we can see as different personas manifesting in the human psyche. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, introduced archetypes at the beginning of the 20th century.

There are twelve archetypes in total; 

• Utopian

• Sage

• Explorer

• Rebel

• Magician

• Hero

• Lover

• Humorist

• Everyperson

• Ruler

• Creator

• Caregiver

Archetypes are shared psychological patterns, symbols, and instincts that all humans have; innate, repeated, universal patterns or templates of the human experience. Like the Trickster archetype that comes through in mischievous and playful characters in stories; the Hero archetype representing those who rise to a challenge embarks on a journey, and overcomes obstacles; or the wise old woman or man connecting to the Sage archetype who guides the hero with their knowledge, or the leader who restores balance in stories, channelling the good side of the Ruler archetype. These archetypes are found in myths, dreams, literature, and art across different cultures and periods to evidence their universal nature; they trigger near-unanimous emotions and ideas in people. While Jung’s theories are not commonly used for psychotherapy per se, they provide an excellent base for building brands and characters in stories. When it comes to storytelling for business, these archetypes are great tools. Archetypes based on Carl Jung’s theories are one of the primary tools used to articulate brands by Public Works.

Carl Jung theorized that the human mind inherits these archetypal patterns through what he coined as the ‘collective unconscious’. According to Jung, the (human) collective unconscious is populated by instincts and archetypes. It’s a treasure trove of symbols.

We use these archetypes to typify personalities for story characters or to help our clients construct a brand articulation framework (BAF) for their business or project.

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To see how we used the dark side of archetypes to build an entire story series,

check out our shadow series. 

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As an archetype-based persona, visual and written language can easily be identified and articulated with more accuracy and clarity. We think archetypes are one of the most efficient starting points to communicate a brand, brief creatives and build stories.

Utopian

• Values: Peace, positivity, and happiness for everyone

• Strength/Weakness: Dream of paradise even through the worst state of affairs. Naive, idealistic, and impractical. 

• Driving desire: Exploring self/world

• Way of doing things: Inextinguishable faith. Their charm is their innocence. Paradise is a state of mind. The utopian delivers hope.

• Distinguishable traits: Goodness, faith, hopefulness.

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Empathy, tranquillity, beauty, humour, wonder 

• Character examples: Samwise Gamgee of Lord of the Rings, R2D2 and C3PO in Star Wars, and Obelix from Asterix and Obelix.

• Brand examples: Coca-cola, Dove, The Good Market 

Sage

• Values: Knowledge, truth, understanding

• Strength/Weakness: Offers clarity and wisdom, a voice of truth against ignorance and misinformation. Cold and arrogant cynics who consume knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

• Driving desire: Exploring self/world

• Way of doing things: The sage is driven by the motivation to find out the truth. Pursues truth and understanding. The sage delivers clarity.

• Distinguishable traits: Intelligent, curious, informed, insightful.

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Wonder, heroism, terror 

• Character examples: Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, The Oracle in Matrix, and Professor Calculus in Adventures of TinTin. 

• Brand examples: Google, TED, Public Works

Explorer

• Values: Freedom, adventure, and authenticity

• Strength/Weakness: Unbound, self-sustained, strong and true to self. In their shadow self. Is flakey, unable to commit or make decisions, and reckless. 

• Driving desire: Exploring self/world

• Way of doing things: They set out to discover the world with unstoppable passion. The explorer delivers inspiration for freedom.

• Distinguishable traits: Active, adventurous, driving discovery.  

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Beauty, wonder, heroism, terror 

• Character examples: Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, Sam Gardner in Atypical, Indiana Jones. 

• Brand examples: GoPro, Patagonia, Roar

Rebel

• Values: Liberation, risk-taking, and challenging the status quo

• Strength/Weakness: At the frontlines of all historic movements. Troublemaker, provocateur, and rebel without a cause.

• Driving desire: Being remembered

• Way of doing things: Disruption or change of old systems to pave way for the new. The rebel delivers revolution. 

• Distinguishable traits: Revolutionising, nonconformity and radical.

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Humour, heroism, terror, fury, revulsion 

• Character examples: Wolverine in X-Men, Robin Hood, Katniss Everdeen in Hunger Games

• Brand examples: Supreme, Anonymous, Vans

Magician

• Values: Wonder, transformation, and defying the standards

• Strength/Weakness: Uses their catalytic abilities and transformational power to save the day even in the most impossible situations. Abuses this power and becomes manipulative. 

• Driving desire: Being remembered

• Way of doing things: Uncovering the secret mechanisms of the world in order to pull strings and make things happen. Surprising/mystifying with solutions that others can barely comprehend. The magician delivers what was thought to be impossible.

• Distinguishable traits: Making the impossible happen, win-win solutions, being catalytic.

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Wonder, heroism, terror 

• Character examples: Yoda in Star Wars, Eleven from Stranger Things, Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series

• Brand examples: Tesla, Polaroid, MAC cosmetics

To read more about this archetype click here.

Hero

• Values: Mastery, courage, willpower

• Strength/Weakness: Courage, motivation and facing fears despite being nervous or anxious. Overconfidence, arrogance. 

• Driving desire: Being remembered

• Way of doing things:  Courageously rise up to challenges and shoulder burdens that most would not dare to. The hero archetype delivers reliability.

• Distinguishable traits: Determination, bravery, and always coming through

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Wonder, heroism, terror, fury 

• Character examples: Casey Gardener in Atypical, TinTin from Adventures of TinTin, Bianca Barclay in Wednesday

• Brand examples: Kāffi, FedEx, Nike

Lover

• Values: Enjoyment, vitality, passion for life and experiences

• Strength/Weakness: The lover archetype’s strength is its ability to devote, and fulfill,  experiencing life at the fullest. Its weakness is losing itself to the beloved and becoming obsessive.

• Driving desire: Connecting with others

• Way of doing things: Makes others feel appreciated and special, fostering unforgettable connections. The lover archetype delivers devotion. 

• Distinguishable traits: Passion, intimacy, and enjoying/experiencing life in high definition. 

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Beauty, empathy, tranquillity 

• Character examples: Morticia Addams in Wednesday, Pepé Le Pew in Looney Tunes, Matty Matheson the chef 

• Brand examples: Rithihi, Häagen-Dazs, Victoria’s Secret

Humorist

• Values: Joy, humour, living in the moment

• Strength/Weakness:  In its wisdom, this archetype crosses boundaries and exposes the folly of human superiority, bringing us to understand the fragility of the status quo, and the absurdity of life. In its shadow, the humorist is irreverent and refuses to accept responsibility. 

• Driving desire: Connecting with others

• Way of doing things: Using humour to break down social constructs and laughter as a response to the absurdity of life. The humorist delivers entertainment.

• Distinguishable traits: Play, fun, and joy 

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Humour, wonder, heroism, revulsion 

• Character examples: Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Rue in Euphoria, The Joker from Marvel Comics

• Brand examples: Old Spice, ApiHappi, Fanta

To read more about this archetype click here.

Everyperson

• Values: Earnestness, empathy, equality

• Strength/Weakness:  The everyperson archetype is unifying and levelling, with a remarkable capacity for building empathy and connections. At its worst, the everyperson is a passive participant in groupthink, never questioning the herd.

• Driving desire: Connecting with others

• Way of doing things: Valuing community and being part of the group over carving out a singular identity, the everyperson archetype delivers belonging.

• Distinguishable traits:  Always doing the right thing and finding common ground with others.

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Empathy spectrum, tranquillity, beauty, humour 

• Character examples: Gale Hawthorne from Hunger Games, Samwell Tarly from Game of Thrones, Ned Flanders from the Simpsons

• Brand examples: Ikea, eBay, Perera & Sons

Ruler

• Values: Responsibility, influence, leadership

• Strength/Weakness: The ruler archetype is powerful and influential, leading their circle towards order, safety and success. In its shadow, the ruler can be imposing, authoritarian and downright tyrannical.

• Driving desire: Contributing to the world

• Way of doing things: Gaining power, moderating and exercising control. The ruler archetype delivers esteem.

• Distinguishable traits: Stepping up to take charge, influences order and success.

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Heroic, terror, fury 

• Character examples: Julius Caesar in Asterix & Obelix, Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones

• Brand examples: Mercedes-Benz, Lion beer, Rolex

Creator

• Values: Creativity, inspiration, and ingenuity

• Strength/Weakness: A person looking to influence the world through their creativity. In their weakness, the creator becomes a perfectionist, obsessing over unattainable heights and is never satisfied. 

• Driving desire: Contributing to the world

• Way of doing things: The defining superpower of the creator archetype is to make the world their muse, absorb it and reproduce it new, made more interesting and beautiful inside their mind. The creator delivers freshness and ingenuity.

• Distinguishable traits: Innovation, imagination, and creative expression

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Wonder, heroism

• Character examples: Tony Stark from Iron Man, Kevin Macallister from Home Alone, Don Draper from Mad Men

• Brand examples: Public Works, Youtube, AOD

Caregiver

• Values: Kindness, care, safeguarding

• Strength/Weakness: The caregiver brings an incredible affinity and capacity for helping, protecting, nurturing and caring for others. In their shadow, the caregiver archetype is smothering and controlling.

• Driving desire: Contributing to the world

• Way of doing things:  The caregiver archetype believes in nurturing and protecting what matters. This archetype delivers safety, care.

• Distinguishable traits: service, compassion, and protection.

• Popularly associated rasa(s): Empathy, tranquillity 

• Character examples: Elsa Gardener in Atypical, Primrose Everdeen in Hunger Games, Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars

• Brand examples: Unicef, HelpAge charity, Volvo

To read more about this archetype click here.

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