Five things we learned from July's Nicer Tuesdays

At the end of a warm cloudy Tuesday, the sun poked its head out to remind us there is a summer to be had after all. By 5:45pm, a couple dozen people were taking off their jackets in the queue for this month’s Nicer Tuesdays, taking place at EartH, Hackney, London.

The crowds continued to spill in from there. It’s Nice That’s editor Matt Alagiah remarked at the size of the audience, one of the biggest they have had. Perhaps it was a case of post-Glastonbury events craving ­– the lineup was worthy of it. We were given a pacy and punchy three-part show, kicking off with creative studio Uncommon, followed up by Middle East Archive, and closed with a Q&A between Alagiah and illustrator Mr. Bingo. There was plenty to learn, and we’ve distilled our five major take aways below.

1. ‘Unbranding’ is just as powerful as branding

Sometimes, unbranding might even be more powerful. At least, a great case for this point was put forward by Uncommon’s design director, Matt Curtis. He showcased this through work the studio did with Port magazine, wherein realising Port is about people, they got rid of the typical Logotype on the magazine cover and had the talent on the cover write out the word ‘Port’ instead. This added something distinct about each person onto their own cover, creating a closer and more telling portrait of the contents of the issue.

2. People wouldn’t care if three quarters of brands disappeared tomorrow

“We’ve hit peak stuff, a lot of mediocrity, brandification.” Curtis’ words once more, and he wasn’t just talking about Gareth Southgate’s managerial style (though he did mention it). This is true and is why good design stands out. Curtis showed how this is a core message for Uncommon as an agency: “We believe some brands can make a difference, these are the ones who matter, the ones we are all glad exist, they’re uncommon,” he said. The lesson is to make sure you create work which means something, work which people are actively glad exists. Not just another something because you can.

3 .You cannot not design

A third of many rapid-fire gems of wisdom from Curtis’ speedy talk. On this note, he didn’t have much to say: “You cannot not design. Next slide.” This was a simple, clear reminder that everything is created; we should never take the things around us for granted. This reinforces that design matters, design is everything, design is very important. It also suggested that by the same logic, if you cannot not design, you might as well try to design to the best of your ability.

4. Diversity has a long way to go in the creative sector

Middle East Archive making great books feels like a radical act. Founder, Romaisa Baddar, spoke about their third book Football – it made for a nice cultural tie-in to the Euros. This book memorialises Arabic passion for football, with images of dedicated fandoms, professional stars and grassroots players. It is a beautiful artefact showing a slice of the world and subculture that is so often overlooked – but this should not be a radical act. Middle East Archive’s work and much more like it should exist and be far more known. Baddar’s talk was compelling and inspiring, we need more people like Baddar on our stages. There is much more work to be done.

5. Confidence is everything

Mr. Bingo says that the difference between his life before we all knew him for his humorist illustrations and now, is that he had the confidence to drop some of his clients and set out on a mission to create work for himself. This confidence is hard to find, in his case, it came from a Kickstarter which helped financially but more importantly, validated his ambitions. Since then, it has been confidence and bravery that has helped him to carve out a career doing exactly what he wants to do. Confidence to be funny, bravery to be bold, but also learning to only collaborate with people he reaches out to, not to take on opportunities that come to him. That’s confidence, it is incredibly powerful.