13 Comments

Brilliant post....... very interesting to get insight into two of the great innovators.

also interesting to get their views on modern design 'corporations' and how they are more akin to a factory churning out design for the minimum amount of work for the maximum amount of money.
Brook
2009-10-23 12:27:50

Section 1 brought to mind the great talk that Howard Gossage did in the 60s about the clash between money and creativity:

http://www.adbuzz.com/OLD/GossageGallery/Mammonoids.mp3

thanks CR for the videos, great characters, great stories, great lessons
Ashley Pollak
2009-10-23 13:29:33

Excellent videos. Thanks a lot for publishing these. Off to search for more clips from the Mumbai event, and interested in how Ben Terrett's presentation turned out.
David Airey
2009-10-23 13:50:12

It would be easy to assume these guys are a couple of old has-beens but their passion for great creative ultimately shines through... good creativity will stand the test of time and they still get it. Great characters!
Roberto
2009-10-23 15:20:32

Great, great post, really worth listening to, all branding people should get absorbed in what they say and their ideals.

Loved the fact Wally answered the nologo question very well, well done on that one.

Would like to add that in my view, there words arrogance and confidence are worlds apart, confidence comes from knowing what you are doing, arrogance is a destructive process that starts people on a journey away from what they originally had.

Thanks CR, more of this please.
Joseph Hedges
2009-10-23 17:17:01

Great post! Thanks for sharing this important moment.

Please let us know how we can see more of Michael Wolff's thoughts. He is always revealing and inspiring! Is there a way to see his morning talk at that event?
Juan-Carlos Fernandez
2009-10-23 21:07:42

Unbelivevable! These are two guys who made a mint out of producing mediocre rubbish as quickly as possible, wrapping it up in quasi-intellectual, pseudo-scientific language, and charging as much as they could for it. 'Despicable and obscene' should be written on their corporate tombstone!
Andrew Breslin
2009-10-23 22:09:27

I wonder if Wally Olins ever has any self-doubt? How wonderful it must be to be always right.
Roger Mann
2009-10-24 11:21:51

Considering the talentless failure they conjured up for the London 2012 logo, who the hell cares what they think. They are past it, over the hill and in reality were never any good at what they do.

Pair of morons
James Cahn
2009-10-25 15:24:20

Great guys, great talk, a life of branding in two seats. Please post the whole talk!
Dani R
2009-10-25 15:52:46

Great insight, thanks for posting.
Steve Perry (fu.gu)
2009-10-27 15:32:33

@ 'James Cahn'

Wolff left Wolff Olins in the 80s, Olins in 1997. Neither had anything to do with the 2012 logo
 PatrickBurgoyne
2009-11-10 12:41:58

What an absolute arrogant tosser Wally Olins comes across as, totally self-absorbed and remarkably lacking in any insight into the world he occupies. Michael Wolff on the other hand displays an acute sense of clarity about design, branding and the state of the industry.
Robert Newman
2009-12-02 18:33:25

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