Shotgun vs Sniper Revisited

About a year or so, we released what we call the Field Guide to Designing Brand Identity. This concept has come up on several conversations as of late, so I thought it might be good to revisit. The basic idea: there are two directions to take when designing brand identity: the Shotgun or the Sniper.

1. The Shotgun

• Shot quickly without much planning

• Releases a wide range of options, hoping for a hit

• Learning curve is slow, easy to start

• There can be collateral damage

• Produces some success, some of the time.

2. The Sniper

• Much time spent planning and identifying the target

• Takes one shot to hit the target

• Learning curve is high, requires practice

• There is a low range of error

• Very few people become snipers.

To view the entire guide, click here for the PDF.

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Posted by: Craig Johnson on February 3rd, 2010

6 Comments

"Wow. i love this."
- John (Human3rror)
"This is great. I've learned from you guys the importance of taking pride within your craft, putting in the extra work and being exactly who you are with no excuses."
- Brandon
"I completely agree. I actually have this pdf from the first time you talked about this. I'm a huge proponent of one logo showings. Amazing article-thanks for being an awesome source of inspiration to me!"
- Scott Fuller
"this is great. thanks for sharing the PDF. This is what I love about social media. Companies (like you guys) that are doing it well are not threatened by the idea of shared community. Photography is the same way. The people that are going to continue to grow are the ones willing to share/collaborate/and grow with others."
- stephen
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- Franklin
"You really got straight to the point with this one. Compliment intended. Pun also intended. Forgive my dad joke."
- Laura

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