Beautiful Corporations Book

Oh, you can just imagine it. Two creative types, probably on some design agency jaunt, sipping absinthe on Paris's left bank and impressing each other with their crazy ideas about life and work. Paul Dickinson and Neil Svensen believe that beauty can apply to more than just poems and sunsets--corporations can be beautiful too, they suggest. These creative types love to dream. But what if they could also demonstrate that "beautiful corporations" could increase profits with a combination of image and message? Not so crazy now, these young aesthetes. Beautiful Corporations is not your average business book. To be completely superficial, it looks amazing--but then it would have to, really, the medium is definitely the message. But it's not all style over substance. Dickinson's ideas (he wrote the text, Svensen handled the design) are grounded firmly in reality and stem from the intangible but acknowledged fact that a strong sense of identity and purpose can be the difference between success and anonymity. "In business, attraction fuels transactions and profits", he claims. Beautiful Corporations is crafted with real vision and a wonderful understanding of design and popular culture but the concepts are underpinned by solid case studies and reference to "real life". Kwik Fit will probably never appear in the same book as Kate Moss again. Other examples include B&Q, Tesco, M&S, BT, Lloyds TSB as well as the Nikes and Calvin Kleins of this world. Dickinson argues convincingly for the link between "beauty" and profits. He handles aspects of corporate style, the impact of design and suggest ways for businesses to get in shape for the future. Ultimately, Beautiful Corporations avoids shallow image-mongering by focusing on customer trust and introducing a wider definition of beauty that encompasses sustainability and social responsibility. Looks are important but it's personality that counts. Beautiful Corporations is a brave book on a complex and hazy subject. Ambitious organizations should be queuing up to ask, "Does my bottom line look big in this?". --Iain CampbellRead More