Pum LefeburePhoto by Gallo Images/Alistair Nicoll

“The first visual is the ultimate seducer, it flirts with you, it’s mesmerising, it triggers all those feelings that turn you on,” but there’s a problem, she said. “The average human being now receives about 360 ads a day and somehow we have learnt to shut out all the noise. We have developed this filter and we can decide in a second if something is right for us or not… Today the attention span of human beings is only about 8.25 seconds.” That’s shorter than that of a goldfish!

The way Lefebure practices design today is very different to how she practiced design 20 years ago. “Design is no longer executional, it’s very strategic, it’s not cosmetic anymore,” she said. So instead of thinking like a designer, she thinks like a seducer, asking herself, “How do I make people fall in love with brands? How do I seduce people to take notice to that product or a piece of advertising that I’m working on?” Because if the consumer falls in love with the product, they will purchase it.

Lefebure went on to share a few examples of some integrated campaigns she’s worked on at Design Army that have caught people’s attention and helped changed their perceptions...

CityCentreDC – The District of Joy

Georgetown Optician – Our Family Knows Glasses

Georgetown Optician from Georgetown Optician on Vimeo.

Harper Macaw – The (Very) Political Selection

In conclusion, Lefebure said that while trying to keep up with sh*t as creatives, because whatever you create today will not be relevant six months from now, don’t forget the craft. “Although market research, data and all that stuff is important, don’t let that crush your creativity down, because creativity is going to be the only thing that’s going to get us excited to get up and go to work and create something new every day.”

Remember to think about design differently because it’s no longer cosmetic but very strategic. So try to sit down with the client at the beginning of the process rather than at the end when the product has already been launched. Why? "Because design has the ability to flirt, design can seduce and romance and everything you see around you all begins with design."

#Loeries2017: Jury president jabber with Pum Lefebure

Leigh Andrews  2 Jun 2017