ThoughtMatter
Interview with Creative Director Ben Greengrass on the Hatterist Brand Design Process.
Can you tell me about the history of TM and how it differs from other brand-building agencies?
ThoughtMatter helps brands that stand up, stand out, and we have been doing that since day one. At ThoughtMatter, we create work with an artful perspective. We take 'smart risks' to produce #WorkWorthDoing We use our skills, experience, and collaborative partners to engage people's curiosity about the world around them.
TM has an ingenious and collaborative way of working with clients. Can you talk us through this process?
It all starts with getting to know our client's business and what stands in their way of achieving success. Design plays a massive role in identifying and navigating through business challenges. Our work strikes at the heart and soul of what founders like yourself stand for, so we are necessarily highly collaborative. Our clients are the experts in what they do, and we're there to help bring their vision to life.
TM cares about social matters, community, and its clients and staff. Tell us how this affects and helps the work you do.
We're conscious of leading with purpose, always. For our not-for-profit clients, that message is front and center. For businesses, we're constantly challenging what the role of the brand should be beyond its responsibility to the customer. We're confident that brands that demonstrate their purpose through their actions are the brands that will last for many years to come.
We knew each other before you helped us build the Hatterist brand and website. Did this help or hinder the process?
I remember our first conversation about the potential to create The Hatterist brand, and we quickly set some ground rules for success. We offered to deliver one, take-it-or-leave-it idea. An idea that we believed in and through lock tight collaboration with you would potentially prove itself to be effective out of the gate. I think we achieved that. Also, you both work in the fashion industry and are highly creative. You had experience working parallel with design teams, so that made for a pretty fluid process.
Read more about the design process here.
Before this process started, were you a hat lover, and what did you learn about the headwear industry?
I've always had an appreciation for hats, but it wasn't until this project with yourself and the Hatterist that I came to appreciate headwear as the canvas it is. Hats are self-expression, and there's a whole world out there that most people aren't unlocking for themselves.
What's your favorite hat?
A simple Bailey black felt wide brim that you gifted me. I'm still not sure I'm wearing it to full effect, but it's hanging on my wall, which is a direct influence from you.
Was working with Hatterist different from your regular clients, any hurdles? What were the highlights?
We've worked with several founder-led businesses. Their passion is infectious, which makes the work all the more resonant. We can't help but get excited about what our clients do. It's why we do what we do as strategists and designers. At the core of what we do is help cultivate community. If we can, through our work with you and the Hatterist, help you bring more hand-minded folks together to share their love for hats, then we've done our job.
work worth doing ™
We help brands that stand up, stand out.
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