Beirut design week, a talk on brand systems

We took a session at Beirut Design Week on a problem every studio knows: beautiful brand guidelines that nobody follows.

Guidelines get ignored when they read like a rulebook written to be admired rather than used. Too long, too rigid, too focused on the logo and silent on the hundred small decisions a team makes every week.

We argued for the opposite: short, opinionated systems built around real components and real examples, with clear permission about where people can bend the rules and where they cannot.

The debate ran long, mostly about how much freedom is too much. Slides are available to attendees on request.