“To be or not to be, that is the question.”
In the 1999 movie – The Matrix, Neo was given a choice by Morpheus: the Blue pill to stay within a controlled reality, existing to offer comfort, conventions and norms or the Red pill to awaken the limitless possibilities of true freedom, expression, creativity and possibilities.
Neo chose the Red pill.
For over a decade, in a bid to deliver world class #logo design to entrepreneurs and startups, I’ve had to read countless vision statements all starting with “To be.” This always kept me wondering: Why should vision statements be this uninspiring? I saw the same phrases: full of jargon, without clarity, imagination or excitement.
As a Corporate Identity Consultant, I saddled myself with the desire to help entrepreneurs and startups breakaway from the “Matrix”, only because I believe that a vision statement must be vivid, something you can picture clearly – a driver of passion and purpose. Yet, not a single person I tried to convince wanted to break out of the norm, so I took the Red pill myself.
“Together, to walk the streets, drive pass billboards on the highway, look down at buildings from the skyline; be it on TV, a website, a car, a truck or a T-shirt, I’d love to see 3 out 10 logos anywhere in the world designed by us”.
There’s no vision statement in the world like the one you just read. Like Neo, swallowing the Red pill plucked me out of the matrix and into an experience where I’ve witnessed countless times my vision materializing in many ways that I connect with literally.
When I first shared it, people’s reactions were mixed; some laughed, others nodded politely. But I knew I had planted something real. The image was vivid in their minds, and that’s the purpose of a vision statement.
On August 31, 2024, at Dublin’s 3Arena, Mike Edwards – an ex-BBNaija star – made his pro-boxing debut against Jake Cornish. And on his shorts was a logo I had designed for Evermark Homes. And suddenly, there it was, on full display, carried on the back of a champion in front of a global audience, no less than 10 million people saw the fight live. As millions of viewers all over the world watched the fight, my vision had materialized again in real-time.
This is the power of a clear, compelling vision. Unlike vague statements like “To be the leading…,” my approach to a vision statement is measurable, motivating, and real.
Are you ready to take the Red pill? I will be happy to help.
