Brendan Murphy: Leading Somewhere

Pittsburg State University alumni, Brendan Murphy is now a senior director at Lippincott, a global consultant for corporate identity, brand strategy, design, and management. Murphy came back to Pittstate to share his knowledge with students and the community. Even though he worked his way to a top position of a highly respected company, he was still personable and grounded. Murphy imparted a new understanding of design and brand identity.


Color is consistently a significant part of any design but Brendan Murphy was able to put color in a new perspective. I already have an understanding of printing restrictions concerning color but have never considered country restrictions. In China, red is used so often there are restrictions of how much red you can use in a corporate identity. A business not only considers the amount of color in a logo but also in a storefront. Understanding the significance of colors in another culture is also a very important factor to consider. A good example of this is red, in America, red represents emergency, danger and passion but in China red symbolizes happiness, prosperity and luck.


Corporate Identity encompasses much more than what meets the eye. Sensory branding is another topic that Murphy was able to expand upon. Working with corporate identity is a lot more than designing a single logo; it’s creating a specific atmosphere for a particular target market. The atmosphere does not end after an individual departs the company’s location but the atmosphere continues through print advertisement, commercials and products. Mnemonics is becoming more prevalent in sensory branding. A sound signature creates a more dynamic, all encompassing experience for a consumer. Samsung and Intel both use a mnemonic in their identity. In commercials mnemonics have been a recorded sound, played on various instruments and sung by people.


Brendan Murphy shared a wealth of information about the design industry, but he also inspired. During his lecture he made a statement “nowhere leads to somewhere”, simple and true. No matter the task, there is a process to follow leading to an end result; a good thing to remember when looking for a job!