Blocks carry the power to change how we see, hear, reach, and connect with everything and everyone around us.
The laws of Blocks have always been there. Now they are codified for anyone to use to grab attention for any message, art, science, business, or idea.
Codified in The Iconist, a Block in any medium is a succinct statement, phrase, image, or design that can be understood instantly.
In MUSIC, the Block is a simple melody or a word or lyrical phrase repeated over and over throughout any musical composition or song.
In a SPEECH, the Block is a highly emotional or truthful statement repeated over and over throughout any oration, address, or presentation.
In VISUAL ART, the Block is an oversized central image, instantly perceivable and unavoidable to the eye—this can be amplified by a distinct, immediately recognizable style.
In MESSAGING or PROMOTION, the Block is a GIGANTIC banner phrase that immediately addresses the emotional concerns of the intended audience. The banner is then aggressively repeated throughout the technical or complex information you are trying to communicate at every point of customer contact.
In DESIGN or ARCHITECTURE, the Block is a bold, oversized, high-contrast, distinct, and instantly recognizable shape.
In CORPORATE DEMAND GENERATION, it is the core ideological intent of your company, understood internally and externally, that communicates YOUR PURPOSE, the PROBLEM YOU SOLVE, or the RESULT YOU ACHIEVE in a way that corresponds to the emotional concerns of those whose attention or business you want to get.
In BUSINESS, you create your Block by distilling down YOUR AUTHENTIC PURPOSE and the EMOTIONAL PROBLEM YOU SOLVE or the RESULT YOU ACHIEVE at the intersection point of the primary concern of your desired audience. State it clearly, obviously, and boldly over and over so that it is seen, heard, and imprinted in the mind. If we want a response, we must first message in this MARQUEED, instantly perceivable way to capture attention. It is this bold, declarative, confident statement of intent that instantly builds credibility if it corresponds to the emotional concerns of your customers.
BLOCKS work by themselves with repetition. When you add EMOTION or COLOR or connect COMPLEXITY to a Block, its power of magnetism is always AMPLIFIED—mesmerizing us and demanding our attention.
BLOCKS’ Application for Professionals:
1. Evaluate and identify your audience’s primary emotional concern corresponding to your purpose, problem you solve, or result you achieve.
2. BOLDLY, MASSIVELY, SINGULARLY address this concern through a visual image, symbol, logo, or an OVERSIZED MARQUEE BANNER Icon statement, whether it is a presentation, résumé, or an email.
3. Stick to it! Repeat and repeat your bold, simple Block declaration everywhere.
The result will be transfixing and calming to the onlooker—automatic, organic, attention-grabbing, gripping, and emotionally charged—and will authentically engage your desired audience, every time. Repetition of the Block works for several reasons. Like Melanie Pullen said, a person needs to see a similar image repeated at least three times to get it. This is especially true in a world where we are constantly distracted and overwhelmed by all the messages coming at us. When repeated everywhere, over and over, your Block will also communicate conviction. Last, it grounds you the user in why and what your primary intent is, and that stabilizing feeling is priceless.
Constant repetition carries conviction.
—Robert Collier
With the primal laws of BLOCKS, anyone can now create a near-instant Icon of the mind in any field.