Explore Your Profound Power to Unite, Communicate, and Inspire Action, Pum Lefebure

How Design Live 2024: Explore Your Profound Power to Unite, Communicate, and Inspire Action, Pum Lefebure

I loved this session. It was jam-packed with creativity and inspiration.

Pum Lefebure, co-founder and COO of Design Army described herself as the “art kid” and was inspired by the United Colors of Benetton ads and the ’90s aesthetic. She believes art education is a great equalizer, but schools always cut the arts first, and by doing this, we cut out personal expression. 

How do we make a difference and impact as artists?

Pum made an impact through a passion project for the Washington Ballet. Like art in schools, the ballet’s budget was cut, and scholarships couldn’t be awarded. 

The Washington Ballet was confronted with  a few different choices when it came to this project:

1. Do nothing and hope it gets better.
2. Donate 
3. Or seek to make an impact and get involved.

She chose to get involved.

So, she assembled a team to raise awareness for the arts and tell an engaging story about the Washington Ballet. They created a book, asked for donations, and they raised six figures

 After the Washington Ballet project, Pum’s design firm, Design Army, had the opportunity to work with the Hong Kong Ballet. The brilliance and creativity are how they integrated the Hong Kong culture from colors, fonts, and dancers into the brand and campaign.

“We looked to establish a vibrant, energy-filled brand experience that reflects the passion and drive of dance and the Hong Kong Ballet’s new artistic director, the highly acclaimed choreographer Septime Webre.” states the Design Army website. 

Often imitated, never duplicated.

The campaign was so successful that she showed us how a laundry appliance company imitated its designs, forcing it to come up with completely new ideas in the follow-up campaign. It featured pastels inspired by the city of Hong Kong.  

Her process…

As she explained her research process and inspiration for these campaigns, it felt reminiscent of the research trips Walt Disney and his animators would take for movies. Connecting your messaging and audience by immersing yourself in your subject and becoming an expert.

Pum’s background and culture played a significant role in these design projects.

It struck me that when it comes to creativity in the age of AI, we need to embrace who we are, make unexpected combinations, and observe patterns others don’t see to make a positive impact.

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