Each summer, Siegel+Gale takes on a class of interns comprised of undergraduate and graduate students to test the waters of what it means to be a simplifier. This summer, students joined the New York and West Coast offices, where they learned from and worked alongside seasoned brand experts. For many, this in-person experience was a first after semesters of remote learning and working. Over the past eight weeks, our interns collaborated face-to-face, built relationships with their teams and had hands-on exposure to projects. Most importantly, they learned how to integrate simplicity into their work. Below our interns share what simplicity means to them:
“Simplicity is ease. Simplicity is comfort. It is about clarity without sacrificing impact. It is about efficiency; the simplest things still retain a level of quality. It is not vapid, trivial or vain. Simplicity is the foundation for all things good—in branding and in life.” —Ibukun Babatunde, Naming Intern
“To me, simplicity is getting to the core of an idea and communicating it effectively. This means everyone can understand the message no matter their background. It helps not only in minimizing the clutter around us, but also helps to create a more equitable world.” —Brooke Baker, Brand Communication Intern
“Simplicity in my work means communicating in the most concise, crisp, and efficient way possible. It means removing unnecessary words or restructuring statements to express ideas more effectively. I think simplicity can also be the act of not overthinking or overworking. Looking at the end goal from a high level is essential to working simply.” —Megan Beeh, Brand Communication Intern
“Simplicity is easy yet thoughtful. Being simple is not normally a compliment, but it should be. Making things simple is often more difficult than adding complexity and takes more thought. In an era of excess, people feel overwhelmed by the ever-increasing volume of choices and endless consumption is destroying our planet. Therefore, I want to help consumers make easy choices by thoughtfully creating simple brands that cut through the chaos of today.”—Jason Cai, Strategy Intern
“Simplicity is at the core of my work process. In the world of big data, the influx of information is powerful but also overwhelming. The most effective way to tell a compelling story with your data is to establish clarity with simplicity and accuracy.” —Shivani Dahiya, Research & Insights Intern
“For me, simplicity in the workplace means allocating the appropriate amount of focus and time to the most important tasks at hand to achieve clarity and efficient productivity. It involves streamlined collaboration among coworkers at every level to create coherent, clear goals and direction.” —Sam Falcon, Creative Services Intern
“Simplicity means free and classy to me in the work, that I can expand my creativity in the most straightforward and clear way. It helps me to get rid of the overwhelming place, and to focus on the most important design elements that have both clients and me understand the beauty and meaning at the same time. Through the process, I realized that all we need is the small minimal things that inspires and immerse people with great power.” —Silei Fu, Design Intern
“Simplicity, to me, means applying an essential filter to information to distill it into the most meaningful and impactful insights for an organization. Finding the place where a brand lives within that organization and being able to clear a path for it to be lived every day. It guides situations with too much information or noise and allows me to think clearly.” —Julia Gehringer, Brand-Led Change Intern
“Simplicity is cutting through the noise and finding what truly matters in a brand. To me, it’s not about making empty promises or overselling yourself but reaching the true essence of the brand, something that withstands time and is the core of what makes them special.” —Hannah Gordon, Brand Communication Intern
“Simplicity is the ability to convey complex ideas in the most accessible and understandable way while capturing attention through visual design. Such simplicity is essential as it bolsters the relationship between audience and brand with strong, clear ideas that help forge the brand identity. Hence, my creative process always focuses on the most efficient, simple, and meaningful creation methods to create the biggest impact.” —Anmol Govinda-Rao, Design Intern
“Simplicity is about understanding the essence of something. Surprisingly, simple answers can solve some of life’s most complicated challenges.”
—Hamin Jeon, Design Intern
“Whether professionally or in your daily life, simplicity is about being efficient. Because efficiency is doing something at the highest level in the easiest way possible.” —Isabella Jonna, Account Management Intern
“Simplicity is efficiency. Making it easier for people to process, connect, and relate to. Simplicity gives back time to other people and makes for a fuller life. I am drawn to simplicity in my work because I know that it will lead to positive changes in lives. Simplicity is not only a work value, but a way of life that I want to share.” —Kevin Le, Business Development Intern
“Simplicity is understanding a problem so well that it can be solved and communicated in the most straightforward way. Taking a complex issue, condensing it, and conveying it in a manner clear of distractions and extraneous information is how to make experiences accessible to all audiences.”
—Thien Le, Brand Experience Intern
“Simplicity is about making ideas easy to understand and reproducible for others. It creates a framework that lets everyone get involved even if they come from different backgrounds. Building smart and simple processes frees up time from busy work, so that I can spend more time collaborating with my team.” —Jay Lee, Research & Insights Intern
“Simplicity means getting to the point, cutting through all the noise and getting to the good stuff. Finding the happy medium by filtering out the right amount–but not overdoing it. In a world where we are surrounded by abundance and chaos, simplicity means making life easier for everyone.” —Margot Lopez-Silvero, Marketing Intern
“Work that comes from a place of simplicity comes from a place of strength. I believe the simplest ideas have the strongest creative momentum, which translates to how ideas are communicated internally and externally. Whenever I’m unsatisfied with a creative idea, I ask myself, “is it simple enough?” If it’s not simple enough for me, it’s not simple enough for anyone.” —Wayne Luan, Brand Experience Intern
To me, simplicity is crucial in all areas of our lives, but especially in our work. Delivering the highest quality work means fine tuning it until it can be understood from every angle and perspective. Looking at my own work through a lens of simplicity allowed me to understand how it is received in the world and how to communicate at the clearest and most efficient level possible. —Madeline McEvoy, Marketing Intern
“Simplicity involves stripping excess layers to unveil and celebrate the truest form. We can identify the essential with simplicity and deliver the most fundamental and meaningful foundation upon which to build everything. This ambition enables us to communicate the core values with intention, clarity and confidence.” —Victoria Mora, Account Management Intern
“Simplicity is achieving more by doing less across all domains of life. For example, whether it is communication, day-to-day work or cultural shift at an organization (kudos to my Brand-led change team!) simplicity aims at high efficacy with low complexity allowing people to work better alone and with each other while still leaving room for creativity.” —Blazej Mosinski, Brand-Led Change Intern
“Simplicity is communicating a message in a way that a 5-year-old child or any outside observer would understand.” —Valentina Palacios, Strategy Intern
“Simplicity in the workplace means more than it may seem. Simplicity, to me, is something that is attainable but takes practice using trial and error. A mindset focused on simplicity is the best way to go about business, as it provides an intuitive experience packed with clarity, purpose, and efficiency.”
—Sophia Prager, Account Management Intern
“To me, simplicity in the workplace means that everything is straightforward and planned to the best of our ability to deliver high-quality ideas to our clients. With the way the world is moving, you never know what your day may bring you, so there’s no doubt that Siegel+Gale offers the best solution to all of this with their principle of simplicity. It means the day will go by easier than you expected.” —Tashfia Raisa, Creative Services Intern
“We live in a constantly moving and ever-evolving world surrounded by information; to succeed in this world, we must learn how to create simplicity from complexity. Working at Siegel+Gale not only teaches you about the true meaning of simplicity but how to embody it in everything we do.” —Jonathan Ziebarth, Strategy Intern
