“Even a Brick Wants to Be Something”  These were the words of Louis Kahn, considered to be one of the great master architects of his time. We were reminded of the quote after delivering the keynote speech at “VOICE,” a professional conference conducted by the Wyoming Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. While our subject was “Communication is a Verb,” two other speakers made our case as well using the common brick as a metaphor for connecting ideas to thoughts, thoughts to messages and messages to actions.

The contemporary architect Will Bruder from Phoenix, Arizona presented his portfolio of commissions and an impassioned description of his process. While his work was impressive, what drew us to him was how he orchestrated the application of simple materials into complex and interdependent collaborations of harmony and clarity. By using light and imagination, Mr. Bruder turned common bricks into uncommon passion. Like Georges Seurat, the pointillism painter from the impressionist era, Will Bruder arranges, positions and stages individual elements to express a collective image. By working in congress with one another, each element helps to shape and present a collective vision.

In an effort to support the required continuing education of its architects, the AIA also sponsors less dramatic, but equally meaningful, presentations of practical information on significant subjects of interest to its members. A representative from Robinson Brick Company of Denver, an ISO 9001 company, talked for 90 minutes about bricks. They are the first brick company to attain the “Registered Firm” status, exceeding ASTM standards of performance.

What was remarkable about the presentation wasn’t how much there was to know or could be known about the not-so-common brick, but how each brick plays a part in fulfilling the vision of architects and the needs of their clients. From the importance of the brick’s uniformity of size and consistent density to its ability to manage moisture, pressure and temperature, each simple block is a complex balance of performance and planned appropriateness.

The brick as metaphor for communication became even more apparent with each example, showing individual components being designed to do one thing well for each structure, for a specific client, at the appropriate time, under anticipated conditions. When communication vehicles are designed individually but employed collectively, they can produce consistent and impressive results.

At Essex Two, we appreciate and respect the talent and energy it takes to succeed in any business or enterprise. We also understand how difficult is to maintain any real success over the long-term. However, our experience tells us that a cohesive and fundamental message, consistently presented through multiple communication vehicles, will deliver results for as long as the original message is still applicable.

The Essex Two website presents case studies that demonstrate our ability to prepare, package and present the values and virtues of our client’s products to their customers consistently with imagination and style.

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