THE NEXT CHAPTER OF A CENTURY-OLD IDEOLOGY · COMING SOON
The design philosophy of now.
Form and function are not the differentiators they used to be. When everything works, function no longer sets you apart. This is the defining manifesto for design and brand leaders who are making critical product decisions without a shared foundation.
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A New Book by Jayson Simeon · Coming Soon
FormFollowsBrand.
The design philosophy of now: when everything works, brand is the only thing that still differentiates. Decide what you mean — then make form follow.
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Non-Fiction · COMING SOON
Coming soon, in all the formats.
- Hardback
- Paperback
- e-Book
The Big Idea
EVERYTHING WORKS.
NOTHING STANDS APART.
For more than a century, Louis Sullivan's "form follows function" shaped how we build and design. But function was the frontier then. Today, advanced manufacturing, shared supply chains, and decades of design methodologies have raised the floor so high that looking good, and working well are no longer a strategy. It's the most basic expectation.
In a market filled with competent options, customers don't choose a product based on form and function alone. They choose because it has meaning— it's the accumulated weight of a thousand decisions that tell them whether a company stands for something worth remembering or not. Brand defines meaning, and design makes meaning visible. Your products are always communicating on behalf of your brand, what are they saying? If your brand has ever claimed to be one thing, but the products told another story, this book was written for you.
"Every choice you make is either reinforcing your brand or quietly eroding it. Your customer is either falling in love or forgetting you."
Chris HoyleCMO, Simple Modern
The Rising Floor
Quality used to win. Now it's the cost of entry — and the shelf is crowded with competent, well-made things nobody remembers. So what actually makes a customer choose you?
Algorithmic Polarization
The systems that decide who gets seen don't reward the reasonable middle. Standing for nothing is the fastest way to disappear. The question is what you're willing to stand for.
The Impact of AI
AI is rapidly commoditizing form and function. When every option looks capable and considered, form stops being the reason anyone picks you. So why does your customer choose your brand over another that is cheaper and looks equally competent?
What You'll Learn
How to build a shared foundation.
HOW YOUR BRAND ACTUALLY BEHAVES
A diagnostic framework that maps brands from Nominal to Iconic — and reveals why most plateau early, and what it takes to climb.
TURN DISCIPLINE INTO COMPOUNDING MOMENTUM
How momentum is earned through execution, compounded through expansion, and leveraged into new categories — the way Dyson carried floorcare discipline into haircare.
SEE WHAT COMPROMISE REALLY COSTS
A simple game that exposes the slow erosion of pulling one block at a time — the shortcuts approved for the deadline, not the brand.
Make conviction catch — and hold
How to turn a spark of brand belief into a blaze that survives quarterly pressure, reactive roadmaps, and the gravitational pull of old habits.
Who It's For
TWO LEADERS SOLVING
THE SAME PROBLEM.
This book is the shared foundation that lets you build the bridge to authenticity in partnership with design.
BRAND LEADERS
You define the meaning everything else has to earn. Sharpen the promise into something concrete, and every product in the pipeline can carry it — so the brand stops living in a deck and starts showing up in what customers actually hold.
- → Treat products as the evidence of your brand promises
- → Show up in design reviews and protect the long game
- → Give design the clarity that lets it walk the talk
DESIGN LEADERS
Your work is where the brand becomes real. Internalize what makes it unmistakable, and every product you ship turns into proof — moving design from the last step that makes decisions look good to the first one that makes them.
- → Stay above the brief and internalize what makes your brand unique
- → Deploy brand personality across every touchpoint
- → Learn how to speak the language of the business
About the Author
Jayson Simeon
Jayson Simeon is a design leader and the founder of Adaptitude, a consultancy that helps organizations build authentic products, high-performing teams, and lasting design capability. With more than two decades working at the intersection of design, brand, and business, he helps leaders turn ambiguity into clear direction — and direction into measurable results.
He challenges outdated models of design value, advocating for a more accountable, strategic, and future-facing role for design in an increasingly technology-driven world.
The Future Is Now · Coming Soon
DESIGN WALKS THE TALK.
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