People often ask me the differences between design and advertising. Seeing as I’m a designer in an agency context, the delineation isn’t as obvious as it may seem. But when I attended a recent DesignThinkers lecture by David Turner (of brand design agency Turner Duckworth) I got the one-liner I was looking for: “Design delivers what advertising promises.”

Design is the physical or experiential side of a brand. Advertising is what speeds those things into the world. The two hold hands, working in complement to achieve that elusive combination of reach and allure.

In his talk, Turner presented his principles of iconic design with supporting case studies. Abercrombie and Fitch, the go-to uniform for expensively underdressed millenials, has meticulously designed their mysterious and exclusive teen flavour. Billboard and print advertising use provocative, black and white images of toned male midriffs shot by Bruce Weber to promise an adult experience dressed in teen clothing. The mall experience delivers on this promise with darkly-lit stores and shuttered windows – a complete contrast to the bright, busy and colourful windows of the Gap, Old Navy and Forever 21. At every brand touchpoint, AF sets itself apart by offering up a simmering brew of sexuality and disaffected teenage style.

AF is an example of branding in isolation, but what role does design play in elevating co-branding campaigns? Turner Duckworth faced this very problem when Coke, an iconic brand, co-branded with the Winter Olympics. Their solution: develop collectable cans that leverage the swoosh of the iconic logo as a ski hill, a snowboarders’ pike and an ice skater’s swirl. The cans, beautifully designed, used the logo to make a clever connection to winter Olympic sports. Wieden + Kennedy closed the loop with TV ads that animated skiers, snowboarders and skaters to carbonated bubbles mixed to sound like fresh carved snow and ice. Linking the product redesign with delightful animated ads successfully created a second-nature link between two unrelated experiences.

Earlier this year at The Rotman School of Business, artist and writer Douglas Coupland and Roots founders Don Green and Michael Budman presented their thoughts about their recent creative collaboration. In a telling moment, an MBA student and budding entrepreneur asked the Roots boys where she should spend her small marketing budget. Green greeted her question with a passionate declaration that the best money they ever spent was on their logo and branding elements. He explained how (now defunct) design firm Cooper Hines had stressed the importance of investing in every consumer touch point to ensure a luxurious consumer experience across everything from receipts to shoe boxes to shopping bags. The strategy worked: Roots went from selling 7 pairs of their Negative Heel Boots on day 1, to opening 75 new stores in the next two years. Roots’ experience is entirely their own, and remains fresh and iconic 37 years later.

Sometimes we at ad agencies get caught up in delivering the “big idea” for a campaign, when the more powerful insights come from how the brand fits into our consumers’ lifestyles and identities. When thinking about experiences, sometimes simplicity and tactile design is the most powerful place to connect with your consumer.