Process

process

The story of mining gems from creative briefs

becoming a prospector

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With a strong process, I give myself the tools to trail-blaze projects and better ensure a quality product that inspire results.

Mastering process allows me to be confidently flexible and empathetic to every project, client and/or audiences' unique needs.

The sharper the tools in the tool belt, the more freedom there is to dig deeper into ideas and take projects to places that might not be obvious or expected.

As the Dalia Lama says...
Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

identifying the mining grounds

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The goal is a sample dig. To spot potential starting points for thought generation and creative paths to explore from the brief. What areas have the maximum potential to produce the most impactful results?

Points of interest – I start identifying what stands out as having the strongest emotional connection to the audience.
Thought generation – Than a raw dump of words, ideas and questions. Never holding back and documenting everything.
Commonalities – The most efficient caves to mine are backed by themes that provide vision for both the target audience AND the stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainability and to push through assumptions.

digging deep

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This is where exploration inspired by the nuggets of interest identified earlier get weighed against the competitive audience, industry needs and/or current trends.

Using the right tools - I'll be honest, sketching isn't always my favorite, but I am often grateful for the results.

It breeds "happy accidents"
It's a way to explore ideas unedited and unchecked by digital limitations or habitual processes
And is a way to act on instincts, avoid overthinking and/or feed into the desire to perfect early on

polishing a few rocks

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Once I get into a creative program, my goal is to document iterations and variations. To try and push ideas too far, forcing me to go back, identify the best middle ground and/or push previous iterations further.

This allows me to move forward with confidence that I explored all potential tunnels and work past any biases that might come up.

Balance - While a balanced design isn't the absolute rule. Our minds naturally crave balance. So a design with esthetically balanced features brings harmony, a sense of completeness and inspires trust in the audience.

Connection - Soliciting a response means having that emotional connection. Always being mindful of this means maximizing even the subtlest of features to help set a tone and reinforce objectives.

picking the perfect setting

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Taking a step back and reviewing everything at a high level ensures the team stays out of the weeds and helps ensure the most impactful paths forward.

The check list:
☑ Does it support and/or bring momentum to brand voice?
☑ Does it showcase and compliment a differentiator?
☑ Does it respect and reinforce audience values?

Note - Recapping objectives and expectations in presentations is my favorite means of documentation as well as a way help keep projects efficient, accountable and memorable.

share the love

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Obviously this is not the end of the story. But I'm going to leave you at this juncture in the process with one final thought...

I have found that mining creative briefs is as much a mindset as it is a practice. And profiting from process means keeping passion for problem solving fueled. For me this requires:

Constant nurturing of intrinsic motivation
Finding/creating opportunities of empowerment
The continuous desire for personal growth
And remaining open-minded, flexible and adaptable

I hope this process story reinforces my passion for problem solving, but also inspires others to question, refine and/or collaborate best practices.