Creative Insight

The Creative Process

Visual design execution based on data and formed opinion

The creative process is a destination-based journey, and the true ability to crusade forward with confidence is because you understand the mountain, not the particular trail.

I get this question a lot – how did you get to this concept? It’s nice to hear, and certainly has a positive spin when asked post conceptual work. However, more often than not, the question comes early in the conversation, and speaks directly towards the hours within the proposal. They would like to learn more, and who can blame them. It would be the same questions I would ask if I were faced with a large proposal and had little understanding of the process and scope needed.

If you’re a designer, or even more so a Creative Director, you must be able to convey a proven and demonstrated creative process and speak towards it with passion seeping out of you. For this is your personal entrepreneurial mission, your differentiator, your time to shine as if you were on Shark Tank.

Whether you’re a sole proprietor starting to get your feet wet or leading a team with a strong set of partners, you must develop this skill, because it will become the foundation of selling yourself or your team to bigger and better projects. Wherever you go, wherever you work, your process is yours, and it should be evolving. Feed it. Speak to it. Own it.

When I cooked my way through college it was simple to me, and I grasped this self-taught perspective easily; put the same care in preparing and plating the food that you would expect if you were the one who ordered the dish. How would you hope to receive it? They call this the outsider’s perspective, and I got a side note for you – gain some. If you approach every aspect in business and life as if you were the recipient on the opposite end, you’ll be in good shape. Ninety percent of business is keeping promises. Combine that perspective with a starving work ethic, and you’ll soar.

Phillip Padilla

hello@philpadilla.com

"If everyone is trying to prevent error, it screws the process up."

Ed Catmull \ Pixar Co-founder

Back to the question at hand, when a client asks, “can you speak towards your creative process and your proven path of success", Can you?

Most creatives who have been around the block a few times should and will be able to answer the question quite similar to this graphic. In most cases the conceptual portion would cover three rounds and the line up shown would be a decent higher-level view. But that doesn’t cut it for the bigger projects, particularly when you are expected to design, develop, lead, and manage multiple phases of the process.

I personally utilized this high-level perspective for many years, but as my career progressed and project size grew, this model was no longer fitting. When it comes to managing a creative team and all the human components involved, further definition is beyond needed. It is necessary to collectively remain united throughout the creative process.

So, let’s talk about defining the creative process further, and the massive gaps in the model shown.

Pre-Proposal – details, details, details. This should be the start of familiarization, and an open-minded expedition. It should start to take place well before the conversation progresses heavily, and in theory, it’s the beginning of the discovery & research phase of the project.

Proposal – Be sure you grasp the challenges their business is having, break it into sections, and start considering solutions and a vision that will remedy the problem. Yes, some clients ask for a solution before the commitment, it’s hard to avoid, and it speaks to their uncertainties. This is where you sell the vision of the remedy above, not the road map, path, or the full design direction. Simply the vision, the final destination. Where they need to get as a viable business, not how yet.

One of my clients recently decided to pivot on one of their digital core value propositions to address a drastic shift in their market, and the execution route was fragile to not disturb the current loyal customer base. Based on what the client shared in our discovery and research phase, we knew from the beginning that the end result was going to be review-based and typographically driven, and mastering the style sheets and page layout would be a high priority. Although the client wanted a more in-depth review of what that will look like, the how of this question was not yet established, just the understanding of the necessary end result. We all agreed on the destination and vision, it’s my job as the Creative Director to provide a clear and precise outline to get us there.

Discovery & Research – Depending on the scope of work a couple of things typically come out of this step. On a smaller scale, such as a small business logo, some mood boards will help influence the brief further, and establish a light directional path forward. Or in bigger cases, an in-depth research deck is needed, that covers as much of the deep ocean as possible such as: Competition Analysis, User Flows, Customer Demo’s, Commerce Data, Category Breakdown Charts, etc. The goal of the deep dive, or any dive, is to identify data supported opportunity, and to form an opinion and recommendation that will influence a path forward. Just ask Method Soaps Co-founder Adam Lowry who identified that almost every single chemical used in current cleaners destroyed our planet, and the industry was aesthetically unchanged for decades. This knowledge was gained with the old school method of camping out at the grocery store and studying a whole category, as well as comparing products side-by-side. This has disruption opportunity written all over it.

This step must not be taken lightly, study the market, and form bulletproof opinions as if it were your business, and your mission. Owning it is the only way. Learn which paths have been overused, which paths are proven, which ways you can differentiate to resonate with the demographic. A well-formed opinion will have actionable items. It will have theory, and an A to Z thinking.

The goal is to identify data supported opportunity and form an opinion that will influence a visual path forward. I like to assemble the research into a Discovery Deck that is used to give direction and gain momentum into the design phase, and will assist in driving informational sessions with clients and the team. Towards the tail end of this phase we will have gained a better understanding of what needs to be created and how we plan to differentiate at market.

Brainstorming Conceptual Ideas – this step is the fun one. It also brings on the pressure for some. Schedule brainstorming sessions that are stress free, with good food, and little distractions. Make a night out of it. Always start at the baseline that no idea is wrong. Post-It notes should be flying around and grouped. Integrate white boards and thumbnail sketches as you go. Thumbnails are small illustrations that display proof of concept, and you should not leave the brainstorm session without them or you may end up down a rabbit hole of wasted man hours. I’ve seen too many good ideas die due to execution struggle.

The beauty of thumbnails that no one acknowledges, is that it flushes out all of the obvious creative solutions from the start. The obvious solutions are roadblocks and do not serve the creative journey. Nevertheless, they’re part of the creative process and it’s beneficial to accept it and get them out of the way early. They are a repeat of what you’ve witnessed at market and have been known to haunt projects downstream if not addressed early.

Generating creative thinking – strength in numbers provides the ping-pong effect. Most of the great concepts that I have had the privilege of being a part of are a series of ping-pong narratives that build and stack on one another. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango.

If you don’t have the honor of a partner in crime, here are a few tried and true tactics to generate creative thinking when you’re alone.

Word trees help get the ball rolling.
Work the problem backwards.
Physical motion helps with stimulus.
Google the term SCAMPER.
Break your patterns, make a conscious effort to think differently.
Personally, I like physical exercise. I mow the lawn or hit a trail when I am mind mapping design solutions.
Focus groups and networking.

One thing to note, if you run this exercise process alone, the chances of the obvious solutions coming back to bite you are much higher. The benefit of a team is the ability to bounce ideas and talk through them. Plus, unified opinions are the strongest. If alone, find someone whose opinion you highly respect. Use them as a soundboard, this could save you some embarrassment down the road. You never know what fresh perspective they may bring.

Using Data for Informed Decisions – Clients, partners, and even fellow designers often ask, how exactly do you use data for design decisions? In response, data and digital tools are everywhere, you just need a little perspective. You’ll also need to know where to look, and what you’re looking for. Here’s a breakdown of some proven resources used in my creative process.

Helium 10 – I love the tool Helium 10. It’s the ultimate for product and category research, easily combing through thousands of reviews and user metrics to expose gaps and opportunity. It’s the digital equivalent to the old approach of camping out at a retail store and conducting field research and comparison, just like the Method Soaps story above, only the digital approach.
For instance, if all hand soap companies on Amazon dropped the ball and did not offer a mint scented sku, this tool would identify that and much more. It would also identify within the reviews that the demand for mint soap is high, which results in category opportunity.

Crowd Spring – This tool crowdspring.com is great if you are running the design process solo, and it’s free. The concept is simple, let's say we are working on a logo project, you can upload logo concepts with a brief description and simply put it to a vote. The voters chime in, and offer feedback to support their decisions. This allows you to pick the best design with confidence before ever meeting with the client or stakeholders. Let’s face it, none of us have all of the answers in this subjective industry, and this tool really allows you to step out of your own shoes.

Slite - Creating the ideal customer persona is a helpful step in the process, and Slite.com is an easy tool for this. When starting this portion these are simple questions to address regarding the target demographic: Who exactly is your target demographic? Where and how do they shop? What is their preferred form of communication? What is their level of technical comfort? What value proposition speaks to them? Once you identify the ideal buyer or buyers, ensure you have provided the necessary segments to capture all your potential targeted audiences. For example, if you can identify that some buyers are more drawn through social media and others through email marketing, you can better identify the necessary strategy to communicate with your audience.

Answer the Public - What is our demo searching for? There are a few ways of going about gathering this information, but the hands down best is answerthepublic.com. This is the closest thing available to reading your demo’s mind. The tool is simple, you enter your keyword or search phrase and it will generate a diagram of related searches and questions to the query. For the moment it’s free. I don’t imagine it staying this way very long. Shown, is an example of the data visualization this tool provides.

Concept Execution – It's important to start this phase once you have formed a solid understanding of the business needs based on the steps from above. I like to pretend I am in the shoes of the entrepreneur. If I do not understand the business challenges well enough to push forward on my own, what good am I to the client?

When challenges are determined correctly, it will frame the problem at hand, and align with viable solutions. These solutions are the outcome of the trial and error process, but don’t let the term fool you, trial and error lacking conceptual basis is the fool’s gold of our industry. Form an opinion of the business need, align the opinion with a conceptual plan, and execute possible outcomes based on the strategy. Research & discovery should fill the tank with gas and provide a loose destination, it’s up to the designer to explore the best route. Execute. Evaluate. Innovate. Repeat.

This process can become quite tedious and I am a strong advocate of separation before evaluation. It’s important that you’re able to critique your own work as if it were someone else’s to allow for effective refinements. To achieve this change in perspective you’ll need time away to separate yourself from the project to truly be able to reflect. Me personally, I need to get outside to really allow myself proper reflection; (Check out my article that speaks more to this: Getting into the Trees). Often times when I can step away from the project at hand, I can come back with fresh perspective and better evaluate the previously completed work. I will also evaluate my work first thing in the morning, when my mind is most fresh which allows me to better see the tweaks that are necessary, or I may see that it’s simply not working, and a new direction is needed.

Remember that concept execution is about trying something new and executing a vision. This step heavily reminds me of a quote from the co-founder of Pixar, Ed Catmull; If everyone is trying to prevent error, it screws things up.

Enter the Iterative Process – Continuous improvements, this is a series of steps that I repeat as we refine and innovate on the creative concept together. The goal of iteration is to get closer to the answer, tweaking and improving with each cycle or sprint. This is also the optimal time to utilize the tool Crowd Spring for focus group voting and feedback.

During the iterative process challenges may arise that shake the strategy, route, or method. This is the time I make an extra effort to keep feedback and cycles organized utilizing project management tools: ClickUp, Monday, Jira, and Basecamp to name a few. You never know when you’ll need to circle back for something, whether a graphic asset or key conversation.

Platform Utilization – Part of the iterative process requires a lot of back and forth with the client, allowing for feedback and opinions of next steps. I want to discuss presentation for a quick moment, and pepper in lessons I have learned, and ways my creative process has evolved. If you’re still attaching monster pdf’s to an email, open your eyes. The attachment is dead, and we have quickly moved into digital platforms that fast track the collaboration. I work on a mix of digital and print projects, and regardless of outcome, I use Invision for everything. Although it’s designed for web applications, the platform is setup primarily for digital creative collaboration. It works wonders for teams and individual project channel needs, and Invision will even send you mobile notifications. The truth is, the platform doesn’t care what the project is, and that is what is so great about it.

Towards the tail end of finalizing the design, when the majority of work has been completed and everyone is eager to button it up and launch, this is the most important time to pause and reflect. This is not the time to rush. It can be easy to allow the pressure to “get the job done” to rush the final steps, but this is when the details are most important. Don’t be the person that leaves the jobsite a mess. With the pressure at an all time high, here’s a couple of key things to remember to keep the ship in calm waters.

First off, we’re all human, and it’s important to remember that. When stress can seem to be high towards the tail end of a project, and eagerness begins to set in, it’s very important to stay the course, to be thorough, and to take the time to be sure every detail is covered. First impressions can do wonders if they’re nailed, but if failed, they can be nearly impossible to come back from. Emails and Slack updates keep next steps crystal clear, and ensure dotting of all I’s and crossing of all T’s. Remember that this is the time for intentional transparency, leadership, and constant communication to stay in sync and see it through to the end.

I always circle back to my early restaurant years and am reminded of preparing plates the way you would expect to receive them. Now imagine yourself in the shoes of the entrepreneur leading the mission. What would be the humanistic concerns in their head throughout the creative process? Keep your eyes peeled for subtle hints and body language in zoom calls. Identify those concerns, and proactively stay in front of them. Address them head on.

Execution \ Delivery \ Launch – Whether it be a product launch, style guide, or logo library. This step is important to execute to a professional tee. Be sure to provide walk-through demonstrations, documentation, thorough follow ups, and an in-person Q&A if possible. You always want to learn and improve your process.

Think of a construction company that doesn’t clean up after themselves at the end of the day. Don’t be that professional; It’s sloppy and memorable. This is an opportunity to remind your client that they made a great decision hiring you and your team. This step often converts into a healthy word of mouth recommendation.

The creative process journey can be a voyage of its own, a bond, and a testament to why our industry puts such heavy emphasis on the term partnerships. When done right, you become submerged in the mission, adopt core values, and own it as if you were leading the mission yourself.

Beyond partnerships, you build mutual respect, you build friendships. It serves as a healthy reminder, that after all, we are all in the relationship building business. That is the consistent ingredient to a successful rise in the creative journey.

Phillip Padilla

hello@philpadilla.com

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