Internet Week Europe - Open Shop 10. 11. 2010
This may be of interest to those who weren’t able to attend Open Shop, or those who did but would like to relive the inspiration :D
Unfortunately I missed the Brilliant Design Talk + drinks at the end, but the visits to the creative agencies during the day was pretty interesting and I did take notes :)
Fred Flade is a Creative/Design Director with 13 years experience working across design disciplines with a focus on digital design and communication. He was previously a Creative Director and Founding Partner at de-construct, and is now a Design Director at Poke. Fred spoke to the group about working at Poke, design processes and being creative. This is a summary of the presentation.
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Open plan studios such as at Poke and De-Construct create a lack of hierarchy that leads to flexible working processes. At Poke, staff get moved around every 6 months, which stimulates a variety of creative interactions.
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“What’s your process?”
“Process?… What process?”
Processes are formulas. Formulas are routines. Routines are not creative.
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Work on the walls is important for people to share ideas.
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Work on your portfolio site has to be like nobody else’s. Anything in the public domain will eventually be seen, and innovation is respected.
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Diversity of clients, projects, solutions, ideas and platforms is a lot of fun and keeps ideas fresh.
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People want to work with people that have real passion! Having a real interest and insight leads to more interesting and efficient creative processes and better outcomes. You need to believe in what you are doing so that creativity does not stagnate. Your knowledge of the subject and ability to articulate your ideas can mean that you can justify your ideas, and state your case if you think the wrong thing is being asked of you (the wrong outcomes or the wrong questions).
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People having a laugh - people should be able to communicate freely and be playful.
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The now-go-home-and-do-other-stuff attitude: everyone has interests outside of work, and it is good to play and experiment creatively away from the work environment. This is not only mentally refreshing, but can inspire your work and develop your personal portfolio.
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Collaboration is magic, and fun has to be present.
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Change is regarded as an opportunity. Embrace new technologies and ideas.
Re: Portfolios.
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Be clear about your main interests and strengths.
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Be proactive, and do your own creative projects.
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Be simple and think about what you are presenting. Don’t overcomplicate – your work shouldn’t be hard to explain or understand.
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Be tenacious and think about creative ways to appeal to particular creative agencies, and make an impression.
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Figure out what agencies you like and how you can package yourself to approach these companies/projects in the future.
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Don’t go to recruitment agencies. Use the tools available to you to seek out agencies that interest you.
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Make contacts and stay in touch with people. Opportunities may arise.
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Be aware of what is going on commercially and how this can influence your work. Be curious. Make a record of what really interests you. Can you prove that it interests you? Research and do projects.
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Understand why you like something. Ask questions – the answers might influence your work.
LBi is a marketing and technology agency blending insight and creativity to solve business problems. They work with many of the world’s big brands to help them define and execute their digital strategies. They ‘blend’ diverse teams of digital experts to suit briefs.
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There is an emphasis on sharing ideas, which is why their bar is a hub for collaboration as well as bonding and relaxation!
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There are many stages to their design and marketing development, for example accounts management and a huge technology team working on massive projects such as hosting the F1 website, online banking sites and developing apps for core projects. Client services collaborate with planners, strategists, and creatives to decide what clients should be doing, write a creative brief and pitch to clients. Team casting happens by team leaders deciding which people would be most excited by a job, have relevant skills and knowledge of the subject/client. The structure of a project team is therefore non-traditional, and is refered to as a ‘hot team’ where the team is created according to the brief.
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Good ideas are the root of all projects. Good ideas should be able to work across media. These ideas are tested and developed through to fruition. User testing is particularly important for digital outcomes. One method is by using a room with a one-way mirror that allows them to observe usage of on-screen material e.g. eye tracking, navigation etc.
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The world has changed. There is an assumption that the customer is not listening because of the amount of information they have access to, or is aimed at them. The old way of marketing was about control. The new way is about empowerment. It is now less about a metaphorical ‘war’ on consumers and more a ‘conversation’ with them. Less about what you want the consumer to know, and more about what they already believe about the brand. No more ‘evil’ marketing! Value, care, engage, and listen to the consumer. Take marketing content to where the consumers are, as opposed to expecting them to search for the content e.g. utilise social networking and digital media.
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Build believable brands. Your brand promise and your service are one and the same. Narrow the gap between the projected brand values and the actual product image in the eyes of the consumer.
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Measurement and tracking is important. Good data can help to make informed decisions and the ability to justify ideas and results.
