Toolkit: The Creative Process

August | 2014

Tool Kit

The Creative Process Working with your agencies

introduction

Think Blink At Shikatani Lacroix, we design compelling at-purchase

moments that connect in the blink of an eye.

Our philosophy and strategic design approach,

Think Blink, is driven by a consumer’s motivation to make

a purchase decision. Everything we do is geared to owning

the “at-purchase” moment. Our firm has a well-earned

reputation for designing integrated brand experiences that

effectively connect brands with consumers to drive

measurable results for clients. !!About the author Brendon Sargent, Senior Account Manager Shikatani Lacroix As a Senior Account Manager at Shikatani Lacroix, Brendon

oversees packaging projects for clients such as PepsiCo and

Moosehead. Brendon has extensive account management and

strategic experience in the areas of design, digital (web, mobile

and social media), print, retail, packaging, OOH, radio,

sponsorship, sports marketing, and events. Prior to joining Shikatani Lacroix, Brendon managed accounts

for top-tier brands, such as Stella Artois, Visa and P&G, at Grip

Limited and GMR Marketing.

| The Creative Process | Toolkit | August 26, 2014 2

introduction

You want nothing more than to build the perfect creative brief

for your new project. So, you meet with your agency and share

your business objectives, your deepest consumer insights, the

challenges, and your creative vision. The agency takes it away

and comes back weeks later with something stunningly

beautiful. However, it’s not what you asked for. How is this

possible? !The creative mind is an interesting place. If you ask a group of

individuals to each draw a house, you’re guaranteed to get

very different results from each person; some might draw a

traditional colonial house, while others might draw an

extravagant castle. It’s not to say that the castle was the wrong

answer—it just may not have been what you were looking for.

However, if there existed a process between Point A, asking

them to draw the house and Point B, presenting the drawing,

the result would be much more specific and more consistent.

Similarly, this thinking can be translated to the creative process

when you work with your agency. !!!!!


part one

Brief 1) Be specific. The word “innovative” gets thrown around a lot,

but everyone has a different interpretation of what it really

translates into within the project scope. The “I-word” can make

the creative team cringe. You don’t know how many times they

have brainstormed and presented something truly innovative,

only to learn that they have pushed it beyond a client’s

comfort zone. !2) Give examples. Don’t be afraid to look at what your

competition has been doing well. It’s the agency’s job to know

how far they need to take it, but the more you direct them

now, the happier you’re going to be with the result. !3) Be communicative. The creative team should always be in

attendance to every briefing. Remember the game Broken

Telephone? No matter how tightly the meeting minutes are

kept, there are always details that are missed and you can’t

convey enthusiasm on paper or via email. Passion and

excitement cannot be transferred to the team via osmosis. You

can’t argue science, so keep the semi-permeable membranes

to a minimum. !4) Make it an event. If you’re briefing for a minor tweak to an

existing creative, this may not be necessary, but if this is your

biggest push of the year, make it known. It doesn’t have to be

an elaborate, off-site meeting with food and cocktails (albeit

those are the briefs I still remember years later), but show the

agency you put thought into it. The more you show you care,

the more they will care. See above for rules of excitement

transfer.


Brainstorming Not every project requires a big, formal

brainstorming meeting complete with beer,

snacks, sticky notes and scribblings all over the

walls, but when it is required, you should be

there. Not only is it the perfect time to share

your ideas and contribute to the end product,

but it also keeps the agency on track. Below find

some tips on preparing for a successful

brainstorming session: !1) Before the brainstorm, help the agency define

the objectives. Remember, you only briefed a

small team and we’ll probably bring in other

individuals to ensure diversity of thinking. It will

also help the rest of the team get to know you.

We want everyone to feel like we’re working

with you, not for you. This will also allow for

some of those out-there ideas that might be

home runs. !2) Don’t be the idea killer. Sometimes the shred

of an idea can trigger another which triggers

another. Just because the first one isn’t a winner,

it can still lead the process along a path that can

be hugely successful. At the end, we’ll recap and

prioritize all of the ideas and discuss which

should be further explored. You’ll be a part of

that discussion, so only the ones you want to

explore will rise to the top. !3) Trust us—we’ve done this before. Sometimes

the process can be frustrating and you might

feel out of control, but we know what we’re

doing. It’s supposed to be fun, and sometimes a

little goofing off helps. Join in. Who knows, you

might like it?

part two


part three

This is an often-skipped phase in the creative

process, but it can be one of the most important.

This can save weeks of working in the wrong

direction. It also allows for more input that

would be tough to implement further down the

line, and it often puts the client’s mind at ease. If

you know what to expect during the creative

presentation, you’ll be less concerned with,

“What if I don’t like it?” or, “Are we going to

make the timelines?” or worse, “What if my

superiors don’t like it?” !Behind closed doors, the agency is turning

nuggets of a concept into a fully blown-out idea.

During this stage, they’re thinking about how it

this will translate into the creative space.

Colours, typography, photography, style—this is

all being considered. This is the creative team’s

interpretation of what you’re looking for. Now,

here’s the fun part: what if you could take a peek

into this thinking to make sure they are on the

right track? While it involves a little extra work

to make this thinking “client-ready,” it’s worth it.

Depending on the project, you might see pages

of images, type and colour usage. Or you might

see examples of other in-market ideas to show

trends. Or, it might just be a montage of images

pulled from Google to help depict the story.

Regardless of how it’s displayed, this is when

you get a chance to stop them in their tracks, or

encourage them to take it even further. !Note: Although it’s risky, the creative teams

sometimes dislike this part because they like the

big “reveal” at the end. Show-offs! However, if

you have great chemistry with your agency, this

stage can be skipped.

Concept/Mood Boards


part four

Creative Presentation This is the logical next step in the process, and

one which needs little explanation. This is when

you see everything come together. If the process

went smoothly, there should be no surprises

here. Sometimes, if the project is big enough,

this may be split into a series of presentations.

Perhaps the first presentation is more high level

to show how the idea would come to life, and a

second presentation might take that idea and

roll it out to all touch-points. These

presentations would of course be bracketed

around your feedback.


conclusion

!While every agency has its process, there’s

certainly no right way or wrong way. Sure, they

have each had their successes, but the road to

that win may not have been as smooth as you/

they would have liked. At the end of the day, it

should be a collaborative process between the

client and the agency, resulting in fewer conflicts

and better work.


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Toolkit: The Creative Process

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