Design Archives - Creative Agency Talk

The Books You Need to Do Your Job Better Now

Let’s face it, most of us don’t show up for work feeling one hundred percent energized every single day. Whether it’s a mid-morning coffee break, a yoga class or a brainstorming session – we all need outlets to get the juices flowing. So, over the course of the year, we tasked clients with the big question: how do you inspire and excite your teams? Not surprisingly, many of them said they have go-to reads that they tap into for innovative ideas and strategies. We couldn’t help but share their recommendations for the keys to making the magic happen day in and day out. The Accidental Creative Todd Henry The Accidental Creative is well suited to creatives working in the in the commercial environment. There’s a learning curve to staying active in your own creative practice while giving it your all professionally. This book, loosely adapted from podcast content, provides valuable tools…

5 Tips for Concepting and Delivering Powerful Branding

The award winning design team at ArtVersion is no stranger to tackling both new brand launches and brand refreshes. Working with a global set of clients has taught the collaborative group many lessons on how to best approach branding to turn out the best brands possible. Foremost, the team has been struck by how many companies don’t realize that their branding needs to be updated. “Clients will approach us with a digital project – a new website or app – and give us initial direction that isn’t in alignment with their existing branding. It’s here that the ‘aha’ moment happens and they realize their branding is stuck and needs to be reworked to align with new standards and their own growth strategies.” discusses Erin Lentz, ArtVersion director of design. Here are their 5 top branding process takeaways: Go Deep (But Keep It Simple) Though you might be anxious to try out a…

Creative Process: Design is Iterative

Working together takes a certain amount of empathy and curiosity – which aren’t always the easiest qualities to tap into on a moments notice. They are, however, invaluable tools that can propel a project to the ideal outcome in less time. Building this type of collaborative environment that fosters experimentation that, if productive, requires some level of structure that many are looking to create on an enterprise scale. With the shifting models of agencies – and highly competitive marketplace, founders and creative directors are on a constant search for a pioneering model for idea generation. The challenges throughout the lifecycle of a project can be immense, so a system of organization rooted in not only creativity, but accountability has emerged as a perennial favorite. So what process has risen to the top, providing optimized efficiency and creative flow to a team of collaborators? Featuring one of the most sustainable approaches to the…

Tapping Into Your Creative Community

When living and working in such digitally and technologically connected culture, its all too easy to sit behind a screen and think that you are getting all the information that you need to do your best work. Articles, webinars, streaming video and audio and project management tools (read: Slack) just to name a few – all provide the connectivity and information for us to get inspired, put the puzzle pieces together and ultimately get the job done. But is it enough to produce the best work possible? Think of it this way, usually in the morning, you are ready and rearing to go (fueled by caffeine at least) – ideas are flowing and you get to your desk to knock those ideas out of the park. As the day goes on, the momentum seems to slip and finally the afternoon comes and the process doesn’t have quite the spark as when…

The Positive Side of a Creative Block

The flow of creativity is a strange thing. Like precious a natural resource, it comes in waves – either a big rush or a slow trickle. A constant stream is a rare gift and can sometimes be taken for granted. The fact is, creative roadblocks can actually be a good thing. If you continue on the same path for too long, innovation is hindered and new solutions have next to no chance of seeing the light of day. It’s the action of doing something new, something as simple as taking a different path to work or ordering a different meal – that can be the catalyst for reinvigorating creative mojo. You might not even know you lost it, or were even looking for it, but the feeling will be unmistakable – an ignition of your creative self. Getting Creatively Un-Stuck Unplug This might be the most obvious, but the hardest…

Keeping Agile In The Evolving Creative Marketplace

Good news, if you are reading this post – you’re already one step ahead. In the current and constantly changing design and technology landscape, talent and drive are key – but being informed will push the envelope even further. Staying on top of industry trend patterns, innovators, designers and developments allows an already creative mind the space to open up even more possibility for future Read (or Listen) Up From blogs to print magazines and journals – gathering knowledge by keeping tabs on the latest publications is one of the best ways to stay in the know. Digital content is highly up to date but can be sometimes be fleeting since trends change so regularly. Keep an eye out for content patterns – if you begin to see multiple publications on the same topic that means it’s probably worth a second look. If you can’t spare the time, podcasts are also…

Simplify Design to Amplify Clarity

From design to content strategy, with specific attention to the web, minimalism has taken precedence. The right techniques can improve the legibility of design, create perception of expertise and foster true connection. The big question emerges: how can designers go about distilling down the essence of complexity to an elegant and powerful design without veering too far off course and peeling away valuable layers of information? We can all recognize that the current and longtime climate of complexity is building by the day. Complexity has become a large part of our lives and as a result, resources are at a minimum. A clear driver for a simplicity approach is to serve the user. Simplify (the message) Solve (a problem) Save (user resources: time, money) Taking steps to achieve minimalism will not only allow greater cognition for the user, but fast track the ultimate goal of conversion. Pare Down It’s inevitable that aspects must be removed or edited. There are only…

Design as a Key Element in Successful Branding

There are many parts of branding from the strategy, positioning, culture, to the brand statement. However, design is obviously the most recognizable aspect of branding. Design and branding are inseparable but business owners often confuse the relationship between the two. For instance, many business owners associate the logo as the brand when it is more of an avatar for the company. With that said, how exactly does design impact a brand? Since the topic of the logo was brought up, you can say that the logo design is meant to support or conceptualize your brand statement and identity rather than represent the brand together. Take the financial company ING for example. Their logo has the symbol of a lion next to their company name. The purpose here is to represent a pedigree that commands respect, is authoritative, and is a leader. These are all qualities that people want to associate…

Agile Design for Startups – A Fresh Approach to Creating

In a competitive environment, the ability to adapt is a essential quality for a company. For that reason, many companies have started to embrace the agile approach for designing their websites and apps. The traditional approach of getting a product perfect or nearly perfect before launching a website or a product does have its place. After all, a well designed website or app that runs as perfectly as can be will probably be met with acclaim, creating a momentum that sets itself for success in the marketplace. But the traditional approach to creating is not ideal for many companies, especially for companies with small budgets and a lack of resources for figuring out what their audience wants to the tee. The agile approach is perfect for these types of companies as they don’t have to commit everything to creating a perfect final product. They can adapt as they go until…

Web Design for Startups: What Are Smart Startups Doing With Their Websites?

It’s becoming difficult for startups to ignore web design. To many startups, website design may seem like a way to present their company in a meaningful way. However, it is far more than an aesthetic function. Design is about creating something in a way that is meant to be used. It gets people to delve into your content, evaluate your products, and take part in a unique experience (if that’s your goal). If that’s the case, what should startups take notice of when it comes to design? Here are some great examples of what some startups are doing. 1. Being as direct as possible – Many startups are cutting to the chase and simply stating directly what a new visitor will get out of using their website or what they are offering. The goal is to quickly state the benefit out of using the website in a few sentences and…

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