Where Does Inspiration for Our Agency’s Creativity Come From?

The Age Old Question

A lot of clients ask us where we get our inspiration for our creative work. I could blather on and on with a bunch of BS about how we get our inspiration for design work from the way the wind blows through the leaves in the trees outside the office, or the manner in which the shadows from the duct work plays on the ceiling above my head, or even from the way the fish swim around the aquarium in the conference room. But you don’t have time for creative crap-sense.

To tell you the truth, the creativity for the work we do on our client’s brands comes from the strategic plan we develop to communicate your individual marketing goals.

A colleague once told me that, as an agency, we were not really “designers.” As you might imagine, that comment wasn’t well received, initially.

However, once explained, it became clear this was an obvious compliment related to our approach toward design which begins with a marketing strategy. I’d have to admit, we aren’t a bunch of fickle artists whose sole purpose in life is to change the way the world looks at color or views design.

Creating to Enhance the Client

As an agency, we don’t waste our client’s time and money developing creative intended to win us more design awards. We develop creative that is based on specific marketing goals, intended to generally engage, sometimes entertain, and always communicate the message of the brand itself.

Of course, we’ve never turned down awards. But we also don’t try to create pieces solely to enhance our portfolio, impress our peers, and convince prospective clients to work with us at the expense of the client paying for the work in the first place. In short, we develop creative that works for the brands that we work with. And, if I say so myself, we’ve been doing a helluva job of this for more than a decade.

Nurturing Strategic Graphic Artists

We don’t hire graphic artists. We hire strategic artists. Our strategic artists fully understand what it takes to build and maintain a brand.

If you’re looking for a angst-ridden, disaffected artist whose better-than attitude has them eschewing commercial graphic design, walk through the door of the nearest bar or restaurant. If you’re looking for a creative team focused first and foremost on your brand, product or service, look to an agency that hires that special, hybrid creative creature who can look at your project from both sides of the table — a “cool kid creative” who also knows how to wear a suit (or dress, depending on the day… )

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