In this follow-up edition, we welcome back Jane Linton, our Executive Creative Director at big group, as she delves deeper into creative processes, the impact of AI-driven designs and eureka moments with client projects.
Your creative team has a huge variety of specialisms that sit within the department. Do you have processes in place to maintain efficiency?
I am a little bit obsessed with processes, which might sound odd from the ECD as you would assume I am all about the big ideas and blue sky thinking. But I’m a firm believer if the right processes are in place, it helps us work better as a team and ensures we have the right information to create great work. Processes and workflows should be in place, so the creatives don’t have to worry about anything which inhibits or limits their creativity.
From a commercial point of view, I see so many bottlenecks and wasted time on projects which could have been easily avoided by taking a bit more time up front to kick start the project efficiently. We work with a seven-stage process that outlines the creative workflow from initial scoping and briefing right through to final wash-up and closing of a project. It is an ever-evolving document as we constantly make small improvements as we learn from projects.
AI is coming on leaps and bounds, what do you think it means for the future of digital design, what changes do you see ahead?
We are starting to use AI tools in the creative team for brainstorming ideas and creating pitch mockups. There are still too many grey areas to apply to commercial design work but for now we see AI as a useful tool for the ideation stages. But we do need to remember that they are just tools, and you still need skilled designers using these tools to get the best output. You will always need people who know ‘what good looks like’ when utilising AI.
One interesting application I would like to explore more in the future is the use of AI in UX Design. Algorithms will be able to analyse large amounts of data and predict how users will interact with a design, giving us valuable insights to create more intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.
How do you strike a balance between pursuing creative ideas and meeting client objectives?
I think this is a skill you hone over the years, from experience of the industry and getting to know your clients. You know the briefs you can push further and the ones where disruptive ideas just won’t float with the client. We always try to present two or three ideas, the ‘on brief’, the ‘push it a little further’ and the ‘wild card’ but depending on time and budget you know when to not waste too much time on the wild card.
Do you have an example of this eureka moment and how did you know you’d hit the brief on its head?
One recent eureka moment was for a brief that came in from one of our clients to deliver a three-minute end-of-the-year town hall video. The brief was pretty simple, but extremely challenging. The client wanted the video to have the wow factor BUT there was a small budget and only a few weeks to turn the film around. Also, it was going to be challenging to get all participants together simultaneously for filming.
I had an idea that had been forming in my head for months after watching my young nieces playing with their dolls, while at the same time watching YouTube videos of other kids playing with dolls. I always found this intriguing and watching them always brought a smile to my face. I knew there was a film idea in there should the right brief drop. Cue the town hall brief. Bingo!
I immediately had the eureka moment when we replaced our hard-to-pin-down protagonists with dolls and toys that represent their characteristics and personalities. We would film with stand-in actors showing hands only ‘playing’ with the toys as they act out the various scenes. We presented this concept along with a few other ideas to the client. But this was one of those unique situations that I felt so strongly that this was the winning idea.
What was the client’s reaction?
The clients loved the concept, and it was approved on the first call. 48 hours later we were on a flight to Switzerland with suitcases full of toys, dolls and props and some odd looks from airport security. The film was shot in one day and we even managed to get our real characters together for a quick end frame as we panned out from the dolls to reveal their real-life doubles.
When the finished film was shown it “received laugher, cheering and a standing ovation”. The client’s inbox “blew up with compliments’. I love it when an off-the-wall idea comes together and client feedback like this is the icing on the cake.
Kudos to Head of Copy Bruce Lawley and copywriter Adam Wilsher whose excellent scriptwriting brought my bonkers ideas to life. Extended thank you to Adam for also allowing his prized action man to be cast in a starring role.
Disclaimer: no toys were harmed in the making of this film