22 Feb 2024
2 MINute read
WHERE IS YOUR EFFORT NEEDED MOST?
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS?
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WHERE DO YOU PLACE THE MOST ENERGY
INTO YOUR PROJECTS?
I am always in self reflection mode when it comes to my process and a while back I came to the conclusion that my creativity is useless when it is not paired with an objective... And even more so, focused creativity is impossible when there is no information to create from.
I break my creative process into three parts;
Gather
Whittle
Ignite
I've delved deep into these concepts at my workshop at Crop and also at The Logo Life Academy, which I launched in May 2023. Now, I'd like to share some of my thoughts on these topics with you.
I think of my process as a fire - I need wood to to feed it and bring it alive, but some of that wood is wet and I need to whittle it down so I can help the wood catch a spark... which in turn allows me to ignite my fire.
My point here is this, if I don't have any wood at all - a fire will NEVER be created.
So when it comes to my creative process I spend a huge amount of time and effort GATHERING information from my clients. I want everything that they can give me and I make sure I "front load" all of my effort, so when I eventually get to the 'whittle' & 'ignite' stages of my process I am never short of ideas.
With this all being said, in a somewhat cryptic woodland vibe, make sure you place the majority of your effort in the early stages of your client projects and make sure you have all the information you need to never be short of ideas;
Send them a brief questionnaire ( I made a tool for you here )
Have workshops with your clients
Ask for mood boards and create style scapes
Work hard on the strategy and audience profiling
Everything piece of information you receive is hiding a bunch of ideas... make sure you focus on it because when you nail this - YOU WILL WIN!
If you’re looking for a little help with your process check out these tools and courses:
Client Process
The Brand Identity Course
The Fookin Focus Course
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James