There’s a funny thing about being a creative. People often come to you because they want something designed.
A new logo. A new website. A brochure. A campaign. A presentation. Something that looks better, feels more modern or finally makes the organisation look like the organisation they know it could be.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed. But sometimes, design isn’t actually the problem.
The problem is that nobody is quite sure what they’re trying to say.
Or who they’re trying to say it to.
Or what makes them different.
Or even what they stand for.
And no amount of clever design can completely fix that.
Before the design, there’s usually a bigger question
One of the things I’ve increasingly come to appreciate over the years is that the best creative work often starts well before anyone opens Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator or Figma.
It starts with questions.
- What are we trying to achieve?
- Who are we trying to reach?
- What do we want people to think, feel or do?
- What makes us different?
- What should we be known for?
- And perhaps most importantly: does everyone involved agree on the answers?
Because if they don’t, you can end up with something that looks fantastic but doesn’t really solve the problem.
Sometimes you don’t need a new identity
I’ve worked with organisations that initially thought they needed a rebrand, only to discover that what they really needed was clarity.
Sometimes the existing identity is perfectly capable of doing the job. It just isn’t being used consistently.
Sometimes the organisation has evolved, but the way it talks about itself hasn’t.
Sometimes different departments have different interpretations of the brand.
And sometimes the business has simply never stopped to properly articulate what makes it different.
Those are not necessarily design problems. They’re thinking problems and that’s where I think the role of a creative has changed.
The thinking is part of the creative work
For me, good creative partnership isn’t simply about being handed a brief and producing something that looks good.
It’s about being prepared to challenge the brief.
To ask the awkward question.
To say, “Are we sure that’s the problem we’re trying to solve?”
That doesn’t mean making things complicated. Quite the opposite.
Often the most valuable outcome of the thinking process is simplicity.
- A clearer proposition.
- A more confident voice.
- A better understanding of the audience.
- A handful of words that suddenly make everything else easier.
And once you have that clarity, the creative work becomes much more purposeful.
This is why I developed Brand DNA
This thinking is also behind the Brand DNA workshops I’ve been running with organisations.
The aim isn’t to produce a glossy strategy document that sits on a shelf.
It’s about getting the right people around a table, asking some challenging questions, having a few “I’ve never thought about it like that” moments and getting to the heart of what makes an organisation what it is.
- Its purpose.
- Its values.
- Its personality.
- Its positioning.
- Its audience.
- And, importantly, how all of those things should influence the way the organisation communicates.
The workshop is often where the design starts. Just not necessarily with any design.
So, what does good design actually look like?
- Sometimes it looks like a new identity.
- Sometimes it’s a campaign.
- Sometimes it’s a website.
- Sometimes it’s a beautifully designed report.
- And sometimes the best piece of creative work is simply helping an organisation understand what it needs to say before it starts worrying about how it should look.
That’s why I still believe the best creative work starts with good thinking.
Strategic thinking. Creative delivery.
The two work best when they happen together.