A Glimpse into the Mind of an Art Director. It’s Not All That Scary.
By Ebby St. Pierre
For over 15 years, I’ve been an art director in direct marketing. I’ve been at many agencies and have seen behind the curtain at many places, clients included. In a nutshell, here’s a play-by-play showing how the creative process goes down and how I evaluate work to make it better.
Give the account team a hard time at the launch
It may seem creatives do this for sport, but they actually do it in an effort to truly understand the nature of the assignment, the messaging, the audience and the offer. We try to poke holes in the strategic planning process to see if we can improve and strengthen the brief so we can make the package engaging for the reader. There are instances when we’re given an assignment directly from the client without it being perfectly clear or completely thought out. In times like those, we encourage our account team to ask our clients the difficult questions like, “What is the purpose of this package? What is going to drive the reader to take action? Is this the strongest offer we can give?” or “How can we make the offer less confusing?”
Armed with the right strategic marketing tools, our goal is to make the message simple and clear for the reader. Oftentimes, direct mail is disregarded because the offer or the messaging is convoluted. If the reader doesn’t understand what he is asked to do, then he will toss our package like it’s on fire.
Brainstorm with my copywriter partner
The first thing my partner and I do is put ourselves in the consumer’s shoes so we understand how to speak to them and what will resonate with them. From there, we come up with the best concept to deliver the cold, hard facts. This concept, or idea behind the package, is crucial for communicating what could be dry and boring statistics. By infusing tasteful design with graphics, images and personalized copy with the right tone, the concept creates a platform to deliver information in a digestible and entertaining way. Facts can be served up a million different ways, but we try and combine best practices with a fun and fresh approach—because when the reader is engaged, he will act.
Go where the magic happens
Once we have our concept in mind, I go into my own little world where “no boundaries” and “best practices” live harmoniously. When designing, I find the hamsters in my brain asking questions like, “Is my design on brand? How can I make this work a little harder? Is the offer I’ve designed compelling enough and how can I make it more so? Is the design appealing visually and tonally?” In my experience, I’ve discovered that ideas come from everywhere. Among other things, I draw on my exposure to contemporary design, photography, illustration, pop culture, trends, knowledge of the world and what’s topical in the news. I always keep my mind current, fresh and open.
Emerge with brilliance
All creatives love their work. We take pride in what we do and add value to the overall effort in direct marketing. Nevertheless, after we’ve created our masterpiece, we come together with the account team once again to evaluate the work and see if there are ways we can strengthen it before presenting it to the client.
In the end, it’s all about partnership. A good agency will partner with its client, bringing its specialties to the table to collectively reach the best solution. Just as creatives and account people must work together from the strategic planning process to execution, successful teams will question each other and come to a resolution that will respectfully address everyone’s point of view and expertise, and, in the end, produce a solid package that will move the needle.
Questions to ask yourself when creating:
Is the strategy iron clad?
Is the message simple and clear?
Is the offer compelling and easy to understand?
Is this the best concept to deliver the cold, hard facts?
Is the offer front and center?
Is the story told in a concise way that a reader can easily digest?
Is the design and tonality on brand?
How can I make this work a little harder?
How can I make this more appealing visually and tonally?
Is the offer I’ve designed compelling? How can I make it more so?
Tags: Art Director, Creative, Direct Marketing, Strategic Marketing Blog, Strategic Planning, Strategic Planning Process
Categories: Strategic Marketing
