The Full Circle of Creativity: Client Service

Welcome to ‘The Full Circle of Creativity’, our behind-the-scenes blog series chronicling how great design happens at Equator.

In our introductory post, we dangled the promise of a deep dive into the highly organised world of Client Service, where our account managers transform clients’ ideas into creative briefs, juggle timelines like circus performers and somehow make it all look effortless! To deliver on that promise, we sat down with Senior Account Director Amanda Clifford, Account Director Chris Battery and Creative Account Manager Amy Copeland to discover what goes into being the bridge between clients and creatives.

Building strong foundations

If you were to spend a day watching our account managers, you might see them briefing designers, ironing out technical questions with the repro team, or negotiating studio time with photography. But underpinning all of that is the strong relationship they have built with clients.

Before any creative magic can happen, our account managers immerse themselves in a client’s world, getting to know their brand/s, learning how they like to work and identifying key decision makers on their team. And strong relationships are essential to the success of any project.

“A hallmark of a good relationship is the ability to speak honestly and directly about things without getting each other’s hackles up, which allows projects to progress efficiently because there’s no ambiguity,” says Amanda. “Plus, once you’ve worked with a client for a while, you understand what they’re looking for and how to keep the creative on brand – a huge part of our role as account managers.”

Creating a strong brief

Once that foundational understanding is in place, the projects start flowing – and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some clients arrive with crystal-clear visions for brand new products. Others need complete redesigns of existing ranges. Then there’s the strategic work – clients seeking to increase their brand’s appeal to a new demographic, for example.

Whatever the vision, it’s the job of our creative account managers (CAMs) to turn it into a brief that gives our creative teams everything they need to produce brilliant work. “It’s about asking the right questions, digging deeper when something isn’t clear, and making sure all the essential assets are gathered before anyone starts creating,” says Amanda.

“The brief is the foundation of a successful project,” adds Amy. “If you write the wrong thing in a brief, everything goes Pete Tong!”

Mapping out the project

Before the brief is officially delivered to the creative team, our account managers figure out exactly what needs to happen and how much it’s going to cost. This scoping process involves mapping out each stage of the project alongside the team members integral to its delivery.

“We won’t book studio time or get the designers going until we have all of the assets ready and the green light has been given by the client,” says Amy. “But we will let the relevant teams know when a project is coming up so it can be pencilled into the diary.”

Once the team has a start date from the client, they can break down all the tasks involved and figure out long it will take to deliver. “It’s a lot of maths – and working backwards from deadlines to ensure every stage has the time it needs,” explains Chris. “But it helps the team allocate resources ahead of time, meaning they’re ready to go when that start date comes around.”

With multiple projects often running simultaneously, organisation is an essential skill for our account managers. “We need to be as organised as possible to make sure we have all of the assets in the right place, that our timelines are correct, that costings are done and everything is hitting the process in a timely manner,” says Amanda. “Otherwise, things go haywire!”

The under-one-roof advantage

For our account managers, planning ahead also means anticipating potential roadblocks and building in contingencies for when things don’t go according to plan. “We set ourselves up expecting things to follow a certain path,” admits Chris, “But we also pre-plan for every eventuality so if there are changes mid-project, we know what to do to keep things on track.”

Solving challenges often means calling on other team members for support, which is made possible by our under-one-roof model where projects are taken from concept to shelf. “The nature of our job means things can change at the drop of a hat,” says Amy. “Being able to walk over to the person you need to talk to in order to solve a problem makes all the difference.”

As projects move into the artwork and production phase, our Production Account Managers (PAMs) step in to handle the technical nitty-gritty. They’re the ones liaising with printers, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring that what looked beautiful on screen will look just as good on shelf.

Going the extra mile

While organisation and process are crucial, what sets our account managers apart is their commitment to going beyond the brief. “I will never present something back that I am not happy with,” says Amy. “It might meet the brief, but if we’re not sure it’s going to work, we take the time to develop some alternatives, so the client has more choice.”

Chris sums up this approach perfectly: “We want to embed ourselves in the mentality of the client and become an extension of their business. It’s not just transactional for us; it’s personal. By putting ourselves in their position, we’re motivated to keep putting that effort in and adding those little touches that make their lives easier.”

Perfecting the handover

With solid relationships established, comprehensive briefs created, and projects mapped out with military precision, our account managers have set the stage for creative brilliance. But even the most perfectly crafted brief needs the right team to bring it to life.

Next month, we’ll explore what happens when those carefully prepared projects meet the Strategy & Research team, the experts who ensure insights and plans are aligned to drive the right outcomes at the right time.

Until then, if you want to know how we could help bring your next project to life, get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.