The Full Circle of Creativity: Creative Concepting
Another month, another chapter in ‘The Full Circle of Creativity’. So far, this behind-the-scenes series has introduced our organised Creative Account Managers, our consumer-centric Brand Strategists, and our problem-solving Studio Managers. Now, we’re exploring the world of scamping and mood boards with Creative Directors Glyn Robinson and Nathan Ball to discover how they translate strategic thinking into creative territories and deliver concepts that surprise and delight our clients.
Getting involved early
You might think our creatives only step in when the design work begins. Actually, they’re involved before that – especially on big, global projects. “We join early strategy meetings to get a sense of what they’re thinking, so that when their findings land on our desks, our designers aren’t coming to it cold,” explains Nathan. “It gives us an understanding of what’s keeping the client up at night, and an idea of the direction our work needs to take in order to solve that.”
This ability to pull experts from different teams into early client meetings is something Glyn views as one of Equator’s strengths. “The more teams that can be involved from the beginning, the better,” he argues. “Even though all the noise might be on strategy at first, it’s important that creative, photography, and production all have a good inkling about what’s going on!”
Turning in-depth data into on-trend design
Once our strategists have completed their research, the design team combs through the data to identify the “key takeaways”, which inform their creative territories – distinct visual directions that each tell a different story while staying rooted in strategic insight. “Having those key points set in stone before we start sets us up for success and keeps those client and consumer needs front of mind while we’re developing our creative concepts,” explains Nathan.
To bring their creative territories to life, the team regularly uses mood boards. “We tick off the usual suspects – colour, type, photography style, fonts – and it starts to shape the design,” says Nathan. “Sometimes, we present mood boards back to the client before the design work starts to give them a sense of what that design or brand is going to look like.”
This early visualisation serves a crucial purpose: getting client buy-in. “Before strategy played such a pivotal role in design, mood boards used to be a bit of a beauty parade of a designer’s preferred aesthetic,” says Glyn. “Now we’ve got this lovely strategic layer, we can build mood boards that are rooted in the research,” says Glyn. “A well-crafted mood board can tell the complete story and give the client a strong sense of what the final concept will look like.”
Three is the magic number
When it comes to developing creative concepts, the team follows what Glyn calls “a lifelong unwritten gospel” – always present three routes. “When you’re fleshing out the creative direction using the strategic findings, there are usually three very different paths you can go down,” says Glyn. “But three is the minimum you would want to present as two doesn’t give your client a real choice. It’s just an either/or decision.”
Often, each route is strategically crafted to give clients different levels of creative ambition. “We start with what the client is expecting – something that feels safe and on-brand. Then we give them something that stretches them a bit further. And the third one really pushes the boundaries and shows what’s possible if they’re bold,” says Glyn.
Such a scamp!
Before diving into detailed design work, the team also use a technique called scamping – quick, loose sketching – to communicate their ideas. “Scamping is so powerful, especially on ranges that involve photography,” says Glyn. “Rather than tying yourself in knots trying to visualise everything and create photo comps, we can get one of our fantastic scampers to sketch out what that photography composition could look like. That, along with a few found images, gives the client a really good sense of what the finished product could look like.”
The power of the wall review
As first-stage designs begin to take shape, the team use wall reviews to ensure they’re on the right track. “We run wall reviews internally to check we’re hitting the right territories and to make sure that the designers working on the project are developing distinct designs,” explains Nathan.
Several teams join these meetings, creating what Glyn describes as a “horse-trading of ideas.” Working across multiple sites doesn’t hinder this collaborative approach either, as wall reviews can be recreated digitally. “We have regular catchups on global projects because creative leaders from different parts of the world have a really good understanding of what works best in their market,” adds Nathan.
Incorporating feedback
Once concepts have been presented, the refinement process begins. “Sometimes, the client has a favourite concept,” says Glyn. “Other times, they want a combination of two, which is challenging but it’s our job to sensitively address that feedback. If it’s based on something subjective, like an aversion to a certain colour, we may go back and gently explain why it’s important, especially if it’s a strategic choice. But ultimately, it’s a balance between pushing the client and respecting their position as custodians of the brand.”
Once the client signs off on their preferred concept, the project moves into the next phase of its journey. Join us next month to meet the illustration team, whose unique artistry brings brand stories to life.
