For some reason, those in a managing position feel like they immediately forget how to communicate with creatives. It’s not entirely their fault. There are myriad things to oversee and follow up on in a managerial position. But it’s not rocket science! The principles of effective communication are beneficial regardless of the situation, especially if you feel like meeting with creatives is more of a cross-cultural exercise.
I’ve been working with and for creatives my entire career, and I’ve found these three tips to be the best and most efficient way to communicate with your creatives, especially if you’ve never worked with them before.
Set clear boundaries
One of the biggest and most obvious reasons to work with creatives is their creativity. Profound, I know. But what even is creativity? The best definitions of creativity I’ve read involve limits. When we have clear boundaries, or limits, on what we’ve been asked to explore, then we can see those boundaries as obstacles to incorporate or overcome. But, if you don’t have those boundaries for thinking--when you create a situation without limits--you’ve created an infinitely large sandbox. That’s intimidating. It’s also frustrating! Setting clear boundaries for a creative project is a vital step in communicating with creatives.
Give specific inspiration
Listen, I love chill vibes. Who doesn’t? But ‘vibes’ are a terrible way to describe the feeling or suggestion of an aesthetic in a creative project. Think for a moment about giving a casual creative brief to a designer in a meeting. You provide the insight that the client wants a ‘beachy vibe.’ Now, while this might seem like a useful bit of guidance directly from the client, it doesn’t mean anything! What is a beachy vibe? What beach? There are so many different coastal cultures and aesthetics in even just the United States. A general beachy sense exists, a generic and easily accessible stereotype of “the beach.” This is neither a creative nor a useful bit of direction, it’s simply not an aesthetic worth paying for. Instead, when giving inspiration make it specific. Never ask a creative to copy (for so many reasons), but having tangible points of demonstration for inspiration are great ways to communicate what clients (and you) want.
Check-in
It’s a cliche at this point but giving a massive amount of feedback toward the end of a creative project is an absolute nightmare. Having put time and energy into a product only to have an unexpected avalanche of input and changes to incorporate is incredibly discouraging. If you are aware of adjustments, communicate them. Clients can be fickle. But if you are in a position to face clients, then you have an obligation to monitor their changing visions for your creatives. Check-in with the folks pushing pixels! Let them know about updates or refinements as they happen. Creative work is not like dry cleaning where you just pick it up when it’s done. Check in with your creatives to save everyone time and effort!
A manager is just as much a part of a project as a creative, but they can make the project uniquely better if they know how to communicate with every member of their team. Don’t just leave creatives alone with a brief, keep them updated, well-equipped, and valued!
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