In the 1960s, there was a creative revolution in advertising when someone decided that art and copy should try sitting in the same room. Applying a similar idea today, and getting content and design practitioners to work together more closely can transform your work for the better. In this deck, I look at:
- the importance of having a strategic ‘North Star’;
- how to come up with working principles for a blended team;
- pair working and how it can transform how you approach things.
8. How it used to work...
Account
people tell the
copywriters
what to write
Art
department
designs a
layout and
put the words
in it
Copywriters
write the copy
15. The team
Bill Bernbach
Ideas.
Believes ‘good taste,
good art and good
writing can be good
selling’.
Helmut Krone
Art.
A “a fidgety
perfectionist who
worked with deadly
Teutonic patience”.
Designs simple layouts
by spending hours
agonising over tiny
details.
Julian Koenig
Copy.
On-off relationship
with advertising.
A frustrated genius.
16. How it went down
Bill went to
Germany and had
an idea
He saw that the car
was 'honest’ and that
gave them a unique
concept and the basis
of a strategy.
The team
collaborated
through adversity
The team nurtured the
idea together and
persevered through
creative differences.
They combined
their skills to great
effect
The best of two
different disciplines
come together
perfectly to convey the
message.
19. “
“When a team is given
responsibility for their own work,
it becomes their property. They
own it. And they walk with their
heads up, and they walk with
pride.”
― Bill Bernbach
21. Have a strategy.
Make sure you have a shared understanding of
your strategy - the North Star that everyone
navigates the project by.
22. “
“The kernel of a strategy contains
three elements: a diagnosis, a
guiding policy, and coherent
action.”
― Richard Rumelt,
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy
23. A strategic North Star
Diagnosis
The problem.
An analysis of the
problem, need or
opportunity that
you’re trying to solve
for.
Guiding policy
The solution.
The approach that’s
going to solve the
problem.
Coherent action
The plan.
A plan for how you’re
going to execute the
guiding policy
effectively.
24. The problem we’re solving is < problem > and < problem >.
We’re going to solve this by < solution>, < solution > and
< solution >.
To make this happen, we’re going to < action >, < action >,
and < action >.
We’ll know we’re successful when < result >, < result > and
< result >.
Play strategy Mad Libs
26. Some ideas
Your work is important as mine
No one’s work is more
important. We’re all equal.
No question goes unasked
We never leave a question
unasked and we never assume
what the answer will be.
We’re not defensive
If someone’s asking questions
about our work or critiquing it,
we’re open to what they say.
We prototype together
We make prototypes as team,
so we can think about the
problem from every angle.
We give good feedback
When we give feedback we’re
constructive and kind.
We eat together on Tuesday
We sit and eat together on
Tuesdays, and talk about
anything but the project.
27. How do you want it to be?
Start by thinking about your ideal future state, and then
work backwards: what are the principles and ways of
working you need to get there?
29. The lone genius is a myth.
Edison, Morse, and all the
rest had help.
30. Real collaboration is
transformative
Perspective
Approach the problem
with every tool at your
disposal and diverse
viewpoints.
Efficiency
Save time, effort,
frustration and
money.
Fun
A sense of
camaraderie - you’re
in it together.
34. Diverging and converging
Pair work
Get together in a pair
or triple around one
computer and attack
the problem together.
Critiques
Meet at a suitable
point and fully debrief
on what you’ve been
doing while you’ve
been working alone.
Talk
Talk every day. Don’t
wait to ask a question.
Try and sit together if
you can.
35. In conclusion
◉ We’re all designers - our work can be seamless
◉ Follow the same strategic North Star
◉ Come up with principles and live by them
◉ Work at working together
◉ Ask ‘WWBBD?’