AUGUST 25TH, 2010
People always say it’s important for creatives to have excellent presentation skills, but to be honest, I never believed it. I just thought it was one of those things that if I do, it’ll help, but if I don’t, it’s not going to kill me. Like when my parents used to tell me to eat my veggies. Well, this is not true. At all. If you can’t present, it will kill your career.
Why? In short and simple terms: because no matter how great an idea is, it won’t come to fruition if the client doesn’t believe in it. And a client won’t believe in something unless it’s presented in terms they understand.
As creatives, we don’t think like others. We dance to the beat of our own ipod shuffle. And often times it’s hard to explain how we arrive at a concept. It’s funny how we can be master communicators when it comes to the benefits of someone else’s product or service, but when we try to communicate our own thought process, we might as well be speaking in tongues.
Enter the invaluable skill of presenting your work. Now, I am by no means a pro at this. Yet. But I have learned a few helpful tips since I’ve been here at EOS. Read on…
- The creative brief is your Bible. This little guy will figuratively and literally get you and your client on the same page. When in doubt, refer to the brief when presenting. The strategy is all there in black and white.
- Go through your thought process. Most of us in advertising and marketing know that good creative can only come from well-mined thought and research, but your client does not. So when you present, tell them what you learned about the history of their industry, what you liked and didn’t like about the competition’s website, anything that says you’ve put time and effort into learning about their brand.
- Write out your reasoning before you present. Yes, I realize this is tedious and a little silly, but I promise, it helps. This is my form of practicing in front of an audience. Why did I choose a serif typeface instead of a sans-serif, how do certain design elements interact with others…WRITE IT ALL DOWN. No need to write it like you’re giving the State of the Union Address - just get it on paper.
So yes, “Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.” And for creatives, our landing gear is found in the form of the presentation. Ease the client into the concept. Make sure they know you weighed all possible options. You didn’t leave a stone unturned. If you can master the art of the presentation, you will see your ideas take off.
MARCH 4TH, 2010
As a designer, I’m always trying to keep my ideas fresh. And the best way to do that is to step out of your comfort zone artistically. Now, sometimes this produces unusual results. For example, I have an end table that is shellacked with playing cards and campbell’s soup labels. Not my best work. But it was something I did outside of my normal aesthetic. Creativity is like a muscle - you need to keep working it, otherwise it will atrophy. That said, I stumbled across this website the other day for some inspiration: www.jellio.com/store.html (See the picture of a cupcake chair).
Seeing this work got my blood pumping and heart racing. Who knows - perhaps this weekend I’ll create a xylophone made of twizzlers. Or a slinky hat, or an oreo mosaic, or a scrabble-tiled picture frame…. When you think outside the box, the possibilities become endless.
JANUARY 4TH, 2010
After a nice holiday break, we are back in the office and ready to go! We can’t wait to unveil a host of new ideas and fresh perspectives.
DECEMBER 17TH, 2009
While we were working here in Atlanta, our local film production crew was on location in Myrtle Beach shooting the local market interviews and footage from one of the Coke case studies we’re currently working on. The trip included a full tour of the city including the beach, Fun Plaza and the local mall. Despite the weather, we’ve got some great footage to capture a great story!
DECEMBER 12TH, 2009
For the past several months we’ve been working on a couple of Immediate Consumption case studies and today we delivered final approval files to the team! We’re so excited to finally be able to share the stories of Australia, Norway and Belgium with our contacts around the world.
OCTOBER 27TH, 2009
Today, our pro bono client Imbako Public Health launched its new website. The organization builds a collaborative effort focused on reducing poverty and it effects by educating women and children, and providing accessible healthcare to Kenyan communities. The new site details Imbako’s initiatives, give visitors updates on the team’s progress in Kenya and allows visitors to donate to the organization. Click here to visit the new site.
OCTOBER 23RD, 2009
One of our real estate clients, SweetGrass, has launched a new interactive photo gallery to their website to allow site visitors to see the progress and offerings of this mountain lake community in Blowing Rock, NC. Using this new interactive functionality, SweetGrass is able to more easily share photos and users can move and enlarge their favorite photos. I promise when you look at these photos you are going to want to visit the property!
OCTOBER 16TH, 2009
Today our office celebrated National Boss Day. We surprised Margaret and Susan with flowers and a card to show them how much we love working for them! Thanks for being such wonderful bosses!
OCTOBER 14TH, 2009
Two Securities Centre and personal trainer Kelli Jackson, owner of Fitness Success, are teaming up to provide a workplace fitness routine to tenants. EOS Goddesses Lauren Elder and Glynn Murph are whipping themselves into shape by participating in the AbLab and kickboxing classes. Feel the burn ladies!
JULY 27TH, 2009
MONO Correction Tape is turning 15 and it’s time to celebrate! Tombow just launched a 15th Anniversary campaign and we created the online and print campaign, including a full page magazine ad, banner ads, Google ad words and tradeshow booth materials. This week at the IAAP show, Tombow is showcasing their correction tape to show attendees.
