Leading Creative Teams (eBook)

Eleazar Hernández is the Creative Director of Jugar. As creative director at a succession of agencies, he developed and directed integrated branding campaigns for hundreds of regional, national ,and international corporate clients in the retail, utility, financial, higher education, healthcare, development, medical, fitness, and construction industries. He was an adjunct professor of graphic design at Sage Colleges in New York. Hernández was named among the Nation’s Top 30 Designers to Watch by Graphic Design: USA magazine. A veteran of the United States Air Force, Hernandez recieved a BFA in Graphic Design from New Mexico State University and an MA in Art History and PhD classes in Anthropology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Contents 6
About the Author 7
Acknowledgments 8
Introduction 9
Chapter 1: Start with a Blank Piece of Paper 14
Where Creatives Are Lacking 15
Good Fortune 16
Flexibility 17
From Creative Doing to Creative Leading 18
The Story of a Young Hungry Creative 18
Creative Direction: Defined 20
The CD 22
Tips to Prepare for Creative Leadership 23
Congratulations, you’ve been promoted. Now what? 23
How do you manage? 23
Taking care of more than yourself 24
Have some “groove time” 24
Set Expectations 26
Delegate 26
In a Nutshell 27
Chapter 2: Leading a Creative Team 28
Qualities of a Great Creative Leader 29
Love What You Do 29
Have Great Taste 29
Speak the Lingo 30
Champion Someone Else’s Work 31
Enjoy Watching Others Create Great Things 31
Give Away Your Ideas 31
Defend Your Team and the Work 32
Be a Mentor 32
Always Strive to Do Better Work 32
Be a Great Presenter 33
Be a Good Listener 33
Share 33
Stand for Something 33
Believe 34
Potential Creative Team Personalities 34
“Keep Me Informed” Team Member 34
“Get Out of My Way” Team Member 35
“Life Isn't Fair! Why Can't I Do That?!” Team Member 35
“I Need to Be Told What to Do” Team Member 36
Desired Team Members 37
Mentoring a Creative Team 37
You should always do your best work. 37
Spend time learning about your client. 38
Build a network of trusted contemporaries. 38
Be honest. Really honest. 38
If you want to be good at what you do, work at it. 38
Be honest with yourself. Don’t show crap work. 39
Sketch. Write. Repeat. 39
Control what you can. 39
Expect more. 39
Don’t be a whiner. 40
In a Nutshell 40
Chapter 3: Leading an Advertising Creative Team 42
Advertising Creative Team Members 43
Your Team 44
Art Director 44
Copywriter 45
Traffic/Production Manager 45
Additional Creative Team Members 45
Advertising Creative Team Objectives 47
Creating the Dupla 47
Advertising Creative Team Direction: Leadership Skills 48
How to Review Work from Your Team 49
Playing the Game 50
Getting the Best from Your Art Directors and Copywriters 51
Getting the Best from Your Traffic Manager 52
Working Well with Account Executives 53
Disseminating The Message With The Media Department 55
Getting The Word Out With Public Relations 55
In a Nutshell 56
Chapter 4: Leading a Design Creative Team 57
Elements of Graphic Design 58
Principles of Graphic Design 59
Design and Strategy 60
Working with a Design Team 61
Guarding Your Team’s Creative Flow 61
Design Process 62
Define 63
Describe 63
Discover 63
Design 64
Develop 65
Deliver 65
Know Your Design Team 66
In a Nutshell 67
Chapter 5: Brainstorming 68
Capturing Ideas 69
Sketchbook 69
Project Folder 70
Project Binder 71
Ground Rules 71
Rule 1—Inspired Location 71
Rule 2—No No’s 72
Rule 3—Be Prepared 72
Rule 4—Time Limit 73
Brainstorming Solo 73
Brainstorming In a Group 73
Parameters 75
No Idea Is Bad 75
Empty Your Brain of the Obvious 76
The Path of Most Resistance 76
Understand Yourself 76
Combine Different Parts into a New Whole 76
Know When to Walk Away 77
Editing and Evaluating Ideas 78
Voice of Judgment 79
Diamond in the Rough 80
In a Nutshell 80
Chapter 6: Creative Exploration Tools 86
What Are Thumbnail Sketches? 87
Why Is Thumbnailing a Good Thing? 88
The Role of Sketching During the Ideation Phase 89
Save Time 89
Developing Skills That Communicate Ideas Effectively 90
No Tweaking 91
Happiness in Multiples 91
Repetition Is Not a Good Thing 92
Archive Your Thumbnails 93
Five Uses for Thumbnail Sketching 93
1. Concept Development 94
2. Composition or Layout 97
3. Communication and Approval 98
4. Visual Exploration 98
5. Refining Visual Solutions 100
Things to Consider When Thumbnailing 100
Visual Shorthand for Creative Communication: Examples 101
In a Nutshell 102
Chapter 7: The Art of the Critique 104
Why Critique? 105
Are internal critiques with your account service team necessary? 105
Is there value to internal critiques before showing work to the client? 106
How to Receive a Critique: A Grain of Salt 106
Why Do Creatives Avoid Critiques? 107
Who Else Can Critique Work? 108
Who Is Really in the Hot Seat? 108
Where Do You Begin? 108
The Truth Hurts… Sometimes 109
“I Would Have Designed It Like This” Critique 109
“Dive-Bomber” Critique 109
“Vague and Pointless” Critique 110
Critique the Right Way 110
Understand the Parameters of the Assignment 110
Start with a Positive 110
What Would You Improve? 111
If You Love It, Let Them Know 111
Know When to Draw the Line 111
Give Them Something to Do 112
Keep Things Objective: Stick to the Creative Brief 112
Critiques Should Evolve 112
Materials and Rooms 113
Printed Work 113
Out-of-Home 114
Broadcast or Web 114
What Kind of Room Should You Use? 114
In a Nutshell 114
Chapter 8: The Art of the Pitch 115
Selling Creative Ideas 116
Prepping for the Pitch 117
Three Ways to Pitch Ideas 117
Extemporaneous presentations 118
Keyword presentations 118
Rehearsed presentations 118
Hello My Name Is… 119
Engage the Audience 119
Pacing Your Presentation 120
Setting the Stage 121
Build Trust 121
The Target Audience 122
¿Me entiendes? 122
Now it’s Time for the Spotlight 123
Be happy. Smile. Make eye contact. 123
Body posture 124
Seated presentation 124
Standing presentation 125
Presenting from a lectern 125
Work the Room 126
Don’t be a Cocky Jerk 126
Take Small Bites, Giuseppe! 127
So a Designer and a Copywriter Walk into a Bar… 128
Defend Your Work 128
Caveat: Don’t Ever Show Crap Work 129
Life and Death by the Deck 129
We Are Visual Creatures 129
Write for Brevity 131
Always Keep Your Audience Guessing 131
To Comp or Not to Comp? That is the Question 131
Handouts Before the Pitch? Just Say “No!” 132
A Roadmap for You to Follow 132
Case Study 136
In a Nutshell 137
Chapter 9: The Art of Copywriting 138
Writing Framework 139
Headline Frameworks 140
Writing Classification 142
Product 142
Medium 143
Style 143
Writing for Your Client’s Target Market 144
Unique Selling Proposition 146
Call to Action 146
Final Tips 147
In a Nutshell 147
Chapter 10: The Art of TV and Radio 149
The Bottom Line 150
The Creative Brief 150
The Creative Process 152
Storyboards 153
Shot List Terminology 155
Budgets 160
Production Company 161
Sound Design 162
The Radio Spot 163
Mention the Product 163
Discuss Its Benefits 163
Offer an Enticement 163
The Call To Action And Reminder 164
Producing The Radio Spot 164
In A Nutshell 165
Chapter 11: Career Trajectories to Creative Leadership 166
What Exactly Is a Creative Director, and Do I Really Want to Become One? 167
Do I Need a Bachelor’s Degree? 170
Is Experience Required? 171
Do I Need a Graduate Degree? 172
Is Advancing to Creative Director the End of the Road? 173
Is There an Accreditation for Creatives? 173
Is Professional Experience Mandatory? 174
Do Creative Leaders Really Need Management Skills? 175
In a Nutshell 176
Chapter 12: Invest in Your People 178
Investment on the Front End 178
Invest Your Time 179
Roll Out 180
Be Generous, but Honest 180
Make'Em Laugh 180
Invest Your Money 181
Invest Your Expertise 182
Benefits of Investing in Your People 182
To Attract and Keep Great Creatives 183
To Make Your Creatives More Capable 185
To Keep Creatives Engaged 185
To Save and Earn Money 185
Investing in Your Future 185
Motivating Your Creatives 186
In a Nutshell 187
Chapter 13: Don’t Just Take It from Me 188
Chapter 14: The Final Nutshell 220
You Can Do It 221
Talk to Me 221
It’s Up to You 222
Index 223