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JEFFERSON RALL
WELCOME TO
DES16N
THE
The foundation of good design is not art, aesthetics or execution. It’s communication. Being a good communicator is what your career will be built on. Its what good design is built on. Not typefaces, color palettes, programs or applications.
While the elements of design are important, great solutions come from great problem solvers. Ultimately, if the solution has any merit, a pen and a napkin should be all you need to express it.
How do you become a great communicator? The way you think can greatly affect how
you perceive the world. Your brain is your
real source of problem solving,
not your computer.
Therefore, discovering the the deeper, specific issues that companies face will help you know what needs to be said. And often, its what's "not being said" that is the very thing companies need to be expressing.
With over 30+ years in advertising and design, I’ve packed away nuggets of universal truth that would normally take you decades to learn. Why not have these tools at the ready as you tackle the problems that keep marketing and branding professionals up at night. Start thinking like a 25 year veteran, right now.
Nectar
2
Collaborate Now
Humble yourself.
Do what you think is right, but
let collaboration challange you.
Share credit.
Do work for other creatives.
3
Read The Captions
Learn how other designers and writers describe there projects.
Write small rationales.
Be witty, tell a story.
You never know who’s gonna read it.
4
Not Just A Job
It’s your career.
A long term perspective gives you time. You’re investing. Not racing.
Tough boss? Tough environment?
As long as you are growing, hang in.
Tell a trusted mentor. Get advice.
The place you are now is not
where you’ll end up.
That goes for both professionally
and personally.
5
Empty The Trash
Your computer and your brain are linked. Both need some space.
Archive and delete old files.
Reorganize your desktop, regularly.
Save everything on a separate drive.
Your brain will thank you.
The Blank Page
Capture It
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Capture It.
Read the brief. Read it again.
Doodle. Write. Ask questions.
Doddle more.
First impressions end up being crucial.
Write mock headlines. Draw mock images.
If this is done, ideas flow.
It’s like a foucet. Now you’ve started!
Always Casting
Pain Point
Pain Point
Sell The Idea
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Sell The Idea
Don't present sixteen concepts.
Three to four tops.
If you do 8, you look unsure.
Communicate the strategy and mission,
but leave room for cultural cues,
mystique and staying power.
It's not just about the idea, it's what the idea can do. It's a solution.
"Overwhelming" is not the word you
want to hear from your client (or CD).
11
Solutions Only
Solutions First
Don’t focus on style first,
you’ll pigeonhole yourself into only executions that warrant that style.
Search for the appropriate solution and response. Think of the brand voice, tone and audience. Style comes after the "idea."
12
Have A Process
Define the request - discovery.
List out the project - scope.
Define the deliverable.
Build an expectation of how things get done and how long it will take.
Sell the process. but don’t make everyone else in the organization subscribe to it.
13
Break Out
13 Break Out
Break Out
Break habits.
Take a risk.
Reinvent.
Take on a pro-bono project.
Time to think iconically.
Universal appeal.
Big.
14
Trust Your Instincts
Build on what you've learned.
Your taste informs your design.
Follow your gut.
Do not justify bad design.
15
You Will Fail
Own it.
Do what ever it takes to fix it.
Recover, Rectify. Save face.
Don’t make it your brand.
Then move on.
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Master Then Matter
Often, corporate brands try
to tie into their charity before
they master their brand
or worse, their craft.
Flag that when you see it.
Try to politely bring attention back to
what they do and who
their prospects are.
Get on the List
Get a a couple inspirational, stick to it, don't give up emails a month.
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