CapsuleBlog

On the creative brief

I've often wondered how other agencies handle the creative brief. As I prepared to write another one this morning for a new project, I decided to do a quick online snoop. I came across this link that claims to compile brief templates from quite a few big namers. We can't be sure of how recent these are, but skimming through the various files, I was amazed at how different they are from each other. Some are starkly simple, others are almost as complex as a tax return.

So are we supposed to find a happy medium? Is the brief just another way of ensuring the client understands the scope of work? Should they be scrapped altogether?

There are no universal answers here, because the individual agency's culture will determine the role, format and deployment of the brief. The most important thing is finding whatever it is that works for your creatives, account managers, and clients. Some like to have every little last detail set in stone before Illustrator is opened. Others prefer to allow the process to unfold more organically.

One of the huge benefits of being a smaller agency is the flexibility. There's no ten-deep hierarchy, allowing much more nimble nimbleness (weird word, that nimble). Like other elements of agency process, the creative brief convention should be regularly reviewed to make sure it remains workable. Add some nimble, take some nimble. But don't overuse nimble.

Book review: Box Bottle Bag

From the fabulously unexpected die-cut typography on the cover to the lush glossy paper, it's clear that the Dieline's Andrew Gibbs considered every aspect of the reading experience when he designed this beautiful book.

 

(Yes, they are post-its.)

Box Bottle Bag is a must-have for the both the seasoned packaging designer and the student just starting out. In fact, its appeal really goes beyond packaging to anyone interested in any facet of design.

Thankfully, Gibbs goes way beyond the stuff you've seen a million times before (Coke, anyone?). Instead, we're granted a peek at many pieces we may not ever have the privilege of seeing on the shelf. Plus, access to the thinking behind the design = valuable insight into your own processes.

One of my favorites is the simple gorgeousness of Minneapolis' own Tank Goodness Cookie Company by Spunk Creative. The Tank family bakes fresh chocolate chip cookies. For delivery. Isn't that cool? They needed something that would seal in the delicious, gooey warmth and aroma of those cookies while looking great at the same time, and Spunk did a good job. 

Chocolate, coffee, soap, toilet cleaner... Scandinavian, eclectic, illustrated, retro... virtually every product category and every style is represented in Box Bottle Bag. 

Box Bottle Bag is available from Amazon and like the Dieline blog itself, it's an incredible achievement for Mr Gibbs. Our sincere congratulations.

(Disclosure - we do have a few projects featured in this book. Yay.)

"Studying" the minibar

Aaron and Kitty are in Chicago for NeoCon this week. Here's Aaron's update from the road. 

When was the last time you studied the mini bar in your hotel? I mean, really studied it, as a relevant piece of a customer experience. I discovered something interesting.

Plastic and glass bottles of premium liquors are frequently mixed together. And with brands you really wouldn't expect to be packaged in plastic. Does it really matter? Plastic or glass? Since the two feel entirely different and carry different connotations of quality, I say yes.

The medium is the message, and these two send entirely different messages.

Can you distinguish the plastic from the glass? Can you guess based on the brands? Hint: more than two are plastic.

Let's hope that when Aaron says "studying", he doesn't mean "consuming". 

So sue me

As it often does, the New York Times raised an especially timely issue yesterday. We've all heard the wonders of social media extolled almost ad nauseum. It provides opportunity at a level never before seen for brands to learn more about their customers and in turn, sell more of their particular product or service. In the reverse of the equation, it also enables consumers to access more information - and particularly more uncontrolled information - about the brands. If I'm left feeling significantly dissatisfied with an experience with a brand, and the brand has had the chance to make it right but didn't, you're dang right I'm going to get online to warn other people about it.

Case in point: there's a great story here from Ken Peters of the Think B.I.G. blog about his less than satisfying experience with the Nook reader device. Well worth a read.

But do you think Ken worried about being sued when he opined on his blog, and then saw his story reTweeted and referenced around the web?

The NYT article discusses the implications of this wonderful new world of transparency and free speech, profiling a disgruntled Kalamazoo student who founded a Facebook group to complain about a Michigan towing company. Within two days, the group had 800 members and the towing company well, freaked. In the form of a $750,000 lawsuit against him.

As America was founded on the principle of free speech, this seems more than a little ironic. Thankfully the law seems to agree. The NYT calls this an example of a "decades-old legal maneuver known as a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or Slapp". Perfect name, isn't it?

"The label has traditionally referred to meritless defamation suits filed by businesses or government officials against citizens who speak out against them. The plaintiffs are not necessarily expecting to succeed — most do not — but rather to intimidate critics who are inclined to back down when faced with the prospect of a long, expensive court battle."

Instead of viewing this an especially powerful opportunity to respond to the customer in question - in a public and powerful way - the towing company is being incredibly short-sighted about this by reacting with a good old-fashioned knee jerk. It is a towing company, after all. Perhaps we really need the social media titans - the Best Buys and Dells of the world - to keep setting the bar until the others catch on. Hopefully it's not too late.