It’s a common misconception that creativity is something free and untrammelled that gushes abundantly from arty types and just needs to be tapped to deliver wonderful, innovative, fully-realised work. This belief can be a problem when working with agencies for your communications and design work – resulting in frustration, wasted time, and expense.
Let’s get it out there from the start: creativity is only going to be fruitful if it has precise constraints to guide it.
Having worked on both sides – commissioning agencies and now working as a freelance writer as well – I’ve learnt that (surprise surprise) the dialogue must clear to be fruitful. It doesn’t have to be frustrating if you keep it tight and sharp.
Start as you mean to go on
Unsurprisingly, everything starts with the brief – and as old-school programmers used to say, rubbish in, rubbish out. Make sure you’re laser-precise about the required result. And it’s critical for clients to listen to advice even at this stage. This is where creativity starts being applied – and the creatives have done this many more times than you. They want to be sure they’re getting it right and that what you’re asking for is possible. If your concept is still fuzzy, their questions will help you define it properly.
It's a process
How you negotiate the ongoing process is the next important element – it should be iterative, moving in steps toward your clearly-defined goal. It’s in everyone’s interests to save on time and effort, which of course means money too. Again, listen to advice – you’re paying for it. And if you have a deadline, this is where you ensure you can make it.
What you see first will be a draft – it’s not going to be ‘wrong’, but it is unfinished. Your feedback should be as precise as possible. When it comes to written content, it’s most helpful if you can make changes directly to the text. “It’s too dry” or “can you make it flow better?” are in the same realm as Emperor Joseph II's notorious "too many notes" criticism of a Mozart opera. (Using track changes is hugely useful for writing. I always send clean and tracked versions, with the advice to read the clean version first.)
Always try to move the project forward at each step – be aware that introducing new elements now will set the entire process back. If you have to change course, the agency will try to absorb the strain – but they will charge for the wasted time. They want your business so they won’t challenge you – but look out for a tactful compromise. Many commissioning agreements will set out in full how many rounds of edits you have: any more and you’ll be billed. It may be worth it to get to where you want to be – but it can be avoided.
Thinking visually
With visuals, remember that you’re working with concepts, associations, context – it’s sophisticated stuff. Creatives' input can help you avoid being too literal-minded and dodge clichés. And if you're working with a photographer or videographer, once the content's in the can, the options for wholesale changes are limited. Editing software can only achieve so much and if the source material isn't right for you, you're faced with a problem.
All about price
All this talk of process and precision may seem antithetical to what we commonly think of as creativity – but this is creativity in a commercial context where time, ideas and experience are commodities with a price on them. Get the most for your hard-won budget by creating a constructive relationship with your agency, articulating your needs clearly and being open to advice when it’s given – the results will speak for themselves.
