24The creative process

Do you know what really goes into your new design?

When it comes to working alongside a company like STORM, some clients aren’t sure what to expect.

A few expect us to be ‘precious’ about what we do, some expect us to be aloof and the overwhelming majority just don’t ‘get’ what we do… or appreciate the processes involved in bringing a creative idea to life.

And that’s understandable, given that we undertake so many different jobs for such a wide range of clients. So the big question is, how do we make sure all our work runs to plan?

DEVELOPING ORGANICALLY

Of course, the biggest problem in describing what we do is the diverse nature of our work.

Every one of our clients is different and so are their requirements. One moment we might be breathing new life into a tried-and-tested household name, the next we could be creating an all-new identity for a state-of-the-art gizmo.

However, even though no two projects are the same, the process of developing an identity tends to follow a rough format, developing organically down the most appropriate route.

By utilising a core set of principles from the outset on every project we undertake we can help ensure great results every time. But how does it really work? Let’s have a look at one of our more common jobs – creating a new brand identity for a company.

CONCEPTS THAT ARE ON TARGET

Generally speaking, an initial meeting will be required for us to gain an understanding of your organisation and your requirements.

There’s no need to worry though as this isn’t about bombarding you with information. In fact it’s more about us listening to how you see your company – in terms of profile and position – as well as how you want to be perceived by your existing and potential customers.

This is all about you and, if care is taken during this stage, we are always confident that when the time comes we are able to present you with concepts that are on target.

This meeting will also be used to ascertain your requirements. Okay, so you want a new look for your company but where do you want it to be applied – is it just on your stationery or is it going to be used on adverts, billboards or online? Do you need other work to complement the new brand? Do you want to commission us to design a new website for you? Or a new brochure, marketing campaign or short film?

The list is almost endless, but this first meeting is a great opportunity to get the rough ideas down. It’s an ideal starting point and gives us a set of parameters that we can work within.

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD

After that initial meeting you might think that you’ve bamboozled us with information but we take it all in our stride. We’ll go away, sit down and discuss your business, where you want it to go and how we can help get it there.

From that point on, that’s where the real creative process starts in earnest. We’ll go off and look at similar companies, think about what image you’re trying to promote and then engineer branding solutions, marketing campaigns, websites and whatever else you want that fit that initial mould.

However, what sets STORM apart from other companies is that this is only the first part of the story. These designs are just our initial creative reaction to what you’ve said – they’re not necessarily what you have to use!

Once we have some designs and concepts together, we will meet with you again and discuss our ideas to take your business forward. Remember, at this stage they’re all still ideas and we present them to you to give you an opportunity to tweak, amend, change as you see fit.

By working in this way, you get a greater input on the process, while you can still rely on our unrivalled creative talent, as well as fall back on our expertise and experience to help steer your brand toward success. This process then continues until a final design is agreed – then it’s just a case of getting it ready to roll out to the big wide world.

BUILD A BETTER PROFILE

If we are working on creating a new identity for your company, we will present you with the finished designs in a pack containing a usage guideline booklet and CD. This will contain your identity in varying file formats (.eps, .jpg etc) for use with printers or internally (e.g. Word applications), as well as a number of mono and greyscale identity files for use in black and white or one colour publications or applications.

Similarly, if we are working on a brochure or website, the signed-off design will be passed across to our artworking, proofreading and programming teams to get them ready for launch as appropriate.

And so, from that initial meeting to discuss your company, we will have produced work that ticks all the right boxes and gives your business the perfect foundation to build a better profile.

THE TENDER QUESTION

Occasionally we are approached by companies or organisations who want us to submit detailed designs, concepts or strategies as part of the tender process. Unfortunately we are unable to take part in those kind of processes for a couple of reasons – one borne out of creative necessity and one from experience.

Firstly, as outlined above, the most important step in the whole creative process is sitting down with you to discuss your company, your needs and your aspirations for the future. While a tender might touch on these, it would need to be a very large, detailed document to get the kind of information we would need to do the job justice. Therefore we wouldn’t be creating something that we felt truly reflected your needs and we wouldn’t be showcasing exactly what we could do for you and how we could help.

The second reason for not providing detailed designs at this early stage is that we would be producing something for nothing. And, unfortunately, unscrupulous people have been known to use these early ideas and then get them produced in-house – saving themselves a little money by cutting a creative corner.

But, with our huge online repository of work able to provide you with a taste of our expertise and experience, you can get a good grasp of our creative skills and be confident in our ability to tick all the right boxes. And, if you do choose to work with us, we know we can provide you with a great, flexible service that will take your business to the next level.