Better solutions and better decisions about a particular problem at hand are best done in brainstorming sessions. What is brainstorming you ask? Well, it’s an individual or group problem-solving technique that requires the spontaneous, random, quirky, and sometimes outrageous contribution of ideas from a group…or from yourself.

One is the loneliest number
Individual brainstorming doesn’t always produce a wider range of ideas. On the upside, there are no worries about what other people think or possibly being criticized about an idea so you are completely free to create any way you please. However, in the long run it’s simply not an effective way to develop ideas. It’s one sided, It’s not nearly as fun and what happens when your idea has reached it’s limit and you alone have exhausted all avenues? You don’t have anyone to help you take it to the next level.

It’s A Family Affair
Group brainstorming uses the experience, discipline and creativity of all group members. Ideas are easily developed in more depth and there is more opportunity for expanding ideas in more than one direction. Good sessions come from people who have experience exploring and developing ideas on their own and enjoy the experience of idea making with others. Teams that get the most out of brainstorming are the ones that have the best team culture around ideas and a process for going about finding, refining and harvesting ideas.

Brainstorming 101
Want an effective session? Follow these simple rules:

1. What the heck is our problem?
Understand the project goals before you begin and keep the session focused on those goals. Make sure no one idea or train of thought is followed for too long.

2. Know how to facilitate
A good facilitator knows how to run a session. Not only is it their job to prevent interruptions and fist fights over the last peanut M & M, they also have to be able to: Listen and help people express ideas. Limit the number of ideas so people have a chance to share. Encourage people to develop other people’s ideas or use other ideas to make new ones. Make the sure the brainstorm doesn’t get off track

3. You really ARE more creative with your socks on!
Comfort is the most important way to get great ideas. Work in an atmosphere that isn’t the norm. Coffee shop, meeting room, lobby, someone’s house, restaurant, zoo. Start out with small ideas, encourage the quiet folks to participate, throw out some crazy ideas to lighten the mood and have fun. Great ideas can come from some of the most random thoughts.

4. Establish ground rules
How are you going to run your session? Free for all? Formal hand raising? Freeze tag? Dodgeball? Assign tasks and reward play with positive reactions…or candy.

5. Postpone criticism
This isn’t the time or place to shoot anyone’s ideas down regardless of what you think of them. It not only stifles creativity and interrupts free flow of ideas, but it’s just not nice.

The Aftermath
Great ideas are created, brought to life, invented. So what happens to them after the session is over?

A. You should review and refine the ideas?

B. You should define goal-related criteria to evaluate ideas?

C. You should assign further investigation into potential avenues?

OR

D. You should bail?

The only way to make ideas useful is to refine and narrow them down. Come up with simple criteria for evaluating the ideas and go through them. Pass them around for further feedback if you must but don’t let it sit for another time.

Information brought to you by:

The Step by Step Guide to Brainstorming

Brainstorming

How to Run a Brianstorming Meeeting

I remember taking a corporate identity class my last term of college. Though it was mentioned that branding was a company’s “identity,” it was never explained that branding was more than just a logo. We spent a majority of the class designing a new logo for a company of our choosing and ways to use the logo in the environment. After 11 weeks, the only thing I walked away from that class with was the idea that you have to have a nice enough looking logo to make an impact on your target audience. Also, maybe it should look good on a billboard or a water bottle or something.

I got an A in the class. My point? (Besides the fact that I’m slightly unhappy with my Alma Mater). People talk about brands all the time, but very few people actually understand their purpose or how to manage one.

Who are you? What do you do? Why does anyone care?

A brand is not a logo. It’s not a company. It’s not the solution to any algebra problem and it’s not a product. A brand is a feeling that a consumer has about a company or a product or maybe even a service. It’s also a great Jeopardy question. In short, a brand should say: “This is who we are. This is how we’re different from our competitors.”

Your logo is just one part of your brand. Like a name is just one part of a person. There are many attributes that make someone a unique individual and it works the same for a company’s brand. It takes high quality work, dedication as individuals and team members, shared goals and hard work to create an effective and lasting brand identity. Good brand identity is not just a great logo; it’s a reputation and a level of quality that is associated with the visual “marker.”

When explaining what services they specialized most in, I heard a former employer tell a client once that their company was the “Old Navy” of web design. Let’s face it, people, if you want a great pair of running shoes to last, chances are you’re not going to get them at Payless Shoe Source. Don’t advertise what you are not or what you don’t want people to assume about you. The quality people feel about your product or your work is your company.

Rome wasn’t built in a day – so don’t expect your brand to be.

It takes a lot of: time, people, planning, experience, energy, focus, research, money, ideas, mistakes [deep breath goes here], chances, success, expertise, trials, patience and a lot of hard work to be the next Nike or Coca Cola [whew!].

How to get over the roadblock of logic vs. creativity

Q: How do you know when an idea is innovative?
A: When it scares the hell out of everybody
(Neumeier, 80)

If it were all logic we “right-brainers” would be out of jobs. No one wants logical explanations; no one wants to listen to reason. We want magic! Magic is fun and exciting and…well, magical. Unfortunately you can’t really remove logic from the equation and you can’t remove creativity. People don’t trust pure creativity because it’s not always the most practical to do that but people don’t really want rational thinking ALL the time because our best thinking depends on intuition and insight (Neumeier, 73) and also people want magic. So you have to find that happy medium of both execution and strategy that makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy. Once that is accomplished. then you can play.

Why yes! That is exactly what I want!

“Get the right idea and then get the idea right” (Neumeier, 120-121). Create your message. Send that message to your target audience. Require your audience to give you feedback. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Find out what your people want and then give it to them.

Badger! Badger! Badger!

World just passing you by?

Madonna did it. Michael Jackson didn’t. Madonna experienced musical success throughout the 80’s and 90’s because she reinvented herself and her music continually adapted to what was most popular. The last song Michael Jackson released a few years back sounded the same as the music he was making in the early 80’s. Of course I’m positive there are other “factors” that hindered his success but that is an entirely different blog post.

Success embraces change and fosters growth with the marketplace. Just like with people, brands aren’t always perfect. They have good times and bad times. They change and they grow but as long as their core attributes never change then it’s all good. If you as a person want to experience success you have to make mistakes. You have to bust tail and you have to try different avenues. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. In the end you take what you learn, apply it to your next run and eventually with enough persistence, hard work, and dedication, you will inevitably find success. Through your journey you are still the same person with the same qualities and you’ve adopted new experiences. Brands work the same way.

Does your company’s behavior match your brand? Ours does!

Alongside the business and work aspect of creating a good brand are the people who represent it. A friend told me once “Pop Art is where you hope to end up in your career as a designer.” And although I know he appreciates and admires the work we do here, it’s the people that create the company’s reputation as a whole that makes it such a desirable place to work. Our clients love us! We make business an enjoyable experience, and, as an added bonus, we create beautiful and pleasing work for them, and we love every minute of it.

A company’s atmosphere and culture are just as important as the quality of work they deliver. Pop Art has achieved success on so many levels: from acquiring prominent clients to a knowledgeable staff with a passion to educate and be educated. A collection of intelligent, creative, happy and enjoyable personalities are all part of delivering the high quality work we are becoming reputable for. This is helping shape and define Pop Art’s unique brand and indeed separates us from our competitors.

Where did I get all that info?

1. Neumeier, Marty. The Brand Gap: How to bridge the distance between business strategy and design. New Riders Press; 1ST edition, 2003.
2. Pop Art’s Annual Company Retreat
3. My Brain

Here are a few of the things I’ve learned my first month as a Pop Artist:

1. With Illustrator Dave is lightning fast…he goes faster than he can think.
2. How many designers does it take to use Media Compass?
3. She who holds the scanner controls precious billable minutes.
4. “Detale” is not a fancy Italian term…it’s simply misspelled.
5. Got a “unique” issue with software? Solution = “your computer hates you!”
6. Watching “Awe Inspiring” Flash Transitions is not billable.
7. BYOB = Bring your own Burner.
8. No Neon Green…..EVER!
9. Vinagrette is NOT gravy.
10. Successfully compiling a multi-paged PDF does not mean I have met perfection.

Successfully compiling a multi-paged PDF does not mean I have met perfection.

Okay, seriously…

The most useful and important thing I learned in school was that your learning begins when you graduate from college and get your first job. For me, graduating was just the beginning of probably the biggest learning curve of my life. My first job right out of college proved to be educational in many “interesting” ways. Unfortunately it was a lot like school in that all I learned was what was needed to get the job done with no emphasis on how important it is to continue to stay educated.

In the short time that I have been at Pop Art I have already learned a great deal more than I thought I would. The truth is that so far in everything I have done from editing prototypes to adjusting graphics I have learned something. Whether it is a new technique in a familiar program or a new program altogether, I have yet to have a task that has not taught me a bit of something.

Among the things I’m learning about is the business itself. I had never really stopped to consider how much I was going to learn about the industry; something the school I attended taught nothing about. School was a focus on taking classes that taught the bare basics of design and the necessary software required to get your foot in the door. Very little was mentioned about the business side, no classes and no real foundation to learn how essential it is to fully understand the core of the industry. In understanding how the business works, I believe it makes it easier for a designer to effectively do his job. I’m quickly learning that you have to know the business to really succeed in this competitive industry.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have gotten the job that I currently have where acquiring new ideas and skills is part of your job description and exploring outside of the box is encouraged. Rather than forcing you to “stay safe” it’s a comfort knowing that those around you are certain the only way to advance is to steadily push yourself forward. Progress is good and innovation is necessary. Incidentally it helps that I work among some of the finest creative minds that I have ever met. My co-workers are full of experience and skills that I find very motivating and inspiring as an up and coming designer. I’m excited about all that I’m going to learn here.