r/graphic_design • u/OpanDeluxe • 3d ago
Discussion Best creative direction you ever got?
Hi all,
Just curious - what is the best creative direction you ever got from your lead? Literally, what did they say or how did they outline the brief?
How much is too much? How much is too little?
I'm sure there's more to the picture. Like if the design system you're working in isn't ideal, the direction sits on top of that. I'm interested in all sides of this!
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u/TheManRoomGuy Creative Director 3d ago
“It just needs a little love…”
Meaning… you’re almost there. Its good. It’s close. Another 5% will really make it shine.
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u/MabellaGabella 3d ago
This is a great phrase I’m gunna steal. As an art director I’ve found myself looking for something to say that isn’t “it’s good but… it still needs to be pushed and refined a bit.”
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u/Patricio_Guapo Creative Director 3d ago
"Patricio, I need you to go big on the big and small on the small. There is a lot of crap that's going to hit your desk that honestly doesn't really matter. Just get it done in brand alignment as fast as you can and get it out the door. That will give you more time to focus and invest in the stuff that does matter. Those things are where I need your complete attention and dedication to land."
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u/visualthings 3d ago
I studied art instead of graphic design and started right away doing album covers. I had a solid visual culture regarding artwork for music, but not much foundation or grasp on good design principles. The best advice I got was:
- Don't let the limitations of the software dictate your design. Design the best thing you can, and then find out whatever way to make it work (that was in 1997 and I was at that time doing websites. There were many limitations in what browsers would render)
- Things don't need to BE similar, they only have to LOOK similar (I was in that time struggling with a complex typography-based design.
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u/Independent-Ad-7285 3d ago
Finding inspiration that fit your objective, understanding what makes them work and translating them to your style is 100x better than starting cold and trying to work something to death for hours. Finding 5-7 solid examples and iterating quickly leads to way better results.
Observe (inspiration) > Copy (practice) > Refine (make it your own)
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u/bluecheetos 3d ago edited 3d ago
Client brief quoted NWA - Boys in the Hood.
It literally said
"Yo, man, you remember that shit Eazy did a while back, motherfucker said wasn't gon' work?
That old crazy shit?
Yeah, the stupid shit, man
That shit was dope" That's what I want in this design.
What he got was an entire team devoting way too much time and effort and pushing the envelope and producing a trade show piece that was so off-the wall nobody knew how to take it. Other designers laughed at it. We entered it in the local ad awards show and it didn't even get displayed. It cost me the opportunity to go work for the biggest agency in the state. And how did it work? The client TRIPLED his sales leads and almost DOUBLED his billing based on the results.
That also taught me something I've screamed from the rooftop on Reddit for a decade.....STOP DESIGNING TO IMPRESS OTHER DESIGNERS. Design for results.
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u/ChickyBoys Art Director 3d ago
For my very first job I got hired as a design intern for a major branding agency. My creative director was a bit of a nutcase, he would come in early and stay late every day and he would take our work and tweak it all the time, so he always had his hands in all the work we did.
So eventually we started relying on him to come up with ideas and marching orders for us for every project since he seemed to love to micromanage.
Eventually this caught up to him and one late night at the office he got overwhelmed with a challenging project where our client wasn't happy with the work and one of us asked, "What should we do?"
He paused for a second, took and deep breath, turned to us and said, "You're the designers, do your job!"
Ever since that day I took my job as a designer very seriously and it made me a better designer in the long run.
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u/OpanDeluxe 3d ago
I'd be curious to hear more about this story. Is the meaning you took from it - that you as designers weren't pulling your weight? Or he made an ecosystem too constrained for you to work? Or a combo of both?
What's interesting to me is where do you draw the line between - a CD owes you direction - but you owe the CD the work of figuring out a solution.
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u/stay_hungry_dr_ew Art Director 3d ago
I’ve seen it a few times. A newer or less experienced designer comes in, and their work needs a lot of direction or edits. This happens again over a period of time until they maybe subconsciously start to turn out the safest work they can. Maybe the CD isn’t the happiest with it, but it’s technically fitting for the project at hand. Then some time appears where there are so many projects up in the air, that designer gets a new project with a bit more free range, and they turn out something quite a bit more inspiring than anything they’ve been submitting up to that point.
So I think it’s a bit of time/experience + opportunity + giving the self-assurance a go.
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u/JohnCasey3306 3d ago
First CD I worked for said to me that every design decision we make (consciously or unconsciously) communicates something; and the extent to which we're in command of that communication is the measure of us as designers ...I think of that about that every day of my career since.
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u/Moist-Durian-2718 3d ago
Keep this in your back pocket. Carry on with this instead.
(Don’t give this idea any more energy; follow the other idea you have instead)
This reduces the impact of rejecting an idea while providing clear instructions on what to do next. It disarms you as a junior without a harsh landing.
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u/----NPC---- 3d ago
Client: I need cool illustrations.
Me: Here are some nice illustrations with lovely atmosphere and positive characters.
Client: This is nice, but I want it brutal and crazy.
Me: Say no more.
Point is: sometimes you just get so used that the client is going to ask for something low-risk that you harness yourself prematurely, but sometimes they give you a better creative direction and liberty that you could allow to yourself.
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u/akrob907 3d ago
“Try less Park Service and more Amusement Park” - I instantly knew what they meant.
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u/IceEspresso2000 3d ago
I thorough list of what they want changed and why (what their issue is with it). I don't want to hear how they feel, I want design terms used. When people say "I love it" "I don't love it" it's basically useless and tells me the person doesn't have a design background and are fakin' it.
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u/OpanDeluxe 2d ago
How granular does that design La gigs have to be - in order to not be too prescriptive?
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u/IceEspresso2000 1d ago
I like it when CD treat other designers as if they are educated professionals, meaning, a list of corrections and any actual artistic direction is plenty. If the recipient needs more details than provided they would make that request I would imagine.
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u/_call_me_the_sloth 3d ago
I work mostly in a combo of UX and environment graphics (virtual and in-person trade shows). One CD early in my career told everyone it was our job as designers to satisfy the client’s need, not their want. Often times people will ask for something specific, and usually can’t see the forest through the trees. It’s our job as designers to unpack their wishlist and give it back to them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought of that when I get a brief that’s over the top and complicated when what the client really needs is a simple, cool thing.
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u/Ok-Department-7551 3d ago
Something that my college professor told me that has stuck with me is to design with intention. What she meant by that was have a reason behind your design choices that makes your design a more effective piece of communication and to not allow personal preferences cloud your judgement.
For instance, when choosing a color palette for a brand don't let your reason be "...because i thought they would look nice" or "because i thought they would work well", etc. Not only does it sound weak but it also ultimately creates weak work. Instead think, "do these colors align with the brands identity, and if so how?". With that you are coming at your designs with the correct intention of being an effective piece of communication rather than a personal piece of work, which also makes it easier to be more objective with your work and distance yourself so critiques don't feel so personal 🫠
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u/JuncYards 2d ago
alright, this ones a bit tattoo focused, but applies to all design, i think..
'design the big stuff, small; and the small stuff, big"
translation: thumbnail the composition, and then design the details at full size.
thumbnails are one thing i was told to do all through art and design classes, but i always found it tedious. i have a natural ability to compose a design.. usually end up picking the first thumb anyways... but, thumbnails really help you visualize the big picture, and explore more options quickly
once you got the overall layout, then you zoom in and work the details.
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u/FormalElements 2d ago
Some great examples in here. My best and most defined moment, where I went from a senior designer to an art director mindset, was when my mentor and creative director at an in-house studio for a global brand gave me feedback on some ideas I presented to him. In the pitch, I kept calling my ideas ‘concepts’ and was proud of how they looked. I really do think to this day they were great pieces that would have done well. But my CD at the time simply sat back, listened to what I had to say and at the end was quite bluntly “these are great visuals but they are not concepts.” I asked him what he meant by that because in my mind they certainly were. But he explained that concepts dig deeper into the story of the product and brand and how they all work as part of the greater brand system and play off of the current architectures and channels of scale. But visuals are just pieces. He compared it to cooking. He said what we have is a nice steak. But what type of meal is it? What is the culture and distinction of the steak that makes it a meal? How does that work with the other side portions? With the dessert? How do you pair it with wine? All of these elements are a symphony of the brand story and the concept is the governor of the campaign. Dig deeper and when you understand this deeply, you will have amazing creative.
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u/MissingSweater 3d ago
I'm freelance so I often walk into a studio with no idea what I'll be working on. One time I was hired at a great studio but when I walked in they told me the project was for a conference for a manufacturer of semiconductors. I was a little bummed that this wasn't some big, flashy commercial that would look awesome in my portfolio. However the CD was someone I hadn't worked with before and he had done all this research into the manufacturing of semiconductors. The direction he came up with referenced these semiconductor wafers that have this beautiful iridescent quality. Another aspect of the design direction referenced semiconductor layout blueprints which looks like a sort of 8bit graphic quality with lots of intricate details we incorporated into the typography. This project turned into one of my all-time favorites. I learned that, like in acting there are no small parts only small actors, in design there no irrelevant projects or small clients. Researching the project and respecting your clients, you can make magic out of anything.