Don't Get In The Weeds Too Soon

One easy trap to fall into especially if you’re a detail person (And I would say most Graphic Designers are. Prove me wrong.) is to get into the weeds too soon. Meaning, you don’t want to start brainstorming ideas with a tactic – always figure out the big idea first. If you get that, you’re golden. Anything you could possibly need to create for the campaign will come from the big idea. But if you get too in the weeds – too into the details and tactics – too soon, you won’t get to the big idea. 

For one thing, the weeds are not nearly as exciting to talk about in a presentation. Executives don’t like the weeds. They like high level thinking. And they know that if the high level thinking is right, that will trickle down. It doesn’t work to try to trickle up from a small detail or individual tactic. 

When you’re thinking about the big idea, don’t confuse the media strategy or the tactical strategy with the brand strategy. They’re not the same thing. The brand strategy is at the highest level and should inform everything else including the media strategy. You also want the big idea to be informed by the brand strategy. Otherwise, it’s a tactical idea or an extra idea. Those have their place. 

What is a big idea? Instead of:

🧠 Satisfying the brief, they shift perception
💥 Being limited in scope, they expand the scope
😹 Communicating facts, they elicit emotions

“To have a great idea, have a lot of them.” 
– Thomas Edison

Most of your ideas will end up discarded, but they are still helping you get somewhere. Creativity is about making connections to things that may not seem related. And because everyone at the table has different strengths, experiences and memories, there is more likelihood of discovering that key connection that generates the great idea. 

Most big ideas are simple both in concept and execution.

How does this typically work in an agency setting?

Ideally, each specialty will bring information to the table at the beginning of a project. We call these start-up meetings. Everybody needs background on the project, needs to understand the scope, any mandatories, etc. What comes out is a direct result of what goes in. Everyone can work more efficiently and generate better ideas if there is good information at the beginning of a project. Ask questions.

There will be loops and checks for everyone. Once you have your start-up, you can go and do some research and think about the problem on your own. The Art Director or Designer/Copywriter team will also brainstorm together. Then everyone comes back together to share info and resources. This could happen multiple times during a project. 

What you don't want is for someone to go off after the initial brief and not hear from them until the day before the project is due. And then they didn't get some important piece of info, or they went down a weird path. 

That last one can be a hard one. But remember, there’s always another idea. You'll have to work through all the minute details soon enough, so enjoy the big picture thinking time.