7/28/2019 Overcoming Barriers to Creativity

1/1

Breaking new creative ground can be a challenging

proposition for designers. In a recent survey by ourcompany, eight out of 10 in-house designers said itsdifficult to convince senior management to accept ideasthat deviate from the prevailing corporate style. Andmore than a quarter of respondents cited their companysunwillingness to take risks as the most frequent obstacleto creativity.

On the bright side, many in-house designers feel they canexercise more creativity than they did five years ago.However, it remains difficult to break certain barriers.Following are seven strategies for overcoming challengesand enhancing creative freedom.

Design is not just window dressing. GlennArnowitz, director of corporate graphics at Wyeth, aglobal pharmaceutical company, says its imperative totalk about design as a core business competency. Youhave to recognize and communicate the value you offerand understand the role of design in your company,Arowitz says. Thats why its important to involve yourselfwithin business strategies your firm is pursuing, whetherits moving into a new international market or acquiringa competitor. Knowing your companys larger goals willhelp you make a stronger case for your designs.

Work on your soft skills.The ability to commu-nicate effectively with everyone, from your bosss bossto the person in IT who troubleshoots your computerproblems, is key. When it comes to critiques, avoid a knowit all attitude that suggests the person asking for changesto your work has no concept of real design. No one wantsto work with someone who sees himselfor herselfassuperior. Instead, remain open to constructive criticismand, if you disagree with a point made, focus on thebusiness aspects of why you believe your design works.

Educate and enlighten. Part of the reason fortight project budgets and warp-speed turnaround timesis a lack of knowledge about the creative process. Manynon-creatives simply dont appreciate the style guidelineswith which you must comply. They might not be aware ofthe cost of original photographs, for instance, or realizehow much time it takes to produce a 75-page brochure.Do your best to diplomatically enlighten non-designersabout the intracacies of your job.

Build your case. You wont be successful breakingnew creative ground if you cant tie a design conceptback to your companys business objectives. To help swayothers to your line of thinking, focus on relevance to the

audience, for example, or the brand awareness (i.e., return

on investment) an expensive design element generatedin an earlier campaign. Avoid talking up the coolnessfactors of your ideas; you need more substance to boostyour powers of persuasion.

Give examples. If you want to convince the VP ofMarketing to use an entirely new color scheme for thefirms deliverables, do some research first and presentrelevant samples. You might take a cue from Ann Brenner,art director for Healthy Advice Networks. I use examplesof good design from high-profile companies to shownon-creatives concepts that may work well for ouraudience, she says. And when presenting color palettes,

I bring articles about what the colors represent and howthey are successfully used in print, interior design andfashion design.

Avoid jargon. Direct, concrete statements aretypically the most powerful. While every profession has itsown lexiconfrom Web 2.0 to CMYKsuch buzzwordsperplex the uninitiated. Remove design-specific jargonfrom your vocabulary when presenting to non-creatives.By speaking in laymans terms, youll make a morepersuasive case.

Show youre a winner. Entering your work indesign competitions will help build your credibility. Whenoutside organizations recognize your design savvy, youllearn respect from those working around you, as well asupper management. Such credibility can go a long waywhen youre pushing for an edgier annual report design.

Its true that those on in-house teams often have to workextra hard to push through new ideas. However, incorpo-rating the suggestions above will help designers earn therespect of those with whom they work, making it easier toenhance creative freedom on the job.

Overcoming Barriers to Creativityby The Creative Group