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“I Don’t Care If You Don’t Like Orange”
By Hillary Boulden

Creative projects are just plain fun. Fun for creatives. Fun for the client. But because they are fun, everyone wants to be involved. When this happens, fun can turn to frustration in a split-second. Here’s some important advice that will help make the creative process a success.

Be Decisive.
The hardest part about choosing creative is making decisions and sticking to them. Many times, a decision is made by the lead decision-maker, then, somewhere along the way, that decision is swayed by other people’s opinions. There is one objective at hand — creatively convey the message to the audience. Not to family, friends or employees. This is not the time for a democracy vote. Key people need to be involved in choosing creative — not everyone. Agreeing who will be the decision-makers up front helps lead to a smooth process.

Be Specific.
Don’t use vague, intangible words to skirt around the real problem. “Wow me,” “Jazz it up,” “Make it pop” and “More in-your-face” may seem like creative ways to give feedback, but avoid these terms. They mean something different to everyone and may not convey your opinion appropriately. Being direct is much more helpful. If something is too simple, say it’s too simple. Creatives are used to changing or evolving the work within the process. They know how to address concerns while keeping the creativity. The less interpreting they need to do, the better. If you can’t find the words to describe what you like or don’t like, look to other well-known examples of ads, headlines or designs to help illustrate your point. This gives insight into what you do or don’t like without verbalizing it.

Be the Client, Not the Creative.
The quickest way to deflate a creative presentation is to say “Did you try XYZ?” This undercuts the weeks of thought and work that went into the creative project. With input too late in the game, your creative team will be forced to reverse-engineer an idea, and this results in a less powerful impact. The best time for your creative ideas is during the initial input session.

Be the Target.
One thing to always remember, this creative is not for you. It’s for your target market. Put yourself in their shoes when looking at creative work. You might not like orange, but does that mean your target audience doesn’t? Put aside your personal beliefs and ask yourself: “Does this creative meet our objectives? Build our brand? Sell our product?” Remember who you are trying reach.

Be Supportive.
Remember, creatives are people, too. You may not like every single thing about the work, but it doesn’t hurt to talk about the elements you do like. Some positive feedback is needed to help energize the team. If the client is excited, the creative team is excited. Say you try on a new outfit and ask someone how it looks. You could get the answer: “I’d like it if it didn’t make you look like a huge pumpkin,” or you could get the same answer in a more positive manner: “I really like the outfit, but that color isn’t right for you.” Start with the good comments and work your way into any concerns. Giving feedback doesn’t mean criticizing, it means discussing everything – good and bad. And by giving quality feedback, you’ll get quality creative that meets your needs.

E-mail the author: Hillary Boulden

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