articles

• Successful Creative Briefs – This article details how creative briefs are best used to link business objectives and creative strategies and includes practical advice on how creative briefs should be used to streamline the development process.
• Collaboration – A humorous look at what we can learn from farm animals, old movies and the old west, about how to break down silos and use communication to successfully collaborate.
• Growing a creative idea garden – Some of the best creative work out there never sees the light of day due to budget and time constraints, or plan old fear of trying something different; this article plants the seed of how to start an “idea garden” where the best ideas can be nurtured and brought along when the time is right.
• Invincibility – A personal story about learning to take chances and pursuing real satisfaction after facing economic down-turn and a health-crisis.

• Attributes – Learn six core attributes that, when combined together within one team, make for a powerful and effective unit and are particularly important when you have right and left brain personalities working together.
• Change Management – Most companies suffer from “Corporate Attention Deficit Disorder”(CADD). This article highlights ten strategies you can use in reactive change management cultures to impact change.
• A House Divided – A short point of view on the “us vs. them” divisive culture that often exists within many creative teams and why.
• Project vs. Account Management – A handy table that compare the account vs. project manager’s overarching responsibilities at various levels.
• Customer Service Strategies – A variety of customer service experiences that have made me think a lot about my father and the business lessons he taught me over 30 years ago.

stuff to think about

• In-HOWse Designer Blog – edited by our friend and colleague, Andy Epstein
• AIGA’s in-house design forum
• Design Council – Examples of case studies that use metrics to demonstrate success
• InSource – an organization that aspires to be THE global network for inhouse creative business leaders connected by common professional experiences, knowledge and best practices
• Pam Bryan – productivity and business coach and colleague

stuff to watch or listen to

• the power of project debriefs – Jen’s webinar, for RGD Ontario, about using planned communications to transform relationships and the way things work, including the who, what, where, when, and how of using project debriefs
• RFIs, RFPs & creative briefs – Emily’s webinar, for RGD Ontario, focuses on best practices and effective use of each document including selection criteria (RFI), outlining important relationship and project requirements (RFP) and initiating a project (creative brief)
• podcast recording: managing different generations – the Reflex Blue Show interviewed Emily during the How Conference about her session on managing different generations as well as proposal development, pricing and winning pitches