Creative Strategy and the Business of Design

by Douglas Davis

  Hajime Yoshida is a freelance graphic designer working in the Tokyo fashion and music industries. In April 2015, he started Sasanqua Design Incorporated, a firm focused on the social role of graphic design. Sasanqua specializes in consulting, brand strategy, marketing, and design for educational and medical institutions such as colleges, high schools, hospitals, and medical trading companies.

  ASSIGNMENT: Choose a university or college and rebrand it. Create a new logo, copy, and ads for awareness targeting the places its potential students would see them. In many countries, a declining birthrate has been a social problem. Universities and colleges have suffered from a decline in enrollment numbers and have been facing the dilemma of going commercial to get more students or keeping their enrollment selective. You should solve the problem with a tone that balances between appealing to more students and communicating the high academic standards required upon admission. Remember you have to follow the educational philosophy from the university’s heritage while reimagining its design.

  Michael J. Miraflor has worked at a media agency for his entire career, but thinks of himself as more a student of culture and technology. Born in Los Angeles, his upbringing in a first-generation Filipino-American family had him seeking identity through Little League Baseball and hip hop. After graduating from UC–Berkeley in 2004, he’s had the pleasure and good luck of working at Freestyle Interactive (SF), Deep Focus (BK/NYC), and ZenithOptimedia (NYC). He’s currently Head of Strategy for Blue 449 in the Americas, and a Global Executive MBA candidate at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.

  ASSIGNMENT: List three mobile applications that you use on a daily basis. Take note of when these applications update to new versions, and write down what has changed. This can include a range from small (e.g., tweaks to the mechanics, extra tools) to large (e.g., change of the app logo, major additions or subtractions from user interface). Take note of the changes that you have noticed on your own. Then read the description of the update from the app developer, and note any announced changes that you did not notice yourself. On a spreadsheet, list out all of these changes in a single column. On an adjacent column, line up what you think the reason is for the app developer to change the feature. Repeat this through at least one (and up to three) months, tracking whether the app developer is continuing to address already tracked features, or introducing new changes.

  By the end of your study you should have three very different spreadsheets for the three different apps you have tracked. Ask yourself: Why do they look so different? Why would one app tweak a single feature repeatedly, while others had less focus and address a laundry list of items? For each update, decide on whether it was proactive (e.g., product iteration to improve the user experience) or reactive (e.g., a necessary change because users weren’t happy). Evaluate what you think the fortunes of each app are (in the greater context of the app owner’s operation) taking into consideration the proactive or reactive nature of their updates. Is this a leading or trailing indicator of growth or decline? At the end of this exercise, perhaps without knowing it, you have extrapolated the product strategy behind each application. Take this information and create a campaign to increase downloads of one of these three apps. Use the information you learned about the target and their behavior to select at least three channels to execute.

  Born and raised on the small island of St. Vincent, Shayne Alexander moved to NYC to pursue his advertising dreams. He got his start in photography and brings this eye to his art direction duties at BBDO NY. In addition to advertising, Shayne is also an awarded DJ. He won Heineken’s Green Synergy Competition in St. Vincent in 2009. Since then, Shayne received recognition from the Advertising Club of New York and won The One Club’s Creative Boot Camp in 2014.

  ASSIGNMENT: You’ve just been asked to take on a new brief.

  Product: For the money, the 2017 Dodge Dart is one of the best options you could find in the market of a small sedan that offers roominess, ample feature content, and abundant style.

  Problem: 21–30-year-old males don’t find the Dodge Dart “cool” enough for them. They think its a dad’s car. Get: 21–30-year-old males to love the Dodge Dart as the coolest car they could have. Idea starters: Cool car, gets the girl. Right; but go farther than that to define the approach with attitude. As time passes, adjust the make and model of the car.

  During the past 12 years Andy Long has led business development and strategy for a variety of companies ranging from startups to Inc. 500 brands to Fortune 500 companies. As a partner at Denver, Colorado–based Interstellar (www.gointerstellar.com). Andy brings his experience as a top-performing sales leader and brand strategist to his role as senior vice president of business development and strategic partnerships for Interstellar. With a focus on building integrated partnerships with brands and software platforms alike, Andy is a textbook Malcolm Gladwell “connector.” His unique ability to quickly develop meaningful relationships and solve problems has helped Interstellar solidify their position as a top digital partner in the Denver Metro region and beyond.

  ASSIGNMENT: Your client is a brand manufacturer who has been selling to their end consumers through distribution channels for several years. Due to an increasingly competitive market landscape they’ve now decided to begin selling their products directly to their consumers through an online retail website and with an aggressive advertising campaign (in digital and traditional channels). Create a solution that drives qualified consumer traffic to their new e-commerce site without alienating their existing sales distribution partners. As an example, think of an electronics brand that primarily sells through large retailers such as Target, Walmart, Costco, etc.

  Formerly of Brooklyn, Louisa McCabe is now living in Brittany, France, working for editorial and marketing clients and writing a book on typography. With her love of great writing and exceptional photography, her approach to design tells the story of the publication, organization, or business in creative and relatable ways.

  ASSIGNMENT: For a designer interested in editorial work, I recommend the following project: Choose an existing title—for instance, Vogue, ESPN, Fast Company, Complex—and it helps if it is in your area of interest. Your task is to design a small supplement to the magazine. This supplement will be targeted at a particular demographic within the title’s larger demographic. For instance, a supplement to ESPN could be about the Olympics, one for Vogue could focus on up-and-coming designers in China, one for Complex could focus on Kendrick Lamar’s new album and his place in hip hop history. The supplement will tell an expanded story to your particular readers. You are demonstrating in your portfolio that you are au fait with the magazine’s content, its readers, and its advertisers. Supplements are rarely created without an advertising sponsor, and designers who understand economic relationships are valued. When you design the supplement (say, eight pages) you are not slavishly following the magazine’s style, but creating a “cousin style.” It is recognizably from the magazine’s stable but also has its own look, photographic style, and typography. This is a chance to highlight your typographic skills. Use type in a clear, creative, and unusual way. Include a cover, table of contents, intro page, and couple of stories—basically a variety of pages. You do not need real copy but you should include real headlines. For the print version, make the page size smaller than the full magazine. Create stylish and unconfusing pages. Design the supplement for print, tablet, and smartphone—redesigning the content for each format both horizontally and vertically—which will demonstrate your ability to repurpose content in a variety of formats. Create PDFs to mock-up the pages for smartphone and tablet. Finally, create some digital banners to flag the upcoming supplement on Facebook and on the magazine website. Target your readers and use the type and photography that you have already developed.

  David Quintiliani is a creative director whose understanding of emerging technologies has helped him reimagine how traditional brands find their voice (without losing their soul) in the new digital world. He believes that
social media, the post-TV landscape, and the trend toward brands as publishers has opened the door to a new advertising that not only benefits from authenticity, but depends on it.

  ASSIGNMENT: Redefine a familiar brand as a publisher or distributor of content. Red Bull, for example, used to sell energy drinks. Now they are a record label that breaks new talent, a video network of extreme sports, and a publisher of serious music journalism. Assignment: Select a known brand, consider their core audience, and create a credible plan for creating, licensing, and distributing content in a way that will build deeper loyalty and encourage brand advocacy without pushing product.

  Gail Anderson is a New York–based designer, writer, educator, and partner at Anderson Newton Design. From 2002 through 2010, Gail served as Creative Director of Design at SpotCo, a New York City advertising agency that creates artwork for Broadway and institutional theater. From 1987 to early 2002, she worked at Rolling Stone magazine, serving as associate art director, deputy art director, and finally as the magazine’s senior art director. Anderson is the author of Outside the Box, for Princeton Architectural Press, as well as co-author of ten books with Steven Heller. She has contributed to design books, publications, and blogs worldwide. Anderson teaches at the School of Visual Arts, and serves on The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee for the United States Postal Service and on the board for the Type Directors Club. She is the recipient of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Medal from the AIGA, and her work is in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt, the Library of Congress, and the Milton Glaser Design Archives at SVA.

  ASSIGNMENT: Branding a Neighborhood

  Spend an afternoon walking through interesting neighborhoods in your city or town. Find the small pockets of communities that are up-and-coming—or are established, but little-known. What can you do to build enthusiasm about an area, to attract locals to participate in events or patronize local establishments? How do you create a buzz and make a place “cool” for its inhabitants? This assignment is about branding a neighborhood, so choosing will be part of the fun. Don’t go for someplace obvious like Williamsburg—that’s already well-established and has a high “coolness” factor that at this point verges on overkill. Is there an area that has great theaters? A spot that feels particularly kid-friendly? A snippet of town that has really interesting architecture? You will be asked to create a name for your location if there isn’t already one (also part of the fun), so bear that in mind as you walk around. Your deliverables will include a logo for your neighborhood, as well as a landing page and four additional screens for a community website or blog about the area. You’ll also create promotional materials for an event that celebrates your special place, like a pub crawl, concert series, or street fair. Are you making posters that hang in local restaurants? An app that takes you on a walking tour of your neighborhood? Think big and have fun. The ultimate goal is to get local residents to celebrate their environment—though attracting visitors to the area is never a bad thing. But don’t think about it as tourism—keep it small-scale and focused on the heart of your community. But I repeat, THINK BIG (in terms of what you create to attract eyeballs and bodies) and have fun!

  Contact Me!

  Lastly, I don’t know the right answer but I know what I think. I’m not a writer but I have something to say. The opinions, methods, and stories in this book are my right answers to this point and I appreciate being able to share them with you. I would love to hear your stories, adventures, wins, and losses applying any of the material; e-mail me@douglasdavis.com and visit www.thinkhowtheythink.com.

  Thank you so much.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Douglas Davis, Principal: The Davis Group LLC & Associate Professor

  @douglasQdavis

  douglasdavis.com

  thinkhowtheythink.com

  Brooklyn-based Douglas Davis enjoys being one of the variety of voices needed in front of and behind the concept, marketing plan, or digital strategy. His approach to creativity combines right-brained creative problem-solving with left-brained strategic thinking. The unique mix of creative strategy, integrated marketing, and art direction is what Douglas brings into the classroom. Douglas began his teaching career as an adjunct in tandem with his professional career, following in the footsteps of his mentors at Pratt Institute who worked during the day and taught at night. Currently, he is an associate professor within the Communication Design department at New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn.

  Douglas is a former adjunct professor at New York University in the Master’s in Integrated Marketing program and current adjunct associate professor at City College in the Branding and Integrated Communications (BIC) program. As a HOW Design university contributor, his ideas have been presented in webinar, conference, and course format. His online class, Creative Strategy and the Business of Design, has been well received by a mix of creative professionals practicing in the United States and beyond. Digital Marketer, Freelance Art and Creative Director, Advertising & Design Educator . . . who depends on what day.

  In 2011 Douglas founded The Davis Group LLC and continues to offer strategic solutions to client branding, digital, and design problems. In addition to client work and giving back in the classroom, Douglas was appointed to serve on the advisory board for New York City’s High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media (iAM). His advertising and academic experience aided him in authoring the four-year curriculum for the first public advertising high school in the country. Following the launch of iAM, Douglas contributed as an education consultant for the launch of the Manhattan Early College School for Advertising (MECA).

  Douglas holds a BA in Graphic Design from Hampton University, an MS in Communications Design from Pratt Institute, and an MS in Integrated Marketing from New York University.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  A lot of people thank God because they couldn’t have done it without Him. As a child, I fell out of a moving car into an intersection. As a young adult, I battled addiction. As an adult, I abandoned my portfolio to escape a fireball when a second plane hit a building two blocks away from me. Without God, I know I wouldn’t even be here. Thank you. To my grandparents, Ben Frank & Sarah Mae Davis, my first teachers. When you were here, I watched and learned from you every day. My students don’t know that they are also your students. Thank you. To my mother, Audrey Faye Davis, my protector. I watched as you sacrificed everything for Marlon and me growing up. Without the letters you wrote to an unruly teenager, and the mail-order art school lessons you couldn’t afford, I wouldn’t be here. Thank you. To my design mentor and example of how to give to students, Typographer and Distinguished Professor Tony Di Spigna. As a master typographer, I aspire toward your level of passion, creativity, and dedication. Sixteen years after I graduated from Pratt, you still give your time, advice, and willingness long after your obligation to do so ended. Thank you. To my strategy mentor and example of how to engage the minds of my students, Dr. Marjorie Kalter. Your distinguished agency career, competitive strategy insights, and encouragement to “just get through it” helped me focus when I couldn’t see the way forward. You had a profound influence on what I do, and as a result, I am relevant to clients in a whole new way. Thank you. To my contributors Neil Feinstein, Barry Silverman, Andrea Waite-Spurlock, Judy Abel, and Ron Berger, you were my first and only choices for your areas of expertise. I continue to learn from you and I’m so grateful that the readers will as well. Thank you.

  In early 2012, I was contacted by Laura Yoo, Content Development Manager for the Design Community at F+W Media, and from there I wrote Creative Strategy and the Business of Design course for HOW Design University. As a result, Sarah Whitman and Karli Petrovic were open to my articles based on the CSBD content, then Kathy Scott and Erin Semple Morrarty provided guidance when I turned the content into a webinar, while Amanda Malek, Alison Prior, and Jinnie Compton supported me and the many students in the course on HOWU. If not for Marketing Mentor Ilise Benun inviting me to speak within the Creative
Business track of HOW Design Live (in Boston 2014, then Chicago 2015), I wouldn’t have seen the impact of the content in real life or met superstar event planners Amy Conover, Sally Slack, or Michael Sauer, to then pitch the idea of this book to Scott Francis and Bridgid Agricola (thank you for the privilege of speaking at HDL in Atlanta 2016) or had the chance to work with my big-picture editor Brendan O’Neill, or laugh in between the lines with Laura Daly (thank you for the care with the material and willingness to learn about me in order

  to know how to extend the CSBD brand into book form). Thanks Amanda Aszman for the opportunity to be one of the judges of HOW’s Promotion and Marketing Design Awards 2016. Thanks, Jess Zafarris, for giving me an outlet on HOWdesign.com. All of that is to say to HOW’s publisher Gary Lynch, none of this would have happened without God’s gift to me through these people. Thank you. To the design community, the HOW community, you took time out to answer my call for relevant problems from relevant professionals. Emely Perez, Anthony Clarke, Nora Elbaz, Kendell Burton, Joshua Namdar, Travis Bonilla, Rick Redznak, Intan Trenggana, Dimitri Alexander, Kacy Charles, Fabiola Veronica, Hajime Yoshida, Mervet Hafez, Hang Z., Shayne Alexander, Danny Shaw, Antoine Christian, Peter Shleykher, David Quintiliani, Janice Arroyo, Carol Chu, Claire Giddings, Eric O’Toole, Botond Vörös, Coco Cerrella, Mariam Guessous, Michael J. Miraflor, Andy Long, Chemene Phillips, Steven Brodeur, Rashi Puri, M. Genevieve Hitchings, Louisa McCabe, Carrie Hamilton, Ellen Baryshev, Niyati Mehta, Nakita M. Pope, Sean DallasKidd, Nick Matarese, Roxie Munro, Damien Golden, Tom N. Tumbusch, Michelle Muhammad, Ed Roberts, Lidia Varesco Racoma, Bryan Troche, Nancy Ruzow, Shannel Wheeler, Blake Winfree, Julius Dunn, Nicte Cuevas, Jacob Cass, and Gail Anderson. Though I couldn’t fit all of the assignments in print format, thank you for the assignments that will help so many who are not located in a city with a large design community.