The late Hillman Curtis nails it here:

I start each project with the assumption that everyone involved is creative. I really believe this. While some people’s creativity may not be readily apparent it’s there and not to be disregarded. So whenever appropriate, I kick off the first meeting by telling everyone in the room, at the conference table, or on the phone that I believe in their creativity and that I intend to utilize it. In other words, I make it clear that I can’t produce a great design without them. I make it clear that we share responsibility for the final product, and more often than not, they accept that responsibility with pleasure.

Every project should start off with the line “We can’t produce a great design without one another.” Clients and agencies need to commit to one another through their commitment to the project. Sketches and drafts, wrinkles and bad hair days are all a part of that process. Being committed to timely feedback and not taking calls during meetings is a part of that process.  Trying new methods of communication when the current one isn’t working is a part of that process. Starting from scratch is a part of that process.

Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa shows 3 other versions when placed under X-ray. David Ogilvy, the greatest copywriter ever, wrote 20 headlines for each ad.

When we decide together to show our concepts to one another, we are investing in a relationship first and the project second and that is when the magic happens.

You can be assured that there will be times things will be unclear. The agency may tell you that a campaign you love dilutes your brand. The client may think you really don’t understand them when you suggest a new color palette. That is the process—push through. There is no magic in the creative process—just work.  Creative is not a vending machine where retainers go in and ideas and execution come out. It is, at it’s best, a transparent process full of pivots and edits and ah-hahs.  It is a coin with two sides: Agencies need business objectives. Businesses need creative.

—Ian

It will be companies that figure out how to communicate the non-fiction story of a company, so it’s going to look a lot more like a communications company than a creative branding agency.

Doug Rushkoff (Co.Create)

* See Doug Rushkoff speak at Rhizome 4.14.2012

1. “We need a Content Strategy”

When clients make this statement they are usually looking for a magical report that will make all things right in their domain and on their domain. The problem is, there is no said “righteous report” to be had — just work. Deeply linked, cross-practice work. Copy on newsletters lead to forms, forms lead to databases, databases lead to CMSs, CMSs lead to content types & metadata and copywriting… Something as simple as new copy can trigger the need for new UX/IA with and entirely different navigation system. This is not to say that things can’t be done iteratively. But when “a solution” is the goal the answer is not always simple.

-7 out of 10 times a content strategy engagement will require some new design and code

2. “We’re looking to redesign our site and want to incorporate a Content Strategy”

In this request the intent is spot-on, let’s review our content and let that investment shape our strategy for the site. This is an exciting call to get. The challenge here — determining how much operational change can be introduced without you (the client) feeling like we are selling you something you didn’t come buy (even though that may be exactly what you need). There’s a reason you got to this point, you’ve probably had other vendors or internal folks work on this initiative and it never came out quite right— why? That’s our real work here — asking why — to the point of exhaustion. Legacy systems, cross-functional team breakdown, poor execution, poor strategy – why, why, why, why and why? Turning all those cards face up allow us to better solve the problem and implement a solution that is sustainable and nimble. You don’t want to do this again in a year, do you?

-Start at the end of your customer’s experience – the receipt or form. Work backwards until things become resonant, fix everything below that point.

3. “We need a writer/copywriter”

We feel your pain. Great writers/copywriters (for arguments sake there is a difference) are hard_to_find. Expressing the intent of your business, crafting a voice that is consistent with your brand and nailing calls to action are critical. Writing done well requires a deep domain knowledge of the subject/industry as well chops. Chops are hard to come by and domain knowledge requires strategy. The depth of the strategy required is dependent on your goals, your brand strategy and the shape of your current “content strategy” – whether you call it that or not. Often “content strategy” is fully flushed out in organizations that have never used the term. In other places it’s a scapegoat practice stuffed inside an organization lacking the ability to stitch parts together holistically and/or politically.

-Rule of thumb – a weeks worth of writing requires 2+ weeks of research.

4. “It’s a mix of Product Strategy and Communications and Marketing and..”

Damn tootin’ it is. Customer acquisition and retention reside inside the product (Saas) and the marketing site. Customer development affects not only your messaging and positioning but also your features. Building a product and telling people about it cannot be separate items with uncommunicative teams and slow cycles of innovation/iteration. These types of engagements usually involve a surprising amount of: change management, workflow assessment, customer experience assessment as well as the content and content design. So while you were thinking press releases and case studies don’t be surprised if design studios and customer experience sessions are part of the scope.

-Invest in a customer experience mapping session – one very long, very valuable day.

Content strategy, content design and any other flavor of digital strategy and implementation are highly interlinked practices full of deliverables with predecessors and inheritances. When your designer, developer, copywriter or strategist wants to dig deeper than you expected to go – Celebrate! You are on your way to a real solution instead of a band aid.

Tunedon.es is a music discovery site focused on linking music to web design activities. Why web design and not every kind of activity you ask – we’re not sure, it just feels right – for now.

The last few years we’ve seen an explosion in music discovery sites. Pandora, Last.fm, Ex.fm, Grooveshark, Spotify, Rdio, thesixtyone and many others. Most of those services operate on the premise of channels and you selecting a band which leads you to some other bands like those bands and genres like those genres and comments tacked on for good measure. I’ve found some great music on these sites but none explore the relationship between what you are doing and what you are listening to. Recommendations and thumbs-up lack the excitement of finding something new. New like when your best friend says, “Why weren’t you at the Gallery East last night. This band Minor Threat played with SSD Control. It was life changing.”- And then you hear the band and it does change your life. The stories behind music discover sometimes changes lives and leads people towards a more independent and creative life – it did for us.

The Science of Music
There is solid science linking music types to music activities and cognitive development. For instance low-information load music (repetitive, major key – like dub) significantly improved test scores when compared to both silence and high-information load music (jazz or baroque.)[Kiger] — This makes it a great music type for wireframing. If you are a copywriter and fancy listening to Jay-Z, keep this in mind: People listening to music with lyrics tend to make significantly more mistakes than instrumental music. [Saleme and Baddeley] Science aside, we like what we like and whether we work at home or at an agency, there’s probably some music being played.

The Web Crowd
We creatives seek continuous inspiration. We admire, worship, borrow and steal from one another in order to create. We rearrange our offices and rent new lofts because the energy needs refreshing. We are affected by our surroundings and seek to shape our workplaces to optimize for inspiration. Tunedon.es seeks to mix a little science, a little community and influential stories to create a unique music discovery service. (So, yes it’s a bit more than a few dropdowns.)

When you explore inspiration in the context of community, you get not only to see what influences the creative decisions of others but also explore the mechanics of how others bring their inspiration to life. This can be valuable in helping you fine new methods of approaching your own work,” Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative.

“…the best work we accomplish is frequently a result of being inspired by someone else,” Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative.

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Email me with any thoughts or comments.

THE EVENT

AgileUxNYC – Feb 25, 2012

14 Speakers/8 hours/1 location

Eric Burd

Phin Barnes

Josh Seiden

Tomer Sharon

Anders Ramsay

Todd Zaki Warfel

Jonathan Berger

Jen Gergen

Will Evans

Neil Wehrle

Jeff Gothelf

Giff Constable

Reasons I attended:

I just completed two projects using a waterfall process. While the projects and processes were fresh in my mind I wanted to envision their outcome if they had been run using an Agile process.

I wanted to get a better handle on how a smallish/ boutique shop like ours could run Agile.

I have two new internal projects/products that are just beginning and I want to run them through an Agile process.

Overall Takeaways:

Agile requires your entire organization to buy-in to the process.

Agile simultaneously goes against the grain and with the grain.

AgileUX uses design as both leverage and springboard.

Every practice wants to have a prominent seat at the table.

“Iterate the thinking not the pixels.”

All of the presenters’ slidedecks are available here.

-Ian

1. Who are you again and how did you get my email?

When I receive an email the assumption is that it was sent to me, and only me. If a message is sent to a prospective customer and it feels like it was sent to a million other people your intent gets slippery and the angle of repose increases. This sits in stark contrast to a billboard or TV advertisement, which I know is broadcast to a zillion other people. Despite the knowledge that I am not “the one” these emotional-contextually ads feel even more impressive when they work. The biggest difference between TV/Billboard and an email-initiated communication is audience focus and location. It’s my inbox, my email address and in-turn some permission-based respect is expected when you contact me.

Ways you got my email:

-You scraped my email or bought a list. [You're playing a numbers game hoping that 1 in 100,000 people will respond.]

-I gave you my email address and you took that as a license to communicate with me about everything. [You're hoping I'll I remember why I signed up and keep your brand in my thoughts just in case.]

-You inconsistently send out updates in a voice that assumes I’ve been keeping track of your every move. [You're posturing.]

-I “traded” my email address in exchange for specific content. [Whitepaper download.]

-I gave you my email address because I am genuinely interested in your brand, service or product. [Basis watch.]

2. Are you communicating to me or to 1,000,000 “me’s”?

Communicating with me via email is either very easy or very difficult depending your goal(s). “Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient.” It’s the “intended recipient” part that is often misunderstood or ignored. On one hand, every communication cannot be 100% customized — entirely impractical. On the other hand, FIRST_NAME in a MySQL database is not indicative of an “intended recipient.” The trick/craft lies in making me feel like the email was sent to either:

Me only.

Success details: You know why I gave you my email to in the first place. Are aware of any support tickets, demos and purchases, etc. As well as where I am in your buying/attention cycle.

Other people like me.

Success details: You make me feel like I am part of a tribe of smart, informed people. 

People I want to emulate or be aligned with.

Success details: You make me feel like I am behind the scenes with the cool kids. Privy to trends, behaviors and events that I wouldn’t otherwise know about.

3. Is the content relevant?

“Why are you sending me this?” — Not the reaction you want from people receiving your email communications. While I’ve recently shied away from the concept of “building trust to knowingly exploit it for a sale later”, there is something to be said for being interested in your customers and being consistent with your relationship with them. Analytics are the equivalent of “How have you been?” Content is only relevant when you put the needs of your customers ahead of your needs to contact them.

4. Is the content presented well?

There is no such thing as utility content. Any communication with your customers, or prospective customers, is a showcase of  your writing and design skillsets. Design exists to communicate. And if you don’t have the time or talent to properly design your content, don’t be surprised when it: Raises more questions than it answers, is ignored, or entirely turns people off. Attention to detail is what separates a Ferrari from a Ford Focus.

Copywriting

It is more than information on a page. It is a commitment to understand how your customers, constituents and friends want to be spoken to. (+ best-practices)

Design

There is life beyond Verdana and Arial and starbursts.

Information Hierarchy

EVERYTHING PIECE OF INFORMATION CANNOT HAVE THE SAME WEIGHT AND PRIORITY 

CTA

What do you want people to do with the information you are providing to them? Is this clear and engaging? 

-Ian

There was a long pause

There was a tremendous pause during which I stumbled through design and content to find meaning

There was a pause broken only by the striking of keys, the sound of me leaving said website

—Ian

New content from old publishers with little value
I’ve come to expect these pseudo-articles from sheisty marketers offering first dibs on infographics. As well as fascinating Ehow articles that show you turn on the tv without a remote. But the trend of otherwise reputable content creators performing a lowest common denominator of this content mixture is frustrating and a bit saddening. Just because “everyone is now a publisher” does not mean that historically reputable publishers should dumb down. Too much traffic is like a parking lot and you can’t do much there but wait and collect dents.

—Ian