Collaboration Archives - Emotive Brand

Uncovering the True Dynamics of Strategy + Design Synergy: A Conversation Between Robert Saywitz and Giovanna Blackston Keren

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Robert Saywitz

Our recent work rebranding Topstep—a financial trading platform based in Chicago, IL—shed light not only on our belief in the power of simplicity and clarity for our client but also on internal agency processes that helped us create an authentically differentiated brand. I sat down recently with our Director of Strategy, Giovanna Blackston Keren, to have a candid conversation about our roles in this process and why agencies seem to talk about the relationship between Strategy and Design more often than it comes together successfully in real life. We used our work on Topstep as a prism for this discussion because, in many ways, the project typified how we seamlessly crafted a strategy + design experience from start to finish. Giovanna asked all the right questions.

Why are agencies always talking about the collaboration between Strategy and Design? If it really happens so seamlessly, and if it’s the norm, then why are we all still talking about it?

The truth is, a seamless integration of the two is the ideal but not all agencies are able to pull it off. With Topstep, as with other clients, we were able to bridge the gap by bringing designers into the project early and keeping strategists involved throughout the process. Inviting designers to the initial kickoffs and key meetings helped them absorb the full brand story, informing their creative development. Inviting strategists to provide quick gut-checks throughout the creative process also kept things moving forward while also voicing moments when design needed to shift or even stand down and let the strategy come through more prominently. Extending involvement in both directions is often a problem of bandwidth, but well worth it in the end.

Why do you think that Strategy and Design often seem to be on such different pages, that actually finding a way for us to be talking the same language is challenging?

There is often a natural divide between the expert skill sets of the Strategist and the Designer but, here at Emotive Brand, we bridge that gap in a few ways. One is by having designers involved in Strategy meetings and vice versa; we have also started to share knowledge within our teams through skill-sharing workshops so that Strategists and Designers understand what each other do and literally begin to speak the same language. It also helps that we have specific roles for Creative Strategists—strategists with design/writing backgrounds and steeped in design but performing as a high-level strategic thinker and, at times, a copywriter for the designers and presentations. Their role often transcends boundaries and is the connective thread between strategy and design processes, as well as the articulation of creative thinking to the client. Specifically, with Topstep, this seamless dialogue between Strategy and Design allowed us to focus on the inauthentic, dry, and confusing nature of the language of most financial institutions. Our designers utilized this insight to tap into something bespoke and authentic—cutting through the clutter with radical honesty and a bold, language-driven typographic system.

So often throughout my career, I’ve felt like when I’m finally sharing the strategic blueprint with designers, they tend to see it as shackles rather than a wellspring for exploration—even though the strategy platform is usually built upon months and months of research, interviews, and insights. Do you see Strategy as a constraint in your process?

I actually find that the right kind of constraint can function as a creative accelerant to get you to the strongest ideas much quicker, but perhaps guardrails is a better word than constraints because, without the guidance of the strategy, you’re often jumping around in different directions, exploring far too many ideas that don’t have the grounding of the strategy. I have a fine art background so I know all too well that stepping up to a blank canvas with no plan in mind is much more of an overwhelming challenge than when I have my sketchbook full of notes to guide my process. When you have strategic limits in place, it creates much more freedom and opportunity for a deeper exploration rather than wider, and in this sense, the rules can actually set you free. When we started our initial ideation for Topstep’s new brand identity, we cast a wide net with 20-30 different mood boards but the strategy helped us efficiently narrow our focus to 5 of the most relevant and resonant options that embodied the strategy and the kind of brand that Topstep wanted to be.

Ultimately, we’re not creating just brand strategies, and we’re not creating visual identities. We’re creating brand experiences, brand worlds, and those worlds have to be built out of Strategy and Design.

Yes, the success we enjoyed with Topstep came from the constant conversation between designers and strategy along the journey—using the strategic platform as a foundational road map for creative exploration. We were very purposeful in bringing the client along on the journey as an active participant and everything we presented to them was met with a very open discussion about our rationale for design decisions—no feedback or pain point was too delicate to unpack between us, which is often a missed opportunity between agency and client. I think that level of honest conversation from the very start of the strategy process through the end of design helped build a foundation of trust and respect between us and the client that allowed us to move much more efficiently and make great decisions together. Ultimately, it helped a great deal when it came time to sell in a radically simple design direction.

The final design direction for Topstep was directly inspired by one of the territories that we brought to Topstep in our Strategy Workshop “And the rules shall set you free.” Traders often feel that the rules hold them back from really being able to be the successful trader they think they can be but, in reality, it is these very rules that keep them on the right path to ultimate success. Seems like a meaningful parallel here with our conversation about the relationship between Strategy and Design?

Definitely. Just as Strategy provides guardrails, it also allows you to explore freely without feeling like you’re staring at that blank canvas, reaching for any idea that may be well-executed but has no relevance with the business or what it is we’re trying to achieve, and in that way, the rules really can set you free. For Topstep, we harnessed this strategic freedom to move against the grain of the natural instinct for many clients to add as many elements into the composition as possible to tell their story and opting for being utterly clear, simple, and to the point, and in the financial world, that becomes quite radical.

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” — Hans Hofmann

Click the link to see our work for Topstep: https://www.emotivebrand.com/topstep/

Emotive Brand is a brand strategy and design agency in Oakland, California.

Shedding Ego in The Branding Process

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Jonathan Haggard

As creatives, we believe deeply in our craft and put ourselves fully into what we make. Our humor, our creativity, our problem-solving gets baked into the product. So, when work is rejected, it can feel like you’re being rejected. Add tight deadlines and multiple projects to the mix, and emotions are even higher. The key to keeping a level head is all about leaving your ego at the door and keeping a healthy authorial distance between maker and product. This is a guide for designers of all skill levels, clients, strategists—anyone taking part in the design process.

Assume Good

If someone suggests changing the design, assume that they are coming from a good place. They want to improve the work and giving them the benefit of the doubt will not only start the collaboration off on the right foot, but it’ll also build trust over time.

Try it on for Size

If you disagree with a piece of feedback, implement it anyway and see if it works. Your initial assumptions could either be totally wrong, or it could spur some additional inspiration that you wouldn’t have come to otherwise. The important part of this is to actually try and be an advocate for the thing that you may have initially disagreed with. If you can design from their viewpoint, you might uncover the root cause of the piece of feedback and be able to address it better.

Yes and…

If you’re collaborating with someone and they mention an idea, try to build on their idea even just a little bit. They have given you a nugget and you can help them shine it into something amazing. It takes a lot of courage to share ideas. If you have made a safe environment to share thoughts, you’ll uncover gems that otherwise would be kept secret.

It’s Not YOUR Design, It’s THE Design

Remember that no matter what, everyone’s job is to work together on the design. It is not your solo creation to be hung in a museum long after you’re dead. It’s a communal work that is being refined by multiple people. This helps distance yourself from any feedback that might sting. Oftentimes, when people are criticizing a piece of work, they are trying to improve the work—not make you look bad.

Liven Up the Mood

Even if you feel very attached to a design you’ve been working on and someone points out a flaw, use that as an opportunity for humor. Oftentimes, if you can shift your perspective to the person who criticized the design, you can find a joke to make about it. Humor doesn’t just lighten the mood and facilitate good collaboration, humor has a sneaky way of lowering our own defenses and opening our minds to new ideas. Many brilliant ideas start out as “joke ideas,” something we throw out impulsively, wildly, provocatively. People don’t judge them with the same mind frame because “it’s just a joke.” And this type of playful ideation makes “joke ideas” become real ideas, with real impact.

How it Happens in Practice

Imagine you have an internal design review in 2 days—this time around everyone is expecting the work to be fully designed. Strategy will be there, client services, project management, and the managing director might stroll by. But your designs are stuck, you can’t seem to push through. Instead of trying to break through that wall on your own, take initiative and reach out to someone. Ask them how they’d make it cooler (instead of asking for their feedback). This starts the conversation off as immediately collaborative and frames it so that what they suggest is already going to be an improvement. When they think of something, get stoked about it. Really, let yourself feel that emotion. Then execute their suggestion. It may feel like you’re going down the wrong path, but it’s an open door that will let you get through that wall that was blocking you before.

5 Quick Tips:

Get fast. If it only takes you 20 minutes to make changes, it won’t be that big of a deal. But if it takes 2 hours, then feedback hurts because you know you’re staying late.
Meditate. 10 minutes a day, focus on your breath. This trains the brain to stay calm in situations that are overwhelming.
Write it down. If you don’t, you’ll forget it and you won’t do it.
Be proactive. Ask for feedback. You’ll become accustomed to receiving it gracefully.
Practice. The goal here isn’t to be perfect. In fact, it’s the opposite. Shedding your ego is an ongoing practice that takes regular maintenance. Shedding your ego doesn’t need to be an earth-shattering event. It can be a series of small moments that are strung together.

Emotive Brand is a brand strategy and design agency in Oakland, California.

When Designers and Developers Collaborate, Everyone Wins

Posted on January 28, 2020November 22, 2024 by Jonathan Haggard

A great developer recognizes and enhances design decisions. A great designer understands the technology they are designing for. Both developers and designers need to have an intimate understanding of each other’s fields in order to produce better experiences for brands.

In order to deliver a bespoke experience for a brand, a collaborative environment needs to be fostered.

How to Actually Collaborate

A key element to facilitating design and developer collaboration is reshaping the reviewing process. The traditional way is to do a bunch of design work upfront, get client approval, polish the entire project, and hand it off to a developer completely “designed.” This often results in quite a few design decisions being compromised because of poor documentation, developer interpretation, or non-feasibility.

The new way of doing things is beyond agile—it’s actual collaboration.

Setting a frequent and casual cadence of check-ins between designer and developer not only speeds up each other’s workflows, but it also allows each party to influence each other’s practice. True collaboration is a developer showing a designer an interaction that is 50% of the way done, so that the designer can fiddle with the code in order to make it perfect. True collaboration is also a designer showing the developer what they are thinking for design early on, so that the developer can raise any flags or offer suggestions to improve the design.

Using contemporary tools is the best way to achieve this type of working relationship. Gone are the days of sharing Sketch files over email and setting calendar events where eight people on the agency side show up to have a formal conversation with a developer.

Today, we use Figma so that the developer can see and modify the designs as they are being worked on. We use Slack to keep in communication on a regular basis and have video/screen share calls when reviewing things that keep updates frequent and easy.

Building Collaboration via Overlapping Skill Sets

To actually collaborate with someone, having overlapping skill sets is key. If each party has an understanding of the other’s expertise, they can make decisions together confidently. This also establishes trust between one another. For example, if a certain interaction is going to be too time-consuming to develop, the developer can offer a suggestion that is rooted in the agency’s design expertise. This is great when needing to come to a consensus on changing a piece of the design to fit the timeline since we can trust that the developer’s suggestion is going to be feasible. It also gives designers a new model of interaction to design against, so we can refine the design accordingly.

Building Collaboration via Remixing

When you have two parties with overlapping skill sets, the other party will often take the idea you have designed and enhance it.

Internally, we used our knowledge of front-end development to deliver custom interactions to our developer Cory, and he would surprise us by making them even better in his implementation. This type of relationship is critical in creating a site that expresses the brand to its fullest potential.

To be technical, our original design intended to use CSS to pin one part of the design while the rest scrolled. The developer went even further and added an overlap to the pinned area once a certain scroll threshold is reached.

This design was enhanced in implementation because the developer split up a Lottie animation and CSS animations that aligned perfectly with the timing. This needed to be implemented this way because the text needed to be editable in the CMS.

Start Today

The best way to build a culture of true collaboration is to start actually collaborating with people today.

Are you working on a document that you are trying to perfect before sending off? Get on a screen share and get input from a developer.

Do you work with a team that has a skill set you don’t have? Start learning their skills, gain empathy for what their jobs are, and bring them into the conversation. Show that you care about their craft and that you’re willing to learn outside of your role in order to make something better than you could have done alone.

Did someone send you a project to execute? Think creatively about it and enhance it beyond what they were expecting. Those little one to two-hour experiments add up over time and really improve the quality of what you’re working on.

Emotive Brand is a brand strategy and design agency in Oakland, California.

Can Collaboration Tools Actually Help Build Better Teams?

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Saja Chodosh

More Than Your Average Team Building Activity

If you know us at Emotive Brand, you know we love a healthy dose of post-work cocktails, a Friday spent hiking as a team, or the occasional holiday extravaganza. We can genuinely say we enjoy spending time with each other. Even so, we would be lying if we said productive collaboration always came naturally.

Like any business, we run into communication issues. We question whether we have the right people in the right roles on the right projects. Some of us work best in short bursts, others need longer spans of time to be productive. Some love structure, others, room to breath and create. In short, we’re all different (which is great) – but sometimes, our different preferences, approaches, and paces, can make collaboration more difficult. It’s just natural.

However, as a highly collaborative agency in a highly collaborative business, we would be wrong to push aside these challenges. So, this week, we put aside an afternoon to invest in a different kind of team building.

Using Tools to Assess How We Collaborate

There are a lot of different collaboration assessments and tools out there. The one we did – Compass, by Shirlaws – hones in on workplace communication, leadership styles, and work pace. In short, the assessment told us four things about ourselves.

Communication style: This assessment categorized each individual as either Think, Feel, or Know to better understand how each of us processes information. Reductively, thinkers are those who thrive on details – think data, facts, logic. Feelers process information through emotions and energies. Knowers trust their gut instinct – they’re intuitive and direct. We all are some combination of Think, Feel, Know – we may just lean into one or two more.
Business role: This assessment told us if we operated as an entrepreneur (all about ideas, innovation, the future), a leader (all about tomorrow, strategy, change), or a manager (someone who makes sure what needs to happen today happens). Any business thrives when it has a spread of all three.
Pace: This was all about how fast each of us moves through work, life, and leisure. It revealed if our work pace differed from our natural pace and explained what any gaps might indicate.
Appetite for risk: This showed us where we sat on the spectrum of risk taking.

Once we had our results, the Compass team came into our office and facilitated a workshop for us to better understand these assessments and leverage them as tools for better collaboration.

We learned a lot that might be helpful – whether you’ve taken Compass, a like-minded test, or nothing like it yet.

Everyone has unique strengths. The question is: how do you leverage them?

One of the great things the Compass team explained right away was that there were no perfect results. Being a thinker is no better than being a feeler. Working fast is no better than working slow. Naturally innovating is no better than being an incredible manager. There are advantages to all of the above. And, the fact that all of us were different made us stronger as a team.

Once you recognize our teammate’s strengths, you can apply them to the way you build teams, engage with clients, and work with each other. For example, say Madeline (hypothetical person A) is a Think. When you have a client who needs data and details to get on board with an idea, Madeline is your girl. Theo (hypothetical person B), on the other hand, is a Feel. He’s a great storyteller and can read a room like a pro. He might be the perfect person for a pitch. Need someone to read a brief fast and report on what they conjecture is the core problem that needs to be solved? Call up your highest Know.

Empathy is everything, as always.

In the same way you can transform a business through empathy, you can transform a team through empathy. Much of the value of these assessments is the respect that comes with acknowledging that we don’t all approach or process things in the same way. Understanding that people come at work from different angles and accommodating or flexing to what people need to be successful can mean a lot. It can fuel more productive collaboration and better decision making.

If you surprise someone who needs time to look at the details with an impromptu meeting, understand that this isn’t optimal for their way of processing information. Try to give them a bit of warning next time, or explain the urgency of this particular situation. Similarly, before you jump into the details with someone who processes through emotion, try to take a step back and just ask them how their day is. It’s little things like this that can help build a better functioning team.

We are malleable, flexible, and always growing.

These assessments should never set you in stone. Some of our teammates had taken the Compass test a couple years ago and gotten different results (some changed more than others.) Shirlaws explained that these results can be affected by lots of things – what projects you’re on, how fast business is growing, how new you are, what your teammates are focused on, and even, what’s going on at home.

People are capable of growing into different roles and expanding into different communication styles. It’s important to assess where you are now, why you might have landed there, and how you can might strengthen, grow, and shift. We all assume different roles at different points of our lives – that’s what makes it interesting. So don’t put yourself or your teammates in a box. Challenge each other, ask questions, and try out different roles and approaches to communication. Try noticing what you don’t usually or attempt to approach an assignment from a different angle.

Good communication takes work and time.

Figuring out how to communicate and work with people doesn’t always come overnight. It takes patience, openness, and often, real effort. Giving yourself and your teammates the time to learn and practice good collaboration is essential. Read up on best behaviors or just simply ask your teammates what works best. And make sure you voice appreciation for when engagements do go right. Emails like “thanks for warning me in advance” or “thanks for helping me connect the dots” can go a long way. Celebrate what you do well as a team and learn from specific situations that may go amiss.

Power Team, Off to Practice

Even since our Compass workshop, I’ve noticed a lot more “How are you today?” questions and advance calendar invites. We’re already talking about building optimal teams fit to our clients’ needs and preferences. We’re considering the kind of strengths we need to consider when recruiting and growing our teams. We’re just getting started but I won’t be surprised if we find our team performing better, collaborating more effectively, making decisions faster, and connecting with our clients more meaningfully. As always, we will keep you posted.

If you want to learn more about how Compass can help your team, explore here.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

The Balancing Act of Creative Direction

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Chris Ames

The Journey Is the Destination

When I was studying fiction at San Francisco State University, I had a professor that used to say, “If you know exactly what you want to write about, then why are you writing it?”

It was a soft-ball criticism aimed at a particular kind of writer. Those that came in overconfident, inflexible, and usually with their entire story already mapped out beat for beat. In their rigid defense of what they thought the story should be, they missed the opportunity to truly discover what it is or what it could be. If there’s no journey of discovery, no unanswered questions in your mind, the story is over before it begins.

Creative Direction Is a Balancing Act

In the branding process, there can be a similar tension. Every client relationship is different, but there are times when someone will stake a firm claim in the ground and say, “Here’s what’s wrong and here’s how we fix it.” Agencies must then ask themselves a potentially tricky question.

What’s the true point of a branding project? Is it to create the best end-product possible or is it to give the client exactly what they asked for?

First things first, agencies should always strive to be good listeners. Communication can make or break a project, and no one wants to feel like they aren’t being heard. But as Senior Designer Robert Saywitz says, “It would be a great disservice to everyone involved if you didn’t try to elevate the client’s thinking, or push it into an interesting new realm. The key to creative exploration is that it’s anchored by a shared set of rules — whether that’s the creative brief, the brand strategy, or a trust that’s been established through an education of the branding process.”

Ideally, a client wants to hire someone who is smarter than themselves. They want someone who has the right amount of distance from the daily grind of running a business that they can provide some clarity and new thinking. “Making something exactly to specifications is fine, but it’s not exactly a great method for discovery,” continues Saywitz. “The best client-agency relationships are partnerships, and pure execution is not a true partnership.”

Vision vs. Trust

At the end of the day, the client is always right and they are the ones paying the bill. But the most fruitful and successful results come from a balance of vision and trust. The client should have a compelling vision for the present and enough trust to let you push that idea into the future.

To put it another way, you’re trying “to give the client what they don’t know they want yet,” says Senior Designer Beth Abrahamson, “and then show them why that’s what they want. As designers, we have to be both good listeners and innovators. We need to listen to what the client wants, and then innovate on how to get there.”

So, how do we get there? Check all your bases.

Aesthetics: How are you presenting yourself through colors, shapes, typography, illustration, and photography across all environments?
Discourse: How are you using language and stories to engage people in printed, digital, and personal communications?
Functionality: How are you streamlining and enhancing processes to create more pleasant and emotive interactions?
Associations: What ideas, people, and causes outside your brand will be used to evoke feelings and underscore the relevance of your business and brand platform?

The Power of Workshops

Remember, if the client asks for A, you better give them A — even if it’s on a spectrum that includes the more adventurous B and C. Innovate and iterate in equal measure. Always have your creative brief acting as a guiding star during your wildest explorations. And according to Junior Designer Keyoni Scott, never undervalue the importance of workshops.

“No matter the size of a project, workshops will always save you time in the long run,” says Scott. “It brings everyone together so they can get aligned, and creates a platform for other voices in the company to help shape the idea. Plus, it gives designers a better way to evaluate and refine work later in the process. When you both understand each other a little better, you save countless rounds of revisions later.”

Above all else, workshops are a time for discovery. When run properly, it can act as an effective sieve for your ideas. What’s working, what’s falling through the cracks, and what do we want to refine in the next batch? The mere act of hosting a workshop is an act that says you’re open to a breadth of possibility — even if it ends up confirming what you thought to be true.

Wants, Needs, and Everything In-Between

Play-Doh was first used as a wallpaper cleaner. The Slinky was meant to stabilize naval equipment on rough seas. All this to say, being too rigid with an idea can severely limit its potential. To borrow a phrase from the improv world, the perfect client-agency relationship is a game of “yes, and …” Expand the line of thinking, foster effective communication, and encourage the free sharing of ideas. A contractor may give you what you want, but a great agency will give you what you need.

Emotive Brand is a brand strategy and design agency in San Francisco.

Emotive Design Is Felt in the Gut

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Chris Ames

This week, we had the pleasure of adding Beth Abrahamson as a Senior Designer to our team. She is a multidisciplinary graphic designer whose practice challenges the distinction between art and design. Constantly shifting in and out of different mediums – collage, ceramics, photography, drawing – she’s an expert at imagining how these forms can live in the digital world. With an MFA in Design from California College of the Arts, Beth has recently worked with AirBnB, Southern Exposure, San Francisco Art Institute, and many others. We sat down with Beth to discuss her work, the importance of collaboration, and the definition of emotive design.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I came here seven years ago to attend the San Francisco Art Institute for a design and technology program. After graduating from California College of the Arts, I hopped between freelancing at design studios, companies in-house, and building my own client base.

What brings you back to a studio environment?

I really value the ability to see so many different types of environments. It’s so interesting to be able to be a fly on the wall. Every place is different, and sometimes as a freelancer, you’re treated as an outsider. I came here because I was seeking the kind of collaboration and diversity you only get with a studio.

What advice would you give to studios on how to best integrate freelancers so they feel embraced?

It sounds simple, but all anyone wants is to be treated as part of the team. Fostering a healthy team dynamic is super important, and it can make all the difference. You want a place where everyone brings a different skillset, knows their role, and has a seat at the table. There’s such a big difference between “sitting in close proximity to other people” and actually collaborating. As a creative person, I thrive on variety – in projects, clients, and mindsets. With a studio, the sum is greater than the parts.

At Emotive Brand, strategy drives everything. Have you had experience working with strategists before?

It’s so crucial for design, and it’s an area I really want to learn more about. Good design always has to be backed up by good strategy. I value the environment that Bella and Tracy have created here. Both their authenticity and their approach. It’s very rare to have this female-led dynamic, and whether or not you want to admit it, it makes a difference. Just in the approach to empathy, emotional intelligence, and communication. It’s about achieving that perfect balance of everyone having a role and everyone feeling like their voice is heard.

How would you describe your approach to design?

I am a firm believer in the concept defining the aesthetics, and not the other way around. It’s about the process. I take a lot of inspiration from the world around me – from physical things, from mundane forms, or things that may seem mundane at first glance. A big part of my process has been about translating ideas across mediums. Not just working on the computer but working by hand – building things, cutting things. All of that informs what then becomes the digital graphic. With a lot of my work, you can feel the artist’s hand. I try to create a simplicity and accessibility.

Outside of the 9-to-5, what are you working on right now?

I’ve been teaching myself ceramics for the last two years and I’m totally obsessed. There’s a very strong relationship to graphic design. Right now, I’m working on vessels that have different geometric forms as handles. Those forms are coming from some 2D work that I’ve done, and vice versa. An idea will often move from a blind contour drawing, to a screen print, to a ceramic shape.

How would you define emotive design?

For me, emotive design is felt in the gut. It inspires others, draws them in. It’s about translating passion from the maker to the viewer – and in that transfer of ideas and feeling, there is a deep connection. When it works well, that connection – between people or brands – is unbreakable.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

On Design, Branding, and Where the “Brand Magic” Happens: Interview with Emotive Brand Creative Director

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Saja Chodosh

Interview with Jane Brown, Creative Director

Jane joins Emotive Brand with over 20 years of experience developing corporate and brand identities ranging from global corporations to startups – bringing both agency and client-side, as well as print and digital media expertise to the table. Jane has built a reputation around delivering high-level thinking and design systems that enable new brands to compete in crowded marketplaces and venerable brands to deepen their relevance.

In this interview, Jane shares her point of view on branding challenges, client-agency relationships, collaboration, and what gives brands that extra “magic.”

What drew you to Emotive Brand?

There are a lot of different understandings of the term “brand.” I’ve been following the agency for a long time and I think the way Emotive Brand defines brand is so smart – and completely aligned with my thinking.

Emotive Brand gets it. Brand isn’t just about customers, it’s also about employees. It’s built from the inside out. It isn’t just about a logo, it’s about the people who work within the company. That’s where it all starts – getting to the heart of what the company stands for and why it matters.

I admire the attention Emotive Brand puts on process. The agency has created a very smooth, buttoned-up, articulate, and clear methodology. And they’ve worked hard to build a culture of collaboration with the client where this methodology works.

What excites you most about your role here?

To assist EB’s understanding of our brand and our place of differentiation. I’m excited to build upon what’s already been created.

What inspires me the most about my job is the utilization of design to explain transformative ideas. My goal is always to leverage this power, and I’m excited to do that with Emotive Brand.

What do you bring to the table that is unique?

I bring an understanding that can fill the gap between agency and client. I can pivot. I understand the pain points and cultures on both sides, and I know how to negotiate the two so that Emotive Brand, as an agency, delivers what is going to make our clients most successful.

Speaking of your in-house experience, how does that inform your agency-side work today?

In a lot of ways, in-house and agency-side are often contradictory worlds. There’s a lot of pressure that internal teams face daily to get work done – now. On an in-house team you’re valued for your collaboration, cooperation, positive attitude, and ability to get things done.

In contrast, in the agency world, we tend to be valued more for our skills and aesthetic. Agencies create the highest aesthetic standard.

There’s a sweet spot. I’m known for delivering delight to clients, and everything I do is always implementable. My in-house experience has taught me that you have to create tools that clients can actually use.

So what do you believe successful design systems should enable for clients?

Transformation – for the employees and the business. The brand must support and align with business goals.

For employees – to live that brand. For customers – to truly understand who the brand is. And that the brand can live up to the standards we’ve defined at every brand interaction.

Visually and verbally, the brand must ring true. It must be authentic. Authenticity is super important to me when measuring success.

What are the biggest challenges you see brands facing today?

The web created a lot of possibilities, but also, a lot of challenges. I see the danger when you look at the heap of templates available online. As a result of this mass availability, everything is starting to look and behave the same. Developing a unique and proprietary brand is a lot more challenging now and more important.

Is that where the value of bringing in an external agency comes in?

As an outside agency you are paid to be critical. It’s easier to diagnose and solve problems because you aren’t living them every day – internal teams can be too close to potential issues.

What does collaboration mean to you?

Shift from me to we-centric. Collaboration means we are all on the same team. You just want to create the best work – together. And on the agency side, this is all about creating the best solutions for the client. It has to be what’s right for the client.

What do you believe defines great, meaningful brands today? Where does the “magic” happen?

How does the brand make you feel? The magic has always been there. Emotive Brand was founded on the idea that feeling is transformative for brands. And I’m right there with them.

When teams pivot from logic to feeling and begin to reimagine and visualize what is possible, that is where the magic happens and where I get super excited.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

A Learning Culture Can Bring New Value to your Business

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Paige Lansing Valle

Expertise in Learning?

Starting a new job or entering a new industry always entails a learning curve. People understand they have to learn quickly in order to survive. It’s the key to their success.

When people work closely in a business or specific industry, as experience builds and time accumulates they often forget this sense of voracious learning. It becomes more and more difficult to see things in a new light. And some top leaders are stuck thinking in a silo.

Some call this ‘the paradox of expertise.’ As expertise increases, people struggle to notice possibilities, discern novel patterns, or see new prospects, ideas, or insights.

Out-Learning the Competition

Learning – studying and absorbing trends, market forces, new technology, research, and happenings within your industry and outside it – is key to success today. It will drive your business towards the future, keep your brand agile and able to shift as fast as the world you work within. Building a culture of voracious learners is one of the best things you can do for your business.

Here’s how to build a learning culture:

1. Look wide and far:

If you gather information from the same, ingrained sources as your competition, the findings and the decisions you make from those findings won’t stand out. Shifting perceptions requires widening the lens of where you’re looking. And innovation and creativity thrive on perception shifting.

Expanding your point of view and discovering a different angle requires bringing people with a diverse array of mindsets into the conversation. Experiment and adopt new ways of thinking, seeing, and working. What you do and how you think should never be contained. So examine what’s happening in other industries and draw parallels and note constrasts. In fact, the most established practices in one industry could be revolutionary when translated into another.

Interconnectivity is key to successful business today. And understanding a business and where it can go requires learning about the world at large and where you are situated within it. A learning culture can help bring new thinking, ideas, and opportunities to your business.

2. Learn collaboratively:

Collaboration hinges on humility. It’s important to listen as if you can learn something – asking questions, engaging fully, and being open to other angles. Everyone within your organization should have the mindset “I’m still learning” – no matter your role.

Admit when you don’t know something. Ask for help from different people. Gather an opinion from someone you don’t usually talk with. These kind of collaborative practices can be quite valuable.

A designer can learn a lot from a strategist, an accountant from a writer, a C-Suite leader from a new recruit, and vice versa. And always share your findings. Engaging in collaborative learning can take an organization to the next level.

3. Be open to what’s possible:

Don’t settle for the status quo. Ask: What can I learn now? What’s possible for my knowledge? My organization? Its products and/or services? Its people? The brand? The best brands of today are built for the future. By being open to what’s possible, you can position yourself to be at the cutting edge of that future.

So take interest in what you don’t know. Strive to gain new perspectives and new information. Expand your knowledge and the scope of your learning in order to fuel creativity, innovation, and agile decision making.

Learn to Thrive

Consider some learning-focused companies today that are thriving. The CEO of WD-40 Company, Garry Ridge, prides himself on building a learning-obsessed company culture. And rightly so. The focus Ridge placed on a voracious learning culture explains how how the company nearly tripled its share price since 2009.

Google has formalized informal and continuous learning, giving employees allocated time to explore their own interests within the workplace. GE has created programs such as Change Acceleration Process, meant to foster experiential and continuous learning and fuel innovation.

The examples are many. No innovative, cutting edge, top company today is at the top because they stopped asking questions. These companies are always curious and always learning.

Creating a learning culture can foster the business agility and open mindedness that businesses and brands require today. And leaders who put a premium on learning can help fuel a culture of learners that will shine from the inside out. So focus on learning as an asset and position your business for greatness.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

The Design Process: Interview with Emotive Brand Senior Designer

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Tracy Lloyd

The Design Process Matters

At Emotive Brand, we work each day to bring brands to life through strategically informed design. And doing this requires a multi-step process. Wayne Tang, a senior designer in the studio, adds a rare balance of analytics and creativity to the design part of the process. With his background as a mechanical engineer, Wayne brings a logical focus to all projects, a honed systematic approach, and an ability to see the big and small picture to us help deliver the best design solutions for our clients. In this interview, he explains and discusses his design process at Emotive Brand, why it works, and the challenges and rewards embedded in it.

What is the design process? Can you define it in simple terms?

The design process is the set of steps we take, as designers, to reach the final solution. Every studio and designer takes a different approach. It’s another way of explaining our workflow, the ways in which we collaborate, and how we reach the best strategically informed design solution possible.

Why is process so important to design?

There are some designers who just start creating things on the computer right away, and don’t take the time to build or follow a design process. But usually when you do it that way, the solution is not as well thought out and falls short when it comes to execution. A good solution stems from doing your homework. You need to know the client and the industry inside and out. Often times, it takes time for unique ideas to come to you, especially if the industry is complicated. It’s critical that as designers we move through each step of the process carefully and thoughtfully. By doing so we are able to create unique solutions that help differentiate your client and avoid repetition or design that is not distinctive. Process helps promote collaboration between designers maximizing ideas and ultimately creating the most powerful solutions.

Can you outline your design process for us?

1. Research:

First, it’s always important to have an in-depth understanding of the client and their industry before diving in. We analyze the competition as well as best practices outside of the category.

2. Absorb the brief:

The brief is critical for designers, providing the big picture view of what a client needs, and connecting to the strategy our team has created. Understanding the emotional impact of the brand strategy helps me find imagery that evokes those same emotions. I always use the brand promise to help guide the design.

3. Free association:

Not every designer does this, but I find it helpful to draw a word map at this point in the process. It’s almost like a string of word associations that come from the brand. I look for images that match those associations to get a better sense of what direction to take.

4. Mood board:

This is the most important stage of the process for us at EB. It’s a stage of inspiration and creativity as well as focus and distillation. At the studio, we create mood boards for the brand by scouring the net for images. These could be anything from branding projects to graphic design, photography, posters, album covers, packaging, etc. We print, cut, and categorize images and try to create solid concepts from groups of images that reveal something to us about the brand. These boards are always different. Some are very conceptual. Others are more style-driven. From there, we can narrow it down to the most compelling, and powerful concepts. This part of the process is inspiring and exciting. It gives us the momentum we need to move forward.

5. Design explorations:

From the mood boards, we begin to focus in on the concepts. However, we make sure not to limit the possibilities. Often times, new concepts emerge in this stage. Sometimes initial concepts get grouped together. Or one concept gets broken apart. This part of the process is all about creating quick designs. For instance, we would create a quick sketch of a logo, explore how the system could look with a few layouts, and then move onto the next concept. It’s not about details. It’s about coming up with as many rough directions as possible.

6. Refine, expand, refine, refine, refine:

Out of the many concepts we’ve created, we collaborate to select three or four that we agree hold the most potential. These are the concepts we refine again and again until the solution is where we want them both aesthetically and strategically. We would then expand on these concepts to see how the system could flex in different media, and then refine again and again and again.

What are the challenges you have come across in this process?

Sometimes, I hit a block. And this is hard, but creative blocks are inevitable to any creative process. However, what usually helps me is simply talking to my fellow designers. I just ask what other designers think, and we always find a way around a particular problem. Getting other perspectives really helps move through blocks in the process. Sometimes I take a walk. Or I do menial tasks and turn my brain off design for a while. I really have had a few new ideas pop up in a shower – it’s not a myth!

Another challenge, as always, is allocating time correctly. This is why understanding the client and their industry is so important, as well as designing from a strategically informed mindset. This understanding makes it easier to identify what parts of the process are going to require more time and attention and be of more value to the client and the end solution.

Can you talk more about how working with the EB team plays into the process?

Having a team to talk through differences, gather inspiration from, and flesh out ideas with is key to moving the process forward. As you get to know the people you work with, you learn their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has them. In our team, some designers are more logical, while others are more intuitive. You need both to create truly unique, well thought-out solutions. Every designer brings something different to the table, and another set of eyes can make all the difference.

What are some of the most important attributes to the design process today?

I would say adaptability and flexibility. Some projects are less conceptual. Others are more client-orientated. The ability to be able to tailor the process to the project is very important. And processes that allow adaptability and flexibility often lead to more creative, innovative, and powerful ideas and design solutions.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

Meaningful Millennials: Collaboration and Teamwork

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Saja Chodosh

This is the fifth installment of “Meaningful Millennials,” our ongoing series where we interview millennials on a variety of different subjects that are top of mind for us in the studio.

At Emotive Brand, we believe that successful collaboration and teamwork in the workplace are not only key to brand’s success, but to building an overall meaningful, sustainable, and inspiring work environment. At EB, we rely on teamwork for creativity, innovation, and alignment. We strive to build and foster successful collaborative environments with all of our clients, so we understand firsthand how difficult building the perfect team really is. In a recent blog post, we asked “Is it even possible?”

We have always believed that the success of collaboration hinges on empathy and an understanding of emotions, otherwise known as emotional intelligence. In short, feelings do matter. And it’s important for everyone in the workplace to feel like they can share those feelings, opinions, and thoughts within an environment that they feel is safe.

Since we think about this a lot, we wanted to know what millennials had to say on the subject. As a millennial myself, I wanted to know how my peers’ thoughts on teamwork in the workplace. What do they think is key to successful team building? Why is collaboration of such high value in the workplace?

I heard twelve millennials opinions and here’s what I learned.

Millennials believe that successful teams strive for the perfect balance: a sense of openness to new ideas, people, and experiences, coupled by a recognition that everyone is an individual with different values, beliefs, experiences, and boundaries. Empathy and trust are key to finding this balance, as is a willingness to communicate freely within the workplace. Millennials look at building teams as ways to grow and widen perspectives and foster creativity and innovation. They see collaboration as key to any thriving business, and at a more personal level, it fosters individual happiness and social satisfaction.

Read more about what these twelve millennials had to say…

“At the risk of sounding cliché, I believe fostering trust is the most important component of building a successful team. Specifically, trust allows for the effective delegation of tasks, open and honest lines of communication, and an increase in the moral and enhanced camaraderie between teammates. Teamwork and collaboration, whether in the workplace or across any walk of life, is valuable not only on a day-to-day basis, but is critical in creating a sustainable, long-lasting model of success. Nurturing a collaborative, trusting culture ensures that a business doesn’t live and die with the individual, but is preserved over time by a multitude of individuals working together.”

– Ben Foote, Psychology Lab Researcher, Columbia

“When working with a new team, I’ve found that it’s important to spend as much time understanding your co-workers as it is understanding the tasks required of you. Teamwork is vital, especially when making a documentary. In production, everyone must do their best work, or else the footage and sound might be unusable. The stakes are high. In an efficient team, everyone must understand the way their co-workers function. Every team member must anticipate the other’s next move so that everyone is moving in the same direction, at the same speed. Ensuring your coworkers are happy always makes for a smoother day, and ultimately a better finished product. And I’m sure this applies to many other types of work environments as well.

In any creative environment, collaboration is incredibly valuable. Everyone is coming from a different background, bringing a different perspective. Taking the best material from all those involved usually results in a more interesting final product. When we hear other people’s thoughts, our own minds are pushed to new places, and that is where creativity is born. I’m lucky to have worked in environments in which my bosses and high-ups have allowed me to have a voice, even as a young, new professional. It has made work much more exciting!”

– Natalie Ancona, Co-Producer, Breaking Points

“To me, collaboration is one of the most important things in a workplace. An open environment where people are encouraged to share and discuss ideas, as well as ask for help when they need it, is key. A workplace that values teamwork means that employees are there to support and learn from each other, not compete or cut one another down. I believe successful teamwork also allows for the best ideas to thrive, because everyone has a stake in them. In addition, positive social interactions are so much more key than we often give it credit for – when a workplace is collaborative, it’s that much more enjoyable, leading not just to happier employees, but to better quality work as well.”

– Surya Tubach, Student, La Sorbonne

“I think successful collaboration hinges on a willingness and openness to new perspectives. A good team is composed of people who all learn from one another every day. The team supports and encourages everyone and doesn’t compete or place people in boxes. Any workplace that wants to move forward and progress needs to be ready for new perspectives and ways of thinking, seeing, and feeling.”

– Evan Hazelett, Ugly Produce Enthusiast, Imperfect

“I think communication and open-mindedness are key to successful collaboration. I think you need to be able to feel comfortable with voicing your opinion as well. Social safety is key. If people feel safe in their work environment, it encourages and fosters successful conversations, ideas, and innovation.”

– Morrell Frankel, Assistant Account Executive at FCB Health

“I think a number of things come into play when considering what makes collaborative work successful, but one of the most important factors, in my opinion, is a shared passion for the project and an equal commitment and dedication to the work between collaborators. And effective communication is key.

Collaborative work allows for a unique kind of connection between individuals and fosters relationship-building that is invaluable and extends beyond the workplace. I think developing a community within the work environment enhances the work that everyone does. In my experience, creative collaboration has allowed me to bring certain skills or strengths to the table, while benefiting from the skills of others that I may lack, and there’s something really special about that shared learning. It’s a great way to get to know people and their passions in a unique way, and to feed off of the excitement and creative energy of those around you.”

– Sophie Pelligrini, Freelance Photographer

“The key to successful collaboration in the workplace is having both an open mind and a resilient personality. It’s important to have an open mind because each person you are collaborating with has different life experiences and brings something new to the table. Their ideas might be different from yours, but different can be a good thing and often advances a workplace forward. Having a resilient personality is key because standing your ground on issues or ideas that are important to you is important as well. You have to stay true to your values. It’s a delicate balance. Collaboration is so important because it’s not just about the success of the office or company. If you can’t work well with others, you’ll flounder no matter what job you have.”

– Erin Leigh, Physical Therapist Student, Western University

“I think that humility and a willingness to communicate that humility are key to successful collaboration and teamwork in the workplace. As a biology teacher, I have to be open to asking for help in order to succeed and help others’ succeed. It would be difficult creating team-orientated experiences for my students if I was not humble enough to simply ask for help.”

– Sesa Bakenra-Tikande, Biology Teacher

“In my experience, the key to good collaboration is selflessness, by which I mean the ability to let go of ideas that you’re attached to simply because they’re yours. Collaboration doesn’t work if you come to the table with some entrenched viewpoint, and there’s always more than one way to solve a problem.”

– Zach Goldberg, Theater Educator at the Bay Area Children’s Theater

“I think the key to successful collaboration and teamwork is openness and empathy, the ability or willingness to accommodate where needed. In a workplace, collaboration allows for the spread of new ideas, new discoveries, because everyone comes from a different place, and each place represents a whole swath of cultural experience, narrative, and history. When there is collaboration in the workplace, there is almost endless opportunity to create something everyone can learn from (if you’re lucky, also love) and completely digest.”

– Lydia Chodosh, Student, Macalaster College

“The key is empathy and patience. My experience has been that groups that don’t function lack all-round empathy and patience. Everyone shows what they have to offer when they feel that the group is patient and willing open up to a new perspective. When this happens, the whole group benefits.

– Ciaran Walsh, professional actor and ESL teacher

“In the bustling 15-bed emergency room in the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio, teamwork and collaboration are key. Where would we be without these two concepts? Nowhere. Our main goal is to provide the people that have served for our country with the exceptional emergency care that they deserve, while treating them with the upmost respect and dignity. To do so, we must keep the patient at the forefront of it all – thinking and acting with the patient’s well-being as our absolute number one priority. Whether they are X-rayed by a technician, seen by a doctor, or triaged by a nurse, they need to be cared for with one mutual goal in mind – one we all share and strive for as a team. Without our hospital-wide goal of patient-centered-care and collaboration among disciplines, we would not be as successful as we are. Every person involved must play their part, carry out their designated role, and most of all, communicate effectively to do so.”

– Sydney Gatta, Nurse, Veteran Affairs Medical Center

Here are our top-line findings from these millennials.

Millennials believe successful collaboration fosters creativity, happiness, positive social feelings, and higher quality work.
Having an open mind is something millennials consider key to effective teamwork. Flexibility and the willingness to listen and see new perspectives are valued because millennials believe openness is important for personal growth and motivating a team.
Empathy is necessary in any collaborative environment, and often works hand in hand with openness. Cultivating the emotional intelligence needed to understand and feel for others builds team environments that feel safe and inclusive.
Being aligned as a team and happy within one is integral to any business or brand that wants to thrive. Millennials know a workplace is only as strong as its people, and collaboration allows any team to be stronger and more impactful than the sum of its parts, its people.

Next month, we will continue our “Meaningful Millennial” series. Keep posted for what’s next.

And if you are interested in contributing to the discussion, please email me at [email protected].