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Edward Boches
Portfolio Development Boston University College of Communication
Introduction
Burberry streams live its fashion shows to iPads in stores around the word. Yet if youre in this course, youre probably thinking of becoming a copywriter or art director. True those skills remain essential, but today its important that you learn to create something more meaningful than messages. Ironically, your book will still need to convey some traditional creative ideas -- CDs like to see core concepts, and TV and even print-style storytelling will never go away. But remember that the future creative person in any discipline will know how to invent products, design experiences and help build digital platforms.
What a time to start your rst advertising portfolio. What do you put in it when the entire industry you are about to enter is changing, evolving from companies that interrupt people with messages they dont want to hear and ideally into companies that make things -platforms, experiences, applications, services -- that are genuinely useful? R/GA just created Nike Fuel. CP&B builds things like Epic Mix.
Nike FuelBand, from the legendary brand and its agency R/GA, won the Grand Prix at Cannes this year. What is it? A utility? A digital platform? Marketing as service? Advertising? Maybe all of the above.
Introduction
Keep in mind that even after the class is over, you will want to polish and ne tune the work you create in this course. You are never done making an idea -- whether a traditional ad or a new digital platform -- great.
Course Objectives
1 Learn to generate creative concepts that solve real problems 2 Practice delivering ideas that are on strategy, on time and on budget 3 Understand how to create across multiple platforms and media channels 4 Learn how you think creatively as an individual, trying different ways of creative problem solving (word play, mind mapping, asking what if, thinking visually, etc) 5 Develop and elevate personal standards for creative excellence 6 Hone copywriting and/or art direction skills as appropriate 7 Identify ways to stay up on emerging trends and platforms that create new challenges and opportunities 8 Begin to development personal portfolio of speculative work and ideas to show prospective employers
Take chances
Its easy to play it safe. But safe wont get you to great. It wont get your book noticed. It wont make CDs jealous. Remember that this is the one time in your career when there is no supervisor, no account guy, no client to tell you, We cant do that. Or, Well never sell that idea. This is the time to be brave. Conceive ideas that are risky, provocative, attention getting, eye-opening. That does not mean be weird or wacky for wackiness sake. Or to create an idea thats not aligned with an audience or community. Or thats off strategy. It does mean you should try things that would make at least some clients and marketers a little bit nervous.
old Benetton ad, years before the Obama kissing campaign
Playing it safe can be the most dangerous thing in the world, because youre presenting people with an idea theyve seen before, and you wont have impact. - Bill Bernbach
Welcome criticism
Its a chance to learn. To nd out whether or not your ideas resonate. Are they as good as you think they are? Have you missed an alternative approach that might be better? Are there small changes -- design, language, simplifying -- that might make them exceptional? Or should you throw it out and start again. You need to know. So stay open minded. A partner, a teacher, a CD a friend could all offer you useful reactions. And while there are no shortage of jerks in the business, its also possible to nd plenty of talented people willing to look at your work and give you a constructive criticism. Seek it out and welcome it. Youll be better for the effort.
Master a craft
Advertising today is created by developers, UX professionals, digital designers, writers, art directors, animators and lm makers. You dont need to be in one of those professions to think up great creative ideas. In an age when everyone is familiar with media almost anyone can conceive a clever ad. But eventually you have to execute those ideas. And even before that you need to present them beautifully and nished in a book. Plus its likely the job you apply for some day will have a title -- copywriter, designer, animator, art director. So while you may need to have some skills in every area -- read Teressa Iezzis The Idea Writers -- it would be wise to focus on mastering at least one discipline. Art directors still have to art direct, and writers still have to write.
Embrace collaboration
Most great advertising ideas, at least by the time they are nished, are the work of teams. Good teams, whether the old fashioned art director/ copywriter, or the more modern teams that also include developers, experience designers, mobile and social expertise, even creative strategists learn to build off of each others ideas, to willingly give credit to others who contribute, realizing that an iterative process can yield the best outcome. Thats not to say the autocratic control of Steve Jobs wont work, too. But you better be a genius rst. Stephen Johnson, in Where Good Ideas Come From, reminds us that the best ideas result from collisions. Create as many as you can, in your life, in your work, in your creative process.
Open space at Made by Many, London. The new creative environment is one of collaboration, real time interaction, and iterative development.
Be proli c
Most great creatives and creative directors will tell you that quantity can help you get to quality. You want to get all the obvious and mediocre ideas out of your system. It clears the way for something breakthrough. It doesnt matter whether you are writing headlines, exploring visual metaphors, thinking about type treatments, or coming up with digital or viral executions, pages of ideas can be your friend. See what Luke has to say. I remember Tom McEllligott telling me he wrote a hundred headlines for every great one. And today, even when were iterating our way to a great digital experience, we often start with dozens of options before we start developing one.
Starting on page 83. See what Luke has to say.
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Clip stuff from the web, take pictures of things that inspire you, learn to steal the essence of art and music and theatre and snippets of conversation heard on the subway. You never know when theyll come in handy.
This Picasso doodle from the Picasso Museum in Paris inspired an award winning ad campaign for Smartfood many years ago
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In a global, digital, connected world, visuals are the universal language. Get good at communicating with images.
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Come up with ideas like this -- relevant, compelling, participatory, that connect the physical world, human behavior and brand objectives.
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W. Glenn Grif n and Deb Morrison have written a book exploring how dozens of creatives jump start the process
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Credits
Page1: Taken from a presentation by Gareth Kay, director of strategy for Goodby Silverstein and partners. Page 2. Economist ad by BBDO Abbot Mead Vickers, London Page 5. From Appless 1984, spot by Chiat Day Page 6. Truth logo from campaign by CP&B and Arnold Page 7. Bill Bernbach Page 8. Rooftop Comedy Logo Page 9. Scale McCabe Sloves Volvo ad Page 10. Vermeers A Lady Writing Page 11. Made by Many, London Page 12. CP&B ad for GT Bicycles Page 13. Hey Whippleby Luke Sullivan
Page 14 From Picasso Museum in Paris, a doodle on an old magazine Page 16 Saatchi Cramer ad for Britains Health Ed Council Page 17 Ad for Bic pen by TBWA Hunt Lascaris, South Africa Page 18 Nike Chalkbot, Wieden and Kennedy and Deep Local Page 19 Tesco, Korea Page 20 Mullen ad for Olympus Page 21 Scamp conference created on Pinterest Page 22 Creative credits for R/GA Cannes entry for Nike Fuel Page 23 The Creative Process Illustrated, by W. Glenn Grif th and Deborah Morrison Page 24 Tim Brown, CEO, Ideo Ted Talk