Design Jones

Nice gallery of fresh, creative packaging from creativemagz HERE. The samurai vodka bottle in particular really brought a smile to my face!

This morning I read an interesting blog from Seth Godin (Marketing Expert & Best Selling Author) on what it means to be creative. I found it encouraging to my interpretation of the ‘creative’ process affirmed. It’s not flying all over the place thinking whacky thoughts and hoping to land at a groundbreaking solution to a problem. There is a method or creative process that works and leads to new ideas.

I’d love to quote the whole article but you can read it HERE.

My Dad passed me an article from Harvard Business Review last week on the value of great people over a great idea. Ed Catmull, Pixar Co-founder and Studio President discusses the way’s in which Pixar operate and promote a creative community. Giving real life examples of why they value people over all other aspects, this article was fascinating to read given that so much of us in the creative world place such high value on ideas.

“Creativity must be present at every level of every artistic and technical part of the organization…The view that good ideas are rarer and more valuable than good people is rooted in a misconception of creativity.”

“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they’ll screw it up. But if you give a mediocre idea to a great team, they’ll make it work.”

Ed doesn’t believe that Pixar’s success has anything to do with luck, rather in their adherence in a set of principles and practices for managing talent and risk. Creating a community in the true sense of the word. Those principles are;

1. Everyone must have the freedom to communicate with anyone.

“The impulse to tightly control the process is understandable… [but] the most efficient way to deal with problems is to trust people to work it out with each other”

2. It must be safe for everyone to offer ideas.

“We’re constantly showing work in progress internally… Showing unfinished work each day liberates people to take risks and try new things because it doesn’t have to be perfect… We make a concerted effort to make it safe to criticize… regardless of discipline or position.”

“Managers need to learn that it’s OK to walk into a meeting and be surprised”

3. We must stay close to innovations happening in the academic community.

“We strongly encourage our technical artists to publish their research. Publishing may give away ideas, but it keeps us connected with the academic community. This connection is worth far more that the ideas we may have revealed: It helps us attract exceptional talent and reinforces the belief throughout the company that people are more important than idea.”

Click here to read the full article.

We all know that Sesame Street is the source of all knowledge and wisdom but watching Ray’s favourite DVD the other day I was surprised to find a sketch so relevant to the creative process.

This behind the scenes look into the creative process of writing nursery rhymes not only highlights the value of collaboration it also teaches us that you have to be flexible and open to new ideas when trying to create something new and unique. It’s also a reminder that this process is not always an easy one!