Say It Out Loud

Back when I was in charge of my own agency, I was also the lead designer on branding projects. Websites, packaging and posters were all the domain of everyone else, but the logos would come to me. 

Our branding clients were mostly local businesses, and this particular time it was an Ottawa city-blog called Apt613 (named after the Ottawa area code).

The blog is a quirky and inclusive site that writes about all of Ottawa - not just the “cool” bits. It has a truly unique flavour to it, but for the whole week I spent on the first concept I stared at the numbers 613 in a red circle with no other ideas. I liked that it looked like a sign or a stamp - the web design would have to highlight content and the logo should just be a little pop of branding in the corner - but I was stuck. 

I felt doubt creeping in. The 613 was staring back at me like eyes judging my complete lack of ability. I wanted to start over. I hated the eyes I couldn’t unsee. So I put a smile under the eyes. And then I stared at that. For a while. I was shocked at how well it fit but I didn’t know if it was ridiculous. It felt right but was it stupid?

I contemplated deleting it but instead called our project manager over and asked “Is this stupid?”. I think his answer was “Umm I don’t know if it’s not stupid? But I like it.”.

I walked around showing it to everyone in the room. Everyone agreed that it was probably not stupid . We had a web developer who particularly liked calling me out on my bullshit who looked at it and said “No it’s cool. But why the smile?” 

And it came to me:

“Because they’re inclusive and write about all of Ottawa, not just the cool bits.” 

And holy shit, a smiling 613 is the most inclusive Ottawa blog logo you could make.

Today it’s still my favourite logo I’ve designed. 

Those were the bright, optimistic days of the 2010’s. Today like most freelancers, I work alone in a room with a computer. The people that were readily on-hand to tell me my work is stupid are now stacked in contact list. I can fire up a video call or paste screenshots but it’s definitely not the same. 

The microwave lineup conversations are gone. The passive overhearing, the desk-lurking, the “hey, look at this real quick” moments - all gone. You don’t realize how much these small, spontaneous interactions shape your creative decision-making until you don’t have them anymore.

Talk to Whoever Is There

These days, when I need outside perspective, I talk to whoever’s nearby.

Often that means my wife, my kids or my dog. They’re not designers. They’re not in marketing. They’re usually not the target audience. But they’ve become critical to my process for two reasons.

First, the core motivators in any audience are universal. For example, a sports fan wants to win, feel pride, connect with other fans, and show off what they know. A fan of anything will almost always be able to tell you something useful about what it feels like to care about something. Passion, pride, fear, all speak the same language no matter the subject.

Second, outsiders ask better questions. Sometimes my daughter will say something that completely exposes a blind spot I didn’t know I had (she lives for that, actually) and more often, just explaining the idea out loud helps me figure out what I’m trying to say. I don’t need them to solve the problem. I just need them to make me say it out loud.

I don’t know how many times I’ve explained my challenge to family members just to stop them right before they answer and say “never mind I just figured it out”. A family favourite.

But Make Sure

Once I’ve said it out loud and talked it through with someone, I do a quick gut check.

That might mean heading back to Reddit. Sometimes I’ll ask Perplexity to explain the audience to me again. This was part of my research (see last issue) but at this point in the process it’s due diligence. I’m confirming that my instincts haven’t drifted too far from the world around the work.

The process actually looks like this:

1. Initial sparks from the brief + write down ideas

2. Research the audience / end-users + write down ideas

3. Go for a nice long walk + write down ideas

4. Talk through ideas with someone

5. Research again

This process is absolutely universal too. These steps can apply to designing, writing, marketing campaigns and even day-to-day personal ideating like figuring out what to buy your father-in-law for his birthday (another Canadian Tire gift card!).

Creating is a non-linear process that is helped by adding structure/steps to it but note that steps like talking to someone who might not understand the challenge is actually making sure you leave room for unpredictability and spontaneity. 

Further Reading

This issue was part two in a five part series on the creative process. Check out last week’s issue on what to do first when the creative ask comes down the pipe. This week, I also snuck in one of my favourite moves that works as a productivity hack too: read all about the unblocking powers of taking a nice long walk in Taking A Nice Long Walk: An embarrassingly basic productivity hack that actually works.

Parting Thought

It can be a lonesome affair being a freelancer. For me, that’s why I love it. I like the peace of my own thoughts - but I do miss input from others and realize how healthy it is for my creative process (let alone mental health). It’s important to get out there and talk to people, but even when that’s not possible, don’t forget to reach out to your contacts, ask for their feedback, offer your own, keep things spontaneous, keep things unpredictable. You can even email me your ideas that have got you stuck. I’m around. I don’t go anywhere. Let’s talk about your ideas. Haha idk. Or don’t.