By Sarah Moffat, global chief creative officer at Turner Duckworth. Sarah has worked at Turner Duckworth for more than twenty-five years. She’s currently the Global Chief Creative Officer but started her career in the metaphorical mail room of the London studio. She has a passion for building iconic brands with visual identities to match, but it’s her understanding of what makes humans human and her belief that things can always be better that gets her out of bed in the morning. Sarah has served multiple consecutive years as a D&AD Impact Council member and is a regular fixture on the judging circuit. Her ability to blend creativity with strategic thinking has earned her numerous accolades, including awards from Cannes Lions, Clios and D&AD. She knows the best ideas are either staring you in the face or hiding in the most unlikely places – and she’s on a quest to uncover them all.
Why There Are No Shortcuts To Creative Excellence
“If you take shortcuts, you get cut short.”
At least so says actor Gary Busey, and although he’s been known to say some wild and wonderful things, on this I couldn’t agree with him more – it applies to every creative endeavour.
In design, a tension between pace and craft is nothing new, but now that 24-hour turnarounds are commonplace and AI technology is evolving rapidly, it is tempting to shrink the creative timeline to arrive swiftly at a final, shiny concept.
But faster doesn’t always mean better, and a reduced timeline isn’t always a timesaver in the long run. To do our very best work, we need to embrace the messy, iterative process of creativity. We still need to hit deadlines, but to source and execute the ideas that will drive brands forward, we shouldn’t be afraid to occasionally steady the pace.
Use It or Lose It
There is undeniably value in having AI tools like Midjourney and Adobe Firefly within the design toolkit, particularly for early ideation and concept phase, and I would not swap Photoshop for all the airbrushes in the world. But the shadow side of becoming reliant on technology is that it risks placing our own skills in the use it or lose it department. Proof point being that I find it impossible to perform simple calculations in my head due to the advent of the calculator. Thankfully that left more space for creativity and for that, Casio, I am forever in your debt.
We need to keep our minds limber, our imaginations stretched and trust in our instincts. At Turner Duckworth, ‘trusting our gut’ is intrinsic to our approach, so we’ve published a book about how it has informed our work over the last 30 years: I Love It. What Is It?. In practice, it means encouraging our creatives to look for ideas in unexpected places. A walk around the block can unblock a multitude of ideas, pun intended. So go to a forest, a museum, or even the launderette – but don’t go online. Just don’t. What you find there has already been done. Go to your imagination and it will often take you in an unexpected, original direction.
For example, I was once involved in a naming and visual identity project for a high-end range of chef’s knives. Inspired by a recent visit to a castle, the idea of knives with blades so sharp you could slay a dragon with them came to mind, almost as a joke. It’s not every day you see a slain dragon on silverware, but when you do, you won’t forget it. Sourcing inspiration in unexpected places helps us imagine the as-yet unimagined and can translate to unique moments of discovery for others.
Prioritize Potential Over Polish
In our digitally driven, aesthetically filtered world, we’re all developing the expectation to look at something and be instantly seduced. In turn, designers are pouring energy into presenting highly finessed visuals that look ‘complete’ in a first-round crit, when a sketch would do just as good or better a job of conveying the idea.
One tip for designers at any stage of their career is to always keep a sketchbook close to hand. Even if you aren’t naturally gifted at illustration, sketch, sketch, and sketch some more. Milton Glaser’s “I <3 NY” was scribbled on the back of an envelope in red crayon, the idea far from the execution. This example goes to show that it’s the idea that counts. Don’t practice to become a great artist, practice to grow comfortable with sketching as a medium, as it focuses attention on the idea. Execution can always follow later.
Design Is A Team Sport
When we prioritize perfection early in the process, we easily lose the potential for great creative ideas. Arriving at a distinctive idea often requires patience. Sometimes the first idea is the best, but other times you have the exorcise the demons, the obvious ideas that you know are clunkers, just to get them out of the way.
More often the best ideas need coaxing, prodding, challenging or nurturing. That’s where belonging to a team comes in. Surrounding yourself with people who aren’t afraid to challenge or be challenged is essential. They will help you see potential and encourage you push your ideas to places you couldn’t reach on your own. Offer the same in return, and collectively the right ideas can grow from strength to strength.
Ultimately, it isn’t just clients that lose out by rushing the process; taking early shortcuts means we shortchange ourselves and the overall creative endeavour. So, keep asking, ‘Could it be better?’, listen, follow your instincts, and don’t be afraid to start over (and over) again to get to the best possible solution.
