Evaluating creative talent is incredibly challenging. The candidate needs to have the executional skills required for the job but execution is only part of the story. You need to feel comfortable with brining in a new personality into your well-oiled machine. One mistake can disrupt your department’s efficiency and jeopardize the happiness of your existing star performers.

Typically, the use of references can reinforce the good gut feeling you could have after meeting a candidate. But when evaluating creative talent right out of school, you will need to rely on other indicators.

After over 10 years of hiring entry level designers, art directors, and copywriters, I have developed my own set of evaluation criteria. Some are very tactical, checklist type items. Some are more emotional. All are critical. Read more…

Ivan from CreativeBits posted links to over 300 JPGs that would be incredibly sueful for those working on identity design. Many times, it is important to give an idea of how a new logo or mark would look like on various products, surfaces, and corporate gifts.

This collection, downloaded from diegomattei, contains over 300 JPGs primed for your new identity design. Stuff like billboards, stationery programs, and wine bottles are all there. All you have to do is drop in your design in Photoshop, apply the Multiple Layer option and voila! Read more about it here.

One summer when I was home from college, I took a job as a telemarketer. It was the most stressful job I have ever had in my life. I had a quota to fill every week. And if I didn’t deliver, I would be let go.

But, for as stressful as it was, it taught me quite a bit about persuasion. Our product was a publication for board members of non-proft organizations. It was a monthly publication that provided content that would allow non-profit organizations operate more cost-effectively and efficient both in their internal processes and in how they raise money through donations and sponsorships.

The sales pitch was something like this: Read more…

Here is some advice that one of my favorite creative directors, Michael McClung once told me. When presenting creative never use the words, “I tried…” before explaining why you did something.

Saying the words, “I tried” tells the client that you haven’t succeeded yet. It is always better to present things with the confidence that you explored all options and your recommendation is the one you are presenting.

For example, don’t say, “We tried to make the headline bold, the colors vibrant, and the product shot prominent.”

It is much more effective to say, “We made the headline bold and the colors vibrant. And as you can see, the product shot holds a prominent position on the page.”

It is unreasonable to expect a client to buy off on something that you, their agency does not believe in.

In design school, you are taught 2 major things: the importance of hierarchy and the love for white space. In fact, the battle between the agency craving white space and their clients jamming more content into it is the classic epic battle between creatives and clients.

Why is it important? Using white space to establish order, hierarchy, and visual direction is as important as their positive space counterpoint. By establishing a strong white space, you can create a greater emphasis on the positive space.

But, while white space is extremely important in the printed design space, it is the complete opposite in the screen space. As important as physical white space is to create a clean layout and a well-defined edge to the piece, it is one of the biggest things to avoid when creating PowerPoint and other projected presentations. Read more…