Creative Insights Archives

We all dream of having complete creative control over our projects, but unless you are well-established, calling your own shots may be far down the road. That’s OK, though. You can have complete control by doing your own creative projects outside of your paid work. It will also help your career.

You may believe you don’t have the time, or perhaps don’t want to use your free time to work more. But you should take that opportunity. Why?

Keep your head in the game

Developing your writing, editing and design skills all requires regular (if not daily) practice. I always have a personal project (or two) going at the same time as my professional work. It helps keep my mind in the game and allows me to push my skills beyond what is normally required. As a freelancer, you are your business, so any work you create beyond normal assignments could be seen as both personal and professional development.

Push the boundaries completing creative projects

There’s no better place to try the things you’ve never tried before try the things you’ve never tried before than on your own project. You don’t always have the time to learn a new skill or the freedom to try something cutting edge on the job, so pushing yourself into new areas will give you the experience you need when you are called upon. When you work on your own projects, you have the freedom to experiment and keep your creative edge from getting dull.

Show your potential
Your own project is a great opportunity to prove that you can take something from concept to completion. No matter the size of your project, you will be making all the important decisions and developing the skills that could help you land more and better work. It’s one thing to excel at a given task, but it’s another to say you have the experience to see a project all the way through to the end.

Strengthen your standards
The same set of standards you set for yourself as a professional should carry over to your own projects. Your original work is just as important as the other work you do, so treat it with the same respect as any paid job. Then, once you are completing the same type of work for a project or assignment, it will be second nature.

Personal creative projects are a commitment well worth the effort. The new skills you learn by working on your own will help you in the day-to-day work at your job. Your skill set will grow, and it can open doors for promotion or more creative flexibility within your job.

Krista is a Creative Circle candidate, creative writer and content creator in Los Angeles. Her background includes news, marketing, copywriting and editing. If you are interested in working with Krista, please contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

If you have the idea that creating a top-notch resume is difficult today, that’s probably because you’re not aware of some outstanding free tools. The days of traditional paper resumes are over, and now, nearly everyone has the opportunity to craft a creative, artistic document that is striking and distinct. It’s time to make your resume stand out. Take a look at the five ways listed below you can punch up your resume and give yourself that extra edge to land the job you want.

1. Use suitable templates for the company and role.

Especially in the creative field, your resume should reflect your skills. Great resumes provide a preview of how you work and think. If you are skilled in Photoshop or any of the other Adobe Creative Cloud programs, take full advantage of your experience to create a custom resume.

You can choose from many websites and resources online, but you can start with services like Google Docs and Canva (both free). Take some time to browse the internet for a site that fits your style.

2. Create a tailor-made resume for the job you want.

Every job you apply to should receive a personalized resume. Sending out the same resume or cover letter repeatedly isn’t likely to yield good results. Companies and their recruiters can tell the difference between an individualized and cookie-cutter submission.

Many companies use some type of Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which does an initial search for specific information and keywords to see if your skills match the position. You’ll want to make sure your resume matches any keywords and/or phrases the company might be using.

3. Be yourself on paper to make your resume stand out.

It is perfectly acceptable to infuse your personality into your resume. Those who take the opportunity to simply be themselves will stand out from the masses. Yes, you’ll still have to use some traditional aspects of a resume; however, you’re a unique person in a unique field. Use every opportunity in the job application process to show who you really are.

4. Don’t be bashful; explain your accomplishments with metrics.

Your achievements play a huge role in getting the job, but avoid long bullet points describing your prior job duties. The best way to impress any company is by explaining (with numbers) what you’ve done and convincing the recruiter that you’re capable of repeating this for a new employer.

Take a narrative approach with your accomplishments instead of using simple lists. Don’t be afraid to mention awards and any outside recognition you received for your work. If you have a knockout project you are particularly proud of, highlight the role you played.

5. The shorter the better.

That first glance at your resume, on average, takes about six seconds. Most recruiters or hiring managers can see right away if your resume is too long or too wordy, and if it is, they will probably lose interest quickly. Use short, compact sentences and phrases with the most impactful words possible.

Be clear, concise, and write as much as possible in the active voice. The best resumes get to the point in as few words as possible. For more on the active voice and how it works, look here.

The competition for creative work is fierce. You can’t afford to just blend into the crowd or you’ll risk being passed over. Taking the time to make your resume stand out pays off.

In today’s world, more businesses and industries are looking for creative talent than ever before. Major tech companies, media agencies, digital publishers, and ad shops alike are no longer looking for candidates who check off all the literal job requirements, because let’s be honest, the majority of these roles are so new it would be impossible to have the direct experience necessary. In fact, they are looking for culture fits: people who can express their thoughts creatively (even if the role is not necessarily creative), are fun to work with, willing to learn, and adaptable. There has never been a better time for creatively minded people to job hunt and find work that leads in innovation, technology, design, and reach.

Your resume is no longer your way to show an employer “your receipts” from the working world. Now, resumes are your “HELLO MY NAME IS” sticker that just gets an employer to want to know your story in the first place.

Here are a few tips (and tricks) to, as mother always said, “Show, not tell.”

1. Rethink your cover letter.

Hiring managers have to sift through thousands of resumes with “this-is-why-I’d-be-a-great-fit” cover letters. Give them something fun to read! Ever fill out a cover letter and wonder to yourself, “Why am I just repeating my resume in essay form?!” Your cover letter is your opportunity to give an employer a peek into your personality.

Using elements of what makes up your day-to-day life, consider writing a succinct story, a visual equation of what makes you who you are, etc., and maybe include a quote that inspires you. Think of different ways to illustrate that you’re fit for the job by aligning your personality with the role at hand rather than directly explaining your work history. Your cover letter is the handshake that makes an employer want to know more about your experience.

2. Ditch that Word doc template.

Unless you’re applying for a job at a financial investment firm, there is no need for that resume template from 1997 (we all know which one), where you list your address and college GPA. You may as well include your Social Security number! Your resume doesn’t even need to be vertical! Is your mind blown yet? Using Keynote, Photoshop, InDesign, and other design-based software, you can visualize your experience sans bullet points, illustrating your ability to synthesize your work history in an interesting, nuanced way. (For those of you who feel less verbose in the world of design, Canva is a great free resource for you!)

Using current trends, keep your resume relevant and modern with color and anything but Times New Roman. Doing a search of how others have innovated the way they compiled their resume is helpful for inspiration. Depending on your network, it might be worth asking your friends (or other people you look up to) if you can look at their resumes for the sake of variety and to see that there are no rules as far as execution goes. With all these resources at your disposal, there’s no excuse for a plain resume.

3. Know your personal brand.

Regardless of whether it’s conscious, we are all constantly curating a brand of and for ourselves in the world of social media. We use social media to align ourselves with messaging, imagery, cultural capital, and other people, so why not do the same on your resume? In the way your most-used emojis can say a lot about you, so does the content of your resume. People can, at a glance, get a sense of who you are through micro-cues from visual and written communication.

Finding the symbiosis between your experience and your brand is key. For example, if you’re looking for a role in design or art direction, your resume should be visually and aesthetically dominant, highlighting your technical skill. If you’re applying for more of a creative strategy role, your personality (humor, thought process, storytelling abilities) should shine through using imagery and text.

4. Highlight the story you’re telling.

Similar to personal branding, your resume is just another extension of your ability to clearly illustrate your work in a way that flows for the reader. Think of different ways and formats to take the reader on your employment journey in the same way you’d describe it in person. For example, some people treat their resume like a visual map with no words or descriptions at all — just key art, color, and design elements. Others prefer to provide a restaurant-like menu of their work, letting readers get a taste of their experience with little visual hints along the way. There is no set parameter to how much or how little one should include on their resume. It’s what will make you feel most confident in the work you’ve done.

Employers want to see how all your experience has tied together in some way, even if that means highlighting what you learned from each role you’ve had rather than making a laundry list of accomplishments.

5. Always be ready to iterate.

As nebulous as it sounds, iteration is important during the creative process. Don’t get attached to one format. As trends change, as your experience changes, so update your resume visualization the same way you’d update a blog post or Facebook cover photo. It shows future employers, recruiters, and contacts that you’re evolving in your abilities to stay relevant while also expanding in your storytelling capabilities. Making your resume should be a fun and engaging process that allows you to express yourself differently.

Always remember that your resume gets you in the room. Employers are primarily focused on where you’ve worked and for how long. An in-person interview gives you the room to extrapolate on your experience, so don’t pressure yourself to fit it all in on one page.

These are just some quick and easy ways to start thinking about your job hunt differently. What are some of your suggestions for keeping it creative? Let us know in the comments!

Annie is a Creative Circle candidate and freelance creative strategist/copywriter working and living in Los Angeles. She knows digital media as well as she knows her own horoscope (she’s a Virgo), having worked at the likes of BuzzFeed and Mashable. She has created branded content strategies for the top Fortune 500 brands, which means she knows the true meaning of “going native.” If you want to work with Annie, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

As reliable as the leaves changing color, the temperatures dropping a few degrees, and Starbucks rolling out the Pumpkin Spice Latte (and everyone’s personal feelings around pumpkin flavors), each fall, Boston’s population suddenly swells with digital marketers. 20,000+ people stream in from all over the world for Inbound, the digital marketing conference hosted by Hubspot. It’s a chance for marketers, entrepreneurs and creatives to network, mingle, learn, and get inspired. Speakers range from the mega-famous (um, hi MICHELLE OBAMA) to small agency owners or speakers sharing a few nuggets of wisdom with anyone willing to listen.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend Inbound for the last two years, and I always leave feeling like I can scale 10-foot walls in a single bound. I’m so buoyed by new ideas and inspiring concepts that I can’t wait to share every tidbit with my team. Rather than unleash all this learning on them like an open fire hydrant, however, I thought I’d channel my enthusiasm into this article for the Our Notebook audience!
I came away from the conference with four great ideas to try.

1. Have Some Empathy.

There was no official theme to the conference this year, but if there was, it would be empathy. I don’t want to bring politics into this post, but I would be remiss not to acknowledge that we live in a troubled and divided world. Brene Brown, Michelle Obama, and hundreds of others spoke to the power of empathy and the impact it can have in our world. And truly, this concept has never been more powerful than it is now.

The practical application echoed repeatedly was: “Help your customers. Don’t sell to them.” As creatives and marketers, this means taking a step back, putting ourselves in our audience’s shoes and truly understanding them. What are their pain points? What are our services doing to improve or enhance their lives? What does your audience need that you haven’t provided for them? An authentic, empathetic voice and message will be the most impactful way to connect with your audience in the years ahead.

2. Ramp Up Your Messaging.

The big tech trend at Inbound last year was messaging services. At their conference last year, Facebook announced that Facebook Messenger has over 1 billion active users (!!!), and has recently opened this tool up to businesses to keep in touch with their customers too. Thought leaders at Inbound predicted that using a messaging service or chat bot software can help eliminate some potential roadblocks in customers’ paths to purchase, while at the same time avoiding the need to pick up a phone and call someone (gross, right?).
This seems like an odd point to follow up empathy with. But the truth is, in this modern and digital age, we are much more apt to look for information on our own rather than asking someone else. How many times have you Googled how to do something rather than reaching out to someone else you know who could help you? Personally, I spent a good hour Googling which cleaning products were safe to use on my gas oven without blowing up my apartment before caving and just asking my mom.

My point is, empathize with your audience by understanding your tendencies for wanting to source and locate a solution to your problem independently. Not everyone has the resources to build or pay for a chat bot for their personal or business website, but maybe you could get a “Contact Me” section built where someone can easily and quickly get in touch with you. Do you have an FAQ section that may address common questions or concerns about your services? Do you have your direct messages set to “public” on Twitter? Try one or all these, and see if it helps bridge the communication gap between you and your audience.

3. Use “Yes, and …”

This is the new favorite statement used by improvisers all over the world. In order for an improvised scene to be successful and funny, scene partners need to agree and build on one another’s ideas rather than shoot them down.
For example:
“Slow down! You’re driving too fast!”
“What are you talking about? We’re not driving; we’re at the grocery store,”
versus,
“Slow down! You’re driving too fast!”
“Well, I’m never going to be a good racecar driver if I don’t practice!”

Which of those exchanges leads to a stronger, funnier result?

As a lifelong theatre student, I wasn’t sure I’d have much to glean from the talk on improv for marketers, but as soon as the “Yes, and …” concept was introduced, I realized how infrequently I use that tactic at work. If an idea or pitch clashes with my sensibilities or what I think is plausible, I’m quick to shoot it down (“We’re not driving”), rather than build off it. My personal challenge walking away from Inbound is to “Yes, and …” my team more! It will lead to better, stronger work, and it will make my team feel supported and safe when they introduce new ideas. And that’s a win for me too, because that’s exactly how I want my co-workers to feel, and the kind of workspace I want for myself. So next time you’re in a meeting, make like Tina Fey: “Yes, and …!”

4. Change the Story by Changing the Storytellers.

In 2016, Teen Vogue went from just another teen magazine to one of the premier sources for forward-thinking political, cultural, and fashion journalism. How did they accomplish such a huge brand U-turn? Editor-in-Chief Elaine Welteroth credits it to diversifying their staff.
By changing who had a seat at the table, they changed what kind of stories they told. For example, they realized that they didn’t need to stay pigeonholed into stories about makeup and prom dresses; teenage girls were expressing an interest in political and current events in addition to which highlighter would give them a better glow. They expanded their staff of writers and the kinds of topics they covered. The result was not only a broader audience that now stretches well beyond their young female demographic (Welteroth mentioned proudly that Dan Rather now counts himself as a reader), but national acclaim for their publication.

If you are looking for this kind of change, look for the voice or experience in your organization that is missing and act on adding that person to the mix. But not all of us are able to make those kind of hiring decisions, or perhaps you’re not in a place where diversity is a huge priority for your company. Reaching back to the empathy theme, it’s important to understand the need for a voice or representation that mirrors your audience’s own experience. If your work isn’t connecting with your audience in the way you anticipated, think about any other voices or experiences that may resonate with them more.
You may not be able to hire someone who has that voice, but maybe you know them personally. Can you take them out for a working lunch and ask them to share their experiences with you? Can you seek out writers and artists whose voices resonate with your audience? Fold their work into your media diet. If you can’t impact the table at work, change your creative and digital roundtable.

It was remarkable to be at a digital marketing conference that gave me so many personal insights in addition to professional ones. Inbound encouraged its attendees to do more than buy a new piece of software or track a particular trend; it challenged us to look inward and see how we can improve upon ourselves and apply those same improvements to our professional lives.

Julie is the Project Manager for Creative Circle’s marketing team, and a life-long passionate storyteller. She manages the day-to-day workflow for the Marketing team, and oversees email marketing, marketing automation, and various other digital marketing initiatives. Julie has her B.A. with honors in Theatre and Creative Writing from Butler University. She is a Kentuckian by birth, Chicagoan by choice, and a fan of Beyonce, Gilmore Girls, and writing in pen. She is always trying to get a reservation at Girl and the Goat.

The best way to consistently crank out “B-minus,” mediocre copy is to read nothing but ads and industry publications. Even the best ad copy is just a narrow window into the possibilities of language that should get your head exploding with ideas. For the creative who wants to become a better copywriter, these people can inspire you to get to the next level.

Malcolm Gladwell

You may not know his name, but you’ve probably heard the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to truly become a master of something, which Malcolm Gladwell wrote about at length in his 2008 book, “Outliers.” He’s a walking, breathing TED Talk: he’s brilliant, insightful, and ever in search of questions without answers.

Across books like “Outliers,” “Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and “David and Goliath,” his omnivorous intellect romps through questions like how fashion trends (and disease epidemics) get started, why the best Canadian hockey players are born in January and February, and how much information is the right amount and how much results in “analysis paralysis.”

A playful brain is probably one of the most important assets a copywriter can have, and you could do worse than trying to emulate Gladwell’s broad-ranging curiosity. Read Gladwell and then challenge yourself to “think different” before your next big creative assignment.

Allie Brosh

Allie Brosh was in school to become a scientist when she started Hyperbole and a Half, a comic and blog that explores the trials and tribulations of marching to the beat of a different drummer, as well as catalogues her struggles with mental illness. It is poignant, true to life, and spit-liquid-out-your-nose funny; usually all those things, at once. In 2013, AdAge lauded her as one of the 50 most influential creative figures in the world. Bill Gates is a fan.

She uses everything in her arsenal to tell a story and solve a problem creatively: Brosh is not a fine artist, but she adopted Paintbrush graphics to great effect. Even though her blog reaches millions, her stories make you feel like they were written especially for you. It’s not a cliché to say that the Brosh brand is strong.

Sadly, Brosh seems to have fallen off the map; Hyperbole and a Half has been dormant since 2013. It still lives online (and there’s also a book), and it’s an excellent resource for anyone needing a creative boost.

Stephen King

One of the things I love about Stephen King’s first few books is his utter devotion to spinning a good yarn. He works lean and mean, without getting bogged down in unnecessary subplots, yet he still manages to fully animate his characters and the worlds they live in. While maybe not everyone has the stomach for books like “The Shining,” “Cujo,” or “Carrie,” they show King at the height of his story-telling powers—and what is advertising, if not storytelling?

Another reason King is on the list: his nonfiction book “On Writing” is one of the most insightful books on the craft, combining interesting personal anecdotes with practical observations and advice for anyone who writes (yes, copywriters, too).

David Sedaris

If you’re an NPR nerd like me, then you’re probably already familiar with David Sedaris, whose quirky personal essays about topics such as family, being an American living abroad, and the merits of taxidermy as holiday gifts regularly grace the pages of The New Yorker. No one is better at finding humor in the mundane than Sedaris, who’s often referred to as this generation’s Mark Twain.

There’s a longstanding debate as to whether ads should be funny or not — especially because we’re in an era when emotional realness is the flavor of the day. By mining the relatable, the human, and the everyday, Sedaris creates humor that connects with the emotions.

Sedaris is easy to read, and The New Yorker archives are a good starting point for anyone who wants to get to know his work.

James Ellroy

You may already know James Ellroy as a screenwriter on the award-winning neo-noir film, “LA Confidential”, or as the author of the true crime opus, “Black Dahlia.” Ellroy’s enviable career had a nightmarish start: His mother’s grisly, unsolved murder started him on a path that first detoured into petty crimes and general antisocial behavior until he found redemption behind a typewriter.

What makes Ellroy a standout is his use of dialogue: It’s staccato and alive and creates a vivid portrait of the person speaking. Even if you removed everything but the dialogue, you’d understand the characters and have a rich, cohesive narrative. Still, he does not skimp on the details or action, writing prose that is both evocative and descriptive.

In advertising, we’re often told that we need to show, rather than tell. Ellroy uses words to paint graphic pictures and then further burnishes those images with his tone and pacing.

Just read it (and see it and listen to it)

Don’t stop with these five sources: One of the most important parts of becoming a better copywriter is constantly seeking out things that stoke your imagination and fire up the language center of your brain — it doesn’t need to be the written word! Keep challenging yourself to find not only the best culture, but anything that’s new and different.

Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

Let’s see a show of hands: How many of us started to consider a career in advertising based on Mad Men? Or Melrose Place, if you came of age during the ’90s? Hollywood has always been fascinated with Madison Avenue, and consequently, there are a lot of skewed, distorted, and just plain wrong ideas about working in the industry. Even though it’s fun to think of advertising as a glamorous, volatile career where glamorous, volatile people fight, drink, and sleep with one another, advertising is more of a business than a soap opera. Below are a few of the myths that paint the most unflattering portraits of us advertising professionals and what we do.

Myth #1: Creatives are sensitive, moody people

Many people, even other advertising professionals, still think of creatives as little better than werewolves in Warby Parker glasses: One minute, we’re normal and reasonable, and the next, we’re raging out of control and going for the throat of anyone who deems to lift their red pen against us.

The truth: When many of us first start out, we give our all and are married to our concepts. But over time, those with long and/or successful careers learn that advertising is more about good customer service than it is about making art. So we learn to compromise, collaborate, and be approachable. And once you’ve paid your dues, proved yourself, and realized that people genuinely want and respect your opinion, you’re less inclined to be combative.

Myth #2: Advertising is a complete boozefest

Even beyond Mad Men, the industry gets a lot of press that makes it sound like everyone drinks, all the time. (Arnold Worldwide in Boston famously has a vending machine that dispenses beer).

The truth: People who work in the industry definitely like the occasional beer or cocktail, but the three-martini lunch is a relic of another era. Many agencies sponsor happy hours or stock their fridges with microbrews as a company perk, but as agencies become increasingly more corporate, there are also standards of conduct that preclude drinking to excess or bad behavior to promote a safe, harassment-free working environment for everyone.

Myth #3: Copywriters are failed novelists, and art directors are wannabe filmmakers

Even today, it’s a common belief that advertising creative departments are filled with artists and writers who really want to make movies but don’t have what it takes to make it in Hollywood.

The truth: Given how intense the competition is to break into the industry, it’s safe to say that any copywriter who makes it in isn’t a failed anything. It’s true that a lot of would-be creative writers end up seduced by the promise of a steady paycheck and job security, but that doesn’t mean they have an agent on speed-dial. And likewise, being an art director is one career and being a filmmaker is quite another.

Whether you’re a copywriter or an art director, advertising is a demanding profession that requires constant learning. Most of the copywriters I know, myself included, are happy to have a stable job that pays well and allows us to do what we love. Many of us do have side hustles, but we’re not planning on quitting the day job. However, some creatives do transition to the production side — and yes, a few do go on to make movies (most famously, directors like Michael Bay and David Fincher).

Myth #4: All account people do is schmooze the clients and play with spreadsheets

If you based your ideas about account professionals only on pop culture and snarky comments from the creative team, you would suspect account managers were a bunch of killjoys who lived for spreadsheets, free meals, and bleeding red ink all over the creative.

The truth: Account work may be a different kind of work from creative — and it’s work that does often lead to meals and drinks with the client — but it’s still essential and time-consuming. Account managers are basically the people who reassure the client that those millions of dollars are well spent (which means they’re constantly reassuring the client of how amazing the creative is). And because their job is to know their client’s business problems and their outlook on advertising and marketing, account professionals often have unique, valuable insights into the creative work.

Myth #5: Advertising professionals are brash, egotistical jerks

Almost every depiction of advertising in popular culture makes advertising professionals look like liars and megalomaniacs — and this is perpetuated by the fact that it’s usually the outspoken, Don Draper-types who get press coverage.

The truth: Advertising does require a certain amount of showboating and self-promotion to get ahead, but most of those people forging ahead are doing so on the strengths of their professional accomplishments. And if you’ve ever wondered why so many advertising agencies are named after their founders rather than given some creative name, it’s usually because those individuals started making their own names at other people’s companies and needed to communicate the unique selling proposition of their new agency.

It’s true you are going to meet some jerky people in advertising, but it’s probably not much worse than any other profession

What do you think?

These five advertising myths just happen to be my least favorites, but there are dozens more. What are some of your pet peeves? Let us know in the comments!

If you’re a writer and you believe that your only tool for doing your job is words, then you’re not creating to your fullest potential! For writers, words are important; and for many people, words are hard. Having the skill to use them well is a gift, but it’s not the entire picture.

Being able to work with everything on a page (or a billboard or a banner ad) that isn’t words will elevate your creative output. And that’s true whether you’re a marketing copywriter who deals with long-form work like brochures and annual reports, or you’re a creative copywriter who concepts ad campaigns.

Here are tips, grouped by writer type, to stimulate your visual problem-solving capabilities.

Long-form tip #1: Think about the white space

Chances are good you’ve worked with an art director who doesn’t even look at your manuscript, yet will ask you to cut it by 20%. And the designer has a point: White space makes a design look more elegant and modern. You can use white space to reduce reader fatigue and move them down a page.

One of the best ways to help achieve a greater balance of white space is to simply have fewer words. Go back and ruthlessly copyedit your work. One of the best indicators that a passage needs a surgical intervention? Look for semicolons and em dashes. We writers really do love our words, and these punctuation marks enable our dependence on complicated and overly wordy thoughts. Also look at paragraphs with more than three or four sentences to see if they can be simplified.

Long-form tip #2: Use charts and graphics for creative effect

Don’t let yourself be limited by the idea that you have to use numbers to create a chart. Charts and infographics can be used to suggest a family or grouping of things, linear narratives, and changes over time. If you want to be wowed by how infographics can bring an inherently non-technical story to life, look at this history of The Beatles and their creative output. Way more fun than reading something like a Wikipedia page, right?

Creating infographics, or data visualization, is a skill unto itself. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start thinking about graphic ways to tell a story.

Long-form tip #3: Evolve your copy

Here’s what happens most of the time: you’ll attend a kickoff meeting. You and your designer receive the same brief, you’ll write a manuscript that eventually gets dumped into a layout, and that’s the end of the story for you.

If there’s time and budget, grab the layout after the designer has set it up and flowed your copy in. How does it look? Are there places you could break the copy up with subheads and bullet points? Strive for that balance of content and space that invites readers in.

At every stage, you and your designer should work collaboratively so that everything you’ve created, individually, works together as a finished piece.

Creative copy tip #1: Do what your AD does

As a creative copywriter, your first instinct for concepting is probably to sit down and write lines. But what if you did what your art director partner does and immediately went to Cannes Lions or a great portfolio site? Give it a try. Better yet, look over your art director’s shoulder and talk about the work that really moves and excites you.

Creative copy tip #2: Challenge yourself to create concepts without words

Whether you’re working in print, digital, or out of home, you’ve got seconds to capture your audience’s attention. Figure out how to say what you need to say without words.
Rich territory to explore includes:

• A visual metaphor of the problem to be solved or the need for your product. What kind of images or scenarios can you imagine that demonstrate the need for what you’re offering? This is a strong approach to cause or non-profit marketing—you get the points of this Thai diabetes campaign and this Canadian Mothers Against Drunk Driving ad immediately.

• What your customers (or the world around them) look like after the use of your product. This approach simply showcases the benefit, like this word-free light bread ad or this sugar-free candy ad. This vintage, copy-free candy ad is a little hokey, but it’s a visual formula (candy = happy kids) that reads fast—and clients will always love an ad that shows their product making people happy.

Final note: Keep practicing

For marketing or long-form writers, that first set of tips is something you can put to use immediately and see results. For creative copywriters, shifting your paradigm may take time. But keep at it. Being able to think visually is another tool that, besides enhancing your own work, makes you a better partner to your art director. And for both types of writers, it’s an approach that makes your work better and your job more fun.