Why character and competence matter more than personal style.
While I’ve never claimed to be the smartest person in the room, I have learned a few things over the course of my career. Because students and young professionals often ask me for advice about pursuing a creative path, I’ve gathered a few thoughts to share. I hope you find them useful.
Inspiration and process are the foundations of professional creative work.
Inspiration is foundational to the creative process and should be drawn from a wide range of sources. Individuals within every discipline should remain consistently attentive to their surroundings—nature, popular culture, the competitive landscape, and the work of others all provide valuable insight and reference.
Equally important is a disciplined approach to discovery and research, followed by strategic development. These phases establish the framework for effective creative work and should precede any formal design exploration or execution. While I’ve always been a fan of the happy accident, effective creative is rarely the result of throwing spaghetti on the wall to see if it sticks.
Finally, effective team players must be willing to work productively within defined constraints. Creativity does not exist in opposition to structure—it is often strengthened by it. An ability to think inside the box is equally important to thinking outside of it.
The work should always be driven by the audience rather than personal preference. Understanding the expectations, conventions, and visual language of a given industry, category, or product line is essential.
Within that framework, it is important to know when to push boundaries and when restraint is more appropriate. Early in many creatives’ careers, there is a desire to establish a recognizable personal style. In practice, creatives are hired to solve problems for clients, and no two clients are the same. As a result, the work should not look the same either—unless, of course, you are Tim Burton, Shepard Fairey, Paula Scher, or Michael Schwab.
But inspiration, insight and process are all points of entry into the industry—expected.
Nearly thirty years ago, I met someone who became a friend and mentor. He worked in Purchasing at Procter & Gamble, and I imagine he spent the early part of his career negotiating contracts for everything from office furniture to manufacturing equipment and raw materials. However, in the final eight years of his career he represented P&G’s Design Function. During that time, he interviewed more than 400 creative and design firms from all around the world.
He was the self-described bouncer of design firms.
He often noted that when agencies present themselves as potential partners, they tend to say remarkably similar things:
- We have the best people.
- We do great creative work.
- We offer a full range of services.
- We have well-known clients.
- We work with only the best partners.
- We have proprietary processes.
- We use the most innovative technology.
- We have many resources around the world.
- We win awards—or we don’t believe in awards.
- We understand your challenges.
- Etc., etc., etc…
While cost is always a consideration, many corporations ultimately evaluate potential creative partners using just two criteria:
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Have you done the work we need you to do?
-
Do we like you?
Someone is already doing the work, and changing partners introduces risk. Demonstrated experience matters. Equally important, working with creative teams is often the most enjoyable part of a client’s role—chemistry and trust are critical. When both criteria are met, the budget is rarely the obstacle. Confidence in the partnership justifies the investment.
The same principles apply when individuals are being hired.
Whether for a client, agency, studio, or company, the questions remain the same: What is your experience, and do people want to work with you? Trust is essential—trust in your ability to do the work and trust that the working relationship will be positive and valuable.
To communicate both character and competence, creatives should be prepared with clear stories that demonstrate intent, integrity, capability, and results. A well-constructed portfolio should serve not only as a showcase of work, but as a set of concrete examples that help answer these questions in any interview or professional conversation.
Build Trust by Demonstrating Character and Competence
