Who is Jeffrey Blais...? Perhaps in your mind, this is the fundamental question that defines the scope of my abilities and the boundaries of my potential. In my mind, it is the question that I ask every day to ensure that what I do and how I do it gets all the passion and determination it deserves.
Knowing exactly who I am and what my passions are, makes me a better designer. Being able to critically think and move beyond being creative for creativity's sake makes me a strategic designer. Critical thinking. Analysis. Rapid flexibility. Planning and execution. These, in addition to a powerful imagination, are the hallmarks of a strategic designer and together they form the cornerstone of my career.
I have always believed that good creative comes from imagination and instinct. But I have learned through countless projects and mentors that this is just the first step of great creative, which is also results-oriented and strategic. This is what separates the boys of design from the men of powerful messaging. A message might be a TV spot, a web promotion, or a simple graphic poster without words, but all have objectives to achieve and all must be something the public has never seen or experienced in precisely that way.
"...effective campaigns occur when experts pool
energy, ideas and resources to achieve strategic result."
I have found that the most important place to start is to understand the client & project objectives, its audience and the financial parameters. I have heard so many designers say, "well let's get inside our clients' mind and understand their business better than they do." Although that has happened to me on several occasions, it is not the best way to work. As a client, you should know your business better than anybody else, because it should be your passion. Similarly, I know my business because it is my passion. The most effective campaigns possible occur when two passionate experts in their fields pool energy, ideas and resources to work collaborative and strategically to achieve an end result. That's what I seek to do with my work. Yes, I will immerse myself in your business, but I will ultimately produce the best creative for you if you provide the business objectives and budget. Audiences on the other hand are a different story. Depending on the project, extensive audience research may be required on both our parts, or perhaps just on mine. But one thing is sure; a perfectly engineered and beautifully constructed mousetrap won't do a thing if it placed in front of the wrong target.
"...the part where I go off in a cave and
open my brain to the mists of imagination"
Next, we need to stoke the fires of creativity. This part is simple, but has varying stages. Yes, this is the part where I go off in cave and open my brain to the mists of imagination and meditate. No, just kidding. (Although I have found caves to be occasionally appealing...) Anyway, this part of the creative preparation includes brainstorming with the client, brainstorming with myself, and possibly brainstorming with an audience focus group. Sometimes the best ideas I have ever seen come out of a brainstorming session with the client. The reason these sessions are important is not because I need to have ideas for creative execution, but because you, the client, often are able to articulate the best ways to attract your audience to that aforementioned mousetrap. Sometimes the best idea of all may look unbelievably silly on a memo to your creative team (so you avoid it all together), but after brainstorming with others it may emerge in a modified - and wonderfully executable - idea. Most importantly, no matter where the creative juices originate - in my head in the cave or in your boardroom over donuts -- together, we can find that piece of cheese to lure the mice.
