creative

When you develop systems and formulas for creative without stifling the creative mind, you streamline the process. This results in better turnaround times, greater tactical flexibility, and more consistent, reliable outcomes.

Brand standards, style guides, visual identity guidelines, brand manuals; no matter what language is used, most every major brand has them. Successful or growing brands without them soon find how essential they are for countless reasons. 

My introduction to brand standards came early on in my career, being that I got my start in branding. My time at multiple branding-focused agencies gave me an up-close and personal look at what goes into them, the kind of collaboration necessary to create effective, accurate ones, and what separates a brand standards guide from a glorified slide deck. 

When I first started at Rural Urgent Care (MainStreet & KidsStreet), the company was at a major point in its growth. A guide existed, but the real issue to solve was that the brand was dated and needed refreshing. Long before we opened PowerPoint, I worked with my team, stakeholders, and key decision-makers at the company to improve the brand visually. 

The guide itself served as a sort of agreement by the time it was complete. It also served another critical function -- with the amount of outside hands we brought into the fold, there needed to be a quick way for them to understand our brand as quickly and efficiently as possible, saving us the first few rounds of revisions. 

But its function doesn't stop at design; there are guidelines for taglines, a brand narrative, approved language for external communications. In other words, there was enough for an outsider to understand our strategy and culture as much as our visual identity.

Our separate Brand Voice Guidelines reiterated and expanded on language. While it was shared with external partners for additional context, its main use was internal. This set of standards guided language across any external-facing scenarios, ranging from review and social media responses to scripts used for tv, radio, and streaming advertisements.

Anyhow, without further ado, here are examples of some of my favorite creative that I played an integral role in.