The most effective B2B collaborations happen when engaged clients come prepared with initial directions and are willing to participate actively in the creative process, according to Root Studio’s creative consultant Tom Bradley.
Clients are experts in their field and creative agencies are experts in theirs, Bradley told DesignRush, so collaboration is a vital part of the creative projects which fosters more productive partnerships.
Who Is Tom Bradley?
Tom is a graphic designer by trade and one of Root Studio's founders where he currently serves as a partner and creative consultant splitting his time between project management, leading, and advising the design team.
I was curious to hear about Root Studio’s creative process. Tom said that they follow these four steps:
- Research: From exploring trends to setting up workshops with clients to learn more about their brands and audience
- Group discussion: Team gathering to discuss research highlights and ideas as well as provide further directions
- Internal critique: Thoroughly analyzing and refining creative ideas multiple times based on the project's scale
- Gathering feedback: Showing the client what’s done and collecting collaborative ideas
He highlights that client needs vary—some have specific ideas when they approach Root Studio and they need help to refine and implement, while others provide open briefs, entrusting the creative direction to our team.
In that sense, I asked Tom what businesses that consider hiring a creative agency should do before they approach the agency.
He said that the more details businesses give about their customers, brand, and past successes, the stronger the foundation for the project will be.
“Preparation includes allowing ample time for the creative process — rushing a project through at the last minute is a risky business and doesn’t allow as much time for research, exploration, or collaboration,” he added.
I agree with his statement that client engagement and input smooth the process and enhance outcomes, as collaboration leverages both parties' expertise.
In light of this, Tom says that they enjoyed working with their well-known client Chester Zoo utilizing various team skills to produce diverse deliverables for their meaningful brand.
He pointed out two aspects of the successful partnership:
- Chester Zoo trusts their delivery, quality, and expertise, a significant aspect given their evolving team
- Despite time and budget constraints, they consistently provide detailed and well-prepared briefs that enable them to start projects efficiently
Creative Marketing Ideas Come with Risks
“The best way to reduce risk in marketing is through the prep work — providing your design team with a thorough understanding of the goals, values, pain points, and influences of the target audience avoids too much guesswork or personal preference," Tom explains.
"If you can give a solid rationale for each element of a design at the end of the process then you stand a better chance of the campaign succeeding.”
Some of the methods that Root Studio has used to test out ideas before a big reveal to mitigate risks are:
- Market research
- Competitive analysis
- Customer personas and user journey mapping
- Focus groups
- User testing
Given that there are clients who may present potentially risky or ill-conceived ideas or concepts, Tom says that they confront client ideas that might not work openly, as clients rely on their expertise and expert honest feedback.
Likewise, they respect and accept the clients’ insights on their suggestions based on their industry knowledge. In the event of a creative campaign falling short of its targets, Tom suggests a few steps companies can take to remedy the situation and boost results.
He highlights the importance of careful planning, coordination, and targeted messaging.
If a campaign doesn't meet expectations, he advises against quick fixes and recommends a thorough analysis to identify underperforming aspects and make precise adjustments to elements like design, content, or strategy, which can significantly impact results.
Additionally, Tom says that the timeframe for assessing a campaign depends on its urgency.
However, making quick judgments is not advisable. It might take a few days to gather enough data, but ideally, one to two weeks will provide a more comprehensive view. More time allows for better data accumulation, especially as new campaigns and designs take time to establish.
When it comes to what kind of data is most useful, he notes that it depends on three factors:
- Campaign type
- Set goals
- Campaign methodology
“Sales figures speak for themselves, so if the target is monetary gain then that’s black and white. Engagement is a trickier beast to identify — bounce rates and time-on-page are largely subjective and jumping to conclusions can be dangerous.
Likewise, the number of impressions and page views could be considered vanity statistics and don’t provide clarity on the success of a campaign. Active engagement such as sign-ups, purchases, clicks, likes, shares, etc. are all key indicators that the plan has played out as expected,” he added.
If you're looking for a creative agency to help grow your brand, be sure to check DesignRush's listing of top creative agencies.
How to Integrate AI into Your Workflow
Given that generative AI revolutionizes almost every sector, I asked Tom how AI tools influence Root Studio's creative process.
He highlighted using generative AI to expand image boundaries and fill Photoshop gaps, with tools like ChatGPT for early copywriting and MidJourney for layout concepts.
“We find that AI can be really useful for concept generation and a quick proof of concept especially. We certainly wouldn’t advocate using AI to ‘do the job’ for us. The only instance where it might find its way into a finished design is for extending/expanding imagery.
For instance, we had a customer who needed about 100 exhibition displays produced — each with an image of a student front and center.
The challenge was that, though they had plenty of professional images available, they’d been taken at different times so some were head to waist, some were full body, and some were just head and shoulders.
We used generative AI to extend some photos to create a consistent set of images that would sit comfortably alongside each other within a grand exhibition hall. In the ‘old days’ this would have been very difficult and time-consuming to achieve manually,” he added.
Check our podcast to learn how to use AI for market research and brainstorming sessions:
Aim for a Versatile Portfolio
“We hear all the time that creating a niche for yourself in the industry is the only way to achieve true success and clarity for your offering and we fully understand that by diversifying as we have, we’ve made life more difficult for ourselves," Tom highlights.
"But it’s the diversity of our work, our clients, and our experiences that make life in the studio interesting and more challenging for our team.”
Tom says that some of the major advantages of having a diverse portfolio are:
- Having a team that boasts a range of skill sets and unique talent that they bring to the studio as a whole
- Having a lot of topics to cover in your blog
- Expanding your reach and tapping into a global market
On the other hand, a versatile portfolio also comes with challenges, and for Root Studio the main challenge lies in marketing; attempting to appeal to diverse audiences can stretch the resources and efforts too thin.
“The fix for this is to always have your eyes open to new talent,” Tom advises.
Having a diverse portfolio indeed comes with challenges, but it also opens up opportunities for growth and resilience.
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