Curiously Visual

January 6, 2012

I’m a curious person. I’m especially fascinated by people—what makes them tick and why they do the things they do. This curiosity compels me to ask a lot of questions. I have been known to exasperate friends and acquaintances as I pepper them with question after question about their life, their childhood, an event, or just what they did the other day. (Side note: I am also a certified Life Coach. Guess what that involves? Asking people questions.)

Not only am I curious, but I’m also a visual person, and I’ve discovered that the curious side of my brain and the visual side seem to work in tandem. I ask questions to gather details that allow me to visualize images and events with greater clarity. I play little movies in my head as the story unfolds.

When I think about it, these little quirkisms are advantageous in my role as Creative Director at gordongroup. When I sit down with a client at the start of a project, my curiosity kicks in and the questions start to come to me: What is the intention of this piece? Why this medium and not others? Why will anyone want to engage with it? What’s in it for them? What is the best way for this to get noticed?

This “question period” helps provide clarity and a springboard from which we can then create the most effective communication product, whether an annual report, a poster or a website. During the question period we sometimes discover that what the client thought they wanted is not the best approach after all. My favourite scenario is when the client is open to changing directions and willing to try something new—dare I say, willing to take a risk?! My curiosity opens the door to a new approach, and then my visual brain is pulled into play, allowing me to see the big picture from which I can analyze and draw logical conclusions and provide solutions to the problem at hand. They play well together.

Being curious helps to uncover the true essence of what needs to be communicated. Many clients assume that just because they put something out there, it will be noticed. But any creative professional is all too aware of what a crowded marketplace it is. We are all overwhelmed with the information coming at us—it really is too much. It’s become a bad mix; we have less free time than ever before and we have more information than ever before available for consumption.

Understandably, many of us have become quite selective about the media we spend our time interacting with. And if we’re going to interact with it at all, it better be worth our while! I don’t know about you, but something better grab me within the first few seconds or I’ll bail! My golden rule is “keep it simple”! But also keep it engaging and creative. That’s how you’ll get noticed, especially by the very people whose curiosity you want to pique!

By Leslie Miles, Creative Director