Brainstorming with Your Team
Regardless of your (or your team’s) creative ability, there are a few principles you can follow to host a healthy brainstorming meeting.
THE GOAL:
Nail down a visual direction for your event / brand / series / etc.
Before the Meeting
Prepare your inspiration pieces. Hop on Pinterest and find a range of ideas that might fit what you’re trying to do. I typically spend 30-60 minutes doing this, and I will bring 15-20 inspiration pieces to the meeting.
Invite a select group of people. I’ve found the sweet spot to be 4-6 people, depending on the scope of the project.
During the Meeting
Someone needs to lead. This person moderates conversation. Call on quiet people. Ensure everyone has a voice and no one person is driving the direction. Keep everyone focused on the MISSION, not opinions/preferences.
Establish the “tone”. What do we want the final design to “feel” like? Does this need to be energetic, heavy, warm, local, epic, friendly, surf vibes, etc.
Review the inspiration pieces to see which fits the “tone” the best. Look at the ideas. Talk about what fits the best. Try them on for size. Kick the tires.
Argue / Discuss what’s best for the mission. This meeting needs to be a safe place for everyone to be honest. It’s perfectly ok to disagree. This makes ideas stronger and ensures you’re thinking through all the angles. By the end of the meeting, you should all agree on the overall style that best fits the tone and vision.
After the Meeting
Stick to your guns. You and your crew put in a lot of high-impact effort to establish a direction. Now it’s time to execute. Don’t get distracted. Don’t deviate. You went up to the mountain top. Now it’s time to turn that dream into a reality.
Or if you’d like to hire me to help you with an upcoming project OR host your creative team meeting, just fill out the form at the link below :) I’d love to help!
