At AdobeMax 2019, Ben Child, Executive Creative Director at Workfront, discussed proven methods to be better at the creative process. By balancing the right amount of structure with creativity, and by focusing on core creative principles, you’ll be better able to deliver impactful, mind-blowing creative work you can be proud of, that also delivers results for your organization. #NeverStopCreating

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CREATE MORE. TWEAK LESS.
B E N C H I L D | E X E C C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R
P U B L I S H E D N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9

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Here in the now we live above the shadows,
for and somehow we are beautifully created.

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Creative is hard.
really
^

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It’s not your fault
that it’s hard.

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“Alexa…stop.”

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So here we are.

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I’m a control freak.

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I’m an idealist.

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I’m still hunting down the greatest
tune I’ve never written.”
— H A N S Z I M M E R
“

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infp.

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I’m losing the battle against entropy.

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Cool factor
note: nothing is cool.
Ubiquity

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Most of my stress comes from miscommunication.

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There are far too many authoritative figures
saying things that don’t make sense and far
too little ‘lesser’ figures with all of the right
things to say who aren’t speaking up.”
Q U O T E
“
— B E N C H I L D

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What are we doing here.

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It all started with this.

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I just wanted to perfect my living arrangement.

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Without creativity there is no life, merely existence.”“
— B E N C H I L D
Q U O T E

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You’re not alone.

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What we’re up against.

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Stress and chaos are the enemy to creativity.

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Cortisol/Adrenaline vs Endorphins/Oxytocin

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We’re creative. The least important,
most important thing there is.”
— D O N D R A P E R
“

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Humans are messy.

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Get out of my kitchen.
P H O T O C R E D I T : M I C H A E L B R O W N I N G

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The words.
“Don’t worry it’s on brand.”
“We’re going to be so strategic.”
“We’ll just add it to our current campaign set.”

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So what does it mean to be strategic?
The logic that determines what you choose to do
and not do in service of a particular goal.

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Servile strategy.
Business units (stakeholders) apply strategy; functions support them.

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Imperial strategy.
Functional leaders put the work front and center and pay little
attention to how it aligns with the overall strategy of the company.

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First, What is the implicit current strategy of the function,
as reflected in the choices that it makes every day?
And second, What are the strategic priorities of the rest
of the corporation, and is the function critical to them?
An effective functional team should ask:

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Functions need to operate in efficient and cost-effective
ways that enable the firm to invest in its sources of
competitive advantage.
The cost of bad choices:

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Functions do not have to be servants to corporate overlords,
nor should they be petty tyrants building their own empires.

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Functional teams see the breakdown in a company because
of their unique purview of the activity across the company.

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Just like the rest of the company,
functional teams make choices every day,
and by developing a coherent strategy to
guide them, they can
become vital engines of the business.
T A K E A W A Y
https://hbr.org/2019/07/the-one-thing-you-need-to-know-about-managing-functions

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Process, diversity, and collaboration win.

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The State of Work
43%
Employees said they
spend only 43% of their
day on their primary job
duties.
60%
Nearly 60% of their time
is associated with things
like email and meetings
that they considered a
waste of time.

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42%
Employees told us the
number of
communication options
(email, IM, etc.) makes
getting work done more
difficult.
25%
Respondents told us
they aren’t sure how
decisions are made at
all. Data vs instinctual.
47%
47% of workers we
surveyed said
productivity is stalling in
their workplace.
Technology is both the answer…and the problem.

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The Future of Work
88%
More than 27 out of every 100 U.S. employees quit in 2018. Turnover
trends demonstrate an 8.3% increase over 2017 and 88% increase since
2010. If you allow this trend to continue, U.S. voluntary turnover will hit
35% by 2023, placing companies in continuous and enormous risk.

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Times
interrupted
per day by
digital tools:
Slack/email/social
media

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The way you review is the way your team will evolve.

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How to fight the good fight.

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Get organized. Set your team up to win.

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Why does your team exist?
What we stand for: to be an aligned partner.
We are not Kinkos.
How we behave: pursue excellence and
mutual respect.
Why we believe: we create desire and strive
for effective outcomes.
ETHOS:
PATHOS:
LOGOS:

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KNOW
THINK
FEEL
DO
The creative brief is bible.

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“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping old ones.”
Brand refresh.

79. 81 C O N F I D E N T I A L
We help people do their best work.
B R A N D P R O M I S E

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Great design happens when you break down problems
into the simplest solution and clearest way.”
“
— P A U L R A N D
Q U O T E

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Shift to enterprise—through the eyes of our customer.

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PLAY VIDEO

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Have conversations. Life is all about them.

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Television. Movies. Comics.

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Kottke.org

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Practice essentialism and be mindful.

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Travel and influence.

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Why do I do this.

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Moments of inspiration.

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Make it to the peak.

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Never stop creating.

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Thank you.