At Addison Whitney, our people are our most valuable resource. We are lucky to have such a talented group working throughout our offices, and in our AW Spotlight series we wanted to spotlight our employees, finding out more about who they are, and their thoughts on working at Addison Whitney.
In this edition of the AW Spotlight, we wanted to get the insights of four of our amazing team members from our visual branding and verbal branding teams, finding out what gets their creative juices flowing, and asked them their thoughts on the question: Where do you find inspiration when starting your creative process?
Check out their answers below!
Cathleen Foley, Director of Visual Branding
“Whenever beginning the creative process, I start with research. I like to learn as much as I can about the subject matter and let the research spark inspiration.
The findings can manifest in different ways – a shape, a color, or even a font choice. It also helps to associate meaning to every decision in the creative process.”
Brittany Scott – Manager, Verbal Branding
“My inspiration begins with brainstorming – I love to browse online and then write down everything I can think of related to a particular topic.
I explore specialized resources and research unique words/phrases related to my ideas. (For example, if I’m thinking about a company or product working strategically towards a goal, I may think about chess, which is a very strategic game. I’ll then research chess moves and other chess-specific phrases that might symbolize strategy and success.)”
Dave Dixon – Senior Graphic Designer
“For me, there’s no one go-to source for creative inspiration. Sometimes it’s the obvious answers, like a well-constructed logo or particularly inventive package design; other times it’s something a bit different, like the latest soccer gear or the navigation design in a video game.
Whatever the project at hand, I’ll look for something in the creative brief that catches my attention, a phrase or concept that might be unique to the project. From there, I try to extrapolate on that idea and follow the various pathways that inevitably branch off from that starting point.”
Rachel Loucks – Junior Verbal Branding Associate
“Broadly speaking, I get inspiration from all kinds of places. When naming, I regularly borrow concepts from astronomy, mythology, architecture, chemistry & biology, music, famous figures, and the plant and animal kingdoms, as well as words from other languages.
More narrowly, I use a couple of resources regularly during my creative process. One of my preferred tools is OneLook – acts as a thesaurus, dictionary, and subject index, and is especially helpful in finding new ways to speak to classic concepts.”
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.