Collaborâte - 3 tips for working with other creatives - Alix Pashley
Collaborâte
with Alix Pashley
Welcome back to the #Collaborâte blog. We're continuing our interview with Alix Pashley (Graduate of our Visual Arts course in 2013). She's currently working as a graphic designer at the highly esteemed Sydney branding agency, Smack Bang Designs.
What are your three tips for working with other creatives?
1. Your own way isn't always the way.
This has been a tough one for me! Learning that not everyone thinks, learns or works the way I do. You get used to the way you do things and create your own systems. Sometimes you have to learn other people’s system’s and adjust. It is a good lesson to learn alternative ways of the creative process
2. Learn off them!
It is pretty self explanatory! When I approach a collaborative project I make sure that I enter in with a mindset of ‘what can I learn’. One of the core reasons for collaboration.
3. Be honest and clear in the process.
Honesty and clear communication. Incredibly important - from the beginning to end. This is to ensure that everyone has a clear vision/goal and aware of expectations. Guaranteed for a smooth process.
Let's talk more about creativity and collaboration.
We asked you to choose a recent project of yours that you collaborated on. Tell us about the project we are featuring. What was your process for creating it?
The project is ‘Wilds’.
The aim was to create a candle brand that was affordable but didn’t compromise the design.
The Process:
First of all, we had a meeting and run through all elements of what the brand was wanting to achieve, especially regarding visual elements and brand name.
Then we went onto creating moodboards and the colour palette which captures the overall look and feel of where we are heading.
Once that was locked in we then moved onto the logo design which was super fun, as there was a lot of creative freedom.
Then we concepted for packaging. The client was quite open and trusting, so it made the process quite easy!
What were the challenges?
We had to come up with a name for the brand. This was quite challenging as the brief was very open (which seems like it can be a good thing in some cases), but when starting out with a blank canvas, it can be hard to get on the right track!
How did collaborating help you reach the final product?
The team at Smack Bang Designs helped create the brand name. It was cool to see the ideas that went around the room (well, emails haha) and one was chosen from the first round! Times like that it makes you very proud of your team.
The rest of the process wasn’t much of a collaboration with the team - but most definitely with the client. This brand was like a new baby to them and it was super important to communicate our ideas clearly and hear what they wanted to achieve along the way.
Thanks for reading.
#Collaborâte is an initiative of C3 College. Our aim is to increase the appreciation of collaboration and community in the creative process because sometimes the genius we need is locked up in the relationships we have.
We’ve seen that a lot in our C3 College creative arts courses, and if you’re considering using your creativity for Godly purposes, we’d recommend you spend some time studying with us.