‍_{(minus the 15 minute prelude about the woes of acrylic nails)}

Project Manager Emily sat down with Associate Creative Directors (and creative dream team) Millie and Becky to talk about their roles as creative leaders.
*After a spirited debate on why Mario Kart and long nails are a tragic combo…* 
‍

Millie: Sorry, sorry, let’s get into it haha. 

Emily: Thanks guys for being a part of our Inkblot this month. The first question. What does creativity mean to you personally, and how has that definition evolved since working at Pink Squid?

Becky: Being able to problem solve. That’s really key, especially here, creating something that answers something is what it’s all about. 

Millie: For me, it’s finding inspiration in anything, not just art on a wall or the ads we see online. It’s being able to look or hear absolutely anything and think about it in a completely different way. 

Emily: Where do your ideas usually come from? Do you have any go-to places, habits or sources of inspiration?

Millie: I guess this goes back to the inspiration from anywhere. Take a walk. Watch some people…

Becky: …bit weird. 

Emily: How do you go about solving a creative problem – where do you start, and what’s your process like?

Millie: I’m very impatient, so my process is full-on from the start. Those very initial thoughts are the thing that really drives everything. I don’t like to ruminate on anything ha.

Becky: I’m not like Millie, I like to take time, think about the problem, with lots of iterative changes. 

Millie: I guess that’s the difference between art which is not so black and white and copy where, I guess, you have a limited amount of words you can use. 
‍
Emily: Nice, how do you handle creative differences — whether internally or with a client — and turn them into productive conversations?

Becky: Everyone is always going to have a different opinion - it’s subjective. Our job is to hear everyone, work out the similarities and differences and go from there. 

Millie: We don’t always get it right and it’s not always obvious. Sometimes you just have to let it go. A good creative is someone who sticks up for their ideas but knows when to stand down. 

Becky: That’s the same mentality of finding the balance between staying on-brand while still creating something new. Stand your ground, own your ideas, but be respectful of what’s already out there. I said once that a brand and an employer brand are like eyebrows - sisters not twins and that’s seemed to stick haha. 

Emily: What advice would you give to someone who thinks they’re ‘not creative enough’ for this kind of work?

Millie: Every single part of our process is creative - anyone here in any role will tell you that they get to be creative in some form or another. Creative isn’t a job title, it’s very much in the way you think and the way you do things. 

‍

Case study


‍

Emily: As Associate Creative Directors, you must get to see a lot of creativity in action. For example, the Costa Festive campaign had such a fun and distinctive tone of voice — what made that project feel special creatively?

Millie: I think it goes beyond the tone, it’s in the visuals too - that cozy illustration is so warm. So different from the norm of what we normally make. 

Becky: It’s one of those pieces where the more you look the more clever fun details you notice, I just love that the characters are called Carol and Nick. 

Emily: How did the team collaborate to bring that campaign to life? Can you talk us through how the tone, visuals, and storytelling came together?

Millie: First of all, massive kudos to the team involved. As an ACD, you often just feel like you’re looming above, keeping an eye on everything happening while steering it when you need to. “It’s not just elves” was a great translation of the strategy. And when you get a great line you can feel the inspiration resonate through the team. Yeh, a solid foundation really helped bring this campaign to life.

Emily: Was there a particular moment or idea during that process where you thought, “Yes, this is so Pink Squid”?

Becky: I think it comes down to what’s been said, it’s really great insight, a great line, and it’s using our inhouse creative. It’s beautifully intelligent - role credits.
 

Learn more about our Costa Festive campaign:
https://www.pinksquid.com/inkblot/costa-christmas-campaign