At J2 Media, it's our job to create unique, innovative and well-produced materials for our clients. One way to keep the creativity flowing is to foster that same atmosphere in our office. We try to keep it as lively as possible day-to-day, but there are just some necessary parts of business that can be hard to make fun.
Like staff meetings.
To combat the staff meeting blues, we recently began kicking off our weekly roundtable with a 'Creativity Moment.' Each week, one person shares something with the group. It can be anything, but the goal is for it to be creative, fun, and thought-provoking.
We've had several new hires recently, so the added benefit was to begin creating a team atmosphere as we learn a little more about each other. And it works; meetings are a lot more lively as people share everything from their favorite YouTube channel, to a flier that came in the mail and interesting scenes from movies and television shows.
And then, it was our Graphic Designer Lyle's turn. And if you know Lyle, you know that his signature style is all-or-nothing, which is why I thought his was good enough to share in this blog. Because everyone needs to know how “The World of Color” relates to just about the best Bloody Mary I've ever had!
Slide by slide, Lyle explained, from a design standpoint, what popular colors reflected and how they made audiences feel and react. After presenting information on each color, Lyle proceeded to bring out a new Bloody Mary fixing in the corresponding color to add to our drinks (including a non-alcoholic version to make sure no one was left out!). Soon enough, we had tomatoes, carrots, radishes, pickles, chicken strips and MORE, sticking out of our glasses.
Bloody Mary’s complete, we tucked into the remainder of the presentation, discussing how colors impacted us on a personal level and the ways we use it in our work.
Armed with a simple presentation and not just snacks, but interactive snacks, Lyle put together a memorable creative share that kept us engaged, entertained, and best of all, thinking of how we could use color better for our clients and future projects.
If you're searching for a spark of inspiration, I highly recommend trying this exercise in your office. Devoting 15 minutes to a little fun each week pays off, both in our work and as we look forward to what the next person will come up with. If you want to learn about how color influences design, check out The World of Color below.