(1) Provide Collaborative Workspaces

Creatives, such as designers or content creators, work across various departments or with multiple clients before finalizing a project. Because of this, culture is super important! Creatives live and breathe the materials they create.While collaborative workspaces are important across all industries, creatives require this extra productivity boost to help generate new, fresh ideas in an environment where they’re comfortable thinking out of the box.According to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), one of the most important aspects of employee growth is face-to-face interaction. We’re humans – we need that social interaction to stimulate our minds. Plus, HBR makes note that spatial design has an impact on productivity and performance.

(2) Encourage Leadership Opportunities

Creatives are not just doers – they’re idea generators. Not only are they responsible for the physical creation of a design or content piece, but they also do their best work when they’re responsible for generating that idea; this is where they’ll flourish. Sometimes, it’s best to host a brainstorm session to get ideas flowing – but, not in the traditional sense.

In a traditional brainstorm, all stakeholders toss out ideas, waiting for one to stick. But, research from the Journal of Basic and Applied Social Psychology gives reasons to believe that this isn’t the most resourceful way to collect inspiring information. Instead, this method has proven to actually hinder innovative ideas. What companies want to instill is the objective that creatives should come up with some ideas on their own first. In a typical brainstorm, the funnel of ideas is sparked by one specific concept that tumbles into something more complex. If everyone brings their own ideas to the table, they have the opportunity to feed off one another.

It’s also important to encourage creatives to take the lead on projects. Provide them with the opportunity to have creative freedom. If someone else manages the design or content process mid-project, the individual’s ability to spark innovative ideas could be hindered.

(3) Provide Your Team with the Right Tools

DESIGNERS / FRONT-END DEVELOPERS

Your designers will of course need general tools to create graphics and designs. But, to spark some creativity, it would be beneficial to invest in:

• Userfeel: For UXers, Userfeel is a really helpful tool when developing or editing website design. This gives designers the opportunity to understand – from a fresh, outside perspective – what the user experience is really like from the standpoint of those visiting the site. Consumers are paid by Userfeel to review the user experience of various sites, and that feedback is directly available to designers.
• Figma: Designers come in all colors, shapes and sizes – from UI / UX to digital to print. And typically, teams are comprised of various types of designers who are working on different aspects of a single project. Figma, a collaboration tool, allows everyone to be on the same track at all times.
• Optimizely: Optimizely allows designers to run A/B tests on landing pages, helping to understand which version draws higher conversions and why.

PROJECT MANAGERS

• FunctionFox: FunctionFox is a widely-used tool among creative project managers who want more visuals. FunctionFox’s dashboard provides users with a clear, aesthetic view of what’s due, what meetings and tasks have been scheduled, and what milestones have been completed throughout the course of multiple projects.

CONTENT CREATORS

• Content Launch: A one-stop shop for all content needs. You name it, it’s in the platform. The full cycle of content creation can be managed in Content Launch, from production to client approval to distribution. Using this makes everyone’s lives a little easier, and it lets the creators focus less on organization and more on creativity.
• BuzzSumo: A staple within the content community, BuzzSumo helps writers find trending topics across various industries along with insights on how certain pieces of content performed across multiple channels.

At WunderLand Group, we understand that there are innovative implementations needed for true, creative success. For more information from our experts, shoot us a quick message.

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WunderLand Group is a full-service staffing and project studio fully dedicated to helping your creative, digital, and marketing projects succeed. Our experienced team is here and ready to start creating opportunities and connecting creative minds.