Developing Ideas and Advertising Concepts

Course details

After landing a client, the designer's first chore is to communicate and develop the initial idea, whether it's a storyboard for a film or ad, or a multifaceted marketing campaign for a product or service. Learn how to transform a client's request into a presentable concept in this course. Craig Smallish walks through the development process for various creative scenarios, from assessing the client and the scope of the job to free-associating and sketching your ideas. Learn to create descriptive copy to accompany your visuals and create iteration after iteration of your design. Finally, Craig shows how to choose your strongest idea through a process of refinement.

Learning objectives
What is concepting?
Working with clients
Doing your research
Determining the core values of a product or service
Using free association
Building the written descriptives
Using search engines to fuel ideas
Flipping your ideas 180 degrees
Creating a rough sketch
Defining the refined sketch

Concepts

Introduction

Welcome
The importance of the original idea
What is concepting
Demystifying the process in the creative process

The Client

Working with clients
Defining the project
Defining the project obstacles

Challenges Around Every Corner

Doing your research
Avoiding the pitfalls of mediocrity
What is a concept plan overview

Establishing Core Values and Seed Phrases

Using storytelling to determine core values
Using questions to distill the core values
Determining core values

The Free-Association Process - Finding the Raw Ingredients

Using the free-association process
Starting with seed phrases
Using the power of collaboration to increase ideas

A Concept is Born

Honing your ideas
Reviewing your descriptive words and sketches to find the best ideas
Experimenting with your ideas

One Great Concept Deserves Another

Maintaining a diversity of ideas
Using search engines to fuel ideas
The rough concept retrospect

The Rough Sketch

Defining the rough sketch
Visually defining your ideas
The strength of iteration

180-Degree Thinking - Does Your Concept Have an Evil Twin

What is 180-degree thinking
Demonstrating the approach

The Revised Sketch - How to Make Your Great Concept Even Better

Defining the revised sketch
Demonstrating the approach
The importance of exploring variation (perspective, media selection, and stylistic approaches)

The Refined Sketch - Tweak, Tweak, Tweak

Defining the refined sketch
Demonstrating the concern for detail

The Final Selection - And the Winner Is

Revealing the final concept comp solution
Reflecting on the process path