I think that the most comforting thing that I took away from these readings, was that you don’t have to be a genius storyteller in order to tell a story. When I enter a creative project, my mind immediately goes down the rabbit hole of despair before I can even assess the situation. I don’t think I need to elaborate on all of the reasons why this is a terrible way to start any type of endeavor.
The first chapter explains much of what goes into the pre-production process, all of which takes place AWAY from the computer. Broken down into three main categories: Concept Development, Previsualization, and Asset Building – the author is able to walk someone through the process required to start any project. Personally, I’ve already seen some ways that I can implement her Content Development strategy into my own design work.
For example, I work in digital marketing at a college and often times, I am tasked with creating posters for Admissions or for campus events. There has not been a single time in which I’ve been offered or have created a creative brief (and I probably should have). Creating a poster that will be used by an Admissions Counselor to recruit future students isn’t fundamentally that much different from creating an advertisement. As basic of a concept as that is, I’m not sure why it didn’t click until reading the book and drawing my own comparisons. In my own personal work as an art photographer, I have done this sort of concept development while creating artist statements. I’ve attending workshops on how to create an “elevator pitch” but haven’t consciously realized that these are transferable skills.
Previsualization is the process of creating the look and feel of a project. Asset Building is something that I feel somewhat more familiar with, having created “mood boards” for web design projects in the past. And Assessment Building and taking all of the various pieces and putting them together to create a cohesive picture of your project. After reading this section, I’m feeling (a little bit) more confident in my ability to put these ideas into practice this semester.