Home /Featured Articles / Tips from a Creative Director: Maximize Your Brainstorming Productivity
By Vincent Kao, NEXT.0 Senior Creative Director
I faced a ton of challenges as a rookie creative director. Some were expected, others caught me completely by surprise, keeping my team motivated was a real challenge. I expected every person to bring a ton of ideas to the table and willingly discuss those ideas inside and out. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. No comments were given, my team was silent which led me to be the only one talking during a brainstorm session.
The answer to my question came from an unlikely source, Mad Men. The advertising world has changed dramatically since the 1960s, but one thing remains the same, creatives still rely on a whiteboard for brainstorming. Why are we coming up with ideas the same as we did 60 years ago?
I changed the way we brainstormed, as I told my team to open up the Jamboard app on their devices, and write down three adjectives about the product in 1 minute. Everyone was working through the app on their own device, so no one would be influenced by another person’s brainstorming. Page after page of idea-starting adjectives popped up on Jamboard within a minute.
To visualize our brainstorming ideas and concept for better communication, we also ran image search and the Google Search feature through Jamboard, and dragged an image or other resources onto the Jam session. Anyone can add images and files from their own devices through the Jamboard app, which makes brainstorming more like a team creative exercise. We generate ideas faster when everyone is engaged and energetic.
With a Jamboard in our conference room, I no longer have to rely on bad jokes to re-engage my team. Advertising can be old school, but how you come up with ideas shouldn’t be. Our best ideas are now always born in a fun and interactive environment.
