Photo by UFV Graphic and Digital Design

At eCoreXperience we've found that the easiest way to ensure great results and communication is to have a clear plan of action that both the client and our team can get excited about. If you are pulling together an RFP or need to reach out to your internal design department, keep these essentials in mind and you will reap the rewards of great planning.

What are the key objectives?
It is crucial to identify the main objective of your project. Without a clear goal in mind, KPIs are impossible to define. Is your team building brand awareness or focusing on event registration? Are you kicking off a social media campaign or generating foot traffic? Narrowing down your focus ahead of interacting with the design team will give you a head start to success.

Who is your target audience? Who are you trying to reach?
At this point in your planning, you should know the segment in the market you'd like to reach. If you are targeting 30-something moms, the look and feel of your design should reflect that demographic. This is an important step that can make or break your design's effectiveness. Knowing whom to target gives the design team a very clear mandate. Without knowing the audience, it is nearly impossible to design effectively. Remember, designers are problem solvers - the more clearly you can explain the task, the more effective the team can be at generating viable solutions.

What do we want the audience to think, feel, or do?
This is closely tied to the last step. For example, if we now know that we're targeting CEOs of small businesses, it is important to understand what the call to action is for that group. Are you providing a white paper on a landing page for them to download? Or are you driving them to a networking event? Those two goals have very different performance indicators, so it is important to know WHO and WHAT actions you are targeting.

What's the single most important thing to say?
If your project were an elevator pitch, what would you emphasize? If you can clearly communicate your main goal in 15-30 seconds, then chances are you have a very good grasp of what needs to be accomplished by the design team. Try to refine your objective to simple, measurable bullet points to make it clear and direct.

What do we need from the creative team? When do we need it?
A list of deliverables and a timeline for their sign-off are crucial to both sides of the design equation. If you have a presentation due next Thursday, be sure to give the design team a milestone to complete earlier in the week to avoid any last minute melt-downs. When in doubt, over-communicate. If your project is suffering from scope creep, make sure to touch base with the project manager and see if any trade offs can be made for mission-critical deliverables. The more proactive you can be, the better.

Who will have final approval on this content from the client side?
This one seems straightforward, but it is surprising how often "design by committee" can delay and cripple projects. Be sure to know how much authority you have to sign off on drafts and deliverables, when you'll be checking in with key stakeholders, and who ultimately has the final yea or nay. The biggest mistake you could make would be to work on something in the dark for months only to be told to scrap all work by senior management as the deadline looms!

We hope this helps walk you through the stages of design planning. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us.

So you want to add an Instagram feed to your blog and the idea of anything remotely resembling code gives you the shakes? Never fear, we're here to help!

There is an incredible website called snapwidget.com that makes a simple to use widget that you can embed into your website - it will auto populate your Instagram onto your site. As long as you can handle filling in a simple form and copying and pasting a little bit of HTML code, you're in business.

1. Go to snapwidget.com.

2. Fill out the form. (You can opt to pull in a feed from your account or a feed from a specific hashtag.)

3. Copy the code that is generated when you submit the form. It will be in HTML.

4. Navigate to the back end of your blog and select an HTML widget. Typically there is a widget menu in the "layout" section. If you don't know how to do this, ask the person that helped you set up your blog.

5. Paste the code into the HTML widget. Save it. Make sure the widget is located where you want it to live in your blog's layout.

And you're done!

Companies and branding agencies spend a lot of time thinking about strategic design concepts, messaging and advertising, but on a more subtle level, brand identity is defined by elements as simple as color. Different colors evoke different reactions and emotional connections from customers even when they aren't cognizant of it. What message is your color scheme sending?

Red is a bold color choice with a strong point of view.
People tend to have a strong reaction to this color.
Traits: aggressive, energetic, provocative, attention-grabbing

Purple evokes a sense luxury and quality.
Traits: royalty, sophistication, nostalgia, mystery, spirituality.

Blue is the most popular color choice amongst brands overall.
Traits: trustworthy, dependable, secure, responsible.

Green, depending on the shade, can evoke peace, nature or affluence.
Traits: wealth, health, prestige, serenity.

Yellow, plain and simple, makes people happy.
It reminds people of sunshine and hope, not to mention it's eye-catching.
Traits: positivity, light, warmth, motivation, creativity.

Orange is the happy medium between yellow and red.
Orange is an energetic and exciting color choice.
Traits: vitality, fun, playful, exuberant.

Brown, though it can remind people of some of the grittier things in life,
evokes a sense of stability and simplicity.
Traits: earthlike, natural, simplistic, durable.

Black is always in style and always works. Black is classic.
Traits: prestige, value, timelessness, sophistication.

We've all been there: you're generating fresh ideas for a project due in a week (or less!) and you've hit a wall. What now? Try these creativity hacks to get the ideas flowing:

1. Go for a walk
Taking a break may feel like a waste of time, but according a recent study by The British Journal of Sports Medicine, walking through green spaces can help alleviate brain fatigue. Lots of time management systems also recommend timed working sessions, like the Pomodoro technique. Set a timer, work diligently, and then take a break to keep your creativity fresh.

2. Collaborate
If you've been working on your own up until you've hit a wall, it could breathe new life into your ideas to both a) communicate your objective to someone else and b) get their perspective on your problem. When possible, run your thoughts by someone who has a different skillset (a developer, designer or project manager for example). While their feedback may not entirely meet your project goals, it could spark the next idea that will.

3. Keep a "genius" file
Ever wake up in the middle of the night with a brilliant idea and then promptly forget it? Or had dinner with a friend where you both discuss a great business concept but never actually take next steps? Log it in your genius file. You can keep it on your phone or written in a notebook, the key is to make sure you capture these ideas for future reference. Next time you're stuck, flip through your notes and see if any of your past "genius" can help your current project.

4. Reverse brainstorming
What is your project NOT? Do your best to list 25 things that will not solve your problem. It shouldn't be hard, especially if you've been given direction from a client or your boss. Once you have that list, it should be a great litmus test for your next great idea.

5. "Yes, and..."
Improv artists know this simple technique for on-the-spot story building and idea generation. Grab a friend or coworker and go back and forth discussing your project's objective until you have a breakthrough.