profile

Hi! I'm Nic from Studio Clvr.

Create & innovate

Published about 1 year ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader,

This Friday 21 April, is World Creativity and Innovation Day. It's got me thinking about how I what creativity is to me. Turns out, I use creativity and innovation far beyond the obvious. While merging technology and design are a core part of what I do as a web designer, my use of these skills go far beyond simply designing websites.

How I use creativity and innovation in my business:

1. Creativity is about critical thinking and problem solving

Every Studio Clvr project starts with strategy. And a key element to strategy is defining the parameters through which a project needs to function — what are the 'must haves' to deliver on business goals? What are the restrictions we need to work around and how can we dissect a site plan and rearrange it build a stronger foundation?

2. Constraints offer opportunity for innovation

Identifying project restrictions allows us to think outside the box to create something really clever. So rather than being a negative, I often think of constraints as a launchpad for creativity and an opportunity to innovate on how to do things differently.

3. Creativity develops ideas when you have the time and space to foster it

It's a universal truth that the first draft of anything is always awful. It takes time and space for creativity to germinate. I have all sorts of tools to help me develop ideas, from flowcharts to mind maps, to my favourite pen (Artline 220) and notepad (Leuchtturm1917).

4. True creativity and innovation comes from collaboration

All ideas get better in a petri dish. Innovation sparks when creativity meets other ideas, different ways of thinking, and has the opportunity to feed off more information and data. I am regularly inspired by clients, colleagues and friends, many in completely different industries from my own. Every shared musing or 'how would you...' has the potential to spark a wave of creativity.

Happy creativity and innovation, everyone!

Nic


Need some clever strategy help? Or someone to smash through your design and website tasks? A Clever Day might be just the ticket to moving your business forward! Clever, straight-up strategy and list-smashing day work for quick wins.

facebooklinkedin

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.


Hi! I'm Nic from Studio Clvr.

Check out the recent newsletters below and sign up to get more where that came from!

Read more from Hi! I'm Nic from Studio Clvr.

Hey Reader, I went to a gig last night (NYC band Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and I have to say it felt amazing to be out, absorbing culture and excitement and passion and art. This was a nice reminder of how much motivation and inspiration I get from art and culture. An album cover or gig poster may seem worlds apart from website design for professional services firms. But it's that kernel of an idea or sense of style, or even the hierarchy of design elements, that can bring life to a project in a very...

9 months ago • 1 min read

Hey Reader, I was recently asked what I do to prevent burnout when I work on mostly longer website projects and ongoing retainer contracts. The answer for me is in quick, time-based services. I'm often wondering if going back to time-based services like these go against the scale-able fee-for-service model. But I anecdotally know a lot of folks moving back to time-based services for projects that deliver a quick win to both the business and the client. I've come to a point where I'm taking a...

11 months ago • 1 min read
10 years of clever websites graphic

Hi Reader, For those who have worked with me you'll know that I ask a lot of questions. Often I even ask the same question multiple times and in lots of different ways. This can seem really boring and I know it's off-putting to some potential clients—there's a big time investment to this. But there's a reason why I start with strategy at the beginning of everything I do. A few situations have converged over the past couple of months to make me reflect on why my process is the way it is....

about 1 year ago • 3 min read
Share this post