From Guy Mastrion, Chief Global Creative Officer, Palio

One of the simplest and most powerful design lessons I ever experienced was at the hands of the great American designer, Neil Fujita, while I was a student at Parsons School of Design in New York City.

One day, Neil walked into class with what has become in the age of Starbucks, a classic NYC coffee container. As we were settling down, he placed his cup of coffee right on the edge of the desk, not just at the edge, but right on the edge ─ with half the cup hanging over the floor and steam piping out the top. As he started our discussion on creating tension, our eyes riveted to the edge of his desk, and then drawn to Neil, and then back again to the cup. Neil, completely ignoring his cup, very poetically explained the importance of creative tension to a successful design.

Neil conducted an entire session on design with a cup of coffee as an object lesson. Brilliant!

In addition to being an extraordinary designer and wonderful teacher, Neil is also a passionate cook and published food columnist. Sometime after graduation, Neil invited me and my soon-to-be bride out to his place on the east end of Long Island. With the same easy essence as his coffee cup lesson, he prepared an extraordinary meal that was full of the same kind of creative tension; a juxtaposition of flavors and textures that to this day remains as memorable as his personal company.

Neil is an extraordinary man whose wit and genius is matched only by his gracious attitude. I realized over dinner that Neil sort of designs his way through life, always open to opportunities to delight in his ability to generate this wondrous creative tension. He is a natural. But what of those among us who don’t possess Neil’s innate ability? For many clients, some of their most stressful days are when they are asked to judge creative work.

For the untrained being asked to judge ideas, it can be difficult to articulate what you like and don’t like about a particular execution. Why does one version of an idea seem more appealing than another? When confronted with the task of judging creative, many clients default to talking about things like a color they might prefer, or a typeface, or the old comment that’s become a running joke, “make the logo bigger.” These types of conversations make everyone uncomfortable and worst of all, they diminish what should be an insight-driven conversation about the positive tension inherent in the idea and how the execution supports and amplifies that tension.

It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the creation of the work to give it every opportunity to be great. From project initiation to the final sign-off on the idea, the entire team must be focused on establishing a positive tension. This very dynamic honesty energizes the team, the brief, and the ideas. Without this, the work will be a struggle. Too often, the brief lacks any measure of insight that might be the driver of a powerful idea. A great brief creates tension, it pits ignorance against illumination, dark against light, joy against sadness, good against evil; it makes a hero of the ideas that it inspires. For smart creative professionals, the creative process starts with the creation of the brief.

For advertising clients especially, it is important to remember that when a creative person receives your brief, she is judging you on your ability to commit to an insight and a key thought that will be the catalyst to great creative, a tension, a balancing act, just like Neil’s coffee cup. When the results of the hard work of your extended team are hanging on the wall, remember to look for the tension inherent in the ideas. Is it the juxtaposition of copy and image? Is it a visual tension in the image itself, or the graphic design? Is it all these things in combination? What is making the idea work? What is not?

Practice giving learned critique. Ask questions, be curious about the formation and intent of the ideas and not only will it get easier and more enjoyable, it will also become more insightful. Then suddenly you will feel very much a part of the creative team and they will welcome your very meaningful contribution.

As with that cup of coffee balanced precariously on edge, you will learn that a good idea embraces you within its tension, and in that moment, you will be the victor.

Coffee anyone?