A True Collaborative Process

“You read all of the articles?” The first time an editor asked me that question, I was taken aback. Of course I read all of the articles. How else would I know what visual style would best represent the story? Since that comment, decades ago, my process has expanded beyond reading draft articles to conducting communication audits, site visits, and audience research. Fundamentally, my goal has remained the same: understanding what makes a story—or an institution—unique. This discovery becomes the foundation for creating compelling visual direction from enrollment campaigns to alumni magazine redesigns—across video, print, and digital communications. 

Make it Personal

“Why this story for this audience?” Anyone who has worked with 2communiqué knows that is one of the first things we ask. It is the foundation for understanding the communication goals and defining the visual direction. The first part, the story, goes back to the mission statement. It is the Northstar for the story plan (read Mission-Driven Storytelling for more on this subject). The second part is the audience. 

In a time of AI-generated content, understanding your community is the only way to create unique, meaningful connections. 

Take AI as a subject. Medicine@Brown, Sewanee, and Kent Place, all addressed how their schools are working with AI. Based on their mission and community, each one has a unique approach that calls for different visual directions.

Medicine@Brown, is a magazine that “reminds alumni why they went into medicine in the first place, and why they are proud they did it at Brown.” The quote that encapsulated the special issue on AI became the coverline: “We can either have AI eat our lunch or use it to make our lives and our patients live better.” 

The visual direction had to convey that AI is here and physicians must become familiar with it so they can direct and moderate its use. We curated a selection of samples from half a dozen illustrators, some whose style felt more friendly and accessible, some more abstract and futuristic, and others that combined an accessible feeling with a futuristic bent. We discussed all of the directions with the Medicine@Brown editorial team and collectively felt that Stuart Bradford’s style was the perfect balance of data and human.

The relaunch issue of Sewanee published an article with a very different take, “AI is Okay: The bright sides of the oft-feared technology.” The story blended the university's mission of lifelong learning with the magazine's mission of "inviting readers to meet the characters" that power their community to showcase how alumni are harnessing the power.

Finally, Kent Place, the magazine for the all-girls school, also took a more optimistic approach but told the story of AI through the personal experience of one alumna. In “A Wider Perspective,” writer Laura J. Cole profiled computer science researcher Alyssa Hwang ‘16 and how she is working to make AI more useful for all of us. This perfectly aligns with the school’s motto “Brave and Brilliant Girls” and the educational foundation the students experience.

The Creative Interpretation

Once the “why” has been answered, the next step is deciding how to tell the story visually. What approach is the right fit: photography or video, illustration or animation,  typography or handlettering? What is the style and mood? 

The visual style brings a story to life—and it is what people connect with viscerally. Creating a moodboard helps to clarify the appropriate creative direction. This can include images from potential photographers or videographers, a curation of work from illustrators, motion samples, and music clips. This phase allows for everyone to align on the direction and is an important foundation for an objective review. Visual direction can be subjective, yet it shouldn’t be. What someone personally likes or dislikes is not important. How the visual direction embodies the story and speaks to your audience is what matters. Take the AI stories for example.

The visual direction for Medicine@Brown had to convey that AI is here and physicians must become familiar with it so they can direct and moderate its use. We curated a selection of samples from half a dozen illustrators, some whose style felt more friendly and accessible, some more abstract and futuristic, and others that combined an accessible feeling with a futuristic bent. We discussed all of the directions with the Medicine@Brown editorial team and collectively felt that Stuart Bradford’s style was the perfect balance of data and human.

The opening paragraph for Sewanee’s story set the tone for the visual direction: 

“The fear of artificial intelligence is real…But just as many people are excited about the promise of AI…the ways machine learning can make work easier and more efficient, and the ways AI can make our everyday lives better. Sewanee graduates are a part of the wave. From curbing homelessness to treating multiple sclerosis, alumni are harnessing the sometimes divisive technology to drive transformative change.”

The optimism of this story called for a bright style. The artists we selected all had vibrant color palettes with styles ranging from graphic to painterly to contemplative. Our editorial partner, Maureen Harmon, and the team at Sewanee all felt that the bright, painterly style of Anne Laval perfectly represented the story and Sewanee.

For Kent Place, we selected the editorial photographer, Dave Moser, to capture portraits of Alyssa in abstract environments, including the geometric windows along with tighter cropped portraits to feel like we can also sense her brain working. Both the cover and feature opener were enhanced with linework to represent the qualities of AI.

Collaboration and Trust

With a final script or draft and curated samples, the creative work begins—and it is a process. Unlike selecting stock imagery, crafting original visual work requires iteration, review, and collaboration. And because a final image should not be edited by anyone other than the creator, it means clear, direct communication at the onset. Along with a curated selection of the artist’s work, we share the article draft with highlighted excerpts and notes and a creative brief that includes information about the client and the goals for the story. In addition, more complex assignments often call for a story meeting over Zoom to review the project and discuss visual direction.

Yet, despite sharing the draft with copious notes for direction, the photos or sketches you receive may miss the mark. That is why this phase is the most vulnerable for the art director or designer. We have all had a photo shoot not work out: the subject wasn’t cooperative, the setting wasn’t ideal, or the weather was terrible. Or sketches make you scratch your head and ponder what the illustrator was thinking. 

This is the time for trust and collaboration—not judgment—to get the assignment back on track. Revisiting the story to select key themes is useful. If a headline and deck wasn’t originally shared, this can help clarify the story direction. If a headline was already written, can it be rewritten to create a cohesive narrative with photographs that are compelling but not an exact alignment with the original direction? How can typography or hand lettering and graphic elements enhance the visuals and bring cohesion?

Fortunately, most of the time the photographer or illustrator exceeds your expectations. However, when they don’t, working as a team to problem solve can lead to unexpected success. 

The Final Edit

Video assets complete, final photographs in, sketches approved—it is time to create the final story. Whether that is the final edit of the video, designing a feature opener for a magazine, or the creative for a campaign, creative direction is a process. It begins with an idea that is nurtured through a process with collaboration and respect at the heart of great work.