How to Continuously Cultivate Creativity in your Design Agency

Creativity can be defined in many ways, but suffice to say, one can describe it as the freedom of expression and the freedom of choice.

Studies have shown that cultivating a forward thinking, corporate and cultural structure, yields a happier and more productive workforce, one that’s bound to tap into its creativity and conjure up something absolutely amazing.

Now, those are the moments worth living for, that make work something we truly love to do. Some of the world’s most admired companies operate in more progressive organizational structures. Having said that, freedom of expression and being a part of the creative process is not restricted to the likes of Google or Apple, it’s something very relevant and accessible to smaller companies, agencies and any other creative entities.

Just imagine: it doesn’t matter what kind of role you have in the creative industry, whether you’re a copywriter, traffic manager, marketing co-ordinator, IT administrator, project manager, junior designer, accountant, digital marketer, project lead or account executive, we all have the capacity to tap into our creative vistas, and capitalize on them. The trick is to find ways to get those juices flowing and sustainable, whilst remaining productive in a process driven environment.

6 Ways to Stimulate Creativity:

1. The Playstation 4. Need I say more? (We all know that one should be first on the list).
2. Encourage a relaxed environment that offers a flexible time table and work life balance policy. It’s all about acknowledging and easing up on the micromanaging.
3. Mix things up. Try working one day a week from home, or take your work to a coffee shop nearby.
4. Challenge each other and encourage constructive discussion. Learning and teaching amongst your peers plays an important role in encouraging creativity.
5. Sometimes it’s good to move away from the office and hold meetings outdoors in the sun, or in a cafe. This encourages everyone to be relaxed without any confines.
6. While it’s important to be efficient in prioritizing and completing your work, it’s just as equally important that you have ‘me’ time every now and again. Whats ‘me’ time? Check the weather, answer that ‘important’ Facebook message, surf a little, listen to some tunes and get inspired to produce some outstanding work while you’re at it!

This article was contributed by former Function Point team member, Jo Bowron.