We’re a hybrid business these days, with the PB team no longer just in the office. We’re everywhere from Kent to Cardiff. That makes dropping in on Teams (or ideally in person) even more important to help with daily workflow and catching up on everything that’s going on.
Lee, our remotest worker, called in from Cardiff to Mike, Team PB’s Creative Director to take a break from all things branding, websites, and meetings for a quick creative conversation over t’internet.
What have you been working on today?
I’ve just come off the phone from a charity about a proposal we’d provided for a website project, and discussing the next steps so we can kick things off.
How did that project come about?
It came through LinkedIn from a CEO who had worked previously with a member of the team. He really liked that we were quite straight talking and gave good honest advice on the best way forward.
What do you like about the project?
It feels good to help a charity grow digitally in the direction they want to achieve by providing a service they aren’t able to deliver themselves.
Isn’t this the same for all clients?
Yes of course, it’s the same approach for all our clients big and small. We’ve become the go-to for in-house teams needing extra resource or digital skill.
When you get a brief, what’s the approach to getting the creative right?
Everything is produced from the brief so it’s important that is right from the get-go. Once agreed, and creative is in full swing, we go through or work together as a team and critique what is working well and where there might be areas of improvement or opportunity. That’s repeated umpteen times until we get it 100% right.
How do you get the best ideas?
There are two sides to this. One half is down to innate creative talent and having the right people on the team who can ideate. The other is drawing together research and insights that inspire and help us to meet the brief – it all helps to focus the mind.
Knowing your audience, right?
We know what the objectives are of what we’re producing – who it’s for, in terms of audience, and any other research and insights that’s informed the brief. You take all that information and get started.
Can you explain your love of Post-Its?
I’ve always loved a good old fashioned Post-It. There’s nothing quite like them as a collaborative tool and idea generator, especially when you get everyone involved in sticking their thoughts on walls. We use the MIRO app and other tech alternatives, but real paper Post-Its definitely still have their place.
How do you get your own inspiration?
Occasionally, I can come up with a really cracking idea straight to screen. It does happen, but not all the time. Sometimes I just sit and think, ‘I haven’t got a clue.’
For me personally, I get my best ideas when I’m doing something completely unrelated – like on the drive home or in the middle of a casual chat – and then I just need to remember to write it down!
Does music help you to get creative?
I always put on instrumental music, usually a film soundtrack. Nothing with lyrics as that can distract me in thinking through an idea.
Do you prefer public or private sector projects?
I love working across both. Each presents different sets of challenges with different processes to follow, and you can bring the best of both to projects. Private sector work can have more freedom to be creative, but the restrictions that can come with public sector projects can also result in the need for more creative solutions to meet a brief.
What does the future look like?
Digital will keep on motoring on at the pace it is now. That’s not going to change, if anything it will get quicker. AI is a great example of that and how we best use that technology to assist (not replace) what we’re doing.
The video side of the business is also growing and our reputation for place branding has really taken off, with branding requests on the rise too. Our expertise in accessibility has also benefited our web development work for both private business and public sector clients.
As a full-service agency, there’s also lots of opportunities ahead – from PR and content to creative, digital and design.
The future (at the moment) is looking really positive.
