• Collaborating on Creative Reviews

    September 15, 2014

    There are lots of challenges that go along with project workflow, particularly during the creative review and approval process. Oftentimes creative content is reviewed by a group, not a single individual. And groups of reviewers tend to have different perspectives on how content should be revised, …

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  • Why You Need a War Room

    July 09, 2014

    War rooms, breakout rooms, pods, cafés—what do they all have in common? They are must-haves spaces for creative professionals to come up with new ideas. Without these areas, collaboration and brainstorming would be a bust. Here’s why your in-house agency needs designated space for idea generation. …

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  • Culture: The Ultimate Interior

    July 02, 2014

    • by IHAF Staff

    When we think of the stereotypical agency environment, images of Ping-Pong tables, lava lamps and overstuffed fluorescent chairs come to mind. Sure, outside agencies may have more freedom when it comes to furniture choices and paint colors, but that shouldn’t condemn in-house interiors to be …

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  • Creating Creative Spaces—One Wall at a Time

    June 30, 2014

       One of the smartest things an in-house agency can do is align itself with its facilities or building management group. Now I can’t say creative connections are what every facilities team is after, but it’s been my experience that we have a lot in common. In-house agencies and facilities groups …

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  • Space Matters

    June 23, 2014

    Corporate space design has evolved significantly over the past 15 years. Coveted corner offices are a thing of the past—replaced by open floor plans and low cubes. Where your employees sit and their personal space is a hot topic. When planning for space changes, you need to consider the different …

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  • Advancing Your Client/Creative Relationships

    June 16, 2014

    Relationships between creative team members and clients can be good, bad or downright ugly. Whatever it is, your goal should always be ongoing improvement of your client relationships.

    The interaction between clients and creatives during projects often invites opportunities for conflict. When …

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  • Changing Your Relationship Status

    June 02, 2014

    As the service-minded design group that once was blossoms into a strategic superpower within your organization, you’ll find your team’s credibility growing—and your responsibilities tripling. What do you mean you can’t design an award-winning logo, lead an international conference call, present …

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  • Creative Respect: Earn It, Don't Expect It

    May 26, 2014

    Over my career, I’ve had many conversations with in-house creative colleagues related to getting respect from clients. Actually, I had one last week. Common refrains include, “They just don’t get it” or “They don’t understand design” and my personal favorite, “They’re art directing me!” So, how do …

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  • Are You Stuck in 51/49 Thinking?

    May 19, 2014

    A number of years ago, when I was at Bose, we embarked on a transformative journey—a journey to eradicate 51/49 thinking. What is 51/49? It’s a term we used to characterize the balance of power between the in-house agency and its clients. On one hand when you’re in house, you all work for the same …

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  • Keying In on KPIs

    May 14, 2014

    Taking the time to establish annual success metrics for your in-house agency may not sound like fun to a creative team, but it can reap rewards throughout the year—particularly when it comes to managing clients. Nothing boosts success better than clearly defined key performance indicators (KPIs) …

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