Under The Box Thinking

For the past several weeks, I’ve been learning how to use the various features of Photoshop, in order to increase my skills so that I might be a better creative communicator. One of the ways I do that is to visit a website called psd.tutsplus.com. They provide both free and premium tutorials on various ways to create graphics using the features built into Photoshop.

To determine what I’m going to create graphically, I get material from books or articles that I have been reading. Generally I will come across some phrase that sticks out. I’ll chew on that phrase and create a mental image of how that phrase would translate into a graphic.

For example, I recently read the passage in the New Testament where St. Peter walked on water and thought about what a graphic of that would look like. What I didn’t want was the same image that hundreds of others had made.  So I decided to create a graphic of what Peter walking on water would appear like if one were underwater looking up. To insure that this was a unique view, I googled the phrase “Peter walking on Water” and changed it to include words that would have an underwater view. I scanned hundreds of images and did not come across one with an underwater looking up view (Not to say there isn’t one, it’s just I didn’t come across it). Then I went about creating the graphic utilizing some recent tutorials that I had come across on how to recreate water in Photoshop. Here is the image I created, it is posted at another blog I have where I post all the graphics that I create. 

ralphsportfolio.blogspot.com 

I enjoy this graphic more than any other one that I have created. And the reason I believe I do, is because it was birthed out of a desire to do something different than I’d ever seen done before. I wanted to be creative and I succeeded. But it never would have come about had I not sought to do what is commonly referred to as “Out of the Box Thinking.”

When it comes to communicating creatively, it doesn’t take long to discover what causes a graphic or video to go viral. Whether it is in a magazine, or a commercial on TV or a Youtube video. That image or video encapsulates the essence of what you are trying to communicate in a way that your audience has never seen before. It is unique. It is out of the box.

So how does one do that creatively and still communicate your message or product? It occurs by looking at the message or product in a manner that you have never done so before. Whether it is a widget, or a message, you have to remove yourself from the ordinary way of how that idea has been communicated in the past.

In the case of Peter walking on water I had distilled the essence of what the story was dealing with, the issue of doubting verses faith, to the subject at hand, which was 'sinking in' verses 'walking on' water. Now countless others had portrayed Peter sinking from our regular point of reference, (I.E. of the other disciples viewing the event from the boat that Peter had just stepped out of). I wanted to put myself in the position of where Peter would end up if his faith didn’t hold.

Why create out of the box? In this day and age of a slow economy when you have to convince someone that they should purchase your product verses a competitors, what is going to make it stand out? By portraying it in a way that it has never been seen or used before. Take the product WD-40. When it was created it was intended for a certain use. But after it came on the market, the customers who bought WD-40, began writing back to the company all the different ways they used it. The company capitalized on these ways and integrated the customer feedback in their marketing. They could have argued and told their customers, “No, you can only use it this one way.” But they thought outside the box and let their customers drive their marketing campaign.

So how can you do that? By looking at your product, or the message you are preaching and ask yourself, how can you portray that item differently than you have in the past, or that your competitor has portrayed it in the past.

Look at the trends that are going through our culture and see how that item can find a niche that will match that trend and connect with your customer.

Be true to your companies/churches core values. Nothing is worse than a bait and switch. It may provide an initial sale, but generally will not produce repeat customers.  Also if you appear to be changing your core values, you risk losing too much of your present customer base.

Also take note of what others have tried that has failed. No sense in re-inventing the wheel. Besides you don’t want to duplicate what someone else has done, unless you want to employ parody, in which case it can work well, if done right (EG.  Weird Al Yankovic ).

By being willing to take risks and creatively communicate in a way that you haven’t done so before, you will broaden your market.  So take time to climb out of your box and if necessary look at it from underneath.