Breaking the Brief

IDENTIFY-What do I already know?

- Damage CTRL is hemp based - revitalizing serum for dry, wild, or cosmetically damaged hair. - Luxury product, affordably priced - Organic, plant based, sustainable produced - Eco-friendly packaging - Alternative packaging that appeals to those wanting something a little “different” - Biodegradable packaging.

AUDIENCE-Who am I talking to?

- Gender Neutral brand appealing to all orientations and identifiers. - Age range: Late teens to early thirties - Those that have alternative lifestyles - Style and aesthetic seekers

PERSONALITY-What image do I want to project?

- The personality of the brand is stylish, fashion forward, and eco aware. - Futuristic, health conscious, and alternative. - Open to the possibilities life throws our way, strong and independent, trail blazer.

RESEARCH-What are the unknowns?

- Competition. - Cost of production - Serum formulation - Market data

REQUIREMENTS-What are the parameters?

- All organic solutions (packaging and recipe) - Affordable for users, accessibilty is a pillar of Damage CTRL ethos - Gender spectrum neutral, a product of the future where gender norms are obsolete.

RESULTS-What are the final expectations?

Shuffling His Deck of Cards I Always Draw The Fool

The lightbulb, the automobile, the fidget spinner- what do they have in common? They are all groundbreaking and life-changing technologies that disrupted the mold and opened up the world to a new way of doing “the thing.” When we look to the inventors of these innovations we often assume they are drinking buddies with God or are one epidermal layer away from being pure light, but the reality-driven truth is that they are creative thinkers. Hmmmmm… Creative thinker? To most that just sounds like the grandchild that got the drawing gene from grandpa, but does it dig deeper? And if it does, is there a series of steps taken that when identified and laid out can become accessible to even the lamest laymen?

The business dictionary defines creative thinking as “a way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions.” If we are able to drop it low and welcome in a new point of view, we can change our perspective which begins to change our methods. In human-centered design we look to the community, end user, or individual to see what’s clogging the cogs. Careful note of contributing factors are taken, interviews are conducted, and real-time observations are made of the issue(s) at hand. When we empathize with the individual we are able to freshen our perspective to something we have over-looked.

A way to describe more “magical thinking” or less structured or logical thought sequences is ‘lateral thinking.’ Opposed to ‘vertical thinking,’ ‘lateral thinking’ removes fettering logic and “one may have to be wrong at some stage in order to achieve the correct solution.” De Bono states that “lateral thinking moves in order to generate a direction.” It is reactionary. It doesn’t hopscotch, it double Dutches. Lateral thinking temporarily removes the constraints of reality to open up the window to an infinite rainbow.

David Gonyo shares his tips for thinking creatively in his article “How to Think Like a Designer and Be More Creative (Even if You Hate Design)” in five steps to design thinking. The first step is to empathize and collect data. Who am I trying to solve for and what do I understand about the issue? Second phase is to define the landscape- “look for patterns and themes” and what the belly of the beast truly is. In stage ‘C’ we ideate. We generate unfiltered approaches to solving the problem. How can I fix this virus on my computer? Eat Amazonian sugar frogs! How do I keep my ice cream cold without a fridge? Call your local city council and demand art grants for space travel! In episode quatro a series of prototyping begins. We conjure potential solutions, rule out ones that can’t grab the bull by the hornets, test test test and assess the results. When a prototype proves to have what it takes to be Americas Next Top Model…. We give it to America!! The final chapter is executing or delivering our solution.

Though it is never an easy task to simply “be more creative,” a takeaway from this distorted compilation of half truths and strictly hypothetical suggestions is to adopt new points of view. Think like a bird, observe others and empathize with their needs and wants, watch films in an unfamiliar languages and get yourself out of your typical modes of thought to open yourself up to the rest of the spectrum of awareness that lays dusty while you continue to play the role you typecasted for yourself. Dare to be more than a Nicolas Cage. Break the cage. And fly through the skies of infinite possibilities.

Learning to Be a Guest