One of the things I love the most in life is being connected to cutting edge technology and the latest trends in design and culture. I’m getting chills only thinking about all the amazing things just waiting to be discovered!

I know there are a lot of people of the belief that your skill is what matters more than the technology which your are using, but in my opinion is an absolute must for a great creative director to be the first to learn about a new trend, a new piece of technology, a new change in culture. Otherwise… how is a creative leader going to innovate and lead creative decisions?

I still remember with a glowing warmth when I got my first Apple computer and how it totally rocked my world upside down, propelling me in a total new level and direction aesthetically and thinking wise.

In the end, our skills are very much dependent on the tools we are using. If you are using outdated technology, then your creative process is probably going to be outdated too. It goes the same way in every field.

Well, the first sign of a great creative director is the aforementioned always staying in touch with the latest technologies and trends.

1. They are always learning and always curious.

Often times being in this position, especially working as an independent, has pushed me to learn new things and develop new skills.

It basically pushes you out of your comfort zone and it makes you not get comfy and lazy in your nice office chair. There were so many times when I just wanted to shrink and pass on a client project than to have to learn yet another new thing, but the times I didn’t, always made me very happy I didn’t fold to my insecurities.

4. Great creative directors also don’t have a preferred color, fixed design style or favorite font.

If you are working with a creative director and no matter what you are trying to express to them, they keep coming back with the same color palette and the same style, it means they don’t really… direct.

In this business you have to be versatile and you have to adapt. This field moves at lightning speed. What works for one client, might not work for another. What worked yesterday, might not work today.

With every new project I try to remind myself to always push myself stylistically and to not have a “go to” font choice or a “go to” style of design, because that becomes redundant and constricting. If you always do what you have done before, than you will end up mediocre at best.

It’s one thing to have a personal touch that radiates throughout one’s entire work, and it’s a completely different thing to self-plagiarize. A lot of people don’t realize that, but always look for versatility in the portfolio of a designer or creative director that you want to work with, because that might be the difference between your brand being a success or a failure.

7. A good creative director is more or less an influencer.

Creative directors are usually inspiring beings, and not just because of their vast experience in the creative field and brilliant ideas, but also by offering mentorship and consulting to the people or companies that need it.

Staying ahead of the curve is always a desirable trait, especially when paired with communication skills that win negotiations, so that puts creative directors in positions of influence. Look for irresistible pitches and charming presentations, and you got yourself a great creative director!

And since this article is almost over, do you have any further questions on how to choose the right creative director for your branding? Let me know! And please sign up for my newsletter. I’m always looking for sparkling conversations.

For the longest time now, luxury brands seemed like the most coveted yet unreachable thing to possess or experience. For the longest time I feel like luxury brands made this fatal mistake to make themselves look too unattainable. And while the affordability factor still speaks to a select few, the rise of social networks and the web in general made luxury brands more visible than ever.

Customers nowadays don’t just crave, but demand, that you show them the insides of your brand.

Thanks to social networks based on images or videos, like Instagram or Snapchat, we can now get a sneak peek of the design process of an exclusive haute couture dress being sewed, or a bold statement necklace composed of hundreds of diamonds. We can also view into the lives of the people who decide to invest into these items and others more, and we can feel closer than ever to that lifestyle.

So how does a luxury brand convey the air of mystery and exclusivity, while remaining current with the times and presenting themselves from a fresh perspective to new waves of customers and demographics?

Through humanization.

Let me explain…

In the past few years the talk in design circles has been all about “human-centric” and “user experience”. What does that mean to a normal person? It means that you put your best efforts forward in order for your customers and fans to have a great experience and feel good whenever they get in touch with you, your product and – overall – your brand.

A few ways, in my opinion, in which a premium brand can humanize their user (or customer) experience and branding are these:

Whenever a person feels heard and understood, he/she feels valued.

And a premium brand is all about value. You are offering an experience so amazing, that price becomes a non-issue for the person looking to attain that experience (whether through a product or a service).

Negative feedback should not be ignored either, as you can learn from it or just prove that what you are doing is great.

This speaks, again, to making them feel valued and important. If that means hiring an extra person to take care of customer service, so be it.

Another great way to interact with your customers is by sharing user generated content whenever possible (and when it aligns with your brand’s guidelines and visual style).

Nowadays everything becomes more and more digital, so in order to future proof your brand, it’s a must that you take your digital efforts seriously. That means constant attention to quality content that gets put out in the world with your name on it. And yes, consistency.

Just because someone might not be able to afford to experience your brand right now, it doesn’t mean they won’t be able to do so a few years down the road, or even a few months from now on.

A huge part of a solid premium branding is inspiring potential customers to raise their standards or their quality of life in order to be able to experience some of the more finer things in life, whether that is simply just more free time or their own private jet.

Even better: give them a cause or something meaningful to aspire to.

The most effective branding identities and advertising campaigns are all centered around emotion. The stronger and deeper, the better. So think about what exactly moved you deeply and made you want to create your brand or product to begin with. Create a wonderful story around it. Which leads me to…

People love stories. If you have a great story about you or your brand, don’t be afraid to tell it every time you get the chance. You can make it very professional, but maintain a trace of authenticity because people love everything that feels real and they can connect with or relate to.

Life is all about flow and adaptability. Sometimes is better to shake things up than to be stuck and paralyzed by fear or inaction.

One of the things characterizing the world today is the fast consumption of information and short attention span. Therefore, you need to reinvent your brand on a constant basis if you want to avoid being perceived as “stale” and deprecated.

These are my first 7 action steps to humanize your luxury brand. Do you know one that I missed? Let me now, I always love great conversations!

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A few weeks ago I was contacted by Zero Gravity brand, who makes wonderful phone cases, and offered a collaboration for content creation.

Seeing how wonderful, stylish and unique their products are (and also how perfectly their mission statement aligns with mine) I immediately accepted and got creative.

How wonderfully stated:

ZERO GRAVITY® fuses fashion + function to give you the best iPhone cases for girls and guys that seek style and protection. Our iPhone case designs are modern yet eye-catching and inspired by fashion, art, and pop culture. We celebrate individuality because we believe everyone has something to say. Give your iPhone some personality and #UpYourCaseGame.

What I love the most about working with brands like Zero Gravity is that I have total creative freedom and I can also create something beautiful that people are excited about seeing.

If you think you might benefit from my creative direction and visual storytelling talents, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line: info@klangwelt.com (I check my email daily).

Is your business or your profession one that changes people’s lives?

At first glance, you might be inclined to say: “Well… no?” But let’s look a little closer!

No matter if you are a small independent fashion brand, a big couture house, a skillful performer, a top cosmeceutical product, a starting beauty blogger or a luxury spa chain with offices sprinkled all over the globe, your end goal is to reach and touch people’s lives. To give them an experience that feels transformative.

What you do every day has an impact on your customers and since you put so much effort into creating unforgettable experiences for them, experiences that will make them want to come back to you again and again, why not treat having a great online experience with the same importance?

In today’s digital economy, don’t make it hard for people to find you online!

Nowadays people spend more and more time on their mobile devices and their computers than they do strolling around the city searching for new businesses to discover. So don’t make it hard for them to discover you online! On the web, people can find you in a fraction of a second and they can end up buying from you within minutes if your website is well designed, easy to use and navigate, mobile friendly, and offers engaging content.

Great design is only one side to good branding, but – ultimately – great design changes people’s lives.

When we invest a lot of time, money, passion and / or resources into something, we feel like IT becomes a part of us, like it is our little baby, and it becomes really hard to detach ourselves from it and let it go when time comes.

I mean… I get it! I am the same way about my projects and the things that I create and it becomes so difficult to realize that maybe it’s time to let it go, maybe it’s time to refresh. I’ve procrastinated for weeks months revamping and rethinking my portfolio (and my branding in general) because I am so attached to all the years and all the work I’ve put into the projects you can see on this website that I became… paralyzed. Paralyzed into inaction, paralyzed into indecisiveness, afraid that is going to hurt my business, my clients, my… entire life.

But the thing about holding on to things that no longer serve us (or are just outdated) is that they hinder us. They hinder our progress and clutter the space that we could fill with more meaningful things. Because in my opinion, life should be all about unforgettable, inspiring and meaningful moments. Life should be all about those moving experiences that shake the way you’ve been looking at things and transform your daily grind into magical times.

How can you let go of something that is outdated today? Is there anything new and fresh that you would like to incorporate into your life? Into your brand? Into your work? Has the fear of letting go ever froze you into a smaller version of yourself?