Subject Name: Understanding the Creative Process

Audience: Account Managers, Brand Manager or aspiring Creatives

Pre-requisites:
• Two years relevant work experience in marketing, advertising,
media, PR, production or design, or
• Completion of AFA AdSchool Foundation plus one year
relevant work experience

Year/Semester: 2006

General Description
The course is designed for anyone working in the communication business, account
managers/directors, aspiring creatives, production assistants, brand or product
managers. It provides an understanding of the purpose and process of developing
creative work in an advertising agency and all relevant issues in the creative process
from brief to market success.

The course examines the competing factors of "brilliant instinct" as opposed to the
disciplines of the marketing process; the diligence of research and its interpretation;
strategic thinking and an understanding of positioning and brand identity, the
considerations for cost effectiveness and the necessity for teamwork. Creative
execution and the reasons behind its effectiveness will be covered as well as technical
terms such as copy, captions and come-ons, scripts, visuals and storyboards,
production techniques, innovations, styles and costs and communication values.

Highly recommended for people planning to complete the Copywriting or Introduction

to Art Direction course.

Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students will

1. Have a sound understanding of the purpose and process of developing creative

work in an advertising agency;
2. Be conversant with all relevant issues in the creative process from brief to market
success;
3. Understand the importance of originality and flair, the value of logic and the
necessity for team work and thorough review in developing effective and creative
advertising;
4. Be able to brief and evaluate creative work;
5. Be able to effectively present or support creative submissions.

 AFA AdSchool – Understanding the Creative Process

Course Content

Week 1 Introduction
The Importance of Ideas
A new era of creativity
Overview of the Creative Process
The role of creative
The creative personality

Week 2 The Brief

Using research to create strategy
Team strategy development
Single-mindedness
Substance
Briefing to inspire
Budgets and Deadlines

Week 3 The Birth of the Idea

Different approaches to generating ideas
General Principles

Week 4 Print
The print environment
The power of simplicity
Fundamentals of print advertising
Technical Points

Week 5 Television
The television environment
Scripting
Fundamentals of Television advertising

Week 6 Other Media – Other Disciplines

Radio environment
Radio fundamentals
Outdoor
Direct Marketing environment
Direct Marketing fundamentals
Retail Advertising

Week 7 The Power of Brands and Campaigns

Building the brand into the ad
The power of a strong consistent brand
Creating a property
Integrated campaigns
Brand personality

 AFA AdSchool – Understanding the Creative Process

Week 8 Evaluation and Presentation of Creative Work
The approval process
Judging the work
Client involvement in the creative process
Presenta tion Technique

Week 9 Concept testing and production

Concept testing
The argument for
The argument against
Giving the idea the best chance in research
Print production

Week 10 TV pre-production, Awards and the future of creativity

Television pre-production
Television shoots & post-production
Are advertising awards relevant?
The future of the Creative Process

Week 11 Exam

Please note that order of session topics may change

Teaching & Learning Strategies

The best way to gain insight into the creative process is through practical experience.

Industry experts will provide an insight into specific areas and workshops will
encourage participation and practical involvement by the students. In Weeks 2 to 7
students will be given a different creative brief to respond to by the following week.
This is designed to allow students to put the principles discussed in the course into
practice and to experience the emotions involved in creating ideas and presenting
them in front of their peers.

Assessments

Assessment Item 1: Creative Concepts in Response to Briefs

Assessment Value: 50%
Due Date: Weeks 3 to 8 inclusive

A different creative brief will be briefed each week from Week 2 as follows:

1: Develop two simple ideas in answer to a brief for a print ad.

2: Develop a campaign of three ads in answer to a brief for a print campaign.

3: Each student is given a copy of an advertisement for which they have to work out
the brief / creative strategy and then develop a new advertisement based on that
same brief / creative strategy.

4: Develop two simple scripts in answer to a television brief.

5: Develop a campaign of three radio scripts in answer to a retail radio brief.

 AFA AdSchool – Understanding the Creative Process

6: Develop an idea for an integrated campaign that can be used across all media -
television, radio and print.

7: Develop three executions in answer to a poster campaign brief.

Assessment Evaluation Criteria

Each creative response is given a mark out of 10 based on whether it meets the brief.
If the solution does not meet the brief it fails, no matter how clever it might be. If it is
on brief, it passes, even if it’s boring or predictable. The final mark will reflect the best
5 of the 7 submitted by each student assessed as follows, contributing 50% of the total
course mark:

Meeting the brief 25%

Originality and creativity of execution: 25%

Assessment Item 2: Class Presentation of Creative Concepts

Assessment Value: 25%
Due Date: Weeks 3 to 8 inclusive

Each student is required to present his or her answer to the class the week after the
brief is given

Assessment Evaluation Criteria

Students will be assessed on their ability to articulate their thoughts and solution in a
relevant and effective way. Class members are invited to critique / assess the work
against the brief requirements, in order to help develop their reasoning skills and
secondly, their ability to present their thinking concisely.

Assessment Item 3: Examination

Assessment Value: 25%
Due Date: Week 11

The final exam provides students with a list of questions, from which they have to
answer 10. Each question is worth a maximum of 2.5 marks for a possible exam total
of 25. Answers are marked on their clarity, comprehension and comprehensiveness.

Grades
This is a graded course. All assessment tasks must be completed a nd submitted and
a satisfactory level overall must be achieved to pass. Assessment grades and final
grades in the course will be High Distinction / Distinction / Credit / Pass / Fail.

Grading Descriptors
High Distinction: Work of outstanding quality on all objectives of the course, which
may be demonstrated by means of criticism, logical argument,
interpretation of materials or use of methodology. This grade may
also be given to recognise particular originality or creativity.
Distinction: Work of superior quality on all objectives, demonstrating a sound
grasp of content, together with efficient organisation and
selectivity.
Credit: Work of good quality showing more than satisfactory achievement
on all objectives, or work of superior quality on most of the
objectives of the course.

 AFA AdSchool – Understanding the Creative Process

Pass: Work showing a satisfactory achievement on the overall
objectives of the course.
Fail: Unsatisfactory performance in one or more objectives of the
course as contained within the assessment items.

Fail (less than 50%), Pass (50%-64%), Credit (65%-74%), Distinction (75%-84%),
High Distinction (over 85%)

Minimum Course Requirements

Students are required to attend a minimum of 7 out of 10 classes. If a student fails to
deliver any assignment within two weeks of getting the brief they get no marks for that
assignment.

Recommended Reading

Aitchison, J, 1999: CUTTING EDGE ADVERTISING: HOW TO CREATE THE

WORLD’S BEST PRINT FOR BRANDS IN THE 21ST CENTURY,
Prentice Hall, Singapore

Aitchison, J. 2004: Cutting Edge Advertising 2, Prentice Hall, Singapore

Aitchison, J. 2003: Cutting Edge Radio, Prentice Hall, Singapore

Aitchison, J 2001: CUTTING EDGE COMMERCIALS; HOW TO CREATE THE

WORLD’S BEST TV ADS FOR BRANDS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Prentice Hall, New York

Australian Writers and Art Directors Association, 2004 AWARD Annual

[& any other AWARD annuals]. Available from Two de Force or Foliograph Books.

Designers and Art Directors Association 1999, The Copy Book, RotoVision, S.A.
[& any other D&AD publications (UK)]. Available from Foliograph Books.

One Club for Art & Copy (NY), The One Show, [Annual of advertising's best print,
radio, TV].

Brown, M, People, Brands & Advertising,

Bullmore, J, Behind the Scenes in Advertising, NTC Publications

Crompton, A.1992, The Craft of Copywriting, Hutchinson, London.

Heath, R. 2001, ‘The Hidden Power of Advertising’, Admap Monograph No.7

Newman, Mike: Creative Leaps: 10 lessons in Effective Advertising Inspired at Saatchi

& Saatchi, Singapore 2002, John Wiley & Sons

Newman, Mike, The 22 Irrefutable Laws of Advertising (and when to violate them),
Singapore 2004, John Wiley & Sons

 AFA AdSchool – Understanding the Creative Process