working like a mother, without the guilt

“Life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The piña and the colada.” -Ellen DeGeneres

The best thing that happened to me was being laid off 18 months ago. I found my happy place here at greenlight. Not only is the work that we get to do amazing. But it’s the culture that makes it worth it. It was on our annual retreat last year when I finally learned how to let go of my working mom guilt.

We had a group session led by Rocky Garza of Staff Retreat Co. where I was able to tell myself how lucky I am to be mom to two amazing young men and that all this guilt is coming from me.

This isn’t a new problem, though; it’s a common feeling in working moms everywhere. Literally. Of course, I am not resentful of stay-at-home moms. I actually did that when my second son was born and stopped working for 5 years.

In 2010, my time to go back to work and single mom it came without a choice. My oldest son took it in his stride, but my youngest, just about to start kindergarten? That’s a lot for one kid to experience all at once. I could not help but feel guilty about the changes going on in their world.

As a newly single mom, the struggles were real and made me feel that I wasn’t doing well at work or home. But after years of perfecting the balance (and thanks to Rocky and greenlight retreats) one of my favorite things my youngest ever said to me couldn’t have happened if I wasn’t making it work. I asked him what he thinks about when he thinks about me and he said, “your personality.” To which I asked, what about my personality? He said you're sweet, kind, loving, funny and hard working. Hard working. He knew this at 10.

-Alex Liesner, Account Director

how design live

Last week I got to go to Chicago for HOW Design Live for my “Employee Enrichment Program.” What is that you ask? Well, every two years that you work for greatest agency, greenlight, you get to pick a conference you would like to attend and they send you! This conference not only brought in people from everywhere around the world but also from all different positions in the creative world. I learned so much from all the speakers, so I couldn’t wait to get back and share with the team! Today, I thought I would share some of my favorite pieces of advice I gathered:

1. Don’t be afraid to be weird
2. Don’t confuse fear with discomfort
3. Be the expert in the room
4. Fall in love with the process
5. Believe in your flyness, conquer your shyness
6. Make Things, Inspire People and Create Change
7. Live Purposely (not purposefully), Live Generously and Live Intentionally
8. If you’re playing it safe, you’re not playing at all
9. Keep bringing your ideas to the table even when the “big guys” aren’t asking for them
10. Critique is at the core of collaboration

What am I going to start applying to myself today? Definitely believing in my flyness, conquering my shyness and falling in love with the process. I hope at least one of these pieces of advice inspires you and that you will share with your own team!

-Celeste Randall, designer

find your fit

Go with your gut. That’s the only way you can find an internship that’s right for you. Well any position really, but for our right now, it’s an internship. As we open up our call for summer interns, it got me thinking about what really goes into that decision process, from the intern side. It’s nerves, it’s mass emails with copy and pasted notes, it’s sending the wrong cover letter, it’s paying attention to detail. What it should be, though, is showing who you are, being loud, spellchecking an email three times and being selective. We want to find young pros who are passionate about where they work because that’s how you get great work. And it’s more fun. So take your time, don’t forget what you stand for, and make sure the agency you choose stands for you. We hope that’s greenlight!

If you think it is, get on over here (greenlightad.com/babydinosaurs) and apply. We can’t wait to hear you roar.

-Claire Higgins, Brand Strategist

in·spi·ra·tion

As creatives we are often left staring at a blank page or screen waiting for inspiration to strike, and we know all too well that that is simply not how it works.

So how does inspiration work?

Inspiration is defined as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” It is a process that I believe is constantly happening in the back of our minds and in order to tap into it we must occupy our brain with something other than the task at hand. Listening to music, walking in nature, looking at a painting, cooking a meal, conversing with someone who has a completely different outlook on life than you, these are all ways that can spark inspiration.

I truly value stepping away from a creative problem and looking at beautiful and inspiring images for even a few minutes each day (ahem, I have over 11 thousand pins on Pinterest). When thinking of inspiration this phrase comes to mind “A watched pot never boils.” Yes I know this is a cooking term, but it applies to design as well. When we sit looking at a creative problem for too long it seems like we may never find the solution. But if you step away and occupy your mind with something else…That’s when the ideas start boiling over.

-Kaitlyn Coffee, Art Director

"helpers high"

Words like helper and helpfulness have always followed me around – they would pop up in every personality quiz I took. At first, I resented it. Don't get me wrong – I love to give back. It just seemed like a trait that would be a burden to carry around. But once I gave in and embraced this helpfulness, I began to realize how rewarding the simple act of helping out felt. Then I found greenlight. Helpfulness flourishes here, regardless of title, because greenlight thrives on being a team, collaboration and being part of something bigger. Helping others triggers the "mesolimbic system" or portion of the brain that releases feelings of reward. It's that feeling after a day spent volunteering for a foundation you're passionate about or simply getting the door for someone who can’t. These sometimes even instinctive actions are proven to boost self-esteem and give you a greater sense of belonging.

A couple ways you can trigger this "helpers high" at work? Offer to contribute on a tough problem-solving brainstorm or lend a hand on a coworker's project. Proof read an email or offer to take something off someone’s seemingly never ending to-do list. I guarantee the reward is worth the extra effort to help out – just ask any greenlighter.

-Jamey Molberg, Agency Operations Lead

Mental Health in the office

Mental health in the office – Start the conversation

Have you ever noticed it’s difficult to work when you have the flu? Between the sneezing fits and exhaustion, it’s hard to focus on the job at hand. Now, imagine feeling just as terrible but every day and without the ability to take extended time off. This is common for people living with a psychological disorder. While perceptions are improving in society as a whole, in the professional realm the topic of mental health continues to carry a negative connotation.

Here’s a fun fact: 1 in 5 adult Americans suffer from some form of mental health disorder. That’s 42.5 million people who walk into work silently battling an inner storm their colleagues may know nothing about. It’s time to start the conversation and talk more about mental health. Office culture is more important than ever, so with that in mind, this taboo subject is something worth exploring. Open dialogue in the office fosters understanding and acceptance, and it benefits the company by boosting productivity and employee retention.

Companies like greenlight have found a way to create an open, inclusive culture. Each employee is like a member of the family. We are valued individually, just as much as the business. What better way to cultivate a collaborative work environment than by promoting self-assurance and support just like a family. We are all creative, and Sylvia Plath said it best, “the worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt.”

-Lauren Rasins, Creative Coordinator

Super Bowl marketing smarts

We’ve been keeping an eye on the Super Bowl spots that’ll hit our TV screens on Sunday, but one in particular has stuck with me. Mainly because it’s a company I’ve never heard of, so I’m intrigued, but also because they’re smart. 84 Lumber — First time Super Bowl advertisers and already pros. This private company is being talked about on a national level before the Super Bowl even airs. Crazy. Although controversial, they’re brought into the spotlight, and people will certainly be talking about them long after the Super Bowl airs.

What’s interesting, though, is that they’re ready for this. They’ve got a paid ad on Google. They’ve issued statements about how their spot is too controversial for TV. At the end of the day, it’s smart marketing. 84 Lumber is using the current political climate to create a buzz around a brand that would have never crossed the minds (or the televisions) of most American people. And they’re doing it to recruit 84 Lumber employees. They say they want people with grit and passion. And my bet is that they get just who they want. They’re planning to break the internet by skirting Super Bowl rules and play the original version (that was deemed “too political” Super Bowl broadcaster, Fox) followed by a link to search employment opportunities.

Albeit the most expensive recruitment campaign I’ve ever seen, I’m predicting it a success. It won’t be just the passionate watching online, but the curious and furious, too (I did). And I’d bet you they’re going to get more applicants for 84 Lumber than they’ve ever received before.

http://www.adweek.com/creativity/84-lumbers-ad-about-a-mexican-family-is-sure-to-court-controversy-was-that-the-plan-all-along/

-Olivia Cole, COO

typography

Do you ever look at a menu, sign, or anything with type on it and think, “OH DEAR” and then run away from it as fast as your can and try to block it from your memory forever? Well, this is a daily occurrence for me as a designer. Typography is something we encounter every day whether you realize it or not, so my only hope is that we can all appreciate the small details after this. Type choice can make or break a design, so let me give you a few tips:

1. Design with intention, simplification and composition in mind – There are many different styles from which typefaces are derived, such as Old Style, Modern, Square Serif, Sans Serif and Script. Depending on who or what your design is targeting, choose your type style wisely.
2. Learn to Kern – kerning has to do with the spacing between each letter. You want all of them to be equal, but sometimes you have to adjust them because your eyes can play tricks on you.
3. Be a Leader – leading is the distance between each line of copy. If there isn’t enough leading then your block of copy will be really tight and hard to read. If there is too much leading then your lines can start to look like separate thoughts. It’s safe to use 1.25-1.5x the point size of your font as your leading.

-Celeste Randall, Graphic Designer

news + design

There’s no question that web design really allows for endless creativity. And I think we all know by now that the internet has made news more than accessible and abundant. So I’m here to say: Designers and journalists rejoice! We can work together! More freedom in design means more ways to tell news stories. Design should make news look as important as it is. We shouldn’t slack on staying informed just because it’s not in the morning paper. And we shouldn’t slack on design just because it’s “bad” news. Instead, use design to better inform. Get creative with graphics and video, experiment with telling stories in ways that make people want to read the news. Now, I leave you with the media sites doing just that. Some are simple, some more complex, but each one presents all kinds of news in a compelling, smart way and that, to me, is the beauty of creative storytelling and what can make news exciting. I encourage you to check these out and actually take some time to read. Really, it’s good for your brain!

-Claire Higgins, Brand Strategist

design trend predictions

It’s that time of year again. All of the design-savvy pubs are letting us “creative types" in on the design trends that are headed our way for the New Year. It’s fun reading, and there are plenty of setters out there letting us know what’s going to be trendy, but year after year I can’t help but notice an old stand-by that creeps on the list; minimalism. For one, if it’s on the list every year, then it’s not a trend. And two, minimalism isn’t a trend at all – it’s a movement. Minimalism broke on the post-WW2 scene in American visual arts and has never left. And for us in the commercial visual arts, it’s a mighty coup in our creative quiver. When you’re competing for eyeballs in a world where a literal half-second is worth more than a whole minute; a simple concept, word and visual is your secret weapon. Clever and stunningly simple communication and design is tried and true, and apparently trendy too. Take that 21st Century!

-Todd Lancaster, Creative Director

responsive design

Remember the adage, “You have seven seconds to grab their attention?” For us ad folk, this originated around radio and TV, then morphed into the mantra for print, and eventually web. But thanks to Steve Jobs et al, seven seconds now feels like seven minutes. Actually, Litmus.com says 51% of recipients delete your email within two seconds of opening it. People are busy, folks. That’s one reason why you’ll be hearing “mobile first” even more loudly in 2017. So when we sit down to design and develop emails, designers need to focus on designing for mobile, then expanding that to desktop. The challenge in 2017 is catching your audience in that crucial fraction of time it takes to swipe up. Having design that looks good and works on smartphones is what’s going to make that difference.

-Damon Dycus, Web Developer

importance of refinement

Maybe you’ve come across people who seemed to “have it,” though they weren’t more imaginative, more talented, or had some ethereal quality others lacked, but definitely had something that made their work more… finished. That mysterious quality was likely the practice of refinement. Where some will work until they’re tired of looking at something, or have procrastinated until time ran out and the client needs SOMETHING. NOW., the artist who refines will create work that elicits unprovoked compliments from passers by. Spending a few extra moments means the difference between a collection of shouted copy points and beautifully effective communication. Success is borne from exploring one more angle; doing one more version knowing it’s wrong but necessary to contrast the right one. We should refine until only a clear message can be wrung from our work. Refinement isn’t an inherent gift, so here are some simple thoughts to consider in order to get there:

• Don’t stop prematurely, but definitely take breaks. 5 minutes away and sometimes you see a new solution the instant you return to your screen.

• Ask someone for a look, but prepare to forget what they tell you if needed (have a gracious reason you didn’t do what they suggested!)

• Refine until you can’t. Just don’t stop until the work is really done. That is the secret to creating a body of work that shows you have a seemingly indefinable quality.

A well-executed weak idea is easier to sell than a half-assedly constructed mind-blowing concept.

-Aaron White, Senior Production Artist

greenlight's 2017 resolution

greenlight’s 2017 resolution? To live a 'more inspired life.' I know, my banker husband is shaking his head wondering what the hell that even means. It means something, honest. Let me rant for a moment. Being a creative thinker is harder than it looks. We believe you have to have a healthy work/life blend to be truly creative... it's about being just as happy at home as you are at work. It’s about pushing yourself to think differently at work AND at home. And when you put these ideas into motion, you’re living what we can “an inspired life”. In November, our team spent an afternoon with Rocky Garza of Staff Retreat Co. and we mapped out our personal identities. Short version: We determined HOW we operate and defined personal values for the WHY and combined those with WHAT we do. The idea is that everything you do should align with your map. If they don’t, you won’t be happy. If you’re not happy, you’re never going to create anything. If you don’t create anything, well…that’s just making me depressed thinking about it. It’s far from inspiring. In the new year, we’re using our identity maps to find inspiration in our professional and personal lives. In the agency, we all have a deeper understanding of each other, what makes us flourish, how we think and adversely, what stops our ideas from forming. At home, I personally share hopes for the future, nurturing my need for connection and teach my children generosity. This harmonious blend is giving me an inspired life. One that I never want to lose!

-Olivia Cole, COO