Designers don’t limit themselves to creating from nine to five. They draw inspiration from everywhere, all the time. As a creative director, it’s imperative that you know where their inspiration is coming from. In my team’s case, doing so has led to some incredible client work.

From Post-It to Expo

Senior Designer Nicole Worthington is known around the Opus office for her Post-It doodles. In addition to the collection she has at her desk, you will see them all around the office. She’ll surprise teammates with thoughtful doodles on their birthday, or just because. These doodles are tiny works of art, and showcase Nicole’s talents in illustration.

She shared this talent at a client event, Dell EMC world, in 2017. At the Legacy of Good installation on the expo floor, Nicole turned attendees’ “legacies of good” notes—small personal contributions to making the world a better place—into a mural of illustrations that grew throughout the conference.

Hand Lettering for the Win

Bryant Aguilar is another senior designer at Opus who practices design in many facets of his life. His hand lettering skills are impressive, and are honed by regular attendance at events hosted by the Portland Lettering Collective. Bryant’s hand lettering came to life at our enterprise technology client’s internal SKO event. He designed the vibrant signage and collateral seen throughout the event.

Knowing what inspires and drives your employees is a necessity. Not only because it can lead to great work (for clients or your internal team!), but because it allows you to get to know them better as people and better strengthen your relationship with your team. What do you do to better understand your team’s interests outside of work?