Frame of Mind

The latest thinking from our insatiably curious Frameworkers.

  • Minimalist black line illustration of a coffee cup filled with dark liquid on an orange background.

    How a coffee chain helped me make peace with AI

    What does a copywriter actually think about AI? Charlotte Irwin reveals how a coffee chain's arrival on her local high street helped her finally make peace with the technology. Yes, really.

    By Charlotte Irwin | | Creative

  • A black-and-white ink illustration of a tortoise and a hare racing side by side against a white background.

    Cracking the code: How AI is transforming high-pressure digital development

    When you’re faced with a jaw-dropping deadline for a show-stopping digital project, the heat is on.

    By Sergio Agosti | | Creative

  • White text on a bright orange-red background reading, "Collaboration is good for business."

    Forget the lone genius, creativity is a team sport

    Do you secretly harbour the desire to be your company’s creative genius? As much as you might want to bask in the glory alone, the most powerful – and profitable – business ideas and strategies come from a cross-team effort. And our research has proven it.

    By Charlotte Irwin | | Creative

  • Three overlapping interface panels showing an AI image creation workflow: a text prompt panel describing a squirrel in snow, an adjustment panel with sliders, and the resulting photo of a squirrel leaping through deep snow.

    Powered by imagination: how I’m making stock imagery creative with AI

    If you can think of an image, you can conjure it up with AI. Our Creative Director, David Alexander, explains how he is letting his imagination run wild.

    By David Alexander | | Creative

  • The words Work Rest Play written in white font on a solid black background.

    Taglines aren’t just for fun. They help your customers fall in love with you

    Businesses with a strong tagline or slogan have the potential to become a household name. So why do so many B2B organisations shy away from them?

    By Charlotte Irwin | | Creative

  • Black text reading B2B DESIGN NEEDS YOU! centered against a geometric red background.

    Four creative lessons B2B designers can learn from B2C

    B2C design is known for being fun, provocative and daring. B2B doesn’t have the same reputation – yet – but it does have the same potential.

    By Ross Sweetmore | | Creative

  • Isometric digital illustration depicting computer vision and artificial intelligence concepts, featuring a TV screen with tracked soccer players, a vase of sunflowers, smart glasses, a chess rook, a framed painting, and an avatar surrounded by bounding boxes, tracking markers, and binary code on a dark grid.

    Trendspotting: what’s caught our eye in technology

    What’s new? What’s coming? And how are brands using these trends?

    By The Frameworks | | Creative

  • The blue Twitter bird logo lying upside down against a black background with an X symbol over its eye, representing the dead bird rebrand to X.

    Let's talk about X

    Twitter, as we knew it, is no more. There’s a famously fine line between genius and insanity. Which camp does Elon Musk’s latest move belong in?

    By David Alexander | | Creative

  • White line illustration on a black background of a vintage typewriter with a sheet of paper inserted that reads, Cut the jargon.

    Cut the jargon. The best B2B writing is plain and simple

    Far from making you sound smarter, complex language makes things – well – complex. Stick to simple language to engage your audiences and stand out from the crowd.

    By Charlotte Irwin | | Creative

  • Abstract geometric illustration featuring a 3D isometric pink block structure in the center against a yellow grid square, surrounded by teal triangles and colorful rectangular and circular accents on a beige background.

    Trendspotting: what’s caught our eye in design

    What’s new? What’s back? And how are these trends being used by brands?

    By The Frameworks | | Creative

  • Three-dimensional isometric pie chart on a black background, featuring colorful segments in orange, green, blue, yellow, and elevated slices in pink and purple.

    No creator is an island

    A developer, a designer, a strategist and a writer walk into a bar and... discuss how they collaborate to deliver creative magic for clients.

    By The Frameworks | | Creative

  • Minimalist illustration of two pedestals: the taller holds a stack of books with the top cover reading "Print isn't dead_", while the shorter holds a tablet displaying a dead battery icon.

    Print isn’t dead: The power of print in reshaping user experience

    That new book smell – could it be your next piece of content?

    By Don Hoyt Gorman | | Creative

  • Concentric target diagram with an arrow hitting the bullseye, featuring steps from the outer ring to the center: Identify specific challenge or opportunity, Partner sales and marketing, Choose targeted audience, Engage stakeholders, and Go at the center.

    Understanding ABM in five steps

    Are you thinking about account-based marketing (ABM) but aren’t entirely sure what it is? Fear not. Whether you’re new to ABM or want to remind yourself of the method, we’ve got the basics for you.

    By Don Hoyt Gorman | | Creative

  • Minimalist line illustration of a retro television displaying a cereal box on its screen.

    100 years of the BBC… sort of

    This year marked 100 years of the BBC. We thought we’d celebrate this giant of video and audio by looking at the one thing the BBC doesn’t do - advertising.

    By The Frameworks | | Creative

  • Vintage computer desktop interface with open windows displaying tips from CopyCon 2022, including notes on creativity, two silhouette cats, and a line drawing of a meerkat.

    Want to be more creative? You’ve got to get weird.

    Too often, timelines and client demands can stop the most creative ideas from seeing the light of day. So, how can you deliver fresh ideas and keep clients happy? It’s time to embrace your weird.

    By Charlotte Irwin | | Creative

  • Infographic on a dark background showing three numbered principles: 1 Strategy-First Approach with icons of overlapping sheets and binoculars, 2 Follow Best Practices with a completed checklist on a clipboard, and 3 Hold Yourself to a High Standard with a figure standing next to a flag on a mountain summit.

    Faking bad: why marketers need to maintain standards in a post-truth world

    When does creativity become dishonesty? Can you lie ethically? Ultimately, it’s about striking the right balance between outright lies and creative authenticity.

    By Ben Bush | | Creative

  • A smiling woman with curly hair holds a cheerful toddler outdoors while wearing a white shirt that reads, "I AM ALLIED AGAINST CANCER."

    Designing an authentic emotional connection

    In conversation with Rose and David: it’s not just about creating an emotive campaign, the most successful brands are the ones that genuinely know their audience and can authentically reach them on an individual level.

    By The Frameworks | | Creative

  • Digital illustration on a dark background showing a winding white path extending downward from a browser window with a photo of purple coral, surrounded by purple UI wireframes and interface icons.

    Designing and developing web experiences for everyone

    The web is continually evolving with new technical approaches and developments appearing every day. As developers, we must stay on top of these changes and make sure that inclusion is the key consideration when creating new experiences.

    By Sergio Agosti | | Creative

  • Red line drawing on a beige background depicting prehistoric cave painting style animals, with a horse at the top facing right and a horned bull at the bottom facing left, surrounded by minimalist horizontal lines and dots.

    Telling authentic tales

    As tempting as the latest marketing trends can be, brand authenticity is more important. That's not to say there's no room for creative storytelling, brands can still be bold and experimental while staying true to who they are.

    By David Alexander | | Creative

  • White line art illustration of a gorilla head behind a drum set on a purple background.

    Why bold design is good business

    Design is a great differentiator. It can stop people in their tracks. Make them laugh. Bring them to tears. And even set your brand apart from the competition – if you dare to be bold.

    By David Alexander | | Creative

  • Pink text spelling out International Women's Day stylized into the shape of lips against a white background.

    International Women’s Day: A call to inspiration and creativity

    Two of our Frameworkers were featured in articles written by Creative Boom founding editor Katy Cowan on International Women’s Day. Here’s what she had to say…

    By The Frameworks | | Creative

  • Black icon of an open eye centered inside a magnifying glass on a light yellow background.

    The importance of being curious

    It may have killed the cat, but we need to embrace curiosity to unleash our creativity.

    By Maja Radosavljević | | Creative

  • Yellow heart with a black outline and the handwritten words Good design in the center on a beige background.

    Creating connections through design

    Audience interaction is vital for brands looking to improve engagement. Good design elevates storytelling by turning an idea into something people can relate to.

    By Rose Stewart | | Creative

  • Black line icon of a digital clock displaying 13:42 on a red background.

    Reactive Marketing: Why timing is (still) everything

    Unlikely associations between seemingly disparate brands can be a stroke of reactive marketing genius.

    By David Alexander | | Creative

  • Graphic sequence of four overlapping tennis balls depicting horizontal motion against a black background, brightening from dim olive green on the left to vibrant yellow on the right.

    Match point: how we created an integrated campaign for Wimbledon and IBM in just two weeks

    In the grand scheme of things, two weeks is a very short period of time. It can flash past in what feels like a second, leaving you scratching your head, wondering what you achieved or who you caught up with. But put your mind to it and you really can pack a lot in.

    By Matilda Duffecy | | Creative

  • How to deliver cracking video content during lockdown

    Just a few weeks ago, the thought that upcoming video shoots would have to be cancelled because of something as surreal as social distancing would have felt like – ahem – a sick joke. So much of the everyday reality of work has needed rethinking since then, but when you’re involved in creating content for brands, a lot of that being video, the need for new ways of working has been particularly pronounced.

    By Matilda Duffecy | | Creative

  • Black and white photograph showing a tennis player in white attire on a grass court, viewed from above, with a crowd of spectators gathered at an opening in the barrier below to watch and take photos.

    All together now: how brands are lifting spirits in response to Covid-19

    How things have changed in a matter of weeks. The seismic shift in, well, everything, has left us all grappling with a new reality. There’s no playbook for this new normal but there’s a heavy sense of grief for the things we took for granted.

    By Louise Sheeran | | Creative

  • A metallic silver football helmet with a gray facemask rests on a bright lime green surface with diagonal white yard lines.

    Our five favourite ads from Super Bowl 2020

    Sunday 2 February 2020 marked a pretty big day in the advertising (and sporting) calendar. As in previous years, this year’s Super Bowl mainly had us talking about the things that happened between key events on the field. With the cost of a 30-second TV ad reaching $5.6 million, the standard for creative output is notoriously high.

    By Matilda Duffecy | | Creative