Now that most of us have fully adapted to the ‘new norm’ of working from home, I’m sure we have all had to find new ways to collaborate as teams.

Collaboration was probably one of my main concerns as we are a smaller team at Action Rocket and all love to bounce ideas off each other.

The amount of times I would turn round and ask Jay ‘Is this possible?!’  Or Bex ‘ What do you think about this?’ Working from home can feel isolating for some, staring at the same four walls day and night or not seeing a single person for 24 hours.

What I can say is, I’m very grateful to be working in the industry we do right now.

Our new ways of working have been extremely successful, we have adopted multiple ways to collaborate online and actually the work being produced, dare I say it, is better than it ever has been.

So here’s my top tips that have either helped me individually or the creative studio as a whole, to beat that creative block and stay connected to each other:

1.

Always start off with good old fashioned pen and paper After I receive any brief the first thing I do is get out my notepad (this may be something that only the over 30s of the office do!) and I ask myself things like;

What is the main call to action? Who is the client targeting? Writing down the key objectives really helps me start to visualise how I can achieve this through design.

I’ll also sketch out some wireframes too.

A designer can always design something that looks pretty, but to me design should do more.

Good design will clarify the message, help tell a story and entice curiosity and action.

2.

Create moodboards or Pinterest boards Before I start any major project I always collate some visual inspiration to help me with initial ideas and direction.

I tend to take my inspiration not so much from other emails but other sources such as instagram, print, website and app design.

I think about things like colour, story telling, layouts and animation.

3.

Try team Google Jamboards Leading on from moodboards, since working from home, Google Jamboards has been one of the new ways in which we collaborate as a team.

We sometimes use this as a tool to each write virtual sticky note ideas and share any inspirational images.

Once we’ve all contributed to the board we will set up a call where everyone talks through their ideas, often triggering further ideas.

It has been really valuable for us while we are not all in the office together drinking tea as we usually would do.

4.

Schedule internal post brief sessions Slack calls, Zoom meets or Google Hangouts, we have used them all! Usually after we’ve had a briefing with the client we will then schedule an internal briefing with all the account managers, designers and developers involved in the project.

This is where we check everyone is happy with the brief and we might get out the Google Jamboard to get some ideas down.

5.

Get outside! I can’t tell you how much better I feel after a walk.

I’m slowly trying to start each day off with a walk in place of my usual commute.

Staring at a screen all day can take its toll and it’s often I will have a brain wave when I switch off and get out into nature.

6.

Don’t be afraid to ask more questions If you don’t understand something in the brief or maybe you don't agree with the messaging or direction, ask questions! There’s no point wasting time and trying to hash something together that just isn't working.

I can’t stress to the rest of the design team enough to use our Slack channel for a second opinion or setting up another call with the client to get a better understanding of what they had in mind.

Communication is key! 7.

Always have a decent cup of tea or coffee to hand This goes without saying really! It's our golden rule at the studio.

Sophie Eggs Design Lead