Dazzle Issue 6

EDITOR’S LETTER
CHELSEY TUPPER, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & CLIENT DEVELOPMENT
At Ideaworks, our
A look at the Award-Winning
2019 Ideaworks calendar
ANNUAL CALENDAR PROJECT
is one that our team takes great pride in
and anticipates each year.
Lately, I’ve been hearing
and reading a lot about
storytelling. The topic is
everywhere — from industry
publications and webinars to
client projects. Much of what
I’ve come to discern about the
art of storytelling is that it is
essential to success — for both
individuals and businesses. This
is because stories help us to
better conceptualize the world
and make sense of the things
around us. Therefore, when an
individual or organization maps
out the story they want to tell,
it can serve as a road map to
help achieve established goals.
Since this might be a slightly
different perspective on
storytelling — and not
what most are traditionally
familiar with — consider this:
when you create a story that
communicates who you are
as a person or business entity,
it illustrates your truth to your
audience. This is important
because your truth is what sets
the foundation for who you
are or what you are striving to
become. As such, your truth
continuously guides you in the
direction you need to go to
achieve success.
At a content marketing
workshop my colleague
and I attended in December
and also during a business
development session I recently
participated in, both presenters
discussed the importance of
organizations establishing
their truths. When a company
knows its truth, it shapes its
story. For example, say your
marketing agency’s truth
is that it always provides
clients with high-level work
that is fresh and creatively
innovative. To manifest that
truth, your team will do all it
can for each project so the
agency story remains accurate.
This is then the story you
weave throughout various
communication channels to
retain and earn the trust of
clients and prospects.
Another example is the
rise of content marketing.
Industry professionals have
embraced content marketing
because it allows brands
to tell their stories over
and over through different
mechanisms that share a
common goal: to connect
with consumers, tailoring the
language to resonate with
them and thereby creating
a more trusting relationship.
Whether it’s a blog post, white
paper or testimonial, the
underlying purpose of each is
to communicate elements of
the brand’s story so consumers
can decide if they’d like to
associate with that particular
entity. That’s why establishing
your truth and crafting a story
around that truth is so critical
to success.
Storytelling works the same
way on a personal level. Think
about those aspects of yourself
that you’d like to improve
upon or enhance. Ask yourself:
Who do I want to become as
a person? What are the things
that matter most to me? What
do I stand for? Discovering the
answers to these questions will
help define your truth.
Once established, your truth will
give you a clearer picture of what
you need to do to “write” a story
you will be proud to tell in the
future. Your truth can also guide
you in how to project yourself to
those with whom you interact.
While most think of storytelling
as merely vocalizing a story, it’s
much more than that. To tell a
truly great story, you must look
at its elements and ensure that
there is an underlying truth
that will benefit the listener or
reader — something that makes
your story memorable. Even
though it’s mid-April, it isn’t
too late to consider what you
would like your story to be for
2019 — whether professionally
or personally. Think about your
truth and create your story
accordingly. Then, the next time
you’re speaking with a business
prospect or interacting with a
personal contact, you’re prepared
to connect with them on a much
more meaningful level.
As such, we begin brainstorming clever ideas well before the
holiday season is upon us. Our imaginations are always put to the
test to top the previous year’s concept, and we don’t settle on an
approach until we are confident that it will surely impress. For this
year’s calendar, we thought it would be fun — and fitting — to
showcase our 12 favorite 2019 logo trends in action by designing a
logo for each trend. This approach not only allowed us to showcase
our creative talent, but to also serve as an educational tool for
fellow marketing professionals.
WINNER OF THREE
2019 ADDY AWARDS:
Judge’s Choice
People’s Choice
Gold
Therefore, I leave you with the following question: What is your story?
4 DAZZLE: ISSUE SIX