Creativity Squared: Simplifying the Process with David Thornhill

David returned to Bailey Lauerman in 2022 after putting together an impressive career dedicated to brand-building, advertising and design. Twenty years ago he was an award-winning BL art director who stepped away, broadened his experience and eventually started his own agency. Most recently, he founded Nuance - a small agency of like-minded professionals focused on social responsibility - and led that for more than eight years. 

His agency experience also includes stops at Barkley, VML, Bernstein-Rein and MMGY.

David’s career started in design, where he soon discovered a thirst for conceptual ideas and storytelling. Consumer-focused campaigns for Walmart, Marmot, First National Bank, SunCom Wireless, On The Border, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, United Way and Blue Bunny define much of his career. His creative philosophy, “Ideas hide, - we must find them,” confirms his creative passion and demonstrates his endless curiosity.

David’s passion for helping nonprofits is both admirable and inspiring. Over the last 15 years, he has led rebranding efforts and campaign work for Water.org, Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City, Great Plains SPCA and March of Dimes. 

His work has been recognized by Communication Arts, Obie Awards, New York Festivals, Print, American Advertising Awards, AIGA and Graphis Design and Advertising Awards. Graphis also honoured David as one of the Top 10 Art Directors over a 10-year span.

Person

Most personality profiles come back as 'adaptive' or 'creator,' so I guess that equates to being able to bring new thinking to unfamiliar places. I’m generally pretty optimistic about this profession and I don’t believe all of the good ideas have been taken. If I truly believed that, I’d quit. And maybe go be a fishing guide in Montana. 

Creativity is innate but can be fostered and fed as we develop. I remember that first time realising the difference between a concept and an execution. I was like, hey, that’s what I want to do, develop concepts. How did it take me so long in my life to figure that out? Had someone pointed me toward advertising earlier on, I may have developed differently creatively. Certainly good ideas should come from everyone, and do.

I’m definitely an extroverted introvert. Meaning that while I’m interacting with people, I feel most comfortable and the collaboration really gives me energy. Looking back, I’ve probably learned to develop these muscles due to the nature of the work. Although there is comfort in routine, I’ve learned to push myself toward unpredictability and feel my way through to a solution. I don’t think the creative process is always linear. To truly discover something new, we have to take new paths to get there, which reveals unexpected results.

Product 

Creativity is subjective. We all have opinions on what makes great work. It’s hard to debate simplicity though. Which is something Bailey Lauerman has mastered over the years and a reason I re-joined the agency last year. Work that is surprising and has a bright newness to it may be another quality of great work. 

The industry as a whole tends to bob and weave on what it considers great. Purposeful and socially responsible work appears to be a sweet spot right now. Major award shows are using responsibility as a criteria for entries so it’s definitely a trend that isn’t going away soon. I’m most proud of the rewarding work I created in this space for not-for-profits and corporate social responsibility. Selfishly, to know you are impacting a person’s life positively is way more gratifying than encouraging a monetary exchange for a product or service.

Process

The most tried-and-tested process I’ve used creatively is to 'hunt and gather' early on. To immerse myself in the brand and the consumer. And make observations that very quickly become actionable insights. I also think it’s important to create space for the subconscious. That’s where all of the juice is. It’s not an idea if it’s already in your mind or out in the world. Ideas live in the subconscious. They hide and will present themselves if proper space is provided. It works for me, anyway. Clearly everyone has their own methodologies. 

Google Search is a cop-out. It’s too easy to research what everyone else is researching and come up with all of the same answers. That’s what is so exciting about AI. Your results are only as good as your inputs, so now language innovation is the next uncharted territory. Predictable inputs create predictable outputs. 

At times, It doesn’t always feel like the work is done. And a lot of this is based on the timeline. When we have more time, as creatives we do tend to continue to experiment. So this becomes about making the right moves, the best edits. Sweetening. When the timeline is condensed, it becomes about making the best choices in the smallest amount of time. And trusting our gut when it goes out the door. That’s the hard part. Learning to be comfortable with your instincts. 

Press

It’s important to me to try to make myself uncomfortable and attempt things I have not tried executionally. To create work that doesn’t look like it was up my sleeve. To do this, it helps to constantly be looking at other work. Sometimes that tells you where to go. Other times it tells you where not to go. Either way, it’s a starting point for a point of view. 

A lot of times, clients have the answers - if you just listen. They may not even know they have the answers. A really good question can open doors and make them not only contribute to solutions but be vested in the work. And appreciative of it. If you have and demonstrate a balance of mutual respect for craft and contribution, you’ll earn the trust you’re seeking so you can explore new territory. 

Agencies who foster a culture of creativity have to be open for an evolution of what that looks like. It’s about investing in talent and new processes, and keeping briefs fresh and the expectation high but enjoyable. Creating great work can be a hell of a lot of fun if we keep open to new ways of moving forward. A rigid process isn’t going to work for a number of creative people. Maybe simplifying the process is the way forward. Like it says in huge type on the wall at Bailey Lauerman, “Complexity inhibits. Simplicity allows.” I can get behind that.