We all have good and bad experiences with clients. Here I want to concentrate on the good one’s. Clients that really believe in the power of creativity and ideas, clients that are ready to take the risk and explore possibilities outside of what they might normally expect to see or imagine.

 

There are loads of great examples of brilliant design and advertising which are, quite rightly, highly praised as pieces of creative genius. We may also know the agency that created and produced them. However, not much is known or said about the person/people who commissioned the work, those who were willing to take a risk on something new and different. These are the people I would like to celebrate, because without these brave commissioners we would not have experienced things like Cadbury’s drumming gorilla, Dove’s Real Beauty, Old Spice ‘Smell like a man, man’ or even Melbourne Metro’s ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ campaign.

Lets look back at one of the most revered pieces of creative genius, the Sistine Chapel. We will all agree that this is an incredible work of art which is visited by millions of tourists and art lovers each year. This hugely important piece of work is known the world over, along with its creator, Michelangelo. However, most people would not be able to tell you who commissioned the work. So let me tell you, it was Pope Julius II. And in my books, a man that deserves high praise for his bravery and foresight.

So next time you see a great piece of branding, design or a brilliant advert, give a thought for the brave people who had the intelligence to make it happen.