Working with Dichotomy: Creativity vs. Structure
Where to start?
We have all faced the challenge of trying to start something new. We know what we want to achieve but don’t know how to get there. It was trying to solve this exact challenge that lead to Dichotomy being born.
Tereska and I met as colleagues on a project that was an incredible idea but ultimately failed to get off the ground. In the aftermath, we began discussing what we would do differently.
We recognised that creating and launching something new is hard. Incredible, promising ideas fail to come to fruition because they aren’t set up for success. In New Zealand the success rate for new businesses is only about 40%. This could be attributed to a lot of reasons - but ultimately we realised starting something new is part art, part science. It takes both creativity - to think outside of the box, to come up with new and original ideas, as well as a clearly defined structure to ensure all the building blocks are in place and assembled in the right order. The challenge is not being overwhelmed by the enormity of what needs to be done.
And that’s when things started to click. We asked ourselves the question, if we had been able to develop the project we’d just come out of the way we had wanted to - what would it look like?
What came out of our conversations and whiteboarding (oh, we do love a good whiteboard!) was a structured way to approach the challenge of creating something new. We realised that any commercial project - whether its developing a campaign, a product or even a whole new business - the building blocks are essentially the same and when developed in a certain way it creates a very clear picture of the full ecosystem that is needed for the project to succeed.
This was when things started to snowball. What if we could help make a change? What if there was a way for us to support people with great ideas and help them turn them into reality? The more we thought about it, the more we realised this was what we both wanted to do. To make a difference in New Zealand by enabling passionate, innovative people to pursue their creative projects and ensure they were prepared to take them live.
This was the starting point for Dichotomy being born and our Structured Creative Process underpins everything we do.
Whether it’s scoping a new project or working through developing an existing one - these seven steps help us to define, design and deliver our projects - giving clarity to the whole process from start to finish. We use this process both as an assessment tool when we start out on a new project, as we well as a the structure of our project planning.
The outcome from this is a very clear business case and action plan - which form the core of the overall strategy for the project. It gives everyone involved a very clear frame of reference as to what is to be achieved, so it is easy to assess what is important or what is perhaps a distraction.
Essentially - by setting some basic guidelines, we then have the freedom to brainstorm and explore in a way that leads to the best possible result and finding creative, unique solutions.
Daz Martin
Co-founder & Creative Director
Need help bringing your idea to life?
Get in touch to discuss setting up a time for a Discovery Workshop - a two hour session where we walk you through our Structured Creative Process and apply it to your needs.
Dichotomy’s Structured Creative Process
Phase 1: Define the project
Identification
What’s your idea and the opportunity you see?
Purpose & Motivation
Why are you doing this and what are you looking to achieve?
The Market
Who is this for and what’s the environment you’re launching into?
Phase 2: Design the solution
Commercial Development
What’s the solution and how will it work?
CoNnections and Communications
How do we get the word out and build relationships?
Brand and Identity
How do we position this properly and establish the right reputation?
Phase 3: Deliver the results
Business Case and Launch Plan
How do we tie this all together and take it live?