Moving Your Creative Development Process Online

The creative development process is essential to creatives — and for many, it’s traditionally been handled in the physical world. With the onset of COVID-19, the transition from physical to virtual has accelerated — but that’s not the only reason to move online. Using the web for your creative development process helps you stay organized and speeds up feedback and review cycles. While going virtual is ultimately a good thing, it’s not without its challenges.

Stages of the Creative Development Process

1. Discovery

In this stage, you know there’s a problem, but you may not know exactly what it is. This is the time to gather information, inspiration, and insights. Review customer feedback for both your brand and your competitors — look for recurring themes, standout strengths, or common frustrations.

For creatives, discovery often involves meeting with clients, setting objectives, and planning next steps. While virtual meetings can be a shift from in-person sessions, strong communication skills and a reliable platform can make the transition smooth.

2. Creative Brief

Once you’ve identified the problem and your solution, it’s time to create a creative brief — essentially the blueprint for your project.

A creative brief often includes:

• Summary of the brand and its background
• Challenges and objectives
• Project description and purpose
• Goals and key deliverables (billboards, Instagram posts, emails, etc.)
• Style guide (logo usage, colors, fonts)
• Logistics (timeline, budget, etc.)

The creative brief is critical for staying organized and aligning stakeholders. While you may send the first draft via email, revisions and multi-person signoffs are more efficient through a creative approval platform. This allows instant commenting and version tracking, cutting down on delays.

Pro Tip: Avoid jargon overload. Too many industry terms can muddy your message. If you won’t be presenting the brief in person, consider a few practice runs to make sure the language is clear.

3. Development

With the creative brief as your guide, you can start designing.

• Art Directors: Ad mockups for billboards, social media, or print
• UX Designers: Wireframes, mockups, prototypes
• Graphic Designers: Logos, postcards, promotional materials, business cards, etc.

The specifics will vary by role, but the development stage is where your ideas take shape.

4. Review, Revision & Approval

This stage can be one of the most frustrating — largely because inefficiencies cost time and money. Moving review and approval online is one of the best ways to keep things on track.

Ashore is built for this. Simply send your proof to stakeholders, and they can leave comments directly on the file. Everyone can review at the same time, avoiding the delays of one-at-a-time feedback.

For physical products, supplement your virtual proof with:

• General information: dimensions, materials, colors
• Photos: multiple angles and size comparisons
• Videos: 360° views, product in use, etc.

5. Production & Launch

This is where your project goes live — whether it’s a website, ad campaign, app, or product.

Depending on your timeline, you might have a testing phase first. This allows you to:

• Collect user feedback
• Assess price point and audience alignment
• Discover unexpected uses for the product

When everything is finalized and your marketing plan is in place, it’s time to launch — whether that means going live online, selling your product, or posting your campaign.

Using Ashore in Your Creative Development Process

The creative development process can be straightforward in theory but messy in practice — especially when review and approval still happen in person or over email. Ashore streamlines this process by centralizing feedback, enabling real-time collaboration, and automating tedious steps.

If you’re hesitant about moving to online proofing, we make it easy. Sign up for your free Ashore account today and see how much smoother your creative process can be.