There’s a quote often attributed to author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that says, “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” It’s a compelling idea—one I’ve found you can apply to anything you’re building, especially in business.
Presenting a project team with a big-picture business strategy that informs their daily work gives them clarity. It helps them remember why their work matters. In my experience running a digital agency, this line from process to results creates work as value-generating as it is excellent. So when you’re partnering with a creative agency, you should know that this dynamic has the power to change everything.
As Kate Aronowitz, a design partner at GV, says in “Business Thinking for Designers”: “If you just go into the room and narrowly think about ‘design, design, design,’ and if you don’t value the business or understand why you have to move to market quickly, your contribution will not be felt.” Excellent agency leaders understand this, and pass that understanding on to designers and producers, guiding their work with a broader perspective.
Partnering with a creative agency that integrates a great business strategy is rare. But that’s what we’ve built at Isadora Agency, and with good reason. In today’s market, good design is foundational. Choosing to think bigger—and solve business problems in different verticals—has pushed our growth and made us a transformational force. If you find a creative agency partner willing to take on this twofold challenge, you’ve found one worthy of investment.
Here are a few more powerful returns you could expect from this kind of collaboration.
Creative Agency – A Uniquely Competitive Edge
Creatives who understand business strategy are ready to do what others won’t. Rather than getting fixated on the act of producing, they seek to fully capture customers’ attention. As Facebook VP of product design Julie Zhuo puts it, “Understanding a problem well means understanding your competition, and understanding the systems around which this problem exists.” That sense of competition creates flexibility and adaptability—and, ultimately, better products. Designers, developers, content writers, and project managers become more inventive out of necessity, creating solutions that meet your business goals and benefit your brand.
A classic example of this is the 2010s’ growth of mobile tech. Apple continuously came out with unprecedented designs for the iPhone, which led to an industry-wide explosion and ongoing competition with Samsung. That meant consistent updates to improve mobile devices, in every spec from display size to camera quality to storage space to speed. Would there have been a smartphone boom without that steep competition? The odds are low, because its dynamic nature led both companies to push themselves to new places and change mobile tech forever.
When vetting your next creative agency, look for them to be similarly hungry to create novel, memorable work. It’s a natural foundation toward differentiating in a way that creates unique value, and leads to work that sets your brand apart.
Attention to Detail—and to Deadlines
While of course you want to work with a creative team that’s, first and foremost, creative, a strategic mindset will also make them trustworthy. That’s what you need to boost your brand and your company’s visibility. A creative agency with solid business knowledge can offer a team that’s attentive to deadlines, skillful at project management, and capable of staying organized. That leads to a significant understanding of cause and effect. For example, they’ll see how even a small delay could lead to a missed project launch, which could lead to your business falling short of its quarterly sales goals. What matters to you matters to your creative partners, too.
This trait may not seem exciting. But consider that, if you work with a team who doesn’t make organization a priority, you might find yourself frustratedly wondering what you signed up for—and even wondering where your product is.
An experienced creative agency that values business goals, and focuses on the details will deliver the best results including steady growth, and new loyal customers. Trust this team to create lasting value through ingenuity, reliability, and adaptability.
Stronger Connection through Stronger Communication
Collaboration, compromise, and communication are straightforward with a business-savvy creative agency. There is a shared language that you might struggle to find elsewhere. It’s important to collaborate with digital producers that are willing to learn from you so they communicate more effectively with stakeholders.
That can have several significant results for your business. For example, more efficiency and versatility in the design process. Feedback can be taken more seriously and integrated more thoroughly. And the resulting products will be more relevant to your audience—from aesthetics to functionality—because your business strategy will have been taken into account from step one.
In the long run, this can create even more tangible value for your business, because your brand will demonstrate a more user-centric focus. And it can mean a smoother, clearer relationship between your business and your creative partner. That can pay off in the long run by giving you the tools to keep your brand relevant, develop unique and inventive products, and evolve alongside your industry.
Strategic Thinking is Creative Thinking
The most meaningful result of working with a business-savvy creative team? That bird’s-eye view—a holistic mindset that leads to meaningful solutions. A creative agency that takes time to understand a brand, services, critical objectives, customer needs, and cultural context will likely over deliver. That strategic mindset will make space for creative brilliance—and make your brand stand out. That’s where real transformation happens, and where you’ll find a way to create lasting resonance to keep customers coming back.