2020: A Year of Pivots
As humans, we seem to have the tendency to reflect during large milestones. As vaccines are rolling out and people are slowly adjusting to the new normal, we can’t help but step back and reflect on all that we learned over the last year. It was a time of change, a time for reflection and slowing down. Being more intentional was something we focused on here at Forward Design as well as learning the value in slowing down.
But let’s all go ahead and say it, 2020 was a doozy. Moving on.
Stop, drop & pivot
One year later, we finally feel like we can take a step back and reflect on how 2020 effected us. Amongst all of the loss, we are happy to report that it has effected us for the better and we are so excited to share a more inspired 2021 with you.
Like most of you, we are also going on over an entire year of working from home. Who thought we would go that long? Not us. Working from home certainly brought its own challenges, but has also given us space to take a step back and look at our own processes to better serve our clients. That space also gave us time to explore our neighborhoods while settling into our homes even more, we volunteered, watched plenty of Netflix and even did some passion projects for ourselves here at Forward that we had been putting on the back-burner for awhile. That never happens!
We also found inspiration in nature in our Chicago neighborhoods and neighboring states. We explored and found random acts of kindness in our communities, mutual aid groups popping up and in the occasional birthday drive-by. Seeing our neighbors dig deep to put a smile on someone else’s face really was what it was all about for us.
“Since we are a design firm it only made sense to try to visualize our year with an infographic. Looking at it this way, we see there were definitely some bright spots in all this chaos. ”
Rush Woman’s Boards pivot
We started working with the Rush Woman’s Board over the winter for the Fall 2020 Gala. I am sure you can see where this one is going, but surprise, they had to pivot their event from a large in-person gathering to a smaller virtual gathering. Since we had already started on the branding for the event, we had to take a step back to see what could be saved, what needed to change and what was best for the event. Like, how would this even work?
Our team at Forward loved the pivot though. Figuring out the new constraints for our designs was first and foremost. Considering this event was now virtual, how could we help with the digital communications ahead of time? What did they want to send to the attendees that would make this special? And, how would it all work on the day?
Follow along!
THe (new) brief
The initial design direction was for an in-person event, so once the needs changed, we took at step back to look at what we had created. Since the new event was an in-home guided wine tasting during the evening, the colors needed to be updated as well as the messaging and approach. We quickly realized that they would need menus, snacks and labels for various items.
Good news though! Forward is a small and we are nimble… just how we like it. The project scope may have changed, but being a small team made it easier to adjust and shift our focus to better serve the client’s needs. Small & mighty!
More ways to engage
Since this event was virtual, we found more ways to reach out to attendees. There were branded email messages, social media outreach and even a hand-delivered, custom gift basket.
In the end, the event became a successful program that lent itself to a more creative way to gather. The attendees may have been in their own homes, but enjoying the wines together was all part of the fun.
Ok, now We want to hear from you!
How has your work changed in the last year? Do you have new focuses? What are some new pain points that 2020 brought to the forefront? How can design help these ideas come to life?
Let’s get to work!