How we work
strategy
1. We listen
Through collaboration, research and instinct we work with you to understand the challenges, then we set about identifying opportunities to overcome them. We bring a level-headed objectivity to the process, and can facilitate workshops to either align key stakeholders or engage the broader team.
design
2. We hunt
Many agencies will pump out a bunch of random ideas that could work. Not Creature. Our humble, design-led process sets us apart in that we work towards a creative solution to the problem at hand, never letting ego or the prospect of ‘winning an award’ distract us from meeting your objectives.
rollout and optimisation
3. We feast
We divide and conquer, working to tame the beast and push your project out into the world as efficiently and effectively as is possible. Nothing is perfect, and together with our clients we continue to pressure test and refine the many moving parts over time.
why creature
We’re purposely small
Size matters. From our studio in East Brisbane, our ‘small’ team are trusted by big businesses to work with their brands. Brands like Hyne Timber, Transit Systems, Brisbane Marketing, The Ekka and even Rolex. Together with our network of collaborators and freelancers, we're able to absorb peak workloads and deliver the volume required of a major integrated campaign. In fact, we're no smaller than the average team any large agency would assign to one.
We add value 🍦
We look at every project as part of a bigger brand picture. We can’t help it. Thinking beyond the brief doesn’t add cost, but our long-term clients will attest to the value we’ve been able to sprinkle on top of their brand over time. If you’re after a quick fling with an agency then we might not be the right fit for you.
Part of your team ✌️
If you don’t have a marketing department, then feel free to treat us like your very own. Or, if you are the marketing department, then let’s divide and conquer. We leave our ego’s at the door and love nothing more than making our clients look good to their boss.
We hate waste 🤬
By working direct to client we remove the fluff (and expense) you’d expect of a traditional agency, plus we can achieve a level of insight that’s otherwise lost in translation. This allows us to go for the jugular and means fewer $#@&’s and &!$#’s along the way. Plus, we don’t have any ‘suits’ hassling you to meet their monthly sales target. @$%& yes!
silly questions
Will you pitch for free?
Not for free. If you saw Simon on The Gruen Transfer then you'll know we can pitch ideas with the best. But pitching is a numbers game, zaps our time and resources, and takes our focus away from the clients who already value (and are paying for) our hard work. As such, we charge a small pitch fee to cover our expenses. No exceptions. Even the ABC pays agencies to pitch.
How can smaller be better?
It keeps our overheads low and our output high. What's more, when you pick the phone up you're talking to the person actually doing the work (not an actor) so we actually know what we’re talking about, and things happen faster. We know our limits, we’ll never bite off more than we can chew, and have a tight network of freelancers to call upon during busy periods.
How much will it cost?
Just like a good lawyer, hiring a good designer will save you money, not cost extra. We have a number of flexible payment options to suit your business needs (see below). And if delivering brands, websites and campaigns for the last 20+ years has taught us one thing, it’s that great innovations often come from small budgets.
Ways we work
Hour by Hour
hourly rate
We track our time with industry leading software and bill upon completion of the project or calendar month (whatever comes first). This works best for jobs you need to happen fast, or if you have a number of small tasks too sporadic to quote. It still helps to understand the value you place on the project, that way there’s never any bill shock.
Job by Job
quoted projects
Most clients believe that getting a rigid quote will get them a better price. This is seldom the case. Think about it… when you quote, you need to cover worst case scenario. rigid quote ultimately means covering for the worst case scenario. Instead, we provide an upfront estimate based on the likely scope of work and the hours we expect it to take. We always aim to honour this budget, but if the scope changes significantly (which it often does) then we may re-quote the job for you.
Month by Month
service agreement / retainer
Using time-tracking data we estimate the likely workload across a year and work back to make an allocation of hours for each month. Every month, we track time spent and rollover the balance of unused or excess hours into the next calendar month. If a trend of having too few or too many hours emerges, then we sit down and chat. Our clients like it because it keeps cash-flow predictable, and we like it because it removes much of the admin work (so much so we’ll pass on a 10% discount to say thanks). And without the stop-start nature of quotes and approvals, we can get stuff done fast.
Win by Win
the ‘no win no fee’ option
On some occasions we have negotiated a risk reversal option whereby Creature is paid based on measurable performance – whether that be sales figures, client acquisitions or otherwise. In this way, our clients benefit from the pro-activity that comes from Creature having skin in the game. Learn more
Venture by Venture
sweat equity
That multi-million dollar idea of yours probably won’t become a reality without funding... or a decent brand… which brings us back to funds. On occasion Creature has partnered with like-minded organisations in need of a little help to get over this first hump.