Working at a creative agency, you need to be adaptable. Your personal design style sometimes takes a back seat depending on what the client needs/wants. I have been told, on multiple occasions, that I need to “tone down the fun” (visually speaking) when working on a project. I know fun/playful design is not always the answer or appropriate; it is just something that finds its way into my work.

For most clients, you have to find the right balance between personal and what’s right for them. Every once in a while though, a client will come along whose brand, vision, or campaign perfectly aligns with your own artistic style and you can let your creativity run free.

I have discovered this perfect match with EC3 (Educational Child Care Center). Every time a project comes up for them I get jump-out-of-my-shoes excited because being a child care center with a playful brand means every project we do for them can be fun and colorful. Which makes my inner child (who still likes to play with chalk and crayons) sing with happiness. We’ve made cute annual reports for them, marketing materials for a spring carnival, and flyers for fundraising concerts. Their brand is made up of a charming circular logo and a palette of pastel colors which lend themselves perfectly to my whimsical design tendencies.

I love the challenge of working with more serious brands, but every once in a while I need an EC3-type project to release a flood of my creativity. Otherwise, my boss will be telling me to “tone down the fun” as I unintentionally weave it into my other projects.