Those two words are the dynamic duo of words. When working together, they set off a trigger in all of us to do one very pleasant thing: start to imagine. And when we imagine, ideas are born. Good ideas. Bad ideas. And everything in-between.

Lots of words have followed picture this. And that’s the payoff. The ideas begin to develop, and we can see new things. And design happens. But it takes the right words to set off a chain reaction of relevant and valuable ideas—which are really solutions to marketing and creative objectives. That’s what we do here at Lawrence Barnett Creative. We create creative solutions that depend on the right words first—because only then can bold ideas be executed and designed.

How important are the words in any creative—or design-oriented—mission?

“First, you have to identify and articulate the right idea.”

That comes from Marty Neumeier’s The Designful Company—How to Build a Culture of Nonstop Innovation (which is a force in itself, along with all of Mr. Neumeier’s works for that matter. I have stolen many an idea from him.) A book about design-thinking, and words come first.

Picture this: creative director leaves corporate cubicle to pursue his dream of starting a creative shop. Imagine. A refreshening of a brand. A spot-on advertising campaign. More relevant website content. Imagine. I can. And if you can, remember it all started here with two words: picture this.

Thanks for your time.

Larry