Have you ever found yourself staring at a creative idea – whether it’s a campaign concept, a draft proposal, or the notes from a brainstorm and thinking, “Is this actually any good?”
If so, you’re not alone.This episode of the Now Go Create podcast is the one I wish I’d had years ago when I first started reviewing creative work. Judging creativity is both art and science, an emotional and ration actl. But with the right tools, we can move beyond gut reactions and personal bias to evaluate creative work with clarity, consistency, and confidence.Whether you’re a creative director, a comms lead, or part of an in-house marketing team, this blog distills the key takeaways and frameworks from the episode including insights from leading PR creatives and strategists I interviewed.
Why judging creativity is so damn hard
Creative work is subjective by nature. As the IPA puts it, judging creativity is where instinct meets intellect. One person’s “brave” is another’s “off-brand.” The stakes are high – what if you make the ‘wrong’ decision for the business or the execution doesn’t deliver how you thought/predicted/hoped it would.
But here’s the good news: there are tools to help. I’m sharing three proven frameworks from my creative kitbag you can use to assess ideas more objectively plus street-smart wisdom from fellow Creative Moment Awards judges Kim Allain (Golin), Greg Double (Burson), and Gemma Maroney (SHOOK).
Framework 1: the Heineken Creative Ladder
Use it for: evaluating ambition and originality
Created by Arif Haq working with Heineken, when he worked at Contagious, the creative ladder is a 10-step “dictionary” to help you articulate how strong an idea really is from clichéd to legendary. I interviewed Haq about it for my book back in 2016 and it really is a brilliant tool to help you to frame conversations about creativity, set a benchmark and challenge yourself and others to a higher standard. It works from 1-10.
You can’t jump to ‘legendary’ without passing through ‘ownable’ and ‘fresh’. The ladder helps teams build shared language, level out subjective opinions, and even bridge the gap between creatives and clients. Five is considered the minimum standard for Heineken and its agencies as the benchmark for creative work.
10 Legendary
9 Cultural phenomenon
8 Contagious
7 Groundbreaking
6 Fresh
5 Ownable
4 Cliché
3 Fusing
2 Hijacked
1 Destructive
As Haq says: “It gives you objective scaffolding for your subjective opinion.”
Framework 2: IDEO’s lifeline cards
Use it for: reviewing work from multiple human-centred angles
The design lifeline cards from IDEO are a powerful tool to reframe and review creative work using seven lenses:
- Heart – does it come from a place of empathy?
- Beauty – is it elegant, iconic, evocative?
- Brains – is it strategic and novel?
- Bravery – did it take risks?
- Magic – is there awe or delight?
- Mastery – is there evidence of craft?
- Destiny – will it create long-term impact?
Pro tip: use these cards at any stage of the process – briefing, reviewing, or final evaluation. They’re like a Swiss army knife for creative conversations.
Download the cards here. They are a gift 😉 Print them off and share with your team.
Framework 3: James Hurman’s creative effectiveness code
Use it for: understanding the commercial impact of your ideas
This model focuses on the effectiveness of creativity through six levels, from basic behavioural influence to full-on brand fame:
- Influences behaviour
- Changes perception
- Drives short-term sales
- Builds long-term growth
- Creates cultural impact
- Achieves brand fame
Insight: This code helps you map your idea against commercial objectives and work towards meaningful results. I’ve merely scratched the surface, grab a cuppa, sit down and read the full deck here. They analysed and compared a total of 4,863 effectiveness award entrants and winners from 2011 through 2019, from every major market in the world: 1,031 cases from the Cannes Creative Insight: This code helps you map your idea against commercial objectives and work towards meaningful results. I’ve merely scratched the surface, grab a cuppa, sit down and read the full deck here. They analysed and compared a total of 4,863 effectiveness award entrants and winners from 2011 through 2019, from every major market in the world: 1,031 cases from the Cannes Creative and 216 cases from the IPA databank. You can’t say I’m not good to you 😉
What top-of-their game creative directors look for
Here’s what my podcast guests said when asked how they judge great creative work in preparation to the upcoming Creative Moment Awards:
“Start with insight. Then trust your gut.” – Gemma Moroney, SHOOK
“If it shows up in a non-PR WhatsApp group, it’s probably good.” – Greg Double, Burson
“I look for authenticity and impact beyond our bubble.” – Kim Allain, Golin
And when it comes to writing award entries:
“Don’t just tick boxes, tell a story.” Greg Double
“Make the judges fall in love with the idea.” Gemma Moroney
Listen to the full podcast episode here for all the juicy goodness.
Whether you’re judging award entries, pitching to clients, or reviewing internal campaigns, the ability to evaluate creative work is a learnable skill. If your team would benefit from hands-on support to help determine impact, creative workshops or bespoke training, I’d love to help.
Book a discovery call with Now Go Create Founder Claire Bridges – email claire@nowgocreate.co.uk