As a designer, I know that every agency works with different timings and methodologies. My friends, who were in the same area as I do talk a lot about the communication’s market and how times are changing. That change impacts the way of working and when I became part of Monday my method of working changed too.

Now you must have realized that I’m a Visual Designer at Monday and so my work is focused on user interface and user experience for digital environments.

At this point in my life, my professional knowledge is a mix of two different visions. Nowadays I’m working on a Consultancy Agency and before I was working on a regular Creative Agency. As the time goes by, I can feel the difference between these two kinds of companies. I know I’m not that old, although I will share with you my experience in both realities and the differences I find on them.

The reality in a Creative Agency:

• Usually, to reach new clients and new projects, the Creative Agency has to pitch against other agencies;
• Sometimes the work you had developed to pitch new clients never really comes out;
• The time available to work on a project is short and critical. Although, working under pressure brings a massive knowledge to the table;
• The weekly planning can be chaotic because of the several projects that are occurring;
• The environment, relaxed and creative, is one of the perfect fuels to reach better ideas;
• Solving communication problems is the goal;
• To find the best project solutions, you have a good range of resources and technical approaches;
• You can work on small projects as simple product campaigns to 360 brand’s strategy touching different media;
• Agencies work with separate teams of different areas to approach the same project.

What I’ve found in a Consultancy Agency:

• Often, Consultancy Agencies are part of bigger workspaces, like co-work spaces, what brings new clients and projects;
• Projects are focused on business-oriented solutions. The goal is not to present solutions that are only visually stimulating, we dig deep into client’s business and solve problems;
• We don’t pitch;
• You still need to work with creativity, but not just related to design. On Consultancy Agencies you carry the projects across multiple steps where you can do your magic;
• The projects are longer what makes your week plan more organized and quieter. A Consultancy Agency will self-manage its team to solve the problem;
• The work environment is very relaxed and calm. The daily noise can be just project’s discussions;
• The final output of our work comes from workshops with the clients or consulting sessions where we analyze solutions for businesses problems. As a designer, you still deliver the digital product such as website, an app, wireframes or communication pieces, but its based on the outcome of our previous sessions;
• We work side by side with our clients through the project lifespan;
• Teams work together on everything with design thinking oriented processes.

Which one is better?

I cannot give you an answer on that. Sorry! My view about these two ways of work is that you can see new perspectives and new methodologies. So, each experience, independent of the outcome, is a complement to your previous job.

In one hand you have an experience where your creativity is daily stimulated (Creative Agency). On the other hand, you have time to think and find better answers using methodology (Consultancy Agency).

The knowledge I bring from a Creative Agency now makes my decisions fresher on product area. Nowadays, when applying the creative thinking when designing product interfaces its a perfect fit for every project.

The interesting part on a Consultancy Agency is the process and methodologies that are applied and grounded in creativity, and at Monday I can be a great piece to find suitable solutions and add value to projects.

However, in the end, no matter in what Agency you are, the most important things are the strengths and results of the solutions you are seeking for you, for your career, for your business, and for your clients.

Thank you for reading

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Monday is a Business Design Consultancy based in sunny Lisbon. We believe in the power of brands and we work side by side with our clients transforming their customer experience. This core philosophy stands at the center of everything we create. Clients include: Snickers, Red Bull, Twix, Philips, M&M’s, Guloso…