Photo by Jonatan Pie

When the world is quiet and you have your favourite cup of hot coffee in hand, somehow the mind stops focusing on your endless to do list and this nagging feeling pops up asking you…’What is your legacy?’. I don’t know about you but living, breathing and working in a whirlpool of genius creation, it is totally understandable to want to leave your mark on this beautiful creative era.

But sometimes we just go through the motions to create pretty but not outstanding. We get lazy and stop thinking outside the box. Everybody thinks they maybe do, but if we are actually honest with ourselves…we know that thinking out of the box and delivering the wow factor doesn’t mean designing something prettier or technically superior, but designing to the client or user needs.

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Like all the brilliant products above, it’s so simple yet so life changing! You are sitting there stumped thinking “Why didn’t I come up with this first?!’. The answer is not in the technology, but the concept itself brought to life.

The ‘WOW’ factor in the arts is not about the most money spent to produce it but winning it by original content that is funny with great personality and story. Take for example PewDiePie with 77 million hits on YouTube just for creating laughter through commentary and montages of the gaming world.

Here is how you too can start radiating your own abundance of ‘WOW’.

1. Think smart, not just think hard

Image by Marija Zaric

Just like people, aesthetics is not everything…the ones you love are the ones that touches your heart and hugs your soul where no one can. It is not to be prettier and technically better, although that is also important, but how much your creation would actually benefit users or clients.

Telling a compelling story that stirs our human emotion is important to ensure individuals connect and invest in who and what the idea is. It is a ‘you-scratch-my-back-I-scratch-your-back’ situation of ‘I believe in you’ and ‘Please help solve my problems’ with ‘Take my money and attention and devotion!’.

2. Devil is in the details

Image by Matt Palmer

Standing in Starbucks on a busy morning amidst other cranky caffeine deprived customers trying to get the barista’s attention is the start of your blood boiling. But suddenly the flustered frantic barista turns round, meets your eye and smiles cheerfully saying, “I won’t be too long!”. Straight away the frustration dissipates and the wait doesn’t seem endless.

That one small smile and 5-word sentence made all the difference even though not part of their job description. It is all about going above and beyond!

Sometimes, it is sooooo easy to just design to the client’s scope which is what you have been paid for (totally understandable!), but taking the extra effort to remember to think outside that box and put yourself in other people’s shoes. It is the one difference between getting paid and being remembered!

Take the time to guide the client all the way and be patient while playing the push and pull game of edits and iterations with a big smile and at the same time imparting your knowledge.

I remember my old boss telling me once, “Give as much information as you can to your customer as if they can do it themselves, but be so good at it that they don’t want to!”

3. Grow Beyond Your Competition

Image by Tasi Zoltan

Sometimes the ‘WOW’ factor is about being R-E-A-L even in something as boring as legal work. Know what is your selling point and be honest about it. If you don’t think you can deliver, be upfront about it. Client relationships is all about managing expectations…so keep your books open!

Improving on every facet of your business and continue to push to be better is the essence of success. Embrace change to keep you ahead of the many imitators. Apple works hard to stay ahead of the curve. If the iPhone stopped getting better at the first version…Samsung or any Android today would have taken over easily.

4. Create Value

Image by Nutmeg

Offer that something extra that wasn’t in the deal…a little gift of an extra thank you card, brand template for a client, anything that just gives a great feeling that the client or customer will appreciate to show them you really do care. Give them something useful, never a stupid branded keychain or pen though! Don’t forget to tell them that it is outside your scope and a one off. Remember…expectations.

Bottom line: ‘WOW’ is never about you and what you do but about the end user and what you can do for them!

For more meaningful advice and inspiration, check out our other articles here.