Anderson Creative is a boutique, independent design and branding firm bridging the gap between art and business just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. They love brand development, creating identity systems, and bringing brands to life online. Their go-to work is design and branding, including front-end web/WordPress design and UI/UX.

Each year, the team chooses a new theme as the foundation of their work. It all started when the founder/creative director, Arin, went from a one-person consultancy to a full design firm in 2015. These annual concepts emerge out of conversations about what they’ve done the past year, what trends are emerging, and how they can tie their mission, to bridge the gap between art and business, into those conversations.

These changing themes are a driving force for client work, but it’s a delicate balance. The theme becomes more of a foundation for thought throughout the year that helps address client challenges while remaining true to the Anderson Creative vision.

“When we started this 3 years ago, we found that it can be really easy to lose what a client needs, in favor of what they want. It’s not always easy to fight for great work, and the world of design comes with so much subjectivity and grey area. There aren’t a ton of industries that play in this grey area, so in a way we aren’t just designers or brand developers, we are educators. We are constantly teaching our clients how their brands can live, and thrive, in the grey area. The concepts are simply a launching pad for creativity.”

-Arin Anderson, founder and creative director at Anderson Creative

To get a feel for the Anderson Creative process, let’s dive into some of their past themes.

2015-2016

The work smart monsters explored the idea that individually they were good, but they were best as a team. This theme also played into finding a brand’s personality and owning it. Stylistically, it involved advanced iconography, illustration, and hand lettering, which were all making a comeback in 2015.

2016-2017

This mixed media collage addressed the idea of creative breaks, and featured several projects the team created during these creative sessions. Arin strongly believes in the importance of integrating these daily breaks to keep everyone fresh, motivated, and inspired.

2017-2018

This year’s concept explores the balance between the mechanical processes of design in the digital space and the life and art behind them. Arin and her team coin it as “beauty in the binary.” They’re creating a new space of form and function to remind the world that there are people behind the screens and life behind the designs.

Arin’s advice for other agencies and creatives is to make something that can grow with you. Create something that can be added to, further explored, and developed over time. Embrace the evolution of your concepts and use them as a foundation for individual and team growth. Encourage your team to explore the concept in a different way, use it to try out new techniques, use new tools, and challenge each other.

“We love working with Flywheel because it allows us to really focus on what we are good at and not worry about the rest. It allows us to give extra attention to detail and collaborate with our clients in a really cool way.”