When Distance Became an Asset: How We Rediscovered Unified Creativity Across Borders

Wiki Article

We've long held the belief that creative unification relies almost entirely on everyone working together as closely as possible for their respective projects. When all of our designers worked in one location under the same roof, walked past each other’s mood boards, and used the same lighting setups every day, we aligned with each other's works very easily. Walking into the studio at Northshore Atelier was a way to "feel" the brand—looking around the studio and seeing the use of soft shadows, muted colours, and the calmness of the studio were consistent with all the visual elements and decisions we made.

As we grew and reached a global audience, we began losing our creative rhythm.

Our designers in Copenhagen interpreted the Northshore Atelier brand using a softer, more contemplative creative style. Our designers in Los Angeles took a more dynamic approach with bright colours and energetic designs. Projects from our studio in Singapore had a tendency to use chaotic arrangements, exciting imagery, and rapid changes. Each of these designs is equally valuable on a standalone basis; however, combined they fragment the brand’s identity. The visual language that we built over many years with a delicate/consistent style was broken down and redefined into numerous different fragmented styles.

We didn't fully understand how big of a problem we were having until we started having more frequent staff meetings and discussions with other staff members from other departments about the issue. Each department had different definitions/opinions of the brand's "tone." One department would describe them as being "quietly sincere," while another would describe them as "warm confidence." Yet another department thought they were "elevated minimalism." All three statements are true, yet none matched each other.

The disconnect between all these departments has significantly impacted our workflow, as marketing has been hesitant to launch campaigns and materials due to perceived inconsistencies in the visuals. Product teams could not create a cohesive collection, as direction for emotional tone was constantly shifting. The regional leads were uncertain how much creative freedom they actually had, and even photographers were hesitant because every image was a question instead of a statement.

The emotional impact was genuine.

It was no longer only about how the images looked, but rather how each designer felt that they were “not on the same page,” in regards to the creative language they used.

It was at this point that a brand that always prided itself on clarity of emotion, finally understood that there needed to be a new foundation and it would not be built with more equipment, time to shoot or planning.

We needed a single point of view.

It was a quiet shift that started one afternoon when a senior designer, who had spent several weeks compiling reference boards from five different shoots, said to me that he believed, “We don’t need more inspiration; we need alignment.” That statement resonated with me.

During this time I was hearing more and more about VISBOOM. Most of the conversation was from smaller studios, who had somehow pulled together such a cohesive look from such little resources or where there was less than no contact across teams. I wasn't sure how to interpret all this; at first I thought it was just "another" Tool for AI that would smooth out the edges and sharpen the corners but didn't really understand the emotional level nuance.

That said, my natural curiosity knows how to slip through the cracks of even the most pragmatic of barriers.

The first time we used VISBOOM, it was not in the context of a large project, and it was not even on our radar to do so. We uploaded a selection of incomplete internal reference images, flat-lighting, poorly draped, models with half-blinks, which nobody expected to use for anything except internal documentation.

And then came a little bit of magic...

When we started testing VISBOOM, its output felt right. It had an emotional richness that had been absent from our projects for months. The tonal balances were grounded, and its levels of texture ranged from subtle softness to full spectrum of tone, just as we'd originally intended in the studio. Another pleasant surprise was the consistent messaging of these emotional qualities across multiple iterations, showing that VISBOOM seems to have a natural understanding of our brand's cadence.

The day we received our first VISBOOM output marks a defining moment for us.

By introducing VISBOOM into the creative process, we were able to see a shift in how our regional teams saw the brand. Instead of interpreting it based on the culture they came from, they were interpreting it through a collective emotional filter. Hence when we tested various garment colours, seasonal palettes or atmospheric colours, our designers working from Toronto, Seoul or London were all drawing from the same emotional starting point.

This doesn't take the place of our ability to have human intuition. This creates a common platform that promotes the use of our intuition.

Prototyping has proven to be one of the most impactful things we've done. Before, weeks would go into making sample sets, gathering regional input via in-person meetings, and reworking how visuals were laid out after reviewing how photo shoots captured them. The use of VISBOOM's products, however, provided us the ability to see entire narrative stories prior to even creating a physical sample. We could see how a fabric had an emotional quality (ie. grounded, flowing, structured, and/or heavy) without needing full-scale photo shoots set up in multiple areas.

As a result, we no longer had to feel pressure to "get everything right all at once.”

Designers were inspired to dream again.

Photographers started to have the opportunity to experiment again.

Marketing regained its strength and confidence.

Team members communicated in the same language regarding emotions.

One highlight that stands out is a recent gathering where we convened team members from four different time zones to review the visual renders created through collaboration. After our team members presented renditions on a 60-minute call screen, the team members were silent until a collective acknowledgment hit everyone. Each individual 60-minute screen shot had a different look, yet all four brought forth a specific emotional quality (ie. unity, excitement, and enthusiasm).

When VISBOOM began showing up in the internal workflow four times, it completely changed the way we do creative business for the better, not by forcing us to do things differently, but by providing a clear path for us to take. And rather than replace art with VISBOOM, it has enhanced it.

As a result of the transition, Northshore Atelier is now more connected than we were when we were under one roof with everyone. Our campaigns express an emotion no matter what region they come from, and our regions maintain their uniqueness while still being part of a whole. Our visual language has historically been fractured; but now, after several years of not speaking to one another visually, we have a common voice that's strong and solid and unmistakably ours.

I learned that creating unity in creative work does not come from being in control of the work; it comes from having a voice with which everyone can connect and respond. And sometimes that voice requires a new way of expressing itself in order to grow, or for resonance to occur.