VIEW: SELF.ZIP 

SCROLL: SELF.ZIP

WATCH: SELF.ZIP

Self.zip is our latest  internal team initiative based on the idea of self-expression and personas in the digital realm.

“While the weeks melted from one to another and our ‘day jobs’ became synonymous with our personal lives it became abundantly clear to me that we as an agency and as a team needed a creative outlet.” says Samantha Edwards, Chief Creative Officer at The Charles Group. 

“The idea of unzipping is a nod to file compression and expansion. It’s been really great to see how the team decompressed their digital personas, thoughts, feelings and experiences without limitation. The fact that they’re using a lot of the skills and knowledge that we typically apply to client work is also really great to see. I think some team members that aren’t deep into social have definitely expanded their skill sets and team members that are in social but not had the opportunity to flex creatively have been able to do so.”

Senior Art Director – Kim Winderman was lead creative on the project and was key in curating the wealth of info and ideas that came from the team. “I felt like it was a brilliant opportunity for our team to deep-dive into their creative processes from the heart of the quar. Corralling the creative team under a strong and simplified prompt, allowed each creative to take it somewhere authentic for themselves. Each iteration of the concept is so supremely unique and I think the output overall is an unzipped cabinet of curiosities we can all be proud of.”

On Remote Collaboration
“I was really impressed with the flexibility to collaborate laterally across teams, especially when we were all remote. Some of us have never met in person or had the chance to work together. Self.zip not only opened our minds but expanded our connections to others (my favorite part about the internet).”

On Team Allocation
Natasha Eng, Senior Project Manager had the almost impossible task of corralling 30+ creatives and getting them to ideate, create and deliver on time. “In agency land, where it’s often the case of the cobbler’s son gets no shoes, I really worked to prioritize providing time and brain space to get the team to think deeply about their digital selves. From blocking out time weekly, to sharing work in progress along the way, self.zip was not only an exercise in personal reflection, but an exercise in cross team collaboration, allowing creatives who don’t normally work together to partner on projects.”

With the end of 2020 almost in sight – our ode to self expression in the digital realm is a reminder of the importance of creativity in times of tumult.

“A brilliant opportunity for our team to deep-dive into their creative processes from the heart of the quar.”

Kim, Senior Art Director