Clique Studios, LLC

Envisioning Justice is an exhibition and activation kit using the arts and humanities to imagine a future without mass incarceration. We collaborated with Envisioning Justice to find an impactful way to tell their unique story and showcase their artworks, resources, and materials. 👇 🎨 #BuiltByClique Illinois Humanities

The previous Music Box Films website didn’t accurately reflect the prestige and professionalism of their brand. So, we created a brand new site that promotes new theatrical releases, makes their films more accessible online, and sends a signal to filmmakers: “with us, your film will be in good hands.” 📽 🌟 #MusicBoxFilms #IndependentFilm #FilmsOfInstagram #WebDesign #Design #DesignInspiration #WebDeveloper #CreativeAgency #DigitalTransformation

We partnered with Music Box Films, a division of the iconic Chicago cinema ‘The Music Box,’ to build them a digital space that matched their notable and curated collection. 🎶 By simplifying the user experience, implementing an e-commerce function built for maximum conversion, and leveraging rich media, we created a site to show their story and create an impactful content experience that captures their prestige. 🎥 #BuiltByClique

An esteemed brand in need of a website to match its reputation. 🎶 Music Box Films, a division of the iconic Chicago cinema ‘The Music Box,’ is dedicated to curating a diverse repertoire of films and television from around the world. 📽 Together, we built a new site that is as dedicated to the films as they are. #BuiltByClique

Building a successful creative partnership requires more than just talent. It's about trust, respect, shared vision, and recognizing your collective abilities. #BuiltByClique

Open Tabs: our newsletter dedicated to providing reliable creative insights and solutions. ✍ Delivered every other Tuesday (because Mondays suck). #BuiltByClique

I’m a magician. 🪄 Okay, I’m not really a magician but sometimes it can seem that way to clients when I create and edit work directly on a feedback call.  Wait, did I just say I edit work while directly on a client call? I did. Blasphemy, you say? To that I say, innovative. Or at the very least, efficient. You see, the long drawn out process of presenting a fully finished pristine design feels antiquated and tired, at least to me. Clients often want (and need) to move faster. If you’re in marketing or design in any capacity, we’ve all sat through those types of feedback calls. You know the ones. They typically involve hemming and hawing, and wanting to see slightly different iterations of similar concepts. ‘Hmm, something feels off. I just can’t put my finger on it. Maybe if we tried seeing it in blue and a bit larger?’ We make notes, and reply, ‘Sure, we can give that a look and get back to you in a business day or two with those changes.’ Those meetings are a drain. In a particularly nitpicky meeting, I felt impatience setting in. A restlessness. A need to just ‘show and not tell.’ So, I took a risk and just started making the changes, as they were coming in. And something truly special happened. The clients paused, watched and reflected, and said, ‘No, wait, you’re right. The other way was better. Thanks for showing us so quickly.’ The real magic doesn’t come from design being some mystical abstract thing that we gatekeep from others. The magic came from having people feel seen and heard. In that meeting, design became a collaborative process. Design became attainable for the client. As designers, we know design best. That’s a given. But clients also know their business best. By breaking down the silo between the two we can come up with a better solution. By designing on the fly, we can make real magic happen, together. Pro Tips: -Have someone else present the screen, while you zip and zoom on your own monitor. This helps prevent anyone from seeing the real nitty gritty and also prevents anyone from potentially getting motion sickness. Figma is great for this, as you can have the presentation open in one tab and the design file in another. -This is best used for design tweaks or adjustments, like changing the color on a logo, or moving around sections on a homepage. Though you don’t need to limit it either! -Be flexible and know your limits. Wholesale changes to a design are best served as a ‘We’ll take it back to the lab and work on this’ type deal. -Remind clients that what you’re doing is in no way ‘final,’ and you always reserve the right to make changes after the meeting. This is more-or-less a way to validate ideas. And if you're looking for a design partner to make some magic together? Reach out to Clique Studios, LLC!

It’s one thing to start off a collaborative partnership with respect and intentionality; it’s another to show it, and practice it, in your daily work. #BuiltByClique

How do we set up collaborative partnerships for success? 👇 #BuiltByClique

Collaborating with long-term partners isn't about going through the same rinse-and-repeat process. It's about continuously evolving to meet their changing needs. Over 7 years after we designed and developed our first site with Chicago History Museum, it was time for an upgrade. This time, we focused on delivering the most critical features first, then worked on the rest in phases. Taking a new approach provided immediate value while also laying the groundwork for lasting success. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #BuiltByClique