This week, we're adding more pages to our Spellbook. Here's what we'll be talking about:

We’ve spent most of our lives learning to read and write, but how much of that time was spent learning to listen?

According to Stephen Covey’s book; 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, there are 5 levels of listening:

Emphatic Listening can be applied to so many things! For us creatives, this should be used especially when dealing with clients.

Most of the time, creatives or even clients try to “imprint” their own style into designs; which could lead them to stray off from what the brand represents.

The brand or deliverables should be designed to cater to the target audience. It’s not about the client or the designer but the target audience; the group of people the brand plans to reach.

As designers, we need to listen intently and only after that, extract what the goal actually is.

Be brave to (respectfully) contest with the client, to ensure that both of you align to the goal — to aim for the target audience.

When you feel lost, everything feels like it’s all over the place and nothing’s working out. This simple formula could do the trick for you.

Usually, you can’t control what happens to you (event) but what you can control is how you would take it (reaction) which ultimately determines the outcome.

Let’s imagine ourselves stuck in a traffic jam around The Mall. It’s slow, annoying and wastes your time. The natural reaction would be to rage.

But what if we reacted differently?

We could look around and notice the small things around us: the mother with a child crossing the road, the way cars around us fill the road with colours or birds passing while avoiding cars as they pass through the jam. Maybe also listen to lyrics of the song blasting through your speakers!

Everyone in the same situation is currently going through their days, like you. Just like how it’s happening differently for everyone and those around you.

AICREATIVV’s CEO and co-founder Imamull was invited to attend the Borneo Tech Summit in Kota Kinabalu at the Sabah International Convention Centre.

Takeaways from the event when running a business include:

The event was filled with fireside chats and over 25 speakers from ministries and huge business owners around Malaysia, attended by corporates and start-up owners from all over SEA.

Our Creative Designer Mahmud Aziizi and ex intern/aspiring cinematographer Alimin or Leemin was part of a 2-week intensive media programme: FLY under the ASEAN-ROK Film Community Programme.

With the motto “We Are Certain, We FLY”, the filmmaking workshop saw 22 trainees develop six short films under the guidance of experienced Asian filmmakers.

Participants gain skills in scriptwriting, directing and editing through assignments, workshops and feedback sessions. The programme also includes screenings with Q&A, a networking event and official activities like location tours in Vientiane and a graduation ceremony showcasing the completed films.

Mahmud Aziizi found the FLY programme transformative; enjoying the chance to collaborate with cinephiles from diverse countries.

Over two months of online pre-production, he took on roles like Cinematographer, Assistant Director and editor, gaining insights into the global film industry and its contrast with Brunei’s.

The shared goal of filmmaking and the friendships formed made the experience unforgettable, one he hopes to repeat!

AICREATIVV has been using Notion since our humble beginnings 4 years ago. Why Notion? It’s packed with amazing features and we’re deep into its ecosystem from databases, task management, project information etc.

Recently, the all-in-one workspace launched a huge update boosting performance further including Notion Mail, Forms, Layouts and upgrades to the Notion AI. Check it out at https://www.notion.so/releases.

If you’re subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud, you’ll notice that some applications are now labelled 2025. We just discovered that there has been massive changes to the tools that would change the game for editing. Check out this video for a summary!

If you want to read the previous pages, head over to this link right here:

That’s all for this week. See you next week!

At AICREATIVV, we aim to make every person who engages with us 1% better — our members, our existing and potential clients, the business community, the creative community & so on.

We strive for Public Victory. 

Each week, we'll share insights, tips, and recommendations to help you learn the magical combination of strategy, creativity, and business know-how that truly enchants your audience.

Let's unlock the magic of strategic design.

We hope this brought you value.

Business owners, marketing departments & corp comms - have a project in mind? Let’s discuss.