Patrick O'Toole

Process

Design thinking invites brands to understand themselves as much as their audience, unveil insights for innovation, and improve their offerings to better the lives of their customers.

I commonly go through the process of determining the who, what, where and why for any assignment. More often than not, the simplest but most difficult question to answer is “Why?” From thoughtful brand strategies to the art of pixel-pushing, making meaningful decisions every step of the way is something in which I take great pride. Integrity in the work is being mindful of anything and everything that can persuade, promote and impact the customer experience.

 
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Begin from within.

In 2009, the thoughts of one of my personal inspirations, Simon Sinek, had a significant impact on my approach to problem-solving. His ideas resonated so deeply, I generated a visual that I’ve used for years on one core concept that makes brand communication successful; working from the inside out. It challenges brands to look introspectively first before leveraging their differentiators throughout their channels. It allows businesses and the people behind them to connect on an emotional level and engage audiences in deeper, more enriching ways. When you can turn a consumer into a customer into a believer, they’ll be glad to share their experience with those close to them.

Research + Strategy: Northeastern University

Below is a documentation of our strategic process at Saltwater that illustrates the value of understanding for the ideation and execution of meaningful change for users. (Creative Director) 

During our pitch process, we created a video to showcase the work that goes into figuring out what matters most. This video is a glimpse at the beginning stages of understanding what makes a school unique and what's important to potential students and their search for the right university.
 
 

Research + Strategy: Oticon Hearing Devices

Here's another pitch video that I concepted, storyboarded and led for future discussion with a potential client while at Saltwater. This segment illustrates the importance and power of empathy. I've always believed that if we work for the customer, not necessarily the business, everyone will succeed in the end.  

 
 

Design Process: Wentworth-Douglass Hospital

Collaboration is at the heart of what I love. As a creative, you have to be resilient and accepting of opinions and perspectives that make the results stronger. Here's a quick video showing the team I led as CD getting together and hashing out good, and some bad, visual directions. Check out the final product. 

Watch how my team of designers work collaboratively to make meaningful decisions while we translate brand values and differentiators into identity elements that resonate with their audiences. We analyze ever decision from color, type, layout and graphic devices to develop a cohesive visual voice.
 

Excited to do great work with good people.

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