IAM2418 – Framework Designer Transforms Ideas into Impactful Visuals Using The Frame Method

Phil Lashley

00:00 - 00:25

Frame methodology, I call it the frame method. Basically, we frame the things that are important to us in life, and we frame moments that we want to become unforgettable. So likewise, you can frame your ideas. So when a client comes to me, a potential client, once they have a message, once they're clear on their message, and there's a transformation that they're trying to get, I can help them by framing it.

Intro

00:27 - 00:51

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Grush values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the

Gresham Harkless

00:52 - 01:02

I am CEO podcast. Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast. And I have an awesome guest on the show today. I have Phil Lashley. Phil excited to have you on the show. It's

Phil Lashley

01:02 - 01:04

good to be here. I'm excited too, man.

Gresham Harkless

01:05 - 01:32

Yes, I'm excited as well too. We had a little bit of turbulence, but we've been able to kind of land and we're going to do some really awesome things. And I'm super excited to interview Phil because Phil is a phenomenal person. He's accomplished so much. And of course, before we jump into having that phenomenal interview, I want to read a little bit more about Phil so you can hear about some of those awesome things. And Phil is a sought after framework designer with over 15 years of experience in visual storytelling. transforming complex ideas into impactful visuals and custom animations.

Gresham Harkless

01:33 - 02:13

His work has been featured by brands, the Drew Barrymore Show, multi-Grammy award-winning Chandler Moore, software giants like Adobe and Microsoft, as well as high-profile content creators with HarperCollins Christian Publishing and the Brand Builders Group. He's known for his reliability and ease to work with. Phil is the creative partner that leaders trust to elevate their message. Before preparing for this interview, I was reading and listening to a lot of what Phil's been able to do. What I really loved about like his overall, I say philosophy, I don't even know if I want to say ethos, is he basically said when the right visuals combine with the right concept, remarkable things

Intro

02:13 - 02:13

can

Gresham Harkless

02:13 - 02:21

happen from there. And one of the things I think is actually part of his philosophy, I think he says, it's not how creative you are, it's how you are

Phil Lashley

02:22 - 02:23

creative.

Gresham Harkless

02:23 - 02:29

Absolutely. Yeah. So Phil, excited to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the IMCEO community?

Phil Lashley

02:30 - 02:32

Let's do it. Yes. Let's get

Gresham Harkless

02:32 - 02:32

it started

Phil Lashley

02:32 - 02:33

then. Yes.

Gresham Harkless

02:33 - 02:39

So, so to kick everything off, let's for one o'clock here a little bit more on how you got started. What I call your CEO story.

Phil Lashley

02:40 - 03:27

Yeah. So I'll like to take everyone way back to when I even thought I was interested in visual communication. I'm from Barbados, born there, went to school there, college up to finishing college there. It was in the it, uh, technology, um, industry, uh, computer technician. And it has always been eye-catching. I was always drawn to how commercials are made, how movies are made. So back then, I'm dating myself, but you would buy a DVD. And if you're lucky, you would have a behind the scenes edition, the director's cut. Those were when I binged, right? I didn't really watch a lot of movies, but behind the scenes was where I just ingested a lot of that stuff.

Phil Lashley

03:28 - 04:11

So that curiosity took me to attending the Art Institute at the time. They had one of the newer programs. It was a Bachelor's in Fine Arts, Visual Effects, Motion Graphics. And basically, that covered the full spectrum from filmmaking, graphic design, animation. It gave a wide array of skills within the program. The thing was missing though, the main thing was missing was that I still didn't know how commercials were made. So, um, that journey was, it was interesting. I got a lot of exposure with different types of people, professors in their career, um, overlapping, but I didn't, I wasn't fulfilled.

Phil Lashley

04:12 - 04:16

So that's the way it started for me. When I finished school, it was where the journey really started.

Gresham Harkless

04:17 - 04:42

Nice. Well, I appreciate you sharing that. And that fulfillment word is such a huge thing. Sometimes can probably, I imagine, be seen as like misunderstood or maybe people don't fully understand exactly what they're talking about, what they, what they're trying to do to, to innovate or blaze trails. But to be able to kind of understand that and marry those two things and have that in a way that's digestible, I guess, for the people that they want to serve is probably such a huge thing and very symbiotic.

Phil Lashley

04:42 - 05:22

Yeah. You talk about speed when you really peel back the curtain, like how quick can someone understand you? your message, right? Not just externally, you know, like the audiences, but internally to like your teams. So what I began to see was even the innovation industry before a product goes to market, like how quick can that research team buy over the stakeholders, the shareholders before this invest thousands and even millions of dollars. So story became that thing that I took from The curiosity in Barbados as a little boy, I took it through art school, is the thing that followed me.

Phil Lashley

05:22 - 05:40

And I decided, you know what? This is the secret sauce. Story, like how to tell stories, how to engage people with story, and how to marry anyone's message with story. That has become the niche for me.

Gresham Harkless

05:42 - 06:00

I absolutely love that. And it's so funny you said, because I was going to ask you around that secret sauce, the thing. you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique. And it seems to be like, I'm gonna use the word translate, because it almost is like, it seems like you have this ability to be able to understand, obviously, the story, the animation, the video, all those pieces.

Phil Lashley

06:00 - 06:06

Yes, absolutely. I like to use the word translator because that's how I see myself. a visual translator, literally.

Gresham Harkless

06:07 - 06:21

Absolutely. So I would love to kind of hear a little bit more on like how you work with clients. How does that process work where, you know, people reach out to you? What does that look like as far as like them, you know, getting those ideas and things translated into something that is really tangible and able to move those mountains?

Phil Lashley

06:22 - 07:01

Yeah. So first I had to get clear on what I was doing and what I was doing it for. And in that process, this is only two or three years ago, I created a framework that helped me be quickly understood first. So in a sense, practicing what I'm preaching, I created this process where I sat and reverse engineered all of the successful projects, all of the award-winning projects that I had nothing to do with, like anything that captured people's attention from Super Bowl commercials back down to the halftime show at Super Bowls to music videos, you name it.

Phil Lashley

07:01 - 07:40

There's this thing that all of them had in common. And literally it just came together to me one day where I realized, Oh, there's just a strong feeling. It is a strong, relatable concept is a strong message. And I created a framework essentially that I use with all my clients, including myself for every, every new idea. And I framed them. So. When you talk about secret sauce, yes, it's a story, but this frame methodology, I call it the frame method. Basically, we frame the things that are important to us in life, and we frame moments that we want to become unforgettable.

Phil Lashley

07:41 - 08:22

Likewise, you can frame your ideas. When a client comes to me, a potential client, once they have a message, once they're clear on their message, and there's a transformation that they're trying to get, I can help them by framing it. And it sounds all high-tech, but it's really five simple questions. The acronym FRAME, F-R-A-M-E. Really quickly, at a high level, F is the feelings. Like, what is that specific feeling you're trying to get the audience to feel when you communicate this idea, your message? What is the relatable concept, right? Some story, something that they already bought into, something that they see, that you can just write on, you know?

Phil Lashley

08:23 - 09:03

For me, it's the frame, literally. Everybody knows what a frame is. The A is the aesthetic. What should it look like? This goes deeper into like the visual branding, right? This is the one that everybody's familiar with. What should it look like? You're intentional about it. The M is the message. What's the one message you want people to take away when you're done with your, whatever, your live performance or your talk, your TED talk? or your, your, your vigil, like they look at it, what is the one message you want them to take away? And the E, last but not least, I think this is the most forgotten one is the expression of it.

Phil Lashley

09:03 - 09:48

Like the question here is how else can this, you fill in the blanks, how else can this be expressed? So I'll give a really relatable example. A few years ago, Rihanna, the halftime Superbowl show, very memorable. All right, you can frame that experience and you can say, okay, the feelings were clear, like, there's this boldness, there's this strength, there's female empowerment, that was clear, right? The art, the relatable concept, she had a theme going, I cannot remember the characters that she had, but I remember she had a clear red outfit. She was very clear aesthetically, like the colors to support the message, that bold, fierce, you know, attitude.

Phil Lashley

09:50 - 10:19

The message, This is debatable, but I am pregnant. She revealed her pregnancy on that grand stage. And the expression, last but not least, at the end of that conversion, that experience at the Super Bowl, her product line just went through the roof, her revenues, because she was able to attract the attention and channel them to some, I think it was a makeup or something that she was releasing.

Gresham Harkless

10:19 - 10:35

Yeah, that's huge. And I appreciate you so much. And obviously, you know, doing that, I love how it's kind of like you're scratching your own itch, so to speak, because you know, these people that are innovating, once you be able to express it in some way, and they're just not quite able to do that. So I love that you're able to bridge that gap.

Phil Lashley

10:35 - 10:35

Yeah,

Gresham Harkless

10:35 - 10:35

yeah,

Phil Lashley

10:35 - 11:15

man, just about to say to it to another reason why I do what I do is for so long, like, as long as I knew myself, I was always behind, like from school days as a boy, always the one to do makeup classes through college, even at the art university in Miami where I attended, I did makeup sessions, right? So this thing just was like a plague or a curse that followed me. Like, am I, something wrong with me? And it was only until a few years ago I realized, you know, I was a visual learner, like, at the time of recording this podcast, I'm 42 years old.

Phil Lashley

11:15 - 11:50

And it took me so long to realize that the way I learn is through visuals. And this was the icing on the cake for me when I could see my clients, I see what you're trying to do. And I have a huge compassion for who they're trying to communicate with, like, not everyone learns the same. So when you use visuals, the right visuals, right? The thing that I never had growing up, It's a, it's a, it's a shortcut for people to understand you. And best case, you become unforgettable. You use the right visuals, the right narrative.

Phil Lashley

11:51 - 12:02

So that was a hack that I accidentally stumbled upon, you know, using the visuals is a shortcut. The more visual, the more clear, the more clear, the more unforgettable. It's that simple.

Gresham Harkless

12:03 - 12:22

Yeah, that's a huge thing. And I love that CEO hack because it ends up being such a huge thing. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. This is a little bit more word of wisdom or piece of advice. You might have already touched on this, but I like to say it might be something you would tell your younger business self if you were to hop into a time machine or potentially your favorite client. So what would your CEO

Phil Lashley

12:23 - 13:05

nugget be? I would say don't, don't ignore the childlike imagination that you once had. But also there's this freedom that most people would have had when they were a child. You know, the freedom to dream and play, there are no limitations. I think that, and this is not an original thinking, I think one of these great, Da Vinci or one of these artists, these painters kind of alluded to it, where when you get as an adult now, you lose it. You lose that childhood imagination. I don't think you lose it, you just choose not to tap into it, you know?

Phil Lashley

13:06 - 13:44

So the reason I think this is important and is a good nugget is because that is a secret to staying creative. Like it's easy to get inspired, you know, for a moment you see a cool piece of art, you go to a hike, you get inspired by nature, you finish the hike, you finish the workshop, the conference, and you're inspired as a leader. But then it goes down, you know, inspiration does like this, up and down, like a wave. But to stay creative, I think constantly fueling that imagination, whatever that is for you, pay attention to it and do it intentionally.

Phil Lashley

13:45 - 13:49

I think that's something that I would, I wish I paid more attention to over the years.

Gresham Harkless

13:50 - 14:02

Yeah, so I wanted to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. Our goal is to have different quote unquote CEOs on this show. So Phil, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Phil Lashley

14:02 - 14:49

Yeah, I can't think about being CEO without being service, putting people first. Yes, it's leadership, but I tend to think about serving people more than the leadership part. And maybe they go together. Maybe I'm just playing with words. But literally, right now, I don't have a full-time team. I have no desire to do that. But I do have my wife, a business partner, who is a 50-50 business. And we have different people with different responsibilities. The team is virtual. We pull on them as needed. And intentionally, we found even a project on the horizon they're going to hear from me.

Phil Lashley

14:49 - 15:05

Like they're constantly hearing, you know, where are you at? Can we meet? Like, what is coming up for you or to challenge you? So it's like getting ahead is a, it's permission to serve, man. That sounds really, really strange saying that out loud, but that's what a CEO means to me.

Intro

15:06 - 15:06

You

Phil Lashley

15:06 - 15:16

know, having people's back, like, how can I help you? Leaving them better, you know, than, than you met them. That's, that's my, my, my idea of a CEO.

Gresham Harkless

15:18 - 15:42

I love that, and I love it because, again, how much in alignment it is with everything that you're doing as far as work. A lot of times these people are innovators or trailblazers. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, Phil, truly appreciate that definition. Of course, I appreciate your time even more. So what I wanted to do now was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know, and of course, how best people can get ahold of you, find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.

Phil Lashley

15:42 - 16:06

You are creative. Just believe it and infuse it into your business, and you'll be amazed as to what happens after that. Absolutely. It's not how creative you are, it's how you're creative. How you use what you have. My website, my first and last name, phillashley.com. I'm also active on LinkedIn, you can find me there. Super easy.

Gresham Harkless

16:07 - 16:20

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, truly appreciate that, Phil. Of course, to make it even easier, we'll have the links and information in the show notes as well, too, so that everybody can follow up with you, connect with you, your website and LinkedIn and all the places that you're doing phenomenal things. And of course, I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Phil Lashley

16:20 - 16:25

You, too, my friend. Thanks for listening, and all of us listening in the audience. You've got us.

Intro

16:25 - 16:59

Thank you for listening to the I am CEO podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at imceo.co. I am CEO is not just a phrase. It's a community. Want to level up your business even more? Read blogs, listen to podcasts, and watch videos at CBNation.co. Also, check out our I Am CEO Facebook group. This has been the I Am CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.