Innovate or die. We’ve all heard it before, but never have those three words seemed more relevant than today. It has become vital to keep the creative juices flowing in every part of your business and start questioning the status quo.

It’s not always easy to break away from the “same old, same old” without tapping resources from the outside to spark new ideas. One proven way to inject life into strategic planning is to schedule a retreat, or “vision session.” These can be anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. They should involve individuals from all levels of the organization to get a diverse snapshot of the company. And, everyone should come prepared to truly innovate and strategize for the future. Here are four key ways to make the most of your company retreat.

Katy Briggs shares how vision retreats can benefit the hospitality industry.

As business begins ramping up again, taking time away from your daily tasks to focus on the future and the strategies to help you succeed in our changed world becomes increasingly important. Corporate retreats and vision sessions provide an ideal way to bring teams together to innovate, strategize, rejuvenate and map a plan for moving forward. Thinking now about ways to improve customer service and guest amenities can be a good way to get started.

It’s a phrase I’ve heard more frequently over the last few months from clients, colleagues and friends: “Business is picking up.” Though it will take time to recover, for many the tide is starting to turn.

With the high tide comes opportunity. Opportunity to build innovative products and solutions. Opportunity to re-create your brand and more effectively resonate with consumers. Opportunity to create a fresh perspective.

From more than 800 submissions in the first HOW Logo Design Awards, HOW’s competition judge Jeff Fisher was responsible for going through a lengthy process of narrowing down the entries to the top 10 winning logos. Willoughby is proud to be honored in the top 10.

A powerful tool called design thinking can give you a competitive edge, writes Katy Briggs.

Innovate or die. We’ve all heard it before, but never have those three words seemed more relevant. It has become vital to keep the creative juices flowing in every part of your business and start questioning the status quo.

One day in June in the early ’70s, at the Aspen Design Conference, I met Milton Glaser for the first time. What I remember most is he carried a small student-grade sketchbook with him everywhere. During presentations in the legendary Aspen white tent, Milton sketched while each speaker took his or her turn on stage (it was mostly “his turn” back then)…

I was inspired to start my own sketchbook. More than anything, I wanted to hold on to the people and ideas … but it would be another few years before I began keeping sketchbooks on a regular basis. Today I use sketchbooks for travel and for work.

Emily Phillips shares how she became a designer at Willoughby Design with The Kansas City Star.

Beth Zollars asked Willoughby to design and brand her retail store, Feng, in Overland Park. The result is a stylish boutique with dynamic visuals and the practical design to be changed easily. Joyce Smith from The Kansas City Star recently featured Feng and interviewed our very own Ann Willoughby for the article.

The best stores are more than just merchandise-for-money exchange. Ann Willoughby says the best stores offer “a deeper, more meaningful, more cultural experience.” In an article for The Kansas City Star, Joyce Smith writes that there is a great deal of strategy involved in designing a store citing Willoughby Design’s work on KCK9 Bakery. Relocated, re-branded and renamed Three Dog Bakery, it is now an international brand.

The Addys is the nation’s largest local advertising awards competition. At the 2009-2010 event, Willoughby Design was honored with awards in the categories of Elements of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Best of Design.