As news rolled through my Twitter feed this week from Cannes Lions, one article in particular caught my attention. FastCompany’s interview with David Jones, CEO of holding company Havas, reported a changing tide at the self-proclaimed “International Festival of Creativity.” Formerly attended primarily by ad people, the event now hosts a stream of technologists and marketers from Silicon Valley giants like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Twitter.
The article reminded me of my first toe-dip into the agency world.
“There’s been a big internal debate about where this new discipline – UX – should sit within the agency,” a Creative Director told me. ”But as far as I’m concerned, you’re a creative.”
I’d been called creative before (thanks, Mom!) but never had I been called “a creative.” What was “a creative”? And who would decide whether or not I was one?
As I soon learned, the agency typically reserved the elusive label for designers and copywriters. So while some saw UXers as creatives, others decidedly did not. After a while, the mixed messages wore on me; Certain decisions were exclusively within the jurisdiction of “the creatives,” a club to which I only sometimes belonged. As a thinker who often spent my time in the shower dreaming up innovative interactive solutions to client challenges, it always stung to be reminded that some questioned the place of architects and technologists at the creative table.
Which is precisely why coverage like that from Cannes Lion this week makes me smile. Creativity is far too big to be the sole jurisdiction of one of two disciplines, and technological innovation shines a light on that fact.
Creativity is the responsibility of every coder behind a software build. It’s the mandate of every entrepreneur. It’s the difference between the technologists the client wants to work with and those he doesn’t.
These changing tides challenge more traditional agencies to bring technical chops to the strategic table. In Austin, we’ve seen local firms rise to the occasion. This month alone, Austin-based agency Springbox announced a new freeware offering called Mobilizer. In partnership with a team they call T3 Innovation Labs, T3 announced a new software service called Perimeters.
Although they’re each aided by brilliant copywriting and elegant design, it’s the technological innovation underlying each of these products that makes them showpieces for their founders. For the increasing percentage of projects like these, it’s the creativity of those outside the “creative team” that’s fundamental.
So, I’m taking a stand. I’m personally done with calling those in any certain roles “creatives.” Join me if you agree that creativity should be expected from every member of the team.
