Ideas come from people.
Welcome to 2024. And welcome to another year of learnings form yours truly, a creative professional, who after 35+ years in the ad-design field has witnessed a 1000-fold transformation in the creative profession. Maybe a bit exaggerated? From computers to AI software, the business of creativity continues to evolve.
Upon graduating from the Ontario College of Art in the mid 90’s with a degree in advertising-design, working for ad agencies was exciting as well as challenging. There was a lot of competition but few jobs. Your conceptual thinking skills got you in the door, not a GPA.
Back then, ad campaigns primarily consisted of television, radio and print (newspaper/billboards). Crafting ads meant visualizing your storytelling ideas using paper pads, Sharpies, T-squares, and trays of colourful markers all stuffed in a huge portfolio case, orchestrated by a good set of hands. The ideas came from folks with life experience and not Google searches or AI as many today seem to think.
As a successful art director/graphic designer, you relied on the “computer” between your ears. And you had to know how to draw. You were an artist after all. It seems with the advent of computers and AI software, people assumed they were instantly blessed with artistic abilities. Not so. Let’s face it, to the artists of today, whether you’re a painter, sculptor, or photographer, computers and AI are just tools. Instruments. The ideas still need to come from brains.
Back to the 90’s. Radio spots required the ability to create “theatre of the mind” when writing scripts. Television commercials demanded visually compelling storytelling that had to capture the target audience’s attention in seconds when viewed. Print ads demanded a keen understanding of design (typography, contrast, balance, colour, etc) to make an impact within the tight confines of magazine, newspaper or billboard specs. A strong idea demanded stopping power. As an art director/graphic designer, you had to think and scribble fast.
At the turn of the millennium, the widespread use of computers and the internet introduced a shift in advertising-design. Now with technology at your disposal, many DIYers, thinking the creative process was attainable with “tools” for creative problem solving, took it upon themselves to solve their creative marketing needs. It certainly made those of us who were professionally trained sharpen our pencils to rise to the challenge. A good thing in that the work got better. Competition brings out the best in us.
As someone who witnessed the introduction of computers in creative marketing, the use of AI will transform the creative sector. Again, it will be both exhilarating and nail-biting. While the days of old may linger for me, the current landscape offers an exciting future. But not to be forgotten, the best ideas will still have to be borne from a single, well thought out idea that comes from the creative minds of humans.
With its data-driven knowledge and my humble understanding of it, AI will undoubtedly change my views on the creative profession. How I embrace “tools” in my creative problem-solving ways comes down to what my clients say. If, after a presentation a client says, “I never would have thought of that”, then I know I’m still human.
Cheers, mark.
