The Future of Design Is Strategy
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The world of design is changing folks. This isn't a right-brained sport anymore and the fact is, it hasn't been for quite some time.
Here's how the advertising world used to work: Client hires advertising agency. Advertising agency has two arms - the creative side and the account side. The account side works to strategize (SWOT and all those other techniques you may have learned in school) and then the creative team goes to work coming up with the creative (ala Mad Men) attempting to wow the client with clever copy and ground-breaking visuals. The client agrees on a concept. Then, enter the designer (or in some cases producer, director or full production team).
In the past, this model worked because it was all funded by large Fortune 500 brands with deep pockets. Brands spent hundreds of millions annually in an effort to broadcast their message to audiences.
What's changed? Simply put, the internet– the most disruptive technology ever invented. Why should design be safe?
There are now, seemingly infinite number of media channels where people consume news and entertainment along with the hundreds of cable channels that already exist. This has necessitated the dispersion of advertising/marketing across multiple channels. The advertising budget hasn't gotten smaller, it's just being diluted to live beyond broadcast TV as online content, interactive and branded experiences.
To cut costs, many agencies have in-house design teams with full production and post production capabilities. Read between the lines here. It's only a matter of time before your design practice gets squeezed to the point in which your business is no longer sustainable. Perhaps you are already feeling this.
It's not all bad news, because when one technology changes new opportunities emerge for those quick enough to adapt. Some brands are going directly to design studios, cutting out the agency all together. Sounds great. However, they need partners who can not only design but understand strategy, brand positioning and design thinking.
So what do you do? You can read a few books, watch videos, hire consultants or take a few courses. If that's not your cup of tea, or your issue is more urgent than that, then you go to Skool– a 2 day, intensive, hands on course and apply what you learned the very next day!
It's time to supplement your education with a little bit of business school created specifically for designers and creatives.
For the past year, I've been working with The Skool's Chief Education Officer, Jose Caballer, who has been teaching me about how he uses strategy for digital applications. I quickly realized that the facilitation process he shared with me has much broader applications outside the digital world. We call it CORE.
I've used it and applied it to my business, and it works! Clients are blown away by the speed and agility in which we can define their brand, positioning and articulate their brand voice through words and images. Amazing! We were able to accomplish in 2 days what another multi-million dollar branding consultancy could not do in weeks. Not my words, theirs.
Let me know what you think.
I help develop creative design solutions.
7 年Thank you for sharing this information Chris. I've been completely unaware of this change in the creative industry. Are there any books you recommend on this topic? Thanks.
Designer / Creative Director
10 年Excellent. I assume that strategic map is priced for its wholesale value and not for the fact that you can do this in two days, yes? or is it added to the design package and priced accordingly? And, how does this model compare w the "traditional" ad agency structure? do you handle media placement for your clients as well? maybe I should just take your course...
I empower LATAM brands with memorable and culturally-relevant 360° branded experiences that deeply resonate and differentiate them from competitors in order to drive explosive growth.
10 年Strategy IS the future, and the future is NOW. What is being taught by Chris Do and Jose A. Caballer at CORE is inmensely powerful business education. Good point, Allen Martinez about distribution channels, though that leans more towards Operations Management.
Want forever impact? ?? #DropTheDrone: Human-toned Resume Writer ?? Conversational Copywriter ?? Mends broken careers, snuffs sales slumps, slays brand schisms ??
10 年New perspective. Wondering if the change is really ‘new technology’ or simply that what the Internet has actually done is made 700-year old direct response techniques quicker, faster, better, readily available and a must-have for today's Modern Marketer(s)? I’ll wrap with this little gem: “Mad Men: The Madison Avenue and the Golden Age of Advertising” book by Andrew Cracknell (Feb 28, 2012) is the real-deal on the advertising industry during the time of the TV show. Friggin riveting. Explains everything. (See the legends grapple with what you point out here.) Bank every cent from your content!
Want forever impact? ?? #DropTheDrone: Human-toned Resume Writer ?? Conversational Copywriter ?? Mends broken careers, snuffs sales slumps, slays brand schisms ??
10 年Spot on! Positioning is everything--Ogilvy lists it #1 in his infamous print ad, “How to create advertising that sells.” Here’s the copy: 1.The most important decision. We have learned that the effect of your advertising on your sales depends more on this decision than on any other: How should you position your product? [Followed by explanation] And I love your branding in 2-days –I’ve seen it work with a few of my freelance clients.