What Sparks Light Up Your Business?
I have spent over twenty years in design education and seen irreversible changes to the industry as a whole. These changes are due mainly to the introduction of the desktop computer and the Internet. The Internet has allowed for the outsourcing of design services, in most cases to developing countries. The resulting tide of templates, free fonts and cheap solutions undermine the quality of professional design services. But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
The way forward for the creative industries as a whole is for us to express creativity through our unique point of view. Finding ways of demonstrating innovation, authority, vision and strategy has always value-added creative practice. You may have rockstar layout skills, great taste, software proficiency, and client service to die for, but these will no longer sustain a business model. Without the addition of a unique viewpoint, the role of the creative will devalue to the point where they can easily be replaced.
