As a visual artist, I’ve gone through the motions between commercial and artistic work- a balance of self-expression, exorcism, and the need to eat. The interplay of client mandatories and creativity is a dance in which all designers engage. A time comes when utility outweighs novelty, and a designer’s work seems stuck in the void of formulaic compositions and concepts.
I get rare requests for design jobs, and recently, I was contacted by a former colleague who offered me one. While I appreciated the opportunity, I couldn’t help but feel perplexed. This person was from a marketing department with an in-house team of artists and creatives. It made me wonder if something was off, especially if they sought external help. It was not because of a lack of a workforce; they had many team members with impressive experience. The work had become redundant and mundane, lacking any hint of innovation or even a touch of, or at least, the notion of the contemporary.
The idea of ‘no idea’- or the occasional creative block is nothing new. As I prodded my friend regarding the situation, this was no isolated case of catching a designer at a bad time but was a symptom they have noticed amongst most of their design team through the years. The artists seemed content with repeating visual styles, concepts, and compositions that had worked in the past, with no motivation towards something new. This had to be addressed, especially in an industry where companies and brands must be competitively at the top of minds and engaged with the market.
I teach advertising visualization and art direction, and I occasionally meet students who are unsure of their abilities and hesitant due to their limited knowledge of art and design. I assure them that creativity and innovation, while traditionally seen as an individual trait people are born with, can nevertheless be learned, instilled, and developed. Besides, we do not work in isolation, as creative output in marketing and advertising is a product of collaborative work, capitalizing on everyone’s strengths.
In an exploratory study to determine effective creative processes, Johar, Holbrook, & Stern (2001) compared several pairings of advertising creatives and provided them with a common client background document and strategic brief for developing creative direction. It was observed that the team who were open to a collaborative back and forth among members and eager to explore different creative routes beyond their pre-existing orientations was evaluated as the most appealing and effective.
This Cross-Pollination of Ideas – where members are teamed with other collaborators (including external creatives and artists), or rotated across different projects, is a concept worth looking into. Management, as a facilitator of the nexus of the collaborative space, can bring much to the table to limit stagnation. Some actions include fostering a healthy space for diversified idea generation, as seen above, as well as encouraging a culture of experimentation – through the implementation of design “sprints”- such as design or innovation challenges to push individuals beyond their comfort zones; the allocation of time for passion projects; and recognition of the quality of performance and excellence in the workplace.
Management must also acknowledge that experimentation entails mishaps and unexpected outcomes and be seen as an inevitable part of the process toward insight. An organizational culture that allows no room for mistakes and penalizes missteps can foster risk aversion, leading individuals to rely on proven processes rather than exploring innovative ideas.
These are but a few strategies management can explore to address creative stagnation, which can erode the innovative edge of a company. By encouraging a culture of experimentation and cross-pollination, companies nurture continuous innovation.
Creativity issues are not solely in the area or realm of the creative department, nor are they necessarily an individual process or issue, but are organizational-level challenges (more on this later). We have only scratched the surface, with much more to consider regarding motivations, strategies, systems, and processes.
February is National Arts Month, celebrated by highlighting the creativity and talent of Filipino artists with various activities and platforms encouraging artistic expression and innovation as spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). I encourage everyone to take advantage of this celebration of creativity and the arts when, more so than usual, access to work is at the forefront. These allow for fresh perspectives, inspiration, and an intermingling of creative spirits, all distinctly ours.
Dr. Miguel Paolo L. Paredes, a 2024 National Academy of Science & Technology awardee, specializes in creativity, design, advertising, sustainable consumption, and business. He is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Marketing & Advertising at De La Salle University’s Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU.