Everything You Make Makes You
A few weeks ago, I was running around the Old Truman Brewery in London, getting a dose of inspiration and trying to soak up as much knowledge as I could.
Technology, art, design, advertising, film, publishing — it all comes together as a powerful tool to craft stories, build the future, and stay curious to learn and explore the world around us.
One of the most anticipated creative weeks of the year felt busy. During my time assisting the production team, I also had a chance to enjoy some lectures, take notes and learn from an inspiring mix of creatives who, coming from different backgrounds, stand for ideas that make you think and urge to fight sameness.
Some of the great speakers I got to see and learn from:
Ashleigh Axios / Designing for President Obama
Ashleigh Axios is the Creative Director at the Office of Digital Strategy that does everything digital for the White House from WhiteHouse.gov and ‘‘We the people’’ petitions platform to all White House social media presence. Working for President Obama is a big gig. Many would probably say that designing for the government is dry, dull, and not fun. However, Ashleigh tells that it’s exactly what keeps her motivated to produce work that is far from mediocre, and that serves and engages the public.
She shared that the biggest challenge of her job is to distill a vast amount of information and make it simple and appealing to a broader audience. Politics is complex, and for people to engage with it, hard topics should be turned into compelling stories that are easy to understand and relate to. One project that Ashleigh Axios talked about was the President’s State of the Union address. The usual broadcast was paired with custom charts, graphs, and images that could help explain the various policies and issues in a visual way that is easier to grasp.
Some of the works produced by the digital team can be found here:
WhiteHouse.gov/share videos and infographics
We The Geeks , ConnectED Initiative, Youth Jobs+ logos
The State of the Union Enhanced Slides
Preventing Gun Violence Issue Page
Would I Qualify for Refinancing Tool
Middle-Class Tax Cuts Infographic
Ali Ali / 10 Stupid things I learned in Advertising
Ali started his talk by showing a timeline of his creative career. He began his journey at Miami Ad School, and after graduating, he immersed himself fully into the world of advertising, working for some well-known ad agencies and big clients. Never-Say-No-To-Panda Cheese campaign produced in collaboration with his creative partner Maged Nasser was named one of the world’s most-watched ads on YouTube. Ali’s works are known for its attentiveness to local realities and sensibility towards more global thinking.
According to Ali, people in advertising take themselves way too seriously when it’s more about having fun and getting paid for it.
The more years you spend in advertising, the more bizarre it gets.
So here are 10 stupid things Ali learned in Advertising:
- It’s not rocket science. People who are relaxed, chilled, and in a happy environment are the ones who do great work. Those who stress too much about deadlines don’t produce great work; it’s more calculated than spontaneous.
2. What we do vs. what people are doing. Controversy can make work survive.
3. Stay inexperienced. Stay Fresh. Stop looking at other people’s work. Otherwise, it will end up looking like other people’s work.
4. Be stupid. Have fun. Don’t try to be a genius. (Ryan Gosling Cereal, How to make a Big Mac). Some of the most viewed works are not based on research. You can’t always keep on listening to consumers ‘’It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want’’. Extensive research takes a lot of time. Do something stupid, simple, and fun instead.
5. Present just one idea only. Options are for hairdressers! Persuade the client to buy what you want to sell.
6. Sometimes it’s worth making your client uncomfortable. Comfortable means the client likes the idea, have seen it before and knows how it works.
7. The client isn’t always a king (unless he’s a real king). Keep the conversation simple and collaborative.
8. Respect the product, not the process. In this way, the work you produce can be more genuine and effective.
9. The faster, the better. The more you wait, the less legit your idea becomes.
10. Good is the enemy of great.
Kevin Allocca / YouTube and the Entertainment Revolution
Kevin has an exciting job title — he is the head of Culture & Trends at YouTube. He watches YouTube videos as a job, and I think that pretty much sums up everything.
His talk was focused on self-made YouTube creators with millions of subscribers and counting, ranging from topics such as gaming, beauty, comedy, how to’s, and more. Not to mention some seriously cute kittens invading the screen.
YouTubers play by their own rules. They are independent content creators and publishers, and they often produce more impactful and viral work than well-equipped agencies with big budgets. After watching a couple of videos, you start feeling like it’s too easy to become famous. People have ownership of pop culture, and creativity is powered by what’s accessible to us. It’s the things that are unexpected, weird, and unusual that makes us laugh (remember the Rainbow video that went viral after Jimmy Kimmel tweeted about it?).
Kevin highlighted 3 factors that can make videos go viral:
- Tastemakers
- Community Participation
- Unexpectedness
YouTube has enabled a new kind of media in a new type of culture, and it has disrupted the old models we are used to. I am referring to well-planned ads, calculated research, trends, and ideas that worked in the past. We are all artists, and online is probably the biggest inspiration.
Paul Smith / My Creative Process
Paul Smith is one of the most fun, approachable and witty people I had a chance to hear speak. He shared his story of how he’d become a fashion designer, and for those who are not familiar with his background, he has never had an intention to become one. In fact, he dreamed of becoming a pro cyclist.
Paul was talking a lot about the importance of lateral thinking in his career and the creative process. The term lateral thinking was coined by Edward de Bono, who suggested that problem-solving can be done through an indirect approach, using reasoning that is not necessarily obvious. Paul stressed that ideas and inspiration come when you observe your surroundings, take in the little details and make something out of it. His clothing lines were inspired by a variety of unrelated objects such as beach huts, churches, art, old books, and more. Since he wasn’t trained as a fashion designer, he tends to pair simple designs with bold colors, prints, and materials. Paul also hinted that business acumen had played a significant role in his career. It’s important to make pieces that grab attention, but it’s also key to produce ‘rent-payers’ that are more wearable daily. It’s all about the balance, keeping your eyes wide open and not waiting for inspiration to strike but instead looking for it around yourself.
Some key takeaways:
- The job changes you, you never change the job. You can always learn something from any job.
- There is always a way to make it. You just need to get creative when it comes to earning money to support your passion, whatever that might be.
3. Make room to break the rules.
4. You can’t do it without doing it.
5. Do Things That Are Right, Not That Are Easy. Take your time to say yes/no.
6. Never assume.
When you don’t think like other people, you make other people think.
