Being creative

When I first started out in the corporate communication business it was at a time when old technology such as VHS video and the corporate brochure were being replaced by CD-ROMs, web pages, very jerky digital video files, PowerPoint and the like.

 

At that time enthusiasm for technology meant that everyone wanted the impossible. Doing something creative was how every meeting started. I remember a conversation with a supplier to the education sector who wanted to create an interactive CD with animation, voiceover and music. It was a great idea and you couldn't fault their creativity but when I asked how many of their audience would have the technology to play the CD they realized that their idea, for all it merits, would fail as a piece of communication because their audience wouldn't be able to watch it.

 

Fast forward to 2008 and the start of the recession. The trend is 'user generated'. Videos, blogs, journalism, encyclopedias - content is free, technology is cheap. And so creativity took a back seat while everyone enjoyed making videos on Flip cameras, editing them on iMovie and showing them to a forgiving audience as something that was 'home made'. And this was corporate communication, not a birthday party but the attitude was 'that will do'.

 

Today it seems everyone is bored of the usual interview style, slightly wobbly footage, and inconsistent audio levels. The newsletter that has been made by the person that did a one-day course is also looking tired. And the endless bullet point lists on the PowerPoint slides aren't really cutting it any more.

 

Creativity is making a comeback and it's important to remember that knowing how something works is different from being able to to use creatively. I'm not a graphic designer or a video director and although I know my way around a number of packages I don't use them creatively.

 

I think there is a three step process to delivering something that is creative and engaging:

 

1. You need ideas and to have the vision

2, You need to know how to create it, what packages/medium to use

3. You need people who bring the idea to life

 

I'm ok with steps 1 and 2 but I need good people for step 3.

 

Today anything is impossible, it really is. Technology is ubiquitous, the devices we have access to are numerous and plentiful. But creativity is still a skill that shouldn't be under estimated.