Counting stars: Creativity over predictability

Web design has matured into something very different from the joyfully naive creative playground it once was. In this talk from beyond tellerrand 2014, Andrew Clarke, art director and author of Transcending CSS and Hardboiled Web Design, argues that by focusing on processes, methods and mechanics instead of ideas, we are losing the creative soul of our work. He is hopeful that all is not lost, and that we can make memorable work if we focus as much on creativity as on implementation.

The industry has made a web that is more accessible and responsive to users’ needs, but also one full of safe design, because we fear failure. Andrew points to advertising for inspiration: it creates pop-culture moments that stay memorable decades after a campaign ends, and clever advertising concentrates and emphasises a truth. He warns that relying on testing means abdicating responsibility for our designs, and asks what our work and companies stand for.

Creativity can never be as predictable as manufacturing, so we can’t expect to turn it into a process. Copy shouldn’t be an afterthought added to templates; it may trigger a design idea.