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Creativity is King


Buzz Words and Catch Phrases
Over the past 5 to 10 years buzz words and catch phrases have been hard to avoid. The popularity of digital media has helped to spread these sayings, and the media itself is not immune to being caught up in a catch phrase cliché. Many of these phrases leave one confused as they are empty of any true meaning, or their use has been taken totally out of context. Business catch phrases are the worst culprits with sayings such as “Out of the Box,” “Transparency,” and “Taking Ownership.”

Is Content King?
The phrase that stands out the most to me is “content is king,” often used to refer to digital media marketing. I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to say that creativity is more important than content. However simply putting content on display for a visitor will not grab their attention. So is the content really King, or on an equal plane and dependent on a creative vision? Grabbing a viewer’s attention visually is not just about web design; it applies to an artist’s canvas, television and magazines. For example in contemporary sculpture the pulsating videos of “Family of Robot: High Tech Child” by Nam June Paik on display at the Akron Art Museum grab your attention with movement, shape and color. Only after the viewer has been drawn in, do they begin to connect the content of the streaming videos with the story the artist was telling. It is the creative construction or layout of this particular sculpture that draws the viewer in to analyze in further detail.

Factors to Ponder
While the marketing and advertising trends of businesses have a great influence on popular society, other outlets have promoted the “content is king” attitude as well. Social Media’s spread has influenced how we interact on the Internet and this has contributed to a demand for content. Twitter and blog pages have been the only visually creative forum in social media. Their method of promotion is like a creative community where design and content are posted for all to enjoy or ponder. Other very popular outlets LinkedIn and Facebook have abandoned any use of visual creativity and provide the user with a one size fits all approach, devoid of any chance to present a visually appealing layout. The incredible popularity of these outlets has helped propel the “content is king” mentality to mainstream thought. The additional restriction of interacting within silos of communities the user is already familiar with inhibits the natural creative nature of sharing with a larger audience.

I am looking forward to the predicted rise of the “creative class.” A time when companies will succeed or fail based on how well or how little they put their creative talent to use. Less focus on content or objects and more focus on concept and sharing and improving.


* Family of Robot: High Tech Child by Nam June Paik. From collection of the Akron Art Museum.
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