The Purpose of Purpose?
Some recommended reading this week including a brilliant critique of purpose and some major US research on the impact of the pandemic on creatives
A little change of gear for this week’s newsletter: I’m going to round-up some articles, resources and work that I’ve spotted over the past week that I think you’ll find valuable.
First, whatever you do, don’t miss this brilliantly argued critique of Purpose from copywriter Nick Asbury. Nick has been a persuasive critic of Purpose for some years but this piece brings all his frustrations and concerns together in one superb piece. Sample quote: “Each time we lend credibility to brand purpose as a concept, another corporate sociopath gets their wings. It’s time to stop feeding this narrative that has dominated the last decade.” Link below
You may have read about the imminent cuts to the funding of university arts students in the UK. Contrary to what some have implied, though serious, the cuts do not represent a 50% drop in arts degree funding as a whole – it’s a little more complicated than that. The real worry is that they are a harbinger of worse to come now that the UK Government has decided that art and design courses are not a strategic priority. To me, this is shortsighted and bafflingly self-defeating, as I argue in this piece for Creative Review, which explains exactly what the cuts entail and why I think they are happening (all about the culture wars innit). Read it here
Ben Kay ruminates on the impact of machine learning and AI on copywriting and why we humans may have shot ourselves in the foot: “We’ve gone from great creatives (sometimes) writing and art directing ads in such a way that it looked very difficult, to crap that looks (and often is) cheap and easy. And when we did that we let crappier practitioners seem perfectly capable of doing it to a professional level: computers and kids. Who needs quality, experienced humans when the opposite can give you 80% of the quality at 30% of the price? We unwittingly made our own bed, and now we must lie in it.” Read the full piece here (his blog is very much recommended reading)
To get a handle on how attitudes and expectations have changed during the pandemic, recruiter Robert Half partnered with AIGA, the professional association for design in the US, on a major survey of creative professionals. The Creative Career and Workplace report spoke to over 400 designers and creatives “to help creative leaders consider how to approach the employee experience in today’s business environment”. Key findings: 66% said their work-life balance has improved and 42% said they are more productive and creative when working remotely. Just over half want to return to the office on a part-time basis only. Explore the report in a Slide Share here