The first day of the festival featured presentations by David Lee of Squarespace and Lori Meakin of WACL (Women in Advertising & Comms Leadership)
Artificial intelligence is the subject that everyone wants to know more about in the creative industry, but it was not the dominant theme in the lectures on the first day of D&AD 2023, which is being held at The Old Truman Brewery, London. In other words, all speakers mentioned in some way the impact of AI on the market, but the most relevant issues raised were: inclusion, female representation and creativity as a starting point for the transformation of the industry.
The Designing Digital Spaces jury’s insights session opened the festival’s conferences this Tuesday (9). One of the points highlighted by the category’s jury was the richness of the debates due to the presence of professionals from different parts of the world, which led to more inspiring reflections on the future of design. After the pandemic, many political conflicts emerged, like in Ukraine, and we need to think about how technology and design can empower communities. In the future, we will be more innovative in design, said Wayne Deakin of Wolff Olins.
J Regin Gilbert of the NYT Tandon School of Engineering has drawn attention to the role of design in promoting inclusion. Don’t think about yourself and your team, but about developing inclusive work. Think of less favored people, who speak different languages and with limited skills, she replied when asked about the criteria for a campaign to be awarded.
Including the starting point. The mix between the virtual and physical future, between humans and machines with empathy is very important, added Deakin, stating that the future will become more critical in terms of interaction between men and machines.
Creativity
Under the intriguing theme Why Creativity needs a seat at the adults table, David Lee, CCO of Squarespace, stated that perhaps artificial intelligence makes professions obsolete, but the good news is that imagination is difficult to replicate. Creativity needs human sensitivity, he pointed out.
The creative also bets that crafting will be the new luxury of the future and thinking will be the main skill. For him, creativity is a job for everyone. We are entering the next golden age of humanity, where design matters a lot, Lee pointed out. In conclusion, Squarespace’s CCO advised the audience to find a place that celebrates creativity. Creativity will fuel the future. This is our time to shine.
Women
Lori Meakin, author of No more menemies, which deals with building more gender equity in a world where men are not enemies, spoke about the role of advertising for women to feel more represented.
Executive member of WACL (Women in Advertising & Comms Leadership), Lori stressed that women want the market to show the feminine reality, without stereotypes. She shared testimonials received by the WACL. Women shouldn’t think like men and I agree with that. According to the executive, women do not ask the market to recognize their self-esteem, but show them how they are.
Stop making our lives more difficult, embarrassing us instead of showing the things we do well. Campaigns often make women feel worse. They are not asking to be empowered, but to stop trying to destroy female capacity. I think this is very important to think about.
