Tag Archives: creative

An interesting discussion took place recently on linkedin, in the Creative Technologist group (if you’re not a member, I’d suggest you join, some interesting folk on there). The question posed at the start was what does “Creative Technologist” mean?

Some saw this as a shift from the traditional creative providing all the creative ideas to someone with a technical background being a driver of creative thinking. Some saw it as someone who uses technology in the field of design, art or advertising. Some thought that it was an empty term, and some even thought it actually devalued being a technologist by feeling the need to add the word “creative” in front of it.

My first realisation that there was such a phrase was when one of my old CDs (a certain Mr. Andy Sandoz) coined the term back in 2005 when I started working at Agency Republic, I think he used it back at his old agency. The idea was that it was someone who knew the ins and outs of technology and they were able to work out the creative possibilities of an idea. This person didn’t sit at the end of a factory-line creative process, but got involved in the strategy, the big idea, and then the implementation and how it grew from there.

One idea that epitomises this is something this CD used to say, “you can’t say no to any idea, there’s always a way”. I agree with this sentiment in that there’s always a way to do something, even within a certain time and budget, it’s about trying new ideas out by using different technologies, prototyping, collaboration and responsible risk-taking.

Creative Technology is what lies at the heart of good digital work, and Creative Technologists are part of the team that make it all happen, along with a whole plethora of other interchangeable disciplines.