What are you willing to Sell?
Finding the Lines in Creative Work
A lot of people at Twitter just found what you could easily call, a Line. Those things your mom warned you about. You crossed the line young man! Most of the time these lines don’t come with a literal button to press. (BECOME HARDCORE OR LEAVE). A lot of smart people are taking the softcore route, choosing not to support–sell–Twitter anymore. So, where are the Lines of Design lurking?
Finding the Lines of Design
An easier question is, what are you willing to sell?
At some point in time, every Creative has declared with great authority, “Oh I would never work on Cigarettes. I would never apply my talents to selling that death.”
Leans back in Aeron chair with an air of disgust.
Too Easy
When it comes to the big bads, it’s actually pretty hard to work on them. Big Tobacco is so silohed and regulated in the creative industry you’d need to literally seek out a cigarette-specific agency, then lobby to be on the Newports account.
In short, easy to say, easy to do. Platitudes.
But what about Alcohol?
Junk food?
Those two categories alone are the biggest and best clients of nearly all the top agencies in the world. Sought after accounts. Award-winning work. Cool portfolios. Send us to Cannes on a surfboard of Doritos with an IV of Absolut & Coke Zero.
What are you willing to sell?
Make no mistake, you’re selling. And it works. Great packaging, identities, ads, marketing, social–they work. Far better than we like to imagine.
Weed (sorry, Cannabis)?
Diet products?
Pharmaceuticals?
There are justifications. Mostly, about us. It’s good money, I need the job, they actually do good from time to time. I mean, I don’t run the company. It’s not that bad. It’s not cigarettes!
Addictive Tech?
Actual Hardcore Content?
News Outlets?
Everyone’s lines will be different, and if we’re honest, flexible. In the majority of cases your company will decide for you. As long as its in a grocery store or allowed on network television, most creatives won’t think twice about the work. My project, my portfolio.
The Military? (or its industrial complex)?
Big Oil?
Guns?
Personally, I’ve clocked a few lines throughout my career. In all cases I did the work–that was my job–only to make a mental note about it later. One was a major Diet brand, the other was Big Food. The brand names wouldn’t make you blink an eye, they’d look impressive. Resume, check. Portfolio, check.
As epic as it sounds, I didn’t triumphantly walk out, ripping up the brief, fist in the air, at the expense of feeding myself and remaining solvent. We’re all a bit selfish.
All I could do was orient my career away from those type of clients, in time.
The Bottom Line
Lines evolve, shift and change. Pay attention to them when they appear. They like to hide the hardcore part behind fun campaigns, awards and money.
It matters where we apply critical thought, design and art to sell things to others. In an echo to the cigarette era, Ad agencies are beginning to step away from Big Oil contracts.
A recent line from the 2022 DesignThreads Report put it as such, “Does this bring harm?”
“Does this bring harm?”
There’s no easy answer here, just processed food for thought.
(PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE) is an ongoing series about presenting work, building better portfolios and being a decent creative by Andy Sheffield.
