American author, advertising executive and politician Bruce Barton who lived through the tumultuous times of the Great Depression and the boom of the 1950s, had an interesting opinion about new challenges: “When you are through changing, you are through.”
This mantra not only resonates on a personal level, it could also be said to be true of the present day communications industry. In the past, a solid reputation in this field was based on past experience and success. Seniors in the industry could get by with concepts that had worked before, and were just dusted off and repolished for new applications. Print was print, posters did their job and books hadn’t really changed substantially over time. Communication techniques learnt from textbooks at college stood you in good stead decades later. It is no longer the case, however. The communications industry at present is one of the most dynamic, changeable and unpredictable in the world. New media has totally transformed the “message receiving” space, interactivity and customisation are expected by audiences and actual reading is becoming more of an effort. This means that those who try to apply old formulas and who are not prepared to face the new challenges are at risk of being “through”.
As Flow expands, working more within the space of the web and now into exhibition design, it is becoming more evident how the communication landscape has changed and how we need to change with it. A website is not a book, a brochure or a magazine, and thinking of it in that way does the medium a disservice. It is all or none of these and is navigated and experienced in a totally different way, which needs to be considered when designing for the medium. An exhibition is no longer a space for the unengaged, visual absorption of information. It is an immersive, interactive environment of learning which engages all the senses and has the potential for transformation of opinions, attitudes, people even. The receivers of messages in these spaces are no longer passive sponges; they question, tend to turn away quickly if bored or disengaged, want to participate, contribute and find their own way. Old rules and habits of communication just don’t apply here anymore, and this means that it is not just a slight shift in approach that is required, but a fairly radical rethinking of how, where and why we send and receive information.
So, for those who are fearful of change or new challenges, this is not the space to be in. Barton had an opinion on this as well that still holds true today:
“Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – this is the rhythm of living. Out of our overconfidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress.”
Acknowledging our fear of the unknown and recognising that the potential of these new spaces is, as yet, unmapped, should encourage us to be adventurous and challenging of these territories, not timid and hesitant. At Flow we stand for innovation and it is that value that we need to hold true as we face the new challenges. Yes, possibly overconfident, definitely somewhat fearful, but determined to get a clearer vision of what communications can and should be and through our experiments be the trendsetters and paragons of progress in the field!