Variety is the life source of all who consider themselves creative. It goes without saying, that in-house design studios provide cost savings. The real question is: what really are the savings? Give a creative person the same product within the same industry, day-in and day-out and the result is déjà vu design and concepts with very ordinary branding. So ordinary in fact, that at one point, it isn’t a brand anymore. Despite the savings, the reduced investment is very costly. As with most other professions, doing the ‘same-old, same-old’ everyday takes its toll.
Photo by woodleywonderworks available under a creative commons license
This malaise, increases exponentially for those professions in the advertising and design fields. The ultimate downfall for in-house design studios is mediocre output – from both the creative person and the client. With little to no exposure and stimuli to different worlds, constantly creating in the same corporate colours, or working in the same industry is exciting for the first 8 to 10 months – and then, it simply isn’t. It becomes routine.
An outside studio (advertising or design) can continuously work for your brand (corporate or product) for years and still, they will develop and nurture your brand by providing a new and fresh approach to all your mandates. Learning is the key to freshness and to an imaginative mind. In the world of advertising and design, variety isn’t just the spice; it’s the raison d’être.