The Creative Richter Scale 11th July 2004

Creative people will always try to shake things up, but client's know their comfort zones. Where does your 'Agent Createur' figure on the CRS?

11. Mavericks and wildcards
Some people have a creative frame of reference so far beyond the 'known' that it's highly unlikely that their work will ever see the light of day. But then ground-breaking ideas don't tend to sit well with the incumbent establishment types.
10. No adjacency to any agency
A lot of 'the talent' which gives agencies their raw material is freelance. They don't own the contractor and that disconnect is vital for such 'live wires'.
9. Bauhaus Designous
A defining name, location, and template for new generations of future creative excellence.
8. Italian Designers
Passion meets performance to fulfil potential. As Carly said "Nobody does it better" they "make us feel sad for the rest…" Shame they're so vain, I bet they think this entry is about them.
7. Conran
The eponymous consultancy more concerned with good taste than great design, but Sir. Tel knew better than most, and got his priorities right (he went for a bite to eat).
6. One Man Band
As Leo Sayer said "Nobody knows or understands". That can be a slight liability in the communications business.
5. Tom Dixon & Ron Arad
The 'so-called' maverick designers beloved of VOGUE, where PR-lead design creates a frightful car crash (and Ron nicks the seats…;-)
4. Pentagram + Lewis Moberly
The former most often seen on Buffy and useful for avoiding evil spirits, L-M ostentatiously package the CDs.
3. St. Luke's + progeny
A breakaway creative agency which broke ranks, if not the banks… a channel neutral communications agency with, as the description suggests, no polarity.
2. Fitch, McColl & Jenkins
These are your 'retail is detail' merchants. One detail to note, two were unsustainable; and the other is 'The designer who came in from the cold'.
1. The GAGs: Global Advertising Groups (Omnicom, Publicis, WPP)
No-one notices the lack of creativity in these cattle-sheds, they're too busy gasping at the audacious bills.
0. The TV/celebrity designer
As epitomised by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen; thus the saying 'all mouth no trousers' became 'all cuffs no creativity'.
-273 (i.e. absolute zero). Stephen Bayley
The design critic cum consultant, who came all over himself with self-adulation. Couldn't design a barge pole… but that doesn't matter because no-one would touch him with it;-)

© Jackade 11 vii 04