"There is nothing to gain from being a troll" - SomeOne ECD Simon Manchipp reveals how catty comments are costing the design industry
“It doesn’t help to be catty and unnecessary to one another on design blogs,” warns SomeOne executive creative director and The Drum Design Awards judge Simon Manchipp.
Manchipp is judging this year's The Drum Design Awards
With over 20 years’ experience in the branding, design and advertising world Manchipp has seen the industry evolve into the multi-billion pound colossus it is today. But despite generating some £71.4bn and “outclassing everyone else” Manchipp believes the “creative industries have done exceptionally well in spite of the government, rather than with the support of.”
With design going “through everything from mugs to iPads and telephones” Manchipp reveals that there has never been a more exciting time to be working in design but worries that “back biting” and publically slating other designers work is holding the industry back.
“When you look at other sectors you don’t see the same kind of back biting, and very public back biting at that. I think we all got very excited that you could, very easily, comment on a big piece of work from a big agency, on a big platform…when you work with clients they get excited about putting the work on the design blogs but you have to explain that if you do you leave yourself open and, more often than not, if someone hasn’t created it then they will criticise it,” he said.
“These comments lead to clients micro-managing designers because their last project got some bad comments, if all clients see is these endless catfights then they’ll feel the need to micro-manage and when that happens, that’s when you get sub-standard work.
He explained: “We need to learn there is nothing to gain from being a troll…it only helps people get the wrong idea about design professions because our clients read that stuff and they’re the people that pay for the next project, by leaving these comments your only installing doubt.”
One industry Manchipp believes design could learn from is architecture, “they [architects] may not like one another’s work but they don’t say it publically, they support one another and there is a respect within architecture that there isn’t in design.
“The creative industries made more money than any other sector in spite of the lack of industry understanding, sector specific in-fighting and lack of government support. If we could work together, like say the architecture world, then we would be stronger, more respected and more able to operate on an even higher and more influential position.”
As a judge at this year’s The Drum Design Awards Manchipp says he will be looking at the strategy behind entries first and foremost before examining how the work looks and if it was successful “if something joins these three dots together then it will be worth discussing at greater length.” He added: “If it is clever, if it is strategic, then it will get through.
Awards need to be an archive of the best work of the year, not just a kooky back-street application that charms a panel of tired judges in the afternoon. If it’s been big, successful, commercial, and looks beautiful, unconventional and progressive, I’ll be championing it.”
Extensions are now available for those still looking to enter The Drum Design Awards. Joining Manchipp on the judging panel in early March are Design Council CEO John Mathers, D&AD's most awarded designer David Hillman, Jill Marshall managing director of Bloom, and more. Information on the Awards and the ceremony in April can be found on The Drum Design Awards site.