Ping founder discusses technology's influence on the creative process
Jason Wagner, founder of digital consultancy Ping, the newly formed joint digital venture with Glasgow ad agency The Bridge, says that digital projects need to better integrate creative ideas in the future.
“The aim whether you work within the online industry, TV, film, print, music or any other creative industry is to engage the audience. When a client approaches an agency, one of the major decisions is which of these avenues to go down. Is it a televised campaign, printed billboards or online banners?” says Wagner who officially launched Ping at the beginning of April.
“In my experience, I have noticed that many clients can be seduced by an up and coming technology and ask an agency to wrap an idea around it. Such an example is 'augmented reality', the latest buzz word, and a relative newcomer to mainstream but actually a technology that’s been around for many years. It’s a classic example of technology leading creativity and in my mind that’s the wrong way around. You wouldn’t find a painter choosing which brush to paint with before he decides what he is going to paint – a painter uses a variety of tools to get the right feel, emotion and message into their work – their only limit is imagination.”
Wagner does concede that technology is ‘integral to the process’ but believes that few industry professionals understand both the technology, how it works, and can be used effectively as part of the creative process.
“That’s the reality. Programming is a creative process in itself. A good programmer see’s lines of code as the painter envisages their final piece of work. When I start any project, first and foremost is the creative idea and then I use the right technology to make it happen.
We may read that Google will let us populate billboards on street view with animated content; iPad will revolutionise our web browsing habits or that 3D TV will finally be more than a series of pointy objects thrust at the screen.”
He concludes by asking whether any of that technology going to be the basis of a good idea, saying that if it does, then it should not dictate the creative result.