Ideas are what you discover after thinking persistently.

Dentsu Inc. held its 2018 "Dentsu Inc. Internship" at its Tokyo headquarters, Kansai branch, and Nagoya branch. Participating students broadly learned idea generation methods that move people's hearts through lectures and exercises led by Dentsu Inc. creators and planners active on the front lines.

This series features Dentsu Inc. employees who served as instructors for the internship. Each will discuss their own thinking methods, planning techniques, and approaches to work.

In Part 1, Art Director Yuryu Kawai, who served as Principal of Design Summer School 2018, discusses the current state and future potential of art roles in the advertising industry.

The Future of Creators' Professionalism

Since 2016, I've been involved in nurturing young creators. Through what I see and hear in this work, I have daily observations.

This pertains to graphic design, one of the major domains of an art director's work.

Media is undergoing a major transformation right now. We've shifted from the long-standing era of print media to the age of web media, and I feel the meaning of being a graphic designer is changing somewhat.

To put it somewhat bluntly, while graphic designers were traditionally hired to create graphic advertisements, the reality is that much of what we do now involves significantly more than just graphics. In other words, professionalism is becoming ambiguous.

In this era of media transformation, young people will have to navigate an unknown world ahead. How will young people aspiring to be art directors engage with a company like Dentsu Inc.? How should they position themselves as designers, and where should they seek opportunities to thrive? I believe we need to rapidly consider these questions.

This blurring of professionalism isn't limited to art directors; it applies to every creative role. I believe professionals should exist in the creative world, but perhaps that very value itself is mistaken.

We now live in an era where individuals can become media. Everyone has gained the potential to freely express themselves and have their work seen by people worldwide. This could be called both the "total creatorization" and the "total amateurization" of society.

When this happens, what becomes of the professionalism of those who have dedicated themselves to expression? What kind of society is this where the skills creators have honed through daily practice become irrelevant? While I feel uneasy about the arrival of such a society, I also think it's entirely possible.

Even if one invests time and effort to master skills as before, society may no longer guarantee commensurate compensation. It's worrisome to consider the future of young people—is it really necessary to go through such hardship to acquire skills?

Skill is about gaining freedom in expression

Looking at today's young generation, just like when we were young, there's still a certain number who love classical, so-called graphic design. Even in this era of change, I feel there's still a certain hierarchy within art schools based on graphic design values, where those who can do it are considered more capable.

However, introducing entirely different values can sometimes cause talent to suddenly blossom. For example, finding one's worth by receiving numerous "likes" through social media is one such path. Even if not considered particularly outstanding within the university's value system, gaining recognition from the wider world represents a contemporary value transcending the confines of art school.

However, this is often not the result of accumulating various skills, but rather an expression of innate qualities that just happened to work well by chance. Consequently, it tends to be easily forgotten and consumed.

Many creators today face the threat of being consumed. To combat this, I believe "technique" is essential.

Learning from past experiences and knowledge—knowing what works in different situations—builds the ability to think and master skills. Acquiring this required accumulating countless small experiences. If we call this ability "technique," then technique is about gaining freedom in expression.

Mastering technique, becoming proficient in one's world, liberates you. Only after gaining that freedom can you truly be called a professional, I suppose.

I believe the skill of an art director is the ability to find the right landing point for expression—a skill gained through learning, experience, knowledge, and thought. Ultimately, it might be called the ability to anchor something firmly, encompassing the times, society, and everything else.

Don't let those "vague things that catch your attention" slip away

I often tell students participating in internships: "Don't be misled by the phrase 'think of ideas'." Because the very act of "thinking of ideas" is fundamentally mistaken. An idea is inherently just a "flicker of insight" – it isn't something you think up.

A flash of insight happens when various pieces of information enter your mind, and something unexpectedly clicks with something else, creating something new. It rarely comes from a step-by-step thought process.

Even in the world of science, bold ideas and discoveries don't happen without some element of chance, right? So, the reality is that coming up with ideas is difficult, no matter how hard you try.

However, "continuously thinking" about possible solutions to a problem is not wasted effort. Anyone can think consistently, and I believe this sustained thinking can lead to insights.

When you vaguely hold a sense of a problem in your mind, suddenly, one day, you might have a "Oh, that's right!" moment and realize something. Coming up with ideas is closer to noticing than to creating. If I had to forcefully list something you can do to come up with ideas, it would be to constantly input various information in your daily life and keep your perspective broad.

The one thing I consciously focus on daily is not letting those vague concerns slip away. When you can grasp even a slight outline of something that's vaguely on your mind, you realize, "Oh, that's what it is," and the reason for your concern becomes clear.

This allows for a moment of realization, clearing your mind and enabling you to move your thoughts to the next step.

This works best when you're relaxed. I believe new ideas to try or new insights come to mind when you're psychologically stable, like when your mind and body are relaxed.

For when you want to create value through design and expression

Even though we say there are many different values today, I feel society's expectations are heavily weighted toward technology, swinging strongly in that direction.

However, technology constantly cycles through development and stagnation, so it will eventually become commoditized and enter a stagnant phase. When that happens, what will become necessary again is design, expression, or perhaps the cosmetic layer applied on top of fundamental research – that's where creating value differentiation will come into play.

After the flattening and averaging of technology, art, expression, and human sensibilities will once again become incredibly important as sources of value. Thinking this way, we can say a tailwind is coming, and opportunities for greater success than ever before are on the horizon. I want young people to build up their strength and compress that spring in preparation for that time.