Generational Differences in the Creative Sector

The generation gap or the age-old battle of how people older than us just don’t understand us still rages on. Now throw all of those feeling into a creative environment and you have today’s creative team.

Let’s travel back to the 1960′s. And this can be achieved very easily if you have watched the seriesMad Men. It was men in conference rooms drinking and smoking and coming up with great advertising campaigns. There was a team and a distinct hierarchy. Your importance was measured by the size of your office and you don’t dare speak to someone higher up then you without making an appointment. This is the generation of hand-drawn concepts, storyboards and the 3-martini lunch with clients.

If the team leader is more from the 1970s or aBoomer, the dynamic is all about talking and collaborating. It’s a little easier to work with but this generation still has the need to be validated and appreciated for what they bring to the table. Hierarchy still exists. But they still want everyone to contribute. This generation would set type, build layers of rubylith and come home with things waxed to their clothes.

That takes us to Generation X and to the 1980s. This group wants to work as efficiently as possible so they can have a great work-life balance. They typically are very flexible and can collaborate well or just work from home. Hierarchy just gets in the way of their efficiency. Gen X was the first to embrace the computer for design.

Generation Y is very big with communication and multi-tasking. They would have no issue just walking into a boss’s office for some conversation and feedback. They are the generation where everyone gets a trophy. They like to be reassured continuously that they are doing a great job. They embrace social media, texting, and the latest and greatest technology. The design on the computer is only the starting platform.

The team of today can be power-mad, touchy-feely, overly efficient or just need a constant pat on the head. These generational differences make the creative work force of today a dynamic and sometimes challenging place. Knowing everyone has a favorite way of working can make it easier to work together.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.
2009 Catherine Lang-Cline, Portfolio Creative, LLC.

Catherine Lang-Cline is co-founder and owner of Portfolio Creative, a workforce innovation firm that was named the 326th fastest growing company in the U.S. by Inc. magazine in 2009. Portfolio Creative helps companies streamline and innovate their creative work to save time, energy and money. www.portfolioiscreative.com.