Why hybrid creatives are shaking things up

Gone are the days where creatives come out of college with a graphic design degree and stick with that forever. With a booming freelance culture, the internet and an ever changing job market, they’re far more likely to have a wide variety of creative interests and talents. And they don’t want to be put in a box. Say hello to hybrid creatives.

What is a hybrid creative?

For hybrid creatives, a single job title probably doesn’t apply. Sure they do graphic design, but they might also do animation, web design, produce videos and sing on top of that. Often, they won’t be happy in a job where they can’t flex their creative muscles. And why should they be? For hybrid creatives, agency structures can stifle their talent as people get shoehorned into clearcut job roles. It can also slow down productivity, as you need to hire loads of people to get one small job done. But with hybrid creatives, you might only need one or two creatives to get the job done to the same standard much more quickly.

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What impacts are hybrid creatives having on the creative economy?

The dawn of hybrid creativity can make these hierarchical agency structures seem a little outdated. On top of that, companies who stick to these rigid structures might struggle to hire the freshest new talent. They’re more likely to want to work for innovative businesses – like start-ups – who will let them use their full skillset. In fact, they might even be put off seeking full-time employment altogether. Why work for a boss as a “web designer” when you could freelance and market yourself as a web designer, an illustrator and play a few gigs on the side? The perks of freelancing become even more obvious for the hybrid creative. Potential clients might also be keen to hire a freelancer who can do a whole job by themselves, as it saves them the hassle of going through an agency in the first place.

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What are the benefits of being a hybrid creative?

Hybrid creatives make great freelancers. If you can design gorgeous graphics and code a website from scratch, why wouldn’t a client love you? You can pitch on a bigger range of jobs, so won’t have to worry as much about a dry spell. You probably won’t ever be bored either, as you’ll be doing different things all the time.

The downside? The corporate world might not be quite ready for you yet. But who wants to go corporate anyway?!

 

Becca

Becca

Becca is the Marketing Executive at Twine. She loves literature, music, film and make-up. She spends a lot of time complaining about the mismatched angles of her winged eyeliner and stalking drag queens on Instagram. Otherwise, she’s helping Joe by writing blog posts and keeping Twine’s social media running.