Following another successful installation of our annual creativity symposium last Wednesday, we asked our speakers if they would mind answering a few questions based on our theme, Creativity+Humanity, and the topic that they talked about.

Ben Tan, creative technologist at Google, led our first afternoon session, ‘Rapid Ideation with Machine Sprints’. Whilst exploring how creative communication via technology and ideation techniques is key to brands being able to resonate with their audiences, Ben argued:

‘Anyone can create an idea. But if you don’t do something tangible with it, the idea will get lost.’

From The Cloud to voice strategy, companies are facing new channels that need to be considered in order to make a more meaningful connection with people. We asked Ben more on what creativity means to him, and the influence of it in the technology industry.

What does creativity mean to you?

Everything. If I’m not creating something then I’m just consuming.

Creativity is the act of making something that didn’t exist before. Maybe you made something you never made before, or maybe you made something that’s never existed in the universe before. Either way, it’s still a creative endeavour.

How do you think tech will transform the way a company communicates with their audiences in the next 10, 20 years?

Audiences are spending increasing time on digital platforms, so companies need to communicate via those platforms. But we are starting to see it turn back already and people are starting to be more conscious of their digital well-being. Everyone is being encouraged to create, but we need to be more mindful of the things that we create.

Make things that people want, and you will need to do less work convincing them.

In your opinion, what is the most important element of an ideation session?

Getting out of your rivers of thinking. An easy way is to think the exact opposite, take it further by approaching from multiple other angles and shapes too.