Economic Decline = Creative Growth

No matter where you get your daily news from, it seems that you can't help but be clubbed over the head with the impending doom of economic collapse.

While I am no expert in the matters of how or why the economy functions the way it does (did?), I do at least think it's important to look at how this will affect the design community.

The rest of the world is coming to a grinding hault. The money has stopped moving because people are fearful of any addition losses, and one way businesses seek to prevent further losses is to cut back on marketing expenses.

As designers, we are creative by nature. We look at things from a different angle, and we devise a plan to execute and express our ideas in a creative fashion. So why should helping our clients keep their marketing in tact be any different? - It shouldn't.

Rather than looking at a recession as something that will slow our industry down, we need to see this as an opportunity to thrive in the "new" market.

You may wonder what "new" market I am talking about. I am referring to the ability to adapt. An adaptable market where flexibility is king, and every client gets their own tailored plan. The days of a set rate are probably over. The "money is no object" budgets are now extinct.

Talk to your clients and ensure that you know they're looking at restrictions with their marketing plan, and you are there to assist in that adjustment. Always be looking for ways to save your client money on their projects, and it will help to cultivate a long and rewarding relationship with them. They just want to feel like you "get it."

Seize the opportunity to create something out of nothing, and you will reestablish faith that even though times are tough, marketing/branding are still just as important if not more so in surviving the monetary slump.

The headlines may be bad, and the news might seem bleak, but to the economic crisis I say, "Bring it on. Challenge me to be a better designer, help me to adapt and allow me to do what I do."