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Let's Hear It for the Punk Kids

I've been thinking a lot lately about the polarization I'm seeing in the design world: expert advisors adding real value and commanding significant fees on the one hand, and commoditized tacticians bidding their services online in reverse auctions on the other. The mushy middle is disappearing.

But there's another, related polarizing trend I'm seeing. I may be imagining it the way an older man looks back on simpler, happier days or it may be that times really are changing.

On the one hand are the The Old Guard. Principals of generalist firms that were successful for 20 years are seeing business grind to a halt as more and more competitors enter the fray, the pressure to cut costs builds and builds, and the respect they used to enjoy in the marketplace just ebbs away. There was a time when you could launch a generalist shop and thrive. That time is gone now. Whether it returns remains to be seen. I can't see it ever returning, even once the economy truly bounces back.

I hear from these people often. They're a little sad. Not sure what really changed or when. They listen to my advice on positioning and nod, but they don't really buy it. Their experience tells them different. They acknowledge the costs of pitching and proposal writing but they still do it, thinking this next one will be different. They still believe they can capture the old magic without knocking over their business and rebuilding with a narrower focus and a new approach.

On the other hand are The Punk Kids. Over the last eighteen months I've heard from more and more design students and recent graduates who are now working in their first jobs, and they get - right from the beginning - the importance of differentiating. They're not yet married to the pitch or other high cost, low probability sales tactics and the message of conversations instead of presentations resonates with them. 

I'm seeing within our profession what economists call creative destruction. The sadness of seeing old jobs destroyed and hard-working people placed out of work is tempered with the excitement of new jobs being created, innovation being rewarded and new fortunes being minted.

The middle is disappearing. Where are you standing?