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Born Risky
Last night, a few of us were lucky enough to get the opportunity to hear Alice Tonge – one of the Creative Directors at 4Creative talk. This speaking event was arranged by The West of England Design Forum (WEDF) and took place at the Arnolfini in Bristol.
4Creative are Channels 4’s in-house creative agency and are made up of 60 people working from Channel 4’s headquarters in London. They are far from your stereotypical ‘in-house’ design team though. Everyone from the Directors to the legal team all have the opportunity to come up with ideas in this massively creative environment. They don’t work in silos – everyone gets involved, which they believe breeds much better and more exciting results.
The title of the talk was Born Risky. This ethos adopted by 4creative doesn’t mean risky as in “naked abseiling” as Alice put it, but rather creatively risky. This could be seeking out undiscovered talent, making films about taboo subjects or championing alternative voices. Born Risky means going where other channels can’t to create something new, alternative and different. Because Channel 4 is independent and not funded by public money, the team can afford to make risks and push the boundaries creatively. In-short, they don’t have to play it safe. Whether you are allowing a woman with Tourette’s to introduce your shows or highlighting Russia’s anti-gay laws through mocking comedy, these are all huge creative risks.
Alice also talked about how they admit that they ‘can’t do everything themselves’. They invest heavily is using third-party brand/design/motion agencies who will come and join in on the idea generation and co-create projects with them. This use of outside agencies really blurs the lines between what a traditional in-house design team is, and their belief that ‘nobody is as clever as everybody’ pays dividends for them. Having outside agencies involved also keeps the in-house team fresh and on their toes.
Why were The House there? Well, a few reasons; the first being that we are huge admirers of Channel 4’s visual identity. When they re-branded 10 years ago, they really did separate themselves visually from their competitors and started to explore what was possible. They positioned themselves to a much younger audience, and as a brand case study, it’s great and hugely inspiring.
Secondly, there are also many times when we and our clients need to be risky. Go against the grain, think outside the box and do something unexpected. This could be a creative idea to turn the clients’ industry on its head, or when a client is launching a new business strategy that is the opposite of anything the business has ever done before. This is all risky stuff so to hear other people talk about this subject is really inspiring.
Finally, we are instantly attracted to 4Creative because they have a strong purpose. They have an incredibly strong vision of who they are, where they are heading, and are proudly not controlled by ‘suits upstairs’. To top it all off, they invest all their profits back into the programmes. A well run company, that does great work and has a strong purpose – what’s not to like?!
We thought we would share some of the work that Alice presented, where she thought they had taken a creative risk. A highlight and, perfect example of Born Risky, has to be their Alternative Voices project. You know the voice that comes on and introduces each programme? Normally it’s a well-spoken man or woman, but what about if you take a creative risk with this? 4Creative asked a group of people with disabilities including a woman with Tourette’s syndrome, a woman with cerebral palsy, and a man with an acute stammer to introduce these programmes… with amazing results. Jess Thom, the lady with Tourette’s now even works at Channel 4 as a full-time continuity announcer! Check out some of 4Creatives work below and find out more by visiting http://www.4creative.co.uk
Alternative Voices
Channel 4 Paralympics - Meet the Superhumans
Iraq: Bloody Circus
Gay Mountain | Channel 4