As a creative director, I occasionally find the word "style" to be slightly terrifying. Is my work getting predictable or sterile if my clients or peers have "my style" pegged? Or, worse yet, what if a client only wants to see trendy, flavor-of-the-month work? We can tell ourselves that there's no accounting for taste, but I suspect I'm not the only designer who has found myself in the unenviable position of trying to recreate a look that is completely unfamiliar territory.
Ken Burns describes style as "the authentic application of technique." I find that to be an astute definition, but what are we to make of it in an age where technique is largely limited to pointing, clicking, and typing the occasional hot key? (Incidentally, there is no hot key for the Ken Burns Effect in most video editing software.) Moreover, we live in a society which often seems devoid of authenticity. We build wood-framed houses and adorn them with faux siding or decorative stone façades. We create social media personas for ourselves (and our pets) which are performances, at best.
And yet, authenticity is at the very core of my craft. It doesn't matter if I'm creating a visual identity, writing a headline, or sculpting a new beverage container. Authenticity is the currency of branding.
When I need a canvas, I tend to work in Adobe Illustrator. I find it to be an effective tool for achieving the miraculous act of transferring an idea from my brain or my sketchbook (which tends to look more like notes and diagrams) into images that I can easily share and discuss with others. It's a common enough practice, and you might even call it expeditious. However, at some point in the process, I usually find myself striving to recreate a "handmade" look — precisely because I feel the need to separate my work from what is easy and common and, well... expeditious.
So, this is my advice to my fellow creative types: embrace the terror. Even if a fancy new look turns out to be a flash in the pan and has no chance of seeing the warm glow of your portfolio website, you'll probably expand your toolbox in the process... you might even learn a new technique. Ken Burns would approve.
I want to know what other creatives think. Are you interested in mastering one style that your clients and peers will identify with you? Or, do you strive for cultivating a wide array of techniques in order to stay flexible?