Digital creation is the process in which classic non-digital creation is transformed or modified by the available digital tools and processes. By digital tools, we mean anything from software to 3D printers, by processes we mean the way creation is envisioned from A to Z.
The extent to which the transformation reaches is directly related to the arsenal of digital tools available at each step of the process. Let us use the simple example of painting.
The first software that enabled people to paint on the screen of a personal computer paved the way for more complex sets of actions. After the creation of MacPaint in 1984, many more tools swiftly entered our lives. Photoshop is a clear case of how digital painting and photography editing tools have evolved.
A digital creation is more efficient and is easier to test and scale in general, but might be complex to implement. This is where knowledge of the varied types of digital creation can help companies and people to add value while understanding the proper resources to allocate. You can be a startup and create all your models, images and more via digital creation, or you can be a big brand deciding to use digital creation only for marketing purposes. These are both digital creation practices, but the levels of complexity of each is very different.
Today, two main triggers make digital creation necessary: cost reduction and the expansion of digital tools. The new digital tools enable a better understanding of your creation, whether it be a fashion product or an electronic device. This means the creator or designer can now decide, with a digital model presented on her/his screen, whether this model should be manufactured or not. This reduces the amount of samples and models that previously were created only for the sake of having a feeling of how the design appears.
This powerful simulation software permits engineers to test their ideas digitally rather than being constrained by a need to manufacture prototypes at this initial ideation phase.IKEA, for example, has been a pioneer in the use of digital creation in multiple stages of creation and design. The virtual sampling means less material and resources are needed, so that the general costs of creation and exploration of ideas can be less. This power of exploration is something that brands like Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and Adidas also have been experimenting with in order to shorten their design and creation paths, as well as empowering their designers.
A digital tool could be anything from your cell phone to a software and any other resources used for your daily life and work. Tools such as Adobe Photoshop and the wider Adobe Suite, simulation software like Solidworkds, fashion software like Clo3D and many more, are constantly becoming more robust and efficient thanks to the improvement of technology and the services around them.
Companies in different sectors, from fashion to the automotive industry are now seeing the horizon of digital creation as a beneficial one. This is not only a part of the so-called digital transformation but also a huge change of strategy and vision. Fashion companies such as Gucci, Prada, Balmain and many more previously relied on their brand image and heritage, but with all the triggers highlighted above, many are now revising their strategic visions to align and better adapt to digital fashion paradigms, sustaining various creative initiatives to explore this realm. Another example is the recent statement of the automotive company, Renault. They announced a shift in their vision, to becoming a tech company that works with cars by 2025. This is a clear indication of how digital creation is changing the way we all used to imagine creation.
Aside from the above triggers, the global environmental crisis has also helped digital creation to gain further momentum. In fashion for example, an industry which is struggling with a high amount of waste problems, many ethical and future-oriented fashion movements and initiatives are now using the medium of digital creation as a means to explore the possibilities of digital. Their campaigns and communications are even using the materials and images that are created along the process of digital creation, manifesting a clear message of sustainability and modernism at the same time. Digital creation gives people a clearer idea of the number and volume of the needed items, to better manage inventory and create fewer logistical touchpoints. These all means that there will be less waste and less harm to the environment.
The need to be digitally mature and modernized is no longer only “nice to have” but rather a necessity to survive and strive. This line is based on many variables, but above all digital creation and adaptability to smartworking modes. Digital creation can bring about many opportunities for both people and organizations. A true renaissance can be facilitated with the right mindset and proper resource allocations, but as a renaissance act, it needs to be coupled also with the right depth of knowledge in terms of practice and strategy .
This content is an excerpt from “Digital creation,” a course on maize.PLUS. To learn more and request a free demo for your company, click here.
