Case Study: How WeTransfer and D&AD inspired creatives to think sustainably
Sustainability. It’s a word that also gets thrown around a lot. But for many people it’s what gets them up in the morning and keeps them up at night too.
At least that’s the case for the 20 creatives that attended D&AD’s Masterclass, Creativity for the Climate, hosted by WeTransfer. Each came to the workshop looking to learn how the creative industry can respond to climate change and global warming on a wider scale, but also with their own sustainability specific goal unique to their brand or business.
Over the course of five weeks, they would work on this personal brief, soaking up inspiration and information from a curated list of industry leaders, armed by a suite of tools provided by creative powerhouse WeTransfer.
The Delegates
Each delegate had to pitch for their place on the Masterclass, sharing what they wanted to get out of the time, and what problems they were looking to solve.
D&AD’s Professional Development team then whittled everyone down so that there was no overlap, creating a pool of delegates that came from a wide range of roles over the creative sectors; Strategists, Creatives, Art Directors, and those working in Events and Production. Essentially, a cross section of the creative industry as a whole.
This network, carefully curated by D&AD became a form of live course content, and the first tool that the delegates would be able to make use of. Executive Creative Director at Jack Morton, Juliana describes how linking up all these creative industry minds meant “everyone was constantly learning from each other and drawing from their peer’s passions and inspirations as the time went on”. The reaction to this was very positive and working in this way meant the experience became “a collaborative exploration to find your own answers while inspired by others.”
Their Goals
Some were motivated by more practical solutions and insights to be used in campaigns. One delegate, Creative Strategist, Spotify, Gabriel “was looking to acquire the knowledge, skills, and language to help identify a truly sustainable advertising solution”.
Whilst others were looking to build planet friendly choices into their day-to-day but just didn’t know where to start; Juliana, for example, describes being “totally stuck not knowing what to do”. “I work in experiences and events. So, I'm always thinking about how we could make our events more sustainable, less wasteful, but also how can I leverage the skills that I have for good, and to help make change?”
There was also an awareness of current trends and public appetite. “In most cases what we see is brands avoiding subjects relating to climate change and politics when communicating”, added Marlon, Creative Director at 180 Global. There’s a real tension between what’s happening in the wider world, and the “rise of new technologies, immersive platforms and increasing screen time”. Finding ways to harness this new technology and use it as a force for social good was key.
The Course
The course itself was made up of five modules, all aimed at bringing creativity to the forefront of the climate change conversation. “Hearing about the industry leaders’ own challenges was reassuring, especially for Creative Strategist, Spotify, Gabriel. “Even though there was a huge hill to climb, they showed that it’s been done before and can be done again”.
Leading the conversation in a mixture of talks, discussions, and Q&A sessions were industry experts from the likes of; Project Drawdown, the world’s learning resource for climate solutions; Green The Bid, a non-profit developing solutions for the creative industry through practical solutions; and Potential Energy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition that brings together America’s leading creative, analytic and media agencies to shift the narrative on climate change.
All of this ensured Gabriel “felt inspired to think more creatively about the solution, and the role it could play for the business as a whole. The course was set up to inspire and spark creativity but also allow time for those initial ideas or thoughts to develop over time.”
At the heart of these quickfire projects and workshops was a suite of programs designed for collaboration and creativity. “I had previously just known WeTransfer as a file sharing platform and that was it”. Gabriel went on to say, “after the course I now see it as a platform to help freelancers, small business, and large business alike with their collaboration and creation. It helped to keep everything in one place and could be used and referred to during the course in an easy and accessible way”.
The Outcomes
For Juliana, it was a case of unpicking and starting again, more than once. “It made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about the problem I was working on. After each class, I kept having to hone my brief, making it smaller and more specific. With each question answered I had another question and another. It made me think on the power of the individual and how we all have to do our own small bit to tackle a bigger problem”.
“Every time we had a class, I left feeling like I had been plugged into this inspiration outlet and so full of energy and excitement. When it finished, I was crushed. It was such a positive experience. All the speakers were incredible”.
Speaking with the delegates afterwards, what came up time again was the huge benefit of building a network of like-minded people from the industry and using this to help formulate a plan.
For Marlon, “it was helpful to hear other people talk about the issues and how they think they could tackle them. The fact we had so many different approaches helped me to realise that there isn’t one perfect way, but one needs to start right away”. “I now have an idea how I can connect the dots to create a new and exciting creative environment for the future which I hope to launch in the future.”
After all, it’s one thing one wanting to change the world. But it’s quite another putting together a tangible plan of how you’re going to do it.
