Together with Christina von Messling from the Future Today Strategy Group, I had the privilege to kick things off at the ADC Digital Conference 2024. Picture over 1,000 attendees, 50 speakers, and a backstage pass to the world of design and creative agencies (whose work I usually experience as a consumer).
Among the many highlights was Toygun Yilmazer from TBWA with his keynote “No Algorithm for Culture: How Humans See What AI Can’t.” There’s a variation on YouTube if you want to check it out. After his talk, any lingering fears about AI? Gone!
Compared to media conferences, one immediately notices: people just dress better, mostly in black, often paired with retro sneakers. The atmosphere seems better too, despite the ongoing transformation and disruption.
I also enjoyed Christian Mio Loclair‘s down-to-earth take on interactive applications that no one asked for and his advocacy for experimenting and getting started. Instead of just focusing on efficiency and savings, the emphasis was much more on creativity, co-creation, and the necessity of emotionally engaging people. As it was said: The internet isn’t waiting for another JPG.
Type designer Sina Otto demonstrated how she works on new fonts with her own drawings and AI. Photographer Sevda Albers showcased how she uses Midjourney prompts for her photography. James Gerde made noodles dance in human form, creating viral global hits.
There was so much more — to wrap it up, Christina and I concluded that AI is our sidekick. That it’s time to jump in and start experimenting. That there are new possibilities for real-time personalization. That media forms are blending, and formats are exploding.
Thank you, Burkhard Müller, Lea Feldkämper, and Art Directors Club (ADC). This post also exists on LinkedIn.
