Albert Einstein said it best:
“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”
This quote reminds us of the importance of our capacity to think creatively and envision possibilities beyond the boundaries of our conventional lives to push humanity forward. Maybe that’s where “think outside of the box” comes from.
In 2023, STEM careers accounted for 5.9% of the fastest-growing professions and are expected to grow 15% by 2031 with computer and math occupations driving the growth. STEM professionals offer analytical prowess and technical acumen, providing the backbone for product development and app creation, and much more. However, true magic happens when STEM meets creativity.
Sparking a different fire
STEM involves a certain type of creativity in itself—building a product or service from the ground up is no easy task and requires a certain type of technical brainpower to create a service like Amazon or a product like driverless taxis. But this is a different type of creativity than what is needed to market the driverless taxi. Sometimes all a project needs is taking a step back.
“The people who are creating things like a great app…have put a tremendous amount of thought into their piece of technology, but they are so close to it…” said Jason Williams, creative director at Ingram Micro. “But when you introduce creatives to that part of the process to market something, they’re a little bit removed, so they can see it more easily through the eyes of the target market.”
The creative economy employs nearly 20 million people across nine of the largest global economies, with Japan estimated to be in the lead by 2030. Creatives, armed with a flair for imaginative possibilities and a keen understanding of human behavior, provide a different perspective weaving compelling narratives, designing intuitive user interfaces and crafting captivating brand strategies.
In fact, collaborating with STEM experts bridges the gap between flawless functionality and connection with the brand, says Williams.
“You can’t have a successful communication piece without both [STEM and creatives] collaborating with one another,” said Williams.
The generative economy
In the last several years, generative artificial intelligence has been taking the media spotlight by storm, with many utilizing its writing, imagery and video-generating capabilities. An estimated 86% of IT leaders expect it to play a large role in their companies. Despite this emergence, the need for creative thinkers remains as critical as ever in addition to working with the latest technology.
“You’ll read an article written by a human for Smithsonian Magazine and it probably gets a lot of attention because of the quality of the research and thought that goes into it,” said Williams. “And then you get things like Buzzfeed that creates as many articles as they can and end up populating everyone’s news feed to get clickthroughs—it’s a shotgun approach.”
Effective collaboration between STEM and creatives requires open communication, mutual respect and a willingness to embrace divergent viewpoints, said Williams. These complementary strengths can unlock the full spectrum of innovation and forward thinking to shape the future of industries.
“If you ask a lot of questions and write down notes about how fast it does something, who thought of it, what materials it’s made out of, you’re going to connect those dots and find a creative and compelling way to communicate [your product’s] value to the customer,” said Williams.
Stay tuned for our second part, which features tips on how STEM and creative teams can work together.
Discover how Ingram Micro can help you connect your dots through our marketing services.
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