I know I said I’d write something on putting constraints on creativity without hampering it. That’s not exactly what this is about, but I still have some good things to say, so bear with me.

This article has a lot to say on the true nature of creativity in the business world. One very important point that it makes is that creativity in the business world is not about self-expression. It’s about business. Creative professionals in advertising aren’t artists (at least, not professionally)—we’re commercial artists. That’s not to say that our artistry is any less creative than that of pure artists—only that our intent is different.

Pure artists use their artistry to communicate ideas, thoughts, or feelings. Oftentimes, there is no “message” to the work—most of the time, it’s just a general feeling or emotion that’s conveyed. Pure art pieces are judged on how well they convey those feelings and how aesthetically pleasing they are. Unlike commercial art, widespread appeal isn’t necessarily what pure artists go for; in fact, they often take great pride in how only a select few really “get” their work.

Commercial art is the marriage between business and fine art; however, most commercial artists secretly (or not so secretly) want to be fine artists. Understanding this will help business types understand what makes us tick. But commercial artists also have to understand that they were not necessarily hired to be fine artists—they were hired to produce quantifiable results.

Classic example: contact forms. The aesthetic temptation for Web designers (and sometimes clients too) is to make contact forms look much more robust and pretty than the standard solid-background, operating system-generated inputs and select boxes contact forms. We may even want to add crazy gradients and decorative text and lots of pictures. But research has shown that plain forms with standard inputs and select boxes get a higher click-through rate. Creating contact forms is a large part of my job, and I have to say, it’s not as fun as designing Web sites, banner ads or e-mail marketing pieces; but it makes a much bigger difference for the schools. In fact, without effective contact forms, I wouldn’t really have much of a reason to make Web sites and banner ads and e-mail marketing pieces for our clients.

So, as the above linked article states, commercial creativity is not about self-expression. It is, in fact, very technical and analytical. Now don’t get me wrong—commercial creativity requires real, innovative creativity. But that raw creativity gets processed through a business filter and harnessed for the ultimate purpose of commercial creativity: results.

So, designers, even though you’re fine artists at heart, resist the urge to re-invent the wheel creatively every time you design a site. Sometimes that’s what the job requires; but oftentimes, you’re better off just sticking with what you know works. There’s always room for improvement, but there’s scarcely time for wild experimentation. That ability to get results is a skill in its own right. It’s a skill that sets us apart from fine artists. So take some pride in that skill and develop it as you would your more artistic skills.

I realize there are probably some differing opinions out there on the role of creativity in commercial art and exactly what the differences are between commercial art and fine art. So I want to hear them. Click that comment link below and make your thoughts known.

The next and final article in this series will be about gathering feedback to make improvements and define exactly what makes creative efforts effective.