April 30, 2025 • 26 mins
The creative industry is experiencing a seismic shift as beauty brands hire more engineers than makeup artists and traditional retail stores get disrupted by digital-first competitors. This transformation represents the convergence of the creative and technical worlds, requiring new approaches to design and business.
• Bold Hue's groundbreaking personalized foundation device scans skin tone and creates custom makeup on demand
• Fast fashion retailers like Forever 21 are being disrupted by digital-first brands that better connect with Gen Z
• Traditional retail struggles with inventory management, digital transformation, and creating meaningful experiences
• Design professionals increasingly need to integrate AI, AR, and other technologies into their creative processes
• Sustainability and inclusive design are becoming essential considerations rather than optional approaches
• Economic challenges require creatives to understand business context and develop more efficient workflows
• Newcomers to creative fields must develop T-shaped skill sets and navigate competition from both experienced professionals and AI
• Successful creative professionals will need to continuously reinvent themselves and stay current with emerging technologies
Stay creative, stay hungry, stay human.
You've been tuned in to Graphite Radio, where creativity meets culture. Part of the Kaffeine Audio Network and proudly distributed by Pepper Labs. Thanks for joining us on this journey of ideas, art, and innovation. Be sure to subscribe and stay connected for more stories that shape the world we create. Until next time, keep sketching your vision into reality.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
This is.
This is, this is Graphite Radio, so so.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Welcome back to Graphite Pro, where creativity
meets culture, code and thecutting edge.
I'm your host, adrian A Franks,aka AD, and today we'll talk
about a wild shift happeningright now under our noses like
little.
What happens when beauty brandsstart hiring more engineers
than makeup artists?
According to the recent articlein the Business of Fashion,
(01:11):
companies like Estee Lauder andL'Oreal are going all in on tech
.
We're talking about AI, skindiagnosis, ar try-on experiences
and even smart mirrors.
Beauty isn't just pigmentsanymore.
It's about pixels.
Here's the twist.
This isn't just about thebeauty industry getting smarter.
What it's really about is thecreative industry getting more
(01:37):
technical and the technicalindustry needing more creatives.
Think about it.
Who's designing those virtualtry-ons?
Who's building those brandstories into a digital
experience?
That's us, the designers, thestorytellers, the UX pros, even
the creative tech niches and thetechnologists.
Well, here's the question Iwant to throw out to you guys If
beauty is becoming tech, whatother industries are ripe for
(01:57):
this kind of creative technicaltransformation?
And let's take a deeper look.
How do we, as a creative class,show up in these spaces and
show them in what ways that wecan reflect our style, our
stories and even our science?
Ai-driven tools, sustainabilityand inclusive design are the
keys to all of that.
Designers are increasinglyexpected to integrate AI tools
(02:18):
into their workflows tostreamline processes and
generate innovative solutions.
That's also a big push towardsenvironmentally friendly
materials and practices, as wellas making sure that things are
accessible to a diverse range ofusers.
Now, on the flip side of that,it's the economy side.
You know the cost of living,operational expenses are rising
(02:39):
and you know freelancers insmall studios might feel a pinch
or two, or small or bigwhatever, but they're going to
feel some type of pinch,especially newcomers.
Newcomers are going to have toface challenges like finding a
niche you know, a thing thatthey're actually pretty good at,
while also being pretty good ata bunch of other different
things Building a strongportfolio.
You know that was a thing thatwas pretty huge in my day, but
(02:59):
portfolios can't just be pretty.
They got to show intent andthinking and even navigating
like a competitive job market,because now they're going to be
competing with experiencedpeople, junior mid-level people,
as well as AI.
So that is a big thing theyhave to consider as well.
For the seasoned experts, theidea of staying current around
emerging technologies andadapting, like these new client
(03:21):
expectations that will be achallenge, especially this idea
that you have to change behaviorand, you know, break old habits
.
Now, with all that said, it'sgoing to be a need for this idea
of continuous learning andbasically upskilling one's self
to more or less just staycompetitive.
All that said, I think it is adynamic time, especially for
those who can balance creativitywith tech and savviness, you
(03:44):
know, to more or less increaseone's business acumen around the
design industry and reallyfigure out how to really thrive.
Here we will unpack all of thisand more right after this.
Looking for creativeinspiration, graphite Pro Radio
(04:07):
explores the intersection ofdesign, culture and innovation,
one conversation at a time.
Join us for deep dives into thecreative process and
game-changing ideas.
Start listening today.
Okay, let's get right into thenews of all this cool creativity
(04:33):
in the world that we live in interms of design and product.
Have you guys heard of this onebrand called a bold hue?
I got a chance to understandthis more from just talking with
my wife, nicole, and you knowshe's big into like skincare and
beauty and making sure that youknow everything with her.
You know skin, which is whatthe biggest organ of of your
body is just taken care of.
(04:53):
Now this bowl.
Here is this groundbreakingbeauty tech devices kind of
dubbed the career of makeup,kind of like you'd only drop a
couple of pods and you kind oftell it what you're looking for.
It output essentially likefoundational skin tone colors
that you can use for foundationshading and, you know,
essentially makeup.
It's like personalized makeup.
(05:14):
Now the utility around thishandheld one that you kind of
use from the device you use itto kind of scan, you know, kind
of scan your forehead and yourchin and just like everything
around your neck, right,ultimately your head, and what
it does.
It kind of take like a uniqueskin tone and analysis and
essentially it start looking atwhat type of skin pigment that
(05:34):
you are and it more or less canprint out foundation that works
for you.
It used these cartridges likered, yellow, blue and black and
white and it ultimately combinedall that data from where it
scans and what it kind of knowsabout you and ultimately a bunch
of other different people andit just gives you like your own
personal foundation.
Now for what I read online it'sdermatology approved, it's
(05:56):
vegan, it's clean, it's crueltyfree, it's actually pretty
lightweight, so you can kind oftake it wherever you want to go.
It has like this, I don't know,like personalization aspect of
the product.
I think that's really kind ofcool, definitely infused with
these moisturizing antioxidantsand even leave the skin kind of
feeling soft and smooth, withoutlike all the heaviness and the
greasiness, I guess, becausethat's like the vegan approach
(06:18):
to it.
But nonetheless, this, thisparticular device, is kind of
more or less revolutionizingskin care, especially around the
idea of inclusiveness, from,you know, talking to a lot of
people who use foundationalmakeup and things of that nature
specifically women in the past,and you know anybody can to a
lot of people who usefoundational makeup and things
of that nature, specificallywomen in the past and you know
anybody can wear makeup, ofcourse, but it was mostly, you
(06:38):
know, a women's product.
A lot of these foundations andmakeups was only really tailored
to one group of people, thatwas mostly white women.
But I do think now that we havethe technology that can scan
people and use all this data,this idea of personalization of
products is actually real.
It's no longer science fiction,it's really science facts.
Now, who would be the person orpeoples that would want to use
(07:01):
this product?
Now, in my personal mind,professional mind, I'm thinking
it's going to be people who arejust at home who just want to
kind of get exactly what they'relooking for.
So that's just a normal user ofanywhere, definitely a makeup
artist who's probably on set,whether it's gonna be a photo
shoot or video shooting.
They just need to get like aquick touch up of talent and
they don't really.
Maybe they run out offoundation, maybe they can just
(07:22):
print something real quick andboom, there you go, they can
kind of do their job prettyquickly and, you know, with no
ease and relieve that kind ofpain point.
It's also great forpersonalization around skin
tones and even this idea ofinclusiveness, like I mentioned
before.
So check out bold hue.
Let's move on to what'shappening currently in fast
(07:43):
fashion, specifically theforever 21 type stores and fast
fashion killing the stores off.
Now, maybe I shouldn't use theword kill.
I mean, it's more so that thesestores are getting disrupted by
fast fashion and I rememberkind of going to Forever 21, not
really my store, kind of not mydemographic, but I do know that
a lot of women and a lot ofchildren and teenagers and just
(08:06):
millennials or you know, people,I guess, younger than me, and
it was one of those stores thatthey can just kind of go in, get
some cool stuff, maybe find apiece to go out, but, uh, you
know, they can match it withsomething they didn't even have
any closet, or even like get awhole new style.
But you know, and it's funnybecause forever 21 was, like his
own, fast fashion.
But I think what they didn'tconsider is that people like you
(08:28):
know, tamu and she and who,these digital focus companies
just going to come in and justeat their cake Because, you know
, look at Forever 21.
Some of the things they justkind of didn't do, more or less,
you know, got them disrupted.
Mind you, they was the originaldisruptor by being fast fashion
.
Let's talk about a couple ofpoints of you know why these
guys got disrupted.
(08:48):
One thing they probably need toconsider that they got, you
know, beat by their own game.
Look at Shein and Fashion, novaand Tamu.
What these guys did really wellwas take these trendy, cheap,
quick clothing and made themreally popular, especially like
online and especially just insocial.
If you think about, like Shein,fashion, nova and Tmoo, what
(09:12):
they did very well was godigital and go digital really
quick, really fast, now, beingthat those brands I just
mentioned, went digital first.
Well, the inherent value ofthat is that they got to Gen Z
really quickly, almost likenatively Gen Z they're used to,
like Shein, zara, baobab and allthese guys.
They really up the lives theironline and even like this whole
(09:33):
mobile first experience Forever21 never fully translated that
and it kind of you know, let thedigital transformation just
kind of skipped them a littlebit.
It's not to say they didn'thave an online presence, they
just didn't make their overallbrand more so digital first.
I think another point is is toomuch inventory, too much
inventory and really too littlestrategy.
(09:55):
If you think about any brandthat's just housing tons and
tons of clothing that's justgoing to either have to get
shipped or sit in a warehouse orsit in the store for too long.
Well, housing all thatinventory is going to cost money
.
That's going to cause a wholelot of around like high turnover
in production.
It's going to cause a whole lotof around like high turnover in
production.
It's going to cause a lot ofthings go up in what they call
dead stock.
(10:15):
But when you're just housing alot of inventory, you're really
not moving clothing.
Now all these other guys, well,it's kind of like the mls can
easily target the audience verywell, since I'm using a, I guess
, some type of app or onlinestore where they know exactly
what to order.
They know exactly what tocreate when somebody orders
(10:35):
something, versus making a lotof things based on fashion
trends.
They can just go with peopleliterally want and you can just
ship that on demand, almost likewhat they call drop stocks or
drop shipment or whatever.
And if you know anything aboutyou know too many clothing being
in the store.
Unfortunately, it just kind ofends up in, you know, a landfill
(10:57):
.
But that's not to say that eventhe other guys I just mentioned
don't have that same problem.
But yeah, when you dooverproduce a lot of clothing,
it will more or less end up in alandfill.
I think the next point here isthat these guys missed on these
cultural moments.
You know, younger consumerswant fashion that feels very
personalized and even justmemeable Not meaningful, but
(11:18):
memeable.
That's like a cool thing, right?
If you think about like TikTok.
There's like this thing calledmicro trends and things around
thrift culture.
Forever 21 just didn't reallykeep up.
Their brand has started to feela little dated.
Why, never?
You know, all these newerbrands really lean into like
aesthetics niche and really justtelling great stories.
It's more than just having toopen the store and hope that
(11:40):
they come.
I mentioned earlier about thisidea around sustainability.
Shift Fashion, especially fastfashion, is still booming, but
they are being called out by GenZ about this idea of
eco-consciousness and beingreally, really vocal about being
sustainable.
A lot of these brands are moreor less they kind of pretend to
care about sustainability, likeh&m conscious line or these
(12:04):
weird things that certain brandswould do when they want to roll
out a campaign and kind of saythat they're eco-friendly.
But forever 21 really didn'tevolve that narrative like at
all around this.
They just kind of ignored it.
So Gen Z will let you know howthey feel with their devices.
So keep that in mind.
Also, I think you know mall andretail it's a dying breed.
(12:25):
Again, if you're talking aboutstorefront, storefront has to be
an experience.
It's no longer this idea thatyou're just going to go in, have
a lot of clothing or productsor whatever and you're just
going to have people siftingthrough all this stuff, finding
something that they just may noteven like and hopefully they'll
buy right.
That approach just doesn't workanymore.
(12:46):
I mean it's really kind ofcollapsed.
I know a lot of brands thatreally couldn't really pivot to
like the e-commerce or createlike a pop-up experience.
When it comes to like retail,they just kind of got left
behind.
I think Forever 21 was built onreally foot traffic and not
foot traffic.
That that foot traffic more orless just kind of disappeared
Again.
I think more and more retailhas to consider itself to be
(13:09):
more of an experience and lessabout a big store or a box that
just hold items.
So I think it's that the lastthing I'm going to add here is
when a brand kind of don't havea cult following or they lack a
cult following, you know it'skind of, you know you're kind of
in trouble here.
You look at something likeSkims or you know, even like
Uniqlo they have a loyalcustomer base and like a whole
(13:32):
point of view.
When it comes to like ideas,fashion, art, design.
Forever 21 really lacked that.
I mean the idea of I don't evenknow what Forever 21 even
really means anymore.
I guess you mean this idea ofstaying forever young, but it
was everything to everybody.
Then it just ended up beingnothing special to nobody.
So again, when you're a brand,a top of mind is real.
(13:55):
You know, you got to have thatcult-like following and you got
to tell stories.
Let's take a quick break andwhen we come back we're going to
get right into the graphitetool of the day.
This idea of reinventingyourself becomes tech.
Welcome back.
(14:20):
Let's jump right into thegraphite tool of the day when
reinventing yourselves becomestech, the new creative frontier.
Lifestyle, beauty and fashionbrands aren't just about
skincare, cool kicks and techstyling anymore.
They're becoming more likesoftware companies, from AI,
skin diagnosis to augmentedreality try-ons.
Brands like Estee Lauder,l'oreal and Nike are investing
(14:42):
heavily into tech.
But what does that mean forcreatives?
Is the next art director goingto be a coder?
Is the next creative directorgoing to be replaced by a prop?
Let's talk about AI and designNow.
I've already covered this on acouple of episodes, but there
are some people really using AIand even like AR to like,
reinvent the whole like creativeprocess.
(15:02):
When it comes to like makingart and making design, I've seen
people use the Vision Pro kindof expensive, but they're using
it to actually create art in thereal world.
They're using augmented realityto layer their drawings or even
like their paintings orsketches onto like live surfaces
or big surfaces and using thattechnology to more or less
(15:24):
transfer the ideas seamlesslyonto walls and even like
canvases like prior to that youhave to use like some kind of
projector or some scaling systemto more or less kind of
transfer ideas or canvases.
So people are really using likear tools and vr tools and AR
tools to more or less be coolwith design.
I've also seen a lot of peopleusing these same kind of AR
(15:47):
goggles to more or less augmentwhat they're doing when it comes
to fashion design.
They're using it to scan likethe garments or give them
pointers or teaching them how todo certain kind of sews or hems
or even kind of like ways to docertain stitches or hymns or
even kind of like ways to docertain stitches, and you look
at that technology.
Normally you would need acomputer to kind of look at it,
synthesize it and mimic it, butnow you can more or less mimic
(16:10):
it in real time, almost more orless having like a digital
teacher in your face or thesegoggles as you more or less just
kind of go through that kind ofdesign practice.
Other things to consider too Imentioned something about
sustainability and inclusivedesign.
This is like something that'sdear to me because if you think
about design, it's really foreverybody, it's not just for any
(16:33):
one group, but design is reallyfor everyone and everybody and
everything.
It's not even just for humans,it's for animals, it's for the
environment we live in, it's forthe atmosphere that we have to
breathe, the air that we're in,it's for any type of existence
or you know environment that welive in.
So it's not just for humans,but it's for everybody on planet
(16:54):
Earth.
I know a lot of us are tryingto think about design in like a
more sustainable way, usingdifferent kinds of materials,
different kinds of eco-friendlymaterials, using something that
doesn't leave a big carbonfootprint, and even thinking
about how to make things moreinclusive.
Living here in New York is thatfunny thing that it's a great
city that knows design but thetrain stations and the overall
(17:17):
transit system it's not the mostaccessible, it's not really
inclusive of all people,especially if you get like a
injury.
Like the biggest thing you knowyou can deal with is, you know,
injuries to your leg, like youhave to walk this city and you
know certain stations don't evenhave escalators or elevators or
just other means of going upand down on certain platforms.
(17:37):
So I do think even places likemetropolitan areas like new york
could really a you know a pagefrom like the inclusive design
practices and material and startthinking about how to be a
better cities.
I often say that the next bestdesigner or the next Johnny Ives
probably won't be, I guess,from the tech world.
They'd probably come from likearchitecture firm.
(17:59):
Because you think about anarchitect.
They have to think about likethe environment.
Right, you think about whatarchitecture is, is is, it's the
views, it's the land and I justmentioned that we live in you
know, certain environments.
Architects have to kind ofthink a little bit more broadly
than just you know somethingthat looks aesthetically
pleasing.
They gotta think about abuilding that's gonna be more or
less have a certain intent andfunction behind it.
(18:21):
They're gonna have to thinkabout who's gonna be in the
building, how it's gonna be used, what type of furniture is
gonna be in the building, whattype of functionalities and
systems is gonna be need toactually use such set dwelling
or building.
They have to think about likeeverything, not just you know a
couple cool pillows and somepaint chips, but they really
gotta think about the people andthe intent behind the building.
(18:41):
So I do think the next designer, a great designer, is to be
more or less someone who have,like an architectural mind.
Other things to considereconomic challenges.
I know right now we're livingthrough a lot of uncertainty.
It was what a lot of financialanalysts call the market
uncertainty, this idea that,well, you, you know, any day we
(19:04):
wake up, certain leaders canjust kind of pull a lever and
the market change, and sometimesthat uncertainty is kind of
hard to plan around that,especially when it comes to
designing new products ordeploying new products and
services to people.
Or even this idea that, well,maybe I got a great idea but I
(19:24):
can't really get it prototyped,probably because now we're gonna
have to be dealing with tariffsand hold our politics.
So you think about the designpractice, whether you're art
director or designer or creativedirector or just a creative
person or professional acrossthe board.
Yes, certain industries may getaffected, but I do think one way
to kind of keep yourself moreor less, I guess, relevant in
(19:44):
the game really getting tounderstand how the business, of
any business worker and how yourtalents can be best used more
efficiently, especially with therising costs of just getting
work done.
It's going to be this push tobe more lean when it comes to
using certain design talent.
It's probably going to be usingprobably less freelancers or
freelancers that have more of aT-shaped kind of skill set, and
(20:07):
definitely this idea of how doyou really effectively use
smaller studios to augment workthat bigger guys can't use,
right?
So maybe that's something tokind of consider.
But you know, there are someother ways to kind of navigate
this.
Again, there's a lot ofliterature around using
different ways to navigate theseeconomic hurdles and bubbles
that goes up and down andinflate and deflate, but I've
(20:29):
seen in the past that everybodythat I've noticed that ever had
to deal with these economicchallenges.
They just figure out the bestway to stay relevant by using
the current tools at the time.
Now I do think a lot ofdesigners are going to have to
start thinking about how to useAI, but also how to use a
spreadsheet a little bit moreefficiently.
Is there a way to use AI tocreate certain kinds of
(20:50):
spreadsheets that you can trackyour scope a little bit better?
Is there a way to use certaintools like Salesforce to
re-engage a population of peoplethat you're selling a product
to?
Is there a way to usee-commerce data to better
understand which products tomake versus the products that
you feel?
I know I can be that kind ofdesigner who say, hey, I want to
make this because it soundsreally cool, but maybe the
(21:12):
market's not looking for that.
So I do think you knowunderstanding economics micro
and macro is always a good planwhen it comes to thinking about
being a design professional.
There are going to be a lot ofchallenges for newcomers and
even seasoned experts.
I mentioned earlier that youknow a lot of newcomers are
going to have to deal withpeople they're going to deal
(21:33):
with very much.
So, like these vets, they'regoing to have to deal with
people who are kind of in themiddle part of their career.
They're going to have to dealwith AI.
So you know a lot of newcomersare going to have to deal with a
lot of uncertainty about whatto do.
I do think certain things thatcan help these guys overcome
certain hurdles is reallybuilding a great portfolio with
(21:54):
a whole lot of intent.
I would say try to find a niche,but maybe that's not even the
best approach now, because I dothink you have to not be as much
of a niche, but look atyourself as a T-shape.
Is that a way to have one ortwo things you're good at that
you go deep in and you can kindof spread your skillset across
multiple kind of things?
Also, being, I guess, incommunities with people who can
(22:20):
give you good mentoring that'salways going to be a great thing
.
Now that can work not just fornewcomers.
Can give you good mentoringthat's always going to be a
great thing.
Now that can work not just fornewcomers, that also works for
the seasoned professional.
So mentoring, upscaling,definitely being a community of
people and just more or lessstaying relevant, is always a
good thing.
Okay, so let's just do a recap.
I mentioned know, learn abouteverything you can when it comes
(22:43):
to AI and design, like what'ssome of the coolest tools
besides just the chat tools ofAI that you can use or the
generative nature of using, youknow, image generation or video
generation.
Is there a better way that youcan use AI to be more optimized?
When it comes to, likeworkflows?
Is there like technology likeAR that you can use to augment
certain types of ways of workingright, or is there better ways
(23:06):
to collaborate?
So is there a way to, like Isaid, to use these tools not
just AI, but just tools ingeneral to more or less be a
better designer.
I mentioned something aboutsustainability and inclusive
design.
Again, design really is aboutbeing inclusive of all people
and all things.
Certain people and certaingroups do have certain needs
(23:26):
when it comes to design overother people.
So always keep that in mindabout what inclusive design
could really represent, becauseif it's good for a certain group
of people, it probably could begood for everybody, depending
on what you're designing, whatproblems you're trying to solve.
And sustainability Again, weare in a new world of, I guess,
post-digital not evenpost-industrial really.
In this whole post-digitalworld where everything is just
(23:48):
assuming to be digital,definitely, information is
flying everywhere.
Misinformation is what it is.
Is there a way to really makesustainable design more
prevalent?
That can be with, like rawmaterial.
That can even be withinformation that we consume
online.
So think about how we can be alittle bit more sustainable in
our lives.
Also, economic challenges Ithink, as a design professional
(24:10):
or creative professional, thebest thing you can do is look at
the market and not just bereactionary to it.
How can you be more proactivewith it?
Can you just take what's outthere and say, well, this is
what my skill could be best usedat, or can I use my skill set
over here?
Or this is the place that mightconsolidate my type of skill.
So what do I need to do next?
(24:31):
So looking at the market alittle bit more holistically is
always going to be helpful, andwhen it comes to being either a
newcomer or a seasoned vet, thereality of it is you got to
reinvent yourself or disruptyourself, right, just don't get
caught flat for that.
Well, I think that's it for thiscurrent episode of graphite pro
(24:51):
radio.
Glad you guys tuned in.
We're going to be producingmore things that I think I'm
going to go a little bit deeperon certain industries now, like
I've been kind of looselytalking about the fashion and
beauty with this particularepisode, with some obvious
different things on how tobetter be a better creative.
But I do want to go a littlebit deep on certain topics and
(25:11):
certain subjects and get somemore people Actually get people
on the show period.
I haven't had any guests yet,but at some point I'm just
trying to find a meet.
I'm trying to make sure I findthe right guest for you guys.
So definitely stay tuned forthat.
And you know, as always, staycreative, stay hungry, stay
human Peace.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
You've been tuned into Graphite Radio, where
creativity meets culture, Partof the Caffeine Audio Network.
Thanks for joining us on thisjourney of ideas, art and
innovation.
Be sure to subscribe and stayconnected for more stories that
shape the world we create.
Until next time, keep sketchingyour vision into reality.
Bye.
This is.
This is, this is Graphite Radio, so so.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Welcome back to Graphite Pro, where creativity
meets culture, code and thecutting edge.
I'm your host, adrian A Franks,aka AD, and today we'll talk
about a wild shift happeningright now under our noses like
little.
What happens when beauty brandsstart hiring more engineers
than makeup artists?
According to the recent articlein the Business of Fashion,
(01:11):
companies like Estee Lauder andL'Oreal are going all in on tech
.
We're talking about AI, skindiagnosis, ar try-on experiences
and even smart mirrors.
Beauty isn't just pigmentsanymore.
It's about pixels.
Here's the twist.
This isn't just about thebeauty industry getting smarter.
What it's really about is thecreative industry getting more
(01:37):
technical and the technicalindustry needing more creatives.
Think about it.
Who's designing those virtualtry-ons?
Who's building those brandstories into a digital
experience?
That's us, the designers, thestorytellers, the UX pros, even
the creative tech niches and thetechnologists.
Well, here's the question Iwant to throw out to you guys If
beauty is becoming tech, whatother industries are ripe for
(01:57):
this kind of creative technicaltransformation?
And let's take a deeper look.
How do we, as a creative class,show up in these spaces and
show them in what ways that wecan reflect our style, our
stories and even our science?
Ai-driven tools, sustainabilityand inclusive design are the
keys to all of that.
Designers are increasinglyexpected to integrate AI tools
(02:18):
into their workflows tostreamline processes and
generate innovative solutions.
That's also a big push towardsenvironmentally friendly
materials and practices, as wellas making sure that things are
accessible to a diverse range ofusers.
Now, on the flip side of that,it's the economy side.
You know the cost of living,operational expenses are rising
(02:39):
and you know freelancers insmall studios might feel a pinch
or two, or small or bigwhatever, but they're going to
feel some type of pinch,especially newcomers.
Newcomers are going to have toface challenges like finding a
niche you know, a thing thatthey're actually pretty good at,
while also being pretty good ata bunch of other different
things Building a strongportfolio.
You know that was a thing thatwas pretty huge in my day, but
(02:59):
portfolios can't just be pretty.
They got to show intent andthinking and even navigating
like a competitive job market,because now they're going to be
competing with experiencedpeople, junior mid-level people,
as well as AI.
So that is a big thing theyhave to consider as well.
For the seasoned experts, theidea of staying current around
emerging technologies andadapting, like these new client
(03:21):
expectations that will be achallenge, especially this idea
that you have to change behaviorand, you know, break old habits
.
Now, with all that said, it'sgoing to be a need for this idea
of continuous learning andbasically upskilling one's self
to more or less just staycompetitive.
All that said, I think it is adynamic time, especially for
those who can balance creativitywith tech and savviness, you
(03:44):
know, to more or less increaseone's business acumen around the
design industry and reallyfigure out how to really thrive.
Here we will unpack all of thisand more right after this.
Looking for creativeinspiration, graphite Pro Radio
(04:07):
explores the intersection ofdesign, culture and innovation,
one conversation at a time.
Join us for deep dives into thecreative process and
game-changing ideas.
Start listening today.
Okay, let's get right into thenews of all this cool creativity
(04:33):
in the world that we live in interms of design and product.
Have you guys heard of this onebrand called a bold hue?
I got a chance to understandthis more from just talking with
my wife, nicole, and you knowshe's big into like skincare and
beauty and making sure that youknow everything with her.
You know skin, which is whatthe biggest organ of of your
body is just taken care of.
(04:53):
Now this bowl.
Here is this groundbreakingbeauty tech devices kind of
dubbed the career of makeup,kind of like you'd only drop a
couple of pods and you kind oftell it what you're looking for.
It output essentially likefoundational skin tone colors
that you can use for foundationshading and, you know,
essentially makeup.
It's like personalized makeup.
(05:14):
Now the utility around thishandheld one that you kind of
use from the device you use itto kind of scan, you know, kind
of scan your forehead and yourchin and just like everything
around your neck, right,ultimately your head, and what
it does.
It kind of take like a uniqueskin tone and analysis and
essentially it start looking atwhat type of skin pigment that
(05:34):
you are and it more or less canprint out foundation that works
for you.
It used these cartridges likered, yellow, blue and black and
white and it ultimately combinedall that data from where it
scans and what it kind of knowsabout you and ultimately a bunch
of other different people andit just gives you like your own
personal foundation.
Now for what I read online it'sdermatology approved, it's
(05:56):
vegan, it's clean, it's crueltyfree, it's actually pretty
lightweight, so you can kind oftake it wherever you want to go.
It has like this, I don't know,like personalization aspect of
the product.
I think that's really kind ofcool, definitely infused with
these moisturizing antioxidantsand even leave the skin kind of
feeling soft and smooth, withoutlike all the heaviness and the
greasiness, I guess, becausethat's like the vegan approach
(06:18):
to it.
But nonetheless, this, thisparticular device, is kind of
more or less revolutionizingskin care, especially around the
idea of inclusiveness, from,you know, talking to a lot of
people who use foundationalmakeup and things of that nature
specifically women in the past,and you know anybody can to a
lot of people who usefoundational makeup and things
of that nature, specificallywomen in the past and you know
anybody can wear makeup, ofcourse, but it was mostly, you
(06:38):
know, a women's product.
A lot of these foundations andmakeups was only really tailored
to one group of people, thatwas mostly white women.
But I do think now that we havethe technology that can scan
people and use all this data,this idea of personalization of
products is actually real.
It's no longer science fiction,it's really science facts.
Now, who would be the person orpeoples that would want to use
(07:01):
this product?
Now, in my personal mind,professional mind, I'm thinking
it's going to be people who arejust at home who just want to
kind of get exactly what they'relooking for.
So that's just a normal user ofanywhere, definitely a makeup
artist who's probably on set,whether it's gonna be a photo
shoot or video shooting.
They just need to get like aquick touch up of talent and
they don't really.
Maybe they run out offoundation, maybe they can just
(07:22):
print something real quick andboom, there you go, they can
kind of do their job prettyquickly and, you know, with no
ease and relieve that kind ofpain point.
It's also great forpersonalization around skin
tones and even this idea ofinclusiveness, like I mentioned
before.
So check out bold hue.
Let's move on to what'shappening currently in fast
(07:43):
fashion, specifically theforever 21 type stores and fast
fashion killing the stores off.
Now, maybe I shouldn't use theword kill.
I mean, it's more so that thesestores are getting disrupted by
fast fashion and I rememberkind of going to Forever 21, not
really my store, kind of not mydemographic, but I do know that
a lot of women and a lot ofchildren and teenagers and just
(08:06):
millennials or you know, people,I guess, younger than me, and
it was one of those stores thatthey can just kind of go in, get
some cool stuff, maybe find apiece to go out, but, uh, you
know, they can match it withsomething they didn't even have
any closet, or even like get awhole new style.
But you know, and it's funnybecause forever 21 was, like his
own, fast fashion.
But I think what they didn'tconsider is that people like you
(08:28):
know, tamu and she and who,these digital focus companies
just going to come in and justeat their cake Because, you know
, look at Forever 21.
Some of the things they justkind of didn't do, more or less,
you know, got them disrupted.
Mind you, they was the originaldisruptor by being fast fashion
.
Let's talk about a couple ofpoints of you know why these
guys got disrupted.
(08:48):
One thing they probably need toconsider that they got, you
know, beat by their own game.
Look at Shein and Fashion, novaand Tamu.
What these guys did really wellwas take these trendy, cheap,
quick clothing and made themreally popular, especially like
online and especially just insocial.
If you think about, like Shein,fashion, nova and Tmoo, what
(09:12):
they did very well was godigital and go digital really
quick, really fast, now, beingthat those brands I just
mentioned, went digital first.
Well, the inherent value ofthat is that they got to Gen Z
really quickly, almost likenatively Gen Z they're used to,
like Shein, zara, baobab and allthese guys.
They really up the lives theironline and even like this whole
(09:33):
mobile first experience Forever21 never fully translated that
and it kind of you know, let thedigital transformation just
kind of skipped them a littlebit.
It's not to say they didn'thave an online presence, they
just didn't make their overallbrand more so digital first.
I think another point is is toomuch inventory, too much
inventory and really too littlestrategy.
(09:55):
If you think about any brandthat's just housing tons and
tons of clothing that's justgoing to either have to get
shipped or sit in a warehouse orsit in the store for too long.
Well, housing all thatinventory is going to cost money
.
That's going to cause a wholelot of around like high turnover
in production.
It's going to cause a whole lotof around like high turnover in
production.
It's going to cause a lot ofthings go up in what they call
dead stock.
(10:15):
But when you're just housing alot of inventory, you're really
not moving clothing.
Now all these other guys, well,it's kind of like the mls can
easily target the audience verywell, since I'm using a, I guess
, some type of app or onlinestore where they know exactly
what to order.
They know exactly what tocreate when somebody orders
(10:35):
something, versus making a lotof things based on fashion
trends.
They can just go with peopleliterally want and you can just
ship that on demand, almost likewhat they call drop stocks or
drop shipment or whatever.
And if you know anything aboutyou know too many clothing being
in the store.
Unfortunately, it just kind ofends up in, you know, a landfill
(10:57):
.
But that's not to say that eventhe other guys I just mentioned
don't have that same problem.
But yeah, when you dooverproduce a lot of clothing,
it will more or less end up in alandfill.
I think the next point here isthat these guys missed on these
cultural moments.
You know, younger consumerswant fashion that feels very
personalized and even justmemeable Not meaningful, but
(11:18):
memeable.
That's like a cool thing, right?
If you think about like TikTok.
There's like this thing calledmicro trends and things around
thrift culture.
Forever 21 just didn't reallykeep up.
Their brand has started to feela little dated.
Why, never?
You know, all these newerbrands really lean into like
aesthetics niche and really justtelling great stories.
It's more than just having toopen the store and hope that
(11:40):
they come.
I mentioned earlier about thisidea around sustainability.
Shift Fashion, especially fastfashion, is still booming, but
they are being called out by GenZ about this idea of
eco-consciousness and beingreally, really vocal about being
sustainable.
A lot of these brands are moreor less they kind of pretend to
care about sustainability, likeh&m conscious line or these
(12:04):
weird things that certain brandswould do when they want to roll
out a campaign and kind of saythat they're eco-friendly.
But forever 21 really didn'tevolve that narrative like at
all around this.
They just kind of ignored it.
So Gen Z will let you know howthey feel with their devices.
So keep that in mind.
Also, I think you know mall andretail it's a dying breed.
(12:25):
Again, if you're talking aboutstorefront, storefront has to be
an experience.
It's no longer this idea thatyou're just going to go in, have
a lot of clothing or productsor whatever and you're just
going to have people siftingthrough all this stuff, finding
something that they just may noteven like and hopefully they'll
buy right.
That approach just doesn't workanymore.
(12:46):
I mean it's really kind ofcollapsed.
I know a lot of brands thatreally couldn't really pivot to
like the e-commerce or createlike a pop-up experience.
When it comes to like retail,they just kind of got left
behind.
I think Forever 21 was built onreally foot traffic and not
foot traffic.
That that foot traffic more orless just kind of disappeared
Again.
I think more and more retailhas to consider itself to be
(13:09):
more of an experience and lessabout a big store or a box that
just hold items.
So I think it's that the lastthing I'm going to add here is
when a brand kind of don't havea cult following or they lack a
cult following, you know it'skind of, you know you're kind of
in trouble here.
You look at something likeSkims or you know, even like
Uniqlo they have a loyalcustomer base and like a whole
(13:32):
point of view.
When it comes to like ideas,fashion, art, design.
Forever 21 really lacked that.
I mean the idea of I don't evenknow what Forever 21 even
really means anymore.
I guess you mean this idea ofstaying forever young, but it
was everything to everybody.
Then it just ended up beingnothing special to nobody.
So again, when you're a brand,a top of mind is real.
(13:55):
You know, you got to have thatcult-like following and you got
to tell stories.
Let's take a quick break andwhen we come back we're going to
get right into the graphitetool of the day.
This idea of reinventingyourself becomes tech.
Welcome back.
(14:20):
Let's jump right into thegraphite tool of the day when
reinventing yourselves becomestech, the new creative frontier.
Lifestyle, beauty and fashionbrands aren't just about
skincare, cool kicks and techstyling anymore.
They're becoming more likesoftware companies, from AI,
skin diagnosis to augmentedreality try-ons.
Brands like Estee Lauder,l'oreal and Nike are investing
(14:42):
heavily into tech.
But what does that mean forcreatives?
Is the next art director goingto be a coder?
Is the next creative directorgoing to be replaced by a prop?
Let's talk about AI and designNow.
I've already covered this on acouple of episodes, but there
are some people really using AIand even like AR to like,
reinvent the whole like creativeprocess.
(15:02):
When it comes to like makingart and making design, I've seen
people use the Vision Pro kindof expensive, but they're using
it to actually create art in thereal world.
They're using augmented realityto layer their drawings or even
like their paintings orsketches onto like live surfaces
or big surfaces and using thattechnology to more or less
(15:24):
transfer the ideas seamlesslyonto walls and even like
canvases like prior to that youhave to use like some kind of
projector or some scaling systemto more or less kind of
transfer ideas or canvases.
So people are really using likear tools and vr tools and AR
tools to more or less be coolwith design.
I've also seen a lot of peopleusing these same kind of AR
(15:47):
goggles to more or less augmentwhat they're doing when it comes
to fashion design.
They're using it to scan likethe garments or give them
pointers or teaching them how todo certain kind of sews or hems
or even kind of like ways to docertain stitches or hymns or
even kind of like ways to docertain stitches, and you look
at that technology.
Normally you would need acomputer to kind of look at it,
synthesize it and mimic it, butnow you can more or less mimic
(16:10):
it in real time, almost more orless having like a digital
teacher in your face or thesegoggles as you more or less just
kind of go through that kind ofdesign practice.
Other things to consider too Imentioned something about
sustainability and inclusivedesign.
This is like something that'sdear to me because if you think
about design, it's really foreverybody, it's not just for any
(16:33):
one group, but design is reallyfor everyone and everybody and
everything.
It's not even just for humans,it's for animals, it's for the
environment we live in, it's forthe atmosphere that we have to
breathe, the air that we're in,it's for any type of existence
or you know environment that welive in.
So it's not just for humans,but it's for everybody on planet
(16:54):
Earth.
I know a lot of us are tryingto think about design in like a
more sustainable way, usingdifferent kinds of materials,
different kinds of eco-friendlymaterials, using something that
doesn't leave a big carbonfootprint, and even thinking
about how to make things moreinclusive.
Living here in New York is thatfunny thing that it's a great
city that knows design but thetrain stations and the overall
(17:17):
transit system it's not the mostaccessible, it's not really
inclusive of all people,especially if you get like a
injury.
Like the biggest thing you knowyou can deal with is, you know,
injuries to your leg, like youhave to walk this city and you
know certain stations don't evenhave escalators or elevators or
just other means of going upand down on certain platforms.
(17:37):
So I do think even places likemetropolitan areas like new york
could really a you know a pagefrom like the inclusive design
practices and material and startthinking about how to be a
better cities.
I often say that the next bestdesigner or the next Johnny Ives
probably won't be, I guess,from the tech world.
They'd probably come from likearchitecture firm.
(17:59):
Because you think about anarchitect.
They have to think about likethe environment.
Right, you think about whatarchitecture is, is is, it's the
views, it's the land and I justmentioned that we live in you
know, certain environments.
Architects have to kind ofthink a little bit more broadly
than just you know somethingthat looks aesthetically
pleasing.
They gotta think about abuilding that's gonna be more or
less have a certain intent andfunction behind it.
(18:21):
They're gonna have to thinkabout who's gonna be in the
building, how it's gonna be used, what type of furniture is
gonna be in the building, whattype of functionalities and
systems is gonna be need toactually use such set dwelling
or building.
They have to think about likeeverything, not just you know a
couple cool pillows and somepaint chips, but they really
gotta think about the people andthe intent behind the building.
(18:41):
So I do think the next designer, a great designer, is to be
more or less someone who have,like an architectural mind.
Other things to considereconomic challenges.
I know right now we're livingthrough a lot of uncertainty.
It was what a lot of financialanalysts call the market
uncertainty, this idea that,well, you, you know, any day we
(19:04):
wake up, certain leaders canjust kind of pull a lever and
the market change, and sometimesthat uncertainty is kind of
hard to plan around that,especially when it comes to
designing new products ordeploying new products and
services to people.
Or even this idea that, well,maybe I got a great idea but I
(19:24):
can't really get it prototyped,probably because now we're gonna
have to be dealing with tariffsand hold our politics.
So you think about the designpractice, whether you're art
director or designer or creativedirector or just a creative
person or professional acrossthe board.
Yes, certain industries may getaffected, but I do think one way
to kind of keep yourself moreor less, I guess, relevant in
(19:44):
the game really getting tounderstand how the business, of
any business worker and how yourtalents can be best used more
efficiently, especially with therising costs of just getting
work done.
It's going to be this push tobe more lean when it comes to
using certain design talent.
It's probably going to be usingprobably less freelancers or
freelancers that have more of aT-shaped kind of skill set, and
(20:07):
definitely this idea of how doyou really effectively use
smaller studios to augment workthat bigger guys can't use,
right?
So maybe that's something tokind of consider.
But you know, there are someother ways to kind of navigate
this.
Again, there's a lot ofliterature around using
different ways to navigate theseeconomic hurdles and bubbles
that goes up and down andinflate and deflate, but I've
(20:29):
seen in the past that everybodythat I've noticed that ever had
to deal with these economicchallenges.
They just figure out the bestway to stay relevant by using
the current tools at the time.
Now I do think a lot ofdesigners are going to have to
start thinking about how to useAI, but also how to use a
spreadsheet a little bit moreefficiently.
Is there a way to use AI tocreate certain kinds of
(20:50):
spreadsheets that you can trackyour scope a little bit better?
Is there a way to use certaintools like Salesforce to
re-engage a population of peoplethat you're selling a product
to?
Is there a way to usee-commerce data to better
understand which products tomake versus the products that
you feel?
I know I can be that kind ofdesigner who say, hey, I want to
make this because it soundsreally cool, but maybe the
(21:12):
market's not looking for that.
So I do think you knowunderstanding economics micro
and macro is always a good planwhen it comes to thinking about
being a design professional.
There are going to be a lot ofchallenges for newcomers and
even seasoned experts.
I mentioned earlier that youknow a lot of newcomers are
going to have to deal withpeople they're going to deal
(21:33):
with very much.
So, like these vets, they'regoing to have to deal with
people who are kind of in themiddle part of their career.
They're going to have to dealwith AI.
So you know a lot of newcomersare going to have to deal with a
lot of uncertainty about whatto do.
I do think certain things thatcan help these guys overcome
certain hurdles is reallybuilding a great portfolio with
(21:54):
a whole lot of intent.
I would say try to find a niche,but maybe that's not even the
best approach now, because I dothink you have to not be as much
of a niche, but look atyourself as a T-shape.
Is that a way to have one ortwo things you're good at that
you go deep in and you can kindof spread your skillset across
multiple kind of things?
Also, being, I guess, incommunities with people who can
(22:20):
give you good mentoring that'salways going to be a great thing
.
Now that can work not just fornewcomers.
Can give you good mentoringthat's always going to be a
great thing.
Now that can work not just fornewcomers, that also works for
the seasoned professional.
So mentoring, upscaling,definitely being a community of
people and just more or lessstaying relevant, is always a
good thing.
Okay, so let's just do a recap.
I mentioned know, learn abouteverything you can when it comes
(22:43):
to AI and design, like what'ssome of the coolest tools
besides just the chat tools ofAI that you can use or the
generative nature of using, youknow, image generation or video
generation.
Is there a better way that youcan use AI to be more optimized?
When it comes to, likeworkflows?
Is there like technology likeAR that you can use to augment
certain types of ways of workingright, or is there better ways
(23:06):
to collaborate?
So is there a way to, like Isaid, to use these tools not
just AI, but just tools ingeneral to more or less be a
better designer.
I mentioned something aboutsustainability and inclusive
design.
Again, design really is aboutbeing inclusive of all people
and all things.
Certain people and certaingroups do have certain needs
(23:26):
when it comes to design overother people.
So always keep that in mindabout what inclusive design
could really represent, becauseif it's good for a certain group
of people, it probably could begood for everybody, depending
on what you're designing, whatproblems you're trying to solve.
And sustainability Again, weare in a new world of, I guess,
post-digital not evenpost-industrial really.
In this whole post-digitalworld where everything is just
(23:48):
assuming to be digital,definitely, information is
flying everywhere.
Misinformation is what it is.
Is there a way to really makesustainable design more
prevalent?
That can be with, like rawmaterial.
That can even be withinformation that we consume
online.
So think about how we can be alittle bit more sustainable in
our lives.
Also, economic challenges Ithink, as a design professional
(24:10):
or creative professional, thebest thing you can do is look at
the market and not just bereactionary to it.
How can you be more proactivewith it?
Can you just take what's outthere and say, well, this is
what my skill could be best usedat, or can I use my skill set
over here?
Or this is the place that mightconsolidate my type of skill.
So what do I need to do next?
(24:31):
So looking at the market alittle bit more holistically is
always going to be helpful, andwhen it comes to being either a
newcomer or a seasoned vet, thereality of it is you got to
reinvent yourself or disruptyourself, right, just don't get
caught flat for that.
Well, I think that's it for thiscurrent episode of graphite pro
(24:51):
radio.
Glad you guys tuned in.
We're going to be producingmore things that I think I'm
going to go a little bit deeperon certain industries now, like
I've been kind of looselytalking about the fashion and
beauty with this particularepisode, with some obvious
different things on how tobetter be a better creative.
But I do want to go a littlebit deep on certain topics and
(25:11):
certain subjects and get somemore people Actually get people
on the show period.
I haven't had any guests yet,but at some point I'm just
trying to find a meet.
I'm trying to make sure I findthe right guest for you guys.
So definitely stay tuned forthat.
And you know, as always, staycreative, stay hungry, stay
human Peace.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
You've been tuned into Graphite Radio, where
creativity meets culture, Partof the Caffeine Audio Network.
Thanks for joining us on thisjourney of ideas, art and
innovation.
Be sure to subscribe and stayconnected for more stories that
shape the world we create.
Until next time, keep sketchingyour vision into reality.
Bye.
Popular Podcasts
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!