Recently, the Head of Creative Technology at Publicis Groupe, Laurent Thevenet had hosted a Virtual Masterclass session and it was an absolute success! Publicis Groupe is one of the oldest and largest marketing and communications companies in the world and Laurent leads its creative tech division in Asia-Pacific, Middle-East & Africa.

The session was part of The One Academy’s Virtual International Design and Creative Masterclass which ran across three consecutive weekends and served to create a platform on which we can learn from creative experts from all over the world.

Laurent’s session kicked off with him touching on his background. An engineer by education, he found an interest in generative design and creative technology which led him down the path he is on today. He has worked with numerous brands including Nike, Google, Netflix, UOB, YouTube and Uber on various creative projects.

The Masterclass focused on three aspects, namely being a creative in the 2020s, the creative disruption and staying relevant.

Focusing on advertising and graphic design, Laurent spoke about the debate on whether the former is losing out to a rising interest in the product design industry. Do people pay more importance to aspects of product design which includes packaging, user experience, branding and such?

“To be honest, it doesn’t matter. The industry needs to be versatile”, said Laurent. Giving examples of scenarios that would need both advertising and product design, he explained that creative solutions nowadays need to be tailored accordingly to the problem faced by the brand, and as such, both aspects are equally important. To keep up with times, the best creatives must learn to wear multiple hats.

Viewers were given in-depth information about the creative industry, digital trends, opportunities and future outlook of the field. Speaking on AI-driven creativity, Generative Design, Blockchain, NFTs and the Metaverse, Laurent believes that it “may be the most brutal transition ever for various creative industries”. His advice in dealing with these disruptive innovations? Don’t stress and adapt to these changing times by being curious about everything.

Speaking on disruptive technology, he gave various examples of software that are changing the face of the creative technology industry which included Open AI, Magenta, Runway, AIVA and Hugging Face.

As parting advice to the attendees, Laurent encouraged them to follow the right people on social media and experiment on all types of creative media to constantly better oneself as well as adopting a different outlook to the notion that machines are taking over humans’ roles in the world.

Viewers left the Masterclass with a fresh perspective on the creative era and all its unlimited possibilities.

[The One Academy of Communication Design was established in 1991 with the aim of promoting the region as the world’s center of creative reference. Strategically located in the thriving creative hub of Bandar Sunway, Selangor, with a branch in Georgetown, Penang, The One Academy is today a top notch leading international institute in art, design and creative multimedia, renowned with graduates who steer successful careers in creative capitals worldwide. The courses offered are Digital Media Design, Digital Animation with Game Development, Film Visual Effects, Illustration, Movie & Game Art, Advertising & Graphic Design, Interior Design, Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making and Fine Arts.]