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Inside the Jury Room: Artur Szatkowski

08/12/2016
Advertising Agency
London, UK
193
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Hypermedia Linked by Isobar's Creative Technologist shares his insights from the Innovation Jury at Eurobest

Last week at Eurobest, Isobar spoke to Artur Szatkowski, Hypermedia Linked by Isobar's Creative Technologist, who was selected for the Innovation Jury at Eurobest this year, on the importance of utility in innovation, technology and the inspirational work from the Festival.


Q> So, how did you find judging? What was the jury room like?                                                                                                             

AS> It was a great experience, as you would expect with a category like   innovation – I was surprised and delighted with the work we reviewed!. I knew from the pre-selection voting prior to my visit to Rome, that the entries this year were very strong and courageous – and the ones which were shortlisted prove that there are no boundaries for human creativity.

 

Q> What work did you see that truly inspired you in this year’s Eurobest jury? Why?

AS> There was so much of it and it shows that great innovation can come from any category! It was so hard to award the best work. My personal favourite (which was awarded the Innovation Grand Prix) was Dot – the Braille SmartWatch – a true piece of inspiration and state of the art innovation.  It’s a product based on great insight, which introduces true value into consumers’ lives.

The other two projects I loved were very different from each other:  “Search Racism, Find Truth” was based on a smart-and-simple media hack, while “The Next Rembrandt” is a great triumph of utilising technology and data with results I could call nothing short of amazing: bringing the great painter’s work back to life.  

 

Q> How do you judge whether your own work is truly innovative?

AS> Mostly, I avoid judging my own work – I leave it to the others!  However, when I undertake a project and want to consider it innovative, I ask myself a couple of questions : has been done before, and if so, does it  involve giving old solutions an entirely new context… The most important factor, however is utilitarian value. There is no innovation without utility and this must be a priority, whatever you are doing.

 

Q> Do you avoid dedicating time and money to fads (was 3-d printing a fad?)

AS> First of all, I do not think 3D printing is a fad – it has changed a lot and will continue to.   When it comes to rapid prototyping it could change the game – something that startups and innovation labs could really benefit from.

I think that the issue with fads is that you can never know whether “the new thing” is going to be one, so I think it it’s always worth exploring and experimenting. Do the research, check how to benefit from it and do the pilot – it’s always worth giving it a try!    But, spread your risks and opportunities!


Q> What should agencies be doing to encourage innovation and creativity?

AS> There is so much to be done, really… I would say – be brave. Educate, both internally and externally – we need to show the Clients how they can benefit from innovation. Exchange ideas, provide a platform for it: regular “creative corner” sessions within an organisation help a lot. Draw as many influences from all around as possible – meet with startups, collaborate. Take the extra effort to try the new ways of doing things.  However, try to avoid doing innovation for the sake of innovation, as it is a trap easy to be fallen into.

 

Q> You’re based in our team in Warsaw, can you tell me more about them? 

AS> We’re a group of technology enthusiasts, makers and innovators from all of the DAN Poland powerbrands – inc. Hypermedia/Isobar, Posterscope, Dentsu itself. There’s about 10 people involved (shout out to the core of our team: Malwina, Bobo, Rafał, Jacek, Radek, Piotrek, Michał & Ilya!) and we constantly try to improve and find new ways for technology and innovation to make its way into our Clients’ businesses. In addition to running regular projects, we discuss and dispute a lot, for example about the potential of VR!

 

Q> They sound like a great bunch – how do you keep them up to date with the latest innovations?

AS> It’s all a group process – we believe in knowledge sharing. We have a Facebook group, regular Dentsu MakerLab meetings, Slack and f2f conversations – it helps us all keep our hands on the pulse.


Q> What digital technology are you crazy about right now? AI – are you excited or scared?

AS> All of them!  VR and the second wave of AR, Internet of Things, all that can be done with data… Technology-wise, we live in amazing and truly fascinating times. 

I am super excited at the potential of AI. It can change our lives so much, makes them way easier. It will open new doors in the history of technology and possibly in the history of humanity, too… We need to keep innovating to find out!

Credits
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