Devaluation of creativity

Remember the Modern Postcard debacle? Well, another company is at it–devaluing the creativity of one of their core constituencies. This time, it’s HP and designers. HP has a site where companies can make their own stationery based on templates designed by Paula Scher…for free. Yup, that’s letterhead, cards, etc., and at no cost.Way to go HP–it’s not like designers ever buy HP printers and other products. And Paula, thanks for thinking only of yourself and not of your professional community. How much money did they pay you to sell out your colleagues and reduce the value of design like this? What is the price for a designer’s soul these days?And it’s not like this is a new idea for HP or that HP is a photographer’s friend either. They promote iStockphoto right on another page of free templates. So why are we buying HP products?! They don’t care about us as customers, apparently, except to capitalize on the coolness of being a creative–for their own marketing.Enough venting…I want to call on everyone, photographers included, to contact HP and tell them this is a terrible marketing choice. Let them know that you will be telling all your colleagues and clients about this and asking them not to use HP products until these programs are pulled. Let them know programs like these won’t help their business, they will hurt it.We made a huge difference with Modern Postcard–we can do it with HP too. Let us creatives all stand together against the devaluation of any creative service.

2 Replies to “Devaluation of creativity”

  1. Done. It just so happens I need a laser printer myself. So i left feedback for their advertising department that I’m passing on HP this time around.

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