Consider this a devil's advocate piece, as I genuinely believe that the Brexit has been, for the most part, a tremendous blow to the UK's creative industries and the country in general, with spending forecasts set to fall this year and next in the both advertising and design industries, among countless others. However, that's not to say there's not the suggestion of a silver lining. Of course, I won't be waffling on about the fact that we've “Taken our country back from Brussels” or any of that jingoistic nonsense, because there's honestly no real truth in any of that, but there definitely are a few positives to be gleamed from the Brexit. If you look hard enough.
“Companies and brands need to be seen to be collaborative, open minded and thinking about possibilities that go beyond their own boarders” Toby Hoare, CEO of J. Walter Thompson Europe
From an advertising industry perspective, consider the recent research from J. Walter Thompson Europe, which revealed that, whilst 69% of people think Brexit will have a negative impact on brands, 71% also think brands can use the result as an opportunity to play a vital role in educating consumers on what the vote means for their products specifically. Said research was conducted on more than 1,000 people across post-Brexit Britain using J. Walter Thompson’s Sonar research tool. It found that 67% want British brands to ensure the prices of products and/or services remain the same, 56% believe the outcome of the EU referendum will have a negative impact on the cost of products and services, and 45% believe it will have a negative impact on the amount people will spend. People also want brands to show them where their products come from. However, it also shows that 65% of consumers want brands to communicate with them in a more open way, and 67% feel British brands should have better communication about where the products/services are from, which could mean that Brexit has acted as a necessary wakeup call for a lot of brands.
Toby Hoare, CEO of J. Walter Thompson Europe
Toby Hoare, CEO of J. Walter Thompson Europe, said: “Companies and brands need to redouble their efforts to be seen to be collaborative, open minded and thinking about possibilities that go beyond their own boarders, and even beyond consumers. There are greater messages to be sent. They can also play a massive role in abating some of the obvious fears that a huge number of consumers have by educating them – in all manner of areas. This is a great opportunity. The brands that position themselves as open and progressive and for everybody are the ones that most people will want to associate themselves with and buy into. They need to be seen to be part of the new world.”
“I feel that Brexit entails the chance to evolve a more open, immigration-friendly society and economy” Patrik Schumacher, Director of Zaha Hadid Architects
On the design side, it's been widely reported that the UK's vote to leave the EU has led to a sharp fall in architecture and design recruitment, but it has also led to a rise in product sales overseas. UK recruitment activity tailed off in the weeks leading up to the Brexit vote and declined dramatically immediately afterwards before stabilising over the past week according to figures sourced from a reputable design recruiment site. The figures suggest that the short-term outlook for firms reliant on the UK construction market may be tough, but could be rosier for businesses that export goods and services. They also indicate that the nervousness about the upcoming referendum dampened recruitment activity across the board throughout June, affecting UK architecture firms most of all. But it also reduced hiring among design firms, retailers, galleries, communications companies and other businesses in the creative sector. Activity then practically ground to a halt immediately after the vote, before recovering over the past week. However UK activity for July is still slightly down compared to the same period last year.
Patrik Schumacher, Director of Zaha Hadid Architects
Many reputable figures from the industry have also been quick to speak out against the spectre of fear that appeared to decend on June 24. Former government adviser Rohan Silva called on designers to demand favourable new policies from the government and roll with the punches and make the best of it, and according to Patrik Schumacher, the Director of Zaha Hadid Architects, the UK's departure from the EU actually offers the chance to evolve “A more open, immigration-friendly society and economy.” The outspoken architect has said that the EU is “Paralysing entrepreneurial innovation,” and that he believed the Brexit would allow the UK to “Escape from this paralysing embrace of the EU's one-fits-all interventionist regulatory overreach.”
“We need more entrepreneurial freedom to creatively exploit the opportunities of our burgeoning technological age and accelerate progress” Patrik Schumacher, Director of Zaha Hadid Architects
He also feels that Brexit could benefit London-based architects hoping to attract talent from around the world. He said: “We might hope that a post-Brexit UK will be more accessible to the world's talents who feel attracted to London and its employment opportunities, and who should in my view get the chance to prove themselves, thrive and make us more productive and prosperous in the process.” Schumacher's views puts him at odds with most of the UK's creative sector of course, which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, but they do offer a necessary counterweight to the overbearing negativity. We're still very much of the opinion that Brexit was a very bad thing for the creative industries in the UK, but voices like his at least offer a little much-needed encouragement. Maybe it's always darkest before dawn after-all? We can only hope so.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He is currently composing “Brexit: The Musical” and it's honestly going pretty well so far!
