Beyond Botched Logos: The State of the Creative Sector in Ethiopia

Abay Bank and its debacle of a re/brand launch is not a singular blip on the radar of creativity in Ethiopia— if we pay close attention, it's a symptom of an underlying network of problems. In the many years I've worked as a communications consultant and then again in the years I have been and continue to be a part of the leadership team in a creative agency, one thing has become uniformly and undeniably clear to me—by and large, creativity is wildly misunderstood and, worse, belittled in our context.

The collective ንቀት we have for creativity and the creative process, and generally the "soft" practices of communications and marketing, is made manifest in various ways. One is in the way we value and evaluate creative outputs. Another is in the way we think all creatives are made equal. Yet, worse still, is the way we think creativity is a matter of whim or taste, and far removed from strategy and intention. This is further exacerbated by the creative community itself, resulting in subjective translations of creativity's concept, process, and value.

I want to explore three components that I feel have affected the current state of the creative sector and, unfortunately, feed into each other in a vicious cycle.

Time

Of the many, many consultancies and freelance gigs I have taken on, I can count on one hand the assignments that were not a rush job. Communications—and communication materials and activities as a by-product— are often afterthoughts that are remembered at the eleventh hour. 

It's uncommon to find a client who adopts a strategic approach to communications, marketing, and visibility— which means, essentially, considering these elements proactively rather than reactively. More often than not, we're brought in as emergency problem-solvers to satisfy last-minute demands from donors or stakeholders, with little hesitation to pressure creatives into expedited outputs, even if it means compromising quality. This rush, sometimes unavoidable, has normalized a culture where speed trumps strategy, leading many, even in the creative field, to undervalue or outright dismiss the necessity of a thoughtful creative process.

A glaring example of this is those who took no time to show us their alternative creations for Abay Bank's logo— overlooking the extensive, months-long journey typically required to forge a major financial institution's brand identity. The process of creating a brand identity— and a logo is just one part of that— demands an in-depth understanding of the institution's core mission, target audience, and competitive landscape to craft a meaningful and strategic brand presence. But every "Creative Director" who showed you their alternative logo design in under 24 hours is essentially saying, "I'm not wasting my time on that!" Hard to blame them. We're living in a context where we have not quite adapted our palate to the time-consuming cuisine of quality and excellence— this is a delicacy. In a context where rapid results are often celebrated over strategic depth, the craftsmanship or strategic conceptualization behind a brand's identity [or any other creative output] is frequently overlooked, as if a few clicks on Canva could substitute for comprehensive research and thoughtful design.

Side note: if you're at all interested in diving deeper into logo design and why more and more design launches are falling under scrutiny, check out this video by Fitsum Admasu.

Many, even those within the sector itself, don't value the rigorous process it takes to create something truly spectacular and thoughtful. They value the process to be so insignificant, so unnecessary, and as a result cause others outside the industry to disregard and devalue the work it takes to do things right.

Lately, my observation is that the concept of time has been warped for many in the creative sector. Perhaps this is the millennial in me, but I think the maturity of skills and taste takes time. In my career hiring and firing many, many creatives, what I've noticed is an insatiable thirst for titles— "Creative Director," "Senior Designer," or "Cinematographer"— and nowhere near the humility or patience I'd expect to actually acquire the skills and the taste it takes to carry these titles.

It takes time to be a "Senior" anything... Senior titles such as Manager, Director, etc, carry significant weight and implications within an agency; it's not just about a higher echelon of responsibility but also a testament to the individual's experience, expertise, and maturity. Earning these titles is a journey that should typically unfold over the years, often requiring a blend of strategic insight and demonstrating a consistent ability to lead, innovate, and deliver results honed through real-world challenges and successes. This ascension should be marked by increased trust from clients, peers, and superiors alike. This is why it's always confusing to me to see youngsters in their early 20s with these titles plastered across their LinkedIn accounts. 

I suppose this is the crux of the problem— the creative sector is caught in a whirlwind of expedited demands and premature career advancements, reflecting a broader industry trend that undervalues the essence of strategic thought and patient skill development. There is a significant need for a cultural shift towards valuing time, strategy, and, as a by-product, deliberate career progression. Before we all get swept up in the delusion that half-baked ideas and execution are the standard, we have to restore the balance between rapid execution and the cultivation of meaningful, expertly crafted creative work.

Value

In this entire Abay Bank rebranding fiasco, nothing gave me greater joy than hearing Abay Bank's Chief Marketing Officer give an interview and express his thoughts on the situation. He said, "7 ሚሊዮን ብር ሲያንሰው ነው," after explaining in such beautiful detail the strategic process that led the institution to this final identity concept. 

The creative sector is growing extremely rapidly, and the market is becoming more and more saturated. There are plenty of freelancers, agencies, and veteran firms in the market. This, along with the quickly disappearing conviction for strategic thinking in the creative arts, has created a massive difference in the pricing of creative outputs. 

Recently, someone familiar with our company’s pricing asked why we were “so expensive.” This person continued to compare many one-man operations to our company. This is a common sentiment I get from clients and friends alike— forget the inherent differences in the operational scale, expertise, and service offerings. Our firm, which has been around for longer than a decade, can and will command higher fees because we offer a comprehensive suite of services, have access to a diverse team of experts across various disciplines, and have mastered the ability to manage large, complex projects from concept to completion. Agencies provide the added value of a multidisciplinary approach, providing a cohesive and strategically aligned output across different media and platforms, which justifies their premium pricing. But, again, these are no longer deemed valuable and, thus, are not part of the valuation. Creativity has very much become a “የትም ፍጪው፣ ዱቄቱን አምጪው” endeavor. 

You’d be shocked if you attended the bid opening for any given creative project— be it a documentary production, brand identity development, or even designing a communication strategy. The disparity in prices is beyond shocking. This is because any newbie can come and undercut a veteran firm simply by offering a lower price. This is because, up until very recently and commonly still, the valuation of creativity is often limited to— or at least significantly limited to— the criteria of a price tag and not quality, experience, or expertise.

To be fair, to value something as worthwhile, a client must first understand its impact and long-term benefits. I don't think the creative sector is entirely good at showcasing this value to its clients in a digestible and quantifiable way.

This means there is a significant undervaluing of creative works from those who seek these services as well. Clients who seek the cheapest possible service due to a lack of appreciation for the value derived from premium investments prioritize minimizing expenses over the quality or long-term benefits of a service. They often fail to recognize the correlation between higher costs and enhanced value. Not to mean that just because it's expensive, it must be good; this is not always true. But good things, long-lasting things, and high-value things cost money. However, many clients view creative services as commoditized, interchangeable offerings rather than unique solutions that offer superior benefits, innovation, and outcomes. This is why I think there's a preference for short-term savings over achieving lasting, impactful results. Again, a fundamental undervaluation of expertise, craftsmanship, and the nuanced advantages that come with premium service offerings.

It's also not uncommon to hear clients ask for more than what they paid for.  For example, a client who purchases photography services will casually ask, at the last minute, if the photographer can also capture live footage. This is like laying on the operating table and telling your surgeon, "While you're in there getting my appendix out, can you resect my liver?" What this tells me is that the client either does not know or does not care (or both) that it takes significant and specific expertise, preparation, equipment, and support to produce any video documentation, not to mention the difference in post-production effort.

As an independent consultant, I am often accused of being expensive as well. But, again, “expensive” is a relative term. "ትንሽ ፃፍ ፃፍ ማረግ እኮ ነው!" is what I hear sometimes. Again, this comes off as ንቀት to me. For me to take on a writing or editing endeavor for a client means hours of reading, re-reading, writing, and then reading again— and this is without accounting for the many years I've spent perfecting this skill to be able to market it to a clientele that values it at a higher standard.

This undervaluation of creativity is a significant threat to the few firms and individuals who actually put intention and strategy into the work that they do; the firms that seek excellence. In the expansively "ምን ችግር አለው?" context in which we live, excellence is not high on the list of things for which clients are willing to pay. So, for every firm that may charge 7M for a brand identity design, putting in thought and strategy and research into his or her work, there are hundreds, if not thousands, who offer to do the same for 70K or less. For a client who's not concerned about the quality— the excellence— of the work, or does not know what it means for the work to be done at high quality, these start to look like viable options.

In the past few years, marketing and communications have started to become higher priority to businesses and organizations alike, although still nowhere near where it should be. From within the creative sector, I've also seen many of these businesses and organizations go with the bargain-bin special— why pay 7M when it can be done for 7K, right? On more than one occasion, I've heard CEOs and Program Managers speak out in regret for going with the cheaper option. This is why you see more and more proposals being judged for technical capability, and prospective clients conducting almost invasive due diligence before awarding a project.

Side note: The Abay Bank rebranding episode underlines a common misunderstanding and undervaluation of the strategic depth required for effective public relations, yet another "soft" practice in the realm of comms and marketing. Many lauded Abay Bank and its PR strategy for the amount of noise around the rebranding without recognizing that public relations is a sophisticated field, not merely about generating buzz. Despite what TV has told us, not all publicity is good publicity. A well-crafted PR stunt would have aimed for a specific goal, such as enhancing the brand's image or repositioning it in consumer minds to positively shift public perception. It would have also involved crafting a narrative that not only boosts brand visibility but also connects emotionally with the audience, laying the groundwork for enduring loyalty. With this in mind, I'll leave it to you to guess whether this was a successful PR stunt, if it was a PR stunt at all. But I digress.

Relationship

Many companies and organizations have had at least one truly painful experience with a creative agency and/or creative consultant/freelancer. Abandoning the project, plagiarism, unprofessionalism, non-submission, low-quality delivery, late delivery, you name it. This is in line with the trend I mentioned earlier: though the creative sector is becoming more and more saturated, the lack of quality— in deliverables and customer service— and strategic thinking is becoming too much of a status quo.

This experience clients have had with less than stellar professionals further reinforces their disregard for creativity, the creative process, and creatives. This is why even in many of the relationships renowned, strong firms have with their clients, there is a significant sense of power imbalance. Instead of clients treating skilled creative professionals as experts in their field, worthy of respect and attention, they're often dismissive, condescending, and even rude. It's been my observation that this is often brushed off under the umbrella of 'customer is king,' but I must admit, this is the hardest part of being in this industry for me. I can't tell you how many things I've listened to and smiled through, knowing full well that if we were in different dynamics, such words and treatment would not be directed at me. Just some of the standard things I regularly deal with are being expected to continue delivering on a concluded contract, being expected to be accessible 24/7, non-payment, non-responsive and non-collaborative clients, as well as those prospective clients who want to buy my integrity for a contract.

These experiences can profoundly impact agencies and freelancers, leading to an emotional detachment from client relationships and brands. Motivated by financial needs or the desire to enhance our portfolio, professionals may continue to fulfill assignments, even without compensation, to maintain competitiveness and visibility in an industry increasingly diluted by apprentices and juniors masquerading as experts. This creates a disheartening environment where genuine engagement and commitment to client success are replaced by a transactional approach to creative work— which feeds into the vicious cycle.

I suppose my overarching thought here is that, much like the rest of the country and its many other sectors, the creative sector is in a complex situation. Unfortunately, time is not in its favor. With globalization, increased demand for quality, and new technology popping up every day, our cracks are bound to be intensified.

I also see immense hope and potential for us. Seeing so many of the younger generation yield to their creative impulse means there is a genuine culture shift that has taken place. It means there are fresh minds that can be applied to bring fresh perspectives. It means diverse, robust minds are at work. It is my hope that we break out of the self-destructive vicious cycle we're in and begin to honor our skills, our profession, and our sector. It is my hope that we can learn from each other, critique each other, value each other, and respect one another.