Where a production studio would have a single Art Director in this case, myself and those that worked on the proposal felt that having a Council with a member from each design-reliant guild as the natural DAO adaption of this core role.
Art Directors act as the main homogenizing force on a creative project. Without that guiding light, projects typically come to lack focus and consistency.
Something to consider, in terms of DAOifying this process, is that this group of pseudo-art directors are chosen by the guild individuals - by vote - and can be turned over the following season should they not uphold the role of a homogenizing force that is also the voice of the people.
The main problem with Art Direction at AAA studios in my eyes is that you end up with old boys who lack fresh ideas and connection with their artists - and they’re there to stay. I see this proposed council skirting around these recurring issues.
To me, a Creative Council that guides and focuses guild efforts whilst being responsible for upholding the values of those they guide is the best of both AAA production and DAO mentality.
+1 Well articulated. A question I don’t think has been brought up is scale. As more products and projects come to market, will there be enough council members available to guilds so that creative doesn’t become a log jam for work flows?
Great question, and yes I think we have the ability to scale with additional roles as more work comes in, if required. More seats could be beneficial as certain role holders may be more adept at a particular style of project.
My two gwei: Setup the council, provide it as a resource for one season and communicate often with guilds to see how this plays out. If this feedback says this committee stifles creativity and feels too restrictive then we just keep as a resource. If the community loves the committee and it becomes super helpful then perhaps it becomes a requirement in future seasons.
As we giveth life to this council we can also taketh away.
I actually see it as less of a requirement than a resource as it stands. Designers want to know WHAT exactly they need to produce. They need project by project guidelines. A style guide as a resource only provides design etiquette. A council would provide human interaction to help focus creative endeavours, not constrain them.
Obviously I’m not a “creative council” type of person. But i remember in work places, we always have like “brand guidelines”, and in code companies, we have this “coding and style guidelines”.
I tend to believe that things that “stick” to the guidelines tend to survive better in the long term.
Obviously designers that follow these style guides will tend to design things that stick better for the community. so it tends to be a competitive kind of evolution and free market.
And hence, putting out funding to create this style guidelines is a great idea, and perhaps introduce this, when new people onboard to these creative guilds.
Proposing we rebrand the “Creative Council” to the “Wizened Artistic Panel” and they will be known as the WAPs… In all seriousness, perhaps we can be the Bankless Community Branding Guides or something less “Suites” feeling.