TORONTO—Last week’s evening of Conversuasion, hosted by Ad Lounge, gave Design Edge the opportunity to hear from a panel of thought-provoking speakers in the advertising and communications industries. We sat down with one of the night’s speakers, Tribal DDB creative director Dré Labre, and asked him what he thinks of the undeniable popularity of interactive design.


DEC: How can creative agencies harness the growth of interactive design?

DL: A few ways, one is specializing in one type of design. There are so many types of design that are out there and in some cases user experience design is important and in some other cases graphic design is important. It depends on what type of product or offering it is.

DEC: Trends in interactive design?

DL: Oddly enough, I think that some of the trends involve un-design — to design in a more subtle way that speaks to usability. There are sites out there that are effectively design anomalies, like Craigslist. There is no real design in there but it is highly usable. I think that if you tried to design something there, people would revolt. I think there is a right place and a right time for design to varying degrees.

DEC: What is the next big thing in web design?

DL: Small. Small is next in web design. Web has been typically relegated to a desktop but with the advent of iPhones, Google Nexus, the trend is that the web is existing more in our pockets than anywhere else. So small and efficient types of design become important.

Contact: Adlounge.ca, Tribalddb.com