“It’s imperative we have age diversity in creative teams”

Creative Career Conundrums is a weekly advice column from If You Could Jobs. Each week their selected panel of professionals from the creative industry answers your burning career questions to help you navigate the creative journey.

This week’s question:

I’ve worked in the industry for a few years now and found that creatives lean young. My last few creative directors have been 35-40. What are people doing as they get older? Are they just exiting the industry? It feels like there’s some older people in-house in top positions and people who own agencies but what about the people who don’t desire either of those paths? What are people doing?

What do creatives do as they get older?

The theories as to why people step out of the industry are interesting. To prioritise family (which isn’t always easy when in full-time employment), because they’re feeling disenfranchised with the consumerist nature of the job, relocating away from top studios, or even being struck down by RSI. There is a trend of senior creatives becoming consultants, starting their own businesses, or deciding on a new chapter of their career. And if that’s right for them, then great. But I feel we’re losing incredible talent just when we need it most.

The customer base for ‘grey coin’ is enormous. Gen X (currently aged 45-60) is projected to be the highest spending generation globally in 2025. They have significantly more disposable income than younger generations, so the obsession with targeting Gen Z is a bit of a red herring. Because of this, I think it’s imperative we have age diversity in creative teams. ‘Older’ creatives have insight into these consumer groups that are an untapped resource, and should be a huge sell to our clients.

We covered this topic on The NDA Podcast in the episode ‘In our prime or past it’. The guests had some great practical advice on how to stay relevant in the face of an industry obsessed with youth, and listed countless pros that come with age. Older creatives have seen every emergence of new technology, and adapted. Ridden the highs and lows of the economy. Carry a portfolio bursting with creativity from decades of working across multiple industries.

And let’s not forget, clients are often older. Being 20 and pitching to a room full of directors that are closer to retirement is a tough gig. Having someone experienced in that room is a huge benefit to building trust in that relationship.

There are some brilliant examples of senior creatives still in agencies. Paula Scher, Stefan Sagmeister, Louise Fili, Michael Bierut to name a few. Barbara Beskind started working for IDEO at the age of 89. Studios that value the wisdom that comes with age are out there.

The classic phrase that someone has ‘too much experience’ really shouldn't be relevant in our industry. You can never know enough. The good thing is we can be the visibility. Make sure you’re following older creatives on socials, fill your feed with inspiration from the veterans. Ensure events and podcasts you listen to have a good age variety. Let’s celebrate those that have stood the test of time – because let’s be honest, we’re on our way to joining them.

In answering your creative career conundrums we realise that some issues need expert support, so we’ve collated a list of additional resources that can support you across things that might arise at work.

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