Marty is the Director of Transformation for the Liquid Agency as well as author of several bestselling books in which he explains how almost anyone in almost any organization can help to achieve breakthroughs in creativity and innovation. He has introduced a weekly series of mini-commentaries, “The Rules of Genius,” now featured by the Liquid Agency Exchange. You are also welcome to take the Metaskills Quiz. By answering ten questions, you will discover your personal creative style or talent “handprint.” Please click here.
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One of the skills that separates a leader from a follower is the ability to see what might be, but so far isn’t. Most people can see what’s already there. You don’t need magic glasses to see that the Eiffel Tower is a popular tourist destination, or that the area of a rectangle is the product of its height and width, or that millions of people will pay extra for a fancy cup of coffee. But you do need magic glasses to see what’s still missing from the world, since by definition what’s missing is invisible.
The trick is to notice what artists and designers call negative space. It’s the plain background of painting, the white space on a printed page, the silence between lines of a play, or the rests within a musical score. In the world of art, these are purposeful elements of composition. In the marketplace, these are crevices that harbor hidden opportunity.
Try these three techniques for finding the negative space in a marketplace, a problem, or a situation:
Sift through threats for hidden possibilities. Every threat carries with it the potential for innovation. The threat of obesity contains the possibility of new kinds of nutrition. The threat of global pollution contains the possibility of new energy sources. The threat of unemployment contains the possibility of new educational models. The list in endless, if you can learn to see what’s not there.
Examine sectors for uneven rates of change. The future is already here, goes the saying—it’s just unevenly distributed. Look for areas that have changed, then look for similar or adjacent areas that have not changed. Look for pockets of resistance to successful new ideas. Chances are, it’s only a matter of time before change comes.
Imagine how a growing trend might affect an established norm. Make a list of nascent and dominant trends, then mentally apply them to industries, businesses, and activities that haven’t changed for a long while. What will the trend towards organic farming mean for fast-food restaurants? What will mobile payments do to retail shopping habits? How might nanotechnology change the energy market? What will always-on computing change the college experience?
To find out what’s not there, think about the job not done, the road not taken, the product not made. These are the magic glasses that let you see the invisible and conceive the inconceivable.
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To check out all of the “Rules” that have been featured thus far, please click here.
Marty Neumeier is a designer, writer, and business adviser whose mission is to bring the principles and processes of creativity to industry. His latest book, METASKILLS, explores the five essential talents that will drive innovation in the 21st century. His previous series of “whiteboard” books includes THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, about the role of design in corporate innovation; ZAG, named one of the “top hundred business books of all time” for its insights into radical differentiation; and THE BRAND GAP, considered by many the foundational text for modern brand-building.
He has worked closely with innovators at Apple, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, HP, Adobe, Google, and Microsoft to advance their brands and cultures. Today he serves as Director of Transformation for Liquid Agency, and travels extensively as a workshop leader and speaker on the topics of innovation, brand, and design. Between trips, he and his wife spend their time in California and southwest France.