"Don't talk to me, I'm working on some communications"

I was talking a planner friend the other day, and he was worrying about everyone wearing headphones as they sit in their collaboration-fostering & creatively-designed open plan environment. Even creative teams are sitting there, wired to their individual iTunes playlists, occasionally taking their earbuds out to run a line past the other.

An agency should be all about people bouncing ideas around, right? Getting the right people together to solve problems?

OK, we all need a distraction-blocker, but do we really want an agency full of solipsists?

Also, Lee makes a couple of good points on a similar subject (including a great NY Times article on the need for "white space".)

Comments

[neilperkin]

That's a great point Jason. My own bug-bear is people who send e-mail to someone who's sat right behind them. Why don't they just turn round?

[joker]

I sin on this quite a lot but not when working on a campaign during it's brain storming process. At that time, dull silence is best because you're forced to say something, anything to try and get things going. But some people love to fly solo, they click their iPods on and boom, screw the world. Hey I'm all for enjoying your brand of muszak but sometimes it's good to share some time with fellow members of the matrix.