Scott Belsky, Building Adobe & the Future of Design
Jan 15, 2025
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Scott Belsky, Adobe’s Chief Strategy Officer and former co-founder of Behance, shares his insights on the convergence of design, technology, and business to tackle important challenges. He reveals how his journey through frustration fueled his success and discusses launching Behance in NYC's dynamic tech scene. Belsky delves into the 'messy middle' of company growth, the role of AI in design, and the need for impactful networks in tech. He emphasizes fostering creativity amidst commoditization while navigating the evolving landscape of automation.
Scott Belsky's frustration with disorganization in the creative industry led him to establish Behance, providing recognition for talented individuals.
Emphasizing customer empathy and understanding struggles, Belsky believes startups can achieve success by embracing non-scalable strategies for genuine outreach.
Belsky advocates for AI's transformative role in creative fields, highlighting its potential to democratize design while raising ethical concerns about intellectual property.
Deep dives
Motivation from Frustration
Scott Belsky identifies his motivation as stemming from frustration, which has driven many of his endeavors. The founding of Behance was inspired by his concerns about the disorganization in the creative industry, where talented individuals often struggled to gain recognition for their work. His second book, 'The Messy Middle,' reflects on what happens in the less-discussed middle phase of a project, emphasizing that it is crucial to recognize and address these challenges. Belsky encourages individuals to pursue intersections of their skills, interests, and opportunities to foster a fulfilling career path.
Evolving New York's Tech Ecosystem
Belsky reflects on his decision to build a tech company in New York, noting the city's unique advantages, particularly in developing taste and navigating platform shifts. He emphasizes that as more skills become automated and accessible, the ability to discern quality or taste becomes crucial in the tech landscape. This shift allows individuals in New York, steeped in a rich culture of art and fashion, to innovate effectively. Given the rapid pace of change in technology, Belsky advocates for businesses to prioritize customer empathy to remain grounded amid uncertainty.
Doing Things That Don't Scale
Belsky shares insights into how startups can achieve breakthrough success by embracing strategies that do not scale. Early in Behance's journey, they collected feedback not by inquiring about their product but by understanding customers' struggles. This approach led to the realization that creative professionals needed a platform to showcase their work effectively. By creating a blog featuring interviews of established designers and their portfolios, Behance was able to generate initial traction through personal relationships and genuine outreach.
Adobe's Successful Acquisitions
Belsky discusses how Adobe's culture has allowed it to retain the vitality of its acquisitions, contrasting it with other firms that struggle to integrate acquired companies. Adobe thrives on allowing the leadership from acquired teams to influence its culture and operations, promoting adaptability and openness to new ideas. This approach has helped maintain the momentum of acquired products like Behance and Frame. Belsky underscores that empowering innovators to lead within Adobe has created a flexible environment that fosters ongoing success.
The Impact of AI on Creative Processes
Belsky explores the transformative role of AI within the creative field, emphasizing both its democratizing effects and its potential to enhance creative output. While AI tools lower the entry barrier for non-designers, allowing them to produce quality work, they simultaneously elevate the standards for experienced creators by freeing them from mundane tasks. This dual effect enriches the creative process, enabling artists and designers to focus on higher-order work. He also raises concerns about issues like intellectual property and the ethics of using AI in design, advocating for compensation models that recognize creators' contributions.
Scott Belsky, Adobe’s Chief Strategy Officer & EVP of Design & Emerging Products (and previous Co-founder at Behance), joined us in NYC. Find out why Scott believes the intersection of design, technology & business converges on some of the most important problems worth solving today.
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