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Where Creativity Gets Actualized: Third in Class

by Ko Nakatsu

No one pays attention to Number three. There’s Coca-cola, Pepsi, and uh…??? There’s Google, Yahoo, and uh…??? HP, Dell, and uh…??? It’s this third place underdogs that releases a greater percentage of creativity generated.

The Number One company in the industry is a tough spot to be. They don’t have much to gain, but they have a lot to lose. They have to invest in both staying at the top and growing their business. Fear of reduction in current clientele, damage to the current brand, and a extremely large stakeholder base, restricts the level of risk that a Number One can make. Creative solutions, by definition, is risky because it’s never been done before. If you have a customer base in the millions, that’s a lot of different kinds of customers. To make a product for all of them would need to genericize, not-be-offensive, and not have much character. It can be nice, but probably kind of boring. Every creative failure costs the company in more ways than one, every success a minor blip in stock price. Creative designs are harder to push and requires more than a compass to navigate the waters at a Number One.

The Second in industry has their own set of problems. The Second is always compared to Number One, and is constantly being harassed “why aren’t you more like Number One?”, “Number One did this, why aren’t you?” The creativity of the Second gets squashed by Number One’s gravity. “Are you sure you want to do that? Number One isn’t.” The Second also spends a great deal of time carefully studying and dissecting Number One’s success. Designs that get approved are often ones already in production by Number One.

Third in Class on the other hand are where Design strives and has a higher chance of output. Third in class is the Royal Crown, Bing, and Acer of the industry. They’re the creative misfits that no one pays attention to.

1. Unlike the Second, they don’t have the stress and pressure of imitating Number One.

2. They have less restrictions or worries like the fear of damaging their brand because it’s less established.

3. They have enough financial means to experiment with new techniques and methods that the Second or Number One is too afraid to try, and a fourth or fifth may not be able to afford.

4. The market doesn’t really pay much attention to you so you are free to fail. This is a good thing.

5. They have similar goals to the Second, they want to be Number One. So they work their asses off.

6. Third in Class has less money than Number One or the Second, so if they’ve invested in a design, they can’t afford NOT to release it. A Number One with a large capital, can spend time wavering back and forth, and then ultimately float the design investment under the bridge. The Third in Class will say fuck it, let’s just put it out there.

7. There’s a frantic focus to define themselves. So although their methods and techniques may not be clearly defined, this allows a great deal of flexibility to push for what you think will be a successful design towards that definition.

8. Not wasting time trying to be competitive with Number One, but spending time trying to leap ahead and be distinct from Numer One.

Consumers might want to still buy the Number One or the Second, but if you’re a designer starting out, I highly recommend learning and developing in a number three. Then when the time is right, bring that thinking to the first where they really need it. Or just help make Third in Class into Number One.

(PS, I would’ve used the example of Apple iPhone holding third place in global smartphone sales but since everyone uses Apple as an example for pretty much everything, I’ve refrained)

References:
third place search engine
third place cola
third place smartphone
third place PC

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