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Despite the upsides of progress and innovation, the future can also be a never-ending source of anxiety. For many, early excitement and enthusiasm for experimentation eventually gives way to massive fears about disruption. For creatives especially, recent opinions about the future typically oscillate between absolute doom and relative boon. Still, Ive found that thinking about the future is always worthwhile. In fact, its when creatives are at our best. Thats because since the birth of the internet, the rise of digital display, search, interactive video, and mobile, weve seen the value of being the first to try. To fail. To learn. And to keep going. When social media (and later creators) forced us to think and execute at the speed of culture, we embraced that too. And now, in the AI era, were learning to navigate a landscape where the rules change on a daily basis. As the battles are fought to determine the future of business, culture, and innovation, creatives will always be on the front line. Because when everything is changing all the time, its creativessteeped in popular culture and driving innovation through our ideaswho have the skills and responsibility to lead. Thats why our community needs to be pioneering when navigating the future of creativity. We need to nurture the companies, culture, and talent that push beyond the fear to see an exciting future worth embracing. Shifting perceptions, rising expectations In the creative industry, change is constant. But in my work with the creative organization and educational charity D&AD, reviewing thousands of entries for our awards each year, Ive seen more than just trends coming and going. Ive seen that while technology has become more deeply embedded in the work, the most celebrated ideas are still those that put people at the center: solving real problems, creating connections, and shaping culture. Access to powerful tools has democratized the field, but it has also led to raised expectations. Brands want ideas that move faster, work harder, and live seamlessly across disciplines. Categories that once felt separate, from product design to experiential to impact, are increasingly blurred. This shift is clear in a lot of the work that won this year. Sightwalks from UNACEM is a brilliant idea for tactile sidewalk patterns to help visually impaired people. Apples AirPods Pro 2, with integrated hearing health and hearing aid features, reframed accessibility as an expectation in consumer tech. Spotify Spreadbeats, Thanks for Coke-Creating, and The Everyday Tactician from Xbox each demonstrate how technology can amplify craft while keeping creativity anchored in human needs and cultural context. However advanced the tools become, the most powerful ideas still come from the skill to turn cultural understanding and creative ambition into something new. That truth connects the best of this years winning work, and it will be just as vital as the creative industries continue to evolve. Prepare for the future Ultimately, the best way for creatives to prepare themselves is to continue to nurture the essential human qualities that transcend technology, categories, or mediums. That includes a mindset that thrives on imagination and experimentation, taking advantage of creatives natural flexibility and talent for adaptation so that they can collaborate to develop the most forward-thinking creative ideas. Nurturing that flexibility and adaptation look different depending on where you sit. Within a business, it means building systems that can respond to change without breaking. It also requires structures that allow for input, ambiguity, and iteration as well as a dedication to seeking out talent with different backgrounds, lived experiences, training, and skillsets. Meanwhile, for the creatives themselves, its about learning to stay curious in uncertain moments. And learning to contribute before the path is fully clear while collaborating across their differences in discipline, background, culture, and point of view. The future will always be uncertain. But uncertainty is more than a challenge. It’s an opportunity to develop or strengthen the skills that will make creatives and their unique points of view invaluable in turbulent times. With the right mindset and a supportive environment, creatives can trade their fear of the future for a curiosity that will always keep them on the bleeding edge. Kwame Taylor-Hayford is the cofounder of Kin and president of D&AD.
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E-Commerce
In 2025, 1 in 4 new automotive vehicle sales globally are expected to be an electric vehicleeither fully electric or a plug-in hybrid. That is a significant rise from just five years ago, when EV sales amounted to fewer than 1 in 20 new car sales, according to the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization examining energy use around the world. In the U.S., however, EV sales have lagged, only reaching 1 in 10 in 2024. By contrast, in China, the worlds largest car market, more than half of all new vehicle sales are electric. The International Energy Agency has reported that two-thirds of fully electric cars in China are now cheaper to buy than their gasoline equivalents. With operating and maintenance costs already cheaper than gasoline models, EVs are attractive purchases. Most EVs purchased in China are made there as well, by a range of different companies. NIO, Xpeng, Xiaomi, Zeekr, Geely, Chery, Great Wall Motor, Leapmotor and especially BYD are household names in China. As someone who has followed and published on the topic of EVs for over 15 years, I expect they will soon become as widely known in the rest of the world. What kinds of EVs is China producing? Chinas automakers are producing a full range of electric vehicles, from the subcompact, like the BYD Seagull, to full-size SUVs, like the Xpeng G9, and luxury cars, like the Zeekr 009. Recent European crash-test evaluations have given top safety ratings to Chinese EVs, and many of them cost less than similar models made by other companies in other countries. A Wall Street Journal video explores a Chinese dark factoryone so automated that it doesnt need lights inside. Whats behind Chinese EV success? There are several factors behind Chinese companies success in producing and selling EVs. To be sure, relatively low labor costs are part of the explanation. So are generous government subsidies, as EVs were one of several advanced technologies selected by the Chinese government to propel the nations global technological profile. But Chinese EV makers are also making other advances. They make significant use of industrial robotics, even to the point of building so-called dark factories that can operate with minimal human intervention. For passengers, they have reimagined vehicles interiors, with large touchscreens for information and entertainment, and even added a refrigerator, bed or karaoke system. Competition among Chinese EV makers is fierce, which drives additional innovation. BYD is the largest seller of EVs, both domestically and globally. Yet the company says it employs over 100,000 scientists and engineers seeking continual improvement. From initial concept models to actual rollout of factory-made cars, BYD takes 18 monthshalf as long as U.S. and other global automakers take for their product development processes, Reuters reported. BYD is also the worlds second-largest EV battery seller and has developed a new battery that can recharge in just five minutes, roughly the same time it takes to fill a gas-powered cars tank. Exports The real test of how well Chinese vehicles appeal to consumers will come from export sales. Chinese EV manufacturers are eager to sell abroad because their factories can produce far more than the 25 million vehicles they can sell within China each yearperhaps twice as much. China already exports more cars than any other nation, though primarily gas-powered ones at the moment. Export markets for Chinese EVs are developing in Western Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Australia and elsewhere. The largest market where Chinese vehicles, whether gasoline or electric, are not being sold is North America. Both the U.S. and Canadian governments have created what some have called a tariff fortress protecting their domestic automakers, by imposing tariffs of 100% on the import of Chinese EVsliterally doubling their cost to consumers. Customers budgets matter too. Te average price of a new electric vehicle in the U.S. is approximately $55,000. Less expensive vehicles make up part of this average, but without tax credits, which the Trump administration is eliminating after September 2025, nothing gets close to $25,000. By contrast, Chinese companies produce several sub-$25,000 EVs, including the Xpeng M03, the BYD Dolphin and the MG4 without tax credits. If sold in America, however, the 100% tariffs would remove the price advantage. Tesla, Ford and General Motors all claim they are working on inexpensive EVs. More expensive vehicles, however, generate higher profits, and with the protection of the tariff fortress, their incentive to develop cheaper EVs is not as high as it might be. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was considerable U.S. opposition to importing Japanese vehicles. But ultimately, a combination of consumer sentiment and the willingness of Japanese companies to open factories in the U.S. overcame that opposition, and Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda and Nissan are common on North American roads. The same process may play out for Chinese automakers, though its not clear how long that might take. Jack Barkenbus is a visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
What do a yoga instructor, a parking garage attendant, and an influencer have in common? They are all now exempt from paying income tax on their tips under President Donald Trumps Big Beautiful Bill. As part of Trumps no tax on tips policy, streamers, online video creators, social media influencers, and podcasters are among the workers no longer required to hand over a portion of their tip income, according to a Treasury Department list released this week. The policyone of Trumps key 2024 campaign promiseswas written into the tax code when Congress passed the bill in July. At first, the conversation focused on restaurant servers. But the Treasury has since clarified that digital content creators also qualify, defined as people who produce and publish on digital platforms original entertainment or personality-driven content, such as live streams, short-form videos, or podcasts. In total, 68 occupations are eligible, including bartenders, electricians, tutors, makeup artists, taxi drivers, and golf caddies. For most influencers, tips are a relatively small slice of income compared to brand deals. Still, tipping is common on Twitch, where viewers buy bits, or on OnlyFans, where creators use tip menus for custom content. Under the no tax on tips policyset to run from 2025 until 2028creators can claim a deduction covering up to $25,000 of qualifying tip income. The deduction phases out for those earning more than $150,000, meaning top Twitch or TikTok stars who make millions annually wont see much benefit. But the large middle class of creators likely will. The president had promised to reward creators after they helped boost his campaign and pave the way for his return to the Oval Office. Now, hes making good on that pledge.
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E-Commerce
South Korea on Friday expressed “concern and regret” over a major U.S. immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles.South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large” though he did not provide an exact figure.His ministry would not confirm or deny South Korean media reports saying that about 300 South Koreans were detained in Georgia on Thursday. The Atlanta office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which assisted immigration authorities at the site, posed on the social media site X that about 450 people total were apprehended.Hyundai’s South Korean office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.Thursday’s raid targeted one of Georgia’s largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, touted by the governor and other officials as the largest economic development project in the state’s history. Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s biggest automaker, began manufacturing EVs a year ago at the $7.6 billion plant, which employs about 1,200 people, and has partnered with LG Energy Solution to build an adjacent battery plant, slated to open next year.ICE spokesman Lindsay Williams confirmed that federal authorities conducted an enforcement operation at the 3,000-acre (1,214-hectare) site west of Savannah, Georgia. He said agents were focused on the construction site for the battery plant.In a televised statement, Lee said the ministry is taking active measures to address the case, dispatching diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in Atlanta to the site, and planning to form an on-site response team centered on the local mission.“The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the process of U.S. law enforcement,” Lee said.The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents executed a search warrant “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”It did not say whether anyone was detained or arrested.President Donald Trump’s administration has undertaken sweeping ICE operations as part of a mass deportation agenda. Immigration officers have raided farms, construction sites, restaurants and auto repair shops.The Pew Research Center, citing preliminary Census Bureau data, says the U.S. labor force lost more than 1.2 million immigrants from January through July. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents.Hyundai and LG’s battery joint venture, HL-GA Battery Company, said in a statement that it’s “cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities” and paused construction of the battery site to assist their work.Operations at Hyundai’s EV manufacturing plant weren’t interrupted, said plant spokesperson Bianca Johnson. Kim Tong-Hyung and Russ Bynum, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Exactly 20 years ago, America met Michael Scott and a certain Dwight Schrute. When The Office launched in 2005, it quickly became a cultural touchstone, and its main titlecomplete with that dreadfully catchy tunewas so popular it was soon parodied by The Simpsons. Now, the pseudo-film crew that introduced us to our favorite Dunder Mifflin characters is back for another mockumentary. But instead of the dying paper supply industry, they have set their sights on a struggling daily newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. The Paper, which premiered on Peacock yesterday and has already been renewed for Season 2, follows the ambitious publisher Ned Sampsons as he tries to revive the fictional Toledo Truth Teller along with a team of largely incompetent reporters who have never written a real article in their lives. (Not unless you count You wont believe how much Ben Affleck tipped his limo driver, which Truth Teller reporter like Esmeralda Grand is most proud of.) So will Ned succeed in reviving the Truth Teller? The shows main title might have some clues. [Photo: Aaron Epstein/Peacock] Misusing newspapers Showrunners Greg Daniels and Michael Koman created The Papers main title in collaboration with co-executive producer and editor David Rogers. In just 30 seconds, it shows a flurry of people usingor as Rogers put it to me in an email, misusingnewspapers. The shows shooting schedule was tight, so instead of including actual show footage, like in The Office main title, the team scoured stock libraries for shots of people using newspapers in unique and entertaining ways. A worker is plastering newspapers on a window, a group of men play cards on a table lined with newspapers, a puppy Fox Terrier gets potty-trained on a newspaper. We also see a man wearing a hat made of a newspaper, and hands wrapping bread in it, too. Greg and Michael had a concept of showing people using newspapers in various ways, except of course, for actually reading them, Rogers says. The underlying message, then, seems to be that newspapersonce beacons of informationhave become so superfluous that their only value now lies in prosaic household uses. Like with The Office, which includes footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania, The Papers main title also gives us glimpse of Toledo, including its famous Love Wall mural. We wanted to highlight this new city that the show resides in, and it gave the sequence energy and a nice contrast with some of the vintage still frames, says Rogers, who also edited the original title sequence for The Office. [Photo: Aaron Epstein/Peacock] Bad omen or red herring? The Paper is a spinoff of The Office, so naturally, the team wanted to echo The Offices main title without duplicating it. This extended to the theme song, for which the team hired Canadian musician and composer Nick Thorburn (most famously known for composing the soundtrack for the hit podcast Serial). Chances are, when you think of The Office, you are already humming its catchy tune. Here, too, Thornburn has composed a song that’s already etched itself into my brain. But its definitely its own song, Rogers notes. Still, discerning listeners who stay on until the very end will notice that the last few piano notes are the exact same as those in The Office theme song. Another reason not to hit that skip button? The very last image of the title sequence portrays one of the reporters scraping a poop-soiled newspaper from the bottom of a bird cage and into a recycling bin that reads Paper. Then, just like with The Office, where the team found a real sign that said Office and popped a preposition before it, the paper recycling bin gets its own preposition in front of it, leading to the shows title. Is the recycling bin scene a harbinger for what will happen to the Toledo Truth Teller? Or is it just the beginning of an upward journey? Seems like this title sequence just might be burying the lede.
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E-Commerce
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