In today's economy, survival of the fittest is at the forefront of everyone's mind. Yet there's a new kind of "fit" that may play a larger role than that of a traditional sense: becoming creatively fit. Sure, you can develop a new typography in five seconds flat, but how creatively fit are you—in terms of the business of design?

Caroline Woolard is creatively fit. By designing a "Work Dress" available to those who are willing to barter local goods and services, she's ripping traditional marketing tactics in half—one seam at a time. Trade School is creatively fit. A space on the Lower East Side of NYC offers classes on obscure subjects (think "Demystifying Caviar") for no tuition—instead, organizing barters for even more obscure ephemera (think sharp cheddar cheese, Legos and socks). Jenna Zilincar? Creatively fit. Valerie Whitlock? Creatively fit. Etsy Labs? Creatively buff. Perhaps it's time to flex those barter muscles in your own region. After all, design begets design—and sometimes, some wicked Legos.

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