I get the vibe that no one works from a word count anymore OR even thinks about word count as a step in composition.

Who was the last AD to spec a word count to a writer? What team got together, looked at the content, and considered the physical dimensions of that content to the degree that words and letter were counted?

Maybe it happens but a major shift occurred with little fanfare when we went from integrated wordsmithing with specific composition/space in mind to no-holds-barred mutability in which the designer crams, jams, and ‘makes it work.’ [of course there is an argument for the mutable, fluid process and that is full of intrigue and snappy neoisms, but...]

Synonyms! chosen for their agreeable character count so as to make for a clean rag: I don’t think that even the good, smart, craft-wise ADs even think in these terms anymore.

I ran this by another prof and they put the eye on students who start out with projects that have no word or page count, no page size, etc. This certainly perpetuates a clunky, mindless loss of control and craft and completely disregards physical space/content restriction.