How Fresh Thinking and Agency Culture Drive Creative Success
Most of the work produced by my team has very little to do with me and everything to do with the culture we’ve built together. That’s exactly how I want it.
Here’s how I think about hiring, nurturing fresh talent and using AI as a creative tool, from my seat as Chief Creative Officer at Future Group.
Why Culture Is My Non‑Negotiable
For me, culture isn’t a side project; it’s the engine behind every piece of work that leaves the studio. If the culture is wrong, the work will eventually show it.
I’ve worked in agencies for over 25 years, from junior designer to creative director, and I’ve seen the best and worst of what happens when culture is treated as an afterthought. Those experiences convinced me that a strong culture is a competitive advantage in a crowded market, and clients can feel it the moment they start working with you.
How I Hire: Mindset Over “Pretty Pictures”
When I’m hiring, I don’t just look at a portfolio of polished visuals. I’m interested in how someone thinks and behaves when the pressure is on.
The three traits I value most are:
Curiosity – I want people who dig into a brief, ask awkward questions and look for unexpected angles, not just decorate the obvious idea.
Resilience – design is subjective; sometimes the client doesn’t pick the work we love. The best creatives can pivot, listen and improve without losing confidence.
Kindness – I actively avoid ego. We work across design, motion, development and content; if people can’t collaborate, the work suffers and so does the team
I also tell juniors from day one: challenge the seniors. Bring your ideas. Keep them on their toes. That healthy tension keeps the whole team sharp.
Why I Bet Big on Young Talent
I love watching a designer grow. Some of my favourite moments in this job are seeing someone come in as a junior and move quickly through the ranks because they’ve proved they’re ready.
I don’t believe in artificial barriers based on time served. If a junior is hungry, talented and willing to learn, there’s no reason they can’t become a senior quickly. That ambition is good for the individual and good for the agency. New talent brings fresh references, energy and perspectives that stop the rest of us getting jaded.
As a senior creative, that keeps me honest. When younger designers push new ideas, it forces me to look again at my own assumptions and stay open, rather than defaulting to “this is how we’ve always done it”.
My Take on AI and the Craft of Design
AI is not going away, and I don’t want my team to be afraid of it. In fact, younger designers tend to adapt to new tools faster and bring brilliant ideas for how to use them. My mantra is: embrace it, but don’t skip the craft.
To become a truly great designer, you still need to go through those early days of sketching, iterating, failing, listening to feedback and trying again. That process shapes your eye, your judgment and your taste. AI can speed up parts of the workflow, but it can’t replace the human leap that creates an original idea or a distinctive brand world.
My bigger concern is that over‑use of generic tools will make brands feel “vanilla” – interchangeable layouts, AI faces that all look the same, work that could belong to anyone. Our job is to make sure our clients stand out, not blend in. AI should support that goal, not dilute it.
Diversity, Collaboration and Matching People to Projects
In our studio, every person brings a different strength. I’m fortunate to have a diverse team across gender, backgrounds and disciplines, and a brilliant creative director as my number two.
When a brief lands, the question I ask isn’t “who’s free?” but “who’s the best fit for this?” Sometimes it’s someone with strong animation skills; other times it’s a designer who lives and breathes digital or app design. Matching the right people to the right project is one of the most important things I do.
Collaboration doesn’t just happen because people sit near each other. It happens because the culture rewards sharing ideas, not hoarding them, and because everyone understands that chemistry – inside the team and with the client – is what produces the best work.
What I’d Say to Young Creatives (and to Clients)
To anyone starting out in the industry, my advice is simple:
Work hard and learn the craft properly.
Stay curious and on top of new tools, including AI, without letting them do the thinking for you.
Learn how to collaborate and be someone others enjoy working with – kindness travels far in this business.
To clients choosing an agency, I’d suggest looking for three things:
Experience with the kind of brief you have.
A breadth of in‑house skills, not just a couple of star performers.
A culture of collaboration – both within the agency and with you.
From my perspective, when you invest in culture and fresh talent, and treat AI as a tool rather than a crutch, you don’t just get better work today. You build an agency that can keep evolving, stay original and remain genuinely exciting to work in – and to work with.
The same mindset we use to build great teams is how we build great stories: clear, human, and impossible to ignore. If you need work that lands, let's connect.