Category: Inspiration
Wolff Olins Studio Visit
With Matthew Hayson (Creative Director) and Oscar Warr (Senior Designer)
Wolff Olins is a branding firm founded in the 1960s. They partner with brands at their pivotal inflection points. At the heart of their philosophy is the belief that
“Brands change how people think, feel, and act.”
- Think – Ex: Uber, they changed how people think about taxi services, from an on-demand service to a multi-modal platform.
- Feel – Ex: LG, changed how people feel about LG products from lifeless tech to “Life’s Good”.
- Act – Ex: TikTok – Using motion to give a sense that the brands is always moving, setting new trends.
The designers at this company manage a balance between working with larger clients and smaller ones. Additionally, the company does not partner with cigarette or oil companies. Most of their clients operate on a B2B model, while a few cater to B2C markets.
Work:
GSK – Their work for this globalcompany aimed to pharmaceutical instill confidence in the company’s vision of “Ahead of Disease Together.” The 3D brand assets were interesting in terms of their application, as they created numerous possibilities for showcasing the brand elements in physical spaces, such as reception desks or wayfinding throughout the offices.
Mercedes F1 – Their earlier identity was heavily shaped by fan feedback, which, while engaging, led to some inconsistency in its overall look. The new branding addresses the previous issue of the car appearing cluttered due to the numerous partner logos, creating a more cohesive look. What stood out was how this updated identity has been thoughtfully extended across different touchpoints—like caps, hoodies, and even high-end merchandise—bringing a stronger sense of unity to the brand.
Agency Structure:
One Agency – Three communities
- Design Community – Designers + Specialists + Technologists + Partners
- Strategy Community
- Engagement Community
The Red Thread: Design + Strategy
Design & Strategy come together such that all the designers are strategic thinkers and all the strategists are creative thinkers. They also believe in the importance of motion and 3-dimensionality.
Real-world over 3D:
It was interesting to discover that they have a dedicated Design Specialist who focuses on various technologies, including 3d printing. His role involves collaborating with different teams, and this hands-on approach is a real asset, allowing both designers and clients to see their ideas materialise as physical models. With so many product brands turning to AI-generated visuals, the key to standing out now lies in the authenticity of the physical world.
The 360 wheel:
It’s a wheel that they present to the client, encompassing branding elements related to verbal, sensorial, interaction, and visual aspects. For instance, in the mobility sector, the sound of the cars is sonic branding. Not every client requires all of these solutions; however, the more you tick off, the more brand experience you are building.
Links:
Wolff Olins Website
John Hegarty On Creatvity
John Hegarty opened his talk with a universal truth: Principles remain and practices change.
I’ve always believed that creativity comes from within, as he noted: “The more interesting you are as a person, through reading, experiencing diverse things, and living fully, the better you become.” The key here is that it’s not just about experiences in your specific field; it’s about embracing a wide range of life experiences. He pointed out that your unique set of experiences—like the places you visit, the books you read, and the activities you engage in—gives you a distinct advantage.
Types of Creativity:
Pure creativity originates from someone’s mind, like working from scratch on a blank piece of paper
Applied creativity is like writing an episode for The Simpsons, using existing characters. This focuses on solving a specific problem.
And thinking about it this, we always are working on specific briefs and they more about solving a problem. Whereas if I do a passion project just because I wanted to – I believe that would be pure creativity. Moving ahead, I want to maintain a balance of both.
What is at the heart of creativity?
Whenever I’ve worked on briefs , I’ve always tried to find out what was actually good about the brand- which can be especially difficult for some brands that I personally don’t resonate with – but the job is to put our bias aside and look for the the truth of the brand.
“Truth is at the heart of great art” – Boris Groys
“When a piece of art has the truth, power remains with the creator. If it doesn’t, it moves to the observer.” – John Hegarty
This applies to advertising & branding as John Hegarty said – “Everything has a truth and so do all brands – even if its just an observation about how people see it.” That’s why the greatest advertisement campaigns are those that found the truth and exposed it. Because the meaning of life is the seeking of truth – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
How do you sustain a creative career?
Most creative careers have 10 years when you do the great work. You can’t repeat what you did yesterday. The answer is:
- Curiosity – you keep learning
- Work with the best – to work to improve, surround yourself with other great people
- Read, Consume, Create
Pessimism Kills Creativity
The word “Enthusiasm” comes from the Greek language which means “to be with god”, and there is a real good reason for it:
“Great creative people are optimists – Because you are trying to change the world.”
Pessimism kills creativity – this also is something that I’ve experienced this unit 1. When starting a project, it’s especially important to be in a positive headspace and be non-judgemental of ideas when in the brainstorming phase. Cynicism has its place but doing this right from the start can really dampen the spirits of all the members and hamper creativity.
How to judge our ideas?
Talking about attitude, enthusiasm, passions and the truth – it all revolves around the human emotions. Our ideas are all about influencing these emotions by using emotions.
We are in an attention economy so this is how you judge an idea –
A Triangle:
- Is it memorable? Is it motivating?
- Is it truthful? (Because I am trying to build a relationship)
- Is it really founded on truth?
Creativity as the green industry
A great idea survives a bad idea – it’s a Green idea. And how does one get to that idea? Always make the product the hero – make sure that it comes out of the truth of the product. Think about what it is about the really interesting product?
Business and Creativity
Business at its soul is a creative construct and to stay relevant – it innovates. Business is driven by creativity. Taylor swift is an incredible example – because she is creating value. The next big frontier is understanding the value of creativity.
Book Recommendations:
Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us – about how we are wired to be creative – Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Pearlfisher Studio Visit
Brand Design Agency – London & New York
Standing out in a crowd of college students can be challenging, and it becomes even more difficult among experienced designers. When I spoke with Rory, a designer at Pearlfisher, he emphasized the importance of narrative. What truly matters is the insight behind the idea, the key problem being tackled, and how effectively it’s being addressed. Even with the most polished execution, it’s the strength of the concept that captures attention, not just technical skills.
I also learned the significance of illustrating the user journey—demonstrating how a concept seamlessly integrates across different touchpoints. A great example of this was Pearlfisher’s Recollagen project. The concept of collagen was thoughtfully woven into every brand interaction. From the tactile packaging that mimicked collagen’s effect on the skin to the way the products were animated—floating and bouncing—to reflect collagen’s flexibility, every detail reinforced the core idea. Their approach underlined a key takeaway: every application of a concept should emphasize what the brand stands for.
When I visited Pearlfisher, I got a real sense of what they’re all about—finding the gem in every brand. Their process is built around three key stages: Immerse, Explore, Create. They walked us through their approach, sharing case studies and insights into their work, which really brought their philosophy to life.
Pearlfishers Core Values:
Be bold – curious & experimental
Lucid – simple, succinct and clear ideas
Be unexpected – doing something that no one dares
Teams at Pearfisher:
- Client management – Help draft a clear brief by collaborating closely with both the client and Pearlfisher.
- Futurists – Experts in trend forecasting, identifying emerging opportunities across various categories. They typically work independently, mapping out future possibilities.
- Strategists – Focus on understanding both consumer behavior and category market & distill the brief into a simple insight.
- Designers – Specialize in branding, packaging, experiential design, bringing ideas to life through visual storytelling.
- Visualizers – A specialised subset of designers, these CGI experts craft hyper-realistic imagery, eliminating the need for traditional photoshoots by creating immersive digital worlds.
- Realisers – Experts in production and manufacturing, ensuring that designs maintain their integrity and impact across all print and physical formats.
- Business Team – The backbone of operations, ensuring seamless execution and alignment across all departments.
Key Takeaway:
What really stuck with me was the importance of networking. Georgia and Rory, the designers at Pearlfisher who spoke with us, shared their journeys to the studio. Even though their paths were quite different—one got in through an internship, while the other won a D&AD Pencil—the common thread was networking.
Action points:
Tailor my portfolio to each studio, stay on the lookout for events, reach out to studios directly, and share my work with professionals on LinkedIn – a lot of them are open to giving advice, and submit my work for Pearlfishers “Fresh Pearls” brief.
Pentagram Studio Visit
With Samar Maakaroun
Pentagram is not a typical agency – it’s a group of partners who are so different. But this is what keeps them, relevant – having a multitude of voices. They also IPC – where they meet up each year to discuss everything with their cohort of partners.
Process:
- They start with building a strategy
- Looking at competitive businesses in the same sector as their client
- Collaborate with strategists
- Slice through the clients info and find the relevant info
- Workshops and exercises – They agree and start sketching
- Always present two or three different ideas to the client – with all the logomarks being black and white
Remaining Relevant?
Samar Maakaroun talks about the time taken to become an expert in anything is by putting in 10,000 hours which is 3 years of working hours. While people can work upto 5 years and still remain an ameueur, we can give in these hours on our own and become better. The best learning comes from taking risks. Even then, you have to be curious and engaged to remain relevant.
Accidents generate ideas sometimes! – Things not going as planned can sometimes result in better outputs.
The formula to success?
- Some people give you what you asked for and more – outperform yourself – it’s the formula for success
- Even if the job is not very interesting, be engaged because there is always a learning.
The Book of Lessons! – It’s a good idea to maintain a Book of lessons – write whenever you fail so that you can always learn from them.
Standing out in a sea of applications?
- When appraoching people on linkedin/mail, always think about their perspective. They are busy peole and the reality is that they will see yur work for only 60s.
- Do your research and apply to a speciifc partner whose work you relate to, if you do apply to Pentagram.
Side projects are important!
- Recruiters wish to see you in your work. and imagine you in their workspace and how well you would fit into it.
- The little experiments show what are you interested in and that is what makes you unique. Fascination comes from field I don’t operate in – language and art
Maintain an inspiration bank – It’s something that you can draw from anytime you wish to.
Choosing projects to work on?
- Fun, fame and fortunes – that’s how you choose your project
- Fame – you want to work for big firms
- But working on big projects can sometimes mean that you are just moving a pixel a bit
Creative Coding Workshop
With Oswin Tickler – Designer & Educator
The workshop involved –
- Understanding how creative code works in relation to print
- Creating visual assets to be used in an existing piece of code to generate collaborative designs using HP Spark Software.
- An activity to understand coding logic by generating visual results based on the received codes
- Using the coding language p5.js. to generate basic variable designs
Collaborative Design Process
- Design shapes on 100×100 artboards on Illustrator
- Ensure all of the shapes are of the same colour and make it spot color with a specific name (as whatever you have mentioned in the code)
- Convert all artwork into outlines and export as PDF
- Plug in a dynamic image channel into Indesign using HP Spark
- Connect the code to the channel using Dynamic personalization settings (connect it to the compiled pdf file)
- Replace the number of pages in the code based on the total pages of the PDF
I believe creative coding is an efficient means of generating randomised versions of a set of designed assets, featuring varying colours and locations, and therefore, it can be employed to create multiple compositions rapidly. A great example is Oswin’s earlier explorations for the work titled “Glitch”.
For this work, the assets were created in Illustrator and exported as white PNG files. The colors were then modified using the code itself. Once the code is functioning properly, you can generate numerous colors and various combinations using the same set of designed assets.
This approach also enhances personalisation; Oswin’s work for the BAFTA Awards involved using coding to generate 2,500 unique covers created from fixed assets and produced at random.
Finally, the workshop ended with writing a basic code and playing with it to generate shapes with varying colours and positions using p5.js. While this is a free online coding platform (limited storage), Processing is a better option as it’s a software where more assets can be used. This is what I ended up creating. It was lovely to revive memories of coding from the 10th grade(JavaScript). I had never thought that it could be used in the creative field, and this workshop has opened my eyes to re-evaluating how any of the skills that I have gained till now can be used in my projects.
Links:
SuperMundane
Fedrigoni
Eye magazine
Fedrigoni 365 (366)
Credits: Oswin Tickler (2025) Creative Coding[Workshop]. UAL London College of Communication. 19 February.
Dafi Kuhne Event
Letterpress Work Presentation
I’ve always been told that a design is successful when its message is immediately clear to its audience. But Dafi Kuhne introduced me to a different perspective: positive distractions. In an era of shrinking attention spans, a poster that makes someone pause, look away from their phone, and genuinely wonder what it’s about isn’t failing—it’s fulfilling its purpose. It disrupts routine, sparks curiosity, and in that brief moment, it has already made an impact.
Kuhne also speaks about toxic typography, describing it as “the world being intoxicated with boring typography and other bad things” (2025). His work challenges this idea, pushing the boundaries of traditional type design.
As a designer who also illustrates, I’ve always aspired to develop a signature style—something distinct and recognizable, much like many artists have. However, Kuhne takes a different approach. Rather than adhering to a fixed style, he adapts his design language to suit each client and project. Every piece he creates is tailored specifically to its purpose. Instead of imposing a singular aesthetic, he ensures that his work serves the needs of the project. In return, his clients must trust his expertise, knowing he will deliver exactly what they need—even if it’s unlike anything in his previous portfolio.
The sheer amount of effort that goes into a single poster is remarkable. His process, which applies just as well to brand design, involves immersing himself in the client’s brief for two to three days—experimenting freely, evaluating what works and what doesn’t, and refining the strongest concepts. This iterative process continues until the final design feels just right.
His workflow seamlessly merges digital and physical techniques. He begins by experimenting with letterforms, crafting the initial design digitally while also producing physical samples. Once the client approves the concept, he brings it to life through letterpress printing.
What stood out to me most was his approach to creative decision-making. Instead of restricting himself based on feasibility, he first proposes what he believes is the best possible direction for the project. Only after receiving client approval does he figure out how to execute it—going to great lengths to achieve the envisioned result.
I also learnt of the importance of maintaining a visual inspiration bank—something to draw from for future projects. I also developed a deeper appreciation for how limitations can fuel creativity. Despite working with a letterpress machine that wasn’t large enough, he found a way to produce oversized posters without generating extra waste.
He also stressed the method of seeking inspiration—not to copy, but to learn and improve upon it. His philosophy is built on two key principles:
a) Always credit your sources.
b) You take and you improve.
Above all, Kuhne’s approach reinforces a powerful message: respect your work and your working style.
Semantics in Branding
“Plant-based” vs “Vegan”
In a conversation with Paul, following our Future’s rotation review, we discussed using semantics in branding.
He mentioned that plant-based is merely a term created to market the product. Many fake meats available in the market are also branded are lab-grown but it isn’t mentioned anywhere on their product packaging. This is because branding is not always about presenting the product exactly as it is, it’s also about presenting it in a way different from what it is.
I believe a good example of this is the use of terms like “plant-based”, and “vegan”. Everyone’s understanding of these terms is not exactly the same, however, it is interesting to learn about why certain terms are preferred over others in the branding of a product.
In the agri-food industry, there is a rise of “plant-based capitalism” (Giraud, 2021), wherein some brands prefer to use the term “plant-based” rather than “vegan”, as it is more acceptable to a wider consumer base (Sexton, 2018; Clay et al., 2020).
However, from an ethical standpoint, this can be seen as the brands being ingenuine by marketing veganism without actually committing to its ethics, known as greenwashing (The Vegan Society, 2022).
On the other hand, brands like VFC, a vegan fried ‘chicken’ brand, do not use ‘plant-based’ and only use vegan, because they want to make a difference for the rights of animals (The Vegan Society, 2022). According to their website, as VFC is “an ethical company, it’s important that we do good as well as taste good.” They are seen as genuine because they are actively taking steps to be better for the planet.
In both cases, using these semantics is a very strategic move that aligns with the brand strategy and this makes me realise the impact of “words” in branding.
The question is, how big of a role do brand designers play in potential “greenwashing” through semantics? Branding is technically a product of capitalism, so can we escape it? And does it really matter?
Power of narrative
I recently came across this story that really had me inspired:
Until, I went ahead to investigate the authenticity of this story, only to find out that there is no reliable evidence that Mead said what has been attributed to her. In fact, fractured bones found in the archaeological record could possibly point to the presence of interpersonal violence among ancient humans as mentioned by Lasco(2022) in his article – https://www.sapiens.org/culture/margaret-mead-femur/
However, thanks to the internet, the inaccurate story went viral and
was also published online by Forbes during COVID-19. It aimed to inspire readers to help others during the difficulties of the corona times, as “Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts,” a quote attributed to Margaret Mead according to Blumenfeld (2020) –
But what is to be noted is that, even though the story may be factually inaccurate, it was able to bring people together in the times of crisis and even push them to bring about a positive behavioural change. This can be attributed to the human need of “storytelling” and “narrative”. The whole world that is functioning on these “stories” that have been made up by humans. Rather than being literally or factually true, the stories must be emotionally truthful, and this is enough to motivate people to take action—whether it’s adopting sustainable behaviors, giving to charities, or destigmatizing mental health.