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Left: Nils Leonard, Right: Lisa Smith<\/p>\n
Lisa, you\u2019ve just stepped into the role of Uncommon\u2019s first global chief design officer, joining a studio known for its provocative, culture-shaping work. I\u2019m curious to know why the move? What excites you most about this moment, and how does Uncommon\u2019s philosophy align with where you want to be and where you believe the industry is headed?<\/p>\n
LS: Thank you. Design is not new to Uncommon; it\u2019s been here since the very beginning. What\u2019s exciting is how the practice has been establishing itself in London. In the past two years, we\u2019ve also set up in New York, where design is still smaller in comparison to the other creative disciplines. I\u2019ll probably have more to focus on there because design is much more established in London.<\/p>\n
The idea of a global design capability \u2014 answering the best briefs in the world and pulling the right talent for those briefs \u2014 is exciting. But the main reason I joined is the sense of limitlessness. Here, we can dream and make anything we want. Traditional brand practices, no offense, often stop at guidelines. That wasn\u2019t always the case at JKR, since they had a strong packaging capability, but in general, the output was specific.<\/p>\n
At Uncommon, it\u2019s different. We can integrate communications, experiential, and design. Design has always sat at the heart of business. I saw that when I worked in-house at Chobani, where design was powerful from end to end. Here, I feel like I\u2019ve landed in a home. I\u2019m so excited, I don\u2019t know which way to go. We make a lot of things, and I need to get better at prioritizing. But it\u2019s very, very exciting.<\/p>\n
Lisa’s work at Chobani.<\/p>\n
Nils, tell me a little more about Lisa\u2019s new role. How did you get to this point? Where did you find the need for this kind of expertise to oversee Uncommon\u2019s global aspects?<\/p>\n
NL: A couple of things. Uncommon\u2019s view of design is similar to our view of the world. The industry has grown design, rightly or wrongly, into a certain mold. There are familiar traps, as Lisa mentioned, the way practices work, where they start and stop. We\u2019ve always been slightly deluded or audacious enough to believe we could do far more.<\/p>\n
The studio loves to make. A few years ago, someone asked me, \u2018What does success look like in three years?\u2019 I realized it wasn\u2019t about awards at all. It was about the kinds of briefs we\u2019d get. We fantasized about \u201creference point briefs\u201d \u2014 like the Olympic torch, the 9\/11 Memorial \u2014 things that would outlast us. I thought, what would it take for us to get those kinds of briefs? To really believe we could do them?<\/p>\n
The fantasy was to build a studio that became a snapshot of the best talent. At some point in the future, you\u2019d take a picture and say, \u2018Oh my God, everyone who mattered, everyone making waves, spent time here.\u2019 That was the dream.<\/p>\n
We weren\u2019t sitting with a list saying we needed a global chief design officer. Our design practice was already brilliant. But I\u2019d known Lisa for a while \u2014 been irritated and jealous of her in equal measure on juries and such. The idea of working with her, having her influence the design output, could take us further than we imagined.<\/p>\n
What I loved is that she\u2019s as frustrated as we are by the industry, by the traps, by the sameness. Lisa has been responsible for some movements within design that became best practice. Now those need to be broken and changed again. We both felt the level needs to rise, the energy needs to shift. That was the common ground.<\/p>\n
So this wasn\u2019t about a hire that made sense to clients. We didn\u2019t need to do that. It was about adding someone who could help us become the studio we had always dreamt of.<\/p>\n
Uncommon’s work with EA Sports.<\/p>\n
People have lost sight of design\u2019s power to transform, to solve real problems.<\/p>\n
Lisa Smith<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about the state of design today. Where do you both feel it stands, and how should it evolve?<\/p>\n
NL: Honestly, design often gets reduced to a slightly different shade of blue. Most briefs fall into two categories: \u2018Don\u2019t mess this up, just get it done,\u2019 or \u2018Let\u2019s smash this.\u2019 We\u2019re interested in the latter, the ones that demand attention, that will outlive the studio, that decide whether a brand or experience thrives or dies. That\u2019s how I\u2019ve always viewed design.<\/p>\n
LS: Right now, design is siloed and competitive. Everyone\u2019s poking at each other, and it\u2019s getting smaller and meaner. I\u2019ve sat on juries where work was dismissed because someone didn\u2019t like a font. Too much is about personal taste, tropes, or trends.<\/p>\n
We had the \u201csea of sameness,\u201d then \u201cblanding,\u201d and now, post-pandemic, everything is expressive but still looks the same \u2014 same fonts with ink traps, same bright colors. I\u2019d love jurors to filter out the noise and focus on who\u2019s solving the most interesting problems with the most interesting solutions.<\/p>\n
People have lost sight of design\u2019s power to transform, to solve real problems. Traditional ad agencies are building design practices for the wrong reasons: for land grabs, not intention. The industry is in a funny place. The world is changing, but not everyone is keeping up.<\/p>\n
NL: I agree. We want our design to matter. The industry has gotten stuck fighting over micro points of view, instead of taking a stance on the whole. We\u2019ve lost belief in our right to have a point of view on the world.<\/p>\n
The best people at Uncommon \u2014 and outside it \u2014 want to matter and to make famous work. There\u2019s an inbuilt dissatisfaction that drives them. That\u2019s partly on the industry, partly on clients who don\u2019t always realize the privilege of shaping major brands.<\/p>\n
The industry has gotten stuck fighting over micro points of view, instead of taking a stance on the whole. We\u2019ve lost belief in our right to have a point of view on the world.<\/p>\n
Nils Leonard<\/p>\n
Uncommon’s work with The Ordinary.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk education. Personally, I believe the system contributes to silos. Young designers often graduate unprepared for how the industry actually functions. What are your thoughts on education and the future of teams?<\/p>\n
LS: I never wanted to go to college, but I did because I didn\u2019t know how else to get into what I wanted. Afterward, I knocked on Mother\u2019s door in London and said I wanted to be an art director. They told me I needed a writer, and I had no idea where to find one. I\u2019d just spent years in Bath, in a small town, not understanding the formalities of the industry. That naivety got me going, in a way.<\/p>\n
Now, working with the D&AD Shift program has changed my perspective. Nontraditional backgrounds often produce the bravest creatives. These students are already working jobs, hustling nights and weekends to find a new career path. Their bravery and drive are inspiring, and the industry needs to meet them with mentorship and support.<\/p>\n
The pandemic wrecked junior talent. Without in-person mentorship, many got lost. Graphic design courses were oversubscribed pre-pandemic, which flooded the industry with mediocrity. Now, clients want a year\u2019s work done in three months, and it\u2019s tough to bring juniors into that. If we don\u2019t support the next generation, the industry will phase itself out.<\/p>\n
NL: At Uncommon, my dream has always been that in ten years, people could spot someone and say, \u2018They must have worked at Uncommon.\u2019 That would prove we had an impact on their careers.<\/p>\n
In the age of AI, taste is more important than ever. You can\u2019t teach taste, but you can teach people to seek diverse inputs. If everyone looks at the same TikTok trends, nothing new emerges. Designers need to hunt for unexpected references; Caravaggio instead of memes. That\u2019s what sets people apart.<\/p>\n
Nontraditional backgrounds often produce the bravest creatives.<\/p>\n
Lisa Smith<\/p>\n
What qualities do juniors need to succeed at Uncommon?<\/p>\n
NL: Independence. The ability to make things happen without a team of twelve. A brazen relationship with fame. Articulation, even if you\u2019re scared, to get your ideas into the room. And the ability to learn fast.<\/p>\n
Taste develops over time, but those qualities make people shine here.<\/p>\n
LS: Hunters stand out. People who dig deeper into brand audits, who find references you can\u2019t Google. You don\u2019t need college for that \u2014 you need curiosity and persistence.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Uncommon’s work with Port Magazine.<\/p>\n
How do you see AI impacting design and education?<\/p>\n
NL: AI is just another tool. If it helps remove barriers between your idea and reality, great. If you\u2019re using it to churn low-cost content, you should be scared. But the real threat isn\u2019t AI, it\u2019s apathy. Too many people spend more time worrying about AI than making work.<\/p>\n
LS: Exactly. I don\u2019t care what program you use \u2014 Illustrator, Photoshop, AI \u2014 what matters is the idea. Some AI illustrators are doing fascinating things, but it takes real craft. Democratizing design doesn\u2019t scare me. If anything, it elevates the industry.<\/p>\n
NL: If you\u2019re in the business of low-cost, high-volume content, then yes, you should worry because automation will replace you. But if you sell high-end, provocative, visionary creativity, you\u2019re fine.<\/p>\n
The real threat isn\u2019t AI, it\u2019s apathy. <\/p>\n
Nils Leonard<\/p>\n
Finally, what excites you most about Uncommon\u2019s future?<\/p>\n
LS: Building the New York team, curating global talent for the best briefs, and leaving a mark across industries, from airlines to sports. I always want to learn, try new things, and expand into areas we haven\u2019t touched yet.<\/p>\n
NL: For me, design is the most exciting practice in the studio because it\u2019s the least messed with. We want work that matters, that provokes, that divides. Lisa\u2019s fearless, and together we can push design to a place that truly matters.<\/p>\n
Lisa’s work with Burger King.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Design, at its best, has always been a tool for transformation. Yet, too often today, it feels trapped,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88],"class_list":{"0":"post-199901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}