It’s official: Common Matters has landed in Leeds. And it’s clearly overdue – another sold-out event, a room full of over 200 creatives, all eager to learn about what matters in the design industry right now.
The best people to answer that? Those leading it, moving it forwards and making us think. So we invited Wayne Deakin, Chief Creative Officer of Bray Leino, Krow Group, Story Group, Matt Curtis, Creative Director at Uncommon, and Illustrator & Animator Bianca Beneduci Assad, on stage to talk about what matters to them right now.
The response?
Being uncool.
Boiling piss.
Being human.
Disarming people with humour.
Being uncomfortable.
Breaking things.
Staying outside the room.
A pretty diverse mix of answers from these three. Let’s break it down.
The Power of Being Human
Brazil-born and London-based Illustrator and animator Bianca Beneduci Assad has a career spanning TV animation, commercial motion design, commissioned illustration, teaching, personal projects, and art markets.
She shared a wonderful mix of personal work and professional commissions, including the Zapier campaign she worked on while at Buck.
A clear message on what matters to Bianca: Even as AI expands through the industry, the power of being human (sharing honest, relatable, messy feelings) is what art is fundamentally for. And our role as design thinkers is to keep that going.
Those messy moments and big feelings are expressed in Bianca’s totally unique and vibrant style, that really makes you lean in to her message – and often disarms you by delivering powerful, political messages with killer humour.
Off-Centre
Design legend Wayne Deakin didn’t hold back on his rallying cry to embrace your individuality. Be it your personal perspective on the world, carving out your own career path without regard for ‘what’s done’ – and using your own way of thinking in your work.
“Dont be cool – because cool is literally yesterday’s news. It doesnt lead, it follows.”
This much is clear: Comfort leads to stagnation – no progression, no learning, no self-challenge.
But why do so many people with creative minds find themselves feeling this way? The design industry can function like a golf club… a tribe with its own dress code, trends, and ideology. That means it’s easy for everyone to end up dressing, acting, and following the same trends to fit in.
The result? Lazy, unexpansive work that limits you over time.
And Wayne has seen this unfold in the industry – he claims to be 1,000 years old, something we cannot confirm nor deny. But we can confirm his experience leading businesses as Executive Creative Director at AKQA; working at Apple, Saatchi & Saatchi, George Patterson (Australia), and Jung von Matt (Germany). And we caught him on day three in a brand new role as Chief Creative Officer of Bray Leino, Krow Group, Strory Group.
“Have fun, pick up work, try different things. the more you experiment, the more you take that unbeaten path, the more fun you have, the better your work will be.”
— Wayne Deakin
Chief Creative Officer of Bray Leino, Krow Group, Strory Group
Ten Points on Creativity
Fresh off the press: Uncommon are Ad Age’s Design & Branding Agency of the Year. In the same week as this was announced, Creative Director Matt Curtis came to share his ‘Ten Points on Creativity’ with us.
And in the Uncommon way, he didn’t mince his words. A passionate creative leader with a lot of love for sports and editorial design, Matt shared some of the work that helped make the agency so well known.
Obviously, the work is stunning – but the stronger message was within the studio’s ways of working, with one another and with clients. For example, keeping the pace and attitude in your work. If something is taking too long, it’s not going to happen. If the client has one challenge, also bring your own to fuel the fire.
Thank you to the creative community of Leeds for joining us, and for our wonderful speakers. See you again soon!
