Design has always served as a powerful tool for transformation, but today's creative industry faces unprecedented challenges that threaten its potential impact. Lisa Smith, the newly appointed global chief design officer at Uncommon, and co-founder Nils Leonard recently shared their frank perspectives on the current state of design, education, and the future of creative work in a comprehensive discussion about where the industry stands and where it needs to go.
Smith joined the London and New York-based studio after recognizing what she describes as a "sense of limitlessness" that sets Uncommon apart from traditional brand practices. "Here, we can dream and make anything we want," Smith explained, contrasting this approach with conventional agencies that "often stop at guidelines." Her previous experience includes significant work at JKR and Chobani, where she witnessed firsthand how design can be powerful from end to end when integrated into business strategy. At Uncommon, Smith sees the opportunity to integrate communications, experiential work, and design in ways that transcend traditional boundaries.
Leonard's vision for bringing Smith aboard wasn't driven by client demands or conventional hiring needs, but rather by a shared frustration with industry limitations and a desire to elevate the studio's capabilities. "We weren't sitting with a list saying we needed a global chief design officer," Leonard noted. Instead, the decision emerged from recognizing Smith's track record of creating movements within design that became best practices, and her readiness to break and change those same practices when they become stagnant. Leonard's ultimate goal is ambitious: building a studio that becomes "a snapshot of the best talent" where future observers could say that "everyone who mattered, everyone making waves, spent time here."
Both creative leaders express deep concern about the current state of the design industry, which they believe has become trapped in small-scale debates over aesthetics rather than focusing on solving significant problems. Smith describes the current landscape as "siloed and competitive," where "everyone's poking at each other, and it's getting smaller and meaner." She criticizes design juries that dismiss work based on font preferences rather than evaluating how effectively projects solve interesting problems with innovative solutions. The post-pandemic design world, according to Smith, has fallen into new patterns of sameness despite appearing more expressive, with similar fonts featuring ink traps and identical bright color palettes dominating the landscape.
Leonard echoes these concerns, arguing that the industry has "gotten stuck fighting over micro points of view, instead of taking a stance on the whole." He believes designers have lost confidence in their right to have meaningful perspectives on the world, leading to work that focuses on minor aesthetic adjustments rather than transformative solutions. At Uncommon, they specifically seek briefs that "demand attention, that will outlive the studio, that decide whether a brand or experience thrives or dies," rather than projects that simply aim to avoid mistakes.
The education system presents another significant challenge that both leaders believe contributes to industry problems. Smith's personal experience illustrates these issues - after graduating, she had to approach agencies directly because traditional education hadn't prepared her for industry realities. However, her work with the DAD Shift program has shown her that nontraditional backgrounds often produce the most courageous creatives. These students, who typically work jobs while pursuing creative careers nights and weekends, bring exceptional bravery and drive that the industry desperately needs. Unfortunately, the pandemic severely impacted junior talent development, as remote work eliminated crucial in-person mentorship opportunities that help young designers grow.
Smith also points to pre-pandemic over-subscription in graphic design courses, which "flooded the industry with mediocrity." Combined with client demands for accelerated timelines - wanting "a year's work done in three months" - the industry struggles to properly support and develop emerging talent. "If we don't support the next generation, the industry will phase itself out," Smith warns, highlighting the critical nature of this challenge.
Regarding artificial intelligence's impact on design, both leaders maintain a pragmatic perspective that focuses on creativity over technology. Leonard views AI simply as another tool, useful when it removes barriers between ideas and reality, but problematic when used to produce low-cost content at scale. "The real threat isn't AI, it's apathy," Leonard argues, criticizing designers who spend more time worrying about automation than creating meaningful work. Smith shares this sentiment, emphasizing that the tool used - whether Illustrator, Photoshop, or AI - matters less than the underlying idea and execution quality.
For designers seeking to succeed at Uncommon, Leonard identifies several crucial qualities: independence, the ability to execute without large teams, what he calls "a brazen relationship with fame," strong articulation skills even when nervous, and rapid learning abilities. Smith emphasizes the importance of being a "hunter" - someone who digs deeper into brand research and discovers references that can't be easily found through Google searches. Both leaders agree that curiosity and persistence matter more than formal education credentials.
Looking toward the future, Smith expresses excitement about building Uncommon's New York team and curating global talent for high-profile projects spanning multiple industries, from airlines to sports. She remains committed to continuous learning and expanding into unexplored creative territories. Leonard sees design as "the most exciting practice in the studio because it's the least messed with," and together with Smith, aims to push design toward work that truly matters, provokes meaningful responses, and isn't afraid to be divisive.
Their conversation ultimately serves as both a critique of current industry limitations and a call to action for designers to embrace more ambitious, transformative approaches to their work. Rather than accepting the constraints of traditional practice boundaries, they advocate for design that shapes culture, outlasts its creators, and tackles significant challenges rather than minor aesthetic adjustments.
