In this episode of the Better Future SPOTLIGHT, our Founder Mark Bergin sits down with Richard Henderson of R-Co Brand for a generous conversation about their respective and collective expeditions into a better future.
Both Mark and Richard are "in the business of design, not in the design business" and they are interested in how we can all use design to "bring strategies to life". Their conversation champions imagination as the tool that catapults us out of the past and into the future. With imagination setting the foundation, they also discuss the excitement of the unknown, the power of collaboration, the transcendence of good culture, the necessity of vulnerability, and more.
Richard is ever-respectful of those on whose shoulders he stands and there is no doubt that his knowledge, and generosity in sharing it, will mean that many in turn will be standing on his shoulders as we head into a better future together.
Quotes:
Richard
I am representing the heritage of some great talent
making history is far more interesting than observing history
I'm in the business of design, not in the design business
we have to reframe, reimagine, redesign and reconnect
if there is one thing we have realised with what we are going through right now, it is our humanity and fragility
design brings strategies to life
we have to acknowledge the past because we are the product of the past
Imagination is the catalyst [to the future]
the best solutions are when the client and designer are immersed in the problem together
mankind is the only species that actually have imagination
the marketplace really sorts out whether something is relevant or irrelevant
don't worry about what is keeping the CEO awake at night, worry about what is keeping the customers awake at night
the idea of work is going to have to be re-tweaked... there is a lot of pressure of the c-suite to help organisations navigate this tricky time
brand is the central core between the virtual and the real
imagination is not a planned process it just happens, but you have to have the ingredients ready
the more I know the more I realise I don't know
the creator is the architect of the solution but unless you have the client with the problem, you don't have a project
let's not forget, at the end of the day it is about wealth creation... I don't mean wealth in a monetary sense, I mean wealth in terms of the human experience
being different is being distinctive
Mark
design is about taking people somewhere they couldn't get to themselves
sometimes we get caught up with past problems and solutions, and it isn't until we can imagine a future problem and solution that we can begin to let go of the past
if you cannot stimulate people's imagination for the future, they are going to stay in the past
the organisations that have a great culture are going to find that their team will want to return to the office because there is energy in that culture
eat, sleep, design, repeat