The ultimate canvas is out there — as opposed to what's commonly thought about the act of designing or creating something, great work doesn’t usually start on a blank canvas. It always starts somewhere else.
Most often, out there, in the real world. In the messy, vivid, ever-shifting territory of culture. Because the truth is, to create work that resonates — that really resonates — design can't happen in a vacuum. You have to stay close to the pulse.
Culture is much more than a moodboard. It’s not a hashtag, a fad, or a trendy idea. It's not a list of references at the end of a presentation. It’s a living thing — made of people, language, behaviours, symbols, passions, obsessions, contradictions, and dreams. And whether you’re building a fintech platform, a healthcare app, a brand for a fashion startup, or the next tool for creators, culture is already in the room. The question is: are you?
We truly believe that design is at its best when it belongs. It gets it. It feels specific, yet universal. Simple, yet charged. It speaks in a voice people understand, because it was made by someone who listens. And for us, that’s where it all begins.
Being in the world — not just behind it
As creators, we are drawn to the in-between spaces. The liminal, the emerging, the weird-but-beautiful corners of the internet, design, tech, art, and daily life. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s real. Because it tells us something about what people care about, worry about, laugh at, dream of.
That curiosity is part of the job. It’s what helps our work connect. It helps us understand how people behave today, and imagine where they might go next. And that only happens if we pay attention. If we’re there, in the mix, not on the sidelines.
Culture moves fast. But it also runs deep. Beyond what’s trending, there is also what’s transforming. Being in touch with culture doesn’t mean constantly chasing the new. It means noticing. Being present. Letting things surprise you. Letting things happen. And, most of all, letting things matter.
Output follows input
Originality always comes from great inputs. From consuming the right things — not necessarily the same things as everyone else. Reading weird zines. Watching a film from the ’80s you’d never heard of. Following a side thread in a Discord server about the design of vending machines in Japan. Walking around your neighborhood and noticing a typeface painted on a wall.
Those things stick. They feed your taste. They sharpen your intuition. And when the time comes to design something — to give shape to an interface, an identity, an experience — those fragments come back. Not as references, but as raw material. As instincts. As ideas.
So, a big part of the creative practice is staying open. Staying curious. Not only about what’s popular, but about what’s poignant. To dig, to listen, to feel. To gather not just inspiration, but understanding.
Taste and intuition are cumulative
We often talk about creativity as this magical thing — a spark, a flash, a sudden solution. And sure, sometimes it feels like that, and we just recently were talking about the importance of intuition in design. But behind that spark is often a long period of curated, and also spontaneous, consumption. Of being in the world. Letting culture — and counterculture — flow through your senses.
We’re not here to simply follow trends or repeat what’s already been done. What we want is to make work that cuts through. That feels meaningful. That adds something. And that takes patience, generosity, openness.
The projects we’ve been proudest of always started with connecting with what's real. With listening. Observing. Caring. And above all, with the belief that design is not a complement to culture — it’s part of it.
Sharing, we make culture
Culture isn’t something any one person owns, of course. It’s a space the group inhabits. Which means staying close to it is something we do together. We share links, playlists, screenshots. We talk about what we’re watching, what we’re reading, what’s making us think. Not to stay ahead — but to stay attuned.
This is how we keep our work grounded. Human. How we avoid the expected and make room for the specific. How we hold on to the originality of our ideas and the integrity of the craft.
We don’t claim to have all the answers. But we try to stay open to where they might be. And more often than not, they’re already out there.
Keep the door open
- Let curiosity lead — even when it doesn’t feel “useful” at first.
- Explore what’s happening outside your comfort zone or feed bubble.
- Make space for conversations about things that move you.
- Share what you’re into — with no pressure for it to be on-trend.
- Be present, wherever you are. Culture is everywhere, if you’re open to it.
Because in the end, culture isn’t just something we react to. It’s something we live in. Something we shape — and are shaped by. Culture matters. So, let’s stay close to it.
