Tell us, what does life as a Creative Director look like?

Life as a Creative Director is made infinitely easier by working alongside world-class designers and awesome project managers; without them, my life would be very difficult. Day to day, Creative Direction is really about decision-making: ensuring each piece of the puzzle adds up to the bigger purpose and vision we have for our clients' work. It's about taking time over the details people might miss, that ultimately help form strong emotional connections. At its core, it all comes back to communication, bringing out the best in both our clients and our team.

In your job role, it’s crucial that you keep ideas fresh. How do you stay inspired creatively?

You have to be obsessed with culture and history, with a genuine curiosity about the world around you. New music, old fashion, future technology; they're all reference points for creative work that feels relevant, and resources to draw on in your day-to-day. When that wide bucket of ideas and experience is combined with deep research on a project specific topic, you're much more likely to come up with something interesting. If you don't have a genuine interest in people and culture, it would be really difficult to stay inspired.

You also have to learn to break things apart and understand why they work or don't. If you love a song, why? If an interior makes you feel peaceful, why? A consistent habit of asking "why" things work or don't is probably the best way to keep your own ideas interesting.

Word on the street is that you’re very musically inclined, Luke. Can we hear more about your songwriting and time spent in bands?

I fell into art and design through music, to be honest. The first time I used LimeWire to download a cracked copy of Photoshop was because our band needed artwork for our EP. I've been fortunate enough to be signed to an LA record label, play Reading and Leeds Festival, have four different artist projects played on Radio 1, tour Europe, and have my music in film and TV. But I think the best thing I've done in music is make a band with my best mates in Guernsey at 16. That was as good as it gets. 

Art, design, and music go hand in hand for me. They're just different ways to express ideas, and I think that has set me up well to value the "idea" above everything else and see everything as a tool to get there. Not being afraid to learn something new if that's what the idea requires.

To date, what projects are you most proud of? 

I really like the work we did for CloudFirst. Managed IT services is not an industry that screams “creative" when the brief arrives in your inbox, but they are an awesome client who fully trusted us from day one to completely reimagine their brand and communications. That kind of client faith can lead to amazing work and transform how people see a business.

I also love anything physical and built in the real world, so some of the work we've done where we've taken the time to execute big ideas in real life, sticks with me as proud moments. They always seem to be what get the most hits online too, so I think that's the kind of work others connect with as well.

Why do you love what you do?

I really love working with passionate, talented people, and I love work that has purpose and an opportunity to solve real-world problems with creative thinking. I genuinely believe that intelligent, creative thinking can change the world, and that beauty and simplicity are worth fighting for and giving your time to.

Outside of work, you can often be found on your board, chasing a good break. Where’s the best place you’ve ever surfed?

Probably Peniche in Portugal, I've been there a few times. Al and I have even taken some time out there surfing by day and working by night (I am a bit of a bad-luck charm when it comes to good waves on trips though). The landscape is stunning, and the food is great - what more could you ask for?

Can you share your thoughts about how you think AI will develop over the next 10 years?

Gosh, 10 years is a long time. I think AI will be mind-blowingly good at pretty much anything in 10 years' time, with both positive and negative consequences. I think we will get sick of it to be honest, it's already refreshing to read copy that isn't AI-generated. For a lot of us, our whole lives are connected to screens, and as we experience both content overload and less technical time needed in front of a screen to build stuff, there will be a higher value on "real-world" experiences with people we know and love, and a better prioritisation of our attention.

Good ideas will always be good ideas. Decision-making and good taste will be more valuable than ever, big ideas will be achievable by small teams and individuals.

I do however think it's insane that artists' work is being considered as worthless at a regulatory level in order to feed AI models. There is no other industry where you would be allowed to steal copyrighted work and ideas in the same way without consequence.

AI is just a tool, and ultimately it will be about how we decide to use it, or not.

Previously, you’ve played football with Tom. Do you work as well together on the pitch as you do in the studio?

Ha, yeah we do work quite well together actually when playing football! Tom teaches me how to focus on doing the simple stuff well, be patient in the process and build up play. I teach him that sometimes it is worth a wild pop from long range if you hit it hard enough.

You and your son are quite invested in the world of Pokémon, which one is your favourite?

My son opened a pack of cards with a really special “Zekrom” card in and we ran around the house celebrating, screaming and dancing together, so it’d have to be Zekrom.

And, to wrap things up, if you could give yourself one piece of advice at the beginning of your career, what would it be?

Learn how to articulate your thoughts as clearly as possible with as few words as possible. People really do care about what you have to say no matter what stage of your career you are at, but sometimes as a junior you lack the confidence or experience to speak clearly and directly. Good ideas struggle to gain momentum if they aren't communicated clearly, so it's a skill that will do you well in the long run.