Iona Ratcliffe’s Post

Over the past few days, I have had some really interesting conversations (with Katie Rose, Dan Broadwood and Jo Bird ✨) about the industry's current state and the future of it. And it ended up here... Have we lost sight of craft and play in the design industry through the push of the pursuit of optimisation and speed? There has been so much noise coming out of media outlets and social media, talking about the continual emergence and development of AI tools and the need for adaptation to the new norm - however, I offer another take - should we not, during this time of sameness and a clear economic driver for immediacy and cheap access, mean we double down on what makes branding studios so incredible and cut-through; their ability to create brands that are built alongside founders with insane ideas of the future, currently unimaginable stories to tell and incredible craft? The very best, memorable, connecting brands aren’t built by algorithms, chatbots, or prompts churning out monotonous output; they are constructed foundationally on their abilities to communicate to human centricity, help people to belong, they tell focussed and meaningful stories and hold a continual commitment to their truth and authenticity. So, I'm really interested to discuss with everyone, with the recent introductions of AI into tools like Figma, a creative collaboration platform, and a push towards the quick, the cheap and minimum viable thinking, versus the “traditional” route of real investment in distinction, dependability, human connectivity and authenticity; where does this leave the industry now and over the next 6-12 months and beyond? Lets discuss!

FEELING VERY INSPIRED 💫 Honestly, we're on a massive high from last nights Sustainability Showcase event. It was our first one and we couldn't have loved it anymore. We heard lots of collaborations and connections being made all over the room which we always love and can't wait to see what happens next from this! 👏 Also absolutely blown away by the founders who showcased and could see how passionate they were about their missions and businesses check them out: ▪ Zoe Rowswell ▪ Tuvie Ejoh ▪ Leah Robson ▪ Jessica McCleave ▪ Sarah Angold ▪ Charlie Rudkin-Wilson A big thank you to our incredible panelists on the night too who offered invaluable advice and support to the room of founders + to those showcasing: ▪ Jasmin Thomas ▪ Anna Sandgren ▪ Will Sheane ▪ Kim Kinnaird ▪ Megan Dacey ▪ Iona Ratcliffe ▪ Lucy Cleland ▪ Carmel Rafaeli 💚 A special mention to all of our partners and supporters of the event, each one of you helped make it a real success and we are so grateful for this plus everyone absolutely loved the drinks and delicious treats: Lloyds Bank Business & Commercial | Country & Town House | Cyd Connects | Retreat & Rise Up | x+why | Borough 22 Doughnuts | The Uncommon | Lucky Saint | B Corp™ | Bemuse | B Corp™ | Tony's Chocolonely | CakeDrop A shoutout also to Olly Morton, Matt Gowty and the team from x+why for making the event running smoothly as well as Aisling Connaughton for sharing her insights into sustainability and Liza Levy, Nonie M C White ACC PPGDip FRSA for their support with the event + Belinda Walshe for the photos! 🌿 We'd love to continue the wave from last night, so if you attended let us know in the comments what you need help with and what you enjoyed most about it 👇

What has nature ever done for us? Why should we care? Fair question. Here you go: 💚 Pollination - 3 out of 4 crops depend on pollination 💚 Food - Check your plate: Bananas, fish, rice, chocolate  💚 Economy - 85% of biggest companies depend heavily on it 💚 Water purification - Wetlands filter chemicals & help purify water 💚 Nutrient cycling - Keep our soils productive for our food systems 💚 Medicine - 25% of medicines originate from tropical forest plants 💚 Protection - Wetlands created by beavers reduce flooding by 60% 💚 Support - 80% of people below the poverty line rely on its services 💚 Water - Freshwater ecosystems supply water for drinking & farming 💚 Recreation - U.S. National Parks have over 327 million visits annually 💚 Disease control - Mangroves reduce malaria by supporting predators 💚 Cultural - Check sport club logos & toy stores & you see what I mean 💚 Climate - Nature-based Solutions contribute 30% of global mitigation 💚 Spiritual - Spiritual meaning & aesthetic pleasure in nature interactions ❌ What have we ever done for nature? Destruction - 10 million hectares of forest are cut down each year Extinction - Extinction rate is 10,000x higher than natural rate Exploitation - 34% of fish is overfished ✅ What can we do from now on? Protect - Protect 30% of this planet until 2030  Restore - Ecosystems to more historical baselines Rewild - Bring back species that got locally extinct It's our daily choices as individual & collective which path we continue on. Let's bend the trend. ♻️ Repost to help us that this message leaves the echo chamber #toadwatch #biodiversity #nature Credit: Thank you Zero Hour for this golden nugget in nature communication. Support them with the link below.