Nils Leonard is the creative founder of Uncommon Creative Studio, with offices in Stockholm, London and New York. Its work covers design, advertising, film, narrative objects and art, including a show at the Venice Biennale. ~
In this conversation, Nils explains why he doesn't want to win the opening weekend. He wants to make reference points: work people still talk about years later.
He talks about the long break after Grey that stopped Uncommon from becoming "Grey Part Two", and why the first question he asks every new client is "why are you here?" He also explains how three years of a website with nothing on it but a bouncing flag flushed out the time-wasters.
Nils looks back on LifePaint and what he'd do differently, tells the Yves Klein story that inspired the bacteria reveal at OFFF Festival, and explains why he markets to talent before clients. He ends with the kind of work he wants to make next: places and monuments built to outlast everyone involved.
Key takeaways
Treat every brief as a chance to matter. Whether work adds to your life's tapestry or just fills someone else's list depends on how you choose to see your job.
Define success before you start. Most of the industry's frustrations come from never asking the client what success really looks like.
Make it inevitable, not brave. The goal is an idea so right for the problem that nobody even sees it as a risk.
Build first, then invite. Taking an idea to a brand as an invitation, instead of asking permission, changes the power dynamic.
Scarcity is value. When everyone takes in the same inputs and offers the same things, being unlike anyone else becomes the offer.
Narrative objects travel further than adverts. A product, object or place that tells a story lets people retell it in their own way.
Market to talent first. If the best people want to work with you, the clients follow.
Want people, don't need them. The power lies in making things happen without depending on anyone.
Articulation matters as much as art direction. Creatives need to be heard outside their work, whether that's writing, speaking, publishing or making.
Make it for yourself. The most personal work is often the most universal.
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