Categories: Articles

Saying No, Respecting Design And Other Secrets Of Creative Genuis

If someone asked you to name two of the best living designers and storytellers, who would you choose?

It’s not even a competition for me. My two favorite creative forces in the world are Apple‘s Chief Design Officer, Jony Ive, and famed director and writer, J.J. Abrams. I love, respect, follow and admire them for varying reasons, but I can’t think of two more impressive individuals, that I would love to invite to dinner (as the game goes). From the technology that empowers me to do the work that I do, to the stories, movies, tv shows, books and more that keep me entertained. These two are both forces of nature unto themselves. So, imagine my excitement to come across the following conversation. Vanity Fair held some kind of summit, and had both Abrams and Ive share the stage, in a moderated conversation with none other than Brian Grazer (award-winning producer, and author of the magnificent book, A Curious Mind). Truth be told, I’d be honoured to spend time with Grazer too, who is also a genius and deep thinker.

Here’s one hour that will blow your mind.

While I have seen Abrams be very candid about both his creative process, and how he hones in on the ideas that go from ideation to creation in the past, I can’t ever recall seeing Ive so candid about his process, his relationship to Steve Jobs and what he thinks about design, technology and the future of our world. I first watched this presentation last Friday, and have since re-watched it another handful of times. My candid recommendation: have a notebook and pen nearby… here’s a master class in ideation, creativity and how to sniff out winning ideas.

J.J. Abrams, Brian Grazer and Jony Ive on inventing worlds in a changing one…

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.