OPINION
Finding Purpose
In The New Standard's inaugural publication, Jason Holley, Principal at Universal and John Wilson, CEO of Universal and Map Project Office are featured in conversation with Helen Job, former Head of Research at SPACE10; Jessica Gregory, Head of Design at Haeckels; and Nick Marshall, Senior Partner at Made Thought.
Modern consumers don’t want to just buy something, they want to know they are investing in brands that meet their values and make a difference to the world. In this thought-provoking conversation, the five industry leaders were invited to explore the role that purpose plays in their fields of work. Moderated by Kerstin Zumstein.
JOHN WILSON, CEO OF MAP PROJECT OFFICE AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN STUDIO
Today, business and purpose need to be interrelated at a brand’s core. Especially looking at how Gen Z and younger people view brands.
If the story doesn’t align, consumers won’t buy the product. I’ve been fortunate in my roles, at Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office, and previously at Burberry, to be heavily involved with defining purpose for brands, but I’m still learning. Ultimately, purpose must flow from the inside out, from the employees first, to make a business successful.
For us, it’s about creating an environment for people to do work that really pushes boundaries and challenges the norms, creating spaces and products that will define how we live tomorrow.
HELEN JOB, FORMER HEAD OF RESEARCH AT SPACE10, THE DESIGN LAB SUPPORTED BY IKEA
Our mission statement at Space10 is “a better everyday life for people and planet”, so everything we do fits under this overarching umbrella – with a focus on the home because we are dedicated to Ikea.
When I joined as head of research, my first step was to define what “better” actually means. I came up with three goals that serve as our checklist: inclusive, healthy and regenerative.
And I agree, the key for genuine purpose is to replicate internally what you’re putting out externally. Space10, therefore, is a family-first organisation, with flexible, remote working. In the office, we sit at a big table together to share lunch, and we were the first company in Denmark to have a menopause and menstruation policy.
Whatever you’re saying as a business, you have to live it.
JASON HOLLEY, PRINCIPAL AT UNIVERSAL DESIGN STUDIO
Purpose is central to good business today. At Universal, that means contributing positively to people in the world.
As architects and designers, this is particularly important so we can shift from monolithic brands to businesses that lead from within. There’s a drawing by Charles Eames that I’m obsessed with, where he was trying to describe the role of the designer. It has a blob, which stands for the interest of the design studio, and then another blob that intersects with it, that symbolises the interest of the client. A third blob represents the interest of society as a whole. And in that intersection between the three blobs, that’s where you can create truly meaningful work – that’s the space in which we operate.
Many architects retreat into a safe place, saying: “I’m in control of everything and this is the perfect building.” But as a studio, we are about bringing humans into the centre of the architectural discussion.
JESSICA GREGORY, HEAD OF DESIGN AT SKINCARE BRAND HAECKELS
At Haeckels, we aim to design for 10 years in the future, so research and development, experimentation and risk-taking are a huge part of our approach.
As there are no parameters for that, we accept that there will be mistakes and failure, but fundamentally, those learnings are what take us to the next stage. What’s special about our brand is that our customers are willing to learn with us. They understand that there is a bigger cause at the heart of what we do. As a skincare brand, we started out promoting planet-friendly, sustainable seaside living, but over the past 10 years we have morphed into a biodesign business, innovating for the future because we believe that’s how it should be done.
Our followers believe in our mission and are on this journey with us, so a pioneering purpose doesn’t need to be perfect.
NICK MARSHALL, SENIOR PARTNER AT MADE THOUGHT
The key is to be authentic.
I always look forward to receiving my subscription box from Haeckels, with the letter clearly written from a person to a person. However, the larger a brand gets, the harder it is to stay pure. If you are a £2bn beauty brand, that form of messaging would be disingenuous, so you need to communicate differently. Focus is crucial here. Too often, companies try to tick multiple boxes and do everything but only on a base level.
It’s better to deselect words and ask yourselves: “What topic can we genuinely lead on?” “How can our business platform grow people’s awareness?”
That’s why it’s vital to have an external voice, a critical partner to weigh in and keep you on course. At Made Thought, our purpose is to create bold and beautiful futures for those who demand more.
The bigger the business, the bigger the critical lens.
Launched earlier this year, The New Standard inaugural namesake publication 'Collaboration' is brought to you by the creative collective of Universal Design Studio, Made Thought and Map Project Office. Residing under one roof in London and New York, together the three studios collaborate with a roster of renowned and game-changing brands across the world to redesign the future.