Issue 86: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

OPINION/ CREATIVITY

Ban the Word ‘Original’ from Your Company

💬 Sir John Hegarty

I’ve always found the word “original” problematic. And yet, in every judging room I’ve ever sat in, whether for advertising, film or design, someone will eventually say: “What I’m really looking for is something original.” That’s usually my cue to wince.

In creative circles, “original” is treated as the gold standard. But I’d argue it’s the single most destructive word in our industry. It sends us chasing an illusion. Because, let’s be honest: nothing is original. Not really. Not the wheel or the camera. Not even that critically acclaimed drama you saw last weekend. Everything comes from something. That’s not a weakness – it’s the very nature of creation.

“Original” assumes you can invent something out of nothing. But ideas aren’t born in a vacuum. They’re born in conversation with the past, with culture and other ideas. And when we pretend otherwise, we stifle rather than spark creativity. I’ve seen brilliant campaigns die in the room because someone dismissed them as “not original enough.” It’s an impossible benchmark. And a deeply unhelpful one.

Far better, I think, to ask a different question: Is it fresh?

Is it fresh?

“Fresh” accepts that we build on what came before. It invites reinterpretation. It’s what allowed one invention to spark another. “Fresh” is generous. “Original” is a trap. So this week, let’s do the industry a favour. Let’s ban the word “original.” Or at the very least, stop pretending it means anything useful. When judging an idea, either yours or someone else’s, don’t ask if it’s original. Ask if it’s fresh. That’s what moves things forward. And that’s what audiences remember.

THE AGENDA

✏️ Pencil it in: your agenda for the coming week

1.
Singapore Design Week returns with a citywide showcase of creativity and civic imagination. Under the bold theme Nation by Design, installations, forums, and experiments take over everything from Marina Bay to the Science Park – reimagining how design shapes public life.

11th – 21st September

2.
Gold Coast’s Currumbin Beach will once again be transformed into an open-air gallery as the SWELL Sculpture Festival kicks off. Expect oversized artwork, ocean-side installations, and artist-led tours celebrating space, nature, and imagination.

12th – 21st September

3.
Bringing together the brightest minds in design, business and culture, the Fast Company Innovation Festival hits New York this week. Highlights include keynotes from creative entrepreneurs, immersive workshops, and a spotlight on brand innovation in an AI age.

15th – 18th September

Illustration by Clo’e Floirat

UK / ART

A Shift in the Frame

Photo by Diego Delso

The National Gallery has long drawn the line at 1900 – collecting nothing painted beyond the 19th century. But this week, in a quiet act of reinvention, it announced a £375 million expansion that will add a new wing and, for the first time, embrace modern and contemporary art.

An international design competition is now underway to shape the space – a physical and philosophical shift. It invites architects and audiences to reconsider how history and innovation might share the frame. For decades, the Gallery saw itself as guardian of the Old Masters; now, it begins to ask what comes next, and who gets remembered.

This is a subtle but significant act of refreshment – a recognition that culture moves forward, and those who care for it must do the same. Not through reinvention, but by reawakening their relevance.

GLOBAL / MEDIA

The Age of Creative Maximalism

Collage by J A Dixon

A new report from YouTube Trends confirms what most creatives already suspect: Gen Z doesn’t just consume content – they remix it in real time.

Born post-Gangnam Style, raised in Minecraft, and fluent in meme-speak, today’s teens are crafting a new creative language defined by complexity, participation, and aesthetic overload.

Dubbed Creative Maximalism, this isn’t just a stylistic shift – it’s a philosophical one. In a world of sandboxed stories and co-created meaning, the spark is no longer top-down or solo. It’s distributed, iterative, and often anonymous.

That’s good news. Creativity is no longer scarce, and Gen Z isn’t waiting for permission.

Still, the core challenge endures. Maximalism may define the style – but great ideas demand clarity, truth, and resonance. Creativity isn’t about more. It’s about better.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

/Pablo Picasso