Luke Woodhouse, Executive Creative Director at Ragged Edge, shares his 15-year journey from a four-person studio to a 40-person powerhouse creating category-defining brands.
This conversation explores the evolution of branding from nice websites to transformative digital ecosystems, revealing what it takes to create work that generates immediate business impact.
Luke discusses major projects including Wise's global rebrand and Solflare's bold cryptocurrency positioning, explaining how Ragged Edge works with clients who are "confident in the unknown" to create brands that users adopt and celebrate.
He shares practical insights on keeping concepts loose while opinions stay strong, collaborating deeply with in-house teams, and why getting comfortable with uncomfortable is essential for breakthrough creative work.
Key takeaways
- Self-selecting clients are the best clients—when you stand for something bold, people who share your mindset will seek you out rather than needing convincing
- Keep early concepts rough and loose to invite client collaboration, which prevents teams from becoming too precious while helping clients feel ownership of the direction
- The concept should be the creative director, not personal opinions—focus on communicating the core idea in the strongest way possible rather than aesthetic preferences
- Testing for distinctiveness matters more than testing for likability—brands need to stand out, and uncomfortable feelings toward something new are often positive signals
- Build real-life relationships at project kickoff and during initial concepts when ideas are most delicate and nuanced conversations determine direction
- Deep collaboration with product and in-house design teams three-quarters through the project helps stress-test brand elements and find the balance between disruption and usability
- Case studies that explain why and how, not just pretty pictures, are crucial for winning new work because people love ideas and stories
- Separation of self-worth from work is essential—celebrate talented people pushing hard while maintaining a "no ego" approach where the work is what matters
- Different means new, new means unfamiliar, and unfamiliar is uncomfortable—getting comfortable with this discomfort is where breakthrough creativity lives
- The trend toward agency and in-house teams working as one unified team will continue growing, leveraging client expertise on their business to get great work launched
Daring Creativity. Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic
daringcreativity.com | desk@daringcreativity.com
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