In the age of Artificial Intelligence, you could be forgiven for thinking that creativity in design doesn’t matter anymore. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We believe it matters more than ever. The more ubiquitous AI created communications become, the more important human developed creativity will be. Whether it’s aligning your visual brand with your strategy, developing a flexible toolkit that has stretch and longevity, or ensuring your next campaign has cut through in the sea of sameness, creativity is essential.
What is Creative Intelligence (CI) and why does it matter in today’s AI-driven world? Here are six thoughts we shared at our recent event:
So, what do we mean by Creative Intelligence? One important aspect is about creating a smile in the mind of your audiences — that moment of wit, surprise or cleverness that makes ideas memorable. The phrase comes from the classic design book A Smile in the Mind, a long-standing favourite among designers. Its premise is simple: creativity that makes people think and feel is far more memorable.
Take the FedEx logotype, with its hidden arrow between the E and X — unnoticed at first, but impossible to unsee once spotted. Or the Guild of Food Writers logo, whose fountain pen symbol cleverly hides a spoon in its negative space. But it’s not just about logos. The same principle works across all kinds of creative expression. When Channel 4 said goodbye to classic TV show Friends, it rearranged its own logo to spell Ends Fri — a simple, but clever and memorable creative idea.
Heinz used Creative Intelligence to evolve its brand, crafting a bespoke font inspired by its iconic keystone shape and logotype. Familiar yet fresh, it gave them an instantly recognisable font that linked back to their heritage. Their witty “It has to be…” ad campaign built on that, swapping Heinz for the food you use their products with — confident, understated and unmistakably theirs. Even newer brands like dog lead company Ultraderp show the power of an intelligent idea: a letter U, shaped like a dog’s tongue, extended playfully across every touchpoint.
That’s one definition of Creative Intelligence — clever, witty ideas that make people smile in their mind.
Another side of Creative Intelligence is the importance of making a human connection — the kind that appeals to the heart as much as the head. In branding and communications, there’s a long-standing debate: logic versus emotion. While people like to think they decide rationally, we know real decisions are driven by feeling — even in B2B. Because at the end of the day, we’re all human.
When MP3 players first arrived, brands led with features: storage size, battery life, price. Then Apple changed everything. Its iPod campaign didn’t talk about that — it simply promised “1,000 songs in your pocket.” Instantly relatable and deeply human. Apple repeated the trick with its “Shot on iPhone” campaign — showcasing what was possible, using real people’s photography. It aims at the heart rather than the head, because they knew what their audience really wanted.
Pedigree took a similar approach. Rather than focus on dog food, their Adoptable campaign centred on their purpose — ending homelessness for dogs. Each ad featured a real rescue dog from their local area and a QR code enabling adoption. Another example of a brand that makes a human connection, this time by using emotion.
And this thinking works just as well in B2B. For global law firm Freshfields, we created an early careers campaign using genuine trainee voices and authentic photography to show what life at the firm is really like. Wherever you saw the campaign, it was all about using authenticity to resonate with their target audience.
Whether it’s dogs, devices or law firms, Creative Intelligence means putting people at the heart of your communications — and making that all-important human connection.
Creative Intelligence is also about knowing when to collaborate with experts from different fields, to get the best possible creative result.
Take Vetsmiths, a brand we built on the belief that being a vet is more than a skill – it’s a craft. We developed a graphic language using typographic elements to form distinctive illustrations of animals. To add further warmth and emotion, we collaborated with reportage photographer Ian Weldon, capturing authentic, emotive moments between vets, owners and their pets. The result – a distinctive, emotive brand identity that won awards for its creativity and heart.
For Man Group, a global investment manager, collaboration took a different form. Their TargetRisk product inspired our messaging based on “We see risk where others may not.” We partnered with renowned illustrator Noma Bar to bring this to life through clever animations — a wolf hidden among sheep, a cactus lurking among balloons — each one revealing a hidden risk.
And what about collaboration with AI? We see it as just another creative partner. Notion AI, for instance, worked with an illustrator to design a digital assistant with a real human touch. Using hand-drawn doodles to express emotion, they turned artificial intelligence into something authentically human.
Because whether it’s people, partners or platforms, it’s all about knowing who — or what — to collaborate with, to make intelligent thinking even more creative.
Creative Intelligence is about more than generating ideas – it’s about enabling exploration and evolution. Allowing a project to take a genuine creative journey gives it room to grow while freeing people to follow their instincts. This openness is essential for fostering originality and avoiding predictable results. It also helps teams move beyond entrenched ways of thinking, providing the clarity needed to align a brand’s visual identity with its strategic goals.
Our rebrand for the law firm Bristows, exemplified this approach. What began as a focused brief to work with and develop their existing graphic language, evolved into a complete reimagining of the brand. Through collaborative workshops, the process uncovered what made the original designs meaningful and found more effective ways to express it. The result was a new narrative, visual system, and set of guidelines built from the ground up.
Similarly, the Berlin Philharmonik’s 60th anniversary campaign became an act of discovery. Shifting focus from the musicians to the concert hall itself, the team celebrated the building’s unique architecture through a series of expressive prints. These evolved into standalone artworks and a flexible graphic language that was used in their communications.
Both examples show how embracing a creative journey leads to deeper, more resonant outcomes.
Flexibility is at the heart of enduring creativity. After the excitement of a rebrand, a flexible design system ensures that the work continues to evolve and remain relevant. True creative intelligence builds toolkits that can adapt – balancing consistency with freedom.
The Film Fest Gent rebrand illustrates this perfectly. Inspired by the movement of a film reel, the identity captures dynamism through bold colour and pattern combinations. Its visual system adapts fluidly across scales – from immersive environmental graphics to detailed programmes and posters – demonstrating a design language that thrives in motion.
When the RSPCA rebranded for its 200th-anniversary, the wide-ranging graphic language reflected the organisation’s breadth and allows it to flex from playful communications to powerful campaigning messages.
For the Institution of Engineering and Technology, flexibility has ensured longevity. Centred on an equals symbol representing positive impact, the brand has extended naturally across campaigns, employer branding, and core brand communications. Its simplicity and adaptability allow it to evolve over time while staying recognisable and purposeful.
Across these examples, creative flexibility transforms design from a static solution into a living system capable of growth.
Creative Intelligence also thrives on surprise – those moments that challenge expectations and create emotional connection. Doing something unexpected isn’t about difference for its own sake; it’s about delivering originality that feels relevant and, therefore, memorable.
Specsavers achieves this consistently, but notably with their recent Welcome to Melbourne campaign, which used witty, location-specific humour to engage audiences in an inventive, on-brand way. Palmetto, a solar energy company, flipped industry conventions by rejecting the usual restrained tone of the sector. Instead, it embraced exuberance – ‘Life on max, bills on min’ – capturing the freedom of clean energy without compromise.
We took a similarly bold approach when working with M Group to rebrand them in 2024 and set about developing a vibrant and unexpected visual brand. We deliberately pivoted away from the masculine, technical and engineering focus common of the sector and towards warmth and optimism, using rich gradients and delicate illustrative elements to bring the brand to life. We supported this with a logo that symbolises continuity and reflects the perpetual and integral nature of the M Group’s vision.
Finally, Channel 4’s ‘We’re the Superhumans’ campaign for the Paralympics remains a masterclass in creative audacity. By celebrating ability through exuberant music, humour, and emotion, it turned representation into inspiration – garnering millions of views and reshaping perceptions.
Each of these projects proves that unexpected creativity, when guided by intelligence and relevance, has the power to surprise, delight, and leave a lasting impact.
Creative Intelligence is what happens when curiosity meets clarity. It’s the balance of insight and imagination that brings ideas to life — clever, human and unexpected. And in an age increasingly shaped by automation, it’s this distinctively human intelligence that will continue to make brands truly stand out.
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We understood the firm’s key differentiator, leveraging this insight, we created a new positioning ‘Closer Connections. Exceptional results’
What should we take into 2026? What are the trends we should be aware of? And how do they apply to the world of B2B?
Whether you want us to be frank, bright, able or all three, get in touch.
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