Great design has never been just about making things look good. At its best, it shapes how brands are understood, remembered and ultimately chosen. As businesses demand clearer proof of creative impact, design leaders are increasingly being challenged to connect craft and creativity with strategy, performance and measurable growth.
Emma Follett has spent more than two decades doing exactly that. Now Co-Chief Creative Officer at Design Bridge and Partners, President of the Craft Drum Jury and one of the featured speakers at this year’s Golden Drum, she has worked across everything from entrepreneurial start-ups to some of the world’s most established brands.
In this exclusive interview, Follett explores how craft can help brands build distinctiveness in an increasingly crowded marketplace, why great design must go beyond aesthetics to drive real business impact, and how creative leaders can shape strategy rather than simply execute it. She also shares her perspective on nurturing the next generation of designers, the importance of giving creativity time and space to flourish, and why the future of design lies in the powerful intersection of creativity, strategic thinking and business value.
Many brands are striving for distinctiveness. What role does craft play in helping brands stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace?
The ever-increasing demand for people’s attention in a highly competitive landscape where brands are fighting to be seen and within a landscape where there are multiple ways to engage with consumers means that brands now need to show up with a highly honed Brand Identity.
Within this context I think craft plays an incredibly important role in consistency and making every moment matter. Brands must express themselves in a way that is truly unique in order to stand out in that noise, with a clear single-minded message. Brands need to build the infrastructure that makes great work inevitable.
The more you show up with consistency the more your message is amplified and truly felt. Every output adds to the asset, not resets it to zero.
The value has migrated from the thing you made to the system that keeps making things. What’s scarce now isn’t execution — it’s integration, alignment, judgment, taste, and direction. A less literal interpretation of ‘craft’ you might say!
Design is often judged on craft and aesthetics, while business leaders focus on effectiveness. How do you ensure that beautiful design work is also fundamentally effective in driving brand and business outcomes?
You need to design brands with the power to move people. Stirring emotions and driving action. Really thinking about the impact that you want to have on those you want to reach. Understanding what matters to people and what’s memorable for them. Beyond just beautifully designed work we need to translate what a brand stands for into how it stands out. And make that as unique and memorable as we can!
You’ve worked with both global heritage brands and early-stage startups—where do you find the most creative freedom, and which environment actually produces the most commercially impactful design work?
I don’t find that you have more creative freedom with one vs the other! I genuinely find that the challenge is what opens up creative freedom and produces the most impactful work. Really digging into the opportunity and understanding the shift that we need to make unlocks the ambition!
In many boardrooms, design is still seen as execution rather than strategy. What do you think design leaders need to do differently to prove that design is a driver of business growth, not just brand expression?
Design’s value is increasingly measured by its ability to drive business outcomes, not simply shape perceptions. Brands that connect creativity, data, experience and performance will have a competitive advantage.
Design will continue to be viewed as execution until we as Creative leaders can prove its impact on business performance.
Design leaders need to move beyond talking about process, aesthetics or outputs and demonstrate how design drives growth, customer preference and competitive advantage. In a world where AI makes execution increasingly accessible, the true value of design lies in strategic judgement, creativity, business insight and the ability to connect brand decisions to measurable outcomes.
As design leaders we can understand business strategy as deeply as creative strategy, use evidence and data alongside intuition, work across disciplines rather than defending disciplinary boundaries and help clients make better decisions, not just better assets.
You’ve invested heavily in mentoring young creatives—what do you think is missing most in the next generation of designers: craft excellence, strategic thinking, or the ability to connect creativity to business value?
I am not sure that you can say that there are things missing in the next generation of designers, I feel there is something missing in the way that we are bringing the next generation into the industry. How can they be missing something when they have only just begun?
We must remember that what we have all learnt is also a craft, in whatever part of the industry we are in. We all started with a blank sheet of paper, a mind buzzing and full of ideas and someone has mentored us and given us the time to craft our skills. Learning on the job, building our knowledge through each experience. We now expect the next generation to come through and get going! Because of the speed with which we are all working today and the tools we have available. And of course they are very adept within this new environment. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t allow them the time to hone their craft. The importance of research, the importance of a sketch, the importance of time to explore ideas and to get things wrong, the importance of what if! Creative freedom is vital to get to exceptional work.
I think that the next generation of designers coming into the industry is exposed to a very different industry than before, a highly tuned strategic creative industry where the impact of what we do for the brands we partner with is always the focus.
How often do you see design leaders genuinely shaping business decisions, versus design being asked to “decorate” strategies that have already been decided by commercial teams?
I see design leaders genuinely shaping business decisions, the way that we work together is in true partnership with our clients and brands today. This is where we can have the greatest impact.
In client relationships, where do you draw the line between productive collaboration and compromising so much that the design loses its ability to create real brand or business impact?
I believe that it is our duty to do everything we can to make sure that we fight for and provide strong strategic thought to support all of the design decisions that we present and that we are clear about why we believe they are right for the brand.
Join the creative community at Golden Drum. Secure your delegate pass and experience the ideas, talent and conversations shaping the future of our industry. Showcase your best eligible work in the Golden Drum Competition. The deadline for entries is 8 September 2026.
