10 Lessons from Interbrand’s Ben Miles

Ben Miles is a total legend who’s spent the last 10 years working at top studios on big brands. His career has taken him from London to New York and now Sydney, where he’s a Creative Director at Interbrand Australia and led the charge on major projects like rebrands for AGDA and Sky TV. We love his fresh approach to design and creativity—encouraging playfulness, embracing failure, championing collaboration and radiating positivity. 

As you can imagine, we were pumped for Miles to join us for a guest lecture at part-time #shillosyd. Here are 10 smart things he said during the talk:

1. “There are three things I think are really important: collaboration, ingenuity and imagination.”
   • Collaboration—”It’s never about the individual. It’s always about collaboration and like-minded people coming together.”
   • Ingenuity—”is incredibly important when you’re trying to do things differently and push the boundaries.”
   • Imagination—”The world is becoming more and more automated, but the one thing that will always rule is imagination.”
2. “It’s important to change things up and not get too comfortable. Keep learning.”
3. “I went traveling after university, which was brilliant. It totally opens your eyes to different experiences. And those experiences somehow find their way back into your creative work or way of life.”
4. “Australia has a real appetite and energy to make a difference—it’s an exciting time to be a designer in Australia.”
5. “Hiring young designers keeps everything and everyone fresh.”
6. “Let’s create better experiences through design.”
7. “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.”
8. “A brand is more than how it looks. It’s how you experience, interact and engage with it; an ecosystem that focuses and preempts the needs and feelings of your audience.”
9. “It’s not just about what something looks like! If it doesn’t communicate or become more effective it really doesn’t matter. Always ask yourself, how could I make this better and more meaningful?”
10. “We’re not just designers, we’re problem solvers.”

Huge thanks again to Ben Miles for sharing these amazing insights. Be sure to check out his website and follow him on Twitter!