Jobs Menu

Rebel optimism: Matt Owens on the Design Next podcast

As a designer, entrepreneur, and author, Matt Owens brings innovative thinking to the intersection of business, strategy, design and technology. So, when it comes to embracing change, he is a master.
He’s Co-Founder and Chief Design & Innovation Leader of Athletics, an incredible brand studio based in Brooklyn. An agency that started life in an old boxing gym, hence the name, they are now in the ring with partners like Google, Amazon, Zapier, MOMA, and Major League Soccer – amongst many others just as impressive.

How does he stay ahead? Rebel optimism. His mindset to confront the unknown with curiosity and confidence, not fear. His defiance against stagnation, in a positive way, will give you a boost to make your own leaps and bounds.

“Yeah, this might be messy, uncertain, and uncomfortable, but we’ll figure it out and something great will come of it.”

Just some of our fave Athletics projects

Matt has witnessed first-hand the seismic shifts that technology has brought to the creative industry. From the early internet to the launch of the iPhone, and now the acceleration of AI, he recognises the defining moments that reshape how we work. For him, today’s wave of AI is as transformative as moving from “the horse and buggy to the vehicle.”

He’s clear that embracing AI tools is no longer optional: they’re fundamental to how we generate and produce ideas

But Matt’s creative practice hasn’t always been so tech-driven… From skateboarding and punk rock, to writing books, running a gallery, and investing in a brewery, he describes his approach as demystifying the unknown:

“This is not going to get the best of me. We’ll figure out how to do this.”

Rejecting the notion of a top-down structure, Matt prefers to “lead from the middle” with leadership demonstrating possibilities, not just directing them.

Even in the face of speed (we are stealing his terminology; the “TikTokification of our lives”) Matt believes timeless design principles like typographic skill, craft, and taste will continue to matter. He imagines a world where smaller, highly skilled teams, supported by AI agents, becomes the future of creative collaboration.

Matt proves that adaptability is as much about mindset as it is about tools. His rebel optimism offers a reminder: change isn’t something to endure, it’s something to embrace.