Our Common Interest events bring together a diverse design crowd, united by shared ideas and creative inspiration.
This time, 230 creatives packed into the Steel Yard for an evening of thought-provoking talks and fresh takes.
As this was our first Common Interest in London, we built on what we learned from our Manchester event — shorter talks, a longer break, and more time to connect.
Priyjah Paramasivam – Associate Creative Director, How&How
How & How is a branding agency spanning London and Los Angeles, known for liberating ideas that deserve a place in the world.
Priyjah’s talk summarised her personal journey of embracing her culture within her creative practice. While Priyjah is ‘South London til I die’ — she is also Eelam Tamil; from the northern villages of Sri Lanka.
Culture as a catalyst for ideas: Priyjah’s talk embodied the notion that creativity and culture feed one another, and she shared some personal work leveraging influence from both her 90s childhood, and the inspiration of her parents’ aesthetic preferences.
“If creativity relies on the world around it, then what makes you different will always be your superpower.”
Priyjah Paramasivam
Positive feedback from Priyjah’s talk poured into our inbox the following day! A lot of attendees recognised themselves in the subject and loved to see such an established design leader champion personal work.
Jay Topham – Founder & Creative Director, Unfound Studio
Jay took us through his journey from “small cog in a huge global machine” (his words, as a senior designer at Landor) to co-founding Unfound, a brand agency that puts culture first.
He shared his ‘non-negotiables’ — the principles that guide his work, helping him build a studio with a unique creative ethos.
“Design the door”
One of Jay’s non-negotiables: showcase strong concepts while leaving space for interpretation.
More than anything, his talk challenged us to consider our own timeless creative principles:
— What would you never do?
— What should you always do?
— What defines your approach beyond your workplace?
Safe to say, we’re still reflecting on this one.
Robin McNicholas – Co-Founder & Carolina Vallejo – Executive Producer, Marshmallow Laser Feast
Marshmallow Laser Feast is an experiential artist collective who believe in the power of stories to tickle senses and shift perceptions. Their work takes people on a multisensory journey to where imagination and information collide.
From coders to poets, chemists to ventriloquists, brands to institutions, MLF collaborate with specialists in all disciplines. To explore new forms of culture, interrogate our relationship with the world around us and leave a glittery slug trail as they journey through the cosmos…
And while we could describe what we saw, words will never quite do justice to a true visualisation of blood beating in the human heart, of a chicken experience that took years to craft, or seeing the perfect convergence of big tech and beautiful nature.
Let’s just say—you had to be there.
There’s more to come
This is just the beginning for Common Interest in London. More events, more speakers, and more inspiring conversations are on the way.
Join us next time. Until then, keep questioning, creating, and pushing boundaries.
