The real fundamentals of creative leadership: Christian Widlic, Global Head of Design at Intuit Mailchimp, on the Design Next podcast

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This week, we sit down with Christian Widlic, Global Head of Design at Intuit Mailchimp to talk about Constant Creative Change.

Having worked across the globe at some of the most influential studios shaping the design landscape (hello, Nike, Collins, and Sagmeister), Christian is a firm believer in getting the fundamentals right. While that might sound a little basic, the truth is far from it – maintaining high standards, true heart for design classics, and setting yourself creative principles are all key to effective creative leadership.

Having been involved in the rebrands of Burger King, Spotify and Instagram (wow), and spent time in studios at Nike, Collins and Sagmeister (wow again), his experience is fierce – but his leadership style is not.

“I’ve learned that saying ‘I don’t know’ can be one of the most powerful things a leader can do.”

Christian describes his early career as a series of lessons in learning to let go of ego. Over time, he’s become comfortable saying “I don’t know,” and encourages younger creatives to embrace that same openness. He believes vulnerability and honesty are strengths, not weaknesses, and that creative teams thrive best when they feel safe to explore ideas, without fear of failure.

Because failure, as we know, is one of the most confronting changes any creative has to deal with. On his move to New York, only 2 agencies responded to his (sometimes unconventional!) applications.

Since then? His work has been celebrated across every major global creative award, including D&AD, Cannes Lions, National Design Award by Cooper Hewitt, Type Directors Club, Graphis, and Dieline. In addition, he was awarded the ADC Young Guns in 2017 and represented Norway in Cannes Young Lions. Phew.