Laura Stein is chief creative officer at Bruce Mau Design, a multidisciplinary brand and design studio leveraging creativity as an instrument for change. Her journey as a strategically minded design leader has led Laura to work with a diverse array of iconic brands, from Sonos to the Hutchins Centre at Harvard University.
With a broad career covering brand, print, motion, digital, and environmental design, Laura's work has been recognised by Cannes Lions and D&AD, alongside featuring in books such as Designing Brand Identity and Dynamic Identities. As part of our 5 Questions series, I caught up with Laura to discuss the power of design, the trap of worrying about relevance and her journey as a self-proclaimed "lifelong learner".
What’s a secret about your industry that people should know?
Design is a powerful force. Many people think design is making something pretty but in fact, if done properly, with insight and strategic thinking, it can have a profound impact.
What’s your creative pet peeve?
Anyone who works with me will tell you I’m a bit obsessive about using quotation marks and apostrophes properly. Some programs default to hash marks. I don’t like that – curly quotes please!
What does staying relevant mean to you?
I don’t really think about relevance; I think about doing good work.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever ignored?
“Ask for help when you need it”. Somehow, it’s often a challenge to ask for help. My first inclination is to just take it all on. Which can have negative repercussions. I got this advice in a review many years ago and I’ve been working on it ever since.
What would be the name of your autobiography and why?
Head First: Journey of a Lifelong Learner
I’ve often put myself in situations where I’m not an expert, which is always exciting, interesting and scary. I tend to jump into the deep end and take it from there.
