Sam Mensah Bonsu is a Creative Director and Experience Designer at Microsoft, part of a small team shaping how millions of people interact with AI through Copilot. ~

From tracing Dragon Ball Z printouts borrowed from his brother's college library, to creating a candy typeface that went viral in 2013, to landing at AKQA on the Nike Football account and later advising C-suite executives at McKinsey. 

Sam's career has been a masterclass in following curiosity with full commitment. He founded Youth Worldwide to mentor underrepresented emerging talent and champion design education at a time when it was being defunded from schools. Now at the forefront of AI experience design, Sam reflects on what it means to make things that not only look good but genuinely change lives.

Takeaways:

• Creativity is a give-and-take system — inspiration received must become inspiration returned
• The entry point defines who gets in; lowering barriers is itself a form of creative leadership
• Speaking multiple creative languages — design, strategy, business — builds longevity and lasting influence
• Going to McKinsey wasn't selling out; it was learning to communicate value and impact at the highest level
• Youth Worldwide was built to mentor underrepresented talent and make design education feel possible
• AI doesn't replace creativity — it eliminates the gap between thinking and making
• The most powerful shift AI offers creatives is the freedom to think bigger, not just work faster
• Being at the forefront of change requires constant adaptation and the courage to occupy unfamiliar rooms
• Your power lies not in fitting in, but in standing out purposefully and communicating value on your own terms
• One poster influences thousands; one great AI experience has the potential to shape billions

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

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[00:00:00] ​

Samuel: And I feel like the way to really describe it is like the perfect assistance. If you're trying to start. Creative idea or a project or a business. These are the questions you can ask, this thing, the questions that you need to ask to do that sort of thing, that particular project that particular idea you can use it at the beginning or the middle or the end.

 The beginning, wait, you have no idea what you wanna do or how you're gonna do it. What even is that's on your mind. But just ask and talk to it and see what happens. can have it in the middle, or you have a faint idea of what it [00:01:00] is, but you need to sharpen it or grow it and expand it or use the other end, but you're pretty much almost done with the idea. 

Radim: Welcome to the Daring Creativity Podcast, a show about daring to forever explore creativity that isn't about chasing shiny perfection. It's about showing up with all your doubts and imperfections and making them count. It's about becoming more of who you already are. My name is Radim Malinic I'm a designer, author, and eternally curious human being.

I am talking to a broad range of guests who share their stories of small actions that sparked lifetime discoveries, taking one step towards the thing that made them feel most alive. Let me begin this episode with a question. Are you ready to discover what happens when you dare to create? [00:02:00] Today I'm speaking with Samuel Mensah-Bonsu a London based creative director and experienced designer at Microsoft where he's part of a small team shaping how millions of people interact with AI through copilot Sam's journey is one of relentless invention from a bedroom creative, chasing the magic of movies, to agency work, to boardrooms, to mentoring the next generations, to designing experiences used by millions.

At every turn. He moved toward the biggest change happening in the world, armed with more languages than the room expected him to speak. In this conversation, we explore what it means to build a career on curiosity and generosity.

How giving back became the foundation of everything Sam does and why AI is our invitation to stop thinking small. It's my pleasure to share with you my conversation with Samuel Mensah-Bonsu 

Podcast Welcome

Radim: Today I'm speaking with Samuel Mensah-Bonsu, a [00:03:00] London based creative director and experienced designer at Microsoft where he's part of a small team shaping how millions of people interact with AI through copilot Sam's journey is one of relentless invention from a bedroom creative, chasing the magic of movies, to agency work, to boardrooms, to mentoring the next generations, to designing experiences used by millions.

At every turn. He moved toward the biggest change happening in the world, armed with more languages than the room expected him to speak. In this conversation, we explore what it means to build a career on curiosity and generosity.

How giving back became the foundation of everything Sam does and why AI is our invitation to stop thinking small. It's my pleasure to share with you my conversation with Samuel Mensah-Bonsu.

Meet Sam

Radim: Hey, Sam, it's great to see you. How are you doing?

Samuel: All good. All good. How are you?

Radim: I'm all right. 

I'm excited to learn how some of the biggest software companies use ai, where you slot into in the process, and actually, how did you even end up working on AI in one [00:04:00] of the biggest software companies in the world? We are gonna join the dots.

We are gonna go high and low, left and right, front and back to find out who is Sam. So for those who may have never heard of Samuel Mensah-Bonsu, who are you? What'd you do? How would you introduce yourself? 

Samuel: I'm, firstly just honored to be on this platform you know, big fan of daring Creativity just yourself in general as well. So, looking forward to what we talk about today. Yeah, I think like in a nutshell Samuel Mensah-Bonsu is just a creative that's trying to use creativity to improve the world in some ways, essentially, so I started out very young and wide-eyed trying to make very cool things. I was just always inspired by just the idea of visuals from movies to music videos to anime. I just wanted to make cool things now more developed. I want to make things that still look cool, but also have something like in terms of making a world better in some way, essentially you know, using design and creativity to improve lives is what I'm into, 

Movies That Shaped Me

Radim: you mentioned movies, you mentioned music videos. What sort of era are we talking about? [00:05:00] what was, what

was inspiring you? 

Samuel: so I'm born in 1990 slightly younger than you, just a little bit. so pretty much it was this case where it's like movies from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jean Cole Van Dam to action movies sci-fi fifth element, the Matrix.

I always go back to the Matrix as an inspiration foundation. just in terms of the ideas, the concepts, the visuals it just always reenergizes me in terms of his creativity and what's possible. that's my North Star almost as my favorite movie.

I've seen bil like a hundred times that kind of era essentially and going into the two thousands. Things like dragon bullseye, things like just anime, like in general, essentially spirited away. These are my awakenings in terms of saying yeah I like that I wanna reproduce that.

Like I wanna be able to draw that and remake these things that inspiration that it gave me. I wanted to make things that in turn and inspire other people essentially for a long time. I thought the greatest thing that you can do as a creative is to inspire someone [00:06:00] to also make things as well.

you wanna make things you. I make people also want to make things, so for a long time, even before like I discovered the internet in all the blogs and Devi Art and Beehan and things like that just making things that, allowed other people to go, wow I wanna go and make something as well.

Now that was my thing. So when I did discover the internet, that I just took it to a thousand I was inspired to create more things and then that made other people wanna create things as well. And that was circulation. That's what inspiration that creativity is about just the give and take of the universe just giving us things and we make things and give it back.

That's how I see the world essentially 

Homage And Giving Back

Radim: I am interested that you improve the world and inspire others.

it feels quite responsible, like a responsible creativity right from the start. Because telling me through all of these amazing movies the nineties classics and the two thousands classics that have shaped so many lives and those movies were there to [00:07:00] entertain and you are forming your sort of visual tapestry of these ideas and inspirations. But I'm thinking Was there any hindrance to the innocence that you were creating? Because I'm sure it was, it was a lot more spirit free to what you're describing. But Was there the initial seed of that visual responsibility of actually creating for others, where did that come from?

where did that feeling of needing or wanting to inspire come from?

Samuel: that idea like of in Benevolence is that, I thought someone made this the thing that I'm looking at say Kill Bill. Like that's one of my favorites of all time things in the visuals that are in there. Someone made that and I was like, okay I wanna take that and make something that is almost like an homage to replicate it.

 That's what you do. you replicate you pay homage to the thing that inspired you. Even from the beginning my design philosophy like, oh, creative philosophy, has always been about homage. Paying back, giving back, inspiring others, 'cause end of the day [00:08:00] it's an essence of, free energy and free inspiration essentially. So we take it and we make things and we give it back to the world, essentially. I don't know where it came from. That's a very good point to make. And I never really saw it like that, like until now, but, but absolutely.

Like even from the get go, I've always been. A case of giving back and an understanding that it's not for me to hold onto it's for me to make things where I can give back. And the goal is to try and inspire others. I can show people I can give it out there if it does amazing, but, but maybe sometimes it doesn't.

And even those times that's okay as well. But the goal is to always make something that aims to inspire the next person. It's like domino effect essentially. Yeah. 

First Creative Experiments

Radim: I'll wheel out a question I haven't asked for a very long time, and that is, do you remember the very piece of creative work you actually made?

Samuel: So, it was a case where I used to beg my brother to, because he was in college at the time, I used to beg him to go to the library and print out images of Dragon ballsy I can, so I can bring them home. So I can [00:09:00] draw them as well, basically and just, replicate it. So that would be the case of just asking him to go and print these cartoon two characters out and then they'll come home and I'll trace them and I'll draw them or I'll paint them as well, essentially.

 That was my sort of like introduction to creativity as essentially and it was case I'm just copying I was learning just how to do it. I was trying to be as good as the original even though that was never the case, right? But that's how we start just trying to do things.

And even when I discovered Photoshop like it'll be a case where like I'll try and replicate movie posters I'll try and. Do my own take on them. I can duplicate them. Replicate them. Okay. Those guys in the big studios they probably did it like this, right?

They used that sort of layering effect on masking effect, and then they did it like that. And then, and it that so, a lot of the time it was just me paying on my, to what I've already seen and duplicating it, but also learning as well at the same time, just how these things are done. Because there was, there's a huge level of fascination that came with, it felt like magic, like what, when you saw something incredible or like a nice [00:10:00] film or a poster it was magic to me and a lot of times it still is that people are able to make these things I know we'll get to it, but that's the reason why I'm so ated.

With AI basically, is that we're able to make magic just like this these things are taking hours or days or weeks before we can now do it like in a few minutes and a few dollars but we can make some really cool things. And that level of magic, like it is always really inspiring me and it's still in there like it's still a key part of the creative process it's magic and, and, So like I fondly remember those early days and what it meant to create and have the privilege and ability to create with tools, whether it be a printout or an Adobe creative suite or the bare bones being able to make something that I felt like the original thing that, that inspired you.

Yeah, man, amazing times.

AI Versus Craft

Radim: Sam, I don't wanna push back on what you just said because you [00:11:00] talk about so eloquently and so passionately about all of the craft that was going to kill Bill Matrix, all of the other movies. I'm, one's ever mentioned Jean Claude Vanda or Osh Schwarzenegger on this, on podcast yet. And then you said, we use AI to make magic, and I'm like, none of those people used AI to make magic.

That wasblood, sweat, and tears. But we'll talk about AI because this is currently where you are at a forefront with Microsoft, but I'm looking at your CV and crikey, you've been anywhere.

Like this is, this is very. Beautifully, linear, non-linear CV in a way. Like obviously your sort of your creative history and what makes me really pleased to see that you've been talking about the nineties music videos and visuals, and one of the first few jobs you had was for MTV and British Film Institute.

So actually you've gone exactly the 

curiosity was taking you. Am 

I right? 

Samuel: exactly. That's so interesting. 

BFI Campaign Breakthrough

Samuel: 'Cause even those things that they were like internships or very quick freelance projects. But, but yeah. And even those [00:12:00] campaigns, particularly the British Film Institute, that was a product that I did.

So whilst I was in uni like in for the BFI and I was able to have the opportunity to do the campaign for the Future Film Festival which is a festival emerging directors, producers, filmmakers, stuff like that. And the campaign's tagline that I created was to enter the magic of movies campaign that I did.

So at the time it was just me, like my friends I had my SLR camera. And we went around London and I literally just took posters of them jumping in the air. But the concept was that when they jumped, I'll take that image into Photoshop and I'll erase them so I can literally be their clothes that's remaining.

So I'll erase their hands, erase their feet, erase their heads. It'll just be the clothes. 'cause the concept was that they've been transported, like into the magic of, of the film when you're in the cinema or the theater. The film is so good. You feel like you are in the film. So you've left your body almost, so that was the campaign I made and I was like, maybe [00:13:00] 19 at a time or something, or 18 at the time. And yeah and they published it. So that was the first time I actually saw my art being on billboards like in Waterloo with the BFI is it was a huge moment for me and I was like, wow I had this idea, like my bedroom I'm now it's like a national campaign basically it was a good feeling. And even then I was always like magic 'cause creativity, like film making. All this stuff is magic. 

From Film Dreams To Design

Samuel: I explained as well, but my initial career direction is I wanted to be a director. Like I wanted to make films, but the entry point for films in doing films, making films really hard.

Like you needed to get funding, get the right big, enormous cameras or whatever, essentially. And the entry point was really difficult. Whereas for me to be a designer, like all I needed was my laptop and a cracked version of Photoshop and I was able to begin making things, so I felt like for a lot of people [00:14:00] the entry point of difficulty, based on availability and things like that. 'cause if things did go my way and I was able to get the resources I need to start making films the way I wanted to, then I would be a director right now in doing that but I've always been involved.

Photography and direction and filmmaking and everything that I've done even when I start making life fonts as well in 2012 a big part of that was the influence of films within the campaigns for those fonts that made people just go, whoa so I've always carried that in my work in a sense even the work I do now as well.

That's why, again, the AI thing is just, film is just so cool and magic, so I'm always trying to just bring it into what I do.

Radim: I liked your ambition. I liked your ambition that you are just barely out of the gates and you're like, I don't have funding to be a director just yet. But you know what? There's a, crack version of Photoshop, so maybe I'll just use that, but you never know because the way we accumulate our [00:15:00] skills and knowledge and understanding of how things work if you managed to pull it off and get a budget and produce a movie, how many of 20-year-old directors are they? 

 when you're talking about the sort of breaking point into the industry. You need to prove yourself. Like people need to know how they spend money, right? At least from my understanding. Whereas the entry point and how you did it and obviously where you arrived and what you've created is, like it's all data points that add up together to you are today.

Landing At AKQA

Radim: So I can see that you've gone and got a proper job at A KQA afterwards.

 What did that feel like? Because obviously when you're describing from this point of storytelling, creating your time faces, being inspired by movies a proper big screen, you got to work on some amazing accounts that sounds like you got to actually put it all together,

Samuel: Yeah. 

Radim: Deploy your skills.

Samuel: Yeah. That was the culmination of an entire childhood of experimenting and being inspired and doing more things outside the classroom than [00:16:00] probably the average person. Did like had a million side projects. One of them was developing my own type phases.

In fact, I developed two type phases whilst I was in uni, showcased them as my final projects and stuff like that. And actually three, technically I also made one off suites as well, which is the one that the creative director at A KQA. At my degree show, NLCC, left and Castle, this was July, 2013.

And. At the time, it was so many people come to you give you business cards you talk and you schmooze. I didn't think anything of it we had a good conversation and then, the very next morning maybe an offer to join a KQA specifically on the Nike football account as well.

And it was just like, this can't be real, and it felt like an overnight success. but again it was a combination of sort of years and years of really working hard to, prove myself of my skills, talents, and vision to say, yeah I deserve to be at particular agencies or do [00:17:00] particular work essentially, so it felt good that was the beginning, essentially you so you work so hard to get to that role. And then that role like is. Is the end of the beginning, but then the beginning of the rest of your life, basically, in terms of, okay, now you're in the industry, now you're working towards creating a legacy in terms of your like amazing work and amazing clients relationships, impact all these things essentially.

So I credit my creative director, his name is Dav. I dunno where he is right now, actually. Dav, yeah. he changed my life, man and now 13 years later. I'm still here

He had a good idea time. 

Candy Font Goes Viral

Radim: if the internet's anything to trust I literally, I found a piece of I want candy poster, and it's an article from 2013, so it's 13 years later.

Samuel: Viral. That was what going viral looked like in 2013, by the way, being featured on, on all these blog and everything like that was our language in terms of virality 

Radim: but it was still early [00:18:00] 2010s, it felt more innocent because yes, we are gonna talk about magic and ai, but this is all Photoshop. All of this stuff is either been by 

hand or Photoshop, 

Samuel: that's made by hands . So that was me again, just doing something like in my bedroom where I literally went to the pick and mix bought 10 pounds worth of sweets, bought like, an a one sheet of paper, literally just drew the outline of the font. And I did it in two styles.

One, like in the style of avantgarde. Typeface another one in the style of Tica and the Tica one was the one that really took off essentially so I carefully arranged the suites and the sprinkles like, on all the things. I was carefully arranged then I literally just got my SLR camera in a very sort of makeshift studio light, like in my bedroom and took pictures of these like manipulated them in Photoshop.

And that was it, essentially very makeshift and very toil and sweat could be done in 10 seconds now in ai. But, that was the reality. And it was so simple, but that was it, 

you know? 

Radim: it makes me think [00:19:00] engines have been actually trained on that picture just to say, Hey, what does sweetly look on?

 But you're talking about a time where I can look back cast my mind back and think like in Photoshop, where we tried to do by hand, like how many more physical things may have present in our work.

And then obviously the software got so much better recreating it digitally so you're like, have you got an idea in five seconds? Yes. Here we go. Go.

Why McKinsey

Radim: But I think the other sort of important part of your experience learning was working for McKinsey, 

which is not what I would normally expect or know from a designer to, to know, to, to find themselves.

So it shows me the way the curiosity was going

Samuel: that has led you to where you are today. yeah. Absolutely. I think to really understand that I need to go backwards so, I need to spend more time just ex explaining. KQAA little bit more. So a KQA I was able to work on some of the most impressive brands in the world from Nike to Google to Virgin.

 List goes on essentially and I was really just [00:20:00] infatuated with how these companies work and do their campaigns and do their rollouts. Like I was fortunate enough to work on the campaign for the World Cup for Nike. I was fortunate enough to do the branding like an identity for Virgin sports the, now defunct sort of brand under the Virgin umbrella.

 I was a very interesting process where it's like I understood just how things work at that level. Specifically the course I studied at university was advertising. I've always been fascinated. Advertising where design and business meet where creativity and business meet so like in, in my youth like my younger years, I used to believe the pinnacle of that was advertising.

If you do a really good poster, like a really good commercial to sell a product or service or anything that in turn makes us spike in business. And therefore business is successful. So that was always my passion to really see design and business be married at the top essentially.

And yeah for me that was a KQA and I was really just working [00:21:00] towards that. And then I started a point I realized oh you learn more and you grasp more, and then you realize, actually, you know what, there's more to this. 

Product Design Shift

Samuel: So even before my foray into, mcKinsey was my for way, like into product design so leaving alone art direction and visual design and drifting more into product designs. So UX and ui this was at a time where the mid 2000 tens so 20 15, 20 16, 20 17, where the product designs slash uxy sort of industry was really blowing up.

they becoming like a real thing. We saw the emergence of tools like say sketch. And it became a reality. So again, it's by the entry point, it's about the availability and the way to get into things essentially so one of my final projects at A KQA was like a UA qi project for the BBC, for David Attenborough specifically, it was an art, it was an app that was an archive of all of Attenborough's.

So work at the time so literally decades and decades of [00:22:00] footage and archives sorted into one place where People can go see it essentially that got me really engaged and intrigued and pretty much in love of UX UY developing products ' cause even then before that I worked in some Nike apps some concepts as well. That never really got anywhere. Bear in mind the reason why like a QQA was who they were was because of the Nike apps they developed the web experiences and stuff like that, that that really took over that I was a real catalyst in terms of that sort of error in terms of smartphones the running app they made just when we were able to see, so beginning.

Using smartphones in our everyday lives. That revolution, like on the smallest screens in our world now became the most interesting place to design for essentially the, I the mobile device that became the most popping thing to design for at a stage. And that was, that, was just inspired me to go more in that direction.

So just before like I went to McKinsey like I left a KQA and [00:23:00] actually worked at this design studio called Native Design where I was more so focused on like industrial design. So I was able to work with architects in industrial designers developing real products physical products for the first time, so I was able to apply my UX and UI onto the tiny screens that, that will go On a stereo or some speakers or a laptop or a driverless car. These are the kind of things I was able to work on. and it was really good. But at the same time I was like, I want a new challenge.

Like I want to go like in the most sort of corporate environment to really see where I can take us to the highest level in terms of where design and business meet. 'cause that was still my passion, and I still hadn't done that yet. And the opportunity in McKinsey came knocking at the door.

The recruiter just reached out to me and said, Hey you wanna join you and do this? And it yeah, let's give it a try. let's see where it goes. and boy, was it a journey? it was two and a half years of traveling the world developing products and services for [00:24:00] large conglomerates, robbing elbows with.

CEOs and C-suite leaders and really instilling design and design first culture in companies that never seen this before. So design led thinking, design protocol now taking the forefront before they didn't even care about design led approaches. That's becoming the forefront look of these things.

 And it was a case where that was a very special time. It was all inspired by IBMI feel like they were the catalysts in terms of really beginning to invest in design at that time that then inspired all of the other consultancies like a more sort of business led firms to begin to do the same thing, so that was a real sort of turning point like in industry got at the right time and rode that wave essentially myself as well. Yeah.

Inside McKinsey Rooms

Radim: What a journey, because I want to know about you in those situations, because you're talking about journey, which for some, that's already beautifully non-linear path [00:25:00] into what, what you've kinda set out to do because you've taken it from a big screen to the small screen as you say.

 That was where people were designing for for their mobile phones.

what I'm also feeling now is that to me, it can feel like it's a linear story, but it's a non-linear story. With the experience, you've decided to, obviously that it's the business and it's the creativity.

 And you mentioned yourself being in a room with C-Suite leaders and CEOs that old still when you're in that Windows rooms and you're trying to what I believe, would you describe, it sounds quite big and robust change in some of these organizations. How did you feel in those situations?

 like a minute ago you were talking about Kill Bill and Van Dam, and now you're talking to CEOs and, big companies about design led culture. So how did you get through it?

how did it go?

Samuel: Oh man, I was shaking myself and that was the whole thing about it that I love that time so much. Okay. So pretty much the way I've meandered someone of my background [00:26:00] creatively doesn't really end up in a place like McKinsey. That's why a lot of my previous colleagues were just like, what the hell are you doing in In their eyes it was selling out, because I came from a very traditional graphic design, topography, like illustration sort of background. And then there's almost you're selling your soul to the man, basically by going to, to McKinsey. So you don't really, it takes a very specific kind of individual to.

Done what I've done in the past my design upbringing and I make the transition to a McKinsey essentially. 'cause the kind of folks that go to McKinsey, are much more systematic, sort of thinkers. the more methodical designers that didn't come from like an A KQA or making candy fonts in their bedroom.

They didn't come from that essentially it just showed type of mentality of what we high in terms of being that bridge and still being a connector to understand, oh, this is where design and business design and commerce meets at the highest level. And these [00:27:00] are the steps to take and to understand that.

Okay. Yeah. 

Learning To Stand Out

Samuel: Like it means you need to speak. Many languages the language that I've been speaking for the past decade of my life at the time and then learn these new languages around, say, strategy corporateness methodologies and these things.

And I had to learn these things and becomes so equipped and so believable, like inefficient in it that they believe that I've always been this way, but I hadn't it's something that, that was learned and taught essentially, so when I find myself in these rooms one of my bosses at the time he made me realize that you're not here to fit in you are here to stand out purposefully, your power in a company like this isn't how you stand out, 'cause at the time I used to come to work wearing suits like everyone else basically. And it's and it felt good to wear a suit to work.

It was like, that's not You and you don't need to do that. And your power is not in that. Your power has been able to be who you are, but still communicate value and impact the way you can to these other folks that wear suits and ties every day. [00:28:00] And when I began to understand that.

I felt a lot more comfortable in those rooms with the C-suite leaders. ' cause at the end of the day all we're communicating is value and impact and you can have all the suits, all the fancy numbers like in jargon an elaboration. But if you're not saying anything that really drives impact like in direction, not saying anything relevant essentially, so that became my new language essentially an impact and value and if I was able to communicate those things and I could wear beach shorts and sandals and Crocs and I could still do that essentially. But it was a real, rigorous time, of sharpening and learning. And I was sweating all these things, every single meeting, and it's what's gonna happen today? You never knew what was gonna happen every day. What was a new movie? You never really know just how was gonna play out. but thankful for how it shaped me more than me in terms of being the thinker like an ideas person.

Creative Versatility Pays Off

Samuel: That I'm today because that means that my arsenal is so solid. Like I'm robust and strong in terms of being able to speak various creative languages [00:29:00] not just one a lot, or two or three, but that's how it sharpened my Outlook.

Radim: I like what used the term of speaking different creative languages because the graphic designs that were telling you that you were selling out

 are barely speaking one language of graphic design and it's about being versatile because ultimately where all of this Got you, which is now we work for Microsoft and the AI team. It wouldn't have been for, if it wasn't for any of these previous steps. you have picked up all of these snippets, all of these pieces together, you glue them together and became who you are now 

Launching Youth Worldwide

Radim: So before we get there I think it might be appropriate to talk about what you did when you started around 2015 because you created Youth Worldwide, it's a global creative outfit that is dedicated to showcasing emerging creative talent. And when you started at the beginning with the words inspire and improve, that feels like a natural side project that I feel like it's fits in with the narrative of where you got today [00:30:00] on that mission.

So where 

Samuel: yeah. 

Radim: come from? Youth 

Samuel: Yeah. So that was a case where I was like I'm, at the time I'd been at say A KQA for two years. I felt like I made it like I felt like I was a rock star working on the coolest projects, the coolest clients, and there's a part of me that, that felt like I wanted to give back in some way to to take on, younger creatives like I mentor them to show them just the creative ideas I have and to work on particular projects together, essentially. Because I felt okay, I'm at the top of the mountain let me see if I can bring people up with me, essentially that was essentially the emotion, again, going back to the whole sort of inspiration giving it back paying it forward.

That so was just being on my, DNA essentially that was truly just inspired by me surrounding myself opening up myself To work with and collaborate younger creatives to do really ambitious projects and showcase their work from developing a clothing label to doing [00:31:00] architectural foundations for homes like in Africa, essentially in so many very ambitious things that I was doing with very, not unqualified people, but very young people that wanted to do this as their careers essentially.

So working with young architects like young tailors, young videographers animators and giving them the foundation and the space to create work. Give them budgets to create, produce, work to give them the things I didn't really have, and I was coming up essentially to do all these things as a showcase.

They work. At exhibitions you so like I put up the money to, showcase the work in these venues so people can see, they can have that feeling of what it felt like to have the work be seen by hundreds and to pay it forward in that way essentially that was the ambition essentially.

Design Education Mission

Samuel: You We did it successfully and then that summer, like of next year went to Ghana to do, some teaching for a week at Ghana's only design [00:32:00] university called a Sheta University. And it just inspired me that this is the way forward in terms of what youth worldwide can and should be an art a creative collective, yes.

But then also like a platform that encourages and seeks out to uphold Design education and to understand the value of design education as well, to make a viable opportunity for young people to know about as well. Essentially ' cause we live in, a time where creative education, design, education, like it's been stifled out of schools.

The defunding the art design programs every single day from schools, from colleges, from universities even it's not respected the way it should be. And youth Worldwide was a very strong sort of disruption to say, no, we believe it should be back in schools.

And why we believe it should be. The industry is thriving. So many people are talented and deserve the opportunity to work in the industry, but nobody knows how to do it so the thing was demystify a lot about the industry, to show them just how [00:33:00] diverse and deep like it does go, and to educate them on that at a younger age as well.

So not by university level, by primary school level, they should be learning about careers in the industry and just how diverse they go from screenwriters to animators, stop motion to all these things that exist and will exist in the future as well. To say that a career in this industry is not only worthwhile but necessary in terms of actually just keeping creativity alive, and thriving society, 

Representation And Mentorship

Radim: around that time when you were promoting, when you were working with View Worldwide 

 You actually said that. Black designers as one of the, one of the mottoes that drove you to push this forward. It says, black designers are never placed at the forefront.

 How did you find it as a person of color in what is, let's be honest, predominantly white industry.

you said you were on the top of the mountain because obviously you were pushing, you were striving, you were what you were achieving. But how did it feel for you to fit in, to belong? What did it feel like? Because [00:34:00] I can see from your philosophy and from your strive to inspire and to empower and to uplift others.

 That's great. But it's sometimes being the first one to do it or one of the first ones to do it, or pushing for the hours to do it it it's a lot heavier than for any, anybody else. So 

how was it for you? 

Samuel: That's a great way to put it. For me, like it felt just natural. It felt like this is my duty and what. I should be doing because just hoped and prayed that if I ever got to that position in the first place, this is what like I'm going to do. Because when I was at my level when I was younger, there wasn't that person to look at to help me.

 And this is where I'm really gonna tell a story of a mutual friend of ours called ds. DS one of the first black people that I saw like in the uk that was [00:35:00] where I wanted to be. DS as the founder, or Studio Blup, one of the leadings of independent sort studios and agencies in the uk.

And that was the only example, even to this day, I think like specifically the model, graphic design. Visual design, it's still. The only example that I've seen that benchmark of someone that's been able to penetrate and be accepted. In that sort of community and industry, like in that way, essentially that was, he was the first, not me it's a funny thing that question should be asked to him eventually, and it's like, how the hell did he feel like? But again, I felt like the way that he mentored me, took me under his wing, is what I wanted to do for many others that came after me as well, essentially in terms of the impact that they can make as well.

Essentially if we just put some energy and some belief into these young creatives as well. When I use the words [00:36:00] underrepresented I was speaking to people that look like me from places that I'm from as well, essentially like specifically working.

 Towards showcasing them and their skills and talents to a broader range. I believe one of the young designers they were working with at the time was 15 years old and the work that they did with us meant that they got a scholarship to college, to university, stuff like that as well.

meant that we were doing something right and there was something there that just felt right as well in terms of this is what we should be doing. And this is the direction that I should be moving in essentially My only thing was, is that I got to an age where I got a mortgage and therefore, like I had to be very cautious of money in terms of just how much I was splurging on everyone and then it wasn't really the same after that.

But I still just remember the impact that was made like in those few years where I was able to just give them everything that they needed and where their careers are now and the cohorts that happened after that. [00:37:00] In terms of the other young people I've been able to work with as well, I know the impacts like of taking the Manial wing like I'm really supporting them and seeing them flourish essentially now that's evolved into my new platform, create a supply where again it's more case of teaching the hustle, showcasing the hustle giving those gems of knowledge and information that allows for folks to to fulfill the creative destiny. But ultimately, yeah, again like it's always.

 Based on giving back and educating and and uplifting and encouraging folks to, to tap into their talent, tap into their gift to go for greatness 

Serving Others Philosophy

Radim: when you talk about creative supply you got this quote which says, my cheat code is simply to always remember that it's about serving others. How can I give more value, create more opportunities and self humanity in the best way? It's what I mean. You are at that stage for very long time that some of [00:38:00] us get in the season three or chapter three because it's, first it's about me as in when you when you egoistic sort of designer and then it's about okay, I'm here for the company. We can do for us.

And then you go, okay, there's what is the, we, not the royal we, but like the society. What can I do for the others outside the working environment more like on, on the level of society. And I feel like. You're doing a lot for others. What I was doing for you at that time, because you mentioned obviously the contact from A KQA that changed your life, obviously set you on a path, 

but do you have a person in your life that is actually there for you and pushing you and helping you?

Samuel: Yeah one of my best friends since college days, he's been the one that's been pushing me as well. And of course my wife as well. Those are probably the only two people that really know everything and have been with me like in every step of the journey and really understand just how my brain [00:39:00] works in terms of what.

Things I wanna make like where I want to go in my career as well. 

Proving Value Through Work

Samuel: But what's funny is that like I, I never really think about just what others can do for me, basically because I feel maybe it's my personality, like I'm always like, a very Transactional I'm very transactional in terms of I can prove my value if you give me the opportunity. That was always just what I wanted to do. Like even back when I was in uni and I got the opportunity to do an internship for Gilbert and George the famous British fine artists and I was living in the studio in shortage that job was given to me by my topography teacher in uni.

And. By me just going up to him and saying, Hey what else can I do? Like outside of class, I can help You I know. 'Cause I felt like so much information and knowledge that he gave me. Like I wanted to pay him back in some way. 'cause it's, again I saw my brain work essentially what value can I bring essentially?

And he said, look I used to intern for Gilbert and George when I was your age. Do you wanna [00:40:00] intern for them as well? At the time I had no idea like, who they were. And I was like, yeah, of course. Let's do it. And that was again, like a really big milestone in terms of like being in industry, like working for these artistic legends.

But again, just proving my value an impact and proving why. I deserve to be here. I can be here. You should use my skills in my mind to to improve what you are doing essentially. So for me, design and creativity's it's always been like a very sort of selfless thing essentially.

It's like I have these abilities and it's up to the people around me, whether it may be Gilbert and George or Microsoft, to say, Hey, we wanna tap into that. We want to use your abilities to improve what we are doing. And it's a case where it's yeah, sure. If the price is right, then absolutely.

Absolutely. Tap into me like, use me you know, McKinsey a lot, Nike or whatever. and that's my thing as creatives as well, essentially, is that we're just vessels that companies and [00:41:00] firms it tap into for our style and our flair. You've had a very specific artistic style.

random and like I've tapped into that. I've seen the value you've been able to make. Like even you developing your books as well, again, showcasing that value like in book format, which inspired me a great deal to start writing or thinking about things beyond just being a designer essentially.

That was a start to thinking bigger in terms of, okay, with designers, our voice can't just begin an end and be hands there, there's more we can do. There's other ways we can inspire folks and make an impacts go direct to consumer in different ways you know, and really sort of share the impact and learning and that, that's always been my idea is how more can we reach people?

Path To Microsoft And AI

Samuel: And how more can we be that vessel, what is the reason why I've always wanted to work for the biggest company in the world. I dunno how, but my new one day, it's gonna happen. It was just eventually the time was gonna happen because I wanted to [00:42:00] be I think you mentioned this as well and it's something that I say I always wanna be at the forefront of where the greatest change is happening.

So at the time in a KQA the Nike running app, biggest thing in the world at the time then the McKinsey design and business was changing the world in so many ways. Then the Microsoft the way that I went to Microsoft was 'cause they acquired a startup called Flipgrid that was teaching of learning app at the time during the pandemic.

That's when I joined during the pandemic. This particular app in blew up because of the fact that remote learning. Teaching was the go-to thing that time, that summer. And they got like an insane influx of users and they needed some new designers to go and work on that. So I worked on the camera and the actual main experience of the particular app itself.

 And then afterwards like I, I then sort transitioned into like other parts of Microsoft as well before landing like an AI department two years ago. And I've been here ever [00:43:00] since. But essentially no ma and even after Microsoft whatever happens after that. I think something to say is that I always want to be like at the front line of designing creativity, where the biggest change, the biggest revolution, the biggest disruption is happening is where I want to be.

' cause I feel like that's where the most interesting part is and that's what I wanna give my services and like a, and skillset as much as I can essentially. So yeah that's been my philosophy. As well.

Radim: It's very good, Simon. It's very good. And I kind of the reason why I wanted to ask you about is there someone for you, has there been someone for you? But it sounds like you had, you have encountered an interesting bunch of people to show you the way and they were generous with their energy and this is I feel like potentially could be one of the inspirations because when you talked about A KQA, you said I was on the top of the mountain, but being at the forefront of the pack, it's like.

You, there's more space to, there's more space to breathe. There's more space to move because you might be [00:44:00] taking yourself to unknown territories, but ultimately it's you who chooses to do that. Because when you talk about it, it made me think of like cycling analogies. When you've got the lead, riders are usually the front of the Peloton because whatever kicks off, they're less likely to get taken down by the crash behind them.

So that's why you stand, to stand the front because you have to work harder while you're at the front. And that's what matters more. the way we've joined these dots together today it's remarkable because the amount of generosity and good value in what you creating is. It's a story of its own this is why I wanted to highlight your story about how you go from one thing to another because you want to be in those rooms because you strive and you adapt and you reconfigure your know, you retool your skillset set and go Hey, I can change with the things that I am.

Because you could have easily stuck you mentioned be Behind, and I remember your fund releases you could have been there and there trying to launch a foundry and now complain about the fact I have everyone's steal the fund and no one wants to [00:45:00] pay for it. And this is this and this is that.

 But. feel like the ability to speak different design languages with different creative languages is what provides the longevity and also asserts you as a person of influence with your voice and with your philosophies of how actually we can all succeed based on where you taking your tribe.

So I did say that I was gonna pull you up on the fact that you said we can create magic with ai. So now you work at Microsoft on, on the back of Flipgrid, got inquired by Microsoft, which is something that you, I guess you do, you couldn't really plan for, ah, now with Microsoft. But your world has changed and I feel like everything that you've been telling me so far, and obviously the life that you lived creatively and professionally, how did it come about and how did you find yourself working?

Yeah, as I said at the beginning, on one of the biggest software companies in the world, at the forefront of working on a copilot and on other AI products.

Samuel: it's been a very interesting journey in sense of I think, like I mentioned, yeah, like I [00:46:00] always saw myself being like a a company with this eventually maybe not in this way, maybe like in another way, maybe but was always like in the plan somehow to be like in the driver's seat to the point that you made as well of being at the front as well.

Designing In The AI Era

Samuel: It is scary especially now that we're here in the AI era leading the charge as it were. Being one of the handful of designers that are in charge of creating these experiences, millions of people use every single day that are shaping this era, essentially of ai.

Like what. We're stepping into like sort of responsibility to understand just what we're doing. Like in the impact that we're making in terms of no longer am I just developing posters for the BFI, now we're shaping just how users are interacting with technology and shaping their entire lives.

Like my first taste of that was an A KQA and that's the reason why I also go back to that and say I can make it an influential [00:47:00] poster like an influence a few thousand people, or I can make an influential app like an influence, a billion people. And that's, that was what again, just mainly me realize, okay, eventually I'm, I'll get to the point where I am doing something along these lines, designing for a co-pilot.

But but now that we are here, yeah. It's a real challenge to actually fit those shoes and actually take it on. I can do it right. There's a lot of. Morality thinking as well, is this the right thing to do? Is the right way to do it? And I think more than anything, I'm always just thinking about the user what they need in the current moment in time, what makes their sort of experience as beneficial and useful as possible.

' cause specifically copilot as well, it's more of a productivity app so it's not like Hicks Field or or vo you know that create AI visuals and slop as it's commonly [00:48:00] referred to sometimes. It's more used for real world application making your day more efficient.

Answering very pertinent questions that, that allow your ideas to be sharpened. I always say AI allows us to think bigger in every sense of the word. Essentially, it frees up our mind to let go of the mundane and the more sort of menial things in life and to think bigger. 'cause now we know that AI can take care of a lot of these sort of simpler stuff.

I think specific, specifically

say designers and creatives as well, specifically, right? They're in a place where I feel like to take real advantage of it needs to think bigger. So no, really no more now, are you thinking, oh, how am I gonna make this app that does so and no. Now I should be thinking, how am I going to create an experience that really revolutionizes and changes the way people.

See and experience. So and so we've gone from [00:49:00] being in the weeds of Figma to being now an open world again, thinking what's really possible like in our lifetime we've got 50, 60, 70, 80 years if we're lucky. What can we do to really make a change? And I feel like AI has level, the playing field in terms of making us being able to answer those questions to dig deeper to become more streamlined and thought in thinking to do things faster, essentially.

That, that allows us to think bigger in general understanding that potential and designing for the experience is really what excites me. Is it scary and daunting still, of course. But at the same time having that privilege that, that allows people to really open up and really s.

See the possibility of existence is what excites me to do what I do. 

Radim: we need people to think bigger,

and that's very subjective because some people are scared to think even medium size and bigger. Obviously I agree with you, but it's one of these things is okay, how would you do that?

Because you [00:50:00] said it provides lots of answers to questions. And again, we are at that phrase where we always will be, some people will be asking every question. Some people will be scared to ask any question. It's like, how do you formulate that curiosity that. Almost tells people that there is questions to be asked because there's answers to be gained in the way of actually getting the benefit and the gain of what's coming back.

Because you talked about co-pilot being productivity it potentially is not a tool that's being used by creative people from let's say, from my understanding or potentially assumption. I'm sure that there, there is definitely use cases of this, but when you think about the old Henry Ford quote people wouldn't want car, they would just want a faster horse or a stronger horse.

And it's just like, how do you educate, nudge suggests inform people that AI is doing some of these things because. having previous [00:51:00] conversations with Bob, with people in various capacity at the forefront of it on the side of it there are different tools for different things and it's just it's almost like we are going back to the software categories.

When you had a crack copy of Photoshop, now you've got, obviously Adobe sort of stands for creativity, even though they do lots of their stuff. And then you've got others and others. So we've got these acronyms, we've got AI for as a sort of sub subjective term for a lot of technology.

And then it's like, how would you pick the right place and how do you pick the right stuff and how do you even tell people what to do? Because some people might be AI observers, some might be AI early adopters, 

Samuel: Yeah. 

Radim: who wins, who's doing it right?

Samuel: Yeah. 

Why Early Adopters Win

Samuel: Oh, the adopters will always win. Getting stuck in there like not being on the sideline. Here's the thing we never go back in terms of technology. You, in the same way when inflation hits and the price of eggs go up and then never come down again.

Yeah. That's technology. Once [00:52:00] something is here, we rarely ever, if ever go back to it not being here as essentially. So learning it and becoming familiar with it is what is useful to simply just. Stay relevant and stay afloat as well, essentially so it reminds me of Photoshop like what happened in the industry, the way it changed, it got flipped on its head when it came into when it came into the game.

The thing about AI is that it's like that times a thousand essentially what really excites me like is how like it will change everything, and it is changing everything, not only in terms of how we as designers or creatives produce things, but the entire workforce what that looks like now what it world look like in 10 years time, essentially.

Where creatives will still bring value. Even in 2016, the World Economic Forum said that by the year 2030, the most valuable skills that creatives can have is imagination. [00:53:00] Imagination and creativity to make things out of nothing. It's 2016, by the way. Before the AI era was upon us, they were saying this and I still believe it stands in our, in terms of our value, is still being able to wield these tools around us and be imaginative and creative.

But the point you made as well as to how we coach and coax and guide users to being more imaginative to, to open up, that's something that we try and do every day. Essentially the like in terms of the right way to use the app the right way to ask certain questions.

AI As Creative Assistant

Samuel: And I feel like the way to really describe it is like the perfect assistance. If you're trying to start. Creative idea or a project or a business. These are the questions you can ask, this thing, the questions that you need to ask to do that sort of thing, that particular project that particular idea you can use it at the [00:54:00] beginning or the middle or the end.

 The beginning, wait, you have no idea what you wanna do or how you're gonna do it. What even is that's on your mind. But just ask and talk to it and see what happens. You can have it in the middle, or you have a faint idea of what it is, but you need to sharpen it or grow it and expand it or use the other end, but you're pretty much almost done with the idea.

We need to tighten the top. Package it, present it create all the small mistakes that I may have, essentially, whatever it may be. Or if it's a book or a film or a business project or anything that is a tool that you're using now that saves you so much time. Just wondering that that was always been my sort of pitfall is that I spent so much time just thinking about as to what to do and how to do it, and now I save all that time and give it to AI essentially. And I say, okay, this is how you can do it. It's [00:55:00] not the definitive way to do it, is how you can do it like that. And that in itself. Just plays so much of a part, like in me visualizing what success looks like as I can see a step by step process to actually achieving something.

 And it may not always work, but at least now I'm on the road to making things, to producing things, to making action. That's the main thing that I feel like AI has given us creative is that bridging the gap of action, of thought and action that gap being information and data.

That's what we have now. We have that information now so that bridge of thinking and action, is now being decreased or completely eradicated. Even now, we can go straight from thought to ai. It's a real action and therefore get a creative ideas out faster and easier. And that in turn allows us to think bigger, to think about more things that we can do with it as well.

'cause now the mundane things are done and we can [00:56:00] do much more exciting things with it too.

Closing Reflections

Radim: It's very true what you're saying. I appreciate your view on all of this 

because Yeah. Some of the things I could challenge is I was spend spending too much time thinking about thinking, and 

now sometimes having time to think feels like it is the biggest privilege of life because that's where the imagination comes to life.

But thank you for sharing your journey with me today. It's something that I wanted to highlight in this series just to show like how you've created your career standing on the top of the mountain for most of it because you wanted to be there because you actually got yourself there.

So thank you so much. I find it fascinating and yeah, I look forward to our next conversation whenever that happens in the future.

Samuel: Absolutely. I'm very honored for the time and for the platform and yeah, was a pleasure talking to you. 

Radim: You are welcome. Thank you. 

Samuel: Cheers.

[00:57:00] Thank you for listening to this episode of Daring Creativity Podcast. I'd love to know your thoughts, questions, and suggestions, so please get in touch via the email, in the show notes or social channels. This episode was produced and presented by me Rad Mal. The audio production was done by Niall Mackay.

From 7 million Banks Podcast. Thank you and I hope to see you on the next episode.