Nils Leonard: Stop talking about AI and make something
Nils Leonard has a simple rule for clients who book Uncommon, the creative studio he co-founded: produce work or pay more. "If you're with us for three months and you haven't made anything, we charge you 25% more," he said. "We're not getting paid to turn up to meetings. We're getting paid to make."
The studio's philosophy runs counter to the meeting-heavy culture that dominates creative work. Leonard sees endless discussion as waste. He avoids it by staying hands-on-designing, art directing, and writing alongside his team rather than stepping back into pure management.
The OFFF identity as a case study
At Barcelona's OFFF Festival in 2026, Leonard presented the studio's approach through its festival identity work. Uncommon brought groups of creatives in under the guise of networking events, then collected their germs. The studio cultivated these samples and turned them into visual elements used throughout the festival's branding.
"My fantasy is that someone does go in 18 months or in three years: 'Do you remember that time Uncommon made a logo out of everyone's germs?'" Leonard said. The work had practical impact-it was visible across the festival-but also carried a message about collective creation.
How Leonard manages without becoming a bottleneck
When asked how he avoids becoming a senior leader drowning in spreadsheets, Leonard said he treats his involvement like a utility. "Use me when you need me," he tells his team. "Is this good enough? Is it on the level we talk about? Is there any advice you need?"
He pushes back against the assumption that seniority means stepping away from making. "The best way to prove you're relevant is to make things that people give a shit about," he said.
When Leonard says no to clients
The studio turns down work based on specific criteria. Leonard won't work with clients who haven't heard of Uncommon's work, or with people he describes as abusive. The studio also refuses cigarette and betting company accounts.
But there's another condition: every client must be willing to make great work. If a client rejects an idea the studio believes in, Uncommon makes it anyway. "There is a learned behaviour in this industry of dependency," Leonard said. "We've had this great idea, who can we get to do it for us? We're just going to do it. Hell or high water, we're going to find a way to do it."
On AI and creative threat
Leonard sees AI as a threat that clarifies priorities. "Threats are very empowering. And frustration and impending change are motivating," he said. If AI removes 50% of the industry-the low-cost, high-speed content work-what remains is genuine radical creativity.
"We can't miss the chance, we have to use it to make radically original work," he said. The technology itself matters less than what creatives choose to do with it.
Design should aim for fame, not invisibility
Leonard rejects the notion that design should be a quiet, functional service. "Pretty and functional are not enough," he said. The design industry has accepted invisibility while advertising has chased fame. These should intersect.
He looks for this in hiring. When reviewing portfolios, Leonard prioritizes candidates who have made famous things. "If you come to me with a portfolio that's quite nice, that's one thing. If you come to me and there's five famous things and you say, I'm just getting started, I'm like, you're hired."
Mistakes and uncomfortable positions
Leonard said his biggest regrets come from listening to others and being talked out of ideas. His worst moments involve punching down or abandoning conviction. He's learned to seek uncomfortable positions instead-like telling a board they're wrong.
"It's a privilege," he said of being able to take that stance.
For creatives building careers now, Leonard's message is direct: make famous work. Build a relationship with visibility that's quick and unafraid. The portfolio matters less than what you've actually launched into the world.
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