"Growth comes through creative relevance" (Johanna Augustin bonus episode)

0:01Radim Malinic:Hey, welcome to another bonus episode of the Daring Creativity Podcast. I'm back to unpack some of the gems from this week's conversation, looking at those moments that deserve a second look and digging deeper in what makes them special. This week I spoke to Johanna Augustin. She's the CEO of the Pond Design, one of Sweden's most innovative packaging design studios. And as you can imagine, we talk a lot about packaging, data, passion, curiosity and everything that goes into their process. This episode was published a few days ago and it was titled Dare to Trust Your Creative Soul. And if you haven't checked out the full interview yet, let me start with these four moments that stood out from our conversation.

0:42Because for me, I love that. It's passion, it's confidence, it's something disruptive, it's something that someone is standing for. And I would buy that 100 % every day compared to the data. And this is also what we, in a solid way, are kind of creating and helping our clients with. Because, of course, we must lean into data to help our client to prove a point to a shareholder audience or what have you. But without the passion, without looking into the forefront, without the disruptiveness, there's nothing. so passion is everything and we're even speaking about growth through creative relevance so

1:29Radim Malinic:it all has to be there me and joanna shared the view on use of data and creative process it is essential to use it but it's not be all and end all it's really revealing to see how she champions the courage of conviction. We didn't say that data is the devil that we shouldn't use, but it was more about recognizing that breakthrough and innovation come from passionate vision and not what we call a spreadsheet in optimization. If you haven't listened to the episode, let me tell you that Johanna's got a degree in economics from Stockholm School of Economics, and her background makes this stance even more powerful because she knows the data world intimately and still chooses creative audacity.

2:18Radim Malinic:For anyone struggling to justify their instincts against market research, this is a permission to trust what you know in your bones. The world doesn't ask for permission. It demands attention through the force of its creator's belief. This is why we talked about that passion for the outcome always wins over data. so there are a lot of things that can be done then we also get a lot of critique because we I mean also being packaging designers we love this unboxing experience and my girls are generation alpha and they kind of sit in front of their computer and do this unboxing ritual like looking I told someone like this generation it's my future because they love packaging more than anyone that I've ever met apart from myself that started to collect boxes when I was like this very young I all of a sudden I discovered like I have a shelf of empty packaging why and they're like okay I need to pursue this a little bit more the packaging design it's so exciting and now I have an entire TikTok Snapchat generation with me like looking at their backpack who's reading a romantic copy on the back of packs entire generation alpha amazing in my world so all of these details we need to find more intelligent way to educate and entertain consumers and fascinating moment my children are not as old as johanna so luckily i've been spared of unboxing rituals so far but from johanna's view she's observing a trend she's witnessing a fundamental shift in consumer consciousness gen alpha doesn't separate a product from presentation the experience in packaging as entertainment communications and values of expression when you think about it validates everything through thoughtful design that we've been fighting for as creators for very long time we want our customers to pay attention and now that detail accounts that the words on the box matter the unboxing moment is sacred but it's also presenting a massive opportunity for this generation that demands better more sustainable more meaningful packaging because they're actually paying attention they're not passive consumers they're active participants in brand experience reading every word sharing every detail and holding companies accountable through social platforms.

4:54I guess you can summarize this moment with the

4:57Radim Malinic:fact that our current and future generations are paying attention to the fact that what we create as designers, as creatives and agencies like Joanna's is the truth of putting that passion over data into the product and making sure that people can relate to it.

5:20we're actually doing something that is making someone's breakfast a bit more happy, someone's day with a small surprise in the inside of the box or what have you. So silly things, but actually important things that makes our lives a bit more entertaining, maybe, or more educational or, yeah, something, something. and also what I love with packaging design is it it's something that you can really touch and feel and like the tactile feeling like you were on to like the working with varnish working with you can actually feel something when you're holding it's not just this AI generated slop that you kind of look at and you get a headache it's actually something that you can keep like I did in my 20s, keep in your shelf as a nice decoration.

6:15Radim Malinic:I just love how Joanna reframed what could be dismissed as just commercial work into something so much more genuinely meaningful. She refuses to false choice between serious design and everyday consumer goods. I mean, how many people even say like, hey, we just want to make your breakfast nicer. It's just such a refreshing thing. and she understands that the mundane moments, let's say a breakfast, a skincare routine, or opening delivery, those are the moments where life actually happens. And making those moments 1 % better, 2 % better, 5 % more meaningful actually compounds into better quality of life.

6:54Radim Malinic:This quote matters because it gives dignity to work that doesn't hang in galleries but sits in millions of hands. And it's also a masterclass in finding purpose. You don't need to cure cancer to matter. You just need to genuinely improve the texture of someone's day. And again, this quote, this moment, just shows why this episode was about the human connection, about the expression that links us all together. So there is kind of this increased pressure from consumers and also ambitions from companies, I see. And also more clever, creative ways on how to solve it. But also what we always try to infuse in our conversations with our clients is that please do be proactive.

7:48Because the worst thing is when you have to be reactive and there comes a EU regulation kind of. And there's, at the end of the day, there's a stupid kind of solution that everyone hates. That's the worst, I think. So if everyone starts to be a little bit more proactive and daring, we always speak about dare to do, dare to try. But of course, it's a challenge because it needs to go through production and speaking about food and drink, for example, prices are already very high. people are seeing so yeah in a way you get what to pay for it was fascinating to talk about the fact

8:30Radim Malinic:how joanna's studio really works to improve and educate client stories client products one of the examples was their work for jameson the irish whiskey brand when they really looked into a holistic way of how the packaging could be thinner how it can improve on sustainability and all being done before the curve catches the brand because what i mean with this is the fact that legislations change the legislation makers to some people's dismay i catch enough to bad practices and it is important to make products more sustainable to make them easier on the transport potentially amid less co2 because from joanna's experience she was talking about how she's watched many brands scramble to comply with sustainability regulations, producing clumsy solutions that satisfy lawyers but frustrate consumers.

9:26Radim Malinic:Her insights is that reactive compliance just creates mediocrity, while proactive innovations creates competitive advantage. Companies that dare to lead on sustainability don't just avoid regulatory pain, they build brand equity with exactly what the generation alpha consumers demand anyway. This moment challenges the prevailing corporate mindset that sustainability is a cost to minimize rather than opportunity to seize. It's also a call to creative courage. Don't wait to be forced into better practices. Dare to pioneer them. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Joanna. There was so much I've learned about her studio, about her, about their way of working, her non-linear path and her curious creative soul that it's an episode I cherish as a part of this season.

10:22Radim Malinic:If you haven't checked out the full episode I can only encourage you to give it a listen and I look forward to catching you on the next one. If you enjoyed this episode and would like more accessible resources to help you discover your daring creativity, you can pick up one of my books on themes of mindful creativity, creative business, branding, and graphic design. Every physical book purchase comes with a free digital bundle, including an ebook and audiobook to make the content accessible wherever you are and whatever you do. To get 10 % of your order, visit novemberuniverse.co.uk and use the code podcast.

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