{"id":15770,"date":"2025-10-31T14:30:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T07:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/design-leader-seen-studios-blair-cooper\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T14:30:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T07:30:30","slug":"design-leader-seen-studios-blair-cooper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/design-leader-seen-studios-blair-cooper\/","title":{"rendered":"design\/leader: Seen Studios\u2019 Blair Cooper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blair Cooper is creative director at Seen Studios<\/a>. The London-based retail design, activation and content agency works with clients like Dr. Martens, Meta, and The North Face.<\/p>\n

Design<\/h4>\n
What would your monograph be called?<\/h5>\n

Experiences May Vary: Blurring the Lines Between Store, Stage and Story.<\/em><\/p>\n

My career has allowed me to bring many brand stories to life, through permanent retail spaces, seasonal campaign storytelling moments and experience led activations. All my work shares the common thread of storytelling and connecting with a specific community.<\/p>\n

The blurred lines happen when we start to express these branded experiences in new ways always challenging what has been done, with what can be done.<\/p>\n

What recent design work made you a bit jealous?<\/h5>\n

In permanent retail design, Australian interior design studio In Addition<\/a> has created some stunning work for local brands such as July and Hommey. Their material sensibility and use of form are beautiful.<\/p>\n

On the experiential side, shout-out to the recent work by the Nike Brand Creative Team for Area 72 in Berlin<\/a>, an immersive running hub launched in time for the Berlin Marathon.<\/p>\n

The space combined product innovation storytelling, performance analysis and community-led events, connecting all the dots architecturally, experientially and purposefully.<\/p>\n

In terms of a seasonal campaign, the windows created by Hotel Creative for Moncler x Edward Enninful<\/a> were sexy. Mitch Crook and the Hotel team replaced static mannequins for live models walking through extreme landscapes between sand and snow. Enigmatic, visually stunning, and a real hero moment for the product.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s an unusual place you get inspiration from?<\/h5>\n

Footwear \u2013 the combination of materials, colours and forms often inspires a material palette or design direction.<\/p>\n

Plating \u2013 from minimalist and refined to gluttonously maximalist, cultural nuances come through in the balance of textures and forms. Food and the way it\u2019s presented has always been inspiring.<\/p>\n

MagCulture \u2013 a brilliantly curated magazine store in Clerkenwell that always delivers a creative boost when I need a visual recharge.<\/p>\n

My team \u2013 particular the Gen Z designers in the studio. Their algorithms, weekends and semiotics are all completely different to mine. I love overhearing everything that is outside of my own every day.<\/p>\n

Name something that is brilliantly designed, but overlooked.<\/h5>\n

The Apple wallet, because not having to carry 30 cards around makes life beautifully simple.<\/p>\n

An insulated stainless steel water bottle, a permanent fixture on my desk and a daily reminder to stay hydrated.<\/p>\n

The humble air mattress. I\u2019ve just had my mother visit from Australia, so this one is front of mind. What a masterpiece of convenient, space saving comfort!<\/p>\n

What object in your studio best sums up your taste?<\/h5>\n

My Double Parked coasters. I designed these back in 2020, as part of a furniture collection I wanted to launch but never focused my energies on.<\/p>\n

The idea came from hosting many dinner parties with friends. I realised we ran out of coasters, and had to pick what it sat under \u2013 water glass or wine glass? So I designed a coaster that could hold both at once.<\/p>\n

Recycled rubber meant it was slip-proof, whilst a pop of neon orange kept it playful. I\u2019m always about an accent colour. As simple as it is, it sums up my taste perfectly: purposeful objects for meaningful moments that don\u2019t take themselves too seriously.<\/p>\n

Blair Cooper\u2019s Double Parked coasters<\/p>\n

Leadership<\/h4>\n

What feedback felt brutal at the time, but turned out to be useful?<\/h5>\n

The advice was not to be the first to the punch, or the loudest voice in the room. To take people on the journey, rather than meet them at the destination. Albeit, sometimes I still struggle with this one!<\/p>\n

What\u2019s an underappreciated skill that design leaders need?<\/h5>\n

Empathy. It\u2019s not always about clients, deadlines or ROI. Sometimes it\u2019s about the fundamentals of understanding, kindness, humility, vulnerability and togetherness.<\/p>\n

Without this, you can have a technically strong and super driven team, but one that feels like a system, rather than a family that supports each other.<\/p>\n

What keeps you up at night?<\/h5>\n

My friends and family across multiple time zones \u2013 NYC, LA, Portland, Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast. No matter what time of day it is in London, there\u2019s always someone on comms.<\/p>\n

What trait is non-negotiable in new hires?<\/h5>\n

Energy and resilience.<\/p>\n

Complete this sentence, \u201cI wish more clients\u2026\u201d<\/h5>\n

\u2026appreciated the process. Creative ideas aren\u2019t like a tap you can turn on and off, they\u2019re more like a stream \u2013 flowing, and in motion. Sometimes the stream runs fast, sometimes a little slower.<\/p>\n

The process of design and the way designers process information means we never switch off.<\/p>\n

But clients need to allow time for ideas to form with real substance and story, rather than pushing for quick turnarounds just to tick a box. Most projects do feel like the timeline is thin.<\/p>\n

\nWhat to read next: <\/strong>design\/leader: NOT Wieden+Kennedy\u2019s Adam Rix<\/a> | design\/leader: Fluid\u2019s Stacey Bates-McCue<\/a> | design\/leader: Conran Design Group\u2019s Lee Hoddy<\/a> | design\/leader: Jolie founder Franky Roussell<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blair Cooper is creative director at Seen Studios. The London-based retail design, activation and content agency works with clients like Dr. Martens, Meta, and The North Face. Design What would your monograph be called? 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