The truth behind building brave brands at scale - Simon Dixon

Mindful Creative with Radim Malinic

"If you're not curious and embracing change, the world will start to change around you. People often are afraid of change. It's a scary thing." - Simon Dixon

In this revealing conversation, Simon Dixon, co-founder of Dixon Baxi, discusses his 24-year journey building one of the world's leading branding agencies. He shares insights about creative confidence, managing change, and maintaining authenticity in an increasingly noisy design industry.
Dixon reveals his approach to leadership, learning, and staying relevant while working with global brands like Netflix and AC Milan. With refreshing honesty, he discusses the evolution from being a self-described "self-obsessed" young designer to becoming a leader who understands the value of collaboration and mentorship.
His perspective on balancing creative excellence with business acumen offers valuable insights for both emerging and established designers.

Key Takeaways:

• True creative confidence comes from understanding your right to create, rather than seeking external validation
• Change and adaptability are essential for long-term success in creative industries
• Focus on building systems and creative engines that can adapt to future needs rather than following trends
• Reading about behavioral science, physics, and human condition can make you a better creative than just studying design
• Success comes from understanding fundamental problems rather than just solving surface-level briefs
• Creating time to think and process information is crucial for creative leadership
• The design industry requires balancing commercial success with authentic creative expression
• Professional growth often means learning skills beyond pure creativity, like finance and people management
• Negative feedback often comes from a small but vocal minority - focus on the actual users of your work
• Building a lasting creative business requires clear values and the courage to stay true to them

Mindful Creative: How to understand and deal with the highs and lows of creative life, career and business

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