Murray Bell is founder and director of Semi Permanent. He also thinks great ideas are hard to come by, that our homes and cars are the future of tech innovation, and that we need to create “global design moments” in our ever-evolving industry. B&T sat down for a chat with the entrepreneur himself.
1. What do you think are the most exciting things in the tech and creative world right now?
The fact that design has the ability to radically transform our two biggest purchases – homes and cars.
Companies like Airbnb, being founded and led by designers are changing the way we not only live, do business, but create exciting environments to live and work within.
Uber, along with some other fantastic car companies like Tesla and Faraday Future are also going to change the game in how we move around cities, in beautifully designed machines and environments.
2. Do you think the creative industry has become complacent when it comes to original ideas?
It’s hard to create original ideas, yes, but it also makes great ideas stand out more.
Maybe we’re just in a phase of incremental creative evolution and advancement, but rest assured that when the leaders of our game unlock a new level (like VR, or autonomous cars etc), there will be plenty of creative thinking to be done.
3. What are you hoping to achieve with Semi Permanent?
As a company, to be a serious global design and creative platform. A collaborative hub like no other.
For our Sydney event happening on May 26-28 at Carriageworks, I want to create a real global design moment (Future State session presented by Qantas, among others) which inspire and enable creative minds.
4. What do you think are the trends shaping the future of the design and tech world?
Lots of worlds merging. Designers need to think holistically about projects. I think context is going to become a very important factor for people and business.
It’s not going to be about that single purchase or that single experience. Its about building a relationship with a brand over years, and subscribing to this.
With all the medical advancements also, we’re probably going to be living a lot longer, so you could have a relationship with a magazine, website, event, product for 10-20 years longer.
5. What technological ‘developments’ should we leave behind?
Nothing. Using VR as an example, it’s certainly not the final place for immersive storytelling. It’s a great iteration, and step, but we needed to make that to move forward and explore new ideas.
That said, I’m happy to say goodbye to pulling out keys to get through my front door.
6. What should businesses be doing to grow and thrive in a creative and tech-focussed industry?
Thinking ethically and with purpose, at the start of any process or project. Not talking at consumers, but having a conversation with them, and genuinely creating great value exchanges.
