“I’m into art, and we love collaborating with artists,” he said. “Art makes you think; art builds a relationship between the artist and the viewer. Working together to search for the solution builds a connection on an emotional level. It’s similar to what we do when designing digital experiences, but without a brief.” 

As a result of their dynamic vision and collaboration with artists, Beckett’s team is able to produce drastically different styles of work, all of them impactful and imaginative. “We don’t have ‘usual work,’” he said. “The benefit of us being an agency is that we have so many talented people who give us a massively diverse offering.”

Beckett and his team are the recipients of nine Indigo Design Awards, giving their work credit and due praise, as well as quelling any personal doubt that they might have about the importance of their design. “The Indigo Design Awards are validation for the hard work we put in,” he said. “You definitely help curtail imposter syndrome and spur us on to do our work even further, and anyone who tells you that winning awards doesn’t feel nice is a liar.”

Beckett recommends that both up-and-coming designers and established design houses submit their work to award competitions to enhance their reputations and get more visibility and work. “When the work that we do gets picked up by Creative Boom and Design Week, it helps promote discussion and shape future work,” he said. “For some of our partners, awards are very important, and some are indifferent. Awards act as a great benchmark for the industry.”

Beckett’s approach to design shifted in this unconventional past year. “We’ve always rooted design in theory, but this year has reinforced how effective design can truly make a difference.” He also looks past traditional approaches to design, embracing the new to create fresh work. “There are neverending trends in design, and they should always be approached with caution,” he said. Moving forward, Beckett thinks that the future is 3D. “I think 3D is going to continue to find importance, especially with the growth in the application of WebGL and now 5G catching up to facilitate richer mobile experiences,” he said. “It’s an extremely exciting time to be a designer.”

Beckett also cautions aspiring designers not to pigeonhole themselves with popular platforms. “Design has to be tool and channel-agnostic,” he said. “We can all make design look great on an HD monitor, but to create impact through a low res GIF on an Instagram story without sacrificing brand integrity is hard. Keep experimenting until you crack it.”

For Beckett, it’s also critical not to lean in too hard to software. “Using software is not design,” he said. “Get to a point where the basics are a given so that you can really think about the solution. Innovate.” 

Beckett clearly holds himself and his team to a high standard, so it’s not surprising that he needs to schedule some serious time to wind down properly. To escape the pressure of the design business, Beckett indulges in his favorite shows. “A film isn’t enough anymore,” he said. “It’s got to be a box set that I can stay up until 4 am watching back to back. Halt and Catch Fire is excellent.” 

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