In a recent LinkedIn post, Richard got right to the heart of it:
“The aspect that makes me most proud about Clearleft is its people.”
Jeremy highlighted the post, noting how much warmth and appreciation came through in the comments. Former Clearlefties, clients, and peers all shared what Clearleft has meant to them over the years:
“An absolute privilege to work at Clearleft. Fantastic people producing fantastic work. I learned more in my few years there than anywhere else combined.”
“Still my fondest and proudest work memories, great fun and greater people, here’s to all the Clearlefties, new and old!”
It’s a reminder that while we’re always looking ahead, the impact of what we do is shaped by the relationships we’ve built along the way.
So while we’ll be celebrating a little this year (and getting all nostalgic), we’re also keeping our focus firmly on what’s next. Here’s what has been keeping us busy lately.
Adding value
Alex wrapped up the final design amends and, alongside Sophie, delivered a Sprint 2 playback for a leading SaaS company specialising in inventory planning and e-commerce operations, who have been brilliant to work with - responsive, adaptable, and fully engaged in the process. They have embraced user research and can see its real impact. Their team is particularly excited about rolling out an onboarding journey for their self-serve customers. Next up, a senior stakeholder playback, where we will further demonstrate the value of research-led design.
It's always a great feeling when a client returns to work with us, a testament to the trust and value we have built together. This week, we quickly turned around three templates for a nationwide estate agent’s careers section of their website, drawing on our existing understanding of their brand and design needs. Picking up where we left off meant that we could move faster, deliver with confidence, and focus on refining the details.
Meanwhile, Sam has been deep in the build of a new website for a global non-profit, collaborating with colleagues and the client team to resolve emerging challenges. He also ran a training session for content managers and editors on their bespoke CMS, which was well received. Alongside this, he has been working with the non-profit’s IT department on infrastructure and DevOps, ensuring that the platform is built for long-term success.
Exploring and prototyping
Chris has been exploring AI tools to assess how they might enhance our prototyping workflow. Early impressions? The code can be a bit bloated, and crafting the right prompts takes practice, but tools like Bolt and TeleportHQ show promise for rapid ideation. He’s also written a blog post, putting the ink into design thinking, about the value of creating something tangible that teams can gather around and discuss, stay tuned for that one.
James has been adding the final touches to and rationalising a new component library, while refining page designs in Figma for a client project. He’s also been responding to Utopia queries, updating the Figma Utopia project kickstarter file, and exploring non-Adobe animation tools.
Engaging conversations
Fred and Jordan have been shaping an upcoming panel discussion on neurodiversity in design, an area we’re keen to explore further. They’ve been gathering insights, refining topics, and ensuring we open up meaningful conversations about designing for (and with) neurodiverse individuals. Expect a thoughtful, practical discussion on how to create more inclusive experiences.
On the Leading Design front, Rebecca has been having some fascinating conversations this week. A chat with Dalit Shalom from The New York Times explored AI and trust, what the future of news might look like and how people decide what to trust. Meanwhile, a discussion with John Payne, Head of Design at The Public Policy Lab, touched on the challenges of driving design-led change in large organisations.
Keeping the wheels turning
Louise is in the final countdown to Research by the Sea (27 February), nailing down catering, print materials, and scholarship placements. There are still a few tickets left, so if research is your thing, now’s the time to jump on board.
Rhian has been orchestrating project retrospectives and internal catch-ups, making sure insights from recent work don’t slip through the cracks. From discussing process improvements with project teams to unpacking follow-ups from our EOT all-hands, as always, she’s helping to shape how we work together more effectively.
Looking ahead
We’ve kicked off 2025 with a mix of reflection and momentum, from wrapping up projects and exploring new ideas to shaping industry conversations.
With events on the horizon, new collaborations taking shape, and plenty of design challenges ahead, there’s a lot to be excited about.
