Charlotte Black reports back from the inaugural SXSW London: a new stage for global creativity, curiosity, and AI soul-searching.

Where great ideas meet

Last week, our Chief Strategy Officer Charlotte Black swapped the studio for Brick Lane to attend the first-ever SXSW London. Billed as the UK’s answer to Austin’s creative carnival, it promised a global blend of culture, tech, design, music, and everything in between.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
But not just for the content. What really struck us was the atmosphere. No one was on their laptop. Phones stayed pocketed. People were present. It felt less like a conference and more like a shared pause, a moment to think out loud with creatives from around the world.

Our top 10 takeaways

Creativity comes from stillness, not strain Transcendental meditation. Design that pauses. Daydreams with purpose. Creativity doesn’t come from working harder, but from thinking deeper. It’s in the quiet moments, when you stop chasing ideas, that new ones find you.

Design like a good dinner host Dropbox, Slack, and Anthropic reminded us that magical brand moments don’t always sparkle. Sometimes they just help you get to where you’re going faster. Removing friction is an emotional gesture in itself.

AI can co-create, but it can’t replace soul From Wyclef Jean to Gucci, one thing’s certain: AI should extend human creativity, not replace it. The soul of the work still matters. The vision still matters. AI might help shape the process, but it’s the creator who gives it meaning.

From time sheets to impact Mark Read at WPP declared the death of the billable hour. Agencies will soon charge for outcomes, not effort. AI makes it possible to spend less time in the weeds and more time with clients.

Design for humanity, not just users At Philips, they’re aligning experience design with emotional intelligence. Think beyond the user journey to the societal journey. The goal isn’t just ease, it’s empathy at scale.

Innovation needs less ego, more play Remember the spaghetti tower marshmallow challenge? (<a href="https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/kindergarteners-beat-ceos-at-this-engineering-challenge-reason-why-is-an-essential-lesson-in-leadership.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kids outperform MBAs in building with spaghetti and tape.</a>) The takeaway: real creativity doesn’t come from hierarchy, it comes from getting messy, fast.

The future of luxury is legacy Tired of overpriced, overhyped collabs, consumers are turning back to craftsmanship. Brands that skipped the hype cycle are suddenly the ones ahead of it.

Don’t just say inclusion, build it in Williams F1 starts its <a href="https://www.williamsf1.com/stem/educational-visits?srsltid=AfmBOornmDlPqhB7v2OCpFsVvj4cG4KOPLG3boIQNBhWE3t4P1O6QHOQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">talent pipeline</a> at age eight. That’s not intent. That’s infrastructure. You can’t diversify your team if you don’t start early and structurally.

People still want the truth, not the gloss TIME Magazine’s CEO reminded us: unfiltered transcripts outperformed polished interviews. People don’t want spin. They want substance.

The biggest queues were for the creatives Idris Elba, Wyclef Jean, even the King (yes, that one). Proof that in a world overrun with AI and automation, the human still draws the crowd.

SXSW London didn’t feel like a UK event. It felt global. And better yet, it felt human.
And yes, there was a lot of queuing. But if you're going to queue, queue with curious people. If you want to dig deeper into any of the talks, whether it’s AI-powered dinner party metaphors or why Lego x F1 might just be the most engaging brand partnership in years, we’d love to chat. <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Drop us a line.</a>

SXSW London 2025

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