Accept & Proceed

Brands don’t exist in isolation—they belong to our collective imaginations and come alive through their connections with people. We challenge brands to reach beyond transactional relationships. To start from a place of deep care. To pursue a vision they share with communities they serve. And to exist as a platform that keeps this alive. In our work with IKEA, Dickies® and HardArt, we prioritised a relationship-centric approach to their audiences, supporting brands to exist in meaningful dialogue with the culture and communities they serve. What’s your role in the dialogue? #TogetherWorld #Interbeing

Some news from us at Accept & Proceed. After 17 years, employee No.2 Matthew Jones has decided to leave the studio to pursue both personal goals and professional opportunities outside of the company. He wishes the team every success in the future working with clients that he holds dear. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Matthew for the outstanding contribution that he has made as our Creative Director over the years. We wish him great success for the future Thanks MJ. A&P 🤍

Inspiring a vision for your industry is an act of resilience that lifts our thinking out of the here and now. By illuminating the intuitive, emotional resonance of their data, brands can tell more durable, forward-facing stories. They can feed our collective imaginations for where an industry can go, rather than reacting to where it is. In our work with Addium, Altruistiq, and IBM Sustainability, we've used data and design to make the invisible visible, empowering brands to nourish more resilient visions. What's the vision behind your data? #TogetherWorld #Resilience

Introducing Hard Imagination & Adjunct Futures How can venture capital fund a better world? By expanding its horizons—and embracing what we call Hard Imagination. Today, we’re excited to announce Accept & Proceed's collaboration with Dark Matter Labs and Hard Art on a project that challenges the limits of current venture capital thinking and offers a vision for a freer, larger future. The starting point? Marc Andreessen’s 'Techno-Optimist Manifesto' and its critiques. But this is not a critique for the sake of critique—it’s a call to action. Our newly released “dark white paper,” Hard Imagination, asks VCs to think beyond their extractive, short-term cycles. Together, we propose a framework for investments that cultivate long-term, radical possibilities—designed to outlast 5-year fund horizons and product-based returns. Indy Johar of Dark Matter Labs describes it perfectly:  “This future requires hard imagination, and it cannot be constrained by capital—but the structures of capital must serve the plausible and the necessary.” A&P founder David Johnston adds: “Hard Imagination invites individuals, communities, and industries to reimagine what is possible and step boldly into the future. This is not a solitary endeavour. It is a collective movement, driven by alliances and collaborations that strengthen our shared human experience. To design for the future, we must describe the future we are designing for. This project challenges us to awaken to a new reality, one where imagination is not just inspiration but a blueprint for tomorrow.” At Accept & Proceed, this mission is close to our hearts. Our 'Design for the Future' promise to the world seeks to bridge imagination and action. Our partnership with Dark Matter Labs and Hard Art—an electric blend of design, systems thinking, and cultural disruption—is born from that ethos. We launched Hard Imagination on January 22nd at Hard Art in Mayfair. A space once used for exclusivity is now home to radical thought. This is not just a paper—it’s a call for bold futures, a Together World. 🌍 One where venture capital dares to invest in life-changing, interconnected progress. Let’s design that world together. Download the full report and join the conversation. #HardImagination #DesignForTheFuture #TogetherWorld #AcceptAndProceed #DarkMatterLabs #HardArt #VCTransformation

How can a brand’s trajectory build a foundation for impactful and lasting progress? Nike’s commitment to moving the world forward through sport and legacy in sustainability initiatives prompted them to connect the dots between their innovative journey and one of the most prominent events in the impact calendar, Climate Week NYC. Nike sought us out to create a captivating experience, ‘Protect the future of sport’, that would position their leadership in sustainability by showcasing how past commitments are a strong foundation for lasting future progress. From experience concept and visitor journey to physical designs components and a cohesive graphic language, we partnered with next-gen experience, strategy and design agency YourStudio to bring an engaging timeline to life – filled with interactive moments highlighting Nike’s innovations, re-energising and showcasing the scale, breadth and nuances of past collaborative initiatives. Team credits: Nike Accept & Proceed – Tamara Hoogeweegen, Nicholas Blowey, Matthew Jones, Janneke Geerts, Isaac Izekor, Giorgio Marani, Ella Sutherland Collaborators – YourStudio | Emily Ditton, Clio Sage, Henry Rolnick, Becca Luton, Komei Tanaka #MovetoZero #NYClimateWeek #Nike #AcceptandProceed #SocialImpact

We’re proud to share that our Creative Venture Partner Johanna Roca has been named Jury President for New Brand Identity at the 2025 D&AD awards. She will also represent this category during the Black Pencil judging. Congrats, Jo! ✨ #DandAD #DandAD25 #Design #DesignAwards #JoRoca #AcceptandProceed

How can a design language enhance human-centered storytelling for AI learning? While AI tools for everything from customer service to HR hit the market, business leaders are asking one question — how can my organisation make the most of this new technology? IBM AI Academy was built to expand tech literacy but the platform needed evolving. So IBM partnered with us to build a distinctive identity that drove engagement and expanded the brand's potential. As leaders in tech innovation, IBM AI Academy provides education on AI integration for a wide audience. Led by top thought leaders, the curriculum helps business leaders learn how to prioritise the kind of AI investments that drive growth. Co-creation is at the heart of this reciprocal relationship — AI generating value through human input. So our visual identity is built around tactile UI and human interface elements. Illustrations are animated with a natural glide and haptic assets almost invite interaction, emphasising the knowledge and control members of the academy gain by understanding AI. 🔗 Follow the link the comments to delve into the case study Team: IBM Accept & Proceed: Nigel Cottier, Janneke Geerts, Matthew Jones, Tamara Hoogeweegen, Harry Wakefield, Ben Farmer, Isaac Izekor Collaborators: Chris Jordan, Martin Taylor, Riccardo Agostinelli, Julien Suarde, Matt Shapiro #IBM #AIAcademy #AI #technology #motion #artdirection #AcceptAndProceed

- How can we push and expand the journal format in a digital context? - How can we help Antikythera reach beyond traditional academic and peer review systems, to influence policy-making and the acceptance of new concepts? Accept & Proceed is partnering with Antikythera, the planetary computation think tank of the Berggruen Institute. This creative collaboration is a key part of their forthcoming Antikythera Journal. We are co-authoring one of the launch articles and exploring the potential of iterative publishing and innovative use of generative tools in editorial illustration. Marking the first stage of Accept & Proceed’s and Antikythera’s partnership, we have been working closely with Stephanie Elyse Sherman to co-author and develop a bespoke visual content system that accompanies her article. The piece expands on the subject of the ‘autocene’, and how our limited understanding of it defaults to ‘a world made for machines’. Antikythera, The MIT Press, Stephanie Elyse Sherman, Rachel Pearl, Dasha Silkina, Nicolay Boyadjiev, Haley Albert, Benjamin H. Bratton, Jessica Rowley, Andrey Karabanov #Antikythera #MITpress #AcceptandProceed #Autocene #Editorial #Publishing #GenerativeAI #Computation

Endless Vital Activity, S4 E6 | Discussing Reinvention with Ren Rigby is out now ✨ Ren Rigby, formerly known as Mike Rigby, is a multidisciplinary designer, educator and activist based in New York City. They see design as a positive, transformational force that can drive business, shape, culture and improve lives. As founder and chief Design Officer of design and innovation company Proto, Ren is dedicated to advancing people. During this conversation, Ren and David Johnston journey through the nuances of reinvention, change, transition and falling in and out of love with design. Link in the comments  ↓ #RenRigby #EndlessVitalActivity #AcceptandProceeed #Reinvention #Design 

Last week our Senior Designers Charley Ray and Isobel Guy headed over to Budapest to experience the inaugural edition of POV Budapest. Charley and Isobel reviewed portfolios from emerging voices in the design industry, alongside fellow creatives from international studios. A special thank you to the POV Budapest team and Wix Playground for the invite ❤️ 📸  by Bertalan Soos #POVBudapest #PortfolioReview #AcceptAndProceed