# Willsh (@willsh.bsky.social)

Profile: https://sifa.id/p/willsh.bsky.social
Headline: Helps organisations Make Things People Want, rather than Make People Want Things @ Smithery. Designs experimental thinking tools @ artefactshop.com. Accidental speculative gardener. Newsletter - buttondown.com/artefacts
Location: London Area, United Kingdom

## About

John is the founder of Smithery, an independent Strategic Design Practice established in London in 2011. Smithery helps organisations take an active role in shaping their futures as they look out over an uncertain landscape.

This involves learning to perceive and understand new realities, then acting upon the opportunities revealed to spark appropriate internal innovation.

John’s work is informed by a wide range of experience across different fields, including futures and foresight, innovation, design, economics and market research. He is a highly experienced facilitator and keynote speaker.

Recent projects include working in partnership with Changeist to build a Future Trends and Signals System for UNDP, developing a community engagement strategy in Climate and Health for Wellcome Trust, and creating a new strategic approach for capability building within Unilever.

John also leads the Innovation and Future Thinking summer course at IED Barcelona, which this summer celebrated its tenth anniversary.

\-----  CORE SKILLS  Strategy  Leads strategic design initiatives, specialising in identifying key intervention points, creating decision-making models and frameworks, and working across complex systems with a variety of stakeholders.

Futures  Possesses a decade of expertise in futures projects and teaching futures methods like signal scanning, scenario creation, and speculative design. Specialises in methods rooted in more inductive, participatory futures.

Research  Conducts comprehensive primary and secondary research (qualitative and quantitative), analysing and synthesising results into compelling reports and presentations.

Design   Highly experienced in visual and audio-visual design (Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, Indesign, Figma, Miro), with a knack for conveying complex ideas effectively.

Facilitation  Skilled facilitator for in-person workshops, field trips and signal scanning exercises in variety of different locations (cities, neighbourhoods, facilities). Developer of innovative methods for online workshops with digital whiteboards.

## Experience

- **Founder at Smithery Ltd** (2011 – present)
  I founded Smithery in 2011. All of our work is rooted in the idea that it is better to help organisations make things people want, rather than make people want things.
  
  This is achieved through a nested collection of creative philosophies, processes and tools forged over the last decade to generate endless inspiration for the imagination and maximise the impact of ideas.
  
  We are powerful partners for innovating in any capacity. From multi-year planning for uncertain futures to daily problem solving, designing global programmes to rapid idea generation, shaping the language of key imperatives to building digital platforms for deployment, our breadth of experience is matched only by our enthusiasm for learning new things  (See http://smithery.com for more.)
- **Course Director, Innovation and Future Thinking at IED Barcelona** (2017 – present)
  In summer 2017, I had the pleasure and privilege of taking over the Coordinator role on the Innovation and Future Thinking from Scott Smith (Changeist). It's a two week programme for professionals, and helps students improve their ability to detect signals of change, organize insights into understandable models, synthesize new ways of mapping possible futures, identify the potential barriers and opportunities these futures present, and design innovative products, services or ideas that satisfy emerging needs.
- **Steward at STEPS Collective** (2023 – present)
  We founded The STEPS Collective to 'showing the easy place to start' (aka STEPS) by sharing provocations which get people thinking, feeling, doing and making in the regenerative space. As stewards, we convene opportunities for these things to happen, as online sessions, workshops, field trips and more.
- **Communications Insight Manager at PHD Rocket** (2004 – 2007)
  Mainly coming up with weird analogies to plot proper growth for a wee smoothie company.
  
  Ahh, the "Innocent Orchard" brings back memories...
- **Strategic Planning Manager at Viacom Outdoor** (2001 – 2004)
  Writing overwrought, beautiful presentations.
- **Market Research Executive at BJM Research & Consultancy** (2000 – 2001)
  Graduate role in the Media division.
- **Head of Innovation at PHD Media** (2007 – 2010)
  When I started this role, the job description read as follows;   "The creation and cultivation of ideas through the study of technological, cultural and social trends and developments".
  
  Which, when you think about it, could cover just about anything.
  
  Just goes to show what happens when you let people write their own job descriptions...
- **Visiting Professor at IED Barcelona** (2015 – present)
  Teaching innovation and strategic design methods and tools across various Masters level and Summer School courses courses at IED (Istituto Europeo Di Design).
- **Associate Lecturer, Design Futures at Royal College of Art** (2025 – 2025)
  After many years as a guest lecturer at the RCA, I am running this one-off Elective for the Design Futures programme on Design Innovation: Venture Creation. The course is building upon many excellent previous iterations, which have always taught students about how to use the modern frameworks, tools to focus their design skills in a business context. For my version of this elective, the students will be asked to layer in the social, environmental and economic dimensions required to build a regenerative business.
- **Chief Innovation Officer at PHD Media** (2010 – 2011)
  Leading a small, nimble team of the innovationally minded & creatively gifted at PHD; reframing the notion of what a media agency is and does; helping clients understand just what might be possible for a modern businesses; being excitably Scottish and enthusiastic; doing things and asking forgiveness, rather than talking about things and asking permission...

## Education

- **The University of Stirling** — Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (1995 – 1999)
- **IPA Excellence Diploma** — IPAexDip (2007 – 2008)

## Skills

- Creative Strategy
- Futures Thinking
- Foresight
- Game Development
- Media Strategy
- Brand Development
- Regeneration
- Strategic Design
- Idea Generation
- Product Innovation
- Workshop Facilitation
- University Lecturing
- Social Innovation
- Strategy Development
- Strategy
- Workshop Development
- Technology
- Corporate Communications
- Workshops
- Business Development
- Digital Media
- Innovation
- Design
- Digital Marketing
- Innovation Consulting
- Integrated Marketing
- Team Workshops
- Strategic Communications
- Convening
- New Media
- Business Strategy
- Culture Change
- Community Organizing
- Presentation Design
- Innovative Thinking
- Management
- Brand Communication
- Social Networking
- Professional Mentoring
- Creativity Skills
- Regenerative Design
- Facilitation
- Service Design
- Design Research
- Digital Strategy
- Customer Insight
- Copywriting
- Blogging
- Strategic Planning
- Rapid Prototyping
- Creativity
- Ideas Development
- Paper Prototyping
- Product Design
- Product Development

## Projects

- **Artefact Cards** — http://shop.smithery.co
  A new product to help people unpack the ideas in their heads, reorder and reconnect them, find new meaning, and improve their work.

Can be used on your own, or in teams.

It's increasingly being picked up by people as a vital step before shifting to the screen and finishing ideas.
- **UNDP - Future Trends & Signals System**
  Collaborated with the UNDP Executive Office Strategy and Futures Team on the development and design of a new Future Trends and Signals System (FTSS), in partnership with Scott Smith (Changeist). Conducted initial research and stakeholder interviews, crafted visual frameworks to conceptualise the system, created training materials, facilitated training sessions, and played a key role in system design, prototyping, wire-framing, and visual mockups. Worked closely with multiple UNDP teams to develop and refine the social practice supported by the system.
- **Wellcome Trust - Community-led Climate & Health strategy**
  Partnered with the Community Engagement team at Wellcome Trust on the new challenge area at the intersection of Climate and Health. Developed a strategy and implementation plan to ensure that communities most affected by the climate crisis are prioritised in the discovery, research, and campaigning processes.
- **DSTL - Futures training method**
  Designed FUTREP (FUTures REPort), a hands-on method and card deck for training groups of colleagues in futures methods. This approach also helped uncover potential future scenarios, and identified necessary actions based on colleagues’ experience.

## Publications

- Making Things People Want > Making People Want Things (http://www.slideshare.net/gamages/ad-tech-2013-make-things-people-want-final)

## Honors and awards

- Cannes Silver Lion - Huffington Post