At Found, we’re fuelled by understanding and energised through research. The urge to learn what makes something unique, then share it in the most engaging way. In our book, Intelligent Beauty, we define intelligence as gathering and layering knowledge for the purpose of making. While this comes in different forms, it combines to make unique work, which we can categorise as research, exploration and depth.
The process of understanding begins at the start of a project when we gather information through research, workshops and deep thinking around a topic. Our work requires thorough knowledge of the made world, so we are fully immersed.
Map Project Office is an industrial design practice founded by product designers who connect people with technology. Working with us for IBM gave Creative Directors Emilie Robinson and Jake Weir a fresh insight into our process:
“Although Found specialises in digital animation, producing realistic and believable CG-animated artwork requires a deep understanding of real-world physics and materials.”
That understanding was vital to an effective partnership:
“At Map we really value collaboration in our design process. Working with external design teams allows us to learn new skills and broaden our knowledge, while helping to cross-pollinate ideas. We can challenge assumptions, encourage new ways of thinking, and drive the project toward more refined and robust outcomes.”
These deep dives into subjects mean we become well-informed momentary experts. Connecting this to our own experience and knowledge bases can reveal unexpected results, unique hooks and keywords to kick off visual exploration. While we’re working with a client, we’re ‘one of them’, albeit with enough distance from the brand to take a few risks.
Not only does this get us closer to a creative idea, it throws a net wide to feed the rest of the process. Newly discovered knowledge allows us to push a client further than they might have thought possible.
This is design amplification in action. By feeding the project from both sides, we get into decision making — and actual making — from a higher vantage point. Our meticulous research process allows us to guide clients in exploring their brands on a deeper level. We help uncover new and innovative ways to communicate product stories and key attributes, without relying on logos or explicit product visuals.
As designers, this expansion of our knowledge base stays with us. We learn from project to project, building an understanding for the job in hand, while informing future ones.
Katherine Templar Lewis from Kinda Studios, a Creative Neuroscientist and Found collaborator, explains how this builds a framework for new thinking: “Research, insights and information expose the brain to unfamiliar or novel topics, and this can cause the brain to form new cognitive pathways. Deeper thinking and research also allows for ‘conceptual blending’, a cognitive process where the brain combines elements from different knowledge areas to create new, original concepts and ideas.”
In a world saturated with content, research-led creativity offers something more meaningful. It’s not just about knowing more; it’s about using that knowledge to create richer, more resonant work that connects and challenges. When we take the time to understand, we build not only better outputs but also stronger partnerships and more compelling stories.
So, what’s actually going on when we use solid research-based thinking like this? And can it impact the way an audience consumes the finished work?
Download our book and see how
Intelligent Beauty brings it all together.
Intelligent Beauty Book
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