We're surrounded by cultures, forever bracing for unknown futures, and part of countless systems. These things are so common, it's odd how often they're the blind spot. Hence, Common Oddities.
We go beyond the 'user' to study their context, so your business, product, or service design engages in relevant and responsible ways, across geographies.
Going beyond the 'user' to their context, and studying how that evolves over time and across cultures.
Human-centred design optimises for today's user. It rarely accounts for the cultural forces that shape meaning, or the emerging shifts that decide what stays relevant across markets and over time.
We bring cultural analysis and futures thinking into your research and strategy, feeding the brief before the first concept: decoding the codes that shape meaning, and mapping the shifts that shape what's next.
Design and strategy anchored in cultural relevance and emerging futures, so what you design stays meaningful across geographies and holds up over time.
Design within context | Design for needs people cannot yet articulate
We decode the cultural codes, symbolic systems, and emerging subcultures beneath behaviour, so your work answers who it's for, where it lives, and why it matters. It's best used in early-to-mid design, surfacing white spaces and emerging needs consumer research cannot answer, because they don't yet know it themselves. Delivered with local analysts across APAC, UK, US and Australia.
Prepare better for volatile future scenarios
FutureSense is long-range strategic planning for leaders in strategy, innovation and category growth, those shaping the next decade, not just the next quarter. Going beyond trends, we track signals of change and map scenarios at the intersection of macro shifts, so cross-functional teams can see the probable, preferable and preposterous futures ahead, and put the systems, skills and investments in place before competitors do.
In collaboration with Chris Hudson
Go beyond 'zero'; design for positive impact.
Systems Research helps small brands, nature-based solution providers and placemaking designers move from sustainability (neutral impact) to regeneration (positive impact). We research the socio-cultural and environmental variables of a specific place and translate complex systemic data into practical design steps, localised briefs that map the local ecosystem, so what you make restores a site's identity in a holistic way.
Currently in development, open to exploratory partners.
I'm collaborative, flexible, and I care about arrangements that genuinely work for both sides. I work through Common Oddities, with other industry partners, to assemble the right team for the project. I also work as a fractional strategic lead for boutique consultancies. Engagements usually take one of three shapes:
Focused, scoped research or strategy that feeds your design and innovation work, from a single cultural audit to a full landscape study.
Delivered with a network of cultural analysts & experts, across multiple cities
Workshops and training that grow cultural and futures literacy inside your design, research, or innovation team.
Through Common Oddities & through FutureSense, a collaboration with Chris Hudson
Retained advisory and fractional strategic leadership for organisations and boutique consultancies who want a steady strategic hand.
Current collaborations include Nation Insights
Manifold Gate is Michael's practice. Michael brings 20 years of brand, communication and design expertise. He has a doctorate in Anthropology, and is a Professor of semiotics and design research at Wayne State and the University of Michigan. He is also on the Executive Board of the Society for Anthropological Sciences. Michael partners with us on global projects, with US presence.
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Chris is the founder of Company Road. We collaborate on Future Sense. Chris brings over 20 years of experience as an insights leader across research, design and product thinking; helping leaders envisage and navigate complex change. He works across industry domains and is based in Australia.
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I work with Nation Insights in two capacities: as their fractional Growth & Partnerships Lead, driving new business and strategic partnerships; and as a capability builder, training their teams in cultural strategy, semiotics and futures thinking. If you're looking for rich cultural strategy in emerging markets, get in touch.
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I work with Plum Insights, a Mumbai-based qualitative research and cultural insights firm, as an external consultant, building capability across their teams in cultural strategy, semiotic decoding and strategic frameworks. Plum brings deep, culturally attuned fieldwork across the Indian market. Get in touch for projects in India.
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A collective partner bringing complementary brand strategy, creative communications, brand experience, events, and media capability to projects that need it.
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An initiative partner adding sustainability and systems-minded expertise to the network.
Visit →AlterCOP bridges the gap between global COP proceedings and local organisations, corporations and communities. As part of the working group for Regenerative Practices and Circularity, I multi-task as event programme curator, speaker, panel facilitator and more. Get in touch if you want to know more.
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