Ben Holliday

This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 20 years. You will find posts about digital transformation, design and leadership. You can also find me on Bluesky and LinkedIn. In 2022 I published a book for TPXimpact, Multiplied.

Design

Quality conversations over process

Why the quality of your conversations is as important as your process. Read more

Seniority in design

Are you a senior designer? Here are some of the things I think define seniority in design. Read more

You can’t start with an iteration, you can only start with an idea

The new King’s Cross station in London. A story about the importance of starting with an idea. Read more

Mistakes and cows on the path

Why the mistakes you make are sometimes your biggest opportunities. Read more

Digital as physical objects

How can we open up our public resources, data, and physical spaces in more meaningful and useful ways using technology? Read more

Estate agents. An example of a broken digital business model?

Sticks in the ground for public services

The civic architecture that reminds us about the bold vision needed for public services and spaces Read more

Is digital destroying a generation?

Attention-driven design is a choice, thinking about the alternative. Read more

Attention-driven design versus connection-driven design

Why connection-driven design is important. Read more

Digital expectations of physical spaces

The potential of digital is for your environment to be one step ahead of your experience. Read more

Connected: things of the internet versus the Internet of Things (IoT)

Experiences should become increasingly connected as the result of services built around internet connectivity, but there’s a much bigger picture and opportunity. Read more

Designing without an alternative

The importance of digital – part 4. Read more

Digital by design

The importance of digital – part 3. Read more

Sticks in the ground

Design is arrogant. It must also learn to be humble. Read more

Anxiety labels and emotional needs

We all have a genuine need to be treated and thought of as individuals. And we all have a story that’s worth hearing. Read more

Mark making and broad strokes

A story about my first week at art college 20 years ago (1997). Read more

Repainting the road markings

Doing the same things again and again creates patterns and systems that become more fragile than certain, no matter how much we try to reinforce them. Read more

Earning your optimism

Small moments of joy in design

Design is a good idea because it can introduce small moments of joy into the world. Read more

Why we hire design specialists