Designing for Impact, Not Just for Humans / Ben Rennie / Ep. #235

Service Design Show

All you want to do is run away…

Okay, so you’re standing in a boardroom overlooking a beautiful vineyard, leading a workshop for a major client, and the only thing that's going through your mind is: How do I get out of there?

This was a real moment for this episode's guest, Ben Rennie.

And it's a feeling that I think many of us can relate to, even if the setting is different (vineyards sound good though).

We’ve all heard stories of people who achieve incredible success. The entrepreneur, the athlete, the professional, only to end up feeling empty and miserable.

They had their eye on "the prize," did everything to get it, but upon achieving their goal, they end up more unhappy than before.

Well, this story is about what happens next.

Ben co-founded a design agency that, by all external measures, was a huge success.

He was working for leading brands and riding the wave.

But one day, during that exact workshop overlooking the vineyard, he had enough.

He quit his own agency.

That single decision sparked a new journey, one full of unknowns.

But one thing was certain: Ben was going to rebuild his life around work that was deeply meaningful and aligned with his core values.

He traded fossil fuel clients for partnerships with Patagonia, driven by a new manifesto that took him 15 minutes to write on a piece of paper, not days in a boardroom.

For me, Ben’s story is a powerful reminder that we need to define what success truly looks like for ourselves... before it’s too late.

So how do we define that? And what can we do to get one step closer to it every single day?

That's what we're exploring in this episode.

The message of this episode is so important, and surely not solely limited to service design.

Because when you spend your most precious possession — your time and energy — for often 40+ hours a week, it better be towards something that gives you fulfilment and pride.

The stakes are just too high.

Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact!

Be well,

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to the show

04:30 What is creativity?

07:00 The price we pay

08:30 The imposter syndrome story

10:30 The two lives

13:30 A different turn

17:00 Momentum without boundaries

19:00 From profit to purpose

20:00 How Patagonia became a client

22:00 What is systemic design?

23:30 Creativity as confidence

33:30 What needs to change?

36:45 A word of advice

41:00 The accountability of design

42:30 Transition design examples

45:00 Vote with your money

50:00 A good starting point

52:30 Legacy for the next generation

54:00 Questions about creativity

57:00 Fewer experts, more curiosity

59:00 Resources

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrennie
• Lessons in Creativity (Book) - https://benrennie.com/collections/create/products/lessons-in-creativity
• Website: https://benrennie.com/

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.

⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

---[ 4. FIND THE SHOW ON ] ---

• Youtube ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/235-youtube
• Spotify ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/235-spotify
• Apple ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/235-apple
• Snipd ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/235-snipd