I’ve noticed some of the best projects are born out of friction.

I’ve noticed some of the best projects are born out of friction. Some of the worst, when there is none.

After a long arc of evolution, we find ourselves in times where friction is seen as a flaw. Something to be swerved at all costs.

A comfort crisis has long taken hold, whether it’s dating from behind screens or having everything delivered to our doorsteps so we don’t need to leave our sofas…the impact on health and wellbeing is well established. Sometimes, a matter of life and death.

Removing friction is a central benefit of AI utopia. But, as per the well known MIT study, making things less cognitively demanding may well result in brain shrink.

In business the potential side-effects range from an over-automation in client relationships to a gradual erosion of creative intuition.

I’ve had some instances recently that have underscored my desire for friction. Nope, not that kind…

Whether it’s a client’s partially baked idea that your ‘logic’ dismisses, a brand identity that has been created by another agency that you have to work with, a robust rebuttal of your precious creative ideas or simply a matter of tastes colliding. With egos put to one side, friction can (and often does) lead to better outcomes.

Just like those cold showers in the morning.