Emmy award-winning creative director Justin Barnes leads creative studio Versus with a fearless originality that is constantly reshaping the brand and entertainment sphere. Crafting ideas built to move people, Justin's work spans campaigns, films, design systems, and original IP, all shaped by a relentless drive to make something fresh and innovative.
In a world of ever-evolving creative trends, it can be difficult to stay relevant while standing out from the crowd – a skill that Justin has come to master across his career. Kicking off our new 5 Questions series, I caught up with Justin to discuss the future of the industry, his creative pet peeves and the value of "ownable originality".
What does “ownable originality” mean to you?
At Versus when we talk about “ownable originality”, we speak to the ability to make work that carries an identity and style, without ever needing a label. It's work that becomes the reference. A combination of perspective, craft, and intention that turns an idea into something only you could have made place in an environment or situation where it realises its true potential.
It’s the difference between fitting in and defining the space.
What will the design industry look like in 10 years?
Designers will be multi-faceted and working across entire ecosystems all at once. It will be more personal and more niche than ever. Design will be so accessible and flexible that designers will create within spaces that are specific, referential, and rich with meaning and feel like inside baseball to the intended community that embraces and appreciates it.
What’s your creative pet peeve?
At the moment, it’s the self-proclaimed “AI filmmakers” crowd flooding LinkedIn with work that’s unwatchable, making excuses and blaming the software for how terrible it is. Showing creative work and leading with how little time it took to create says it all, and shows that their talent is intricately tied to OpenAI or Google Veo’s ability to make a better product.
How do you stay culturally relevant?
By equally listening and participating in culture that speaks to you. Culture is not about trends; it's about rooting ideas and perspectives in things that matter, and moving the people as much as the needle.
What are your thoughts on AI?
Exciting, scary, innovative, copy-cat bullshit… all of the above. Any thoughtful, creative person should wrestle with how they perceive AI and its power or lack of it. We have to accept that our opinions about AI will always be full of contradictions.
It’s a tool that can elevate creativity and a tool that can flatten it. It can unlock new possibilities while also lowering the bar to “good enough.” The real question isn’t whether AI is good or bad. It’s whether we bring enough taste, judgment, and originality to use it well.
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