The third and final day of the FUSE conference kicked off bright and early with a rowdy suggestion to "disrupt." Luke Williams, creative director of Frog Design got a sleepy crowd warmed up with the suggestion to be an "intrapreneur," that is, someone who can look from within a company, within a brand position or strategy and constantly find a new way of looking at things. Williams suggests that one should not disrupt simply for the sake of it, but rather approach your projects as a competitor and continue to pursue new innovative ideas even at the height of your successes.
Jochen Eisenbrand followed with a presentation of design trends in Europe, eventually circling back around to the idea of custom personal design that Karim Rashid mentioned on day one. Doogie Horner took the stage after the break and shortly had the crowd cracking up and shouting out comic book onomatopoeia as he described the world through flowcharts (and perhaps cured us all of any lingering chart-phobia?). Ian Schrager was up next as he told a rather awed crowd of his inspiration behind Studio 54 ("People waiting in line to pay money, that is a business I need to be in") and the philosophies and work ethic that have made him a legend. Of creating hotels, Schrager said "Every detail is a matter of life or death, because I don't know which one puts (an experience) over the top." It was on that note that we entered into Jonathan Harris' project "We Feel Fine." An effort that takes the details of human feelings and translates them into fascinating visuals.
Overall it was a morning of passion and intelligence throughout all of the keynote sessions and an inspiring start to the final day of FUSE. Lots of food for thought to hold everyone over until next year was had before we even stopped for lunch.