Have fun on purpose.

Efficiency is useful until it starts killing joy.

Author

Ian Adams
October 16, 2025

In partnership with

Somewhere between the systems and the schedules, some brands forgot how to play.

But creative work still needs life.

The brands that last design for both: precision and play.

Here’s how to keep that balance:

1. Audit your automation.

If it saves time but dulls emotion, it’s the wrong tool. Use AI to handle structure so you have more energy for story.

2. Reclaim your process.

Keep people in the parts that shape taste —> art direction, writing, design. Those moments define your soul.

3. Add signs of life.

Texture, movement, humor, imperfection. The human cues that make your work feel considered, not produced.

4. Protect the craft.

Don’t trade depth for speed. Efficiency should serve creativity, not replace it.

Automation isn’t the enemy. You can use it to make more time for the work that feels alive —> the thinking, experimenting, and building that remind people there’s a person behind it. That’s how you keep your brand human.

Reflections to work through:

Where has efficiency made your work feel dry?

What’s one place you could reintroduce play with intention?

Which tools buy you time, and which steal your taste?

How will your brand show that someone enjoyed making it?

Want to introduce a little fun into your brand? Let’s talk

Keep the joy, automate the rest → HubSpot’s guide shows how to use AI in the right places so your focus stays on what humans do best.

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Ian Adams, Founder the little red sofa

Before founding the little red sofa, I led strategy and creative for brands like Jeep, HSBC, and Unilever at top global agencies and in-house teams across 8 countries. Now I work with founders to turn brand clarity into sustainable growth.