This story originally appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of strategy. 

We sat down with Ryan Crouchman, Partner, VP and ECD Branding and Design at Lg2 to talk to him about the media that’s inspires his work.

Where do you generally find inspiration?

I love trolling vintage shops and bookstores on the weekends. I get excited by old things such as antique signs, packaging, instruction manuals, book covers, trinkets and album art. Words and pictures from the past that still resonate in strange and unexpected ways.

Is there something in particular that has inspired you most over your career?

So many books. One that comes to mind is Wabi-sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren. I pick it up often to be reminded that as much as we strive for perfection, ultimately, it’s impossible. Instead, it’s much more productive to look for beauty and insight within nuance, decay and the fluidity around us.

What media are you following now?

Outside of design media (which I consume in all forms regularly), I love podcasts, especially on Saturday mornings when I clean the house. Learning while vacuuming is a marriage made in heaven. My top five right now are Created (Advertising & Design Club), SmartLess, Ten Percent Happier, plus Sarah Silverman’s and Ezra Klein’s.

What idea do you wish you’d had first?

I was a computer nerd kid in the ‘80s, and in grade eight I came up with an invention: a walkman capable of playing digital audio files. Oh, well.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what else do you think you’d be doing?

I’m lucky to do the thing I truly love… but if I had to pick, probably astronomy.