👋 Welcome to Designing Teams
Exploring what makes creative teams click — from Dan Thomas, a Creative Director with 20 years experience in design, improv, and collaboration.
Hey, I’m Dan.
I’ve spent the last 20 years working across design, improv, and creative leadership — running studios, leading projects, and helping teams work better together.
One thing I keep coming back to is this:
The way a team works is just as important as the work they do.
Designing Teams is where I explore that idea.
This is a newsletter about how creative teams actually function — the messy, human stuff that affects collaboration, communication, leadership, and momentum.
You’ll find thoughts on:
Collaboration (and why it breaks down)
Communication (and how to make it clearer)
Creative process (and how to support it)
Practical ways to shape stronger teams
Some posts will be short. Others will dig a bit deeper. All of them come from real-world experience — on the studio floor, onstage, or inside teams trying to make things work.
If you lead a team, work in one, or just care about how people create together — this is for you.
Thanks for being here. I’ll send the first proper post soon.
— Dan