AS AI THREATENS THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, HUMAN CONNECTION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
James Glover, Owner and Managing Director at Fluid, on what he’s learned from 30 years running a creative agency
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hen you’ve been in the creative business for three decades, you start to notice certain cyclical patterns. Technologies change, publishers come and go, but without question, one
constant endures: people matter most. People are the chemistry and magic that turns good into great and pitch into partnership. Recently, as the Pandora’s Box of AI cracks open, a seismic shift
seems to be looming on the horizon - AI threatens to decimate verticals, workforces - hell, even the fabric of society, and the future feels truly uncertain. With our wisdom brewed from three decades of launches, rebrands, conventions, meetings, mockups, miracles and the occasional meltdown, we know one truth remains: real — human — connections win. Whether it’s with clients, collaborators or the creatives sat across the table from you, the human touch still makes the biggest difference. Covid is a recent case in point: nothing beats a face-to-face meeting. Despite the convenience of jumping on a quick call, the chemistry and magic that happens when we squeeze a palm to say hello, share a smile in the flesh just cannot be replaced by Zoom, Teams, and certainly not by anything AI can build. There’s a lot of talk these days about AI and automation, and
their impact on the creative industries. That’s all part of the evolving landscape, and we’re not stuck in the past. But after 30 years, one thing we know for sure: tools don’t create impact - people do. The best creative work happens when you can look someone in the eye and get a sense of what excites them, what scares them, and where the real ambition lies. That’s why in-person meetings still matter so much to us. Whether
it’s jetting to LA for an IP strategy session, grabbing time with a client in Vegas during a tradeshow, or hosting a catch-up over coffee in London, those moments build trust in ways Zoom never quite can. Body language beats bandwidth, every time. This kind of face-to-face interaction is also key internally. We’ve
worked hard to build a team that spans generations, backgrounds, and viewpoints. The value in that mix is enormous. On one hand, we’ve
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got fresh eyes who live and breathe the latest visual languages, social trends, and tech culture. On the other, we’ve got veterans who know what works, what doesn’t, and what’s just noise. It’s in the tension between those two ends of the spectrum — youthful energy and seasoned instinct — that our best ideas are forged. Staff retention has always been one of Fluid’s quiet strengths. In a
creative industry often marked by churn, we’ve retained talent for the long haul — we’ve only ever had a couple of full time staff move on. That continuity shows in the relationships we’ve built with clients, some of whom have been with us for over a decade. We’ve been there for their growth stories, their pivots, and even their reboots. They come back not just because we deliver, but because they know who they’re working with. It’s not just a service — it’s a partnership. And that’s something we don’t take for granted. In a world that’s
increasingly transactional, we still believe in showing up, sticking around, and caring deeply about the work. That might sound quaint in some boardrooms, but after 30 years in business, we can say this with confidence: relationships outlast trends. Fluid has grown from two founders armed with the yellow
pages and a landline into a full-service creative studio, with capabilities that span branding, design, packaging, strategy, and marketing content across the board. We’ve helped global publishers launch major franchises, and we’ve worked with indie developers just getting started. But regardless of the project size, the most successful outcomes have always stemmed from a relationship — not just a brief. So what’s next? As we head into our fourth decade, we’ll keep doing
what we’ve always done — evolving with the industry, expanding our capabilities, and backing our people. But more than anything, we’ll keep believing in the value of a conversation, a handshake, a shared laugh over lunch. Because at the end of the day, creativity isn’t a commodity. It’s a collaboration … and that’s still a very human thing.
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