Three Questions For... Matt McDermott, Creative Director at idfive

1. What inspires you outside of the industry?

Roller derby: It attracts brutal, brilliant athletes of nontraditional shapes and backgrounds. Yeah, they knock the hell out of each other on wood and concrete, but they bust down perceptions of gender, class, and beauty.

 2. What is your favourite brand?

IKEA’s a perennial. They’re so damned seamless in the way they insert themselves into the human experience without feeling disingenuous or sleazy, whether they’re riffing on divorce or abandoned lamps.

3. What is the biggest barrier you face when trying to get the unexpected idea across the line?

Wrestling with the skeptics — in my head and in the conference room. There’s always that splinter of doubt in the brain that can go septic if you listen too hard to them. But if the brief’s right, the team’s solid and the heart’s there, I’ll take a bullet for it.