A directory can be a small piece of creative infrastructure
It’s Nice That’s Ones to Watch 2026 features 72 emerging creatives across disciplines and 16 countries, giving commissioners a more direct route to new collaborators.
Visibility is not a business model, but it can be the beginning of a better brief.
The Story
The 2026 Ones to Watch showcase brings together 72 emerging creatives across graphic design, illustration, animation, art, filmmaking and photography, with a searchable directory for potential commissioners.
The useful part is not the listicle energy. It is the reduction of distance between talent and opportunity. A good directory gives creative directors a way to search by discipline, see a point of view and begin a conversation before a brief is fully formed.
For Studio Wensday, this is a reminder to build your own commissioning network deliberately. Keep a living reference of people whose work expands your visual language, then reach out with specific, respectful opportunities rather than vague “let’s collaborate” messages. ([studio2am.co](https://studio2am.co/blogs/news/this-week-in-design-formula-e-intuit-laika))
Studio Wensday Angle
Creative businesses grow through remembered points of view and useful relationships.