Designing the Future with AI, Humanity and Vision

Some creatives stay in their lane. Sam Mensah built the highway.
With two decades in the game and a portfolio that stretches from Nike and Chelsea FC to Microsoft, he’s a designer who refuses to be boxed in. From apps to branding, video to photography, his work moves where culture moves.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
“I’m a creative — simple as that. Over the past 15–20 years I’ve done it all: design, branding, apps, video, photography. I even made music back in the day.

I’ve been lucky to work with AKQA, Nike, Microsoft, McKinsey, Chelsea FC, Virgin…the list keeps going.

The Microsoft chapter started during the pandemic. My old boss hit me up on LinkedIn with an opportunity. At first I wasn’t sure. I was freelancing, making good money, and I didn’t want to go back to the 9–5 unless it felt right. But when I found out it was about building education platforms, it clicked. Education has always been big for me — mentoring, passing on knowledge, giving the next generation tools. Four and a half years later, I’m still here, still learning, still building.”

Q: What’s the most exciting part about designing for AI right now?

“AI isn’t magic. It’s a tool, just like Photoshop was when it landed 20 years ago. The difference is scale. Photoshop let you cut, edit, remix images. AI does that — and handles research, notes, data, insights, all the boring groundwork — in seconds.

That means creatives get time back. Time to think bigger. To push ideas further. To focus on impact, not admin. AI doesn’t replace creativity. It unlocks it.”

Q: What’s one thing every creative should understand about working with tech?
“I used to think everything had to be digital. Never picked up a pen, never sketched. But tech without humanity is empty. Every app, every platform, every device is built around human needs — how we connect, what we desire, how we live.

If you’re a creative working in tech, don’t forget that. The human layer is the heart. Tech is just the engine.”

Q: How do you turn complex problems into simple, user-friendly design?

“Good design is about clarity. I always write and design like I’m making it for someone’s nan. Could a kid in North London and a Silicon Valley engineer both get it? If not, it’s too complicated.

The hardest problems are solved by stripping them down — making them useful, accessible, beautiful. I test everything by asking: would this actually make my life, or my kids’ lives, easier?”

Q: Biggest takeaway from working at Microsoft AI?
“At first, I’ll admit it — I was scared of AI. I thought: this is going to take our jobs. But being on the inside, designing these tools, shifted my perspective. AI is like fire. Yes, it can be dangerous. But fire also cooks food, keeps us warm, powers cities.

AI is the most important tool of our generation. It’s here to help us make, not to replace us. Creatives who thrive will be the ones who go bigger — who bring something human, something the tool can’t replicate.

It’s early days, but in five years? AI will completely reshape studios, agencies, advertising, education. Everything. And that’s exciting.”

Q: What’s one way young designers can future-proof their creativity?

“Today’s young designers have more at their fingertips than we ever dreamed of. Back then it was dial-up internet, early Photoshop, Dreamweaver. Now you can build a whole site in minutes.

My advice? Go all in. Rinse every tool, use AI like it’s your new sketchbook. Remix, prototype, experiment. But don’t let the tech define you. Your style, your perspective, your worldview…that’s the real currency. Build that, then let the tools amplify it.”

Now, at Microsoft, he’s shaping the future of AI — not as a threat to creativity, but as the most powerful tool of our generation. BLUP sat down with him to talk vision, humanity and why style will always outlast software.