Dr Warren Bramley

I have over two decades of industry experience across art, design, and innovation, with a particular focus on strategic design and futures literacy.

My career began at the influential independent record label Factory Records, home to pioneering artists including Joy Division, New Order, and Durutti Column. When digital disruption transformed the music industry in the early 2000s, I transitioned into design, founding the interdisciplinary studio four23 – first in Manchester and later expanding to London’s Clerkenwell design district. As Creative Director and CEO, I led multi-disciplinary teams of researchers, strategists, designers, technologists, and producers, establishing a diverse client portfolio spanning global corporations (adidas, Virgin, Stella McCartney), cultural institutions (Somerset House, Royal Exchange Theatre), charities (Médecins Sans Frontières, Fight For Peace), educational institutions (Chetham’s School of Music), and civic organisations (Manchester City Council, Norwegian Embassy).

My collaborative work spans multiple creative disciplines, from shaping Manchester’s identity as the ‘Original Modern’ city in collaboration with Peter Saville CBE, to producing visual content for U2’s world tours. I have undertaken spatial design research with Gehl Architects, developed speculative futures for Morecambe Bay with Aedas, and created interactive public exhibitions for the London Design Festival. Alongside this, my advisory practice integrates strategic design and futures thinking to support organisational transformation, including the development of design fictions with Save the Children and the Transition Network, and innovative strategic business models for the Medici Quartet in collaboration with NESTA.

I hold a PhD in Futures Literacy, with research examining how futures thinking can be embedded within design practice to support long-term organisational decision-making. My academic background also includes an MA in Global Political Economy, alongside executive education as an alumnus of the UK Design Council’s inaugural Design Leaders programme at Hult International Business School, and as a recipient of a UK Trade and Investment scholarship for the Strategic Executive Programme at Northwestern University, Chicago. I maintain active engagement with higher education as a Visiting Fellow at Loughborough University Business School, where I lecture on the MBA programme, and as a contributor to the Leadership and Innovation MSc at Atlantic Technological University, working with senior civil servants from across Ireland.

At the University of Sheffield’s School of Languages, Arts and Societies, I bring this combined practice and research experience into teaching and programme development. My work focuses on equipping students with design-led and futures-informed approaches to address the complex challenges facing the creative and cultural sectors, positioning futures thinking as a core capability for navigating uncertainty and change.