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Longform Stories

Broken Production

A death linked to a Kartik Research scouting trip exposes a fashion industry driven by fast imagery, where the demand for “real” production is outpacing the systems meant to support it.

1d ago·5 min read·814 words

What does intelligence (and by association stupidity) mean today, who gets to claim it, and what happens when thinking itself becomes increasingly outsourced to machines? AI has moved from novelty to …

5d ago·6 min read·1159 words

Neuroaesthetics

Brand building that starts in the body, not just the mind.

6d ago·9 min read·1748 words

Inside SEED Club #6

What our global community of 450+ cultural experts are currently obsessing over.

Jun 2·14 min read·2623 words

Inside SEED Club #5

What our global community of 450+ cultural experts are currently obsessing over.

May 27·9 min read·1743 words

Generation Tween

As algorithms rip through traditional tween culture, brands are reasserting the importance of the messy, sometimes awkward inbetween.

May 21·6 min read·1072 words

The Writer As Image

Why literary culture increasingly demands visibility, performance and personal branding.

May 19·6 min read·1088 words

Look Away Now

In an era of infinite content, 'critical ignoring' is becoming the ultimate cultural skill – and smart brands are learning when not to speak.

May 14·1 min read·27 words

Stupid As Strategy

Ahead of our next REPORT, we explore how AI is reshaping the value of human judgement – and the role taste and imperfection continue to play.

May 12·5 min read·949 words

The Fog Economy

When systems slow people down, culture reorganises around the illusion of progress.

May 5·1 min read·15 words

#726 | Joy, Football & Pop-ups

If you missed our FORUM on Wednesday, fear not, we have the full recording and 10 highlights available, including this one from İdil Galip: “I think the moment where I realised something was happenin…

May 1·1 min read·92 words

The State Of Memes

10 highlights from our latest FORUM

Apr 30·1 min read·10 words

'We’ve Oversaturated Memes'

Dank Art Director reflects on almost a decade of making memes, arguing the format has become increasingly meaningless and in need of a shake-up.

Apr 28·1 min read·27 words

North African Football, Decoded

Cultural fluency can’t be fast-tracked – even with a World Cup on the horizon.

Apr 23·1 min read·18 words

The Year Joy Broke Through

In a strange 2026, a sudden wave of something messy, defiant and fun is impossible to ignore.

Apr 21·1 min read·22 words

What’s Next For Memes

Meet the panellists for our upcoming FORUM exploring meme culture’s shifting meaning, from viral chaos to brand strategy.

Apr 16·1 min read·22 words

The Pop-Up Problem

As “immersive” drifts further from what it was ever meant to be, people aren’t just disappointed – they’re exposing a format that’s starting to feel hollow.

Apr 14·1 min read·29 words

#725 | Memes, Backrooms & Aliens

For some, the 2010s remain the golden age – a time before feeds calcified and content became industrial. TikTok’s “Great Meme Reset Of 2026” taps into that longing, calling for a return to something “…

Apr 10·1 min read·89 words

Do Memes Still Matter?

Our next FORUM brings together voices across culture, strategy and the internet’s more chaotic edges to ask what’s left of the meme – and what comes next.

Apr 9·1 min read·31 words

Craving Aliens

Why the rise of extra-terrestrial life in culture signals fresh territory for bold brand storytelling.

Apr 7·1 min read·17 words

Fast, Furious, Frictionless

Silicon Valley’s obsession with speed is reshaping culture – but as 'accelerationism' burns out, a new wave of brands is taking notice.

Apr 2·1 min read·25 words

Inside SEED Club #4

This extract from Protein's new JOURNAL captures a new global mood emerging across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Mexico City, Chandigarh, Melbourne, Milan, New York and beyond.

Mar 31·1 min read·32 words

Friction Meets Inconvenience

From our Spring BRAND BRIEFING, we’re honing in on one of friction’s five pillars: inconvenience.

Mar 26·1 min read·18 words

Wired, Tired, Desired

How performative audiophilia is turning tangled earbuds and hi-fi systems into a new language of taste, identity and display.

Mar 24·1 min read·22 words

Friction-Forward

Our Spring BRAND BRIEFING explores the rise of friction as culture’s defining force – and why the smartest brands aren’t smoothing things out, but strategically slowing things down.

Mar 20·1 min read·29 words

Collective Memory

Amid the endless scroll, what would social media feel like if it really mattered?

Mar 12·1 min read·16 words

Anonymous To A24

How niche online lore becomes a cultural blueprint.

Mar 10·1 min read·11 words

#724 | Culture is Craving Friction

Every six months we take a moment to contextualise and analyse all the SEEDS we’ve sown in order try and understand what’s changed, what’s coming and what, if anything, we should do about it. The res…

Mar 9·1 min read·88 words

Too Viral

Why brands need to stop chasing clicks and start bending time.

Mar 5·1 min read·13 words

Pathetic Memes

An interview with Catty Berragan, SEED CLUB member and co-founder of Pathetic, a creative studio blending culture, technology and – yes – memes.

Mar 3·1 min read·25 words

Corporate Is Content Now

Are reports of the corporate dream’s death massively exaggerated?

Feb 26·1 min read·13 words

Archive-Futurism

Why exploring the past is the best way to imagine the future.

Feb 24·1 min read·13 words

Protein JOURNAL 2026

Our SEEDs have grown into a JOURNAL – that's now available to buy.

Feb 12·2 min read·243 words

Brand America, Interrupted

After Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, we started wondering – what does the US actually represent right now?

Feb 10·1 min read·22 words

#723 | Stillness, Ambiguity & Dystopia

In case you missed it, we're (re)launching our JOURNAL next week – a printed annual packed with all-new, original features across 100 pages. First launched in 2010 and updated in 2014, we’re practici…

Feb 6·1 min read·92 words

Protein In Print

We’re relaunching our JOURNAL – packed with original features and cultural signals shaping what's coming next.

Jan 27·1 min read·19 words

What Makes A Good Collab?

Or how the boring, captivating, strategic and unhinged collide.

Jan 15·1 min read·14 words

What Does Taste Mean in the Age of AI?

Watch the recording or read the highlights from our recent FORUM on taste vs. AI – and what it means for brands.

Sep 12·1 min read·31 words

Make Zines, Not Content

It’s not just what you say – it’s how you make people feel.

Sep 9·4 min read·652 words