I Have No Idea Where the Heck Ideas Come From

Xerxes is full of ideas; sometimes he likes to share them with other people, especially if they aren't crazy (the ideas, not the other people). In the 30+ years that he has been a creative and the 50+ years that he has been a human, he still has no idea where ideas come from. But he would like to share some of the things that he has learned that will generate better ideas for you and the people around you.

Xerxes Irani, Global Director of UX Community & Culture at Google, is a third-generation creative professional. His career path includes time spent as an international ad agency Creative Director and as a founding partner of two successful design studios. He has served as a professor in the University of Washington Master’s Degree Graduate Program and at the Alberta University of the Arts for over ten years.

Previously, he was the Creative Director for Bill Gates' media licensing company, Corbis (and Veer), where he led global creative teams and produced marketing assets for four global brands.

After seven years at Amazon—serving as Principal Creative Director for the Amazon homepage, the Concept Lab (where he earned two patents), and the Amazon Music team (where he designed The Climate Pledge logo)—he is now the Global Director of UX Community and Culture at Google.

In 2021, the Savannah College of Art and Design awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

He lives just outside Seattle on Bainbridge Island with his wife and two children.

• Website: xerx.es
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/xerxesirani
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/xerxes