Could you please explain the concept of design fiction?

Design Fiction is a way of making ideas of the future feel tangible through objects, or what I like to call artifacts. Oftentimes these artifacts can feel like they come from a different world or a possible future. Even in a film like Dune, you notice the set design, the props, they look like they belong to that world. They convey something powerful that adds to the overall aesthetic of the movie, all of these artifacts together are the things that make a world what it is. 

When I was teaching at USC’s film school, I realized: what if we took that same idea and applied it outside of film? Could we use objects like this in production design, tech, AI? Could we create future focused ideas that help people imagine new possibilities for the world? Not just think about them but feel what they would be like?

The core of design fiction isn’t creating slidedecks about the future. It’s about making something tangible that acts as a “prop” for a possible future. The goal is to place it in front of someone to transport them to a different timeline, so they can understand what a possible future with that artifact could exist and by extension what that world could feel and look like.

But, how do we put this into practice? Well, I don’t just do this to speculate, my goal is to help imagine what I call “habitable futures”. I am not interested in apocalyptic futures, I think often when people imagine the future they think of blade runner, vertical, harsh, neon, I would like to present the idea of a future that takes more inspiration from the “solarpunk” genre, like a Hayao Miyazaki type future. Why should we imagine futures that seem bleak and dystopian when we could imagine those where we integrate technology and nature together, to live in harmony with our environment, a beautiful world.

There is a deep connection between visualization and reality, this is a lesson I learned from mountain biking, “don’t look where you don’t want to go” if you look away from the path at the tree, or the cliff, that is exactly where you will end up. 

That is why I believe design fiction matters, it gives us something to look at. Instead of venturing into the future aimlessly, we can imagine the world we want to move into. We don’t need to visualize AI takeovers, nuclear disasters, or environmental devastation. It isn’t about ignoring the very real and very important problems in our world, it is about allowing optimism and creativity to shine through. If we can create artifacts from these habitable futures, maybe that will give us a better shot in getting there.

What is the Near Future Laboratory? How do you communicate the value of design fiction to someone unfamiliar with it, especially when that someone is part of a brand focused on returns and efficiency? How do you make them feel it matters?

Well, I won’t pretend it’s easy, because design fiction isn’t established in most people’s professional journeys. For example, if someone’s goal is to work in a company, they might go get an MBA, but the issue is that in almost every MBA program, this kind of work isn’t established yet, it’s not part of their curriculum or vocabulary.

Often, it takes a conversation for people to see the value. If you are in business, you’re trying to be strategic, stay ahead on what the next big thing is. Design fiction plays a huge role in this, to me, in business, design fiction isn’t just relevant, it's necessary. At the drop of a hat you need to be able to visualize alternate trajectories or possibilities. You need the bandwidth to be ready for uncertainty and ambiguity. That is exactly what design fiction gives you.

The goal is to convey this idea to people in business, but as I said before, it's often difficult. For example, I was working with a big financial org recently, doing a workshop with them, and oftentimes when I pitch it internally, people say, “I just don’t get it, it feels like playtime”, like goofing off. Part of me wants to say, “That is exactly the point, it is playtime”. If you ever see young children play, it is amazing to witness, they create entire worlds. That is the beauty of imagination, we often lose it when we grow but we all have the capacity for it. There is a stigma that it is something that only “creatives” do, but that is truly tragic, imagination is what helps us problem solve, what helps us anticipate and build the future.

So a lot of what I do is try to bring people back to that. Literally, I’ll say, “Give me 15 minutes with your team.” Just a little 101 session. I’ll put together a deck, it depends on the audience but I always show examples. Real artifacts. Fictional annual reports. Physical prototypes. A newspaper from a future that doesn’t yet exist. Because examples land, they allow me to bypass the intellectual skepticism and “smuggle” in the beauty of design fiction.

You get people to listen by showing, not telling. You build the thing, hand it to them, let them “play” with the future.

What are your thoughts on how tools like ChatGPT and social media are impacting imagination today?

I actually started something I call the “AI Design Fiction Research Studio” . It's not a real institution or anything, it’s just a way for me to prototype and think through these issues. One of the key questions I’ve been grappling with is: What if the result of AI isn’t one of the popular notions that, “It’s gonna make our brains the size of a walnut” and it’s also not what all the tech bros are saying, “oh it’s gonna be such an amazing thing we can’t wait, it’s gonna save the world”. What if the world is somewhere in between, holding onto things that I value as distinctly human while integrating the usage of AI.

I created two tools that felt like they could’ve come from a possible future. I built two working pieces of software: one’s called Vibe Writer and the other Ghostwriter. And both of them are about augmenting but not replacing the writing process. They don’t just spit out copy. They help with formulation, with the act of organizing and shaping thought, of wrestling with language. Why are people so against the use of AI in writing while we could be using it to benefit the delivery of our own voice. Part of the goal is to create these artifacts that can be assistive in the mode of writing, helps you formulate ideas and express them.

In my opinion if you’re at the point where you don’t even want to write something, maybe the real question isn’t “how do I get this done faster?” Maybe it should be: “Should I be doing this at all?” If you want to spend your mornings surfing and build a life around that—then go do that, there's nothing wrong with that. The point is to figure out what you actually care about, and go make space for it. I feel that AI can really help us focus on the things that we want to actually pursue.

Julian is also the founder of a company called OMATA, an analog data driven speed dial for bicycles.

Check it out here -

Vik: I was reading about OMATA, and as someone who’s very aesthetically driven, I love how it blends data, engineering, and art in harmony. Was that aesthetic focus a subconscious process, or was it intentional from the start? You brought up the idea of a solarpunk future, which embraces beauty alongside new inventions. Since OMATA came before Near Future Lab, do you think that approach influenced your later development of design fiction?

The aesthetic part was definitely intentional but as for where that intentionality came from, I am not entirely sure. I think part of it has to do with the fact that we live in such a digital world. Once you make something analog and mechanical it becomes almost exotic, contrary to the norm. Many people are drawn to that because it stands apart.

When I was developing OMATA, I talked to one of my good friends who is in marketing. He used to say, “The dream for any marketer is to have a product that is orthogonal to the rest of the market, not just like, we are like everyone else but in green.” It is really powerful to be in a position where people will say, “that doesn’t make any sense” or “that’s exactly the point”. You squeeze your way through the critique, slippery so no one can grab a hold of you.

The appeal of being different today is bigger than ever. You see people gravitating toward vintage objects, romanticizing the past. Part of it is a desire to stand out, but it could also be a subconscious effort to rebel and push boundaries.

As a kid, we all had bikes that we would customize: one friend had a five-speed shifter on the crossbar, like a tiny car or motorcycle. Another had a mechanical speedometer, and he’d bomb down hills just to see how high he could get the needle. It was playful. Just watching that needle move had value in itself, that is the joy we tapped into with OMATA, not efficiency, it's about the experience.

You’ve said you want to live in a world where imagination is a job requirement. But in a world where ideas are subjective and valued differently depending on opinion, how do we measure or recognize imagination or the value of it?

Great question, I believe it is really hard to quantify imagination but it brings up this question: how do you measure the creative value of a musician, or a visual artist, or a poet? I don’t think you can. Sure, you’ve got Spotify streams or ticket sales, but that’s not really the point. Everyone values creativity differently. That’s the beauty of it.

There never will be a “Greatest Musician in the World” because everyone enjoys music differently. I believe that is a good thing. It allows for nuance, debate, and varying perspectives. Think about Kendrick Lamar, who won the Pulitzer prize, or Tyler the Creator. They are both doing something intangible yet extremely gravitative. I don’t know how to quantify that but it’s definitely real.

I really love Tyler the Creator because he is so confident in his difference. It’s his selling point, what makes him attractive. He is the perpendicular quality I mentioned earlier, candid and raw. There are many famous photos of him being goofy in serious settings or with prominent people. I believe the unwavering confidence in his character is the reason that people are drawn to him.

Maybe imagination doesn’t need to be quantitative, maybe it’s about, can you build a world around your ideas? Can you attract others into that world, how can you get them to believe in you and believe that what you are saying is important.

It makes me think back to when I was in high school and I had to take my AP exams. What if there was an AP exam for imagination? Who would grade it? Kendrick? Tyler? Dave Chapelle? What kinds of questions would there be on it? How do you decide what answers are “more right” than others? That is a conversation I would love to explore.

There’s one video I come back to all the time, from years ago. These guys are trying to do a photo shoot, and the photographer is clearly frustrated, sort of trying to impose a structure, get them organized. But Tyler and his crew, they’re just bouncing off each other, being silly, hilarious and creative. It’s a mess, but it’s beautiful. And Tyler tells the camera guy, "Don’t listen to him, keep filming, this is our show." That’s imagination in action. That refusal to bend, that raw energy. You’re watching it happen in real time. 

I want to live in a world where that energy isn’t just tolerated, it's encouraged, even required.