Aaron Skipper is the Co-founder and Creative Director of Explorers Club, a design and strategy studio that helps brands discover their secret genius. With 12+ years in the creative industry, Aaron has led award-winning work across culture-shaping brands, including Apple, Nike, and Coca-Cola. An Emmy Award winner, Cannes Lions winner and top-ranked designer on the 2024 Art Directors Club and D&AD leaderboard.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Discovering something new. A new project, a new taste, a new city, a new hobby, a new way of thinking or the next milestone. That moment where something unfamiliar becomes a possibility for ultimate discovery. Newness reminds me there’s always more to explore.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
When I was a kid, I used to record music off the radio onto cassette tapes. I wanted those tapes to feel real, so I’d create artwork and track listings for the sleeves using whatever art materials we had at home. I think that spirit of being a maker has never left, and that maker mindset is still true today. I also used to draw band logos on my school exercise books and trade them with other kids in exchange for snacks. So that was probably my first realization that I could turn design into a business.
What is your biggest regret?
I’d say not understanding my ADHD sooner. Getting diagnosed in my mid-30s helped clarify a lot, but it also surfaced a lot of frustration and made me reflect on how much I’d been working against myself without realizing it. I wonder what might’ve felt easier if I’d had that understanding much earlier in my life.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
Heartbreak has always taught me more about what makes me the best version of myself, and how to really love who I am. I’ve learned that you have to truly love yourself before you can love anyone else.
What makes you cry?
When I miss my dog, Bronson, when I’m away or travelling for work.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Probably not long enough. I celebrate the wins and get that hit of dopamine, but it usually just makes me hungry for the next one. I’m also my own harshest critic, even in moments of success. I have to actively remind myself to pause and take it in. That’s something I’m trying to get better at, and something Ayo (Fagbemi, my business partner) and I encourage each other to do more often.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
I’m not sure I believe in an afterlife in the traditional or religious sense, but I do think there’s something spiritual in the way we live on through others. The way we include people, the ideas we share, the energy we bring, all of it leaves a mark that outlasts our time here. That’s why I think our real legacy is how we make people feel and what we contribute to others’ lives.
What do you hate most about yourself?
I become somewhat irrationally obsessed with specific topics, from athlete sponsorship deals, guitarists’ equipment rigs, or the history of denim. All rabbit holes that keep me awake at night. But at the same time, I can walk from one room to the next and forget why I went in there. I’m forever confused how I can be hyper-focused on the niche and forgetful about the obvious. I often wish there was more balance.
What do you love most about yourself?
I love my curiosity and how it manifests into passion. It’s that energy and passion that drives everything I do. I’ve always been so curious, not just about the what, but the how and the why. Growing up in a very rural part of the UK made me deeply curious about the world outside, and that curiosity still pushes me forward today. It keeps me learning, exploring, and finding new ways to make. That instinct has shaped who I am, the work I do, and the way I move through the world.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Lu Rou Fan. There are some great spots in LA, but my favorite was in a hotel in Hualien.