For many of us, this is the moment the year properly begins. Calendars start to fill, momentum starts to build.

This year marks 30 years of HM.

Thirty. Years.

That’s something we hold with deep gratitude. For the opportunities and the trust. And for the work it’s taken to still be here as curious as we are, and committed to continuing on this path of evolution.

At the same time, it’s impossible to step into a new year without acknowledging the weight of the world around us.

From ongoing humanitarian crises globally, to political division, to the closer-to-home conversations about truth, recognition, and whose stories are honoured… it can feel heavy to simply “get back to business as usual”.

We’re feeling that too.

Moments like these reinforce why presence, care, and intention matter more than ever. And this is why we’re carrying forward the idea of #CelebrateNow into 2026. Not as a distraction, but as a conscious choice to acknowledge progress, connection, creativity, and collaboration while they’re happening.

Why wait, true?

Why postpone gratitude.

Why delay recognition for an awards program.

Why hold back appreciation for the people, partnerships, and ideas that are helping shape something awesome, right now.

Thirty years in has taught us that meaningful work starts with listening, by asking better questions, and by backing creativity as a powerful force for change, not just an aesthetic. Guided by values, not just outcomes.

That’s how we work.

Throughout this year, we’ll be sharing moments of work, collaboration, and community through #CelebrateNow, as a way of acknowledging the people and ideas we’re building with, and the progress we’re making together.

For today, we simply wanted to say hello and thank you for being part of our world.

With gratitude,
Nancy.

Image: The Phoenix, 2018. Many years ago, we created this powerful moving image. A pencil that ignites, burns, and re-forms, again and again. For us, it represents progress through cycles. Creativity doesn’t disappear when things change… it transforms. Over 30 years, HM has moved through many chapters. Growth, recalibration, learning, and renewal. Each cycle shaping the next. 2026 marks another one. As we enter a new era of creativity in the age of AI, this image matters because it’s human-made. Not in opposition to AI, but as a reminder of where creative power begins… with people, imagination, and experience.

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Nancy Bugeja is a hands-on CEO, strategic designer, brand strategist and marketing professional for HM and editor-in-chief of Fluoro.