Martin Raymond is the co-founder and Futures Director of The Future Laboratory, a UK-based consumer insight, trend forecasting and brand strategy agency. Clients include American Express, Louis Vuitton, Laurent-Perrier, Absolut, BMW, Lamborghini, Selfridges, British Airways, Procter & Gamble, Marks & Spencer, Standard Life Bank, HSBC and Condé Nast.

He is also Editor-in-chief of Viewpoint magazine, a bi-annual trends, intelligence, consumer research and forecasting journal, and co-founder and editor-in-chief of LS:N Global, the online lifestyle news and consumer insight portal.

Martin has written several books, including CrEATe (Gestalten) and The Tomorrow People: Future consumers and how to read them today (Financial Times/Prentice Hall). The Trend Forecaster’s Handbook (Laurence King), is the definitive work on trends and the trend forecasting arena.

Martin is a regular media commentator on trends, consumer research and new business for the BBC, the BBC World Service programme Culture Shock, Channel 4 and ITV.

Born in Ireland, he moved to the UK in 1984 to work as a journalist in the design, fashion, film and video sectors. He founded VideoGraphic, and later became an associate editor at Screen International. Martin went on to edit and re-launch Fashion Weekly, the UK’s fashion business bible. A return to his native Dublin in the 90s to present RTÉ television’s fashion magazine programme Head To Toe was followed by a four-year tenure at the London College of Fashion, as senior lecturer in fashion journalism. Martin has lectured at numerous colleges and universities throughout Great Britain and Ireland. He is also a contributing editor for Wired UK, and a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Science (RSA).

The Future Laboratory

The Company was established in November 2001 and is recognised for its innovative approach to forecasting, using ethnographic research tools and a creative, qualitative outlook to help programmers, brands retailers, designers and marketing departments gain better insights into market directions and future products. It also offers lifestyle analysis, brand development and consumer network building. The company aims to provide inspirational, thought-provoking presentations which will ignite, invigorate and provoke debate; these are supported by documentation and additional material which are designed to have more general usage. Martin works across consumer insight, trend forecasting and brand strategy for the company's extensive global roster of conferences, media events and in-house briefings. Clients include Louis Vuitton, Design Hotels, the Ministry for Tourism, Australia, and Women's Wear Daily's CEO Summits.

Viewpoint

An award-winning, internationally renowned bi-annual trends, ideas, brands, and consumer forecasting journal, Viewpoint magazine is one of a number of publications, reports and Trend Briefing seminars edited or produced by the Future Laboratory team and its 2,500-strong network of global creatives, academics, designers, architects, marketers, and fashion, lifestyle and interiors analysts.