Explore every episode of the podcast My Life In Design Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mauro Porcini, Senior VP and Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo. | 09 May 2024 | 01:00:21 | |
In the final episode of the series, Claire sits down with Mauro Porcini, Senior VP and Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo. Mauro shares his journey of how he discovered design as a career, and how he arrived at PepsiCo with an ambition to reshape innovation at the company by leveraging design and introducing a design culture. He talks about how design can change the trajectory of a company and on thinking big and not being afraid to dream. | |||
| Ekaterina Solomeina, co-founder of Future London Academy. | 02 May 2024 | 00:50:06 | |
This week, Claire sits down with Ekaterina Solomeina, co-founder of Future London Academy. Ekaterina shares her life in design from Russia to London, from agency to in-house. She shares her discovery of design as a career through early experiences of coding and website design, and her experiences of working with two original design powerhouses - Michael Wolff and Donatella Versace. How both have influenced the way she works and thinks. | |||
| Dines - Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Studio BLUP | 14 Dec 2023 | 00:54:59 | |
In the final episode of the series episode, Claire meets up with digital artist Dines, co-founder and chief creative officer of Studio BLUP. He shares his journey from discovering his passion for design at a young age to establishing a successful creative company. Dines discusses the challenges he’s faced, the importance of resilience, and the role of his supportive friend and business partner, Alex. He also talks about his decision to buy back his company and rebrand it with a focus on digital art, innovation, and education of the next generation of creatives. | |||
| Marina Willer - partner at Pentagram | 07 Dec 2023 | 00:41:49 | |
This week Claire meets up with Marina Willer, partner at Pentagram. Marina talks about growing up in a creative house in Brazil and being influenced by the politics and injustice there at the time. She talks about moving to the UK to study at the Royal College of Art, working at Wolff Olins, and becoming a partner at Pentagram. | |||
| Cat How, Founder & ECD of How & How. | 30 Nov 2023 | 00:39:36 | |
This week Claire meets up with Cat How, Founder & ECD of branding agency How & How. Cat talks about her route into design through journalism, ecommerce, and shared office spaces. She discusses her experience at Central St Martins studying for her Masters, and starting How & How during lockdown. | |||
| Rejane Dal Bello of Studio Rejane Dal Bello. | 23 Nov 2023 | 00:43:43 | |
This week Claire meets up with Rejane Dal Bello. Rejane talks about how she thought she’d be a dentist as a child but found a love of art on an exchange year in the US. She talks about her time at NYC’s School of Visual Arts being taught by Milton Glaser, moving to the Netherlands and working at Studio Dumbar, setting up her own studio, and why you should follow your gut. | |||
| Stefan Sagmeister - Design Hero | 16 Nov 2023 | 01:02:24 | |
This week Claire meets up with a personal design hero of hers – Stefan Sagmeister. Stefan talks about his experiences of working with Lou Reed and The Rolling Stones, On the importance of finding something in your life that you’re good at, and working on it to be better, on creative sabbaticals (Stefan has one every 7 years) and his time working with Jessica Walsh. | |||
| Alan Dye and Nick Finney, founders of NB Studio | 09 Nov 2023 | 00:47:43 | |
This week Claire meets up with Alan Dye and Nick Finney, founders of NB Studio. They talk about their ‘apprenticeship’ at Pentagram and how they founded NB Studio in the pub next door! Some great tips for young designers too. | |||
| Sean Thomas, Executive Creative Director of JKR | 02 Nov 2023 | 00:52:35 | |
This week Claire meets up with Sean Thomas, Executive Creative Director of JKR. Sean talks about how art was his sanctuary at school, his first roles in agencies Pearlfisher and The Core, through freelance and to JKR. | |||
| Robert Brunner - founder of Ammunition & Dr Dre’s collaborator & product designer on Beats | 26 Oct 2023 | 00:54:03 | |
This week Claire meets up with Robert Brunner, the product and brand designer who set up Apple’s first industrial design department, designed the first PowerBook, and went on to design the product and brand of Beats with Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine. Robert discusses how he became an engineer after his father, how he moved on to become a product designer, and his ground-breaking work on Apple’s laptops and handheld computing. | |||
| Rowena Curlewis and Margaret Nolan of Denomination | 19 Oct 2023 | 01:00:35 | |
This week Claire meets up with Rowena Curlewis and Margaret Nolan of the drinks specialist agency - Denomination. | |||
| Jim Sutherland of Studio Sutherl& | 12 Oct 2023 | 01:01:25 | |
We kick off the fourth series of My Life in Design with Jim Sutherland. Jim founded the multi-award winning Studio Sutherl&, and is visiting professor at Norwich University of the Arts. Jim talks about how he got started in design, overcoming his shyness to make an impression and present work, and why you don’t need to wear a suit as a junior designer! | |||
| Alex Moulton - Chief Creative Officer at Trollbäck+Company | 25 Apr 2024 | 00:48:28 | |
This week on Claire sits down with Alex Moulton, chief creative officer at Trollbäck+Company in NYC. Alex shares his life in design, from filmmaking and sonic branding, to full brand experience. | |||
| Brian Collins – Co-founder of COLLINS | 03 Aug 2023 | 00:47:46 | |
This week, in the final episode of series 3, Claire meets up with Brian Collins, designer, creative director, educator, and co-founder of design firm COLLINS - named by Forbes as one of the companies transforming the future of brand building. Brian talks about his discovery of design and making the bold statement at the age of 17 that he wanted to run his own design agency. Brian also shares his design school experience (with nights at Studio 54!), to starting out on the COLLINS journey. He also touches on mental health, with advice to young designers on taking care of the mind. Series 4 will be back in October 2023 with more brand design leaders. | |||
| Caspar Lam and YuJune Park, Founders of Synoptic Office | 27 Jul 2023 | 00:54:36 | |
This week, Claire speaks to Caspar Lam and YuJune Park, Founders of the award-winning Synoptic Office and Professors in Communication Design at the Parsons School of Design, NY. Caspar and YuJune talk about their discovery of design and their shared love of visualising ideas. They discuss how design is constantly evolving and the continued role for human input to ask the right questions. | |||
| David Johnston - Founder of Accept & Proceed | 20 Jul 2023 | 00:48:11 | |
This week Claire meets up with David Johnston, founder of Accept & Proceed, exploring his design journey, from discovering graphic design and his art school experience, to entering the design industry at a time in the nineties when graphic design felt ‘punk, exciting and everything is possible.’ David talks about setting up Accept & Proceed and working with clients like Nike, Google, Rapha and NASA, using design as a force for good. He also shares valuable tips to young designers starting out. | |||
| Paula Scher - Pentagram partner & design genius | 13 Jul 2023 | 00:40:38 | |
This week Claire meets up with the rather fantastic Paula Scher. Paula shares her design journey from discovering graphic design, her art school experience, and landing her first job. She discusses her early career as art director in the 1970s and early 80s, working for CBS records, and becoming a partner of Pentagram NYC in 1991. She discusses her thoughts on what branding is and can a graphic designer really design a brand, and the importance of young designers getting themselves noticed. | |||
| Craig Black - Visual Artist | 06 Jul 2023 | 01:03:03 | |
This week Claire met up with visual artist Craig Black. Craig shares his rise from footballer to typographer to visual artist and performing his ‘Acrylic Fusion’ technique in front of some of the world’s greatest footballers at the FIFA World Cup in 2022. | |||
| John Glasgow, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Vault49 | 29 Jun 2023 | 01:13:43 | |
This week Claire meets up with John Glasgow, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Vault49. John talks about his early days in the London street art scene, moving to NYC, and setting up Vault49 with Co-Founder Jonathan Kenyon. He also talks about the issues we face today with lack of diversity in design and what can be done about them. | |||
| Sarah Boris - Artist and Designer | 22 Jun 2023 | 00:48:03 | |
This week Claire meets up with artist and designer, Sarah Boris. She shares how she balances her love for art and design, with her art fuelling the design side. She talks about the lengths she went to, to secure her dream first design job at the Barbican, and about feeling part of the design industry and wanting a central space for designers to meet up! | |||
| Dave Palmer - ECD & Owner of LOVE | 15 Jun 2023 | 00:50:42 | |
This week Claire met up with Dave Palmer, ECD & Owner of LOVE. Dave talks about his discovery of graphic design through his love of music and record covers, and the challenges he faced building a portfolio and trying to secure his first job in the wake of the 1990s dot com crash, to co-founding LOVE in 2001, and building an agency that now has 85 people working in Manchester with brands globally. | |||
| Harry Pearce - Partner at Pentagram | 08 Jun 2023 | 00:43:27 | |
We kick off the first episode in series 3 with the Harry Pearce of Pentagram. Harry talks about how his passion for animal rights helped him complete his degree in graphic design so he could help communicate what was going on. How he uses his skills to support human rights at WITNESS; his first roles in design; setting up his own design practice with Dominic Lippa & Giles Calver; and what it means to be part of Pentagram. | |||
| Jack Renwick - Founder and Creative Director of Jack Renwick Studio, and upcoming D&AD President | 30 Mar 2023 | 00:51:31 | |
For the final podcast in the series, Claire met up with Jack Renwick, founder and creative director of Jack Renwick Studio, and upcoming D&AD president. Jack talks about when she first heard the term ‘graphic design’ at school in Glasgow but couldn’t find out what it was, her time at art school overcoming struggles with self-belief, and plans for upcoming role as D&AD president! | |||
| Alex Center - Founder of CENTER. | 18 Apr 2024 | 00:46:17 | |
This week Claire sits down with Alex Center, founder of design agency CENTER. Alex shares his life in design, from a dream internship working on the New York Knicks, to his time at the Coca-Cola Company building iconic drinks brands like vitaminwater and POWERAID, to the founding of CENTER in 2017. | |||
| Marie-Thérèse Cassidy - VP Design Europe at PepsiCo | 23 Mar 2023 | 00:41:14 | |
This week Claire met up with Marie-Thérèse Cassidy, VP Design Europe at PepsiCo. She talks about her early years in Newcastle and how a love of drawing and opera led to her career in design. Her first job at JKR and how Ian Ritchie’s advice shaped her career, and how she loves her role at PepsiCo seeing design through from end-to-end. | |||
| Astrid Stavro - VP Creative Director of COLLINS | 16 Mar 2023 | 01:01:05 | |
This week Claire meets up with Astrid Stavro, VP Creative Director of COLLINS. She talks about her journey from Madrid to Central St Martins where they advised her to throw her past portfolio out of the window! Her time at the design mecca Pentagram, and the importance of knocking on the doors of people you’d like to meet to say hello. | |||
| Craig Oldham - Founder & Creative Director of The Office of Craig | 09 Mar 2023 | 00:46:51 | |
This week, Claire met up with Craig Oldham, founder & creative director of The Office of Craig. They talk about how he struggled to fit in when he first went to art college in Falmouth, setting up his own business, and what the design industry needs to do to sort out its diversity problems. | |||
| Tony Brook - Founder of Spin | 02 Mar 2023 | 00:40:18 | |
This week Claire gets together with Tony Brook, founder of Spin. He talks about his journey from a record sleeve designer to Spin as it is today. How he goes into every client relationship thinking he can achieve something great, the importance of putting out self-initiated work, and how motion design is essential. | |||
| Vince Frost - Founder, ECD & CEO of the Frost*collective | 23 Feb 2023 | 00:56:17 | |
This week Claire’s joined by Vince Frost to discuss how he got to where he is today. Vince is founder, ECD & CEO of the Frost*collective in Sydney, and a globally recognised creative. Vince discusses how you never know where a chance meeting will lead you, and his time at Pentagram where he became the youngest ever partner. He also explores both the importance of the financial side of your design agency, and how design can make the world a better place. | |||
| Jeremy Lindley - Global Design Director at Diageo | 16 Feb 2023 | 00:39:57 | |
This week Claire talks to Jeremy Lindley, Global Design Director at Diageo. Jeremy talks about how Ettore Sottsass, the great Italian designer, inspired him to look at a career in design, how he gained experience in a design agency while at university, and his role today at Diageo looking for the world’s best design. | |||
| Liza Enebeis - Creative Director and Partner at Studio Dumbar/DEPT | 09 Feb 2023 | 00:36:16 | |
Claire talks to Liza Enebeis this week. Liza is the Creative Director and Partner at the rather fantastic Studio Dumbar/DEPT in the Netherlands. She talks about wild times at Parsons School of Design in Paris, what she learnt from her seven years at Pentagram, and how students should never give up trying to get a role they love. | |||
| Aporva Baxi - Co-Founder of DixonBaxi | 02 Feb 2023 | 01:05:51 | |
This week Claire talks to Aporva Baxi about his journey to set up DixonBaxi and to get it to where it is now. He talks about how the movie TRON drew him into visual culture as a child, how he hand delivered his CV in a package to his favourite 20 design agencies to get his first internship, and he has some great tips for junior designers starting out today. | |||
| Matt Baxter and Dom Bailey - Founders of Baxter and Bailey | 26 Jan 2023 | 01:01:08 | |
In the first podcast of the new series, Claire speaks to Matt and Dom the founders of Baxter & Bailey. They talk about how their love of comics and Bauhaus shaped their love of design, how Paul Hardcastle’s single 19 combined a powerful message with image and type, and the need for the industry to embrace people of all backgrounds. | |||
| Ian Wharton - Designer & Founder Inc. Superunion, AKQA, Publicis & Aide | 30 Jun 2022 | 00:58:54 | |
For the last podcast in the first series, Claire talks to Ian Wharton of Superunion, Publicis and AKQA fame! He talks about always wanting to be a designer from a very early age, the importance of the power of persuasion in design (and life!) and how he founded Aide Health, which is a digital service which uses conversational AI to improve care for people with chronic illness. I hope you’ve enjoyed series one. We’ll be back with series two in September! | |||
| Joshua Breidenbach - Co-Founder of Rice | 11 Apr 2024 | 00:45:52 | |
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| Jos Harrison, Global Head of Brand Experience & Design at Reckitt | 23 Jun 2022 | 00:49:50 | |
This week Jos, Global Head of Brand at Reckitt, speaks to Claire from the in-house side! He covers his early ambitions to become a designer, starting a business aged 16, leading design teams at Cadbury and Reckitt, and how to cope when your role offers you unlimited chocolate! | |||
| Nat Maher, Founder of Kerning The Gap | 16 Jun 2022 | 00:57:37 | |
Nat Maher talks to Claire how she started as a teacher before moving to a career in design, and how she progressed to be one of the small percentage of women who have become principal of a design agency at Good, and Pollitt & Partners. Nat created Kerning The Gap to address this imbalance. A network of like-minded people who want to see more women in design leadership roles, hear their voices and be inspired to create real and tangible change in the industry. | |||
| Graham Wood, Co-Founder of Tomato and Design Industry Legend | 09 Jun 2022 | 00:45:20 | |
This week Claire speaks to Graham Wood, the design industry legend who co-founded the design collective Tomato. He talks about how he got into design, his time at Central St Martins, forming and growing Tomato, and working on campaigns such as Obama’s first election (with Rock the Vote), Michael Jordan’s retirement and PlayStation launches. | |||
| Gush Mundae, Founder of Bulletproof - Part 2 | 02 Jun 2022 | 00:34:12 | |
This week is the second part of Gush’s conversation with Claire. He talks about the design industry’s problem with diversity, expanding to New York, and shares great tips for interns and junior designers. | |||
| Gush Mundae, Founder of Bulletproof - Part 1 | 26 May 2022 | 00:45:25 | |
Gush Mundae is the founder of Bulletproof, the world’s largest independent design agency. This week Claire talks to Gush about his early years in the Hounslow graffiti and hip hop scene, and how he bonded with his now business partner Jonny over an inappropriate joke at art school! He talks about his early career learning the skills of design, setting up on his own, and building Bulletproof to the agency it is today. | |||
| Stuart Watson of Nomad | 19 May 2022 | 00:48:30 | |
Stuart Watson is the co-founder of Nomad – the brilliant studio designing huge brands for the likes of the Premiership, Disney, Sky and Nike. He talks to Claire about how he discovered design in Bolton as a teenager to keep out of trouble, and went on to exhibit his work at the New Designers exhibition where he was discovered by Wolff Olins. He gives lots of advice on how to stand out and get the attention of agencies you admire, and how deciding that you’re completely unemployable can be the catalyst to finding your perfect role. | |||
| Heidi Lightfoot of Together Design | 12 May 2022 | 00:44:39 | |
Heidi Lightfoot is co-founder of Together Design. This week she talks to Claire about getting noticed in design, about how to start and grow a successful design business, and about what a licensed brand actually is. She also shares how she keep the team creatively inspired with magic lessons and gecko life drawing! | |||
| Kirsty Minns and Kathryn Jubrail of Mother Design | 05 May 2022 | 00:40:38 | |
Kirsty Minns and Kathryn Jubrail head up Mother Design as ECD and MD. In this week’s podcast they talk to Claire about everything from early thoughts on design in a family shoe shop, to similarities between religious movements and brand, and what matters to them at Mother Design today. | |||
| Max Ottignon of Ragged Edge | 27 Apr 2022 | 00:32:40 | |
Max Ottignon is co-founder of Ragged Edge, the agency brands around the world come to when they want to make change happen. Max talks to Claire about his journey from philosophy graduate, through an eye-opening stint in adland, to running one of the most influential branding agencies in the world today. | |||
| My Life In Design | 06 Apr 2022 | 00:01:11 | |
My Life In Design | |||
| Joy Nazzari - Founder of DNCO | 04 Apr 2024 | 00:56:37 | |
This week on ‘My Life in Design’ Claire catches up with Joy Nazzari of DNCO to discuss her life in design, and her unusual route into the industry from a start in tech investment banking. Joy shares stories from her childhood, including an Easter Egg hunt at Walter Landor’s home (the founder of the legendary agency Landor). She talks about launching and growing DNCO and some of the major decisions that she’s had to make along the way, and on the challenge and privilege of managing people. Links: Red Setter dba DNCO | |||
| Hamish Campbell, VP Executive Creative Director of Pearlfisher NYC. | 28 Mar 2024 | 00:38:47 | |
This week Claire chats with Hamish Campbell, VP executive creative director of Pearlfisher NYC. Hamish recounts his life in design and how a love for art evolved into a career in graphic design, blending the precision of engineering with the creativity of visual art. | |||
| Kerry Bolt and Shaun Bowen - co-founders of B&B studio | 21 Mar 2024 | 00:56:03 | |
This week Claire chats with Kerry and Shaun, co-founders of B&B Studio, about their journeys into design and the founding of their award-winning studio. They share insights into their first client, Bear, which went on to win the DBA Grand Prix at the Design Effectiveness Awards. | |||
| Emily Rickard, CEO of BUCK | 14 Mar 2024 | 00:35:32 | |
This week Claire meets up with Emily Rickard, CEO of BUCK. Emily talks about her career journey, from filmmaking aspirations to fashion journalism and TV production in Australia, to leading a global creative powerhouse that is BUCK. | |||
| Mary Lewis, Creative Director of Lewis Moberly. | 07 Mar 2024 | 01:16:12 | |
In the first episode of the new series, Claire meets up with design legend Mary Lewis, creative director of Lewis Moberly. Mary talks about her early years living on a farm and her fascination with branded goods. Going to art college and then moving down to art school in Camberwell, London. And her time as a graphic design teacher before discovering the ad industry and her love of packaging, then founding Lewis Moberly with her husband Robert. | |||