WHY DESIGN?

“It wasn’t just about a new product — it was about a new category.”   In this episode of Why Design , I speak with Emilie Williams , industrial designer and co-founder of Hydrific , a new venture within LIXIL focused on building smarter, more sustainable water products for the home.  Based in New York, Emilie has led the creative direction behind dozens of kitchen and bath products for h...

“The goal was always to amplify design’s value — not just make pretty stuff.”   We’re kicking off Series 3 with a true heavyweight in the world of industrial design — Brett Lovelady , founder of the legendary ASTRO Studios and spin-off brand ASTRO Gaming. Brett has spent three decades leading design, brand, and product strategy for culture-shifting companies like Nike, Xbox, HP, Sony, Dell, L...

Episode Summary In this special live episode, Chris Whyte, founder of Kodu and host of Why Design , delivers an energetic and insight-packed session to design students on how to stand out in a competitive job market. Drawing from 12+ years of experience and dozens of podcast conversations with design leaders, Chris shares practical advice on everything from CV writing to LinkedIn networking, prepa...

“We weren’t going to prove durability with a spreadsheet — we needed to drive a lorry over it and watch what happened.” In this final episode of Series 2, I sit down with Nick Ford , founder of PipSqueak 3D and Patent Ferret , to explore how a nontraditional path — from sweeping workshop floors to designing urban furniture used across London — shaped his approach to design, business, and innovatio...

"97% of hardware startups fail. And a lot of the time, it’s the same mistakes repeated over and over again." In this episode of Why Design , I’m joined by Sera Evcimen , Founder of Pratik Development , Innovation Advisor at FORGE and Techstars Paris , and host of the hardware startup podcast The Builder Circle . Sera has built a career around one goal — helping hardware startups avoid the common p...

“There’s a huge amount of innovation in sustainable materials—but very few are truly built around the problem.” In this episode of Why Design , I’m joined by Georgios Gkotsis , CTO at Kelpi , a Bristol-based startup creating high-performance seaweed-based coatings to replace fossil plastics in long shelf life packaging. Georgios has built a career at the intersection of material science, sustainab...

"There’s a huge amount of design talent in the UK—we just need more founders brave enough to commercialise it." In this episode of Why Design , I sit down with Damon Bonser , founder and CEO of the British Design Fund —a team of operators-turned-investors backing early-stage product businesses with real-world impact. Damon knows firsthand why most hardware startups fail—because he’s been through i...

“We had no clue what we were doing. We quoted a massive job… way under… and then had to figure out how to deliver it without losing our shirts.” That’s how Josh Valman , CEO of RPDK , describes one of the earliest—and most painful—lessons from scaling his product development business. In this episode of Why Design , we dive into the unfiltered reality of building a hardware startup from scratch. J...

In this live episode of Why Design , recorded at Blue Garage, I sit down with Tim Perry , a seasoned innovation and design strategy consultant with over 20 years of experience helping creative businesses sharpen their commercial edge. From scaling consultancies and steering agency acquisitions to guiding in-house teams at major brands like Nokia , McLaren , and Logitech , Tim shares his unique per...

In this episode of Why Design , I sit down with Michael Korn , founder of KwickScreen , the modular screen company supplying every NHS trust in the UK, and Blue Garage , a unique makespace and creative hub in Lewisham built to support hardware entrepreneurs and product designers. We unpack Michael’s fascinating journey, from studying manufacturing engineering and design at the RCA, to bootstrappin...

In this episode of Why Design , I sit down with Hugo Martin , Director of Product Design at WMP Creative , where he has spent over 14 years building a multi-award-winning design division from the ground up. We dive into the balance between process and intuition in product design—when to trust your instincts and when structure is necessary. Hugo shares insights from designing everything from life-s...

In this episode of Why Design , I sit down with Claire Trant, co-founder and CEO of Untap Health, a deep tech company using wastewater epidemiology to detect illnesses before symptoms appear. Claire’s journey from Imperial College to Rolls-Royce and then into entrepreneurship is as inspiring as it is challenging. She opens up about the highs and lows of startup life—navigating funding rounds, scal...

Listener discount! Get 10% off a Sensate using code WHYDESIGN or by visiting https://getsensate.com/WHYDESIGN In this episode, host Chris Whyte is joined by Stefan Chmelik, founder of Sensate – a revolutionary consumer product designed to reduce stress and improve well-being through sound and vibration therapy. Before Sensate, Stefan spent 30 years as a clinician specialising in stress, anxiety, t...

In this episode of Why Design? , Chris Whyte speaks with Nick Chubb , Design Director at IDC , about his fascinating journey through the world of product design. Nick shares how his early passion for graphic design evolved into a career in industrial design, the importance of hands-on experience over formal education, and his perspective on hiring and mentoring young designers. From working on con...

Guest: Nichole Rouillac, Founder of Level Host: Chris Whyte, Founder of Kodu Sign up for Why Design? events: https://teamkodu.com/events In this episode of Why Design , I sit down with Nichole Rouillac , founder and creative director of Level , a woman-led industrial design studio in San Francisco. Nichole has spent over two decades shaping consumer tech and medtech, playing a key role in designin...

Guest: Tom Parsons, Founder of Aetha Design Host: Chris Whyte, Founder of Kodu Sign up for Why Design? events: https://teamkodu.com/events From designing surveillance systems for superyachts to navigating a live war zone in Peru and leading projects at Dyson, Tom Parsons’ journey through product design is nothing short of extraordinary. Now the founder of Aetha Design, Tom shares invaluable lesson...

In this episode of Why Design? , Chris Whyte speaks with Andrew Carr, founder of Bebello, a mission-driven startup transforming the way new parents approach bottle and pump cleaning with sustainability at its core. Andrew’s flagship product, the Bebello Washer, saves time for parents while drastically reducing environmental impact. Andrew’s career journey spans nearly two decades, including roles...

In this episode of Why Design? , Chris Whyte speaks with Oluwaseyi (Seyi) Sosanya, co-founder and CEO of Gravity Sketch, a revolutionary 3D design platform transforming how teams create, visualise, and collaborate across industries such as automotive, fashion, and product development. Seyi’s journey spans continents and disciplines—from studying mechanical engineering at Oregon State University, w...

In this episode of Why Design? , Chris Whyte sits down with Benn Klewpatinond, founder of Inond Design and the visionary behind the Floatrower fitness machine. Benn’s career is a fascinating mix of engineering, design, and entrepreneurship, spanning corporate roles, consultancy work, and now running his own product realisation business. Benn shares his journey, from introducing inclusive design at...

How a Name Change Became Our Biggest Opportunity Yet 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝? It's Chris Whyte here, founder of Kodu and host of The Design Journeys Podcast . I wanted to share an important announcement. After nine months of sharing stories from the world of physical product development, The Design Journeys Podcast is evolving. Starting in January, we’ll be rebra...

Register your interest in our community events here: www.teamkodu.com/events In this final episode of The Design Journeys Podcast under its current name, Chris Whyte speaks with Nick Mannion, co-founder and director of Quarterre Studio. Nick’s career journey has been shaped by a love of drawing, storytelling, and exploration, leading him from a degree in Transport Design at Coventry University to...

In this episode, Chris Whyte speaks with Tracy Sharp, founder of Sharp Minds and host of  Beginner’s Guide to Design Thinking . Tracy shares her incredible journey from studying product design engineering at Strathclyde University to leading global teams and building a career in mentoring and coaching. She opens up about her experiences as a female leader in engineering, the importa...

Episode 19 of The Design Journeys Podcast hosted by Chris Whyte. New episodes every Wednesday!  In this episode, Chris Whyte sits down with Fred Russell-Pavier, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Super Smith, a company focused on creative accessible micro-mobility solutions. Fred’s journey started in academia, where he explored complex sensing and measurement technology, leading to multip...

Episode 18 of The Design Journeys Podcast hosted by Chris Whyte. New episodes every Wednesday! In this episode, Chris Whyte interviews Michael König , a design leader whose career journey spans two decades across digital and physical product design. From launching a digital design studio fresh out of university to leading design at Bang & Olufsen and Fiskars, Michael has tackled challenges at...

Episode 17 of The Design Journeys Podcast hosted by Chris Whyte. New episodes every Wednesday! In this episode, Chris Whyte speaks with Oliver Murphy, founder of SLOWE Living, a brand built around sustainable, minimalist furniture design. Oliver’s career journey began with industrial design at Loughborough University and evolved through branding and freelancing, ultimately leading him to create a...