My Life In Design Podcast

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! Links: Red...

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. Links: Redsetter Pepsico Pepsico Design dba

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. Links: Redsetter COLLINS dba

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. Links: Redsetter Office of Craig dba

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. Links: Redsetter Spin dba

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 des...

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. Links: Redsetter Diageo dba

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. Links: Redsetter Studio Dumbar dba

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. Links: Redsetter DixonBaxi dba

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.

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 enjoye...

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! Links: Red Setter Reckitt

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...

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. Links: Red Setter Graham Wood

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 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...

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...

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! Links: Together Red Setter

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. Link: Mother Design Link: Red Setter

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. Link: Ragged Edge Link: Red Setter

My Life In Design